The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-09-04
AGRICULTURE.

GROWING BASKET WILLow.-Thet two
varieties most In use are French Purple
osier and The Kentucky Green. The
former Is used for fine work and the
latter for heavier. The cuttings should
be stuck in rows three feet apart, and
should be clear down 80 that you can
see onlv tho end or very little Of the
tip. Caro- should be taken to stick them
as they grow, buds up, but this Is not
essential. Cultivate them twice or
three times tho first year, and If the
weeds arc very bad between the cut
tings, pull them out by hand. They
Will raise from one to four little canes,
three or four feet high the first year,
which must be cut of, leaving only an
inch stub. The cutting should be done
with sharp knife, and us carefully rs
possible where the soil Is loose, SO as
not to break tho rootlets. In the east
they cut when the ground Is frozon
hard. The first years cuttings are
not worth making. The second year
cultivate the same. but be careful OF the
new canes, as they are very tender, and
II you bruise one it will grow branch
ing and be worthless. The second
years harvest Is quite valuable, paying
back more than half the expense you
have been to. The harvest consists In
Cdloluily CuIIluS CHcIl dS ClOSo uOWI IL
rs you can, SO that the hills will not
get stumpy, as soon as the leaves arc
all down. Make tho bundles about n
foot through. binding With the poorest
canes. and haul to your place of peel
ing, where you must have u tank made
Of galvanized iron set in an arch about
four feet wide and about twice as long
as your bundles. Fill this tank about
u third full of water, bring it to a boil,
then fill up with your bundles, put OH
your lid and fasten it down tightly.
Generally an hour is loIg enough to
boil you can tell by trying; put out a
wahd, and If you can easily break the
skin with tho thumb nail and then strip
and fill up again. Pile the boiled ones
tightly under some cover where the
wind cannot get at them, and as you
begin to peel, throw tho bark into your
growing pile until it is foot or two
deep, aud they may lie there all winter
If you like, and peel just as easily as
when they came out OF the tank. The
pceling Is done by two nibs Of iron,
six inch 3 long and half an inch
through, and held together just like
sheep-shears. There are also machines
for peeling, driven by steam power.
WHEN WHEAT SHOULD BE Cur
There has been some diversity of opin-
ion rs to the best time to cut wheat,
Judging from the common practice OF
farmers. 1t sgencrally cut when dead
ripe, or at least when the grain has be-
come hard. This Is no doubt an error,
and one of more importance than many
suppose. 1t should be remembered
that wheat Is composed of gluten,
starch and bran. Gluten Is tho nour-
ishlng quality Of the grain, makes the
flour stick together In tho hands Of tho
baker, and gives weight to the grain
and there Is the greatest quantity Of
gluten In tho grain, just when the stra,O
is yello,o t,co or three joints from the
ground, the head turns d0,on,oard, and Vou
can mash q grain 6ctceen your hum6 and
finger ,cithout producing any milk. 1t
may therefore be set down as al iEdis-
putaDle truth that every lay, the wheat
stands after the stage of its ripeneSS,
tho gluten decreases in quantity and
the bran increases la thickness, while
also there is danger Of rust, which
usually makes It's appearance during
the last ten days Of June.
TRIMMING Cows.-Something quite
now to you, | dare say, for wi luh Of
you ever heard Of trimming COWS with
their own horns and cars2 How would
you like to see cow with her cars
poor thing !-cut to the shape of leaf
with notched edges, and horns trained
in some queer shape, twisted into curls,
or divided into four, with two meeting
overhead, and two turned down toward
tho groundp 1t would be dreadful
sight to me, am sure; but the Afri-
cans admire such things. They con-
slider this trimming of COWS Il sort of
fine ort Nnl lnp1t GOA how tbpv ,on. .
age tho horns? Well, they begin when
| the horns are young; divide each into
two, or more, and gradually train them g,
while growing, in any way they choose.
| OF course 1t must hurt the poor cows,
| and take a good deal of time; but the
| people who train cows horns have not
| very tender feelings, and they arc rich
er in spare time than in anything else .
| Besides they do not have to trim their
own clothes mnch--thcy'r savages.
RAISING TOMATOES. - Tomatoes arc
| much more abundant and Of better fla
vor when staked than when suffered
| to ramblc over the ground. For gar
den culture there ls no doubt about 1t
being the most profitable plan, and It
becomes Il question as to what Is the
| best way Of doing the thing. In our
own case we use stout branches that
have numerous Snags on, and which
help to support tho immense weight Of
fruit which our plants ALWAYS bear.
Others use II long trellis, sloping and
meeting at the top of a section which
looks like an inverted V (N but the
cool air 80 much shaded soil induces is
not favorable to the best results in to-
mato growing, as the tomato rejoices In
warm ground. Some take pains TO
make net upright trellises and train
and prune tho plants, mahinga pretty
garden picture rs we'll rs producing
capital results for the Kitchen.