The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-07-07

ceeded well with it when sown near the
end of November, and hence the facility
with which the above mentioned change is
made.
DR.. JOHN A. WARDER, President of the
American Forestry Association. claims for
the catalpa a durability and power of re-
sistance to the influences of the elements
possessed by no other wood. It is of all
elastic nature, but not so soft and light as
cottonwood. A Western exchange believes
that the railway ties of the future will be
of this wood. The Fort Scott, Texas and
Gulf Railroad has planted a large area in
this tree, 50 has the Iron Mountain Rail-
road.
: A CORRESPONDENT of the Baltimore Sun
thus describes a filter which he says he
uses with perfect success for all the water
his family requires. It is a gallon-glass
funnel with a small piece of sponge in the
bottom, and on which rests half a dozen
slender sticks to facilitate the percolation,
then placed at intervals all around and
beneath a piece of muslin a foot or 50
square. The muslin Is filled with, say. a
pint ofclosely powdered charcoal. Through
this he filters the water. AT first a little of
the charcoal passes through, but 1t soon
becomes q perfect filter.
PETER HENDERSON does not believe that
the so-called insectivorous plants. derive
any more nourishment from their victims
than the hemlock, which destroys millions
of gnats on its r~esinous exudations, or the
thistle and burdock, which impale SO many
butterflies, moths and bumble-bees on their
spines. In the summer of 1878 he and w.
l. TAFT made two experiments, using 100
plants in each test, those chosen being the
well-known Carolina Ay-trap. The plants
which received no insects were just as
vigorous as those which had been treated
to the supposed animal diet.
Mrs. w. C. Gilbert, of Lake County, o.,
gives us the following valuable recipe: 81
have used the following preparation sue
cessfully for years, and can highly recon-
mend it for the destruction of bugs on
squash and cucumber vines: Dissolve a
tablespoonful of saltpetre in a pailful of
water. Put one pint of this around each
hill, shaping the earth SO that it will not
spread much, and they are safe. Use more
saltpetre if you can afford it. 1t is good
for vegetables, but death to animal life.
The bugs burrow in the earth at night and
fail to rise in the morning."
My rule for preventing borers is to get a
pint of crude carbolic acid, costing twenty
FIVE cents, and sufficient for twenty gallons
of the wash. Take a tight barrel and put
in four or five gallons of soft soap, with as
much hot water to thin it, then stir in the
pint of carbolic acid, and let it stand over
night or longer; to combine. Now add
twelve gallons of rain water and stir well +;
then apply to the. base of the trees with a
short broom or brush, taking pains to wet
the inside of all c~revices. This will pre-
vent both peach and apple borers. 1t
should be applied the latter part of June in
this climate, when the moth and beetles
usually appear. The odor is so pungent
and lasting that no eggs will be deposited
where it has been applied, and the effect
will continue till after the insects have
done flying. If the crude acid cannot be
obtained, one-third of the pure will answer,
but it is more expensive.-Fdrmer.
1 always have geranium blossoms from
September to September. 1 start my
winter blooming plants in pots in May, nip
ping off the buds as fast as they appear; in
September 1 take them in the house and
water once a week With copperas water.
My geraniums look as if they had grown
out of doors, so strong, dark, and healthy
they look, and the zone is almost black. ]
nave only a common window in which to
place my plants.
My Gala has not been free from blossoms
and buds since November. 1 received it
from California on the second day of No
vember, and on the same day I took a clean
pot that will hold a gallon, put in q few
pieces of broken bricks, then a handful of
leaf mold, garden soil, and sand mixed and
sifted. 1 put in my bulb n filled in to
the depth of three inches with rotted horse
manure, and covered lightly with sifted
soil then I sprinkled a tablespoonful OF
pulverized copperas IN the top of the dirt,
and after pouring on boiling water stood
the pot in the south window. In three
days 1 had two leaves, and in six weeks
had three blooms and two u on it. II
was a curiosity to every one. Once a week
it gets a liberal supply of copperas, and hot
water every morning. The plant looks as
if it was standing in a swamp.-Mrs. G. M
H., PaU Pao, Mich IN Vick's Magazine.
Farming was the first occupation of man,
and consequently ought to be better under
stood than it is. Instead of this, we hear
even the older men complaining hat they
do not know nov to farm profitably. We
admit that successful farming is difficult,
but the numerous failures are not so much
due to intrinsic difficulties, as to the fact
that most farmers study the true nature o.
farming too little and give too much atten
ton to things which do not concern them
/ Thio &c a foot ona .VNo naod NOT arnaot fr
make enough at farming to pay for the
adulterations that we buy in all the food
necessary for life, and at the same TIM
study politics. We give too much hearing
to things of no use. Where a man decide
upon farming as his vocation of life, h
must learn that the subject of chemistr!
ETC., is of far more use to him than juris
prudence. The Omnipotent never intended
complex Yocations in life. :
Many farmers do not make farming
success because they loiter too much
burning the golden moments of time witt
the fire of idleness, when they could max
such worth at least SIS a day by saving tn
homemade fertilizers" which are fire
quently so plentiful on the farm. Anothe
weighty reason is that they experiment
too little. In this age experience is ia
ahead of theory, although even this ma
be abused if INDUCED in too ~expensivel
at first. If you are farmers learn you
business, and let every body else lear
theirs.
A great many articles in the columns o
some agricultural journals seem to be in
serted merely to fill up space; and in som
instances do great injury. A case in poin
Having noticed an article going the round
of the press to the effect that lone pint Q
salt placed in the hole when setting on
young peach trees, where old trees ha
been removed, would make them gro
better" etc. tried it this spring on som
/ twenty trees in a young orchard. The oil
, trees had been removed a year previously
Not a tree is now living where / used tn
! salt. but where no salt WAS used thew ar