Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-06-27
FARM AND GARDEN.

June %, Williams and Hamilton; June
20, L. Corwin Anderson, ali at Dexter
Park, Chicago. October II, Will r.
King, Marshall, Mo-; October "a and
25, Theodore Bates, Higginsville, Mo.
In setting an orchard it is we'll to get
it on upland, not only on account of
better drainage, but also because trees
set on alluvial soil make q growth of
wood and leaves rather than fruit. On
low ground the fruit will often be large,
but not SO well colored or highly favored
as on upland, where the wood growth is
smaller and both leaves and fruit have a
fuller exposure to the suns rays.
SIX to eight tons of Hubbard squashes
to the acre may be fairly counted on, if
soil and culture are right, and the bugs
are kept down. There is nearly always
a demand for this crop at paying prices,
and the quantity farmer may grow on
a small patch can be readily sold in bis
own neighborhood. Much depends OF
having pure seed, which is difficult to
obtain, as the squash intermixes very
easily.
The milk war in New York City has
brought out the fact that farmers who
produce the milk get little more, and IN
some cases no more, for it than it would
bring as butter by the best creamery
processes. In such cases the advantage
is all III working up the milk at home.
The butter can be sold where and when
the owner chooses, and with the use of
the skim as feed for pigs, OF for
other purposes, the profit is consider
ably increased over that secured by milk
selling alone.
A SANDY gravelly, limestone or rocky
country is best to glow up the sure
footed and leg enduring horse. Start
with sound horses IN the breeding
on such soil, give the right sort of food
to colts to make ivory bones, tough
muscles and sinews, keep them duly ex-
ercised while growing, and you may be
| sure then to raise first rate, seryiceable,
long-enduriDg stock; and when this is
accomplished, be able to sell them at
extra high prices, thus being we'll paid
for all extra care bestowed in raising
them.
JUDGING by chemical composition
alone, sorghum meal is almost identi-
cal with cornmeal. But in practice there
is a decided difference. Prof. Cook, of
the New Jersey Agricultural College,
first fed three COWS, known as steady
mixers, a mixed ration of brewers
grains, cornmeal, corn stalks and bran.
After time sorghum meal was substi-
tuted for the coInmeal. There was a
marked decrease in the yield of milk.
The cornmeal ration was then restored
in place of the sorghum meal. An in
crease followed the change. The differ
ence amounted to at least 7 per cent.
WHERE weeds are too large and they
stand too thick for good work in the or
binary way with cultivators or shovel
plows, an effective method is to run
turning" pillow along the rows of corn,
the bar side next to the row, running as
close as possible, throwing a very shall
low furrow away from the corn. Then
lean out the hills with hoes and by
| hand if necessary, and In a few days com
mence cultivating in the regular way.
| The weeds or the corn must be de-
stroyed, and we have known instances
where it was impossible to get rid of
weeds about hills of corn without using
extra hard work.
REGARDING the value of birds to the
| farmer, Prof. Stearns, IN q paper read
| before the Connecticut State Board of
| Agriculture, states that young robin IN
| the nest requires a daily supply Of food
more than equivalent to its OWE weight.
| The swallows are the natural enemies of
| the midges ard similar smaller insects
| that prey on grain. It is estimated that
| the nestlings of a single pair of swal-
| lows will in three weeks consume half
million insects. Blue birds protect
| fruit trees from insects. The king bird
| is strictly insectivorous and great pro.
| tectOr The wrens can be induced to-
remain near houses if suitable boxes are
| provided, and they war without ceaslng
upon catterpillars.
WE hear good deal about the small
average yield per acre of wheat in this
country in comparison with that In Eng
| land, but in this matter we are as great
percentage ahead of the English
| colonists OF Australia as the mother
| country is ahead of us. According to.
official figures the total area under wheat
in 1881 in New South Wales, Victoria,
| South Australia, Western Australia,
| Queensland, Tasmania and New Zea-
| land was 3, 1861, 500 acres, against 1885,
| 861 acres in 1871. In 1881 the yield
was 20, 675, 899 bushels-an average OF
| 8 81 bushels per acre. That was very
good wheat year, too, as the average
yield of several years is only84 bushels.
As labor is about as dear il the Aus
traliau provinces belonging to Great
Britain as in the United States, there
| does not seem much likelihood that we
shall be greatly injured by Australian
competition in foreign markets. The
main advantage the Australians have is
in the extra quality of their wheat,
which secures higher prices even than
| those paid for California wheat.
| The subject of farm drainage, which
was some years ago much discussed, is
receiving a good deal Of attention in
states where the need of it is most felt.
In one county in West Virginia there
are said to be over 800, 900 feet of tile
drains, which have improved the land
many fold beyond the cost of the work.
The land lies along the Kanawha> and
much of it was almost valueless Until
brought into productiveness by artificial
drainage. In Ohio and Indiana the