The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-23
AGRICULTURAL NOTES.
Some Useful Hints for Our Farmers
and Planters.
The Proper Crops for Our State and
How TO Cultivate Them Oats
vs. Corn s. Sheep for
Louisiana. E,tc.
now TO krrr SWEET POTATOES.

now TO KFEr RwTEr POTATOES.
ff you Wish to keen swNet potatoes until
spring. In large quantities. house especially
adapted to them and which may be kept Of mn
uniform Temperatures must be built. Sweet
potatoes. III kept much above fifty degrees
will sprout, and II much above Til tempera.
t,ire they will rot. What Is essential Is abso-
lutte drynesa, and n heat such ma we have in
Dictated. Til houses built for the purpose thoy
are packed III dry. clean sand regularly in
bins. Thus served they may be kept for six
or eight months.
For family use the pntatoos should be dug
when the weather Is dry. Lot tho potatoes
become dry after digging, carry carefully
without btuiainR W room that III airy and
that will not frepBe. Pack nicely Ia brafeIs
and run the barrel full of aIr-uriai sand Or
pack In buckwheat hulls. The principle la
exclusion Of air and drynoss. They may
stand thus until tho nights become pretty
cold on until the thermometers sinks iii thu
room at night To 45' Then remove them to
u closet or place whore tho hoat may be gov
erned as before directed, and use ~ wanted
IL should he unnecessary to state that III tho
vines have been killedhy fIoeta ana tho POTATOES
remain Iii tho hills, they will not keep. In case
The vines are touched with frost they should
DO cut early tho anms morning nnxt the
ground and " spade full Of earth thrown over
the top of the HILL They may then remain
safely go long as cold nights do not Inter
yene. POTATOES for long keeping should be
ripe and be- dug without the vnos having
been frosted
OATS IN rHE SOUTH.
I5outhern Live Stock journal
Oats are admitted 10 bn equal TO corn ss
stock food. Oats can be rniHed hllshel for
bushal at Fur less cost than corn. Oats sown
In the fall can he grazed moderately through
the winter without any damage to tho crop
II The stock are kept of In wet weather
Then, why do We raiaa 10 little patR2 Let's
economics IN NIL things. Ii oats are Il cheaper
food than eorn then we should raise more
oats--less corn. The earlier In tho fall the
crop IL sown, tho probabilities nra that the
yield will be larger. we have heen nnoeaaing
IN our Efforts to induce farMers to substitute
oats TO O good degree In lieu of corn The
red oat 10 the best variety for our climate, as
II ~ not subject to rust. Every farmer should
make N duty ~ sow oats fall oAta@rsa
oats from one to three bushels per acre nw-
Ing to the land. Will be the proper amount to
SOW.
aMOKE-MntsES
iii tho South every farmer builds smoke
house. for curing and storing meat almost as
soon AS he erects dwelling for the use of his
iamily. To smoke meat properly y should
be hung in room VI considerable size. by
having the meat ut n considerable distance
from the fire the smoke will be comparatively
cool when 1t comes In contact with it. and all
danger Of burning will be- ohvlated The mir
la aHmoke-honse should he In d condition to
dry the meat, but not hot enough 10 cause
any OF the fat to melt. When persons attempt
to smoke meat In a box. or room that ia quito
small and not fitted w for the occasion, they
arc likely tO hurry the operation The outer
portions contain too much smoke and have q
rank taste, while the inner portions are nj
most entirely free from the agreeable odor
Impaired by the smoke. A smoke should be
started and maintained two Ill three hours I'LL
Id
stored for use during the summer and fall.
This keeps the meat dry and prevents trouble
from insects. Rmnkahun Of stone IN
brick Ii safe AZ regards fires, but ID likely to
be damp. while the inner walls Will become
very dirty.
SALT AS A FERrIL1zER.
During the past two seasons more salt has
been used as Il fertilizer than In several pre-
ceding years. Those who looked for an ex-
traordnary increase of grass, potatoes. corn
or small grains have been disappointed.
Those who only looked for results common
surate with the trouble aud expense incurred
have been entirely satisfied. In nearly every
instance where a test was carefully made It
has been found that there was an increase Of
products sufficient in amount To pay FOR the
cost of the salt and tho trouble Of applying
1t TO the land. 1t s also noticed that iust on
grain has been entirely prevented, or the
amount sensbly diminished. Ii has also had
the effect tn prevent straw from lodging, and
In most cases 1t has increased the amount Of
the straw. It has destroyed many insects
and kept others In check. 1t has aided hi pre-
venting the soil from freezing Oh the occur
renee OF short period III cold weather. and
thereby greatly benefited winter grain and
red clover, which are liable TO be thrown out
OF the ground by sudden freeze. IL has
rendered the soil more capable ut resisting
the effects Of Il long drouth. as 1t absorbs |
some moisture from the air. which II gives TO |
the plants. IN no case reported on has 1t pro- |
duped any Injurious effect. Like lime Ii ap- |
pears to stimulate the growth III all Guilt
waited crops, while It retards the growth Of
moss, sorrel and some OF the more common
weeds,
SHEEP IN LOUISIANA.
[Starkvill. Stock Journall
Last week we met n man on the cars who |
was en- route for Morgan City, La, where he
Intends going extensively into the sheep
business. Eor years he has been raising |
sheep upon the plains OF Nebraska, but the
climate Is too rigorous for him. and he doubts |
the propriety Of trusting his flock In the
hands OF hirelings. He has made sheep rails
ing profitable III Nebraska, and will be dsnp-
pointed Ii he does not do better In Louisiana.
sMUrrY EARS or CORN.
II farmers neglect at the proper time to
clear their corn-ticlds of smutty cars, they
must keep ciusn watch over the stock they
turn into them. Cattle are not liable to sus-
tain fatal injuries from eating small num-
Der Of smutty ears. Death ensues only when
q considerable amount nf tho smut has been
AAhth htlS stbptatii. iITl6 10 EitHpHtA-
lively little danger In turning cattle into a
corn-tield for two or three hours each day
during the time there is large number OF
smutty ears and 'AuhhRns.' They Will soon
thin them out when they may remain ia the
fields n longer time. Cattle that have tho
run of corn-tieid should have q ration of
salt every day, and access to water, Owing
TO the fact that the stalks are dry and difficult n
TO digest IL is we'll to give them some sue
culent food, as pumpkins and cabbages.
m EFT CFTTRA. .".".5-