The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-06-30
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD
Waternaolons.

Water1nelons.
Melons delight in a warm, light soil
with plenty of well decomposed manure
or good COMPOST. While melons thrive
best on warm, sandy land they can,
however, be satisfactorily grown on
heavy clay provided it is literally man
ured and the hills are raised few
inches above the land so as to make
them warmer and also prevent flooding
and packing of the earth by heavy
rains. Never plant melons in the vi
cinity of cucumbers, squashes, gourds
or pumpkins as they become impreg-
mated with them, and while the fruit
NAV be good, the seed will be injured
if not Worthless. Citron and water
melon also mix readily.
Work the fertilizer into the soil in
and around the hills. Do not plant
until the ground is quite warm. Drop
as many as ten seeds in hill and when
the plants begin to run thin to three.
Let the hills for Watermelons and Cit
rons be about eight feet apart each way.
Muskmelons require only six feet space.
After the plants have been thinned out
in the hill and grown to about one foot
pinch off the points of the shoots. This
will cause the vines to become stronger
and set their fruit more freely. Keep
the soil well cultivated and the weeds
down.
A good start is of great Importance in
melon culture, therefore until danger
from the bugs is over it is well to re-
seed often. Not few farmers make
their hills sufficiently large to admit OF
planting repeatedly without disturbing
previous paintings; tue first time they
drop the seed on the south side of the
hill, the second on the east side, and 80
on, until they get round. OF course,
if the original planting car be saved
that is given the preference. Many ap-
plications IRE made to the vines as
preventive against the ravages of the
striped bug. Whatever application is
adopted, do not wait until the enemy
has arrived in full force, but begin as
soon as the plants show themselves.
Dusting the plants with bran and piling
it around the stems is perhaps as good
rs any. Sprinkling the young plants
with plaster is also beneficial. The
pla ter not only affects the insects but
acts rs stimulus to the growing vines.
Whatever material is used it ought to
be applied after each rain. While there
is lit.l danger of rendering the soil too
rich for melons, the mistake is often
made of placing too much manure in
the hill, so much that the seed are
burned up. Manure, whether from the
stable or barpyard, should be thor
oughly decomposcd before it is applied.
Cultivators growing melons for
market on a large scale usually select
scmc large variety with, thick rind thut
will bear shipping well. Among these
sorts the mountain sprout and Cuban
green rank first. The latter, oy the way,
is one of the largest growing varieties
in the market, and thrives equally well
North or South. For home consump-
tion and home market of the North the
mountain sweet is an old tried and sat-
istactory kind; the black Spanish and
peerless are among other favOrite sorts.
-NeaO York World.
Recipes.
PLAIN RUsKs.-One cup of yeast, one
cup of sugar, one cup of water, one egg,
little salt, q large spoonful of lard;
mix together; let them rise twice and
bake. -.
GERMAN ToAsrs-Cut into slices a
loaf of bread; soak them ten or fifteen
minutes in q pint ct milk add two eggs
and little salt Fry in equal parts Of
lard and butter till they are a light
brown on both sides. This dish is
quickly prepared for dessert, and may
be eaten with pudding sauce.
SOFT INDIAN MEAL PUDDING.-To
one quart of boiling sweet milk, add O
sufficient quantity of corn meal to make
q stiff batter; add salt and make sweet
with molasses; butter q pan and pour !
the batter into it; then pour upon it one
quart cold sweet milk, add little
butter, cut into small pieces, and bake
slowly.
TEA CAKEs.-Melt one ounce and a
hall of butter in little new milk; add
a spoonful of yeast and little salt, mix
it into a pound Of flour, add spoonful
of sugar. Knead it well until it leaves
the hands; let it rise two or three
hours; roll out, and stand an hour or
less before the fire to rise, before baking
in a moderate oven.
SANDERS OF COLD BEEF.-Mince beef
(or mutton or veal) small, with pepper
and salt; add little gravy. Put it
into scalop shells, or baking dish,
with mashed potatoes and cream. Put
a bit of butter on the top and brown
them in an oven.
Grass In Orchards.
Seeding down orchards and leaving
the land in meadow may ans wer in
moist climates or where the soil is
naturally wet, but it is q poor practice
where the trees are likely to suffer for
moisture about their roots in summer.
We have heard farmers say that they
thought shading the ground with grass
or some kind of crop growing thereon
would help to keep the soil cool and
moist; but this is an error, for the
evaporation of moisture through the
leaves of growing plants is many times
greater than from the exposed surface
of the ground, even in the driest and
hottest weather. Any one who desires
to see for himsef the difference has only
to dig under the turf or abe ut the roots
OF growing plants in dry time, and
then examine the condition of the soil
that has been worked over and left fal-
low. Many au old stunted orchard that
has long been seeded down would be
greatly benefited by having the sward
broken up this spring, and the grass
and its roots lett to decay during the
coming summer. If the farmer thinks
he cannot afford to leave the land fallow,
he may add manure and plant it with
potatoes, beans, or some other low-grow-
ing crop requiring cultivation.-Ne'o
York Sun.
Culture of tho vcrbena.
A writer in Nck's Magazine gives a
valuable hint in regard to raising YER
benas. The verbena is one of the most
beautiful flowers cultivated, whether in
beds on the lawn, in mixed borders,
or in vases, pots or baskets; and is un-
surpassed for bouquet making.
There is one important operation to
perform in order to keep verbenas in
good Towering condition during the sea-
son; that is to pick off the seed vessels.
When the flower fades the strength OF
the plant goes to the seeds, and if they
are permitted to remain, the number Of
flowers will become less and less. Ionce
mad a beautiful bed Of verbenas that
bloomed well for time, and then grad
ually produced fewer flowers. Think
ing it might be !he maturing of seeds
that had checked the Towering, COM
lnenced cuttinr away the stems Of the
fallen flowers. and continued until had
nearly filled milk pan. In few days
that verbena bed was blaze of bril-
liancy.
T .S.4.s,oJ to ,,,,,,oua Tho foda6 HnxD