The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-07-23
Agricultural.
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.

FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
RATHER HARD ON GROWING AGR1cuI-
TURIsTs.-The vicissitudes to which agri-
culturists is subjected are SO numerous,
that they are apt to complain and look
upon the ''dark side,,' in spite of aggregate
successes which they have achieved. We
know an accomplished but eccentric gen
tleman, who being a lawyer. and as he
added tlppantly, an infidel besides, was
very fond OF amusing himself over the real
and imaginary sorrows of his fellow-citizens
engaged IN agriculture. One day on the
courthouse steps Of, an old planter,
who was noted for his jealous piety, was
complaining of the season, of the prospects
of his crops, and prophesying that the
people would come to ruin, and noticing
our .'infidel friend staring at him, he in
quired, ''Colonel H--n, how's your
CROP"
The colonel Strengthened himself up, and
remarked, ''Sir, am too religious in my
nature to plant anything. wouldn't plant
even potato.
The pious planter was taken aback. He
knew the colonel was a protested scoffer
and infdel, and after recovering from his
establishment, he said: "What do you
mean by being too religious to plant even a
potato?"
"Why, this" said the Colonel, affecting
to be very serious, cat present / plant
nothing, and, as a result, never have oc-
casion to complain Of the variableness of
the seasons, or rail as you do, sir, against
the wise administration of the workings of
Providence. But if plant single potato,
it would change my moral existence and
imperil my personal happiness. If it were
raining should be miserable, because the
| rain might injure my potato; if it were sun
ny or bright, I should be unhappy lest a
| drought might follow and destroy my po-
tato. If itwere cold and bracing, should
be feverish with indignation lest my potato
! would be frost bitten. If it were intensely
hot, should smother with an extra fever
lest my potato would burn up. mo,
SIR" continued the Colonel, 81 am too
reli gious by nature to imperil nv soul,
if l have got any, by being miserable
agriculturist.
WEDDING POTATOES WITH SHEEP.-It may
not be known to farmers in general that it
is a common practice in some of the pota-
| to growing districts to turn a flock of
sheep into the potato field for the purpose
of eating down the weeds. The sheep will
| not touch q potato vine.
| This pasturing with sheep is very adj
vantageous when the crop is late planted
one, so that the hoeing cannot be COM
| pleted until haying or harvesting is finished.
| At the growing season it is the farmers
| aim to keep down the grass and weeds, so
that they may be covered by the cultivator
and hoe, when these are used.
Pasturing with sheep will attain this OBJ
ject. Early planted crops, the cultivation
of which is completed in the early part of
summer, frequently becomes grassy and
weedy before the time of digging, when
the size of the tops precludes cultivation.
In this stage, the sheep are economical
weeders. II is hardly necessary to men,
ton that the feed thus given to the sheep
makes double profit, inasmuch as it costs
absolutely nothing, while labor is saved and
weeds prevented from seeding- Farm and
| Preside.
PRUNING VINES. Vines need pruning as
much as trees. Superhuous growth in the
former equally with the latter, is not only
unnecessary but positive injury, if fruit
is desired. Runners of all vines, like the
unnecessary limbs of trees. should be
thinned out and shortened on squashes,
tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, and all the
re t. A correspondent at Plymouth, who
signs himself sc. w. j." tells us how he
pruned his melon vines, and had thereby q
good crop of melons, notwithstanding they
were planted rather late, and his advice
and method are alike good and safe to fol-
low. He says
Being very fond of melons I have al
ways since | was old enough to work in the
garden, tried to raise some of them not
withstanding my efforts were frequently
met with experimentation times to-
tai failure-until last year. Last year
pruned my vines and although I planted
very late, | had splendid water-melons, well
ripened, some time before frost came, be-
gan by pinching off the end of the vine as
soon as it had set melon, and got out OF
bloom, then l let as many lateral shoots
start out as would, until my plants were
amply supplied with foliage, then pinch
ing off the ends of all these, and thus de-
voted all the surplus energies of the plant
to the perfection of its fruit instead of al
lowing it to 60 largely to growth of vine
My melons grew in SO short time that ]
have but little fear of this years CROP
Hdine Fdrmer.
FEEDING GREEN CoRN.-A correspondent
writing to the Canada Farmer says he
keeps dairy of twenty-six cows, the milk
being disposed of at q cheese factory: that
last June he sowed an acre of corn in
drills, and began cutting and feeding to the
COWS daily the first of July. When the
September rains came he RENTED the corn
feeding for four days, and the result was a
diminution of fifty two pounds of milk a
day. The corn feeding was again resumed,
and in four days the cows gave their Gus
tomary quantity of milk. The increased
flow of milk doubly paid the cost of feed
given. This is an important fact, and
should induce dairymen to provide this
kind of feed for their COWS at q season
when pasturage is short In fact, it would
seem that the former may be profitably
substituted for the latter under any and all
circumstances, as the yield of green corn
fodder to the acre is very great, and the
cost of producing it comparatively light.
| WATERING PLANTS IN SUANIER.-It is not
wise to begin to water plants in the garden,
unless it is intended to follow it up thor
oughly. IF plants in the open ground are
watered, they throw out their little roots
near the surface to drink in the moisture,
and if afterwards the watering be neglect
ed these little fibrous roots perish for lack
of moisture and the plant suffers. When
| they are not watered at all, the little roots
go down deeper in search of moisture, and
in well cultivated soil, in good condition,
they usually find enough to keep them
| from suffering, unless the drought contin-
| ues unusually long. If il seem necessary
| to give water it should be given copiously
in quantity, sufficient to go down to the
bottom of the roots; a sprinkling that
|