The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-12-27

A LARGE oRcHARnrsr-

and he purchased from his neighbors some
ten or fifteen thousand more; some of them
as low as eight or ten cents per Dushel. He
has pressed out J. 200 barrels of cider. the
greater portion OF which will be stored for
vinegar. He has, from the pomace. washed
out As bushels of prime apple seed. which
viii add quite little sum TO his aggregate
profits.
HYACISTHs IN MOSS BAsKRTs.
Hyacinths in water. and in soil i'm pots
are common ornaments for winter. Peter
Henderson describes in the Aericulturist
the mode for placing them in moss baskets
lie recommends the common brown water
moss used by nurserymen and gardeners
but for the outside and top we would
prefer the smooth green flakes taken
from rotten logs in the woods. Press
the moss moderately firm into the
wire basket, the bulbs being one-third
above the surface. The whole Is then satin
rated with water and placed in some dark
cool place. as a cellar or closet. where the
temperature Is not above so degrees The
basket is then brought into a room and
hung against a window, with a Temperature
OF 90 or 40 degrees. and the plants will bloom
In three or four weeks. Watering them with
very weak guano water once week greatly
increases their size and brilliance; an ounce
OF guano TO gallon of water is enough. The
pubs may be prepared successfully from
November into January.
CALIFORNIA HOP CROP
The California hop crop this year prom
Uses TO pay better than almost any other de-
partment OF agriculture. The San Fran
cisco bulletin says there have been more hops
ralsee inns season than any previous year in
the history OF the state. The counties in
which the business is most extensively fol-
lowed are san Joaquin, Santa Clara. Sacra-
mento and Napa. Hops are also largely
raised in Puyalluy valley, Washington ter.
rltory. One acre of hops after the second
years planting produces in suitable soils
about 1000 pounds to the acre. The present
price ranges from "a TO % cents Der pound
Taking the loves; figure, one acre in hops
thls year should realize the farmer $3.50.
But this is an unusually good season for
price, and the expense is above that OF or
binary articles OF agriculture.
RooT-PRUYING BLUM TREES.
The London Agricultural Gazette gives an
account OF some interesting experiments in
root-pruDing plum trees, furnished by cor
respondent. The soil was evidently yery
rich and strong, as the trees are reported as
OFTEN making shoots yard long, and have
continued TO do so for several wears
With this rank growth thew did not
bear fruit Root-pruning was tried
for promoting productiyeness. A deep
trench was dug around the trees two feet and
half from the stem, making circle of soil
five feet in diameter which held each tree
This work was done late in autumn. Early
spring would do nearly as well, and prob
ably better in cold climates as cutting the
roots tends to make the trees more sensitive
10 cold for time. The roots which were
cut off were smoothed at the cut faces with
sharp knife The trench was then
filled and the earth trodden firmly.
The first season after the operation
they did not bear any, but fruitspurs were
formed all over the trees. TIE second year
part were lifted or loosened entirely. THIS
second year they bore a splendid lot of
plums; those not lifted the second year bear
ing much the Extraordinarily because the
root-pruning had already given them sufi-
Gent check. One tree which had not been
root-pruned bore nothing The sorts on
which these experiments were made were
such as are well known in this country as
jefferson, green gage, Washington. Ponds
Seeding etc.
THE CHESTNUT rREE-
The Rural World very truly says: One OF
the most beautiful sights in nature is a beau
tiful, symmetrical chestnut tree loaded with
its oreamy-white blossoms We have seen
acres and acres of them. and stood and adj
mired them by the hour. Every farmer
could have these scattered about his home
stead, and his children and grandchildren
would take the greatest delight in gathering
the nuts from them. They are little
treacherous in transplanting, but we trans
plant them by the hundred yearly, and
always with success. The trees can be grown
from the nuts by farmers.
CHINESE BIG TREES
China has its big trees well as Califor-
MIA. About 30 miles from Nikko an avenue
of sugi or cedar trees begins, and. With an
occasional break where there is a village it
reaches the whole distance to the shrines OF
Lyciss-the longest avenue of shade in the
world. These great trees are from five TO
seven feet in diameter at the base, and
tower without a branch for so or so feet, and
then lift their heads 40 or so feet higher
They resemble the giants of the Yosemite
The trunks are faultleSsly straight and the
bark is deeply veined. There are about
10000 trees on this avenue, and all of them
were planted after the foundation of the
shrine, about $50 years ago.
DESERTED YARMs
The farming interest seems to be gradually
diminishing in some OF the New England
states, and judging from the unfavorable re-
ports that come from different sections, such
a thing as good profits do not exist We
see il stated that in New Hampshire there
are now 1900 deserted farms The atten-
ton of the board of agriculture has been
called to the matter, and that body is about
to make an effort to reclaim them by the
appointment of board OF commissioners,
who shall fix the price of land, to be paid
by the purchaser after two or three years OF
occupation, without paying rent but paying
taxes.
BRoADcAsyT SOWING.
Maryland correspondent of the Country
Gentleman makes suggestion which will
attract the attention of every farmer who
knows what it is to pace back and forth
across the plowed field, carrying heavy
load of seed slung TO his shoulders He
says: Numerous as have been the instruc-
tons of late for preserving the almost lost
art of sowing grain by hand, there remains
c.,e mode that has escaped mention, and
which, when mentioned, will proba-
bly, be derided by those who have
not tried it / allnde to sowing on horse-