The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-04-08
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Pre- ct'cnl Hints for the Farm.

The whole grass question, and q great
many other questions, are summed up in
the aphorism put in the mouth of an old
farmer: No grass, no cattle no cattle,
no manure no manure, no crops no
crops, no farmers no farmers, no moth
ing.
A correspondent of the Kansas Farm
CT says large hog breeder in Illinois in
forms him that he has produced eleven
pounds Of pork from q bushel of corn,
and seventeen pounds from bushel of
wheat. He grinds the wheat, pours
boiling water over it and allows it to
stand some hours.
j. N. Sturtevant gave whole lecture
i'll few words when he said: A moving
machine is an extravaganza for him who
is sparing of oil, OF does not keep the
nuts tight. The scythe is moro econolni-
cal. But when q man has fit training
to manage the mower the value of it is
very great. So when persons adopt an
intelligent way of keeping cattle,
they will be appreciative of thorough
bred cattle, and they will be profitable to
them, when not purchased at too high
price.
lllClC Slttb ttlllcItllCt VI OBlDlOll
as to the value of tan as mulch A re-
cent writer cites several instances in
which upon fruits and vegetables its
effects were disastrous. Several market
gardeners near Paris lost all their winter
lettuce by covering the beds with tan.
Any i'll result must be due to the fact
that the bark was not thoroughly ex-
hausted. When the soluble matter is all
a. I r b.,
only be mechanical one. Where there
are such different experiences it will be
safe to expose the tan to the action of
rains some months before using it.
lii selecting buds for propagating the
peach, [ would not give much preference
to single, double, or triple buds, believ-
ing that the single buds start the soonest
in the spring, the double buds thesurest.
And in budding from yearly trees there
is not much but single buds, unless we
use very large buds. prefer to have
bud. sticks just little smaller than the
stocks, without regard to whether the
buds be single or otherwise. In propa-
eating from bearing trees L find it best
to us tripllcate buds, as then there is al
ways wood as well as fruit buds. For a
budder that can tell fruit and wood
buds apart it will make no practical
difference, so far as my observations ex-
tend.
Wherever organic matter abounds in
the soil free use of bones and potash
will speedily restore it to it's original fer
tility. In sandy soils organic matter in
the form of peat, muck, OF leaf mold
should be combined with the bones and
potash. The finer the bones are ground
the more speedy their action. If the
bones are ground in raw state, that is,
without steaming or burning, and ground
very fine and mixed with three times
their weight of fine muck or peat or leaf
mold and kept moist for three weeks
before being used they will generate all
the ammonia necessary to the rapid
growth Of wheat or other growing crops,
without the addition of other sub
stances.
Value of Plaster.
An Ohio farmer writes the Western
Rural as follows: The past four sea-
sons have been very dry, as all i'll this
part of the State will bear me witness;
and large part, probably two-thirds, of
the clover seed sown in this vicinity dur
ing that time has been lost. In the
spring of 1878 1 sowed one field of eight
acres to oats, thoroughly narrowed one
way, then sowed on clover seed and
cross narrowed the field. I then put on
about three pecks of plaster to the acre,
and the result was good yield of oats
and fine catch of clover, which grew
finely throughout the summer, and last
season produced large burden of num-
Der one clover hay. This am now feed
ing to my calves, for / prefer it to any
other when properly cured; for calves
should have the best. The same week
in which | seeded the eight-acre lot l
seeded one of four acres, and in precisely
the same manner, save that l sowed
plaster on two of it. The other two
acres went without plaster. Now for the
result. Where the plaster was sown
acre lot, and produced as much hay last
yield of oats was much lighter, aud
what clover seed sprouted, or nearly all,
died from the effects of the drought; SC
much so that it would not pay for har-
vesting. The soil was sandy--what we
term here sand-knolls-and poor at that.
Apple Orchards Deteriorating.
An interesting paper on this subject
was read before the Farmers Club OF
New York, by DR.. j. V. G. Smith, which
excited much discussion among the mem.
bers present. The prevalent belief ap
peared to be, however, that the condi
tions of cultivating apple orchards had
greatly changed in the past few years, ol
rather within a generation, and that the
greatest cause of the change was to be
found in the thoughtless and wastefu,
destruction of forest trees which pro
vided for orchards the necessary eli
matte nourishment. The forests are
Justly termed the conservative forces in
nature, in consequence of their power to
harmonize extremes of temperature.
They not only serve for a shelter from
the cold winds, but they maintain the
humidity of the atmosphere, and equal
ize the temperature so MS to suit the de-
mands of vegetation. Cultivators of all
kinds Of fruits, as well as of vegetables,
will in due time consider the importance
of fact which has so long been neglect
ed at a risk not now to be estimated.