The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-30

about an hour. SOW anu Iahe Iui 40
not cover with the spade. Ifthey are
strono, seeds. such as cabbage, scatter
them in. and then rake. Leave no al
levs- IF YOU do the atmosphere pene-
trstes directly through the raised earth,
and marshes the seeds. keep the bed
wet until the seeds come mp. The
csnse of failure is most generally, this:
tb Sa hads AT first are watered, the seeds
oerminate, and a hard crust Is formed,
through which the young plants are
not able to push. and die of be fore see
inp the light: The rake for this pur-
pose should be furnished with long,
sharp teeth. An American steel rake
is ali that could be desired; 1t keeps
free from rust, and does not foul, like
the OLD. fashioned English rake"
Many farmers form good resolutions
during the winter for agricultural and
horticultural operations, which they
hope to reduce to practice as the sea-
sons advance. They are anxious to get
at II. and often undertake too much.
One OF these resolutions Is generally,
and we speak from experience, to
scrape and clean the fruit trees eaIly in
the spring, in order to head off insect
denradatiOns: this has been and is FREE
quently done too early in the season.
Some of our most experienced orchard
lists tell US that II done in March or April
the bark of the trees will turn black,
and will not regain their healthy,
smooth appearance for two or three
years thereafter. The operation above
spoken of should be performed in the
early part of June, when the tree is full
leaf, ii the full benefit shall be derived
therefrom.-RurGL World.
MANURING TO PRoFIT.-Square Mop
sew is a smart man, and lawyer, and
he lives adjoining me. II tell ye what,
Mr.. Wilkinson" says the Square, "you
can make all your land wo'th fifty dol
lars more an acre il you'll put two hun
bred and fifty bushels of wood ashes to
the acre.
Don't doubt it," says I, "Square;
and it'll cost me fifty dollars an aero
put 'em there''
$50 l thought" said the Square; "but
when you get 'em you know what
you've got"
1t don't take a Solomon, in my opin-
ion, to tell us what'll do land good; but
when you get hold OF man who can
tell how much it'll pay TO spend In
manure, and can prove what he says
all I've got to say is, keep that chap
a-writin'."
ASHES ON FRUIT TREEs.-I often
make use OF ashes around my trees,
certainly as often as once n year, and
believe it to be of great benefit TO them'
But, like some of your other cores
pondents, have learned not to apply
it in contact with the bark of the trees,
as they become moistened and form I've
often too strong for the growing wood.
1 generally use about one quart OF ashes
to tree, scattering it around them as
far as the roots are supposed to extend
underneath. My large trees, in bearing
ten or twelve years, receive an applica-
ton of from six to eight quarts of un-
leached ashes to each tree, scattered in
the same manner. l never permit the
ashes to lie upon the ground in any
place more than one inch in depth.
A PRACTICAL farmer writes: "ln my
observations for twenty years in the
practical application of manure, am
convinced that what is ordinarily term.
ed "mulChing," or the application OF
thoroughly decomposed barnyard ma
nure to the surface, is the most econom-
ical use of this class of fertilizers. From
this experience am convinced that one
cord OF manure applied on wheat ground
at the time of sowing, or on ground in
tended for corn in the late autumn, or
applied to all varieties of large or small
fruits, is worth three cords plowed or
dug under to u depth o! eight inches"
1t is estimated that an acre of aver
age soil, ten inches deep, weighs about
the amount of potash soluble in water
weighs only about seventy pounds. y
single crop of hay takes off thirty
pounds, and OF turnips two hundred
sounds. That the land continues TO
bear year after year is proof that the
potash is being continually liberated
from its insoluble compounds in the
soil. This is secured principally by the
action of carbonic acid in solution.
Mr.. r. Murray, who raised potatoes
the past season. at the rate of $50 BUSH
els to the acre, and onions Mt the rate OF
G2O bushels to the acre, stated at a late
meeting of the Walthan (Mass.) Farm
ers' Club that he had found mir. Stacked
lime to be II sure cure for the union
maggot.
KILLING POTATORs. - Tho London
Cottage Gardener says earthing up pO-
tatoes diminishes the product and re-
| tards the ripening of the tubers. Long
experiments in England have proved
this fact-that billing up the potato
| will reduce the crop one.fourth.