Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-07-03
FARM AND FlRESlDE
Science ana Practice.

uCdllOu. III tiO HAiAuS VI W. e'eiA ~
sons, a thing is not practice, or if they
cannot see just how it Will directly and
Immediately drop dollars into their
pockets. A person may start out with
a deficient education, work hard, and
learn every thing by the severest effort
yet be may not be very practical man
after all. He will likely have some
vague theories in regard to many things
which he does not understand. These
theories will more or less influence his
modes of action. He will have many
incorrect notions Of the development
and habits OF insects and other animals.
lie Will not understand some OF the
merest rudments Of plant physiology
On the other had, there are some per-
sons WHO possess much KNOWLEDGE
learned from books. If these are not
careful. and have not tested their
knowledge and have learned much by
experience, they may commit as great
errors as the man ignorant of books.
1 give briefly some examples which
have come under my observation. The
number might be much extended.
In case Of plants many errors are
made and much bad advice given by
those who are confused on the common
names of plants. Any one can pick up
Or coin a common name, but unior-
tunately the same name is not applied
to the same thing IN all sections Of our
country. One tree is called White
wood or Tvlip-trce in Michigan and
Poplar in the South, while there is an
other tree called Poplar in Michigan.
Poa pratensis is often called june
grass ia the North, while the same
grass is called Bluegrass in kentucky.
Phleum platense is called Herd's-grass
in New York, while Agrostis yulgaris
called Herd's-grass in some parts OF
Pennsylvania. Some person inquiries
through the 'IIusbandman' about the
hardness of Buckthcrn IN the Northern
States. He undoubtedly meant Rham-
nus catharticus. \ farmer in Mich
igan replies: oh yes. it is perfectly
hardy and stands well along our roads
and open places The practical farmer
probably means Hawthorn, some
species Of Crat@gus.
knew who included himself among
the practical men. lie made an effort
"a vain one, Of course-to cause CRAFTS
ofChestnut. \ very slight knowledge
ofbotany would have saved him all that
trouble. \ writer in a recent number
ofone OF our first agricultural papers,
complains that the roots Of clover stop
his tile drains. The drains he says,
are o feet deep, that the fbrous roots
entered the drains, spread out int q
fine. fbrous mass and choked the drains,
so that he had to take them up entirely
clean them out, and relay them. A
correspondent replies and thinks num-
Der one must be mistaken, fer cover
roots run down not more than 70 or Is
inches, certainly not so. And then he
goes on to say that he has Just dug
some clover roots in deep mellow soil
and finds none longer than i inches.
The writer Of this article has several
times seen them six 1eet-72 inches
or oyer, straight down into compact
red clay with a little sand here and
there IN streaks near the surface. He
saw a student digging for the end Of a
clover root one day. He was then
down six feet and had not found the
end. Some writer in the United States
Agricultural Report, said Buaalo-sr grass
sent roots down but q few inches, while
an experienced botanist found them
down seven feet. A practical man
was trying a remedy for pear tree
which had been struck with the blight.
He bored into the tree 10 insert the
remedy. lie was careful not 10 bore
into the heart Of the tree, implying that
he believed that part Of the tree was
very sensitive to injury. The fact is,
that the heart Of trees possesses very
little, if any life, while the licellest part
Of the trunk is the outside. \ prominent
rurseryman and author on Horticulture
was applied 10 for some pollen Of apple
blossoms to be sent by mail for use in
making cross. lie did not send any
because he did not know how TO collect
It. The bees got the start Of HIM. HC
had only to pluck the plump anthcrs
from young flowers or buds just about
to open, and send them in an envelope
A practical man, so self-styled
recommended 4 liberal Use Of slakeC
lime i'll a henneTy among tie dropping:
Of fowls. The objections are two-fold
the lime will liberate the ammonia
which is a valuable fertilizer, and thC
ammonia is injurious to fowls.
Another imam who bcasted Of hi,
practical tact, did not need aay sur
veying for him to lay a tile in certain
spot. lie could lay it by the eye. The
tile was laid and in one place did not
work. 1t was afterwards surveyed
when il was found that the Tile ran ID
a way to make it necessary for water to
run up hill over a foot above its level.
The tile was taken up, relaid in scien-
tifc manner and has since worked we'll
At farmers Institute, last winter, Dr.
Kedzie had just finished his lecture on
some valuable chemical analyses Of
wheat and flour, showing their relative
value. The man who succeeded him
was to talk about exporting cattle to