The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-02-17
AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

LAKE county, OnlO, IdlSeu laSt year
253, 900 bushels of potatoes, Ashtabula
263, 1000, and Portage 363, 900; a total of
100000 bushels.
The "best beast in the Hall" at the
famous Smithfeld cattle show was a
Shorthorn, mainly of Booth blood, with
touch of Townley."
A NEW YORK man has discovered a
chemical process by which worthless to-
bacco is transformed into ine-laoking
and fair-tasting cigars.
The festive potato bug has made his
entry into France, and has already been
honored there with the distinguished
title of " La DOrVphorea decenlinedta."
Col. CURTIS, of Charlton, New York,
kept large herd of cattle during winter
on four quarts of wheatshorts each, fed
night and morning, with very little hay
and straw. .g -
FIELDS which are always wet from
springs or tenacious subsOils are rarely
benefited by the use of gypsum. But
drain them thoroughly, and they respond
to its use as fully as any others.
A CORRESPONDENT of the Rurol New
Yorker boasts of raising one hundred and
nine stalks of rye from q single seed.
They grew on land that had not been
manured, and it was not very good year
for rye either.
CRANBERRIEs in New Jersey are said
to cover 1000 acres-5,000 in bearing
and 1000 new. There is also about TO-
600 acres more of cranberry land not Oc-
cupied. In 1875 about 10000 bushels
were raised in the country.
MANY British manufacturers and other
employers have lately changed payday
from Saturday to Monday for the sake Of
the workmen, many of whom have been
in the habit of squandering their wages
in dissipation on Sunday. A similar
change is talked of in New England.
A Nova SCOTIA farmer, who sent a
sample barrel of apples to the fruit ex-
position at Birmingham, England, has
been informed officially that, "though
there was an exceptionally good show of
English apples, his fruit beat them all in
size, and very fair indeed in color"
The Iowa State Agricultural Society
is not in good shape financially. A year
ago it had $2 ,652 on hand, received $l2,-
623 during this year, and paid out $14,-
8SS. 1t has assets of $500 and liabilities
ofnearly $4,000. The last fair was inter-
fered with by rain. Several resolutions
looking to reduction of expenses have
been adopted.
STRAWBERRIES of the Princess Dag
mar variety, some measuring three and
one-halfinches in circumference, are pro-
duced in the gardens of Nevada City in
the month of December. This fruit, the
Transcript remarks, is grown in the open
air, at an altitude of $50 feet above the
ocean, with huge banks of snow three or
four feet deep in sight, and not thirty
miles distant.
AT Farmers Institute, held recently
at Rochester, Michigan, destroying Can
ada thistles was discussed and all agreed
that to keep them down year so they
could not obtain the use of their leaves
in the open air would destroy them. Put
two or three feet of straw over them or
cut them off below the surface and cover
the roots with salt once week through
out the season.
A FARMER at Orrington, says the Port
land, Maine, Eapress, has been for some
time feeding squash, in the hope of be-
ing able to bring it up to two hundred
pounds. The feeding is done by cutting
off the vine about six feet from the
squash and placing the end in pan into
which fresh milk is daily poured. BY
this means the vino absorbs about two
quarts of milk per day, and the squash
gains about pound day in weight.
THE Iowa Agricultural College Farm
of eight hundred acres, last year had
seventy-three head of cattle, seventeen
horses and colts, lightweight sheep and
one hundred and four hogs, of various
breeds in each class. 1t produced three
thousand six hundred and sixty-nine
bushels of corn, one thousand three hun
dred bushels of oats, one hundred and
twenty-seven and one-half tons of hay,
twenty-seven and one-half tons of roots,
etc