The Lake County star., 1874-12-24
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

MUSHROOM CULTURE.-We find the
following In the Canada Farmer: There
10 no reason why any one who has the
use of dark cellar should not raise
mushrooms On q small scale. Even city
cellars will answer If the temperature is
in the neigborhood of fifty degrees. The
other condition is the procuring of we'll
fermented manure, thoroughly turned
and beaten down. Flour barrels sawn in
two make good tubs. Four or FIVE holes
for draining should be bored in the bot
toms. Three inches of good garden soil
covered with the prepared manure, until
the tub is half full gives a surface suita-
BILE for the spawn, halfa-dozen pieces Of
which, each the size of hens egg, are
placed thereon. Then fill the tub with
manure, rounding it off at the top in the
shape of dome. The temperature OF
the bed at the time of the Insertion of
the spawn should be about seventy-six
degrees. When the spawn takes it will
develop fine thread-like filaments. This
should take place at the end of ten days.
1t should then be covered with an inch
of fresh, fine-sifted soil, and in few days
the mushrooms will show themselves.
They should be gathered every other
day, breaking them off i'm the soil, not
cutting them. One planting will last
three or four weeks, and a second crop
can be obtained by giving another dress
ing of fresh soil, half an inch thick,
beating it down we'll with a spade, and
watering it with water about one hun
dred degrees temperature.
CHANGING SEEDs.-A change of seed
in agricultural operations is almost al
ways beneficial. Growing the same
crop in one locality, from the same seed,
year after year, often tends to deteriOra-
tion. The advisability of a change of
seed from one locality to another is we'll
instanced in the eat crop. Seed grown
in the cool atmosphere of Northern Yer
mont and Canada is found to grow more
luxuriantly when sown in the Middle
and Western States, and uniformly turns
out heavier weight to the bushel. Ifthe
same seed is sown every year in the lat
ter States, without new importation, the
produce per acre and weight per bushel
gradually deteriorate. The farmers of
Bermuda always grow their potatoes
from American seed, and never from
their own seed. Hence they are able to
retain remarkable success in potato cul-
ture, such as we never attain here. Veg
etable seeds should be changed frequent
ly, and obtained from localities remote
from the farms where sown. The farmers
of England, who raise excellent GER
eals, roots and grasses, are very particular
in the selection of seeds, and procuring
it from foreign country, if possible,
and in sleeping it in liquid manure be-
fore sowing. In the north of Ireland,
where flax is grown extensively, the
farmers prefer seed brought from Rus
sia or Holland to that grown by them
selves, as they find the change very ben
eficial. The finest Dubious and tuberous
rooted Towering plants are usually i'm
ported into England, the United States,
ETC., from Holland and Germany; and
the change is very beneficial for two or
three years. Forest tree seeds, obtained
in the mountains of Tyrol, germinate in
other parts of Europe with much greater
vigor than those of home growth.-Er.
DEATH OF BUas AND GRAssHoPPERs.
"A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial writes as follows from Ash
land KY:
have noticed with much interest the
frequent mention the Commercial has
made of the grasshopper and bug pesti-
lence that has so fearfully ravaged some
portions of the country, and write to
suggest possible remedy.
Some months ago our city took a vote,
under the local option act, as to license
or no license to venders Of ardent drinks.
The no license party triumphed, and, in
the exuberance of their Joy, used the
cannon of neighboring city to give
tone to their expressions. A number of
rounds were fired on the river bank,
near to which, and little ways below,
in deep gully, washed out by drain,
considerable quantity of refuse potatoes
which had previously sprouted, were
thrown, and which, in the course of the
growing season, had attained to quite
patch Of matted growth and at the time
of the firing of the gun was literally
covered with bugs. The conclusive force
of the gun killed almost every bug; and
upon a further examination, suggested
by the sight of the dead bugs, every
grasshopper for quite a distance round
was also found dead.
This accidental discovery has suggested
to my mind that if say sixty-four-
pound gun, was fired once over every
five or ten acres of land at the time
when grasshoppers and bugs are out in
force, it would prove thorough annihi-
lation of them. If it would no prove, it
would be quick and cheap means of
destroying them.
Pass the suggestion around and let
some one prepare for the experiment.
Anything to beat the grasshoppers.