Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1883-08-02
FARM AND GARDEN.

putter. When pasture is in very
fotll condition it should beploughed and
planted with some hoed crop.
An English account from New Zealand
says the harvest there has been plenti-
ful. Some of the wheat yields have been
enormous. Eight acres of a paddock OF
wheat of $50 acres near Auckland gave
l02s bushels per acre, eighty-seven and
a half bushels OF which were frst-class.
A TOP dressing Of fifty to 100 pounds
OF plaster per acre will be of great bene-
tit to young clover plants after the's
OF growing grain is removed. It will
also stimulate the second growth OF
clover after moving, and to some extent
protect the roots from the dreaded clover.
root worm.
BUcKwHEAT is commonly sown too
thickly. Three pecks per acre is
enough seed on fair land, and if very
rich, half bushel is still better. With
plenty of room the plants assume a
spreading habit, and the grain is more
apt to be plump than when the crop is
crowded and thereby stunted.
GREAT care should be taken in seed
ing with clover to leave no gaps, for
such will inevitably be covered with
weeds, worse than useless waste OF
ground: 1t is a. good plan to lop the
seed trltle and then SOW crosswise, to
make sure that all is evenly distributed.
A peck per acre, sowr four quarts each
way, gives good stand.
AS early as the time of Alexander III.
OF Scotland, a man who let weeds go to
seed on farm was declared to be the
kings enemy. In Denmark farmers are
compelled to destroy all weeds on their
premises. In France man can prose-
cute his neighbor for damages who per-
mlts weeds to go to seed which may en-
danger neighboring lands.
To get the soil in the finest possible
condition is referred to by writer of
farming subjects as more important than
any other matter connected with the
growing of crop. The soil in the
receptacle from which all growing
plants derive nourishment, and the deep.
er, finer and cleaner it is the better will
the plant be enabled to make headway
until maturity.
IT was Dean Swift who said that "he
who makes two blades of grass to grow
upon a spot of ground where but one
grew before, deserves better of mankind,
and does more essential service to his
country, than the whole race of politi.
clans put together" Theoretically the
witty Deans view is still entertained,
but practically it is not, as is quite evil
dent from the way in which the poIiti-
clans are followed after"
CAREFUL experiments have shown that
corn which is hilled will blow down more
readily than that which has level cul.
ture. This can be accounted for by the
fact that corn roots run very near the
surface, and when hills are made the
plants are confined to the small space
covered by the hills, while in level cul.
ture the roots run from one row to the
other, thus enabling the corn to stand
strong, MS nature intended, being thus in
no way liable to be blown down except
by winds of unusual violence.
AN English journal gives, in sub.
stance, the following treatment to eradi-
cate moss from lawns. Scratch the sur.
face with a sharp steel-tooth rake and
loosen the soil. Sow lawn-grass seed,
and cover it a fourth or half all inch
with fresh soil. Then give the whole a
dressing of guano. 1t would, perhaps,
be still better to cover the grass seed
with half an inch OF finely pulverized
manure, or compost, instead of soil and
guano. This would be good treatment
for any thin or bare spots on lawns.
Moss is less troublesome in this coun-
try, and is mostly confined to shady
places or to damp soils, and for the lat
ter thorough undertaking is impor.
tant.
SOME Of the worst insect pests in this
country were imported from Europe, and
are the more destructive here because
the parasites that kept them in check
We're not always brought over at the
same time. The Hessian fly gets its
name from having originated in some
straw brought by Hessian soldiers sent
to this country in our revolutionary war.
It had a parasite at home, and it is only
of late years that this has found its way
here. Now the Hessian fly is not nearly
SO destructive as formerly, only appear
ing in localities whereits parasite has been
temporarily lessened in numbers. The
cabbage worm is another pest with a
parasite, but the latter has reached only
few localities.
The wheat crop should be harvested
this month, and when it is ready nc
other work should be allowed to stand
in the way of giving it prompt atten-
tion; cut it when the kernels have
passed from milky to doughy condi-
ton, but before they are perfectly hard;
or when the straw has turned yellow for
about two joints. If cut too early, the
grain will shrink, and if allowed to
stand too long it will shell out and
waste. Though winter wheat is not
sown until the last Of August or even
until the middle of September, it is a
good plan to get the fields plowed some
time this month, and the manure har-
rowed in, if any is used other than
superphosphate.
TIE first grain drill introduced into
Europe is supposed to have been the in
yention of German, who made it known
to the Spanish court In 1647, and i'll 1868
an agricultural writer of that period
urged its use, and also advocated the at.
tachment of another hopper, which
should contain and distribute in the
same furrow with the seed finely pulver-
lied manure of any kind, but especial
mention was made of pigeons dung,
WHICH "mightily advantageth wheat and
barley" Yet the drill did not come into
general use IN England until the early
part of the present century, and it was
almost unknown and unused in the
wheat-growing sections OF the United
States until after 1880.
The orchards need little care at this
time. Young trees should have theil
fruit thinned out that they may not in
jure themselves by excessive bearing.
If fruit has set very thick upon old
trees, it is good plan to thin it out con-
siderably, rs one.half or one-third OF
the fruit will often amount to as much
as the whole would if not t'linned.
Small-sized, defective specimens bring
small prices in the market, while large,
handsome fruit finds ready purchasers
at profitable prices. Peach, shesry and
other stone fruit should get their prun.
ing this month. and If any apple trees