The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-11-16
FARM AND FIRESIDE.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.

filing the outside Of the sakh-bar with putty
When this method was applied to greenhouses
and plast frames it occasioned a great deal of
trouble in the annual necessity OF replacing
loose putty and stopping leaks The constant
moisture on the inside Of the glass during cold
weather, and the action Of frost and weather
on tbe outside, tended 10 loosen the putty, and
so impaired the usefulness of the structure
This method is now nearly obsolete IN the
glazing Of ?last structures. The plan adopted
is to carefully bed the gloss with soft putty,
pressing the psnc gradually TO firm ,naiform
bed. and so working up "A portion of the putty
that it will iii al spaces between the edges OF
the glass and the woodwork. The surplus
putty having been trimmed off, it is allowed to
dry. when it will slightly shrink from the
wood. coating of thicllisk paint is then
applied. which efectually closes all crevices
and renders it watcrtight; no putty is used on
she outside, and the glass is secured by three
fourth-inch brads. The best greenhouse roofs
arc made on what is known as the fxed-root
principle 10 frame sashos are used. Rafters
arc fixed about eight feet apart between which
horizontal pieces or purlnes are inserted,
whioh form framework for the support of the
glass-bars. which are usually an inch and
q half in depth and one inch in width These
are fastened ii parallel lines, their distance
apart depending upon the sized glass used. For
greenhouse roofs the size ten inches by twelve
inches is found to be good one. In setting
panes Of this size the concave side of the glass
should be uppermost, which makes the pane
lowest in the center, so that the water which
falls on the roof will run down the center of
the glass. The glass should not have wide laps
one-eighth Of ali inch lap is quite sufficient;
wide laps hold water, which expands by freez-
ing and splits the glass. Hot-bed sash, when
glazed in this way, may be laid nearly fat
without danger of leaking. in 1850 we glazed
a large greenhouse in this way, land, so far as
we know, it was the FIST one so glazed and ten
wears afterwards we We're informed that the
house had never leaked during all that time.
It received coat of paint every second year,
which maintained its integrity, and prevented
the putty from cracking.
THE ARTICHoKE.
The artichoke, Cyaara ScolymuS, is 4 hardy
perennial plant from southern Europe; it is
coarse growing, thistle-like plant, having TO-
bust spiny leaves reaching from three to four
feet in length 1t is cultivated for the imbr
Gated scales of its large globular heads; these
scales are fleshy at the base or bottom, and this
bottom " is the eatable part which is much
used in parts of Europe but as a vegetable it
furnishes a very meagre article of food, al
though it is considered a delicacy by many
persons; it is seldom cultivated in the United
States In France the bottoms are cooked in
various ways, and the small heads which form
on side shoots are used for picking when they
are about halfmatured. The fresh leaves of this
plant yield bitter juice and tincture pre-
pared from them is recommended in the treat
ment of rheumatic and equity affections but if
the leaves are left until the tops cut off for
cooking purposes, and the plant begins TO
wither, the product is useless and inert. The
flowers of the plant are said to have the prop
erty of curdling milk; good yellow dye is
also furnished by it, The articho1e requires
rich soil to produce the best quality heads; it
is propagated by suckers, which are freely pro-
duced at the base of old plants. After the
flower heads have been gathered, the stem and
leaves are then cut off close to the ground for
the purpose of producing the vegetable dish
called chards; this consists Of the young leaves
which spring up after this cutting, and having
reached length of eighteen inches, are tied
the inside leaves, after which they are ready
for use.
HOW THEY GROW WHEAT IN BELGIUM.
To begin with, the seed is carefully picked
by hand, only the best grains are selected, and
all seeds Of weeds are, of course, thrown aside.
Next a seed-bed is prepared this is done in the
fall few square rods Of ground being selected,
il is spaded up deeply, heavily MANFRED, raked
finely on the surface and sowH thickly, broad
cast, with the carefully-picked seed. This
forms the seed-bed for the young plants, which
are raised for the purpose of being set out, like
cabbage or tobacco plants, next spring. The
field to he set is deeply plOwed in the fall and
left rough for the action of the frosts during
the winter. ia spring the ground is narrowed,
MANFRED, then plowed and again narrowed,
until il is level aud smooth. It's then marked
ont in rows ten inches apart and is ready for
planting. The wheat plants are dug up from
the seed-bed, the clumps separated and the best
plants selected. These are set about four inches
apart in the rows, firmly set, and the ground
about them left smooth and compact. In this
way very heavy crops arc produced. The fields
seldom exceed three or four acres in extent;
the plants tillcr oCt into many stalks, and the
straw is short and stout, and never lodges.
BEST SITUATIONS FOR ORCHARDS
It is well known that fruit orchards situated
in valleys and in low, sheltered places are not so
healthy and prolific as those set in more elevated
and exposed positions, and therefore it is argued
that ali kinds Of shelter and protection is III
furious to fruit-bearing trees. There cannot
probably be found worse site flor an orchard
than in a contracted, sheltered valley in such
q position the plants are subjected to extremes
of temperature as the cold viii be severeSt at
the lowest point; a difference of fifteen to
twenty-five degrees has been observed between
valley and point on the side hill fifty feet
above it during severe frosty night. Such
positions should not be chosen for fruit trees
but it does not follow that the most exposed
northern positions on hill-tops are the best So
far Is topography is concerned, the northern
exposure is better than the sheltered valley,
but, proper site once chosen, it is equally well
known that local shelter from drying, cold
winds is of the greatest service 1t is therefore
wise TO select an elevated site rather than one
in a valley, but the trees will be more produc-
tive if sheltered from northeast to northwest
by belts of timber, which will modify the rigor-
Gus blasts of winter and early spring.
WINTER BREAKFAST FOR POULTRY.
CDt clover l3v in very short lengths and