Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-08-12
Agricultural

ASHES AND NIaHT-SoIL.-Which is
preferable for garden, bleached ashes
or ashes just as they come from the
stove?
For the garden unbleached ashes are
the best; especially if horse manure
and COW dung have to be employed.
1ne soil OF the garden suffers heavy
loss of potash in the removal OF all root
crops, as asparagus, celery, cabbage,
and the ike which ashes are adapted
to supply. They are also excellent as
an insect-killer when busted on plants
attacked by caterpillars, slugs, or
aphids as they not only choke, but
cauterize these vermin. When this
Office is served they reach the soil with
advantage as top dressing. They are
also useful in promoting chemical
change in the too inert organic matter
of old garden soil, and where the garden
has been heavily and exclusively
manured with stable manure for years
and has become black and mucky;a good
dose of ashes well mixed with the soil
often operate as benefcially as renewed
manuring of the usual kind. The ashes
and seed should not come too near each
other. There may be several 'best
ways" of applying night soil to gardens.
according to circumstances. One OF
them, and on all accounts perhaps the
very best, Is to apply it by irrit alton.
Night soil, containing necessarily much
urine, decomposes in warm weather
with extraordinary rapidity, and unless
il is used fresh or nearly SO the best
OF il cannot be used a. all Convenience
requires either that it be dried by the
eaTth-closet system or diluted with bath
and kitchen-slop and applied as a
drench. Dry earth Is not competent to
save the nitrogen of night-soil, as DIR.
Voelcker has lately shown, and as / had
ascertained some three years ago by
my own analysis. If the night-soil and
other house-slops are received into
tight cistern situated in the garden the
contents can be pumped up and dis
tributed when ald where they are
wanted by hose, by drain pipes, or by
casks on wheels with the most complete
economy OF all the fertilizing matters,
and with no annoyance worth naming.
THIN Our THE FRUIT.-If this i'm
portant matter has not already been at.
tended to, it should be done without
delay. There is no excellence without
labor and care, and this is particularly
true of fruit growing Daily vigilance
is indispensably requisite in order to
insure success. In horticulture, sound
judgment is required, and nerve
sufficient to execute its commands.
When the time arrives for thinning out
fruit, it must be done. We know that
excessive production is always at the
expense of both quantity and quality,
and often results In seriously impairing
the vitality of the tree. One-half the
trees which bear fruit every year would
be benefited by one half of the fruit
taken off as soon as it is well set; and
the overbearing of tree will IN a few
years destroy it.
But it requires courage to thin out
fruit as much as it should be. As
rule, the fruit should be thinned out so
that, when fully grown they will not
touch each other. Indeed, it would
be still better to thin out peaches so
that the distance between them should
be from two TO four inches. In the
latter case the result will be that what
fruit is allowed to remain on will be of
large size, and usually of fine color,
and will command ready sale in market
at high and remuuerative figures. In
no instance is fruit SO good when the
tree or plant is overloaded, nor will II
attain its proper size. The price OBJ
tanned is always much less, the Gus
toners dissatisfied, and your trees suffer
therefrom.