Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-12-27
Lancaster .9ntelligenerr.
FARM NOTES.
sprout,ng Potatoes for Planting.


Germantown Telegraph.
First class potato growers say that the
cutting the potato intended for planting,
allowing two eyes to each piece, some two
or three weeks before planting, and
spreading out upon dark barn floor or any
similar floor, where they will have chance
60 sprout from one to two inches, will add
TO their earliness in maturing some two
weeks. They should be moistened two or
threo times week moderately, with rath-
er warm water. In planting out they
should be covered with not over two inches
Of soil. II a moderate quality of very early
potatoes Is desired. the potatoes can be cut
as suggested and planted in hot beds with
very slight covering of soil, and planted
out as recommended.
Tho Red Astrachan Apple.
Although this is popular variety of the
apple, and of rather large size, with the
color q brilliant deep crimson, with thick
bloom, and is to be found in places nearly
all over the republic, yet IL is strange that
there are so many orchards in which it is
not to be found. IL is not 1t is true, a
first class eating apple, aud is perhaps
rather acid, but there is scarcely another
equal to il for culinary purposes and no
matter what the supply may be in the
market, it is quickly bought up. 1t is as
soft and entirely free from pulp when
when cooked as frozen cream. 1t is also
an early bearer, coming next after the
Early Harvest, and though it is not an
abundant bearer, IL has yearly crop aud
thus retains its productive capacity year
after year, and is naturally long lived.
We do not hesitate to say that no orchard
should be without 1t, and SO far as we
know we believe it is to be obtained at al
most every respectable nursery.
Tho Cause of Pears Cracking.
We have never seen reasonable cause
given for the cracking of pears, which in
some kinds in certain localities crack so
badly as to be valueless. The old Eng.
lish Butter, or White Doyennc, it is next
to impossible to raise except in cities, but
why there no one can tell. II it be true
that dressing of salt under the tree, to
the extent Of the branches, is a remedy,
as a West Philadelphia correspondent
some years ago asserted was the case with
him, we haze remedy but from no one
else has this been confirmed. We have
known trees of this variety to bear full
crops from fifteen to twenty years without
producing half dozen perfect specimens.
1t is the same with tho Glcut Moroccan,
but not the same extent, as occasionally
we have had perfect crops. But here the
blight comes in, and is sure in the course
of six to eight years TO destroy the tree.
The Beurre Gitfard and Tyson are also
occasionally subject TO cracking in some
localities, but in others there are no moro
perfect varieties. We would commend the
use of salt, which has done so well for
the correspondent referred to above. IL
can do no harm, if not applied too pro-
fusely, and is attended with little cost or
labor.
stumps and stump Fences.
Iu clearing land Of timber, the next
thing to get rid of is the stumps of trees.
There are various ways to effect this, but
the best We know of is lever power used
in the northern part of this state, and de.
scribed some years ago by our veteran
correspondent, Mr.. J. E. Vaughan, of
Bradford county, as the simplest, cheap
est, most efficient aud durable which he
had ever encountered. 1t was originated
In that county and was not patented. 1t
is merely lever power with a sweep of
some twenty feet in length, take up chains,
etc. The rods for pulling are made of the
best one inch iron, though some much
larger. Four men and a span of horses
Will pull from thirty to forty stumps DER
day." The stumps, when the gror Ad has
become frozen, are one by one ylaced on
low sled, and carried to ,nvidiug line
for field, and being r'acs in row, with
the roots on top, ,:.iowed to remain and
the side ones ReHerally removed, a stump
fence Is tortned which will last for mauy
years With scarcely any repairing, and as
efficient for all practicable purposes as q
ience of any other kind. Many of these
fences are now to be seen in numerous
parts of northern and northwestern Penn
sylvania, and they are so closely and
firmly stationed that it is difficult for even
man to cross them.