Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-07-18
THE FARM AND HOME.

LOST NATION WHEAT.-There has been
considerable inquiry among those who
have tried this new wheat, as to where
it came from We find the following
regarding it in the Western Rural from
correspondent
In answer to YOUR Manitoba CORES
ponaent I would say that in 1872 being
in the state of Maine. and hearing the
above named wheat highly spoken of,
[ obtained two quarts that | could
get-as it was new thing there. 1t
was brought, the year previous, from
the Province of New Brunswick. [
have raised it ever since with success.
It yields from five to twelve bushels per
acre more than any other kind of wheat
that | know of. 1t is beardless, has
stiff straw and is hard wheat with a
large berry. 1t has been ground only
IN small quantities, but makes an ex-
cellent flour. Where it can be pro-
duced is a hard question, for every
bushel is bought up for seed at $50 to
$500 per bushel. | have sold about
thirteen hundred bushels in three years
for seed"
HRADING FRUIT TREEs.-We believe
in low heads fer fruit trees, especially
in hot climate, but there are those
who do not. Well, we appeal to eXpe-
rience, and here is that of a fruit-grower
in Illinois. He has $4,000 apple, and
! from 900 TO 5000 pears, and finds that
those with low heads of the same va
rieties show at least two-thirds more
fruit, as large or larger, and as high
colored as those with high tops" To
test the matter, he cut off in certain
rows all the limbs to start close to the
surface, and in the latter case neither
thinned nor pruned, except occasion
ally to lop away a too lusty shoot in
order to preserve symmetrical appear
ance or an evenly balanced head; and
the above is the result.-Dr. Jacques.
SOWING BARLEY AND FLAX TOGETHER.
"A few days since we CHANGED to OBJ
serve field of barley on the farm of
Mr. Henry Brown, of Minneapolis, in
which could here and there be seen a
blue flower indicating the presence of
flax. We learned that he had been in
the habit for several years Of sowing
two quarts of flax with his barley, re-
ducing the amount of seed of the latter
one-fourth and growing successfully to-
gether. The flax has yielded him
about five bushels to the acre-nearly
paying for the cost of raising his barley.
OF the latter, his annual yield had been
from thirty-fve to forty bushels. Both
were ground together and fed to his
In regard to separating the flax from
the barley in fanning-mill there seems
to be some question. Mr.. Brown
thought it could be easily done, but in
quiry at the linseed oil factory here was
not SO satisfactory. The chief value of
growing both together seems to be the
additional yield of most nutritious
crop for feeding purposes.
To KEEP PLANTS BEARING pro-
duction of seed is an exhaustive pro-
cess, and as rule, its completion is
signalized either by the death Of the
plant, if an annual, or by a
Temporary suspension of growth, if
biennial or triennial. The immediate
end for which nature has sustained it
has been attained. five are cultivat
ing it for seed, our object is the same
and we should not interfere with ma
lures processes, but if, in the case of
the Okra, the cucumber, and the sum-
mer squaso, we make use of the inn
mature fruit, and desire to increase and
prolOng its production, we must care
fully cut off, before maturity, all that is
produced whether we can make use of
them or not, SO rs to encourage abnOr
NAL production. Ifseeds are desired,
certain plants should be set apart for
their production and the earliest and
best fruit be allowed to ripen. The
same rule applies in the flower garden.
If we desired continued bloom, the
plants must not be allowed to mature
seeds.-Dr. Jacques.
ALDERNEY Cows.-Alderney is known
for the breed of COWS which bears its
name. These are so called, probably,
because the first ones exported were
from that island, although now very
few thai are sold as Attorney COWS are
directly from there. Those of that
breed actually exported from these
islands are generally from Jersey.
where the cattle are much the same as
those Of Attorney, small, with tapering
heads, and Of delicate fawn-color.
The Guernsey COW is esteemed by some
even more highly than the Attorney;
it is rather larger, and more of q red.
brinded in color. The COWS are milk
ed three times daily, and the milk is
churned without Swimming. One pound
of butter day is by no means an I'M
common yield for one COW. The cow
cabbage is made to reach size so large
that the leaves are used to wrap the
butter in for market, while the stalks
are vanished and armed with ferrules,
and extensively used at st. Heilers for
canes. The COWS are very carefully
coddled. The grass they feed on is
highly enriched by the vraic, species
of sea-weed gathered from the reefs at
low tide. There are two vraic harvests
appointed by the governmental in
the spring and the other in August
although it is gathered at other times
in small quantities. All hands turn
out in the season with boats and carts,
frequently at night, and it is a very
lively picturesque occupation, though
offend attended with risk and loss of life
from the overlooking of boats or the
sudden rising of the tide. The COWS are
always tethered when feeding; they eat
less in this way really giving more milk
than if glutted with food; and, while they
are cropping the grass on one side of
the field, it has time to spring up on
the other side. When they have done
eating, they are at once removed from
the sun to the shade The breed is
preserved from intermiXture with other