The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1875-11-05
FARE lSD FsREsfDE.

cnhruS, esINciaiiy " hSy Sfo htuhWu
near timber or brush.
A neighbor lost q fine young orchard
which was planted In the spring, by rab-
bits, A. early as October. lie went to
his orchard prepared to wrap the trees,
but the injury had already been done
nincty.fivc per cent Of them died the
next year.
There are various preventivcs which
have been suggested, A common one,
and perhaps the most simple, is 10 smear
the trunks Of the trees with blood, or
rub them with hogs liver or any other
will answer. Some mix sulphur with
COW manure, making a paste Of II, and
rubbing IL on. Domestic soap is some
times used; but perhaps the most safe
and certain preventive is to wrap them
with strips Of muslin, tying it at the top
with twine.
PoTAToEs FOR HoRsEs.-Nearly every
winter when have my horses mp in the
stable. think that will call the atten-
ton Of your readers TO the practice Of
feeding potatoes to their horses. once
came near losing very valuable horse
from feeding him dry hay and oats with
nothing loosening. have never believed
in dosing a horc with medicine, but
something is actually necessary 10 keep
horse in the right condition. Many
use powders, but potatoes are better, and
safer, snd cheaper, IL fed judiciously.
IL those who are not in the habit Of
feeding potatoes to horses will try them,
they will be astonished at the result. ]
have knewn horse changed from a lazy,
dumpish one. to a quick, active, head
strong animal in FIVE days by simply
adding two quarts Of potatoes to his feed
daily. If very much clear cornmeal h
fed they do not need 40 many potatoes.
Too many potatoes are weakening,
and 80 are too many apples. When !
was lad I was away from home at school
one winter, and had the care of one horse,
one yoke Of oxen, and one COW, every
one of which l had to card or curry every
day. The horse had three pals Of water,
four quarts Of oats, two quarts small po-
tatoes and two quarts Of corn extra every
day he worked, with what hay he wanted,
and stronger and more active horse, of
his inches, have never yet seen.-Cor.
Country Gentleman.
SAND BURs.-The war Of extermina-
ton against the sand bur, so strongly
urged by many Of the newspapers, seems
to raise the question as to what the sand
bur is, and how II may be exterminated
At least three different plants belonging
to as many different orders have been
received with the question, SIS it sand
bur; il not, what is itY' The largest of
these is known to botanists as Xanthium
strumarium, and should be called cookie
bur. II is coarse, vile weed, often
growing to the height Of three or four
feet, bearing burs nearly an inch in
length, which in the fall of the year are
too frequently found in the hair and
wool Of domestic animals; in sheep pas
lures they are an intolerable nuisance.
The next plant suspected as being the
execrablc sand bur is Solanum rostratum,
an unwelcome intruder from the west
and southwest. It was first observed 10
Kansas about the year 1864. As this is |
not described in the botanies in general
use, but few persons are acquainted with |
the real character of il. IL usually |
grows in dense patches at the roadside,
along paths and in waste grounds around
our cities. 1t often attsins a height of |
two feet, and its flowers and leaves some
what resembles the tomato, but differs
from the black night shade, the horse
nettle, and other species Of the same
genus in having its fruit covered with
prickly calyx.
But the plant perhaps best entitled to
the name of sand bur, is Oenchrus tribu-
loides, bur grass, which is very abundant
along the sandy coast and around the
great lakes, and on the sandy hills of
Pennsylvania, where it has long been
known as the sand bur. This plant is
true grass and would hardly be known
from the grasses in our door-yards till
the burs make their appearance. Al
though these are much smaller than the
burs Of either Of the other plants, their
prickles are so sharp and firm that they
will'penctrate almost any clothing, and
as they are barbed the bur usually re-
tains its held till detached by hand.
These grievous nuisances are becoming
quite common in some parts Of the coun-
try, but as all these are ANNALS, To ex-
terminate them it is only necessary to
prevent them from ripening their seed.
No farmer should allow either Of them a
foothold on his premises.
Do WE Sow TOO MUCH GRAIN TO THE
AsREY-A correspondent Of the Rural
World has been making some interesting
experiments concerning a matter which
is just now gaining considerable thought
among agriculturalists. lie writes:
In the grasshopper district, where
everybody is looking for some substitute
Of late growth for their destroyed wheat,
eats, etc. and where seed is not, and
money to buy with about as scarce as
seed, 1t is important to know, not 10
necessarily how much seed to buy, as to
know how little is necessary for given
number of acres. Seeking knowledge
from old farmers who ought to know,
and finding SO wide a range of views as
TO quantity, determined to weigh and
count small quantities, and thus by cal
culation to arrive at about a proper
quantity toplant Beginning with tur-
nips-purple top strap !eaf-I took one
dram, avoirdupois, and found, by actual
count, it contained 1867 sound seed, or
%, s32 in one ounce, 429,3l2 in one !
.nnaI naa I-.... - Ill. 49,