The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-04-19
FARM AND PRESIDE.

CoNCUssIoN.-Colonel Hardec, OF
Florida, for several years past has
claimed that many, or all, of our insect |
pests may be readily destroyed by what
he terms Concussion," produced by
firing a gun among fruit trees, or ex-
ploding gunpowder in any other manner
by which violent conclusion of the air
or earth may be effected.
Now, while we have not had any per.
sonal experience in this method of de-
stroying insect life, still we are inclined
to favor giving it trial the present sea
son, and hope our readers will also do 60
and report the re.ult.
But Colonel Hardee claims more than
the above, for in private letter before
us he says, 81 also claim that conclusion
to fruit trees while the fruit is young
will hasten the maturity, and it also has
the same effect upon watermelons, toma
toes and squashes 1t does not, however,
so affect oranges or grapes" He writes
further, that "many persons are now
employing conclusion in Florida for the
purpose named, and | think that giant
powder will be extensively used the
present season for destroying the cotton
or army worm"
We are als2 informed through other
sources that the orange scale has been in
scores of instances destroyed by firing
gun under and amOl & the branches of
the trees; and if either conclusion or the
smoke from burning gunpOwder will de-
stroy this orange tree pest, it would be
we'll to try the same agents against cur
Northern apple tree scale, which is
closely allied to the species that infests
the orange tree.
1t will certainly not cost much to put
Colonel Hardee's conclusion theory to
a practical test, and we hope it will be
done, for some good may come of it, if
not all that is claimed bv the inventor.
CLEANLINESS IN BUTTER. MAKING
A correspondent to the Prairie Farmer
writes: Cleanliness in butter-making
is a great secret of the art. We all
know that if COW eats onions the onion
flavor can be tasted all through the milk
and cream, to the butter; 80, every
thing the COW eats or drinks affects the
flavor and keeping quality of the but
ter. Stagnant water, musty hay or rank
weeds will affect the milk as easily as
leeks or onions. Nor is this all if the
milk is set in room where there are
musty or other bad favors in the air the
milk will absorb these odors. If the
cream jar stands open in smoky,
steaming cook-roOm the butter will tell
of it. There are those who leave the
sour, bitter buttermilk in the churn till
this implement is wanted again; let
such be sure the butter from such a
churn will taste of the previous bitter
contents. Pure water and sweet feed
for the COW. cleanliness in milking, set
ting the milk in a room where the air
is pure, cleanliness in making the but
ter, with perfect working and washing,
are the outlines of the nice art of butter
making.
COMMERCIAL FERTILIzERs;-T. b.
Miner writes from Linden, N. j., to the
RurdL NeD Yorker that large quantities
of commercial fertilizers are sold because
many farmers and gardeners, in some OF
the States, are unable to obtain enough
stable manure for their crops. In sea-
sons of frequent rains these fertilizers
produce, in many instances, good re-
suits, but they are not as reliable as
barnyard dung. All that we should
seek for in commercial fertilizers are
potash, nitrogen (ammonia), phosphoIic
acid and lime, the first three cOnstit-
uents being the most important, and in
buying commercial fertilizers we should
select those that contain potash as the
best; second, nitrogen; third, phos.
phoric acid. The following is the list OF
some of the best fertilizers and the
prices per 100 pounds in New York: