The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-06-25
Farm, Garden and Household.
Erutt Garden.

Fruit Garden.
Strawberries, if not mulched before
this, attend to it ct once. Any material
which will keep the fruit from being
soiled will do. If the crop is to be
marketed, provide plenty of baskets and
crates for shipping.
Do not allow the new blackberry
canes to grow over five feet when they
reach this height pinch off the end.
This will induce the growth of side
branches these ought to be stopped
when they reach length of eighteen
inches.
Four new raspberry canes to stool
are enough, unless more are wanted for
planting. A good plan for training is
to tie the canes 10 q wire stretched
along the row, and attached at each end
to firmly-set post.
Apply heavy mulch of litter to keep
the weeds down as we'll as to keep the
ground moist around currant bushes.
Give the bushes dusting with pow
dered white hellebore if attacked by
borers.
If vigorous, healthy grape vines are
wanted, do not allow but one shoot to
grow the first season after planting.
Rub off all other shoots, and keep this
one tied to stake during the season.
Young vines should not be allowed to
overbear two punches to shoot are
enough. For training older vines there
have been recommended great many
plans. Any may be adopted which keep
up supply of bearing wood down near
the ground.
Insects will be troublesome here as
well as in the orchard, and should be
carefully looked after, and the larger
beetles and caterpillars removed by
hand-picking.
Improving Seed Wheat.
We have often insisted that if farm
ers would take the same pains to save
the largest grains and heads of wheat
for seed that they do to save the best
ears of corn for seed, there is no reason
why wheat should deteriorate by years
of culture any more thar corn. The
following from q writer in the Rural
NeaO Yorker, proves our theory Sow
none but the largest and most perfect
kernels. 1t has been my practice fol
the last sixteen or eighteen years to run
my wheat for seed over a very coarse
seed-screen, so as to SOW none but the
very largest kernels. By so doing
have improved my wheat so that have
sold nearly all my wheat at holae for
seed. But in 1871 hit upon a new
plan. I had piece of Treadwell wheat
that was injured by insects in the pre-
vious fall and killed by freezing in the
winter, so that there were spots not
worth cutting. After harvest I OBJ
served few scattering heads of unusual
size. 1t occurred to me that there was
wheat that had withstood the ravages
of the insects and the rigor of the win.
ter. I gathered enough to SOW one rod
square, from which L realized twenty
pounds of wheat of unusually large
even berry, which was at the ratio oi
over fifty bushels per acre; last harvest
had twenty bushels which weighed
sixty-six pounds per bushel. 1t is my
opinion that we realize the best crop.
from the best and most perfect seed il
the vegetable as well as the anima
kingdom.
Breeding stock:
1t is not an unworthy ambition TO-
any farmer to cultivate-to establish b,
careful breeding and iudicious CROSSING
~ plCCt VI uiiltldlS VI lis OWn-O
cattle, sheep or swine-adapted to hi
locality and wants, filling his ideal O
what his experience may have taugh
him desirable animal should be fo
his locality. OF course in making sucl
an effort he should study thorough,
the different existing breeds and hav,
their merits and demerits well defined
in his mind; and the objects he is tt
attain by his breeding experiment.
should be equally well defined. Bu
there is so little effort made to improv
upon or retain the good qualities of ou
native breeds and yet add to them thos
desirable in the imported, tina
we really have few or no independen
and original breeders that is, me-
with original ideas that have been for
mulated from the generalizations O
experience and knowledge of the need
of this country, with its varied climates
soils, and conditions of animal growth
There is wide field here for som
enterprising young American farmer t
occupy. 1t will require years of pa
tient labor, study and experiment; bu
it will pay.
GRAVEL IN HORSES. gravel i
horses, give two-thirds of tablespoon
full of saltpetre in little salt for thre
consecutive days or take a pint c
watermelon seed and boil it in tw
quarts of water, till reduced to nearl
one-half, and drench two mornings i
succession your horse will be cured.