Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-15

tile date OF sowing Is matter OF great
Importance. II sown to early, the plants
may rnn to flower next Spring il too
late, they will not be strong enough to
Winter well. The time best for one
locality, will not answer for another, and
allowance mnst be made for different in
the seasons. Near New York the 18th is
the usual time OF sowing; one successful
gardner, with all his experience, does not
trust to single sowing, but makes two,
one on the 18th. and another on the 18th.
These dates may not be best for locali-
ties further inland, and each one must
learn by experience, and the loss of n
little seed, which is the best date for
him.
Putting away Tools.
from the September Agricuturisi.I
The wearing out of farm impliments is,
as u rule, due more to neglect than to use.
II tools can be well taken care of, it will
pay to buy those made Of the best steel,
and finished in the best manner; but i'll
common hands, and with common care,
snch are little advantage. Iron and steel
parts should be cleaned with dry sand
and cob, or scraped with piece Of soft
iron, washed and oiled il necessary, and
in day or two cleaned off with the corn
cob and dry sand. Finally paint the iron
part with r ,sin and beeswax, in the pro-
portion of of rosin, to of wax, melted
together and applied hot This is good
tool. Wood work should be painted with
good boiled, linseed oil, white lead and
turpentine. colored to any desired tint ;
red is probably the best color. Keep the
cattle away until the paint is dry and
hard, or they will lick it, with death as
the result. If it is not desired to use
paint on hand tools, the boiled oil with
turpentine and Liquid drier," does just
as well. Many prefer to saturate the
woodwork OF farm implements with
crude Petroleum. This can not be used
with color, but is applied by itself, so
long as any is absorbed by the pores of
the wood.
Turnip-Raislng.
1t Is not likely that turnips will ever
receive as much attention i'll this country
as they do in some parts Of Europe, but
it is likely that they will receive much
more than they now do. The crop is
very productive, the amount of seed re-
quired to SOW an acre is very small, and
the labor of cultivation may be greatly
reduced by judicious management. All
the fiat varieties can be enised with very
little trouble or expense. The seed can
be raised the same season it is wanted for
sowing, and the amount required Tor an
acre is only Il pound Flat turuips can
often be raised us second crop to most
excellent advantage. The seed can be
sown broadcast on land that has pro-
duced crop Of early potatoes, peas or
beans, and will require no special pre-
paration except narrowing. If the
ground has been we'll tended, little trou-
bic will be experienced from weeds.
They can also be raised to good advnn-
tage between rows of corn by sowing the
seed at or about the time the last cult
waiting is done. Good crops can often be
raised on wiuter-wheat stubble. 1t is
generally best to burn the ground over
rs the old stalks will afford considerable
potash in form to be Immediately ap-
propriated by the plants. A coating OF
well -rotted barn yard manure, wood ash
es, or ground bones will greatly benefit
the crop. Turnips like most root crops,
are better for being grown as quickly ms
possible. Ii Hat turnips are raised among
corn they will afford an excellent article
to use in connection with the dry corn
fodder Swede turnips and all the VA
rieties that have roots mostly covered by
earth require much longer time to grow
and contain more nutriment. They also
possess much better keeping qualities
They can be raised on tolcrably moist
land in regions sui ject to midsummer
drought. They succeed well in Dakota
and other northern regions where it is
difficult or impossible to pIoduce corn.
Manures Most suitable for Old Pas-
tures
Farmyard manure, well decomposed, is
specially suitable for grass lands, because
it is slow and continuous in it's action
and is invariably found to maintain or re-
store good variety of grasses, clover
and other bottom heritage. This should
always be applied in the Autumn, When
it is not possessed in sufficient quantity
Peruvian guano, superphosphate or par
TALLY dissolved bone are the most desir
able, with small addition OF salt or nj
trate OF soda but the last named sub
stances, if used alone. have natural
tendency to encourage the growth of
Cocksfoot and other luxuriant grasses, to
the destruction Of clover and finer kinds
grasses. This is the general tendency Of
ammonicnl salt while the superphos.
pilates OF lime and kinnite, on the con-
trary, encourage the growth of clovers
and leguminous plants generally. We
have seon extraordinary results from the
application OF half-iuch bones upon u
poor upland pasture. and believe moth
ing will give more permanent md salts
factory result. The months of March
and April are generally the most suitable
for the application Of artificial manures.
1t isa good plan always to have II COM
post heap IN making for the benefit of the
pasture. This may be made of road
scrapings, the scourings of bitches, the
cleanings Of ponds. clippings from banks
and hedge-rows, scrapings aud sweepings
Of farmyards, and, indeed, all sorts of
rubbish may be added to n compost heap.
Even weeds will decay and then help to
swell the material for enriching the land
The heap should occasionally be covered
over with u layer of lime, and n layer OF
salt now and then is also II good addition.
These materials ARE beneficial in them
selves, and keep weeds from seeding ON
the top of the heap. The compost should
be turned over from time to time, and
when we'll mixed the land may be dressed
with it either in Spring or Autumn.
The chain-harrow will he found good
implement for working it into the soil to-
gether with the seeds that may have been
sown upon it, After it has settled down
a Cross-kill roller will act well in consoli-
dating the grasses.
NOtcs.
Fertilizers applied to grass land after
moving the first crop, for the purpose OF
starting second crop, unless at once
available for plant growth, are really M
injury, and lessen, rather than increase