Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-09-03
Agricultural.
Farm. garden AND HOUSEHOLD.


FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD
EARLY PorAroEs are said 10 have much
shorter runners than the later varieties
and it is thought by some that the distanc,
from the stalk of the potato 10 the. tubei
will afford an index Of the time il will take
the crop to mature. We can only explain
this by npposing that the time taken fol
the runners of some varieties TO force theil
way long distance through the ground il
employed by other kinds in the develop
ment Of the tuber.
SCREWS that have become firmly fixed in
wood may sometimes be started by press
ing a red-hot fire poker ON their heads
The heat of the poker expands the screw
when it will readily yield to the action o.
the screw-driver The same result may
often be obtained by forming little groove
around the head Of the screw, and filling Il
with kerosene oil. This oil is very pene.
trating in its nature, and will find its way
between the thread Of the screw and the
wood that incloses it,
To REMOVE THE TASTE OF NEW WooD.- -
A keg, churn, bucket, or other wooden yes
sell will generally communicate q disagree
able taste to anything that is put into it.
To prevent this inconvenience, first soald
the vessel well with boiling water, letting
the water remain in it until cold; then dis
solve some pearlash or soda in luke-warm
water, adding little lime to it, and wash
the inside of the vessel well with this solu-
ton. Afterward scald it well with cold
water before you use it. The reason for
this is the ready combination of resinous
matters with alkalines to form compound
soluble in water. The resinous substances
of wood, while new, cause disagreeable
taste and odor in substances kept in wood
en- vessels.
How TO FIT COLLARS TO HoRsEs' SHOULD
RRs. 1t is very important to have a collar
fit nicely and snugly to the shoulders of q
horse 1t enables him to work with a
great deal more ease and to apply great
deal more strength It prevents calling
and wounding, as the friction is avoided
Collars are so made, or should be so made,
as to throw the chief force on the lower
part of the shoulder. But we started out
to tell our readers how to make new col
lar fit the shoulder of horse. The collar
should be purchased of the proper size;
Just before putting it on, the first time,
immerse it in water, letting it remain for a
minute, and Immediately put it on the
horse, being careful to have the names 80
adjusted at the top and bottom as to fit the
shoulder, and then put the horse to work
The collar, by being wet, will adapt itself
- oh, =. 4l,a
horse. When taken off it should be left
in the same shape it occupied on the horse
and ever after you will have snug ht-
ting collar and no wounds. Valley Far
mer.
ECONOMY m FLoRIcULTURE. The great
number of plants now used for the decora-
ton of the garden and pleasure ground,
particularly those suitable for bedding pur-
poses, and the cheap rates at which they
can be procured, considering the cost Of
material and labor necessary for their pro-
ductiep, renders economy Of the greatest
Importance in everything connected with
the business The use of hot water ap-
paratus and properly constructed propaga-
ting beds, is now well understood. There
is, however, very common and costly
mistake often practiced, by which much
time is lost, and the condition of the plants
greatly impaired, viz: that of allowing the
cuttings to remain in the propagating bed
longer than is necessary-o until they
have made several joints Of growth, In
this case they sustain check upon being
removed, so severe as to cause the leaves to
wilt, and finally to drop; thus making the
plant unsightly; whereas, if they are re-
moved as soon as they have fairly COM
menced to form roots, little or no check
will be sustained. The plants, with proper
management, will be well furnished from
their base and upward; and owing to the
short time required to root such stuff
double the number ofplants may be turned
out of the same space in the prcpagating
bed. W.
PRoPAaAT1Na GRAPE CUTTINGS. II make
cuttings in the Fall, of thoroughly ripened
wood. Bury them six inches deep in any
dry ground. In the spring, sfter the frost
is out, spade trench, or trenches, two
feet wide and SIX inches deep; cover the
bottom with any cheap or refuse boards,
set up at each side six inch board and
spread on the bottom some old hay or
straw, half, Or two-thirds rotten, about one
inch thick when packed, and make it very
wet. Fill the box with rich earth. Now
with the hand, open across one end V
shaped trench down to the old straw.
Press the cuttings against the side Of this
trench, about two inches apart, with the
upper bud at the surface Of the ground.
With the hand take the dirt from the front
side of this little trench and press it against
the cuttings, leaving q similar trench,
which fill with cuttings and continue until
the bed is filled. Then mulch with loose
hay or straw two or three inches deep, and
with spout or rose sprinkler make the
bed pretty moist.
Now the theory is this; The rotton
straw in the bottom retains moisture. The
boards prevent the surrounding earth from
absorbing that moisture; the mulching pre-
vents the moisture from evaporating, and
therefore the cuttings remain moist.
My experience is this:--Ninety-fve pei
cent Of all my grape cuttings treated as
above, have grown.
There is another item or two in this pro.
cess worthy of notice; when the plants are
to be lifted for the winery or for sale, first
lift out the side boards; then with a shove
OF fork, the plants are taken out with roots
entire and uninjured, and also, that they
may be easily watered, and to some pur
pose, in dry time Doc.
OMAHA, Neb.
OXEN FOR FARM Work. The leading OBJ
ject in pursuit of any business is to accu
mulate wealth. In doing this it becomes
necessary to economic, in preparation,
movements made in the commencement
In farming, one of the heavy expenditure
is in motive power-the power that move
the plow, the wagon, the cart, the thresh
ing machine, the mower and reaper, tn,
hay rake, &c.
The motive In common use is, the horse
mule and OK, For part of the farmers worl
the horse or mule appears to be indispen
sible; butfor the wagon, cart, or even tn
plow, the OK comes in strong competition
with the horse. To begin with, there i
less capital invested, less expense of food
less expense of gearing, less expense o
shoeing. When unfit for work, either b,
age, accident, or viciousness in fence
breaking they can be fed of for tn
1 N.aaA A.0NaA