The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-09-02
FARE, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Ersdie.sinx ThIstIes.

early in Flowing. This prevents the frs
crop from appearing. In this way, by q
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 continuous dearth of year and
q 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-
Vals, and the ground all turned down, so
that no strips or careless furrogs give
chance for the thistles to appear by the
next plcwing, 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
slheots rotted in it, is a bed lit 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 benefit. Ifa 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. 1t would be best were it done
the Fall before, and then plowed a little
deeper than usual. Three times pIowing
will then be sufficient the season following.
The late plowing in the Fall will prevent
any growth of thistles by the first plowing
time in the Spring, which may be lale, 70
it will answer as the first blowing, and
may even be considered as one of the three
plo9ings, thus necessitating but two
plowings during tho Summer.
But it wants to be done as it were in the
winter. The frost will then have its effect
upon the insects, seeds of weeds, weeds
themselves, and 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 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-
ines, besides the fall or winter plowing,
will 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, if passed but twice through the
soil.
In the old thistle districts like this, the
pest is not considered at all; land is not
valued dollar less in consequence. The
thistles are probably worth as much in the
manure they furnish as is the damage they
do. A fallow is sure to clear them, or
heavy meadow will do about the same
thing. There may be few left, but they
will dwindle, and must struggle for exist
ence; rich meadow is not the place for
kha,,o falI In fOr
fallow bed.
The Summer fallow, as means of eradi-
eating the thistle, has reference more par
ticularly to grain farms. Flowing favors
the thistle in the ordinary treatment of the
land. Hence our grain firms, before the
dairying epoch, have had lard time OF it,
as we well enough know ourselves. 1t was
only by the thorough work of three plow-
ings that we succeeded. Fallows were
made in those days1
Since the introduction of the dairy, all is
changed. There are few thistles, aud
thes~ers beceming less. Grass is an OBJ
struction to them whether meadow or pas
ture, but particularly meadow, and more
when heavy and kept heavy.
are good for grass, but in
general not for thistles.-C0smfrY Gentle
man
LICE on HoGs.-A correspondent of the
Rural New Yorker says: The 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 uish, and with a paint brush or old
wollen rag rub the oil up and down the
back of the animal and behind the fore
leg and 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 it 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 need fear 10 use the oil frse-
ly, as it will not injure the hog in the least.
Hot water will not kill these lice, for have
seen them crawl after the hog had been
scalded in barrel after being butchered.
SMUT IN WHEAT.-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 tho 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. IBut 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
it can feel no influence from frost.
Smnt is fungus, and the spores may be
propaeated or carried over frem 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 drging it in lime or plaster pre-
vents smut; bat 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; weak man is
more liable to succumb to disease than o
strong one; so is weak plant. The brining
and Inning seed wheat is to be commended.
times desirable, in domestic or industrial
economy, to determine whether starch has
been adulterated with flour, 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 to a 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 a scum is almost
Immediately produced, which, by contin-
ued stirring, becomes SO abundant as to
resemble thick soap-suds.
RICE La CHINEsE.-The Chinese, not
being able to eat soup with their ''chop
sticks" never cook their rice as a semi
LIQUID. When turned into bowl it looks
like mass of popped pop-corn-each in
dividual grain being swelIed up, bursted,
and seeming almost ready to fly away. 1t
is thus prepared: Take one cup of best
Carolina rice; wash and rub we'll; put into
two cups and a half of soft water. with a
teaspoonful of salt, and bring to boil
then stand it on the top o. the stove to
simmer an hour. When the water is al
absorbed. add one cup of sweet milk, stil
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