The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-04-15
AGRICULTURAL.
Green Pens.

very slmpIe, anu 81 ldmlllar as 10 hardly
need description; but for the benefit of the
unlnltated the following suggestions are of
fered.
AS peas are quite hardy, it is usual to PLAN
them for early use as soon as the ground will
Work mellow in Spring; and if succession
is wanted, to make successive sowings o.
some OF the better late sorts every ten days
after the first lot.
The best land for very early crop is q
light sandy hillside, facing south or south
east; but to grow the better kinds in perfec
ton, good deep loan well enriched is re-
quired.
1t is usual to plant peas in rows three OF
four feet apart when cultivated by horse
When planted in small gardens and hoed by
band and staked, the early kinds may BIZ
planted in lows only two and half feet
apart. The late kinds, such as the Cbampi
on OF England and the Marrowfat are best
staked with brush in small gardens, but in
large fields when grown for market, stalking
is OF course out of the question.
When planting in the field, the land is first
plowed and narrowed thoroughly, then the
rows are struck out with small plow at the
proper distance, which is three feet for the
early kinds, and four feet for the taller late
kinds. Manure is applied in. the furrow, al
the rate of about six cords an acre, and
should be made very fine by repeated turn
Ing, ii an early crop is desired. The manure
is covered slightly with the hoe, the peas
soWn by hand at the rate Of about six pecks
per acre OF the small early sorts, or a bushe
OF the later kinds. The seed is covered about
an men deep by the hoe. Twice cultivatine
and hoeing are enough, and the crop need:
no other attention till picking time.
Inc vines are usually picked twice and
then pulled up and dried for fodder, with
hat afs
an agreeable variety for stock in Winter. The
pickers, if paid as is usual by the job, will
need sharp following up to prevent them
from picking half grown peas. The pickers
usually get fifty 70 seventy-fve cents per bay
rel for picking, and earn abCnt 81 to 81 30 Q
day. In hot weather the peas should be
tnrned over frequently after picking from ont
barrel to another to prevent heating, and thu
barrel should also have chips taken out o
the sides for the same purpose.
The early market is supplied with peas
from Florida in March soon after they come
from Carolina then from Norfolk and finally
from jersey and Long Island, just before oul
"natives" come to hand about June 20.
Among the best varieties for early crop are
the Caractacus, the Kentish Invcta and Nc
Leans Advancer. Ii these are all sown to
gether, the first named will ripen first, fol
lowed in three or four days by the much bet
ter Kentish pea, and this in about five days
more by the deservedly popular and excellent
Mclean. These kinds planted early will
usually be cleared off July 6 to 10, in time tC
plough the land and follow with cabbage
turnips OF celery provided the land is good
enough, or to allow squashes to run, if they
have been planted, as is common, in every
fourth row instead of the peas. Picking Gu
cumbers are also often grown after peas
When later supplies OF peas are wanted they
can be had by making successive paintings
and for this purpose there is nothing bette
than the Champion of England. The Mar
rowfat Is, indeed, more productive, but fal
inferior in quality.
Peas are not very profitable crop for gar
deners near market, but being light to carry
and not needing very heavy manuring, are
grown in large quantities by the milk-farmers
and others living ten or fifteen miles from
MARKEDLY. d. Philbrick in american Cul
tirGtor.
Necessity of Mixed Food for Stock.
"Plants and THAR Products as Food fol-
Animals forms the subject of an interest.
ing chapter in the Scientific Manual for
Farmers, recently prepared under the
direction of Commissioner Thomas P. James
of Georgia. In this the writer deals with
the two classes of substances in plants known
to chemists as alb1minoids and carbo.hy-
drates, the former embracing the fesh-form-
ing principles of the food of animals, the
latter the fat and heat-producing principles.
The ratio in which the constituents of food
must exist depends upon the climate, the
age, and condition of the animals fed and the
purposes for which they are fed. Animals
require food containing larger portion of
carbohydrates in winter than in summer,
and the hay and grains consumed during
this contain hi0Lor 80 Al
carbohydrates than the green food which is
consumed in summer.
Alter elaborate experiments in feeding
domestic animals, conducted in Germany, it
was decided that the best ratio for general
purposes between the albuminoids and carbo-
hydTates is as l to 8. While this ratio exists
in only few single instances having their
proximate principles in different rations.
The practice of many farmers who feed corn
and fodder throughout the year regardless of
the temperature is unwise. Corn, which has
nossuperior as winter feed for stock, is too
heating for an exclusive summer diet.
Oats make better summer feed than corn,
because their flesh-forming principles bear
larger proportion to their heat-producing
principles than they do In corn. The green
grasses, however, furnish the natural food
for animals in summer, and mixed grasses
supply the albuminoids and carbohydrates
in better ratio than single ones, especially
when the legumes are mixed with the
grasses. Animals left to their own choice
never feed upon a single article, but upon
mixed heritage. A COW turned into field in
which clover, peas and corn are all growing,
will not confine herself to either, but partake
of all.
The food should vary with the object in
view. Ii the object of the breeder is to pro-
duce fat, then the food should contain carbo-
hydrates in large proportions. If very poor
animals, in which the muscular tissue has
been wasted. are to be fed, the ratio between
the albuminods and Carlo hydrates may be
increased. II the production of milk is the
object,the normal ratio of one!o three, or per-
haps one to four, in winter, will give salts
factory results. Ii young growing animals
are fed, the normal ratio of one to three,
with liberal percentage of phosphate for
the production of bone, will be necessary
Dirig0 RurGL.
Test for Glucose.
1t you have cause to suspect adulteration
in honey with glucose, proceed as follows:
Take quantity OF honey and add one part
water, dlssolving the honey thoroughly by
stirring. Then add alcohol of so per cent.
until turbidness is formed, which does not
disappear on shaking. If glucose syrup is
present in the honey, soon heavy deposit of
gummy milky mass will form, while with
pure honey there will be only a slight milky
appearance observed. This is so simple, and
at the same time so true that any dealer who
fails to become acquainted with the simplest
test used for detecting frauds in the article in
which he deals, is unworthy of the calling
that he has accepted. Exchange.