The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-05-21
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Cold FRAMES should be looked after
carefully, and plenty of air given when
the weather is mild, or else the plants
will become drawn. Give water only
when the soil appears dry.
BEANS must not be planted until all
danger of frost is passed. Sow Early
Valentine and Dwarf Wax for early bush,
in rows, two feet apart. Giant Wax and
Large Limas (when the season is long
enough) are the best pole sorts for general
use.
EARLY PLANTs.---The simplest way of
securing early plants, where but few are
required, is to start them i'm window
boxes. These ought to be three or four
inches deep, and filled to within half an
inch of the top with fine, light, rich gar
den soil. For raising plants largely, of
course they must be sown in hOt-bed.
ARE YOU GONG TO PAINT?-This
being the season of the year generally
accepted as the time for painting, few
works i'm relation thereto may not be
amiss In extremely cold weather exte-
rior painting should always be avoided,
as the most serviceable work is accom-
plished in. the spring, after freezing wealth
er has disappeared also, ut least two
sunny days should intervene between
rain and the application of paint in order
that the substance to be coated may be
thoroughly dry. If the work be new and
of wood, it would be well to size or shellac
all knots and sappy places before painting,
thus preventing the resinous substances
which they contain from working through
the paint and eventually disfguring the
building. After applying the first, or
printing coat, fill nail-holes, seasoning
cracks, and depressions, with putty. Re
move all dust, and upon all old work see
that loose or scaling paint is scraped of,
and the surface made smooth.
The Potato ONION. - The French
people in Maine, who have cultivated
and raised these onions more than any
others, have long been in the habit of
preparing their lands and setting them
out in the fall. In this way they make
sure of their seed, which might otherwise
be lost by rot, for we never find an onion
of this sort hurt by winter freezing in the
ground, but find them we'll started to
grow when the snow goes Off How this
would be where they do not have much
snow and much frozen ground, we can
not say, but this is always the case there.
If they can have highly MANFRED land,
and the benefit of their first start in
growth, they will grow to good size.
Another thing not generally understood
is that the smaller the seed the better the
growth. They break the clusters apart,
pick out the largest to cook and plant the
smallest, and the French even cut them
in two. This may seem an anomaly in
scientific culture, but it is the case in
this one thing, that "wee bits" make
the largest onions.
SAFETY FROM MoTHs.--A lady of large
experience writes lis as follows: There
is no absolute safety from moths except
ing in the absolute exclusion of the miller
If put away early in the season, before
millers make their appearance, furs can
be kept in their own boxes without danger
of any kind, by simply FASTING thin paper
closely around them. No aperture must
be left for the entrance of the miller,
though the paste need not touch the
boxes Articles of any kind can be tied
up very tightly in pillow-cases, or sewed
up in sheets. To keep dresses, cloaks
ETC., without creasing, suspend them near
the upper edge of the sheet, then lay an
other sheet over, sew the two sheets to-
gether at the edges, then sew loops at the
upper edge of this bag, and hang it up
wherever you please. BE careful that
there be no hole for the miller to enter.
In order to secure further safety, it is well
to beat and brush the furs and garments
well before putting them away, and if it
is anything that can be heated, it may
not be amiss to heat it enough to destroy
the eggs that may be already laid.
AsPARAGUs.--We advise all our friends
who own garden or farm, to plant bed
of this most delicious vegetable. There
is no crop more sure, and no vegetable
more palatable at the same season of the
year. Once planted, it continues to yield
freely for many years, and if well cared
for, will produce large and fine stalks.
There is said to be several varieties; we
think that the soil and treatment makes
the difference, rather than the variety.
Formerly, the one or two year old roots
were set quite deeply, say one foot deep
in the trenches; but within few years
the practice has somewhat changed, as it
can not be had so early by deep planting.
We should not advise planting it more
than four or six inches deep, preferring
on many soils four inches. The young
plants should not be covered more than
two inches deep when set, or they will be
likely to decay. The earth can be grad
ually drawn in during the summer. The
rows may be three and half or four feet
apart, and the plants in the row about a
foot apart. Latterly some of the garden
ers have adopted the plan of planting in
stools some two feet apart, and treating
these stools as stool or hill of rhubarb.
We doubt not larger stalks can be raised
in this way than by the old method. Salt
may be used to advantage on the beds.
We have seen salt applied so freely as to
cause the soil to turn red, and to prevent
all weeds from growing, and yet the as
paragus would flourish finely.---Boston
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