The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-11-27
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
GREEN MATURING.

iaTmeTS VINO neeu some economical eHectlVe,
and easy method of restoring their soil or of
maintaining it in a profitable condition of fer
tility. The supply of yard manure is not, and
never can be- sufficient; artificial fertilizers are
of great value and are very effective, and will
always be used but certain mechanical effect
physical condition of the soils required with
even the best fertilizers to give full effect to
them, and this condition is only procured by
adding to the soil a sufficient quantity of Or
ganic matter. This is furnished either by yard
manure or by a green manuring crop which
answers the same purpose. In fact, good
farmer must necessarily make use of all three
of these methods of manuring; he must keep
and feed stock; he must grow and pillow in green
crops, and he must help out these by liberal
| fertiizing. There is a certain normal pro-
ductive capacity in the soil itself; but this is
quite inadequate to recompense farmer for
his labor and the seed. Manure must there
fore, be applied to add to the capacity or caps-
bility of the soil but that even is not found
sufficient. Then green crops are plowed in to
still further encourage the soil. II, after these
there is any other possible way of getting more
out of the soil by an expenditure that is less
than the income from it, by using artificial
fertilizers, the farmer will wisely make use of
them. The value of sod or other green ma
nure plowed in is shown by the example Of
market farmers, who seed down to clover or
grass and leave their land-which is worth
81, 500 to 600 an acre. or is rented for 800
acre yearly-idle for two years for the purpose of
| procuring supply of manure which cannot be
| procured in any other way, but which they find
| is Independently Y Times
HEALTH OF THE FARMER.
There is no class of people who are more
exempt from sickness in a general sense than
| farmers. Though they are exposed to all sorts
of weather, and are less careful than most peo-
| pie to ClOthe themselves to suit the different
changes of the weather, the exercise constantly
INDUCED in, affording the body perfect free
dom in the various positions in which it is
necessary to health that it should be placed,
which would produce in others serious attacks
of disease, in them tends to physical strength
and established robustness We have known
number OF persons who were engaged at indoor
trades and were hreatened-indeed had al
ready sutfered-with decided symptoms of the
most dangerous illness, such as pulmonary con-
SUMPTION who have been restored to entire
health by changing their.vOcation to farming
and other outdoor work, without regard to the
weather 1t is believed that these giving
principles are evolved from the fresh turning
up of the soil, in addition to the general indul-
gence of labor in the open air, and living upon
wholesome, well-cooked food, adapted to the
consumption of those constantly exposed to the
Free pure, circulating air.
There is no medicine, in our judgment, so
thorough cure-all to the diseases caused by
close confinement required by many of our
trades as a change to constant outdoor work,
especially on a farm. We repeat, that we think
it would be shown as an incontrovertible fact
that there are no people so universally exempt
from sickness in the general sense as the farmer;
and this would be proved were the medical sta
tistics carefully collected and published. We
are very confident that it would be shown that
the doctors bills of the general farmer sum up
less per annum than that of any other class.
This is a hint that should not be allowed to
pass UNDECIDED, especially by those whose sys-
tens are beginning to exhibit symptoms of
disease that threatens to be of chronic nature,
which experience has proved to be beyond the
reach of medical CONTROL Germantown Telegraph.
CARING FOR HOUSE PLANTS.
If house plants have been left on the veranda
during Summer, quite likely insects may have
established foothold on some of them. Before
you take them into the house look them over
carefully. See that no scale bug or green fly
goes in with Them if you can avoid it, For
the scale bug the best thing is to wash the
plant thoroughly with soap-suds, rubbing stalk
and leaf with cloth or soft brush to remove
every leaf and twig. Hard wooded plants
which are most infested-like the oleander,
lemon and cape jessamine, can be secured"
with n toothbrush most effectually, as it takes
considerable force to dislodge the bug. After
giving the plant good washing, syringe with
clean water. To get rid of the green fly fumi-
gate the plant You can do that best by put
ting it under barrel or dry goods box, or in a
small close room. In such room you can
probably give all you have a smoke-bath at
one time. Put some live Goals in ashes in q
large kettle and sprinkle over them enough
coarse, dampened tobacco to make dense,
heavy smoke. Anything less than that will
be Of little use. Let the plants remain in the
smoke for two or three hours Then remove,
shaking them to dislodge all insects, and syringe
them with clean water. There may be but few
insects on them, and you may think it hardly
worth the while to take the trouble but it
pays to do SO. The green fly increases with
great rapidity and if you allow a few to 60
into the house they will soon cover all the
plants. Prevention is better than cure. In
the house you cannot manage the pest without
constant care and trouble.
NoTELETs.
The Guinea fowl is a great destroyer of
noxious insects and their larvae. They are of
q very rambling disposition, hence their eggs
should be placed under hens for Matching The
young ones feather very rapidly, and conse-
Quenty SnOulu 90 lea 0lbcn.
- One of the most difficult things TO cure
for fodder is the green corn-stalk. Great guam
titles of good Winter feed often lost by
early frost and the american CtlLtiudtor suggests
as a remedy drying the stalks on q platform of
rails or loose boards, laid so as to allow q cur
rent of air under the stack, with a column of
barrels built up through the middle to give
additional ventilation.
When we pulverize the ground to q great
depth the warm air comes in contact with
body cooler than itself, the water in the soil
condensing into drops which partially answers
in place of rain. The deeper we pulverize
therefore, the greater the amount of moisture
collected.
Fowls cooped all Winter in . house poorly
ventilated will not lay eggs that will hatch and
will lay but few eggs. 1t is absolutely neces-
sary that they go into the open air, or that the
houses be thoroughly aired each day, if we
would have healthy and early broods Of chick
ems. Sulphur should be fed once or twice o
week.
SCOT is one of the most valuable Of fertili-
gers and should be carefully saved. That from
coal is superior to that from wood. 1t is rich in
nitrogen and benefits all crops to which it may
be applied, as well as being an excellent remedy
against the attacks of many kinds of insects.
An exchange says one of the simplest and
rcadiest methods of loosening rusted screw is
to simply heat the head of the screw. A small
bar or rod of iron, fiat at the end, if redeemed
in the fire aud applied for couple or three
minutes Mt the head of the rusted screw, will,
as soon as it heats the screw, render its with