Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-05-30
Farm and Garden.

Communist has been cultivated with
varying success in the North, but not
with profit above the latitude of St
Louis. A good deal of interest is being
manifested in Kansas in this industry.
The seed should be planted four feet
apart each way, on warm land naturally
rich, or made so with manure, and the
plants thinned to one in each hill; the
planting to be delayed until all danger
of frost is over. The plant came origin
ally from India, and is extremely sensi-
tive to frost, and even to cold winds.
At the South it is perennial; instances
being known when it has continued to
fruit, year after year, for eight years;
consequently the yield will be IN pro-
portion to the length of the season.
Fhe crop must be kept entirely free
from weeds, since, when ripe, the pods
burst, and the seeds are often thrown
out to a considerable distance. These
are regularly picked up and carried to
the drying floor provided for the pur-
pose, or the ripe pods are cut just before
they open, and carried to the place pre-
pared for drying. The crop must not be
bulked together until thoroughly dry,
since it is liable to heat. Plant the
light-colored, small, firm, Northern
beans, not only on account of their
earliness, but because the quality of the
oil manufactured therefrom is better
than from the coarse Southern varieties
In Texas, Florida, and other favorable
localities South, from seventy to one
hundred bushels of seed are reported
per acre. In Southern Illinois, Missouri
and Kansas, from twenty-five TO forty
bushels of clear beans would be good
yield per acre.
Bleeding Of Grape Vines.-A correspond
ent of the Gardeners Chronicle recon-
mends as preferable to the method Of
placing a potato on the freshly-cut end,
to stop bleeding in grape vines, to use
flexible collodion, which has been found
so thorough a styptic for wounds of the
human body. Two dressings were given
with the end of feather, thoroughly
covering the wound twice in the course
OF few minutes, the third or final coat
beng put on about half an hour after
wards, when the cut was completely
sealed up, and in the course of few
minutes became quite hard, so that
there was not the least sign of any
bleeding. In the course of ten days
the vines grew away strongly and vigor
ously, and have since continued to do
so. Some choice pelargoniums were
also cut down and dressed twice; this
was quite sufficient to heal the wound,
ana IN the course of three or four days
the eyes were starting again, showing
great vigor. 1t was found equally eff
Gent with ApheIand.a Leopoldii, EupAor-
6'G .1acqaanigtora, and Luculia gratissima
In the treatment of the Euphorbia, and
all the tribe of plants that bleed at the
same rapid rate, it was found necessary
to have small piece of sponge to wipe
off the milky juice, so as to get the
collodion to adhere, and they require to
be gone over as many times as the
vines.
Root Crop for Hogs.-But very small.
percentage OF farmers grow root crops
for stock. Occasionally patch of car
rots or mangolds are found, but as a gen
eral thing they constitute no part of the
farm products. Still all ex-
perience points to them as among the
most economical crops to be fed out
upon the farms, and at the same time
they constitute healthful and nutri- |
tive article Of diet. In recent letter
to the Ratrat World, w. J. Neeley, of
LaSalle county, Illinois, says that last
year he grew five acres ofmangolds,w which |
yielded about thirty-one tons to the
acre. He says that hogs are very fond
Of them, and in the fall will, when the
other food is scarce, eat them, tops and |
all. He thinks one acre of them will |
produce as much food as five acres of
corn. Mr.. j. S. TIbbits writes to the |
Michigan Farmer that he raised sugar |
beets Tor his hogs last year. He is
ready TO believe them a very valuable |
food for fattening hogs, and superior to
any other root crop for stock of all |
kinds.
Grass Lands.-The proper manage.
ment of grass lands viii be, before long,
if it is not now, the key to successful |
agriculture in America. We find a
in maintaining the productive. |
ness of our meadows and pastures, even
with annual top-dressings of BARNARD |
There needs to be something |
more. Not only abundant artificial |
resources are necessary to maintain |
perennial vigor, but the mechanical |
process of narrowing and rolling are |
needed. These destroy moss, loosen
and open the surface, admit the fertil- |
zers to the roots and prevent the for |
nation of tufts and heritage, which in
line would render the surface uneven.
By these means grass lands have been
Kept productive for centuries in Eu.
'opean countries.
Value of Stra0.-Straw, if properly
can be made to serve a more
profitable purpose than mere littering,
" to add Uulk to the manure pile. In
and among the English farm
RS in Canada, most of the bullocks are
ed and fattened on straw, with roots and
neal. No bay is used, that being kept
or the hor es. Thus a larger number
If the stock can be fed. Straw cut.
vetted and sprinkled with ground food
n oil-meal, will carry cattle very well
through the winter. Oat, barley, rye
nd wheat straw are proportionately
-aluable il the order in which they are
,laced. Pea straw is more valuable
han oat straw.
Food for Queens aohea Laying Eggs
flour is fed to bee for pollen by
piarians in spring, as soon as they
a d. |