Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-05-19
THE FARM AND GARDEN.
FauPlowing.

suspect Luat Lie average lhIIn6T uOeS
far too little blowing which l mean,
not that he plows too few acres, for he often
plows too many, but that he should pillow
oftener as we'll as deeper and more thor
oughly. spent three or four of my boy
ish summers planting and tilling corn and
potatoes on fields broken up inst before
they were planted never cross-plowed,
and of course tough and intractable
throughout tie season. The yield of corn
was midding, considering the season; that
of potatoes more than middling; vet, if
those fields had been well plowed in the
previous autumn cross plowed early in the
spring, and thoroughly narrowed just be-
fore planting time, am confident that the
yield would have been far greater, and the
labor (save in harvesting) rather less the
cost of the fall blowing being Overhaul
anced by the saving of half the time neces-
sarily given to the planting and hoeing.
Fall blowing has this recommendation
it lightens labor at the buster season, by
transferring it to one of comparative dull
ness. may have said that consider him
q good farmer who can make rainy
day equally effective with one that is dry
and fair; and, in the same spirit, count
him my master in this art who can make
days work in Autumn or Winter save
days work in Spring or Summer. Show
me farmer who has no land plowed when
May opens, and is just waking up to con-
seriousness that his fences need mending
and his trees want trimming and will
guess that the sheriff will be after him be-
fore May comes round again.
There is no superstitioni in the belief that
land is Cor may be) enriched by fall plow-
ing. The autumn gales are freighted with
the more volatile elements of decaying veg
citation. These, taken up wherever they
ale given off in excess, are waited to and
deposited in the soils best fitted for their
reception. Regarded simply as q method
of fertilizing, do not say that fall plow-
ing is the cheapest; do say that any poor
field, if we'll plowed in the fall. will be in
better heart the next spring, for what wind
and rain will meantime have deposited
thereon. Frost, too, in any region where
the ground freezes, and especially where
it freezes and thaws repeatedly, plays an
important and benefcient part in aerating
and pulverizing freshly plowed SOIL
especially one thrown up into ridges, so as
to be most thoroughly exposed to the action
of the more volatile elements. ThnGaper
who has a good team may profita ep
the pillow running in autumn uIitl Very
rood that he means to till next season has
been thoroughly pulverized
Stirring Soil Around Trees.
Opening or tightening the soil around
the roots of trees. either in the spring or
fall, for the purpose of letting in warmth,
and affording a freer medium for the ex-
pansion and development of the roots, is
of great value in promoting the health
and vigor of the tree. All trees, whether
fruit or ornamental, young or old, indigo
nous or exotic, are vastly benefited by
this process. In old orchards, the soil
about the trunks of trees and to a con-
siderable distance from them, in every
direction, should be carefully broken, and
the upper surface, to the depth of three or
four inches, removed in the spring. every
four or five years. The eggs of the circu-
Ito and other insects are deposited In this
stratum, and if not removed or destroyed,
will produce incects, the ravages OF which
the succeeding year will be productive of
far greater loss than the expense of remoy-
ing the soil, and replacing 1T with compost
or loan. 1t is an utterly hopeless under.
taking to attempt the cultivation OF good
fruit, when no measures are resorted to to
obviate the fatal ravages of this detestable
and insidious foe, and the remedy now
suggested is by no means expensive, if we
take into consideration the advantages
otherwise resulting to the trees from its ap-
plieation.
Any good soil, taken from the open fields
or cultivated lands, may be used as SUBJ
stitute for compost, and very small guam
tity will suffice. Even if no fresh matter is
applied, | would recommend the removal
of the surface soil, and would replace 1t
when convenient. Chip manure, or old
dung covered with straw answers well for
that purpose. = Germantown Telegraph.
Girdled Trees.
It may be matter of interest to some OF
our readers to state that girdled fruit trees
can be saved; and we see no good reason
why the same treatment will not have the
same effect upon all trees The experiment
has been tried with satisfactory results
The method is as follows: To graft five or
six scions, as large around as a pipe.stem,
and long enough to reach over the girdled
place into the tree. First notch the live
bark above and below the girdle; then
spring the shoots or scions into these
notches, and tasten the ends with wax.
The principle is, that the scions grow rap
idly and spread over the girdled surface
We have been told by gentleman who
gave this method trial, that he saved
some very fine fruit trees in this way, after
they had apparently been ruined by the
cnawing of mice. Er.
Soil for Flowers.
The best soil for most flowers and espe-
cially for young plants and for seed-beds,,
is mellow loan, containing so much sand
that it will not "bake" after hard showers
| If we have not such a soil. we must, OF
course. use the best we have. A stiff clay
soil can be much improved by a little sand
or ashes and manure and by pretty con-
slant working. 1t must not, however, be
/ handled when too wet. Always drain the
/ flower. garden so that no water will be on
/ or near the surface. Don't try to grow
/ good flowers in a poor soil Always have
! 10 OF i,,u