Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-26
FARM, GARDEN, AND HOUSEHOLD.


E1h1AtAE- anu 1TaNspl0ntiEAEs
The well-known three requisites for
the termination of seeds, says the Conn
try Gentleman, are heat, air and moist
ure, but not light In a cold soil they
/ remain dormant; ii too dry, they viii
not sprout, and if buried deep and COM
pactly beyond the action of the air, NO
movement toward growth takes place.
The small seeds of weeds often remain in
the soil for years when turned under
deep by the plow; when brought again
to the surface, the new and copious
growth which at once takes place has led
superficial observers to the erroneous no
tion that they have sprung up spontan-
eously. Nurserymen sometimes keep
peach stones dormant a year when they
happen to have surplus, by placing
them two feet under the soil until need
ed. The depth for planting must depend
largely on the size of the seed; and the
general rule has been given to bury
them from three to five times as deep as
their diameter. This rule will vary
somewhat with the nature and condition
of the soil. If heavy and moist, the
depth should be less than in light, dry
and porous soil. In moist, well-pul-
yerized soil, most seeds, whether large
or small, will grow If merely covered
and kept moist; but this condition can
not be commonly continued, as a few dry
and warm days will dry the surface of
the soil and prevent the examination Of
the seed. Hence the common practice
to vary this rule with circumstances.
Corn, planted early in the season when
the ground is moist, will grow freely if
buried only an inch deep; but under or
binary circumstances two inches will be
better 1t will find its way freely to the
surface after many days when buried six
inches below. Early in autumn, when
winter wheat is sown or drilled in, the
soil is usually much drier than in corn
planting time, and for this reason, al
though the seeds are smaller than grains
of corn, it should be placed at depth Of
two inches. Ina dry spring corn should
be planted deeper than in a wet one, and
the old practice of pressing each hill with
the hoe, when the work was done by
hand was useful when the soil was dry.
When planting is done with machine,
a roller to follow the tube would be use
full in dry weather.
Ina dry season, as the present has been
in many places, much care is required to
impart sufficient moisture to seeds when
planted If the particles of soil are dry.
the small grains or humps which COM
pose it will totich the seed only at few
points, and the chances foT its germina-
ton will be small. Even Ii tngistened
by a shower, the water will be conveyed
to the seed only at the few points of con-
tact. Itis better, therefore, to plant seed
after q shower than before it, as the soil
is rendered moist and yielding, and,
pressing the whole surface of the seed
causes termination ut once. Oh this
principle, experience has shown that un-
def common conditions seeds grow
much better if planted after than before
the rain. The exceptions are, when tie
soil has been so finely pulvefized that it
cases the seed well on all sides while yet
dry; and when the rain is SO copious
that II fills with water for q sufficient
time the interstiees which surround the
seed
The Rose Bug Pest.
Another bug has strangely increased
in numbers, in the past two years, and II
promises to be more troublesome than
.the enemy of the potato. The rose bug
has come upon BIS In swarms, and it de-
stroys not only our gTaPe md peach
crops, but our apples and pltitns, Il. un-
checked. The best method of checking
them it is desirable to learn, if there be
any method We have tried hand pick
ing, whale oil soap, and a variety 0
agents, but our efforts have been only
partially successful. The white helle-
bore dust is the most effective destroyer,
but it is expensive and troublesome to
apply. 1t occurred to us this year to
take our grapevines from their supports
and lay them close upon the ground
when in blossom. This course saved
our crop 50 far as the experiment was
tried, and we present the plan for the
benefit Of grape growers everywhere.
The insect cannot or does not reach tile
blossom when the vines are in this posi-
ton, and no injury results to the vines
during infiorescence. As soon as the
fruit is formed, the danger is over, and
the vines may be raised and secured to
the supports. This we regard rs i'm
portant information, and it should be
remembered. Our peach crop we saved
this year by passing through the orchard
and jarring the trees by a blow with the
hand once or twice day. The insects
are detached from the fruit and fall upon
the ground, and do not return to the
ruit until after a considerable period o.
time. The better way is to place 8
sheet under the trees, catch the bugs and
estroy them in pan Of whale oil soap
suds.-BcSt0n Journal of Chemistry.
Household Hints.
Glass held level under water NAV be
easily cut with pair of shears or strong
scissors. Cut little at time.
Never wash raisins that are to beuseC
in sweet dishes. 1t will make the pud
ding heavy To clean them wipe then
on dry towel.
In boiling eggs hard put them in boil
ing water ten minutes and then put then
in cold water; it will prevent the yolk
from coloring black.
To make macaroni tender, put it i
cold water and bring it to q boil. |
will then be much more tender than
put into hot water or stewed in milk.
All milk vessels should, in their las
rinsings, have boiling water or hot super
heated steam applied, as nothing shor
will destroy the putrefaction which j
abundant in milk vessels not thorough.
! claanso1