The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-11-22
For the Farmer.
The New York outer yield is valued
AT AIS oO0 900

at $50, 100000.
An apple tree in Mercer county, kv.,
has borne fruit for SKY seasons wi IL
out failing. Five feel from the grouIld
its trunk is ten feet nine inches in cir
conference.
In California the waste from the har-
vest of grain is often allowed to reseed
the land, and a second or volunteer"
crop is raised without any blowing or
additional seeding.
Cotton seed meal well fed 70 cows
will increase the yield OF milk, but the
managers of eastern creameries refuse
milk from cows fed more than one
quart per day, and then il shoul1 be
given Immediately after milking.
An AGRICULTURAL writer gives the fol-
lowing periods 10 which various trees
have been known TO reach in particu-
lar eases; Elm. $50 wears; maple,
4l6; larch. 576; orange, $50; cypress,
800; walnut, 900; oriental plane. 1000;
lime, ], 100; spruce. 200; oak, l,5OO;
cedar, 1000; yew, s. 100
The editor of the Iowa Homestead
says tina, las, Fall he fed out lot Of
second crop clover on rough piece Of
raw prairie He first burned off the
prairie grass. The cattle ate part Of
it. tramped some in the ground. and
the wind blew the rest back and forth.
The result is the prairie is nicely seed
Cd to clover He considers this de-
sirable way TO seed bare spots in pas
lures.
Almost any kind of material left on
the ground under fruit-trees, says o
horticulturis,. will act as . fertilizer.
1t will al least prevent the growth Of
grass and weeds, and thus check loss
OF moisture and fertility that the tree
needs to perfect its crop il is as .
mulch that the advantage of straw in
orchards consists. Its fertili1ing value
is very small, and none Of this availa-
bic until the straw is rOtted.
The use of blood as food for cattle
has, il is stated, been the subject Of ex-
pertinent in Denmark by chemist,
who. as result, has now invented and
patented new kind Of cake, in which
blood forms one of the chief ingrcdi-
ents. This new food is stated 70 be ex-
ceedingly nutritious and wholesome,
and is eaten with avidity by all sorts
of animals. and even by COWS and
horses, which have naturally strong
dislike to the smell of blood.
The blossoms of the pumpkin and
melon tribe are of two kinds, male and
female The male blossoms are on
long stalks, while the females are
nearly sessile and are under the leaves.
The male flowers soon wilt and die.
People ignorant of this fact often sup
pose that their pumpkins or squashes
are "blasied" when male flowers die.
If the male flowers should not be nu-
is a good practice TO shake the male
flowers over the female when the males
are mature, TO insure fertilization.
The Superintendent of the Univers-
ity of Wisconsin Experimental Farm
states that for three years past he has
grown lima beans without poles or
stakes by persistent pinching back af-
ter reaching the desired height-about
that of common bunch beans. He is
confident the crop is very perceptibly
earlier, and thinks it is increased in
quantity, the plant being checked in
its growth of vine, expanding its ener-
gy in full production. The Fruit Re
c0rder states that on its farm some
were so treated, and they were loaded
with fruit.
The Iowa Homestead very wisely re-
marks that a wire fence, with wires
broken. or loose, or slack, is the worst
nuisance on farm. When the ground
will permit, a heavy furrow thrown
from each side against the fence would
be of great protection. 1t finds no
trouble in making hog fence Of wire.
Use sir wires, and posts about a rod
apart. Use hog wire for the lower
strands, and put the lower wire quite
close to the ground, and the second
four inches above the first. They are
cheaper than boards, and in every way
better.