Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-05-13
FARM AND GARDEN.

looking place near the third or fourth
leaf stem, and faint brown speck just
at the junction" With sharp knife
he split the vine from the white place
up toward the healthy part, and took
out great worm. (This worm is about
three quarters of an inch long) Then
he hilled up his vine as far as the cut.
and rubbed fresh earth over the cut,
and the vines kept on growing and
bearing all summer, and were not
troubled the second time.
i. G. III. tells how he disposed of the
black bug among his squashes: Early
in the season. as soon as any bugs are
seen, and before they lay any eggs,
place shingles four or five inches wide,
one on each side of the bill, near the
plants, lay them down lightly, and all
the bugs that are about viii go under
them at night for shelter and be on the
under side in the morning. Take up
the shingles in the cool of the morning,
one in each hand, and rub them to-
-gether. The bugs will be crushed !;
then put shingles back; go through
the field in this way every morning and
you will soon be rid of the bugs.
h MANURING POTATOES IN THE DRILL
The most convenient way of applying
manure in the drill for potatoes is to
first open the burrows, then to take the
manure in wagon through the field
aud throw proper quantity of the
manure into the drills; the sets may
then be dropped immediately upon the
manure and covered at once. This plan
will answer for any kind OF manure.
Hen manure and wood ashes may be
mixed together, if kept dry, without
any injury, but should be used at once.
Cattle hair is rich in nitrogen, but it
decays slowly; the best way to use it is
to pillow it in or cover it in drills or
hills.
Corn IN KANSAS" Have raised
corn in Kansas for ten years. Don't
think there is any difference IN the
yield between the white and yellow;
the white is most valuable for sale and
the yellow for feed. l have found it
profitable to feed green corn to all
stock For horses and cows / cut the
corn one day i'll advance and allow it to
partially cure, of course feeding the
stalks and all. My average yield for
ten years has been sixty bushels per
acre. The cost of raising has been
about 81 per acre; the yield makes no
difference in the cost; as a man can
husk an acre of sixty bushels as quick
as one of thirty bushels. l consider
that by feeding corn to stock / realize
double the amount ! would by selling it
as grain. "-,Ids. B. Mintur7a, SegVick
County, Kan.
Loss IN CURING FODDER The SUBJ
| iect of curing hay and other fodder is a
very interesting one, and much study
may proftably be given to it. 1t is
rarely considered fully or rightly.
When fodder is simply dried, the water
is taken out of il; but with the water a
considerable quantity of volatile matter,
as the fiavoring essential oils and other
substances are removed, unless the dry
ing is done ir the shade and slowly and
without much heat The suns heat and
light have a chemical effect certainly,
but to what extent this is exerted we do
not know, excepting so far as we may
find the fodder dried quickly in bright,
hot sunshine deficient in feeding value.
When hay or fodder is cured in the silo,
or even in the cock, being put in moist
or damp, a certain amount of heat is
produced, and this heat is SO much
combustion of carbonaceous matter.
Some of the starch, sugar, gum, cellular
tissue must be oxidized and changed
either to carbonic acid and lost by evap-
Grafton with the moisture or turned into
acid or alcohol, the latter evaporating
very quickly in the cock. In drying
1000 pounds of hay, 5000 pounds OF
water is evaporated, and to get rid of
this water a sufficient quantity of the
carbon is consumed TO reduce the feed
ing value considerably unless, as is
probably true, portion of the woody
fibre is also reduced by the heat to
digestible starch, sugar, and gum.
ToP-DREssING A MEADOW. Fine barn
yard manure is the best top dressing for
a meadow. If that cannot be procured,
$50 pounds per acre of mixed fertilizer,
consisting of so pounds muriate of
potash. 100 pounds superphosphate of
lime, so pounds guano, and 80 pounds
plaster would be useful. III these are
not within reach, 100 pounds of plaster,
| 200 pounds of salt, and 10 bushels of
wood ashes per acre may be used. To
refresh poor spots harrow them end put
! in some fresh seed before the manure
is put on.
ONION CULTURE.-M. W. H., Queens
County, n. Y, writes / saw a query
not long ago about growing onions.
say there is no use trying to make
money out of an onion crop unless yon
have good strong soil and plenty of fine,
well-decomposed manure. Pig manure
is the strongest, and best for onions; at
least that is my opinion. plant my
seed in the spring as soon as the
ground is in good working condition. in
drills fifteen inches apart; allow about
six pounds to the acre. Whom the
plants ara well up, say three inches
high, thin them out to three or four
inches apart. The cultivation consists
IN keeping the crop free from weeds.
Never cover the bulbs while hoeing.
CURRANTs AND GoosEBERRIEs. B,
Wood County, Va, writes The worm
that stands III the way Of the successful
culture OF currants and gooseberries is
in point of fact an enemy easily sub
dued ii only the resistance is made in
time. Don't wait until all the foliage is
eaten off the bushes, but give said
worm dose or two of powdered white
hellebore in time. Two applications
usually do the work Tor some. To a
pailfal OF water l add heaping table
spoonful Of hellebore previously dis