Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-06-19
THE FARM.

lllhCh w VIC preservation OF the manure
as to the hay or grain, and those who
have their buildings already finished
without these manurial arrangements
will find that twenty-five or fifty dollars
spent on boards for a covered shed will
rank among the best investments ever
made.-Americd,a Stock Journal.
GRAss.-In order to the greatest
amount of nutriment with the least
drain on the fertility of the soil. grass
should be cut when Just IN bloom or be-
fore the seed is ripened. At this stage
the gum and starch exist in the greatest
proportions, and the stalk is soft and
easily digested If it is cut when fully
ripe the nutritious parts are turned to
woody, indigestible fibre and the ripen-
ing of the seed takes large proportions
of phosphoric acid from the SOIL
Prof. j. A. Whitney.
There are farms in our older states
that have been cultivated for 200 years.
that are richer to-day than ever before.
Many farms in England yield twice as
much now as they did century ago.
This is the result OF study, experiments
and inventions, which have been made
possible by the education of farmers
and which have been encouraged bv
farmers societies and public fairs. The
farmers Of Kentucky should, even in
the next decade, have better farms and
make more money, instead of wearing
out their lands and going to new states.
Marion (Ky.) Reporter.
OLD ORCHARDs.-The editor of the
HorticuhuroHst says: eve have known
quite q number Of instances-indeed,
so often as to make it quite a rule-the
old orchards apparently dying out have
been brought back to fruitfulness by the
liberal use of wood ashes, also stirring
the soil. Potash is the most important
element IN the successful growth of all
kinds of fruit trees. An old gentleman
told a club, not long ago, that he had
known man make and preserve an or
chard Of apple trees in tiourishing and
productive condition, originally placed
on very poor ground, by sprinkling
every year around each tree, to the cir
conference OF the extent of its branch
es, half n bushel of ashes. We consid-
er this a very important item. .
Farmer.
AS general rule, tho farmer who is
DESTROYS Of selling his property, works
to very poor advantage. Everything is
done upon the white wash" principle.
All repairs are for the purpose Of cover
ing up defects without regard to dura-
bllity. 1t doesn't matter to him if it is
patched over. 1t will last until the
property is off from his hands. He puts
IN his crops where he will be able to
reap the greatest immediate profits, re-
gardless of the ultimate damage Or the
demand for tllage upon some other
field that will not yield 50 large crops
Such mans whole aim and motive is
to sell-and what then? The old story
is repeated. A new farn, anxiety to
sell, slovenly farming, other changes,
each sale attended with greater or less
loss, and his life failure.-Erchange.
Nothing adds so much to the beauty
of farm as neat, tidy surroundings.
Farmers are too much occupied about
the blowing, planting. ETC., to give much
time to light work in spring, yet it
would require but very little extra eff
fort to spare a few hours about the
house in picking up and raling off the
dirt from about the house and barn; but
it would add SO very much more to it's
attractions, and make it far more valu-
able in the eyes Of others, particularly
those who are in search of farm to
purchase as home. Add to this the
repairing of broken hinges and gates and
all kinds of machinery, and one has re-
lieved himself Of great discomfort and
has been rearing refined influence,
both in his own family and that of his
neighbors, and also prolonged the life of
his family by the removal of that which
creates disease and death. can ounce
of preventive is worth a pound of cure u
CARBON AS PLANT FoOD.-The great
mass of vegetable matter is composed
Of woody fibre (cellulose), which con-
sists of carbon, A per cent; oxygen,
1862 per cent, and hydrogen, 6.3S per
GEN.. Nearly one-half Of the vegeta-
bic growth Of our forests and fields is
therefore organized carbon. This sub
stance is known to us in the form of
charcoal, though the diamond is pure
crystallizeG carbon. In it's uncombined
form it is not soluble in any known
liquid, nor is it fuslble in any heat we
have been able to produce. At red
heat it combines readily with oxygen
in brisk combustion, without flame,
and the product is gas composed of
q per cent. of carbon and Is per cent.
of oxygen, and commonly known as
carbonic acid. 1t has feeble acid re-
action and forms salts with alkalies.
At temperature of sixty degrees wat
Ell will dissolve and hold in solution it's
own measure of carbonic acid gas, but
it parts with it all at boiling heat. In
this form, all the carbon appropriated
by plants is furnished, and it would be
a very natural inference, that to furnish
a supply of carbonic acid would be the
first care of the farmer. But this would
be altogether an erroneous conclusion.
From various sources the air is always
supplied with carbonic acid in sufficient
quantities to answer the demands of
plant growth, but the chief interest of
the farmer is to place his crops in ia
vOrable condition to appropriate the