Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-16
FARM AND GARDEN.
Notes and Suggcsif0ns.

- Reserve enough of the most thoroughly de-
composed and ine manure for top dressing the
lawn. In the absence of this apply ashes, nj
trate of soda or some other fertilizer.
Less grain and more grazing tend to a
better development Of frame and muscle than
when corn is fed to hogs exclusively Build the
| frame first. and lay on the fat afterward.
- English gardeners pay from s15 to $50 pei
hundred for toads and frogs to keep in the gar
den as insect destrOyers. One OF the greatest
pests is the common slug, and these they ami
hilate
- For growing alfalfa deep and sandy soil
| Is best. The plant sends tap-root down to a
depth OF six to eight feet, with few laterals
thus drawing food from depth entirely beyond
the action OF druutn and heat.
- With the exec ption of Duchesse dAngou.
ieme. and perhaps Louise Bonnie de Jersey.
standard pear-trees are preferable to dwarfs
as matter of profit. If one wishes to raise
this.
-Top-dressing at this season. with anything
but the very finest and best manure except on
SOD for corn. is a waste of time and labor The
| effect comes too late to benefit the crop. Some
active commercial fertilizer should be used
| instead.
- The earlier in the season that land plaster
! or gypsum is sown on clover the more certain ii
| 1s to produce good results. Some experienced
farmersS SOW 1t on the last snow, and insist that
10 40 most good it should be applied before
| spring rains have passed.
In the Iowa horticultural report C. H.
Gardner speaks of the value Of evergreens as
shciter lot small fruits. He says that a small
fruit patch surrounded by evergreens has pro-
duced double the quantity Of fruits and plants
over that not thus protected.
- There is frequently much damage to pas
lures and meadows by putting stock upon them
too early. All the meadows should be rolled az
soon as the frost is out of the ground, to press
| secure smooth surface for the moving
| machine.
- Oats may be sOwn as soon as the frost is
out of the ground and the soil is dry enough to
work up mellow under the pillow. 1t is best ia
SOW with drill. as more even depth is secured
and all the seed is put In the soil. Glover may
De drilled with oats, or sown broadcast short
time after
wheat bran. having been used BY west
| ern farmer as a manure for wheat, has been
found by him to be excellent He claims that
the application of one ton Of bran to the acre
| Is equa! to that obtained from the usual appli-
cation OF a mixture OF bone dust, guano. lime
, and wood ashes, and that the difference in
| yield OF the crops that received bran as COM
pareo with those not SO treated was very great.
- According to the Indiana Farmer. a man
near Nashville, Tenn, is making a profitable
business growing persmmons. He has realized
as much as 80 bushel for his best cultivated
variety. and has devoted goodly portion of his
land to persimmon orchard with the intention
OF showing the American people just what can
be done with product which grows in every
old field In the southern and central states, and
mas heretofore been looked upon as little less
than nuisance
- In Indiana when man has sheep killed
by dog he must report the loss to the town
| ship trustees within ten days. and any person
making false statement of the amount Of dam
| age done may be fined 800 and imprisoned in
the county Jail thirty days. An assessor who
Tails to list any dog is liable to fine of IS for
each case and any one making false statement
of the number of dogs he keeps may be fined
800 dog caught killing sheep may be killed
without ceremony
- The Rural Neac Yorker describes an easy
manner of relieving choking cattle 1t is to-
WIN thumb and fOref1nger, squeeze the sides OF
the outlet together below the obstruction until
the latter is forced up to the jaws. Then a
| quick upward thrust should be given or the ami.
mai should be chOked until it shows signs of
distress. when the hand should be quickly re-
moved from the throat, and in nine times out of
ten the obstruction will be thrown entirely ont
OF the animals mouth.
- On six acres we raised enough ensilage corn
| 10 feed forty cows once day for seven months
three pounds OF grain being given to each cow
Our ensilage is just what we expected; it takes
the place of the root crop. saves the feeding of
hay once day, and with less grain we get bet
ter results in milk. butterand flesh. Frost bitten
Corn comes out OF the silO fresh and green
| think it very fortunate that we had our siiOs
built and giving trst-rate satisfaction before the
squelcher on ensilage made his report, for very
likely there will not be any more silOs built after
thls.-Fd1'ha and Home
- The Michigan Fdrme, very truly says that
| there are many American farmers who harrow
their wheat In spring, aud it needs only to be
known how easily the work is done and how
helpful 1t is to the crop to greatly Increase the
practice. The slanting-tOOth harrow with the
teeth set backwards is the best for this purpose
finely pulyerizng the surface without danger OF
tearing up the plants by the roots On heavy
soils it is better to have these harrows weighted
to cut more deeply. Thoroughly narrowing
wheat fields In spring will produce such mel
lowseed bed as to insure good catch of clover.
Prof. Thomas Taylor, microscopic of the de.
partmcnt OF agriculture. read an essay before
the District Horticultural society lately upon
''lnsectcide in relation to Horticulture" The
essay abOunded In information in reference to
the destruction Ofthe grapevine by the phyl-
lOxera as well as many other insects destructive
to plant life. The professor stated that in ex-
perments made by him he had found that naph.
thaine was one Of the best insecticides vet
discovered. and gave very extended account
OF many experiments made by it's use upOD
insects. and that If the naphthaline was pure NO
| injury would occur to the plants but it i'm pure,
it would be injurious to plant life.