Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-02-14
FIELD AND GARDEN
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TOP DRESSING GRASS AND WHEAT.
! Now is a good time for hauling COM
post, manure. ashes, ETC., on TO wheat
| fields and meadows-while the ground
is frozen, and especially while there is
siedding. Do not apply fresh muck
nor fresh stable manure 20 land or crops
in this way, but mix both together in
a pile and let them ferment for at least
a month or two, then the muck will
become almost as good as the manure
without abstracting any considerable
amount from its substance.
Old manure, and especially if COM
posted with muck is of great value as
top-dressing for wheat applied in win
ter or early spring. Where the soil is
thin ON knolls or hills the effect will be
found particularly beneficial, both in
enriching the soil and preventing inju-
ry to the plants by freezing and wind.
| CLOVER AND PLASTER also, should be
used more freely than it has heretofore
other means will so chesply and easily
restore or preserve the:fertility of farm
lands. Now is the time to get ready for
| sowing clover seed. 1t is also good
time to procure plaster for spring SOW
ing-as well as new implements that
may be wanted; but first Of all, while
this snow lasts, every farmer should do
| up his hauling of wood, fence-rails, saw
logs, etc.
MANURE FOR LAWNS.
We notice that some of our town peo-
pie have dressed their lawns or door
! yards with stable manure, to lie during
winter, and be raked offin spring. This
| Ia no doubt beneficial where the land is
really poor SO that the grass cannot
make good turf; bat this is very rare
Is the case, and the appearance Of the
premises is rendered SO unpleasant if
not disgusting, that it ought not to be
tolerated in any respectable neighbor-
hood. A few bushels of wood ashes
saved from the cook stove during the
| winter and, spread evenly over the lawn
in spring will answer all the ordinary
purposes of top-dressing. Or, if the
land is poor and ashes scarce, few dol.
lars worth Of bone dust (from Stair &
Co. of Cieve!and) will serve for two or
lahree years. If manure is applied at all
it should be SO old and decomposed as to
look like black dirt, and then if raked
in we'll in the spring it can be allowed
to remain, especially If the lawn is rolled
as it should be, afterwards. But no one
desires to promote rank growth of
seldom necessary.
PRUNING TREES AND GRAPE VINES.
This should be done speedily after
this cold spell is over. Grape wires es-
peciaiiy will need good attention this
spring, cutting away the old, dead
or sickly portions and giving the young
shoots a fair chance for bearing. Don't
be afraid of cutting away too uuch--all
noyices err on the other side, and too
much wood is left on three-fourths of
the grape vines in the country; then if
the season is favorable they are allowed
to bear too much fruit.
MAKING PAPER OF WOOD.
AZ the recent meeting of the Western
n. Y. Horticultural Society at Roches-
ter, it was stated that an establishment
is in operation near that city for maxi
ing wood into pulp for paper making,
by new and improved process, which
was deemed OF much Importance. Pop
lar wood is preferred for the purpose
which variety Is not stated. Bass-wood
is also good but does not keep its color
so we'll as poplar. Three-fourths of the
weight of the wood is said to be availa-
BILE as pulp. This is mixed with certain
proportions of rag pulp, according to
the kind or quality of paper desired. OF
course our Ohio paper makers will lock
into this matter. There are plenty of
| moist lands in these parts suitable for
growing poplar wood.
suMAc ALSO.
! This reminds us, we have often
thought, when riding on the Lake
Shore railroad, that the large amount of
sumac growing wild in these parts
ought to be worth gathering for tanning
or dyeing. A large business is done in
some parts of Eastern Virginia in grow
ing this shrub and drying the leaves
and young shoots, then grinding them,
for dye stuff and for tanning. Why can
it not be done here. at least where fuel
for the drying is not expensive?
| THE BUTTER AND CHEESE MAKERS.
The recent meeting of the Ohio Dali
rymen's Association was of special In
terest to those engaged IN the manage
ment of cheese and butter factories, or
in supplying milk to the same. Among
the first mattets discussed was the ne
icessity of watchfulness to prevent
fraud in tlN watering or skimming of
milk before its delivery. We ere glad
that no mention was made Of such tricks
being practised in this county. The
following resolutions were adopted:
Resolved, That the Convention recon-
me nd each cheese factory, before OPEN
ling in the spring, to notify all of its
patrons IN writing on the printed circu-
lar just what its rules will be as to skim
ming; that the person in charge of each
factory should during the entire season
make regular and careful use of the lac
tometer, microscope and cream guages
for the detection OF SKINNED and adul-
terated milk.
Il Reso,ced, That the Convention regard
the testimony of instruments when care
fully and repeatedly used, as trustwor-
thy and conclusive-and that it recom-
nends the most rigorous enforcement of
the penalties of the law against every
patron of cheese factory detected in
watering or fraudulently skimming his
milk.
On the question whether milk should
be taken to the factory at night or cooled
at home and not with the mornings
milk, Mr.. Chamberlin of Medina a6vo-
Gated the latter mode, and Mr.. Carter of
Lake county said he always gave his
patrons the priviledge of cooling their
milk at home or sending it to the facto-
ry as they chose. He never had the in
convenience of having poor milk or of