The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-13
AGRICULTURAL.
Questions For Farmers Clubs.

Questions For Farmers Clubs.
The season is drawing near when farm
ers have to think as well as act. and when
the officers of farmers clubs are making up
their programmes for the winter meetings.
DR. Lorng is reported as having SAID, at a
late farmers meeting at Worcester, that
discussion of farm topics in farmers club
meetings is entirely useless, or something to
that effect. Perhaps the EARN Yard Club
of Jotham'' succeeded in settling all the
questions that have so yeXed farmers for the
mast few centuries, and left nothing for the
present generation to do in that line.
There may, however, be a few farmers who
may not quite agree with the Doctor, or
there may be some who will persist III dls-
cussng, if only for discussions sake. some
think the exercise Of ones 1acultles III the
way of telling what one knows, or thinks he
knows, to his brother farmers, in sort OF a
public way, is a legitimate method of inn
nroving ones powers of communication so
that he can make himself understood when
important questions are to be acted on in
town meetings or elsewhere. To all such,
the following list of questions gathered from
the records OF a few of our successful farm
ers' clubs may not come amiss:-1
Trees for shelter; kinds most suitable, most lu-
diciouS arrangement for shelter ana 1or
Treatment and feed of Stock in Winter
Are Swine Profitable?
Potatoes: Their cultivation cost of production,
profit, best variety.
Cows and the profits from them.
Root Crops; cultivation and cost of growing
Mangolds. Ruta Bagas, ETC.; comparative
merits for feeding.
Effects of rural life on health, material pros
perity and longevity.
Commercial Fertilizers, and their application.
MsiaIJra---its nrOduCtiOn and application 10 uno
~soil.
Improvement of Dairy Stock.
Abortion of Cows, the cause and remedy
Horses-Care and Diseases Of
Swine, their management and proht.
How Farmers are humbugged
Poultry-The best method of feeding and the
best breeds for general USE
Pecuiarities in plant growth, and how to take
advantage of them.
The Grass Crop.
How shall we feed for milk?
Special and mixed farming compared.
The Grain Crops. Viii it pay to raise Wheat,
Rye, ETC.?
Sheep Husbandry.
Wastes on the Farm.
Principles of FertiliZing the Soil
Reclaiming Waste Lands.
Insect Enemies-Unity OF action cmong farm,
ers for their destruction; Remedies tired
and results.
Which is the most profitable for the Farmer to
keep for work, Horses or Oxen?
Houses, Barns and Out-bulldlngs.
Market Gardening; The best crops Tor pront
and the best manner of cultivation.
Barn-yard Manure: Best methods OF saving
and application.
Can Specially Farming in New England be
made profitable
How shall we make farming more attractive to
our young men?
Culture of Flowers and Shrubs.
Culture of Bees.
Can Tile Pipe be practically and economically
used for drainage of streets, side walks,
as well as low, cold, wet lands, and the
best manner of laying.
Ploughing and Ploughs.
What Books shall we read ard how shall we
read them?
Roast Beef and Plum pudding The science OF
living and enjoying life.
Stock Breeding as a science.
Is it profitable to remove stone wall and re-
place with wooden fence?
Labor and Wages
Small Fruits.
Opportunities for young farmers.
The Census and Enumeration in their relation
to the farmer.
Our Buildings-Best way to warm and yenti-
late.
Peat, and its Formation.-New England
Farmer.
Winter Care of Plants.
Slips should be cut smoothly from the
plant just below a joint, or where they
join the main stem. Any time during the
growing season will do, though July, August
and September are the best months. Most
slips stand well in sand, OF mixture OF
half and half sand, kept wet. If wanted for
the house in winter, it is better to stand the
slips in small pots sunk in the ground, as
they can be left in the pots or transferred to
larger ones without disturbing the roots
Oleanders, honeysuckles, southernwood
and some other plants are best started by
putting in a vial of water on partly Shaded
window SILL putting piece OF cotton around
the stem at the neck of the vial, both TO
steady and protect the plant, and prevent
too rapid evaporation.
Plants for the house in winter will not do
well in smaller than four or five inch pots.
Place a saucer under each. Water every
dav toward night, putting on water till some
of it runs through into the saucer. The
water should always be tepid, and once
week few drops of ammonia or liquid man
ure should be added to each quart OF water.
Do not water if the soil is still moist; some
plants do not need as much water as others.
A little top-watering only does more harm
than good, the water should 60 to all the
roots. After January they will need more
water, as then they begin to grow; before
that most plants simply live. Cactuses and
aloes should have no water in the early WIN
ter; they must rest if you wish them to
bloom we'll later Keep the pots and leaves
clean bv frequent washing Plants will
not thrive if dusty. Some plants do better
in glazed pots or wooden boxes, the common
pots being so porous as to extract all the
moisture from the roots. Ii you simply
wish to keep slips for the next years gar
den, fill starch box with sandy soil, set
number of slips in it, keep wet, and in
sunny window