The National tribune., 1883-04-26


or clayey soils, and the roller on light and sandy
Soils
The best grasses for permanent lawns are
June or blue grass (POa pratensis), and red-top
(Aqrostis r1agqris). 4 good mixture is two bush
els blue grass, one bushel red-top, and one
quart of timothy, well mixed, and applied to
one acre. This is heavy seeding, but expert
ments show that there is gain in rapidly Sc
curing a thick sod by seeding thus heavily.
Some prefer to add about one pound of white
clover TO the acre, which assists in forming
good thick base, but the finest lawns are those
where white clover is not found.
The practice of sowing oats, barley or other
grains with the grasses, under the impression
that they viii protect and foster the young
grass plants from sun and drouth, is altogether
wrong and ruinous to young lawn. The
larger growing plants rob the soil of its moist
ure 10 the destruction of the tender and moro
feebly roofing grass plants. We have seen
great disappointment from attempts at lawn
making solely on account of mixing oats with
the grass seeds. Yet the practice is continued,
and continued disappointment follows. When
the mixture just given is sown on a good bed,
about the early part of spring, it will be ft for
the iawn-mower by the end of June at latest,
and after two or three weekly cuttings will ap-
( pear like an old sod. But when oats are sown,
! they VIII be cut over once or twice until their
stubble dies, and what few weakly grass plants
d
/ a week of dry sunny weather.
While it is true that fine lawn cannot he
/ produced without good preparation, it IS equally
true that fine lawn cannot be maintained
/ without frequent moving. Lawn mowing-lna-
chimes are now so cheap ana efficient that the
/ keeping of perfect lawn is q mere mechanical
/ operation, and the numerous fine grass platS
seen everywhere are, in great measure, due to
the introduction OF these machines.
STEAM FLOWING.
We have not heard much about steam plow-
/ ing in this country for several years, but ac-
cordiDg TO the Pacific Raral Press, it has not
! been abandoned. The Globe Steam Plow Co.
have their plows at work in California. Their
/ first attempt was made some time ago on a
/ piece OF land that had been used for years as a
pasture, and was packed very hard, and con-
tanned many roots and stumps OF trees. So
great was the strain in drawing the plows
through this land that they were torn entirely
from the beam. and bolts of wrought iron an
inch in diameter were pulled in TWO. The
plows were afterwards moved into piece of
1 land which was rough, fall of roots and clayey,
and in many places as hard as road. This
tough, hard land is turned over to the depth
OF seven inches, and the work is well done. At
present four plows are running at time, cut
/ ting a strip of land four feet four inches in
width, and turning over about an acre an hour,
the power used being equal TO the combined
strength of forty horses, the work being done
in better shape than horse power could do it.
As soon as this field is completed it is the in
tention of the company TO move to some farm
where the plows can be used on old, cultivated
land, when it is expected they can turn over
sixty acres per day and plow one foot deep.
/ The plows are considered a success. and the
company state that they have plenty of work
ahead TO keep them busy. Nothing is said
/ about the mode of working the ploTs, but we
presume that they are moved by stationary
engines, after the British fashion, pulling
rlows by travers;ng locomotives having proved
a failure.
THE HUBBARD SQUASH.
At recent meeting of the Western New
York Horticultural Society one of the speakers
said that he did not know of better winter
squash than the Hubbard. at is good for
family use, and also good for feeding stock
better for hogs than corn. Nothing else so val
liable for milk COWS. / can raise much more
stock or an acre OF Hubbard squash than OF
corn, and can raise it easier. feed il to swine
and COWS raw. Bugs are very fond of them.
but they soon grow away from them.
save the seeds and sell to Boston dealer for
fifty cents pound. Have shipped squashes
by the car load to Boston at one cent pound
six 10 eight tons per acre is a fair yield.
used Paris green or my vines one year, and it
killed the large black bugs, but not the small
striped ones" Another member repels the bugs
by dissolving saltpeter, and sprinkling the
vines with il.
TARRTNG SEED CORN.
4 writer in the MiyTor says that he has prac-
ticed tarring corn for several years and with
the best results. The crows viii not eat it and
the worms viii not make so much havoc with
1t. The following is the method Of tarring the
corn: For one-half busheI of corn. take six
quarts of boiling water, tarn in one gill Of ta-
and stir one minute, or til the tar is dissolved
then turn in the corn stirring all the time
rapidly for one minute more, then drain of
the water, and stir ia plaster till the kernels
arc well coated and separated. Use the plaster
literally, so the kernels viii not heat. Do not
be aflaid Of the boiling water-it must be boil
ing 70 melt the tar sufficiently Follow the
directions in regard to stirring aud time, and
ali viii be right.
POTATO CULTURE.
A correspondent of the New York World gays
that he has grown potatoes under straw for a
number Of years with success. both in dry and
in wet seasons. The ground is properly ma
INJURED before blowing, shallow burrows are
thrown out, and after being planted The pota-
toes arc covered with about three inches oil
earth, and the whole Immediately covered
with straw TO the depth of five or six inches
They require no further care until ready to
dig.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.