Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-08
FARM AND GARDEN.
Notes and Suggestions.

The latest remedy tor the cabbage pest is
smartweed pepper weed). which is thoroughly
dried. ground to powder and sprnkled over the
plants.
"A New Jersey farmer writes to the New
York Herald that he gave a dressing of salt
seIsht bushels to the acre. to land badly in
tested with white grubs. and for three years
after raised good crops of corn. which was i'm
possible previous to this application.
Very early turnips can be raised on new
land or well broken clover sod They are easily
sent to market and bring good price. The
crop can be got rid OF in time tor late potatoes.
little super-phOsphate will persuade the tur-
nlps to be crisp and get out Of the way quickly
and do no harm to the potatoes.
- By the - intensive" system Of farming the
soil Is regarded as mere support to the plants
and receptacle for fertilizers. Under the EEK
tenslve" system reliance is placed exclusively
process by which the plant food already con-
tanned is made available to crops.
An Indianapolis Qnd.) fruit grower says:
Last year l put twelve moles in my straw
berry patch OF five acres to catch the grubs, and
they did the work. j never had dozen plants
injured during the summer. either by the grubs
or mOles know some people do not care for
mOles on their farms, but want them In my
strawberry patch"
are the native cattle of Russia and he could
load fleet with them at from So to $40 per
head If this is true there ia no use in the farm
ers of the Channel Islands allowing the supply
TO fall OIL. 1t is more than probable il we should
import directly from Russia little careful judg
ment would give US q stock Of Jerseys that
would be hardy, vigorous and able to "hoe their
own row."
- II cistern water has acquired a foul odor,
says DR.. KedZe in the New York Tribune, it
may be deOdOrized by some oxidiZing agent,
such as chloride of soda. or Labarraque's
chlOrinated soda. This can be found at any
good druggists, put up in quart bottles for use.
10 get the best results the material should be
poured into the bottom of the cistern. using for
this purpose gaspipe reaching to the bottom.
Two bottles, costing about 25 cents each, will
clean an ordinary cstern.
The great weight required to be supported
by the feet of draft horses renders these parts
quite liable to many affections. which may in q
great measure be avoided by frequent iudicious
shoeing. The texture of the horn Of the draft
horses foot is not. as rule. so firm and resist
ing as we usually find in lighter breeds but this
deficiency Is largely made up by increase in size,
to which. if we add proper shoeing. their feet
should prove just as durable rs, or even more
durable than the feet OF the roadster.
The special foods to cause hens to lay are
secret preparations: but the following is con-
sidered good formula: Two pounds each of
bOne linseed cake dried meat. oats and oyster
shells, all finely ground, one ounce sulphur, two
ounces red pepper, four ounces each or common
salt and copperas, and one ounce of bread soda
Mix the whole thoroughly. and allow table
spoonful three times week to each fowl As
the cost OF these substances will be but little,
quite large quantity can be made at one time
"A writer in Gardening illustrated finds
broken pieces Of bones of value for use in
draining pots: The plants suck the fertlizIng
qnaity out OF the bones, and makes more
vigorous growth than plants drained with
broken crOckery. The experiments have been
continued for three years. and SO marked has
been the superiority In the growth of the
plants in the pots supplied with bones that the
gardener could tell at once which they were,
before examining them. by the lux1riant
growth.
- Chloride Of lime when used on the manure
heap. not only disiniects it, but is an advantage
IN arrestlng the escape OF ammonia. When
mixed with plenty of dry dirt and thoroughly
mingled with the materials of the compost heap.
it is Invaluable. The materials. however, should
&c kept under cover. Chlorine gas is easily
liberated from chloride of lime; and as the gas
will not remain uncOmbined it readily acts upon
organic and mineral matter. not only fixing
the volatile substances, but changing the form
and composition of many of the solid SUBJ
stances.
"A practical farmer, who has done good
tic says InaC lie mas f1eIuS.
apparently alike originally. one of which is
drained in lands ten PAGES apart. with drains 81
feet deep. The other is drained in fourteen
pace lands with tile laid 50 feet in the ground
IL Is many years since the draining was done:
but the deeper drains have uniformly carried off
surplus water best. They have besides, deep
ened the soil. The roots OF clover in the deeply
drained soil are larger and go farther than in
the other Although the first field is reckoned
pretty dry. he has serious thoughts OF taking up
bnr in hot 10 prpfT n,x y T foo
sinking 1t foot deeper.
How to protect harness from rats is told by
the Germantown Telegraph as follows: "Rats
when they are hungry-wiiich they always are
will eat harness. A correspondent informs us
that If. after greasing the harness, it is busted
with cayenne pepper, they will not disturb 1t.
Another correspondent says that a coat of car
bolic acid following the greasing is a sure pro-
lection. Either or both may be for all we per-
sOnally know: but we have q 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 assistance to get at the
harness. and you need have no fear of injury
from them"
" Prof. Knapp, president Of the Iowa agri-
cultural college, says that a broad distinction
should be made between tile-draining and OPEN
ditch draining. The Open-ditch aids the rapid
escape of surface water, carrying with it all
tifC VI icItluty lHey NIdT Tie ldnU-
scape. Obstruct the labOrs of the husbandman.
and fall to meet the demands Of scientific drain
age Tile-drainage almost entirely prevents
surface washing; the porous soil takes up the
water like u great sponge, and passes it off
through the drains. This is done slowly, giving
ample time for its escape by the great natural
channels. Alter considerable fall of water it
requires from ten to fourteen days FOR the
drains to discharge the increase.
"Eyperimenter," in the last number of the
Gardeners Monthly, states that for a few years
past ne has succeeded in raising potatoes in a
shorter time by first inducing them to sprout
before planting. "A few weeks before plant
ing time" he says 81 select my seed potatoes
and set them In a warm place to sprout. BY
the time my ground is ready the shoots are
about three inches in length. The potatoes are
handled carefully. so as not to break the growth
and cut up in suitable size in the ordinary
way. One strong shoot is left to each piece
The sets must be put into the ground carefully
OF course. or the shoots will be broken off As
growth commences at once. the green tops show
in few days. There is easily q saving of two
weeks time at the start" For the purpose of
raising very early supply in the garden this
method Is probably an excellent one.
The silo is in great favor just now in Eng
land. correspondent of the London STAN
tdu'f says it may be interesting t0know that in
the Netherlands the farmers wife has her silo
This in an earthenware jar about two feet high
into one such in summer time she shreds kid
ney beans; into another she puts sheed green
peas: into another broad beans. say; and having
thus formed siX-inch layer. she sprnkles on