The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-12-20


Of Prof. Atwater, OF Connecticut ak
pertinent station, and should be in ey-
cry farmers scrap-book inasmuch as
we are working more and more toward
the employment Of commercial ma
nures:
|. Potassium, the basis Of potash
compounds, Is indispensable to the
growth Of all our cultivated plants. II
has ut least one specific Office In the nu-
triton Of the plant, that OF aiding in
the formation of carbohydrates
(starch). Without plentiful supply Of
potash In available forms, full crops are
impossible.
2. The German potash salts afford at
present the cheapest and most available
supply Of potash for fertilizers. They
supply also more or less Of magnesia
and sulphuric acid, which are essential
ingredients Of plant food, and some
times deficient in our soils, aud Of
sodium and chloride compounds, which
latter may be beneficial or harmful,
according to the circumstances OF their
use.
s. The higher grades will be most
profitable for use in this country, be-
cause they furnish the most potassium
with .he least admixture Of inferior ma
terals, on which costs Of freight and
handling must be paid. The chlorides
(muriates). with 60-S4 per cent. Of
chloride Of potassium, and the sui
plates, with 70 to 80 per cent. Of sui
plate Of potash and magnolia, with 81
81 per cent Of sulphate Of potash, are
IN ho III,
4. For potatoes, sugar-beets or tobac-
co, the sulphates are preferable; for
other crops, the chlorides, which are
cheaper, are equally good.
5. In order 10 secure uniform diffu-
sion through the soil, the potash salts
should be applied as long as possible
before the crop is sown. II is well TO
mix with earth, or t. compost, before
applying, especially If used shortly be-
fore sowing the seed. And, in general,
potash salts arc we'll adapted for com
posting with muck, earth. stable-ma-
nure, phosphales, fish and the like.
q. The best results are generally OBJ
tanned BY using potash salts, not alone,
but with other fertilizers, as superphos-
pilates, guanos and fish. Mixtures of
these latter with potash salt form sscom-
plete fertilizers" The proper use Of
potash salts is as adjuncts to other fer
tiizers.
z From 200 pounds to 400 and 500
poundsp per acre Of the higher, and 800
TO 600 pounds Of the lower grades are
appropriate quantities.
). The question Of the need Of potash
in given soil, can be best decided by
actual trial. Il will be generally advis-
able TO test the question by experiments
on small scale before making large
purchases.
DRESSING TURKEYS. -Thousand Of
dollars are wasted by the seller of tur-
keys each year for lack of system and
care In dressing. A clean picked, un-
bruised bird will generally bring from
two TO 1--WE cents more pound than
one that lacks either Of these seemiy
recon menaations. An experience with
these birds that reaches over quite n
number 81 years, and a practice in
dressing equally 10 z, leads us To re-
commend the following plan: Never
feed he morning Of The day in which
the turkeys are to be killed, and a.
early as convenient drive them into
some convenient and easily accessible
stable Gather your turkeyless neigh
bors i'm the proportion Of one man (or
bey), 10 Is birds. Provide two half
hogshead tubs for the feathers, or one,
As you may need; and having set il un-
der some shelter, place a row Of chairs
in circle around il. Now darker the
doors of your stable, and quietly seize
a bird, and hold il so that in its strug-
giles TO free itself from your grasp. il
shall not hit It's body or wings against
any hard substance. Then with your
left hand take firm hold Of the legs and
wings (the latter drawn backward) and,
placing the neck of the bird across
round stick, sever the head from the
body with a sharp ax held in the right
hand; then hodthe bird still, IL You can.
by the same wings and legs, Mt right
angles from you, or, If you can n0t
which i more probable), press the
bird hard against the even ground,
breast downward, SO that in either case .
here shall be no possibility of bruising.
As soon as the struggle il mainly eHd- !
ID, seize and pull out first the tail
Gathers; then holding the bird on your
knees, never letting 1t touch the tub,
and quickly take out the
smaller feathers, being particular not TO
ear the skin, and always bearing in
mind that any rough handling may dis
igure the animal, and Of course injure
Is sale. When the bird is partially
picked, consignitto some less muscular
person to take out carefully all the pin
Gathers. This can be best done with the
point Of sharp pen-knife, and in no
'ase allow the body to be laid aside as .
inshed till every thing Is removed that ,
would offend the most fastidious eye.
When the bird Is little cooled, lay IL
IN board covered with several thick
lesses of wooden cloth, and while held