Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-01-25

| tain for seed the best corn he possibly
can in his immediate vicinity. Let him
select the best twin ears and the best
one of the two. which is generally the
| upper one, and not an ear that Is not
well tipped out with perfectly formed
| kernel In this way the farmer may OBJ
tain superior corn indigenous to bis
own farm.
THE Massachusetts, Agricultural So
ciety concludes that salt as o manure has
the property of fastening the maturing
of ali grain crops; that wheat on sailed
land will ripen six to ten days earlier
than on unsalted land, all other condi-
tions being equal. That it increases the
yield from 25 to so per cent. That it
stiffens the straw and prevents rust and
smut. That it checks, if it does not en-
tirely prevent, the ravages of the chintz-
bug. The quantity used may be from
one hundred and fifty to three hundred
pounds per acre; but the greater guam
tity is the better.
A CORRESPONDENT of the New Eng
land Farmer says he has learned by ex-
perience that thoughhe can use cuttings
from the ounce of a years growth, by
using other and larger cuttings, he gets
very much stronger and more vigorous
trees in less time. He uses sticks about
fifteen or sixteen inches long, set about
foot in the ground, and looks for a
development of all needed buds where
none are to be seen on the old wood.
sometimes bud below the surface sends
up the shoot that makes the tree If
too many start, rub of all not wanted to
grow.
The feeding value of cooked or steamed
potatoes seemed to be somewhat greater
than raw, or, at least, their action is less
facilitating. It is stated by some au-
thorities that COWS fed on cooked or
steamed potatoes yield richer milk than
those fed on raw ones, though the guam
THY of milk is smaller. Potatoes should
not be fed alone, but mixed with other
fodder containing more albuminoids.
The dry substance of such a ration
should not contain more than one-quar-
ter potato. Though potatoes are rich in
potash and contain considerable phos-
phoric acid, yet they are deficient in soda
and lime; hence this latter substance
should be supplied in feeding mich COWS,
but more especially in the feeding of
young and growing stock, where proper
proportion of lime is absolutely necessary
for the fullest development of the bony
structures.
A New YORK farmer writes to the Iowa
Homestead the manner in which he pre-
vents blight on fruit trees, and keeps the
fruit free from insects. ''First, white
wash the trees with strong wash made
of quickline, just as the buds begin to
start in the spring. The wash can be
applied with a broom. Next, during the
last days of May, pillow four burrows in
the center between the rows of trees
both ways so as to leave a square plot of
ground around each tree. Then throw
straw In piles of about one hundred
pounds to each tree; spread it thin under
each tree to within three feet of the
trunk. Let the straw remain thus
spread about ten or twelve days and all
manner of insects will hide under it.
Some evening, take one tree at a time 4,
set fire to the straw, and be careful not
to have it so thick as to scald or burn the
limbs OF the trees. All insects that can
be will be attracted by the fire, and a
general destruction of them will take
place. Repeat this two or three years,
and the orchards will be free from blight,
and the fruit sound and good. I have
tried it,