New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-05

I
soon be- very marked difference between them ana
those raised from large and fair seed. As theory IS
not of so much Importance ~ practice. will state
that season before last planted row of peachblOW
potatoes putting the largest and flircst potatoes IN
whole and alongside planted a row, taking those
about the size Of black walnuts cutting them once
! in two. and the OF large up iirst and
| looked the backeSt and rankeSt the whole season,
and yielded the best crop and largest potatoes
| Mr.. Reade-Wiliian II. Putnam of BROOKLYN Conn,
| grandson OF the man who bearded the wolf IN ms
deu mas increased the average weight OF his wheat
from 20 pounds to the bushel to '4 pounds by sowing
the very best sccdSeed that remains after winhow-
ing the grain. and blowing out all the light seeds
| sowing abOut half of the grain OF which common
| farmers SOW the whole.
Miss MILDLY Morcan-Ihorough winnowing is al
ways practiced in England, and there we often 90 80
far to pick the seed over by baud before SOWING
SCIENCE on THE FAEM-A number of chemical
questions have been asked by the correspondents
whose names are given and were replied to by Prot.
James A. Whitney.
c. II. Taylor of Deposit. n. Y.-Do wood ashes
applied TO land permanently enrich it, do they only
act chemically other substances IN the soil 10 con-
| vert them into plant food Answer The most direct
effect of ashes is to supply potash to growing Vegeta
ton and this takes place IN the greatest degree when
the ashes are fresh and large percentage oil the pot
ash is soluble in water. Afterwards, when the ashes
have become leached. the scates of potash. lime,
&c, decOmpose slowly and yield up their elements
for plant nutrition Ashes may, therefore. be con-
sidered very permanent fertilizer. They also act
| chemically to liberate other kinds of plant food. u
| How can the bottom heat in hot-bcds be proonged'
~ Only by increasing at the outset the supply oil Ter
menting manure from which tho heat is commonly
derived Unless mode Of artificial heating from
beneath were used. which would be likely to cost
more than il would amount TO.
| w. w. Elliot of Manhattan. Kansas-ls there any
process for soitenng hard water To make ii lit for
washing? A. No. Theoretically the lime which
| makes the water hard NAV be neutralizcd by acid,
but in practice this would be dangerous and lmprac
| o. j. Chase of Boonvre. Ind-Are gypsum and
| plaster of Paris the same thing' Will il pay TO buy
plaster at s. a barrel and draw IL IL miles to sow on
cloveri A. The two are identical, except chat the
Tllganf
kind of gypsum after il ~ boiled and treated with
water for making casts and statuay, bnt there are
| some kinds of gypsum so impdre that it cannot be
used for such purposes. Except under rare clrcum-
| stance it will not be profitable to use much plaster
| OH clover at the cost mentioned
NJ. A. johnson of Lowell Felting Mills. Mass, asks
how to use 20 tuns year of refuse from the felt
| ing mills, composed Of HAIR pieces of hide &c
its bulk of fine mnck, keep it wet preferably with
liquid manure and LET IT ferment. Ii would also be
good plan to miDgle it with horse manure to hasten
its decomposition, but the heap should be covered
with muck earth to absorb the ammonia that
will be liberated by the action of the lime. Seventy
tuns of mingled hair and other animal matter ought
To be small fortune to any farmer. When used 1t
snould be mingled p'ih the soil not spread upon 1t.
:. Webster. Northeast. Pa. asks if ground pigeon
grass seed is worth anything for provender A. II
has but little nuriment, hut may be fed 70 store
cattle but it ~ not hearty enough for fattlns or
working animals
T. Gin, Bristol. Conn. asks what to do to make
manure of the grease oil that wOuld he obtained
III the process OF securing wool a. IL there were
nothing but grease or oil there would no manure IN
it, But the y0k Of wool is kind of oily soap. and
has large amount Of potash in 1t. The soap used
III cleansing is also rch IN alkali; 20 that in France
they find il pays save the securing wafer. Eyap
crate il and the settings a fertilizer. Whether
Mr. Gl can find profit in an attempt to do III"
wise Is doubffnl IL dsp"uds OF tho fall below tue
mill, the price Of labor and fuel and the quantity OF
wool washed.
