Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-11

TIMELY ADVICE FOR HIM

THE FARMER.
rIMELY ADVICE FOR HIM.
The Birds Must Live.
Germantown Telegraph.
Some very knowing people must think,
judging from their expressed opinions, that
birds. animals, &C., can live without food.
But they are mistaken. Every bird eats
enough to sustain itself, if it lives at all.
Every bird that comes among us IN tho
spring to spend tho six months with us
gets its board, Of some kind, from our
fields, gardens, &c. They are all moro or
less injurious and all more or less beneficial
and the latter, under all circumstances,
fully or more than compensates for the
former. What they particularly do in the
one case or the other is not always appar-
ent. The crow has always been denounced
bitterly and killed, bounty even being
sometimes paid for its head yet We believe
it is of real value to the farmer in the end.
The blackbird (grackle) is especially dis
liked, but the hostility to it Is no better
founded than against the crow, aud many
other birds. Last fall We saw at least
seventy-five of these birds in grass plot
of ground of not over half an acre, passing
slowly over it devouring the insects by the
thousands. From its location and tho
shortness of the grass, which had been
pastured, the insects had gathered there in
myraids, as could be seen from their dis
turbance by the steady progress of the
feeders. The young of these birds, which
were at this time fully on the wing, had
been Matched and were then roOsting on
the premises Of two or three gentlemen
nearly mile off, where all birds were pro.
tected against gunners or otherwise, and
we have yet to hear for the first time that
they desire to get rid of their guests.
On q visit once to tho residence of ono
of these gentlemen, while sitting upon his
piazza toward evening, we saw no less
than five wild rabbits running fearlessly
about over his lawn. Knowing that they
would gnaw young trees when the snow
interfered with getting the necessary sup
ply of food, VIC inquired whether they
were not destructive at such times. &C. Not
at all, wes the response. Throughout
tho winter they are regularly fed offal veg
etables and hay and in November and
December, when they become fat. most of
them are trapped and consumed"
The robins, catbirds, bluebirds, &C.. de-
voured considerable propoption of thcir
strawberries, cherries, grapes, &C., and
several varieties Of sparIows cat some
seeds, in season. but they were regarded
as friends rather than enemies. Observ-
ing farmers, and others of experience, who
pay proper attention to these things, sell
dom differ in opinion.
Thick or Thin Sowing OF Wheat.
The success of failure of the wheat crop
is frequently owing to those inscrutable
laws Of growth, which at the right mo-
ment induces plant to do it's best in the
way that pleases us most, and which we
generally refer to as favorable season :;
but We are compelled to ascriba it largely
to the thinning out Of the weak plants by
the frosti OF the winter, thus leaving the
rest more room to fully develop them
selves, rs they always will il they have
good chance.
In regard to thick and thin sowing of
wheat, and whether drilling in the seed is
an advantage or not, has OF late been con-
siderably discussed. 1t seems strange to
us that any one should have the remotest
suspicion that there is any advantage in
the old-flshiOneG band-sOwing over
drill but there were the figures. The
product per aero was against the drill
sown wheat, and this is not for one single
season, but for several successive seasons.
We have seen i'm many instances of wheat
sowing within the last two years how this
result may be exactly SO. But it is not
because the wheat was sown by drill. but
because double the quantity per acre was
used as seed that ought to have been put
in. In large number OF cases the sprouts
were to be seen coming up in tho rows
''as thick rs hair ON a dogs back" If
any remark be made about tho thick seed
x.,1l In 1,sp u,
before spring the winter will weed them
out. But the wedding out comes from the
very fact OF thick seeding, the plants are
another, and the struggle with the winter
is too much for them. Instead of the
young plants almost touching one another,
as we generally see them do, no plant
should be closer to another than half an
inch, if we would have the lest results,
and there is little danger of such plants
getting killed in winter, at least far less
danger than from plants sOwn thick.
AstO danger there will always be some,
for frequently the plant finds itself i'm
place where water stands-a place where
wheat never cares to be. 1t easily kills in
such situations and cheat, which, rather
likes damp places, takes advantage of the
condition to sprOut and grow, and aston
ish those who do not look deeply into
things, by the transformation. Even in
the very best conditions the plants will
often suffer from too much moisture. A
heavy rain may fall, saturating the surface
soil, and frost Immediately follow. In
this case when the thawing time cones,
unless wcll-covered by snow, there may
losses. But even here the advantages
are all on the side of the plant which has
had room to grow and to develop itself
perfectly without hindrance from its
neightOr. We see from all this why the
wheat has improved by the thinning the
winter gave it, and We see how it may be
that once in while drill-sown wheat may
be worse than hand-sowing. 1t all centres
in an argument in favor Of comparatively
thin sown wheat.
s,oring and Keeping Potatoes.
OF late years the potato has been one
of the most profitable Of farm crops in the
East, and this chiefly arises from the fact
that it is somewhat difficult to keep any
great quantity of them. Thus only SO
many arc grown as can he preserved,
ahd rs the accommodations are limited
there is no glut in the market as there are
with things which are grown ana must he
sent to the market at once. OF course
there ale times when potatoes rule low.
This is apt to be the case with carly ones,
grown especially for early purpose. and
which follow tho same law that rules in
transient vegetables. So also those who
grow potatoes and have no conveniences
for storing them. These have to market