The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-05-22
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
Uses OFF THE SWEET CHESTNUT.


The fruit of the chestnut has long been an
article of value, and in Europe many varieties
are cultivated for their fruit alone. The larg-
est nuts are produced in the South of France,
Spain and Italy where they have some import
ance as an article of food They are generally
cooked either by roasting or by boiling them
in water with salt, fennel and various kinds of
favoring herbs. They are also dried and
ground into -four, which is made into a kind of
porridge, or polenta, by boiling in water or in
milk. 1t is baked in cakes. which are cooked
by frying, and it used to thicken soups. In
whatever way they are cooked, chestnuts are
said to furnish a wholesome and nutritious
food 1t is also stated that sugar has been ex-
tracted from chestnuts by the same process as
is used for the extraction of sugar from beet.
They are prepared for keeping during winter
by drying them in the sun, or in ovens. after
which they are packed with dried leaves in
barrels, and are kept in cool cellar until
wanted for use. In France the best varieties
are called Marrons; when roasted they have a
rich, creamy flavor and an aromatic odor in
which the common varieties quite deficient.
They are roasted by various methods, but in
whatever way, slit is made in the skin of all
except few, and when these crack and the
skin parts, it is considered an indication that
the rest are cooked.
TIME FOR PRUNING.
Among other remarks on this subject the
Country Gentleman says: "The most common
difference of opinion among orchardists is IN
relation to pruning bearing trees There is
sufficient mass in large trees TO supply growth
to new shoots with less check than In smaller
trees, and rule commonly adopted is to prune
in June, when the wounds will soonest heal
over, and there will be less emulation of sap.
This rule will answer for such trees as are
growing rapidly, and which will bear some
check. But it Is not adapted to trees of slow OF
feeble growth. The summer wound may heal
over soonest, but it does not always leave the
tree in the best condition. Experiments made
some years ago, by cutting off a limb in every
month, showed after growth of five years by
cutting into each, that the central wood was
least decayed in the trees which were pruned
in February and March, and most SO in those
cut in June and July. The wintermade
wounds dried and hardened best. This expert
ment is easily repeated, and it may give usefu
information to orchardists if oftener tried
iments that heavy pruning at one time is never
desirable"
ON SEEDS.
At late meeting of the Massachusetts Hor
ticultural Society the following remarks wer,
made by members: "a seed grower should have
distant farms to prevent mixing or crossing o
less vines or running stems from old seed thar
new. Cabbages head better when grown from
| seed two or three years old Parsnip, beet an(
| onion seed must be used when fresh, although
| member stated good success with beet see(
| eight years old another member said that hi
| had sown onion seed ten years old and bee
| seed fifteen years, most of which grew. Goo(
seeds of the squash family are white insid
| when broken, but If dark and rancid are worth
less. Oily SEEDS like the cucumber, viii keel
| longest Onion seeds raised from email bulb
| will not give the best crops Onion seed grown
| on clay soil is heavier and will.vegetate bette
| than if grown on light soil. Those who grow
cucumbers TO much extent always have q mum
| Der of sBarms Of bees fer pollenizing tn
! flowers
MAKING LAND FERTILE.
| An exchange has the following: when
farmer gets his land up 60 the point of fertilit,
| that produces large crops of grass he need no
| fear to turn under a field of the sod and plan
it to corn. The truth is, the grasses are nature
| great restorers and renovators; but no on
| need expect great grass from w5rn-out sol
until the land has been enriched either wit
manure or by blowing under few crops Q
i cloger.0
The above, we take Ii, Is good sample c
what some people term az book farming.
To get a good clover crop that would be of an,
value as a manure when turned under, require
q rich soil TO start with but from the advic
| here given it seems 20 be taken for granite,
| that WORKOUT soil is just the thing TO grow
crop of clover fit for manurial purposes. w
doubt whether worn-out farm can readily b
made fertile in this way.
CORN FODDER.
Corn for fodder is oftentimes so late in bein
planted that it is not ready for cutting unit
| n OF IN he oil fS fouT infr1
| to dry it thoroughly.
| Ii should be planted early, so that 1t can
! cured while the weather is favorable for rapi
and efficient drying. 1t Is best to SOW in drill!
80 that tho ground can be stirred and KEEP
| clean by the cuitivator. Sweet com il largel
used among dsirymen, and may be Gown a
| thick as one kernal TO the inch in the drill
properly cured, an excellent food can be Sc
/ cured.
SOAKING SEED coRN.
| Deed corn may be made safe from wire-worm
and other yermin by soaking it before plantin
in q mixture consisting OF one pound of blu
/ yitriol, or gulphate Of copper, in gallon Q
water. The solution should be lukewarm, an
the seed may soak day or q day and hal
! The poison will not only kill worms, but
| will also destroy any injurious fungus germ
that may DO On the grains. Care should
| taken Lot 70 get any Of the solution on tn
hands, as it makes sores.-OrGnge County Farnei
CORRESPONDENCE
4 correspondent writing from Madison, Wis
advises S. P, York. Pa, te kill weeds in hi
gravel walks by putting on good sprinklin
of salt. If applied during fair weather, b
says, the result viii be satisfactory.
This is an old recipe which We have see
tried many times, but we prefer either remoy
ing the weeds by hand or By the hoe aud rake
We have the same recipe given by anoths
correspondent.
Mrs. A, Bonely, Erie county, N. z, writes I
say that salt sown for eight or ten feet fror
the body of the tree will prevent plums froI
falling Off About two quarts are sown whe
the trees show blossom, and she has not know
it to fail for over twenty years
We would not put too much faith in thi
remedy tor curculio; sailing around the root
of plum trees has often been tried withou
effect. 1t was common practice in some part
of the country thirty years ago to fork up th
soil around plum trees in the fall and sprinkl
the surface with salt, and at times during wiz
ter and spring to repeat the turning over of th
surface and apply salt each time. This VS.
done with the object of destroying the Larvae.
J. R. Chester wishes TO know about black wa