Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-07
AGRICULTURAL. A
Wheat nnd Corn Tests.

Prof. j. w. Sanborn has been making
sundry tests of varieties of wheat and
corn at he farm of the Missouri Agricul-
tural College, which are reported in a
bulletin The wheat was sown on land
that was in corn till that crop was harvest
ed to make room for the wheat. Two
bushels of seed was sown per acre on
October 18th. The yields ranged from
ten bushels to sixteen bushels per acre,
except Sparks swamp and Martins am
Der, which produced respectively twenty
one and twenty-five bushels. The Mar
tins amber is regarded by the Professor
as promising. Sparks swamp was re-
ceived from the commissioner Of agricul-
ture at Washington and gave the best ap-
pearance standing. Among the eighteen
varieties of corn planted, the Evans,
Long John, Thompson, Pennsylvania
flint and Baden gave best promise. The
Pennsylvania flint is an Eastern variety
resembling the King Philip, and is very
likely the same under different name.
The usual distance between hills at the
West is about forty-fve inches each way,
and with only two stalks in hill. Mr..
Sanborn and others are experimenting
with our Eastern flint varieties, and will
doubtless soon learn that more stalks
must be allowed to stand per acre in or
der to compete in yield with the large
Western sorts. 1t is possible that each
section will be the gamer by better ac-
quaintance with the varieties formerly
peculiar to the two extremes of territory,
but 1t would seem presumable that expe-
rience would have already settled the
question whether the dents or hints are
best where they have SO long been
grown.
Killing Insects with Kerosene.
from the N. Y Tribunel
There is, happily, growing sentiment
against the use of Paris green, London
purple, and similar dangerous insecti-
cides. To find n substitute which will
destroy the smaller flying and crawling
enemies of agriculture is work worthy
the attention of practical etomologists
and experimenters. A correspondent of
The SpecUiom of the Michigan Agricul-
tural College urges effort in this direc-
tion, and reports his own experience as
follows:
eve have long used kerosene with
marked success on plant lice and some
other insects. We formed an emulsion
Dy the use Vi SoIt soup tuuS 10 one
gallon of water quart of soft soap was
added, and all heated to the boiling point
then the vessel holding the liquid was re-
moved from the fire and pint of kero-
sene well stirred in. This forms an emul-
sion which can be further diluted with
water"
Prof. S. A. Forbes has eflectually en-
ployed kerosene against the chinch- bug,
and Mr.. r. j. Coryell mentions several
tests with the same substance and sour
milk. Bnt if the emulsion is too strong,
plants to which it is applied arc injured
Or killed:
"The mixture, when in proportion of
one of the oil to five of the milk. killed
no plant when put on with a fine rose, by
the use Of the fountain pump, and did
kill the yellow pond lily beetle, several
kinds of plant lice, the squash bugs,
striped beetles, grape flea beetle, larvae,
ETC."
These facts encourage the hope that ker-
Osene, with milk or some other dilutent
may be used in such proportions as to be |
to nearly all vegetation, and
yet destructive of several, if not all, of
our most injurious insects. 1t would, of
course, be wise to make the applications
At first in small way, and cautiously on
different pl It's, or some are more sus-
,eptible than others to the injurious ac-
lion of the oil