A SCEAP-BOoK RFCOMMENDEp.-ln examining the
VOluminOuS correspondence Mr.. ChamhcISfrequently
has to note that the question is asked
three fOur times IN the course OF rs many months
by persons in various sections Of the country not.
withdrawing the fact that tho information asked
for has already been published IN reply Ia still ear
lcr inqu - Therefore, to save tlme aug trouble to
al partft, NJ Chambers submits the following Sug-
tion which is certainly WORTHY OF attention: Let.
say a doZ,i, tge stout envelopes he procured Those
made of Manila paper the bcst) these are to be
lahecd fruit culturc. cereal crops forest trees mix
aud its products, farm implements ilahnrcs care OF
animals poultry. gardening, &c. Into them should
be placed the lens cut from the reports OF the Club
and from other These can he atterward ar
ranged and placed in hlanlbook under proper head
incs ANY one who will follow this plan for year
or two will find such collection of valuable nfOIma
| ton rs would be difficult to procure elsewhere;
| Cosr or CmERsE-MAKING.-FD u. Curtis observe
in of the reports OF my article on Dairy Farming
last week that appear TO have said than ten cents
| per pound is the price charged at factories tor
! making cheese. This may nslcad many who are
! looking toward cows and wish 1t to be distinctly
known that the figure should he two 81 not ten lg.
| BAsKEr WIIOw.-F. X, PhWyLS, Bloomington, Ill,
writes, in reply to a letter OF inquiry thai ~ his
opinion . IS perfectly eSlbleto gr9 T bas ,5 willow
40 ts1nost every faiin IA America. w old :ogmqn
Sql rilanaIs puparid is considered The most dcsir
able sort but many others are more on less nsed
SGlir F0rbgdHd by claimed To he The toughest
II has the ghtest-ColOicd shoots of any cultivated
| willow now remembered The white willow, also
called gray. powder, fence. ana timber willow Is
considerably used ~ some sections. IL makes very
strong shoots Willow working Is simple, aud might
! he proftably carried on in many homes III country
! aud city by old and young. male ana female. ING
rods or switches need pecllng, usually considered
/ the most tedious part, but YANKEE ingenuity Ought
| 10 overcome that.
mort of last weeks meeting that some member, y. =
Fuller believe. in answer 10 George J.. White oil
| Norfolk Pa who asks whether willow viii not
thrive the edge OF salt marsh, refers 10 the WI
! lows along the side of the Newark and New-l ORR
turnpike. Has this member ever Travelled lcisuftly
over this same road aud examined caelniy INTO thc
health aud condition OF all OF these trees II not theh
lief him do 80 even at this late date. go on loot rs
have done aud stop frequently on the way hdInahe
careful observations Begin at the emu gong our OF
Newark. Here you may lind some thrifty; iuIsloWh
willows Take note of all conditions and SITUATION
Here is a heavy wash from long descent oi upland
road: this end OF the carSoway Is receiving auePost
| oil sand mixed with loan and the RECOMMENDATIONS
sediment carried there from the wagon ROAD com
| Inencing at "Aunty Ogdeus OF olden memory
nearly TO the Creek Bridge. Here, also exists the
same cause as regards the trees; VIZ: tho road Is
raised with upland soil to meet the required hight of
The bridge Now please wall. on Here are willows
on either side as get half mile or more from the
Creek Bridge, the trees are not han 80 large anu
some OF them are dead and others are dying. -
Willows grow best on banks where there IS drained
.earth above the water line. The roots VIII go down
10 the water line of brook OF well, ana then spread
/ ont. , -, HI,
| From these remarks YOU see that neither willows
nor any other tree will permanently thrive on tho
! black muck-lIke soil OF salt meadows. ii Ihey
! would there would certainly he some such gown
| sprlnging up some portion OF these extensive
marshes. Witness the experiment below East New
ark of a nuTscryman. How many trees mas ne living
to-day for his $4,000 IN ditohng, p0wlng seeding,
| and cultiyatng on meadow muck. There rs a piece
between the track and ~In Is ne'HG pre-