Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-02-28
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
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THE FARM.

side of the spade toward the stem of the
tree, and lift out the earth carefully,
and the small rootlets will thus be loos-
ened and preserved uniniured.
AN Illinois correspondent states that
last year, as soon as the crop was re-
moved, he covered half of his strawberry
bed with straw, putting it on from one
to two inches thick. The result this
season was yield double that on the
portion of the bed not mulched, and no
weeds, but clean, nice berries, even
after hard rain. tribune.
In large cities prevailing custom is,
the placing of the name of the resident
on plate of the door post. A Western
paper suggests that farmers follow this
example, and have their names painted
on or affixed to the gates in front of their
residences. The adoption of this would
afford great satisfaction to travellers and
especially to those who desire to famil-
arize themselves with the names of resi-
dents of localities through which they
pass.
To KEEP sweet potatoes through the
winter, treat them as the ladies do their
dahlia bulbs. Pack them in dry sand,
which has been thoroughly heate !, so
as to drive out all the moisture, and
then set them in a warm dry place. In
stances have been known where thev
have been kept for two years, being
stored in warm, dry cellar, near the
furnace. Keep them away from moist
ure. Unlike Irish potatoes, which need
Il cold situation to keep well, the sweet
potatoes need to be kept warm and dry.
THE manufacture of cheese has be-
come i'll the last few years one of the
important American interests. 1t now
wholly supplies the home demand for
this popular appetizer, and also pro-
vldes the material for Il large and lucra-
tive export trade. Fourteen wears ago,
the first shipment of American cheese
to England took place, but the article
was so worthless that it was thrown
into the docks at Liverpool. Since Jan
uary /, the exports of cheese have
amounted to l 1,166,2l1 boxes, against
1913, 154 boxes as compared with the
corresponding time in 1S72.-DetroH
Tribttnc.
FARMERS IN DEBT.-Some of our ex-
changes are descanting on the ruin sure
to follow getting i'll debt to carry on
farming operations. One farmer, who
stopped giving and asking credit few
years ago, records it as his experience
that he can now buy more than he ever
bought before, and sell more. The case
is mentioned of the French, who never
go in debt, and who, having been saw
ing money since the days of the first
Napoleon, have become the richest ma
ton in the world, which is proved by
the fact that the German Indemnity of
thousand millions of dollars which they
were obliged to pay has been all dis
charged in two years, while we have
been struggling for eight years with
twice as much. Perhaps the wealth of
the French farmers arises as much from
the small farm system and the high cul-
tivation they give to soil. There is
vast difference in farming in IL loose way
and having all work done in the best
manner.
Prof. Tockler thus explains the action
of clover increasing the fertility of the
soil:
"All who are perfectly acquainted
with the subject must have seen that
the best crops of wheat are produced
by being preceded by crops of clover
grown for seed. [ have come to the
conclusion that the very best prepara-
ton, the best manure, is good crop of
clover. A vast amount of mineral man
ure is brought within reach of the corn
crop, which otherwise would remain in
lookup condition in all the soil. The
clover plants take nitrogen from the at
mosphere, and manufacture it into their
own substance, which, on decomposition
of the clover, roots and leaves, pro-
duces abundance of ammonia. In
realality, the growing of clover is equiv
alent, to a great extent, to manuring
with Peruvian guano.
Take, for instance, red clover, the
best of all green manures. The great
English chemist, Prof. Way, of the
Royal Agricultural College at Ciren-
cester, made perfect analysis of dry
red clover and found every one hundred
parts to contain as follows: