The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-10-10

thereon. The fact is probably based on
an instinct dating back to the time when
the horse in his wild state was liable
to be attacked by serpents. With his
hoofs trampling them down he was com
paratively safe. and he learned instinc-
lively in changing his feet to keep them
on the object of danger. The instinct
remains now that all use for it has long
since passed away.
John Moore one of the oldest settler
of Missouri, has by persistent practice
put to rout the theory that seed unless
changed will run out. For forty-four
years he has planted only a species of a
large white corn he brought from Ten
nessee, and has never allowed grain of
any other kind to be planted on his
place, and to show how the corn has
helped his own, he this year, not desir-
ing to sell, exchanged fifty bushels with
men from all parts of the country who
wanted it for seed. Mr.. Moore has al
ways followed system of gathering his
seed corn in the fall by picking the
largest ears, breaking off both ends and
carefully preserving the middle grains,
DR.. Sturtevant. of the New York State
Experimental Station, reports that I'M
ripe seeds produced the earliest maturing
plants. This was especially the fact with
seed of cabbage and tomato plants, where
earliness often makes great difference
in price of the product. 1t is probable
that farmers would find advantage in
harvesting small portion of their grain
crops unripe for seed. But if they do
this, greater care must be taken not to
would heat and its terminating powers
be injured. 1t is very likely that this
difficulty in keeping the greenest seed in
good condition is one reason for a quite
prevalent belief that very ripe seed is
best.
Unless early potatoes are to be mar
keted as dug it is better to defer dig
ging until extreme hot weather has passed.
If put in pits it is extremely difficult to
keep potatoes from heating. Whenever
the skin is bruised the potatoes pack too
closely together and rot quickly follows.
The shippers understand this and will
not buy to ship in large quantities until
cool weather comes. Until quite late in
the fall it is not safe to market potatoes
from the field without putting them in "a
pit for two or three days. There will be
a very slight heating which will serve to
dry out surplus moisture and harden the
skin. But it saves great deal of labor
for the farmer if the potatoes are left till
mature enough so that only digging and
putting in the wagon is necessary.
The grape vine should not be cult
waited, nor the growth of wood stimu-
lated by artificial means after the LIST of
July, but all stirring of the ground and
application of fertilizers should be before
that time. The roots and spongoles
which convey nourishment to the vines
and fruit should not be disturbed after
getting we'll established for the seaso'.
as late cultivation reduces new growth
below as well as above ground, and con
sequently retards both wood and fruit.
A good substitute for hoeing to keep
down weeds is mulching, and method
suggested by last years experience is to
suspend the growing of crops of vege-
tables among the grape vines and mulch
ing the ground sufficiently to prevent the
growth of weeds after June. Upon this
depends the ripening of the fruit.
The reason why some people fail to
make good butter is readily explained by
visit to their cellars or milk rooms, in
the unpleasant smells from decaying sub
stances. The fault is sometimes in the
city storehouse. Fresh meat should not
on any account be kept in the same COM
partment with milk, cream or butter.
The meat will retain its freshness longer,
but it will be because the decay has en-
tered the milk or butter Some years ago
steward in a public institution received
late on Saturday night some meat which
was ON the verge of spelling. He placed
it in the refrigerator where there was also
crock Of excellent butter. AS the meat
was not wanted until Monday, he visited
it then and was surprised to find it APP
parently even more fresh than it was
when received. But when he came to
use the butter he found it filled with an
Undesirable stencil that forced him to
throw it away as wholly unfit Tor any pur-
pose. The butter had saved the meat by
spelling itself