The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-30
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM In ADVANCE.

stems is dried out, so that there is not suff-
Gent dampness to cause the hay to heat in
the NOV or stack, the crop should be Sc
cured 1t INJURIES grain to be allowed to heat
while 1t is lying in mass. When hay Is
stored before it is properly cured the nour-
lshment contained in the leaves and stems
Will be damaged by being heated in the NOW
or stack.
FERTILIZERS.
Being but just come from close inspec-
ton OF the old meadow sod-sandy loan,
with cobole stone, upon sandstone hard-pan,
tne Top OF a moist hill six miles due east from
hartford rd--where spread Dodge Hayward's
salt anu plaster mixture, year ago this last
May, lay my hand upon my wallet mini,
five dollars on third of an acre. and declare
the mixture does not appear to have hurt
anything but the moss that grew there.
That is dead. The gadss, as compared with
that adjoining. is not one whit better or
worse. Adjoining on one side l should say.
That luXuriant green on the other side is the
effect OF winter-spread stable dung. My
present impression is that [ would not haul
salt and plaster from the city as a gift.
What has salt got to do with vegetation,
any way-any more than animal life2 We
find it in tears, and sweat tOo-but does IL
ever nourish anything? And the plaster?
l don't believe Ben Franklin could print the
first letter in green With any such gypsum as
H.,
man, blandy, "but these things should be
used in connection with stable manurss."
Very likely they should, but it is the fer
tZers that demand such a connection-the
stable manure can stand alone. But for this
experiment, should have reckoned plaster
and salt among the simples farmers know
how to use. Now the list is shorter Say
stable dung and ashes. And of these we
know very little, only enough to spread em
and reap what comes. How much or little
will effect our purpose, how much waste
there is, and of the means of preventing
waste there is, and of the means OF prevent
ing waste, we have no common sense. The
salt and plaster experiment has done me a
great deal of good. / don't care for moss
now. Let it grow till l come to it with the
dung cart.-Hdrf0rd COurdnt
HOW TO TREAT FRUIT-TREEs.
In considering the growth of organisms,
the action of the alkalies is to be looked upon
as scarcely less important than that Of air and
water. Line is the great animal alkal, and
potash the vegetable one; its old name of veg
etable alkal expressed that fact IAN all the pos.
ash of commerce is well known TO be derived
from wood ashes. The Importance of potash
as a manure has been frequently overlooked
by farmers, who rarely know the large amount
of this material found in grass, grain crops,
leaves, barn-yard manure, roots and fruits.
HOW potash dctS III pidHts, III cOHJunCtlOu
with carbon and silex, to form woody fibre,
starch, sugar and oil, is yet unknown TO
chemical observers, but the fact of its action
is beyond doubt. Liebig long since pointed
out that the chief cause of barrenness Is the
waste of potosh carried off by rich crops, es-
pecially tobacco, with no replacement by
proper manure. How many millions OF
pounds of potash have been sent to Europe
from the forests of America, and in the grain,
tobacco and hemp. Luckily one alkali may
be replaced by another, and We have received
a considerable quantity of soda from Europe
an sea-weed and in the shape of salt Lat
terly, nitrate OF soda from natural deposits in
South America is brought to us at cheap
price.
The point TO which we now call attention
is that our farmers and fruit growers have ig-
nored, or rather been ignorant of, the impor-
tance of wood asies as a vegetable stimuant
and as the leading constituents of plants.
Even coal ashes, now thrown away as use
less, have been shown, both by experiment
and analysis, to possess fair share oil aka
line value. According to our observation, If
the practice of putting mixture of wood and b
coal ashes around the stems OF fruit-trees and
vines particularly early in the spring, were
followed as general rule, our crops oil ap-
pies, grapes, peaches, ETC., would be greatly
benefited in both quality and quantity, and
the trees and vines would last longer. We
ty-five years ago, we treated an old hollow
pippin apple-tree as follows: The hollow, TO
the height of eight feet, was filed and
rammed with a compost of wood ashes, gar
den mold, and little waste lime lcarbonate).
This filling was securely fastened in by
boards. The next year the crop OF sound
fruit was sixteen bushels from an old shell OF
tree that had borne nothing OF any account
for some time. But the strangest part was
what followed. For seventeen years after the
filling, that old pippin tree continued TO hour-
ish and bear well.
Let us cal attention to still another point
of Importance in fruit-raising. This is the
bearing year for apples and fruit ia general in
New England; probably it is also in some
other parts. Now when such years come,
the farmers rejoice too much at their pros
perity and abuse it, as nearly all people do
the gifts of fortune. We should be temper
ate as to the quantity Of our fruit as well as
of our fruit juices. BY proper trimming and
plucking, the apple crop in bearing years may
be reduced to but little more than half crop
as to number, but the improvement in size
and price, and in the future effect, will more
than balance the loss. Next February,
March or April, according to latitude, let the
tree trimmer stimulate and nourish his trees
and vines with fair supply OF ashes, and in
nearly every case he will have a good crop of
fruit in the non-bearing year.-ScientVic
american.
HOW TO GROW ROSES.
Many well-informed persons appear to
think that roses are difficult 10 manage, and
will not bloom without some special or mys-
terious treatment not generally understood
Now. nothing could be well further from the
truth. We believe there is really no flower
of proportionate value that can be had so cas-
lily, and with so little trouble. The rose is a
good feeder, and will do well in any ordinary
fprfi hnt of h,r
thorough cultivation. 1t is always best to
plant in beds or masses, and not singly. The
ground should be well spaded and pulverized
to the depth OF foot or more, m enriched
by digging in any fertilizing material that
may De convenient. Make the bed of any
size or shape that suits your fancy; only re-
member that roses appear to best advantage
by themselves. Therefore, make the bed
only large enough for the roses you intend to
plant. If you wish other flowers, make other
beds; do not put them with the roses. Set
the plants about one foot from the edge OF the
bed, and eighteen inches FROM each other. In
planting make hole large enough to allow
the roots to be spread out nicely, cover with
the soil rather deeper than they were grown,
and pack down tightly with the hand. No
water is ordinarily required, though ii tie
ground is very dry, it may be best TO water
thoroughly in the evening, and shade from
sun and wind for a day or two.
After the plants are established they need
but little attention, except that the ground
should not be allowed TO bake or become
hard, but should be frequently cultivated
with hoe and rake, or other implements, so
as to keep it light and friable, as well as clear
from weeds and grass. AT the approach of
winter it is a good plan to give the bed COW
ering OF coarse manure, forest leaves, par
italy decomposed sods, roads scrapings, or
any similar material that is convenient.
inducing strong early growth the fol-
lowing season. When dressing up the beds
in spring, all the dead shoots should be
cut off down to the live wood; be-
sides this, not much pruning is required,
except what may be necessary to keep
the plants in reasonable shape and limits. 1t
is best to remove all flowers as soon as they
begin to fade, as the effort to produce seeds
tends to weaken the vitality of the plant.
This is particularly applicable to the hybrid
perpetual class, some of which are rather shy
autumn bloomers, unless care is taken to