The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-09-19

EXPERIMENT. WITH WHEAT.
An experiment was made on whoa
at the Experimental Farm. Yves
Grove. Pennsylvania, as follows
Four plats Of land were selected il
1876, were plowed Aug. 18th, fertiil
GERS sown broadcast Sept. l4th, ant
the wheat was sown Sept. 10th. On
the ninth of July it was cot. and th'
yield was
No. |. With the Stoekbridge whes
formula; iwcDty-six bushels to th'
acre.
No. ,. Bone supcrphosphate; u
bushels per acre.
No. 3. Rock superphosphate; 81
bushels per acre.
No. 4. No fertilizer; "a bushels pc
acre.
Here we End, as in other similaI
cases. some singular results. Tb'
much advertised Stockbridge whea
fertilizer, which is represented 4
give an increase of20 to % bushels
at an expense of about SIS per acre
in this case produced only two bush
els more wheat per acre than The
land on which no manure was put
On each Of the above plats SIS worth
offertilizers was applied, except OF
No. 4, being an expenditure of So
for an increase of twenty-five bush
els.
The StockLridge wheat formuls
consists in SIS worth OF:
200 pounds of sulph. ammonia: Il
pounds of muriate potash; 100 pound:
OF superphosphate.
And the increase in wheat from it:
use cost 81 80 per busbeli The super.
pbosphates did better, giving an in.
crease Of 20 bushels for ar expendi'
;ure of$30; but hat is ruinous far
ming when the labor of production i:
considered.
On the same farm an experiment
was made in drilling seed, and in
sowing broadcast, two bushels 10
each case, and the drilled acre pro
duced "a, aud the broadcast acre 35s
bushels.
PARIS GREEN NOT INJURIOUS.
In order that the farmers al real
ize bow little danger al come from
the use Of Paris green, We have made
the following calculation: One pound
Of Paris green contains about 4,3T5
grains Of white arsenic. An acre
contains 43,5e0 square feet. The
application OF one pound of Paris
green TO kill the potato beetle and
slugs furnishes therefore but about
I-I0th grain Of arsenic to each square
foot. This amount might be put on
the potatoes themselves, and a mar
could not eat sufficient in q day to
get poisoned. This amount, howey,
er, is largely diminished in practice
by it's action on the insects, and by
naturalization 10 the soil Conse-
quently there can be no danger what
soever in the agricultural use of Par.
is green, as far as absorption is con-
cerned. and in its effects on the eater
Of the crop.
ROTATION OF CROPS.
Whena good dressing Of stable
manure is applied to land annually
there is no necessity of a rotation of
crops. Corn, for instance, al be
grown on the same land a hundred
years, if well MANFRED, and yield good
crops so Of most, if not all crops.
Market gardeners plant the same
crops on land for many years, with
no regular rotation, which shows
that land only requires plenty of ma
nure 20 grow crops abundantly for q
long period. A farmer says: "My
neighbor has a field of about tour
acres that has been planted TO pota-
toes twenty three consecutive years,
aud it has never failed but once to
Weld one hundred aud fifty bushels to
the acre. The soil is a light loan or
sand. Each year from ten to fifteen
loads of stable manure have been scat
tered over the field, and no other fer
tilizers have been used; but it always
brings a good crop. Now, arotation
is imperative, why does this particular
field produce so fair crop such o re.
markable length OF tIme?" Rotstion of
crops is necessary generally, because
farmers have not enough manure to
pat on their lands TO produce the
same crops year after year.
THICK SEEDING.
Farmers of late years are using
more grass seed than they were in the
habit of sowing to the acre. Many
COW eight quarts of timothy, and the
same of clover seed 10 acre, and others
exceed this quantity. believing that
they get a better return for their mon
ey. Timothy should always be sown
in the fall. and clover early n the
spring. One half the seed sown isl
generally lost when sown on rough
land, and narrowed in with q CON-
mon harrew, in consequence OF being
covered too deep. A half inch is as
deep rs any grass seed should ever
be covered. Farmers need harrows
made solely to such seed. 1t
pays well to put the land in q good,
smooth condition for gfsss seed Of
every kind. Rolling the land after
the seed is narrowed, or brushed 10,
will tend TO make it vegetste sooner,
especially in a drouth.
HARVESTING BEANS.
The following is a good way to
harvest bea.s: when the larger
part Of the pods have turned brown
the vines should be pulled. This
work should be done in pleasant wealth
er-neyer when it is rainy or when
there is q prospect Of an immediate
storm. This is very essential, as
upon the successful curing of the crop
its quality very largely depends, and
IL cannot be well cured in bad wealth
er. Five or six rows may be pulled
aud thrown into a Window, taking
care not TO pile the vines too thickly.
1.-THE weather is pleasant they may
lie in this way a day or two, then
be turned over and lie another day.
Then II they appear to be quite dry
they may be got into the barn and
thresbed. but IL the weather is not
favorable, and the vines are not dry
enough to take 10, they must be stack