The Lake County star., 1875-12-02
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

PROTECTION To 1OUNd OhChAhDS.-
Those who have young orchards must
not neglect TO secure the trees from the
ravages of the rabbits. As soon as the
frost has killed vegetation, the rabbits
will commence to visit the young Or
chards, especially if they are situated
near timber or brush.
A neighbor lost fine young orchard
which was planted in the spring, by rab-
bits, as early as October. He went to
his orchard prepared to wrap the trees,
but the injury had already been done
ninety-five per cent. of them died the
next year.
There are various preventives which
have been suggested. A common one,
and perhaps the most simple, is to smear
the trunks of the trees with blood, or
rub thea with hogs liver or any other
will answer. Some mix sulphur with
cow manure, making a paste of it, and
rubbing it Op. Domestic soap is some
times used; bat 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 up in the
stable, l think that will call the atten-
ton of your readers to the practice OF
feeding potatoes TO their horses. / once
came near losing a very valuable horse
from feeding him dry hay and oats with
nothing loosening. Ihave never believed
in dosing a horse with medicine, but
something is actually necessary to keep
horse in the right condition. Many
use powders, but potatoes are better, and
safer, and cheaper, if fed judiciously.
If those who are not in the habit Of
feeding potatoes to horses will try them,
they win be aslonished at the result. l
have known horse changed from lazy,
dumpish one. to q quick, active, head
strong animal in five days by simply
adding two quarts Of potatoes to his feed
daily. If very much clear cOrnmeal is
fed they do not need 80 many potatoes.
Too many potatoes are weakening,
and so are too many apples. When |
was lad 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 mad 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 it may be exterminated.
At least three different plants belonging
to as many different orders have been
received with the question, "Is it sand
bur; if not, what is it2" The largest OF
strumarium, and should be called cookie
bur. 1t is a 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
execrable sand bur is Solanum rostratum,
an unwelcome intruder from the west
and southwest. It was first observed in
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 it. 1t usually
grows in dense patches at the roadside
along paths and in waste grounds around
our cities. 1t often attains a height .o
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 tt
the name of sand bur, is Cenchrus tribu
loides, bur grass, which is very abundant
along the sandy coast and around tht
great lakes, and on the sandy hills o
Pennsylvania, where it has long beer
known as the sand bur. This plant is
true grass and would hardly be known
from the grasses in our door-yards til
the burs make their appearance. AL
though these are much smaller than the
burs of either of the other plants, theil
prickles are SO sharp and firm that they
will penetrate almost any clothing, and
as they are barbed the bur usually re
tains its hold till detached by hand
These grievous nuisances are becoming
quite common i'm some parts of the coun
try, but as all these are ANNALS, to ex
terminate them it is only necessary tC
prevent them from ripening their seed
No farmer should allow either of them 9
foothold on his premises.
Do WE Sow TOO MUCH GRAIN TO TIL
ACRE?-A correspondent of the R,ra
World has been making some interesting
experiments concerning matter which
is just now gaining considerable thought
among agriculturalists. He writes:
In the grasshopper district, where
everybody is looking for some substitute
of late growth for their destroyed wheat
oats, etc, and where seed is not, and
money to buy with about az scarce ~
seed, it is important to know, not SC
necessarily how much seed to buy, as tc
know how little is necessary for a giver
number of acres Seeking knowledge
from old farmers who ought to know
and finding so wide range of views a.
to quantity, determined to weigh anC
count small quantities, and thus by cal
culation to arrive at about a proper
quantity to plant. Beginning with tur
nips-purple top strap leaf-I took one
dram, avoirdupois, and found, by actual
count, it contained 1867 sound seed, OF
26,832 in one ounce, 429,312 in one
pound. One dram of millet contain,
1,165, one ounce lS,640, one pound 29S,
240, and one bushel 14,912,000 seeds
Two ounces (counted) of buckwheat con
tains 1926, one pound 10000, and one
bushel 967, 200 sound seed. Of this sam
pie, 96 per cent. sprouted on trial.
In one acre there is 43,472 square
feet, or 1889 six-inch square blocks
and 6,259, ,96S square inches. Supposine
one turnip should grow on each six-inch
square block, seven ounces will put one
seed on each, and leave nearly 14,90O
or one seed to every three square feet, to
scatter promiscuously or be lost. On
this same calculation, half bushel oi
millet will place 1.19 seed to every square
inch, or 180 to the square foot. Is that
thick enough? Plenty for hay, and hal
too much il sown for seed.