The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-07-16
AGRICULTURAL.
and Storing mangel wurzeIs.

lace OF the ground. In the late Fall when
Inc growth Is about completed, these much
exposed roots have but few leaves to protect
them, and hence. where freezing weather is
feared, the provdent farmer will always give
them the benefit of the doubt. II he is SO
unfortunate as to have his crop injured, let
him at once get the most he can out of them,
In the way Of food, for though tine injury at
hrst may appear but trivial, the part frozen
Will become first cosky and afterwards turn
place and ultimately rot. Ii but slightly
frozen the frost may be taken out by at once
covering the roots temporarily with earth,
but such roots must be fed early or they will
rot. Where The globe or ovoid varieties are
grown, on land where they pull hard, they
may be lifted by running subsoil plow with
care.
In pulling these or any roots that are to be
topped on the field, don't, as is usually done,
either scatter them on the surface, without
any system, or throw them into heaps, as in
either way the cost of removing the tops
is increased. II thrown in piles the tops be-
come more or less intermngled, and the
small amount of extra labor thereby caused
In topping each individual root becomes great
In the aggregate when thousands are
handled. Still it oftentimes happens that the
weather takes sudden unexpected turn,
threatening too low temperature for the
safety OF the crop; under such circumstances
the question is how to gel it out of danger in
the most expeditions way possible The
quickest way is to pull and throw into heaps,
roots in, tops out, by which arrangement,
should there be considerable of a freeze-up,
the tops would shield the roots. To protect
them still more effectually earth may be shov-
eled over the heaps, so as barely to cover
them, and when protected in this way they
may be allowed to remain quite a while
awaiting the leisure of the farmer. Here let
me say that this plan of protection will not
answer for all crops, as have learnt with
cabbages, to my sorrow, for when covered
In this way, for but short time, when taken
out they will be found to be almost cooked by
the great heat which they have developed.
In gathering all roots the great object is to
have as few landings as possible, hence, If
the tops are not twisted off as the mangels
are pulled, they should be laid in rows, tops
IN and roots out, four or more rows being put
in one. 1t will be best to have two hands
work together, and so make two of these
rows, leaving a small passage-way between
them, the roots being on the inside. Now
let the topper follow with large and sharp
knife, and lop of the leaves to bis right and
left as be goes, being careful to so top the
roots that each individual leaf will fall sepa-
rately, which means that he is not to cut the
top OF the root itself, for unlike carrots man
gels so cut are apt to decay when stored.
For economical work the knife should be a
large and somewhat heavy one, the blade
eight or nine inches in length. A small grit
stone for the use of each Of the hands en-
gagged in topping any kind of roots is a good
investment; it saves running to the barn for
an occasional touch at the grindstone.
If the roots are to be marketed they will
need to be left awhile to have the earth on
them dry, that it may fall off while loading,
but II Tor use on the farm it will be rather of
an advantage, as it will keep them from wilt
ing. The portion of the crop to be fed before
Spring should be stored as near to the place
Of feeding as possible. The great object
should be to keep them sufficiently covered
and cool to prevent whiting. As all the beet
family are good keepers, there need be but a
small per cent. of loss. Store them in cool,
rather moist cellar, provided it has no stand
Ing water. The heap may be three rsfour
feet In depth, and should be covered with
earth that is rather moist than otherwise, to
prevent evaporation. The long varieties NAV
be piled cordw0od fashion. Those to be fed
after Spring opens can be kept in pit, dug in
gravelly soil, on a. hillside, or where there is
no danger from standing water; the pit may
be three or four feet in depth, and be filled to
the surface. ee sns,s Iiaas III
In covering there are two methods: one, to
throw the earth directly on the roots, the
other to first cover them with cornstalks, or
some dry, coarse litter, before throwing on the
earth. In practice find that when the litter
is used the roots in immediate contact with
it are apt to mould, more or less, and be af-
fected with a dry rot, though 1t is an excel
lent plan to throw on coarse litter up to Sc
we're freezing weather.. Whichever course is
pursued 1t is best not to throw on more at
first than is sufficient to barely cover them,
and to add the remainder, making covering
OF about two feet In depth in all; TO which is
TO be added foot of coarse hay as the wealth.
er becomes cold, The process of thatching
with straw and SO piling that there shall be a
roof like slant to the heap, with furnace-like
ventilators opening from it at intervals, Il have
never found necessary in actual practise, the
elevation of the earth above the bed being a
sufficient watershed, while the cold nature of
the root prevents heating. Rats are the great
enemies of root pits, Ihave had galleries cut
by these vermin through bed of roots, utter
ly destroying them for seed purposes. The
best way of killing them, in my experience,
has been to drop little arsenic on buttered
bread and put it conveniently near their holes, 4
but so far hidden that no neighbours dog
would be likely to suffer by it.
Setting Tires wish Hot water.
The use of hot water in place of fire for
expanding tires may not be new, but it is
less common than it ought to be, if we are to
accept as accurate the results said to be OBJ
tanned in the workshops of the Moscow
Nizhni, railroad, in Russia. There an iron
tank one-fourth filled with water is fixed
near stationary boiler, from which steam
pipe is led through it capable of heating the
water to 212 deg. Fair. Into this the tire is
plunged by means Of a portable crane, and
after an immersion of from ten to fifteen
minutes is taken out and Immediately place d
on the wheel. The officials of the railroad
named aboue made comparison of the two
methods from which it appears during six
yerrs trial of fire shrunken tires, thirty.seyen
per cent. ran loose and five per cent. were
broken, while during five years. trial of
water shrunken tires, less than one per cent,
ran loose, and only single tire was broken.
Germantown Telegraph
Diaries. |
Cleanliness and ventilation are important
requirements in a dairy, and cannot receive |
too careful attention. Some of the largest |
and most profitable diaries are constructed |
half under ground, are dry and always kept
at temperature of about sixty degrees.
The floors are made of hard brick, cemented, |
and small channels Of perfectly pure water
are conducted through the apartments. The |
air eirculates freely through them, and the |
vapor from the milk passes off tinobstructedly. |
The smooth walls are whitewashed and not |
where can there be seen traces of dust or even |
a semblance of dirt. The pans are placed low |
down on the floors, never on shelves. while |
the atmosphere within is perfectly free from a 1
musty or any other disagreeable odor that |
might have the effect of impairing the sweet
ness and purity of the exposed milk and |
cream Germantown Telegraph /
t salfpeirc for Bugs.
To destroy bugs on squash or cucumber |
vines, dissolve tablespoonful of saltpetre in |
a pailful of water; put one pint of this around |
each bill, shaping the earth so that it will not |
spread much, and the thing is done. Use
more saltpetre If you can afford it.; it is good |
for Vegetables, but death to animal life. The |
bugs burrow in the earth at night and fail to |
rise in the morning. 1t is also good to kill |
the grubs in peach trees-only use twice as |
much, say quart, to each tree. There was |
not yellow or blistered leaf on twelve or |
fifteen trees to which it was applied last sea-
son. No danger of killing any vegetab es |
with 1t. A concentrated solution applied to |
beans makes them grow, wonderfully. -Os
borne County Farmer.
ANNUAL MEETINGS.
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