The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
THE FARM.

commend it; its broad, green leaves,
and stately habit, while, should 1t flower,
its abundance of bloom would be snowy,
and continue long. The tobacco stores
often have it as a sign, which shows that
it will endure neglect.
NITROGEN IN FKRrILZERs.-Natu
manures, dung, urine, ETC., contain
scarcely any nitric acid, and but very
little ammonia. Nearly all the nitrogen
is in the form of organic nitrogen. 1t
occurs as organic nitrogen likewise IN
most of the artificial fertilizers, as bone,
dried blood, meat scrap, fish, leather
waste. and in the ammoniated" phos-
pilates, in which these are used to sup
ply the nitrogen. Peruvian guano con-
tains considerable ammonia, but the
largest part of nitrogen is in organic
compounds. Indeed in all ordinary nj
trogenous fertilizers, except nitrate of
soda and sulphate of ammonia, the bulk
of the nitrogen Is organic nitrogen
Usage ORANGE FROM CUTTINGs.-The
Usage orange grows readily from cut
tincs. both of the branches and the root,
but experienced hedgers only use plants
raised from seeds. The labor of making
the cuttings is much greater, but the
great objection is the lack of uniformity
of the plants thus raised. In setting a
hedge it is important to use plants as
nearly alike as possible in size and vigor,
else those that have q slight advantage
at first, in size and strength, will keep 1t,
crowding the weaker, and preventing
that uniformity so desirable in a com
plete hedge. For this reason the first
step with hedge plants, when they are
taken up in the fall, is to carefully assert
them and tie in bundles, so that in plant
ing, those in any part of the hedge viii
be as much alike as possible. If a dozen
cuttings were raised from a shoot they
would be very much unlike /; those from
the terminal bud, and few other buds
nearest the top would be much more
vigorous than those from buds lower
down, and some Of them would be of
such slow growth as to be unfit for plant
ing in hedge.
WHAT FORMS OF NITROGEN DO PLANTS
USE FOR FooD plants can take
their nitrogen as ammonia, as
nitric acid, and as organic nitro
trates and ammonia. The number of
organic nitrogen compounds which they
are able to digest, so TO speak, Is limited
Practically the larger part of the nitro
genous food of plants seems to consist of
the nitric acid which their roots gather
from the soil. This nitric acid is derived
mostly from the decay of vegetable and
animal remains in the soil, though part
comes from the atmosphere in the form
of ammonia and nitric acid. The inert
nitrogen compounds, which, until
changed, are useless to the plant, are
gradually altered by the process of nitri-
fication above referred to, and finally
reach the condition of ammonia and
nitric acid, the forms which plants prefer,
And not only is the vegetable matter Of
the soil worked over for the use of plants.
but animal refuse, Jung, guano, and the
various materials used for fertilizers, in
Guiding even ammonia, are transformed
by nature in that wondsrful laboratory
which We call the soil, AID made into the
compounds best fitted for the plant
An3cricall Agricult,Taiist.
FoR ONE CHERRY-''T The KENTIsH. -
IF you have room for but one pear
tree, what variety would you plant %
The answer TO this, in ninety nine cases
in a hundred would be-" Bartlett"
n similar question about cherries would
be answered by those familiar with va
rieties by" Kentish." One can form
some idea of fruit by the synonyms,
or different names that have been given
it. The "Kentish' has over a dozen
other names 1t has been largely
planted in the Western States as Early
Richmond" and some experienced fruit
growers still consider that as distinct
from the Kentish. In some localities it
is known as Early May" The tree has
a rounded, spreading head, is very pro
ductive, and bears regularly. The fruit
begins to color towards the end of May,
when il Is small and very sour, but may
H., f,r 4 ha Ara
through the month of June or later, in
creasing in size to medium, and becom-
ing less acid, and very juicy and rich.
This variety is characterized by the
clinging of the remains of the flower to
the stem, and the tenacity with which
the stem holds to the stone. When quite
ripe, the stone may be pulled out by
means of the stem, leaving the pulp
ready for drying or canning, for which
uses it is unequaled. 1t is an old
European variety, and may be found In
all nurseries as Kentish or as Early
Richmond. 1t Is an exceedingly profit
able market cherry.
The CANADA THIsTLE.-Probablyn nc
weed is held in greater dread, and Justly
too, by farmers, than the " Canada
thistle" In localities where it Is, for
tunately, not known, its reputation has
gone before, and farmers, when new
weed makes its appearance In the
grounds, at once ask If it is not the
dreaded Canada thistle" The plant Is
known by the name Canada thistle" IN
this country only; it was probably intro
duced from Europe by the way of Can
ada, and was so called for this reason.
In England it is known as Creeping
thistle" and corn THISTLE" and in
France and Germany by the names in
the language of those countries which
translate into " field thistle" There are
several native kinds of thistle, and be-
sides the Canada" one other intro
duced species is common upon our farms.
The general appearance of the thistle
head should be well known, it being Of
ten figured as the emblem of Scotland.
Numerous tubular purplish flowers are
collected in close head, which is sur
rounded by globular, or egg-shaped,
usually prickly inUoLucre, as the greenish
cup shaped portion at the base of the
head is called. A plant suspected of be-
ing the Canada thistle" should have a
flower head of this kind. To distinguish
the Canada" from all other thistles, the
size is sufficient. The heads are rarely
an inch in diameter, usually not over
half an inch. The plant throws up
slender stems, usually two feet high,
though in rich grounds it may be taller.
The plant sometimes bears only sterile,
and sometimes only fertile flowers; the
heads eff the former are globular in
shape, the others being egg-shaped.
The flowers are of a dingy purplish
color. The foliage is of pale-green
color, each leaf narrow, deeply lobed on
sac margin, and with numerous very
sharp prickles. When the unopened
heads come into flowers their stems elong-
ate and raise these flowers to nearly the
level of the upper one. The leaves upon
the upper part of the stem are smaller
and exceedingly spiny. The Canada
thistle" has the reputation of being the
most formidable weed of agriculture
Though native, the so-called 'Horse
Nettle," iSolan,Irn Cdrolinense, Is far