Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-05-02
Farm and Home.

used. Many other conditions, now
ever, are necessary, as well as some
degree OF knowledge and skill, with
out which even the best seeds must
fail to give the desired results.
The most favorable soil for a gar
den. is light, rather dry loan, with
sufficient admixtures OF vegetable
matter. But situation and near
ness to the house are often Of more
Importance in the choice OF location
than the constitution OF the soil.
Much disappointment is caused by
sowing too early, before the soil is
warm and dry enough. Even If the
seeds terminate in such cases, little
is gained and much risked, as the
plants cannot make vigorous
growth before the proper season.
And seeds sown later will often give
better results than earlier sowings.
Another frequent cause Of failure
is the too deep covering Of the seeds.
As rule, the smaller the seeds the
lighter the covering. The smallest
seeds-such as celery, sweet mar
joram, thyme and other herbs-re-
quire hardly any covering at all; and
when the ground is fine and not too
dry, sowing on the surface and gen.
thy pressing down with a board is
sufficient. Medium sized seeds should
be covered one-half to one inch; and
the largest--such as peas, beans and
corn-two to three inches, and deep
er in dry weather.
Most seeds, to give the best results,
should be sown thinly, except such
kinds as have feeble sprcuts-as pars-
nips, carrots and beets. These, ii
sown too thin and the surface be-
comes baked, cannot break through
the crust; while many sprouts to-
gether can. and it is but little troub-
Bile to thin out the superfuous plants
Cucumbers. melons, squashes,, and
all plants subject to the ravages oil
insects, should also be sown thickly;
and afterward, when the leaves are
hard enough to defy the attacks oil
their enemies, thinned out properly
Beginners often err in making the
rows or drills too close to each other
The taller the plants the more space
should be given them; but even the
smallest herbs should not be planted
so close as to prevent the free use oil
the hoe or weeder between the rows
Thorough cultivation and loosenine
OF the soil are among the principa
conditions OF success in the garden
A good hoeing in dry weather is Of
ten better than watering. When the
latter is resorted to, it must be don,
thoroughly, and not so as to moister
the surface only. This superficial
sprlnkling does, generally, more harm
than good. 1t causes the plants tC
form rootlets near the surface, instead
OF below. These surface roots arr
dried and parched by the rays OF the
sun as soon as the moisture becomes
evaporated, and leaves the plants
without nourishment.
TOMATOES.
A light, warm soil gives the earli
est crops, but the bearing lasts Ion
ger in a strong and rich one. In ,
garden, a trellis, or some kind o
support, should be given the vines.
BLAcKBERRIEs AND RAsPBERkEs.
Will now be making their growth
OF canes for next years fruiting
Three or four canes are usually
enough for each stool, all others arr
to be cut away. AS soon as tai
enough, tie them to the stake or trel
lis, and when they reach the desired
height, stop them by pinching ou
the top. Three to four feet is enough
for raspberries, and six or seven To-
blackberries. If rust appears, Gu
and burn the diseased stems.
HORSES.
Now. with hard work, teams require
good care. Horses will come from
the field in much better condition /
they are protected from worry 10y
flies. The best protection is thir
sheet made to fit the neck, with hole:
for the ears, and to buckle under tn,
throat, and to cover the back, hang
ing loosely at the sides to give access
OF air beneath. 1t should be held by
crupper band beneath the tail. Too
much corn fed now, is apt to produce
irritation of the skin, and make the
animal restless. Cleanliness will bt
found q great comfort to them.
SHEEP AND LAMBS.
The most profit from a sheep Is tC
raise from it lamb that will sell fol
more than the mother is worth. Thi:
can be easily done by careing wei
for the earliest lambs. A lamb, 81
days old, and well fattened, will often
sell for ten dollars in the cities, and
half that in the country villages. A
half-bred Cotswold lamb, fed now
with little mixed oatmeal and bran
sucked by native eve, will make
an excellent market lamb. Lambs
now being fed should be protected
from cold storms, and the ev's should
have some extra feed.-American