Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-02-25
FARM AND FIRESIDE.

RESTORING WORKOUT SOILS.-A far
mer who will exhaust the fertility of his
| land by raising any crop until it no longer
yields fair return for labor expended in
| its culture, deserves no pity from anybody.
| Such system of farming is far too com
mon, but none the less disgrace to those
who practice it. We will also add that a
man who undertakes to make farming pay
while depending upon commercial manures
purchased in the market, is pretty sure to
come to grief sooner or later. There are
far better methods Of restoring fertility to
wornout soils, and it is rather strange that
ours farmers have not learned them be-
fore this late day. Keep more stock, es-
pecially sheep, raise green crops to turn
under, also roots to feed the stock, as well
as soiling crops, such as drill-corn, millet,
and clover, all Of which will tend to enrich
the farm instead Of making it poor.
FRUIT GARDENs.-Make use of mild
days for pruning grapevines which were
left during the hurry of the fall work, and
apply ashes or ground bones between the
rows. Save the wood for cuttings.
The present is good time to prune such
trees as need it, as the shape and general
direction of the branches is readily seen
now that the leaves are off. Where the
branches touch, and the bark is I'M ured by
rubbing, one Of the branches should be cut
out, or the two may be spread apart and
tied so that they will not interfere.
Have ready labels, grating wax, ETC.,
for use in the spring. Strips of calico or
thin muslin loosely rooled upon stick and
dipped in melted grating wax are the
most convenient forms in which to use the
wax.
Prune currants and gooseberries any
time before the buds swell.
DESTROYING WEEvIL.-An old expert
enced seedman of Europe says: every Of
ten in in the spring I have noticed that
the peat beans, etc., for sale in the stores
for seed were worm eaten In many cases
the seeds were so eaten as to be useless for
seed. The worm, and even the egg, may
be easily destroyed by the bisulphide of
carbon, a colorless, volatile liquid, having
an odor like that Of rotten eggs If the
barrel containing the Eseed Is not quite
full, moisten a piece of cloth with the IL
quor, lay it on the seeds, and cover the
barrel with an old horse blanket. The fla
vor of the bisulphioe will sink down among
the seed and destroy all animal life. The
seed themselves will not be injured. Two
or three ounces will be enough for half Il
dozen barrels. The liquor is used in
Europe to destroy the weevil in wheat.''
CURE FOR TOOTHACHE.-Dr. Dyce
Duckworth, an English physician, contrib
utes a short memorandum on this subject.
He was called on lately to treat case of
very severe toothache, and tried various
ordinary remedies, including chloroform
and carbonic acid, without any benefit to
the patient. He then remembered having
read that the pain might be relieved by
holding in the mouth solution of bicar-
Donate Of soda. He gave the patient half
drachm in an ounce of water, and, to his
establishment, the pain ceased Immediate
ly' and complete relief was secured. He
thinks that as the remedy is so simple and
the disease so distressing and often intrac-
table, this treatment may be worthy of no.
tice and imitation.