Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-09-01
FARn, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
EradiostinE Thisties

.
course Of four plowings, there is no chance
for the pests to see the light They are
thus kept in the dark not only during the
summer, but the two winters are added,
making q continuous dearth of year and
u half. This will kill them. We have
known three plowings to do it, and that is
all that Is necessary where the plowing is
deep and carefully done at regular inter
walls, and the ground all turned down, so
that no strips or careless burrows give
chance for the thistles to appear by the
next plowing, or if the last plowing, in the
fall.
Care must be taken, and this pest can be
removed as well as not. And land thus
treated, plowed three or four times, with
the numerous thistle roots and young
shoots rotted in it, is a bed ft for any crop.
No manure is needed, as the land that
grows thistles successfully is not poor
land. But the working the soil is the
greatest berefit ua plowing is given it
late In the Fall or early Winter, whether
after the Summer treatment or preceding
it, all the better; this may be the fourth
plowing. Il would be best were it done
the Fall before, and then plowed little
deeper than usual. Three times plowing
will then be sufficient the season following.
4
any growth of thistles by the first plowing
time in the Spring. which may be la,e, TO
it will answer as the first plowing, and i
may even be considered as one OF the three
plowings, thus necessitating but two
I plowings during the Summer.
But it wants to be done as il were in the
winter. The frost will then have lis effect
upon the insects, seeds of weeds, weeds
themselves, end the raw ground brought
up from below, will become mellowed and
partially decomposed, the process Of disin-
| tegration finished during the summer, SO
that there will be n great depth of thor
oughly mellow, and some new soil, having
most or all of the ingredients necessary to
farming. 1t will take thistles such long
time to penetrate this soil that two plow-
ings, besides the fall or winter blowing,
win suffice. This in clay soil, or, as we
know by experience, in drift. where there
is considerable clay and much gravel and
sand. In your low, rich plains of river
made soil, the thiStles will be too fast for
the plow, ii passed but twice through the
soil.
In the old thistle districts like this, the
pest is not considered at all; land is not
valued a dollar less in consequence. The
thistes are probably worth as much In the
do. A fallow is sure to clear them, or
heavy meadow will do about the same
| thing. There may be few left, but they
viii dwindls, and must struggle for exist
ence; rich meadow is not the place for
them, especially one prepared for good
fallow bed.
The Summer fallow, as q means of eradi-
eating the thistle. has reference more par
ticularly to grain farms. Flowing fayors
the thistle In the ordinary treatment of the
land. Hence our grain farms, before the
dairying epoch, have had o hard time OF it,
as we well enough know ourselves. 1t was
only by the thorough work of three plow-
ings that We succeeded. Falows were
made in those days.
Since the Introduction of he dairy, all is
changed. There are a few thistles, aud
iiese are becoming less. Grass is en- OBJ
struction to them whether meadow or pas
tnre, but particularly meadow, and more
particularly when heavy and kept heavy.
Top-dressings are good for grass, but in
general not for thistles.-Cou,afry Gentle
man
LIoE ON Hoos.--A correspondent of the
Rural New Yorker says: Tue past five
years have used the following remedy,
which will clean off the lice in two days:
Put about one gill of kerosene oil in any
old dish, and with paint brush or old
wollen rag rub the oil up and down the
back OF the animal and behind the fore
leg aud on the flank. Be particular about
the last two places, for it is where the lice
deposit their eggs. which, If not DESTROYED,
will hatch out in about five days. If il be
a black hog, these eggs can be plainly
seen, being about the size of timothy seed
and laying close to the skin fast to the
hair. No one aeod fear to use the oil free
ly, as it will not injure the hog in the least.
Hot water will not kill these lice, for 1 have
seen them crawl after the hog had been
scalded in barrel after being butchered.
SMUT IN WHEAr.-Wm. Cunningham, of
Caldwell, Ohio, sends head CT wheat and
another of smut, to the American Institute
Farmers Club, which grew side by side,
and asked the cause and cure. Mr.. Fuller
said smut is attributable to the season.
the condition of the atmosphere. Mr..
Burdick said his father "a miller) had OBJ /,
served that the more snow there was in
winter the more smut, his theory being
that the heaving of the soil broke the roots
OF the plant, weakened it, and thus it be- |
come diseased. but Mr.. Burdick's father |
ought to have known that the more snow |
the less heaving of the soil; also that |
spring wheat is often very smutty, although |
1t can feel no influence from frost.
Smut is fungus, and the spores may be |
propagated or carried over from year to |
year on the seed, unless it is brined and !
lined. Mr. Curtis said the preventive of |
smut is to SOW good seed. 1t is well known
that soaking the seed IN strong brine over |
night, and drying it in lime or plaster pre- |
vents smut; but the prevalent idea that the |
spores Of the fungi are destroyed, he be-
lieves to be erroneous. The facts are, that |
if the seeds is put in strong brine, the good |
seed settles to the bottom, and the light, !
imperfect rises free, and is poured off with |
the brine. Thus, good seed produces |
strong. healthy plants, (if the soil is right |
and disease does not attack them. 1t is |
with plants as with men; q weak man is |
more liable to succuub to disease than
strong one; so is O weak plant. The brining |
and Inning seed wheat is to recommended. |
ApULTERATIoN OF STARcH.-It is some
times desirable, in domestic or industrial |
economy, to determine whether starch has |
been adulterated with -four, or potato |
starch with wheat starch. 1t is said that |
this may be done by the following process: |
About fifteen grains of the starch to be
tested are shaken into porcelain dish con- |
tanning six ounces of distilled water. This |
is brought 20 boiling heat, the pastry con.
tents of the vessel being stirred continually |
by means Of glass rod II the starch is |
free from gluten, that is to say. arrowroot |
and potato starch, not the slightest scum |
or foam will be left on the surface of the /
liquid after thu stirring has ceased. If. |
however, there is the least trace of gluten |
or -four. it is said that scum is almost |
Immediately produced. which, by contin- !
ued stirring, becomes SO abundant as to |
resemble thick sosp-suds.
RICrs La CHNEsE.-The Chinese, not /
beng able to eat soup with their '.chop
stiSks," never cook their rice az a semi
hqsid- When turned into bowl it looks |
like mass of popped pop-corn-each in
-ii1dual grain being swelled up. bursted,
and seeming almost ready to fly away. It |
is thus prepared: Take one cup of best
Caiollna rice: wash and rub well; put into |
TIVE cups and half of soft water. with . |
teaspoonful of salt, and bring to boil; |
than stand IL m, tho fop of fha afova IN |