Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-03-03
ADvERY-IsING RATES
FARM AND FIRESIDE.

| SALT FOR TREES AND VEGETABLES
A correspondent in the Chicago Times
says: | will give you a brief sketch of nay
experience with the use of salt in the gar
| den and orchard. Young fruit trees can
| be made to grow and do well in places
whers old trees have died by sowing pint
| of salt on the earth where's they are to
stand. After trees are set [ continue to
SOW pint of salt around each tree every
year. 1 set twenty-five trees in sandy soil
for each one of seven years, and only sue
ceeded in getting one to live and produce
twigs few inches long in nine years.
Last spring sowed pint of salt around
it, and limbs grew from three to three and
a-half feet long. In the spring of 1877 1
set out twenty-five trees. putting pint of
salt in the dirt used for filing, and then
sowed pint more on the surface after
each tree was set. All grew as if they had
| never been taken from the nursery. Last
spring set thirty more. treating them in
the same way, ard they have grown very
finely. The salt keeps away insects that
injure the roots, and renders the soil more
capable of sustaining plant growth.
In 1877 my wife had a garden forty feet
square. 1t was necessary to water it near
ly every day, and still the plants and flow
ers were very inferior in all respects. In
1878 put half a barrel of brine and half
bushel of salt on the ground, and then
turned 1t under. The consequence was
that the plants were of extraordinary large
size and the flowers of great beauty. It
was not necessary to water the garden,
which was greatly admired by all who saw
it. The flowers were so large that they
appeared to be of different varieties from
those grown on land that was not sailed.
had some potatoes growing from seed
that had wilted down as seon as the wealth
or became hot. I applied salt to the sur
face of the soil till it was white. The
vines took vigorous start, grew to the
length of three feet, blossomed and pro-
dueed tubers from the size of hen g eggs to
that of goose eggs. My soil is chiefly sand
but believe that salt is highly beneficial
TO clay or to common prairie land.
SHRINKAGE OF WHEAT IN THE Ora.
NARY.-Prof. B. M. Shelton, of the Kan
sas Agricultural College. says: I'm the
fall of 1879 1 prepared long sack, which
was filled with exactly two hundred pounds
of wheat, and sunk it deeply in bin con-
tanning $50 bushels of winter wheat Here
the sack remained exactly six months,
when it was taken up and again weighed,
this second weighing showing slight frac-
ton over 20O3 pounds as the weight of the
sack of grain. This seemed to show that
wheat does not shrink in the bin. have
just now finished repetition of this ex-
pertinent, giving almost precisely the same
results as those detailed above. On No
vember 13, 1880, a similar long sack was
sunk in bin OF grain, where it was allow
ed to remain until June IA last, or exactly
seven months and a day, when it was
again taken up and again weighed, this
section weighing showing full POI pounds
of grain. I am not going to offer an ex-
PLANTATION of this increased weight of
half pound in one case, and one pound in
the other. This fact becomes all the more
remarkable when we consider that our
Kansas winters are among the dryest sea-
sons found anywhere. These experiments
seem to show that wheat does not
shrink from evaporation in the bin when
put up perfectly dry. The loss of weight
from wintering over wheat, Of which I
have heard farmers complain, must then.
in justice, be charged up to the rats and
mice, or the leaky condition Of the grana-
ry.
BAKED HAM.-To successfully bake
ham it ought first to be boiled until almost
tender. Take it from the kettle, remove
the skin. and put the ham in a dripping
pan in the oven for half an hour; then
drain off all the lard that has collected.
powder the ham with fine white sugar, and
wet the sugar slightly with Madeira wine,
Put it in the oven again and let it bake an
hour or more, according to size. Less
than pint of wine is sufficient to impart
flavor and to moisten it.
10 IMPROVE ROAST BEEF.-To flavor
roast of beef deliciously, to make it ten
der, and to give variety, which is essential
IN that family where beef is the stapls
meet eaten-to do all this nothing more is
required than a large lemon; cut it in two
pieces, squeeze all the juice upon the roast,
then after peeling the lemon roll it up in
5he roast. When the lemon is used no
water is needed. The roast should be a
lat one, to insure good gravy, and the
emon acid will remove the oily taste
sometimes objected to-
PRESSED CIICKENs.-Boil the chicken
Until the meat will separate from the
ZONES readily; use just as little water as
possible to cook it in; after you have ia
zen the chicken out and removed the bones
tut 1t IN small pieces. and put back in the
,ettle with the broth and boil until very
ender; then put into a basin and turn
What little broth remains in the kettle over
t, put on press and leave until cold
When cold slice it thin and serve for tea
r lunch.
POTATO SALAD.--Boil six medium
lied potatoes; peel, and cut in thin slices:
our over them whilst hot half a cup Of
olllng stock, and cover with a plate
When cool add dressing of four table,
poonsful of oil, two of vinegar, one salt
poonful of minced onions, one of salt and
alf a one of pepper. Mix thoroughly.
nd serve either plain as it is, or trim
round the edge with field salad or water
resses which have been dressed with oil.
lnegar and salt.
USE OF STALE BREAD.-A good wayto
,e slices OF stale bread is tn din tbar. >.