Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-04-16

are first bent like a bow for entering,
and then brought nearly straight when
IN place. They should be bound to keep
them firmly in place, and the points of
insertion covered with grating wax.
The editor says he has always done this
work in the spring before the buds
opened, but If we'll performed thinks it
would succeed later. An instance is
given of nearly 1,200 pear trees several
years old being saved in this way.
AN enemy of the grape-in the form
of grape-seed grub-has been discov-
cred. The eggs are deposited by small
black fly upon the skin of the grape, and
the young grubs work their way into the
immature seeds soon after Matching.
The infested fruit usually shrivels IN
midsummer, The best remedy for the
pest is to gather and burn the affected
grapes.
AN experiment made by DIR, Lawes,
of England, showed that an acre of rich
pasture in Leicestershire produced 500
pounds of increase in the weight of
fattening oxen III six months grazing.
1t required $500 pounds of clover hay,
1000 pounds of corn or oil cake, and
10000 pounds of Swedes to produce the
same increase. This fodder was con-
sidered equal in value to three and one
half tons of English hay. Neither soil
nor climate in this country are favorable
for the maintenance of such pastures
here. Farmers AdVocGte.
The Northwest Farmer says that Mr..
Edison Gaylord, of Floyd County, Ia,
advocates setting trees in leaning post
ure, to prevent them from being killed
by the combined effects of the wind and
sun on their southwest side. Prof.
J. l.. Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural
College, says, in confirmation of Mr..
Gaylord's view, he saw hundreds of the
finer cherry and plum trees in Russia
planted at an angle of forty-fve degrees
towards the l o'clock sun. He says that
only for short time will trees thus set
have an awkward appearance.
AN example for farmers of this vicini.
ty: d. T. D. Divinney, of Wrightsville,
n. j., slaughtered % Duroc-J ersey hogs,
2 years old, the net weights OF which
were $50, 675, $50, TO, TAO, 735, $50,
al, TIT, 781, 874, $50. 780, $50, 847,
$50, $50, 832, 855, 918, 995, lob and
1,05O. The twenty-three average 819
lbs. and fraction. They were two-sea
son pigs and of the common Jersey Red
breed. In Burlington County, n. j.,
hogs of this breed are grown to immense
size every year. The farmers there take
pride in extra heavy weight.
The potato possesses the property Of
converting a very much larger portion
of the manure ingredients of the soil In
to human food than any of the cereal
grain crops. For instance, to every
bushel of wheat about 100 pounds OF
straw are grown, while the haulm of the
potato when dry is SO light that in ex.
perimenting we do not think worth
while to weigh it. These properties
when combined with suitable climate
enable the cultivator to produce upon 9
given area of ground larger amount Of
human food from the potato than from
any of the cereal grain crops.-CanG
| dian Farmer.
FIRsT-CLAss potato-growers say that
cutting the potato intended for planting,
allowing two eyes to each piece, some
two or three weeks before planting, and
spreading out on a dark barn floor OF
any similar floor, where they will have
a chance to sprout from one to two
inches, will add to their earliness in ma
| turing some two weeks. They should
be moistened two or three times week
moderately, with rather warm water.
In planting out they should be covered
with not over two inches of soil. If 6
moderate quality of very early potatoes
is desired, the potatoes can be cut as
suggested and planted in hot-beds with
very slight covering of soil, and planted
out as recommended.
How to protect harness from rats is
told by the Germantown Telegraph as
follows: Gratis when they are hungry
which they always are-Will eat harness.
A correspondent informs us that if af-
ter greasing the harness, it is busted
with cayenne pepper, they will not dis
turb it. Another correspondent says
that coat of carbolic acid following the
greasing is sure protection. Either OF
both may be for all we personally know
but we have a method that we never
found to fail, to wit: hang the harness
carefully up and high enough to be out
of the reach of this destructive rodent
and off from anything that may offer as
sistance to get at the harness, and you
need have no fear of injury from them. u