Daily Republican., 1884-05-19
IAGRIC L T u R AL.
KEROSENE TO KILL ISCECTS.

KEROSENE TO KILL INCECTS.
Since the Illuminating oil obtained
from petroleum, know in this country
AZ kerosene, and In England as paraffine
oil, came into general use, 1t has been
employed with variable success as An
insrcticide. That it would destroy insect
life WAS long ago established that it
would also destroy plant life was some
times demonstrated in n manner more
convincing than pleasant. The oil in
its concentrated form can be tolerated
by but few plants. The improvement
In its use was to add q very small guam
tity to a bucket Of water, enough to
make but mere film upon the surface;
then ditfuss it through the water by
violent stirring, and apply before the oil
and water had time to seperate. This an.
swered fairly we'll, but was trouble
some. The next step was to divide
the kerosene, not by dissolving it. but
by diffusing it in the form of an emul-
sion.
1t Ia well known that oils may be
suspended in water by means of gum,
sugar, ETC., and may be kept thus for
some hours or even days. 1t hasbeen
discovered that milk, either fresh or
soured, is convenient medium to unite
kerosene and water. Mix together
kerosene and half az much milk, stir
ring them thoroughly to form cream.
like mixture. When the two are SC
completely united that no oil is visible,
dilute the mixture with twelve times its
bulk Of water, adding the water gradu
ally, and stirring thoroughly. This
enulsion has been found especially
useful in the treatment Of the various
scale insects, so difficult to destroy by
ordinary Insecticides, and is used fol
various other insect pests. For trees
use u syringe or force pump, and for
house plants, often injured by scale iu.
sects, apply with a sponge or swab.
THEYIELD OF WHEAT.
A correspondent of the Country Gen
Itleman, residing in Shelby County, KY,
gives some valuable information of his
method of increasing the yield of wheat
| He moved to that county in 1868, when
the average wheat crop there was only
eight bushels per acre. This fact was
often talked ever at farmers clubs
oranges, etc, with view to increase
the yield. After experimenting with
| several fertilizers and selecting pure
ground bone meal as the best for wheat
and sowing two hundred pounds to the
acre, the average yield per acre quickly
rose to twelve bushels, but the cost o
the ground bone, which was $50 pei
ton, was too expensive for the genera
farmer, hence other experiments were
made; some trying wheat after clover
others the refuse salt from pork houses
as a top dressing, after the wheat wa'
up up some three or four inches, at thu
rate of four bushels per acre.
The latter was found to be very bene
fetal by increasing he crop, stifton
ing the straw and escaping incects. TIT
roots of the former, from the amount o
ammonia they attracted and absorbed
acted as an incentive to the growth o
the plant, and of course to the yield o
the grain and by these and other ap
plications the yield per acre ran up Il
from twenty to twenty-five bushels pc
acre, and frequently from twenty.tiv "
to thirty This change from eight t
twenty-five bushels shows beyond al
question what intelligent cultivation
will do. The correspondent conclude
his article by saying" My preference
is wheat after clover, with now an
then a top dressing of salt" This sui
ficiently endorses what we said on thi
subject some time ago, having specia
reference to the turning down of a Gro
of clover to be followed by wheat.
pULvERIzATIoN OF THE SOIL.
The following experiment made b.
tn. editor nf the Live Stock JoLf1a
shows the great importance of the thor
Uugh pn .criZation of the soil w
once .Nuerimented by hauling twenty
four rAe loads of the best manur
upon wo acres of clay.loam land, ha,
il well cultivated into the soil, whic
had been worked in the ordinary way
but was somewhat lumpy. This an'
the adjoining two acres were to b
sown to corn for fodder. Upon tn
other two acres no manure was put, bu
it was plowed and cultivated till tn
soil, four inches deep, was az fine as
garden bed. One and a half bushels o
corn were drilled per acre upon eacl
piece, drills 16 inches apart.
| When this corn was in blossom ant
ready to cut, the unmanured tW'
acres stood eighteen inches higher thai
the manured piece. In selecting tw
sample rods in different place
upon each piece, cutting tn
green corn and carefully weighing
it, the manured piece gave 275 pound
per rod and the unmanured, but tlnel.
pulverized, gave $50 pounds per rod, tn
mapured giving twenty-five tons pc
acre and the other twenty-eight ton
per acre. The cost of extra work
ing was s.. 80 per acre. Gould ther'
be any doubt that the extra work wa
we'll paid for? 1t must be evident tt
every thoughtful farmer that the mrs
thing to be done in furnishing foot
for crops is to work more thoroughly
and give finer pulverization, and wher
this Is accomplished, then an applica
tion of some fertilizer.
| EGGS FOR HATCHIHG
Hens that are to produce the eggs fol
Matching purposes should be separated
iron the flock and fed differently. Thii
must be done quite early in the season
so that the fowls may become domes
ticated in their quarters before produc
ing the eggs This is necessary, be-
cause any change or removal of laying
hens binders the production of eggs
If in full laying it will almost entirely
break them up, and 1t will be some
time before they commence again
Avoid overfeeding as much as pCsslpl