The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-05-08
AGRICULTURE.

HYBRIDIZINa WHEAT. Another
maxim which farmers generally ac-
oept rs an axiom Is, that by sowing
wheats Of different qualities together,
they will 80 hybridize rs to produce a
mixed breed; while eyon q little obser-
vation would teach them the error Of
this conclusion, and that each grain
produces its own like, and that really
no hybridization takes place at all, and
that the mixture Of seed produce the
unmitigated evil of mixing whcats
which perhaps ripen at different Pc
riods, or perhaps require different treat
ment when they come to be reduced to
lour. A little study of tho nature Of
plants would seem to DO necessary to Il
knowledge Of their proper treatment
during their growth. Or the flowers
Of plants some arc male and some fe-
male. In some the staminate and pis-
tillatc flowers occupy different parts Of
the same plants, as III Indian corn. In
tho larger number OF plants the male
and female organs mature at tho same
time In the same flower; and Of these
some are subject to Standardization,
and others to ross-fertilization. Such
plants rs Peas, Beans, Wheat, and Bar
ley have the male and female organs
within themselves, and are not subject
to cross-fertiliZation,a and therefore it
Is that wheats do not mix their quail
ties at all by being planted together;
and as it Is Objectionable for other rcas-
ons, 1t should never be dono. The leaf
or ilower which protrudes from the
glume of wheat Is neither an anthe., Il
plstil, nor q stamen, and neither emits
nor receives the iertilizing pollen.
BURNING GREEN WOOD GREATLY
WAsrEFUL.-Water in passing into va
por absorbs and hides nearly 900 de-
grees of heat. a cord of green wood
produces just us much heat as u cord Of
the same wood dry. In burning the
dry wood we get nearly all the heat,
but in burning the same wood green,
from one half to threc-fourths Of the
heat produced goes off latent and use
less In tho evaporating sap or water.
Chemistry shows this, and why, very
plainly. Therefore get the wint0r's
wood for fuel or kinllings, ard let 1t
be seasoning, as soon as possible, and
put 1t under cover In timo to be dry
when used. 1t will of course season
or dry much faster when split fine. a
solid foot of green elm wood weighs 60
to 65 lbs, Of which 80 to 35 lbs, Is sap
or water. AS ordinarily piled up, il
we allow half Of Il cord to be lost In the
spaces between the sticks. we still have
II weight OF about two tons to the cord,
of which nearly one ton Is water or
zap. Such wood affords very little
. useful heat; 1t goes OIL In the ton Of
sap. The great saving Of hauling II
home dry Is eviuent-as we get the
same amount OF real fuel for half the
team work. Beech wood loses one
eighth to onc-lifth Its weight in dry
ing; oak, onc-qnartcr to two-tlfths.
BENE PLANT SoUTn.-'rhe production
Of the bene plant is again attracting at
tention In the South. 1t yields Il large
amount Of oil, that retains It's sweet
ness when old, and Is excellent In the
place Of olive oil. We think 1t used to
be cultivated to a considerable extent
years ago In some sections, and there
seems no good reason why 1t should
not be again. lfpeanuts may be sue
cessfully cultivated for their oil, there
is no reason why bene should not be-
Bcne Is a plant OF Arabian origin, and
in Oriental countries 1t Is extensively
used as food. 1t Is rich both in oil and
In cold water form a thick, Iclly-likc
mucilage useful in aysentery and diar-
rhora. Its oil is tastelcss and slightly
laxative, and Is often used in prefer
ence to olive Oil. Its cultivation Is
simple, being planted like cotton, or IN
slightly-raised beds 3h tod feet apart
from the furrows, and one foot apart
In the rows Twenty-Five per cent. OF
the beans arc oil, and 20 bushels per
acre, 1t Is said, may be easily raised,
SALT TO SwINE.-A writer In the
Country Gentleman advocates the regu-
lar feeding Of salt to swine. lIo says
that their food should be snltcd at least
once day, and that, when they are
being fatted, If they fail to clean out
their troughs as they often do, If what
food is left be sprinkled with salt they
will eat 1t readily. lie also rcocom
mends salt and charcoal rs Il great pro-
Yentiye Of hog cholera.