Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-06-15
Farm and Garden.

ton regarding the causes of this falling
Off: | have Il field of potatoes upon nv
farm which | expect will yield 3Ot
bushels to the acre, which may be re
garded as an old diashoned crop.
know that this crop will re owe from
the soil, in tubers and tops, at least 4OC
pounds of potash. am also certain it
will remove $50 pounds of phosphoriC
acid. Now these amounts are very
large, and serve to show that the potato
plant is great consumer Of the two
substances; aud also, it shows that in
order to restore our potato fields to their
former productive condition, we must
supply phosphate compounds and sui
stances holding potash in large quaint.
ties. For six or eight generations in
New England, our fathers have been
exhausting the soil by removing these
agents in their potato and other crops,
and we have reached time when the
vegetables are starving in our fields for
want OF their proper food. Our farmers
have found that new land gives the best
crops, and this is due to the fact that
such fields afford the most potash. But 50
| long as we crop our pastures SO unrea-
sonably, we cannot resort to new land,
as land is not new that has had its pot
ash and phosphate elements removed
by grazing animals. Remember that a
potato field which gives but 400 bushels
to the acre requires at least 100 pounds
OF potash, but 10y allowing the tops to
decay upon the field, GO pounds OF this
is restored to the soil again, as that
amount is contained in them. A me-
al m n ntatn
much phosphoric acid as medium
crop OF wheat, so that in two years
with wheat, the land is deprived of no
more of the agent than it looses in one
year with potatoes.
Sowirg Grass Alone.-A writer in the
Roral Ne0 Yorker says Now, | do not
believe in any of this old-time nonsense
of sowing grass seed or clover with oats,
rye or wheat, just because somebody
has said it was the best way. If Il man
wants q field seeded with timothy, SOW
that and nothing else; and the same
with any other kind OF grass, or even
clover, for any of them will grow far
better alone than when crowded, shaded
or the soil about the roots robbed Of its
moisture by some coarse, rank growing
grain. Or course on rich moist soils, u
man may seed down with grain and
thereby save one season; but 1T is poor
policy to follow this system on old,
nearly worn out soils, even if our fathers
and grandtathers "always done So"
Then, again, it is folly to mix clover
and timothy together in the same field,
for they are never both in proper condi.
ton for cutting at the same time, and
little musty, over-ripe clover. mixed
with the hay, adds nothing to its value.
BY keeping both separate, each can be
cut when in the best condition for hay,
and this rule will hold good with all
kinds of forage plants.
Appiying Waoure-A correspondent of
the Rerat Home writes: If the farmer
has manure made, or kept through the
summer, it will become fermcnted it
cannot be avoided in the warm season.
Such manure is best applied on the
surface, and worked in with the har-
row; and if applied to winter wheat,
there is perhaps no better mode, as it
has the mechanical effect of keeping
the surface loose to resist the frosts OF
winter, as well as the stimulating effect
OF producing an early growth OF the
crop. But in the use OF green manures
in spring for summer crops, experience
has convinced me that to plow under
and allow fermentation to take place in
the soil, where all the volatile gases may
be absorbed and taken up by the grow
ing crop, is most economical and best.
We are often deceived in the effects of
manure by the amount used. In apply.
ing common barn-yard manure in an
untermented state, we get but about
one third the amount of manure in the
same bulk that we have when used in a
decayed condition.
Vitality of C0rn.-A correspondent of
the Western Farmer writes: In the fall
of 1870 | gathered some corn for seed,
selecting that which was first ripe as
soon as well glazed. | traced it up by
the husk. and hung it up on the west
side of my barn, on the outside, where
some of it remained during the winter
of lS70-7l, and through the following
spring. summer, autumn and winter.
Three or four days ago took few k er-
nels from each of the ears of different
sorts, put them in a cup and covered
them with fresh earth. To-day l have
examined the kernels, and find every
one of the White Dent sprouted. OF
the other, which was eight rowed and of
II dark flesh color, only one kernel had
terminated Is not the vitality of the
first or White Dent somewhat remark,
able, after being exposed to every storm
of rain and snow from October, 1870 to
April &c, 1872?
Co,0s for tie Dauy-W We believe a great
mistake will be made if dairymen should
be led away by the prevailing fashion
to favor the introduction of Jersey
blood into their herds. 1t would result
in reducing the SIZE and feeding quail
ties, and enfeebling the constitution,
without any corresponding gain in the
way of additional milking value. True,
we might have richer milk for butter
making, but not for cheese The milk
of the Ayrshire COW, though somewhat
lacking in richness for butter. making,
is full Of caseine, and therefore valuable
to the cheese maker. The finest and
best dairy COWS we ever saw were OBJ.
tanned by cross of Ayrshire on first
class native cows, followed by a cross of
short-horn, the result being cows having
half short-horn to a quarter each of
Ayrshire and native. They were splen-
did mixers, always full of flesh on
moderate feeding in winter-Rural
Home.
Tobacco IN Kentucky Farmers
Home Journal says: The tobacco crop
of Kenton county in 1871, nearly
4 IL - a