The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1876-08-26
Rural Topics.
WRITTEN FOR THE "uNION" By ONE OF THE MOST
EXPERIENCED FARMERS, GARDENERS AND
FRUIT GROWERS IN THE UNITED
STATES.
RAISING CLOVER SEED.

STATES.
RAISING CLOVER SEED.
Glover that is designed for gathering the seed,
should be on land where net many weeds will
grow, as the seed Of the weeds make the clever
seed foul. The second year it should be moved
for hay at the time of FIRST blossoming, the sec
ond growth being best fer seed, to be cut as
soon as the heads turn brown. 1t may be cut
with mewing machine, raksd into small cocks,
and dried by turning them ever several times, or
q combined moving and reaping machine may
be used Put on the platform, sharpen theknives
well, and then with COED hand rake keep the
crop on the platform until there is enough for a
large bunch, when it is pushed off. At the next
passing drop bunch at the same place so as to
make winrews. When partly dry, cock it and
let the drying process be completed as already
described This plan obviates raking and leaves
the crop in better condition. Draw il on q dry
day and thresh it at the proper time with clover
huller. When without machine, the crop may
be cut slowly with scythe. If clever huller
cannot beprocured, let the hay become quite ripe,
and if il has been wet it will shell the better.
THF PEAR BLIGHT.
had something TO say on this subject in a
previous article, but as hear of its destroying
thousands of trees all over the country, weuld
now say that all varieties seem to be subject to
thisdisease, and in all kinds of SOIL There is no
preventive, at least meme that has yet been dis
covered that is generally admitted to be sure
Last season saw the following recipe published,
which was written by a noted horticulturist !;
and think it worth fair trial ''To one-half a
bushel Of lime add six pounds OF -four of sulphur,
and mix with six gallons of hot water" The
lime is to be slaked before adding the sulphur,
and the mixture is to be applied 70 the trunks Of
the trees, and the largest branches with brush
while they are healthy. When the blight at
tacks the trees, the parts affected turning black,
the bark cracking, and the tree dying above the
blight cut off the diseased part Immediately, and
allow new branches to grew up below the cut.
Inow have many fine, healthy trees, with from 2
to trunks all shooting out near the ground, and
frem six to eight feet high. These trees were at
tackled with the blight in 1873, and have not
been affected in the least by that disease since
left several branches, or franks, so that if any
should become diseased there would be enough
left The trees are not disfgured in appearance,
and produce as much if net more fruit, than trees
with but one stem or truHk.
SELL YOUR FRUITS AT HOME.
If you have fruits for sale, and can get fair
price at home, or at near home market sell
them, and not run the risk of sending them to a
distant market, where perhaps half the price they
sell for goes for freight and commissions. An
Ohio peach grower gives his experience as fol-
lows: 1.-THE cost Of crates, nails and stencilling
was 25 cents per bushel ; of gathering, sorting
and packing the fruit, and hauling two miles to
the depot, rs cents, express freight average, SO
eents-making in all 81. Then the selling price
in the cities ranged from $1.5o to 81 per bushel
for the average class of fruit; but at some times
in hot weather, glut in the market would bring
the price below cost, and often large quantities
would spoil from being kept over night, SO that
after paying the commission, ten per cent, and
the contingencies Of postage travel, &C., the mel
return was net over rs to so ceAts bushsl-noi
half enough to pay the cost Of growing"
PACKING FOR SHIPPING.
Shippers Of fruits, butter, cheese and other pro-
ductions are not always aware OF the advantage
of having clean, new and good-loeking packages
II really COED thing be sent in poor, rough
box or otherwise, the price it brings is generally
from Eve to ten per cent less than the same elias;
of article in nice-looking packages. Honey will
sell in glass boxes for several cents per pound
more than in boxes of all wood. Butter in hand
some new firkins or tabs always sells better than
in secondhand ones Then shipments should be
made of parcels all alike in quality as much a;
possible, as poor package among Is to 20 good
ones if discovered lessons the selling price Of all
If you have different qualities Of products, class
them, and put a class mark upon the packages,
and write 10 your conslgnee ana give . true STATE
ment OF the quality of the contents Of each elias:
fgoods; and your commission merchant will,
after he becomes acquainted with the correctness
OF your statements, say to his customers, "you
can depend on the whole lot being equally good
The man who sent nae that lot cf-hRs never
deceived me-" Cards are Iot safe for addresses,
but they will do very well on small packages
one en- the top, and another on the side. Rol
butter should be wrapped in clean white muslin
Dressed poultry should be packed in clean dry
straw Fine cut straw is very good to pack egg
in. Ship goods if practicable, SO as not to arrive
on Saturday.
ITALIAN BEES.
When Italian bees were introduced into thi!
country they were represented te be far superior
to the black bees but have seen no evidenc,
that they are so in any respect. Those men WHIT
keep them for sale, and rear and sell queens, ar
not the persons we should 60 to for reliable in
formation in regard to these bees, as their inter
ests prompt them to overstate their good quail
ties have closely watched the opinions of bee
keepers at their conventions for many years, on
Italian bees, and have seen nothing from disin
terested parties that proves these bees to be an
better, as regards the profits in beekeeping, thar
our common bees. Nor have they been found Il
be any better than the black bees in England, a
articles from the London Cottage Gardener, anC
other English papers now before me fully show