The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-07-03
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
pRopAaArrSe GRAPE VINES.


field. His plan consisted in covering the cut
tings with tan bark, and it was successful but it
was not novel nor new and nothing came OFT
it SO far as remuneration was concerned. The
patent was granted because, SO far as the ex-
aminers could discover tan bark had not been
used for this particular purpose; this, however,
did not prove that tan-barfS had not been pre-
viously employed, only that no mention of it
could be found in the old gardening works
which had been consulted at the Patent Office
The principle involved was that of prevention
of evaporation from the cutting until roots
could be formed, and any material which would
answer this purpose equally eiectual as
the bark. The applicant furnished nicely
rooted plants as evidence of his success; but
when these were mixed up with cuttings of the
same character which had been covered with
charcoal dust, and some which had been SIM
ilarly covered with sifted street sweepings,
the difference in the plants were not percept-
ible, and the tan raised specimens could not be
separated from the others. Where none of
these ingredients can readily be procured it
will be foand that sand answers an equally
good purpose. Not only for cuttings of grapes,
but for ali kinds of cuttings that are made
from matured wood, such as currants, gooseber-
ries, privet, spireas willows, figs etc, cover
ing of two inches or so Of clean sand will ensure
their successful roofing. The cuttings may be
made from three to six inches in length, pressed
into the soil so that the top will be level with
its surface, then the sand applied as a cover
ing. We have been propagating in this way
for many years; have tried many kinds of ma
terial for covering, and find that clean sand is
the best Of all.
LAYING DOWN GRAPE VINES IN THE FALL.
Samuel Miller, in CoEsaan's RUraI Horld, has
the following on protecting grapes: For even
the hardest varieties | ara satisfied that it
would be benefit to cut them loose from the
trelis and let them lay down. In every in
stance through my vineyard just now / notice
that those canes which lay ON the ground dur
ing the winter are freshest and bearing the
most punches"
For more than a quarter of century we
have advised this practice of laying vines on
the surface of the ground during winter, even
without any covering, as being of much benefit
even to the hardest kinds of grapes. 1t is
only by observation such as Mr. Miller gives
that the advantages can be properly realized.
We have more than once alluded to this sub
ject in these columns. Any person having
few grape vines in localities where severe frosts
occur, may become convinced of the advantages
of this slight protection from freezing winds
by one winters experiment with portion of
the plants, or even with the branches of the
same plant. The great desideratum with many
is to procure what are termed iron-clad varie-
ties of fruiting plants. 1t is perfectly proper
to endeayor to procure the hardest kinds, pro-
able with varieties somewhat more tender, but
it is not advisable to discard finer kinds simply
because they need some slight protection dur
ing winter. Frost is of no value to any plant
so far as we are aware; but it is an injury, and
although the injury may not be readily appar-
eat, yet when experiments are made with
view to distinguish the results which follow
protection and exposure, the difference will be
sufficiently marked to attract attention. Mueh
harm is done by those who condemn practices
which they have never tried, and it is too
often the case that those who know least about
them VIII condemn them the most. 1t is al
ways safe to heed the advice of successful
cultlYators.
A GOOD LIVE INCUBATOR.
A correspondent OF the Ohio Farmer tried the
following method of Matching, and is very en-
thusiastic over his success. We give his ex-
perience in his own words: / took the turkey
upand put her to work on artificial eggs fer four
days; then she became cross and broody. |
fixed her nest and set her with twenty-five
hens eggs, giving her liberty to come OF and
feed at her viii. She stuck to her work until
she had the job accomplished; and out of
twenty-five eggs she Matched twenty-three
chicks. l took them from her and set her
again with thirty-one eggs; Matched out
twenty-eight chickens. / then took her of
and let her mother the chicks, and a more
careful mother never lived. She would mother
all the chickens that came to her. She STAYED
with them as long as they stayed with her.
There is no trouble to get them to take charge
of strange chicks; they would take to young
geese or ducks if they would take to the
turkey. Nothing can equal them as careful
mothers; they will actually lift about the
chicks as cat does her kittens and all the
time she is sitting she may be laying, and thus
pay for her keeping This is the cheapest and
most perfect way of Matching and rearing
chickens ever found out. and Will do away with
all patent artificial incubators."
HOW TO MANAGE PANs1Es.
TO THE EDITOR: / have had such unexpect-
ed success with panses this Spring that | feel
like telling you how managed them. / may
say that have heretofore always lost my pan
sizes during the Summer, because planted them
with other seeds in the Spring; but seeing
notice somewhere, possibly in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE, that pansy seed should be sown IN
late Fall or early Winter in the house, so that
the plants could be set out as soon as the frost
left the ground in Spring, procured small
box, and sowed the seed in it about the middle
of January, and set the box on the window sill;
/ covered them over with a fold of paper until
they vegetated. | got about thirty plants and
! by the time of planting out they were several
inches high, and some of them had flowers be-
fore set them out doors. planted them out
about the end of March, and, although they
were SSNcTdI tunes uli E1elQ.
They made nice plants, and have been full of
bloom for weeks, and they look fresh and
bright enough to flower all the Summer. |
mean TO have more of them for next year, so
that they will help my show of hyaeinths and
tulips-Alrs. r. T., Steubenyille, Ohio
HOW TO ARRANGE 4 CARP POND.
We copy the following ON this subject; THE
water should be from six inches TO six feet deep
The surface of shallow water should be the
greater, as heat OF the sun warns it quickly
and the fish grow much faster in warm water;
in fact, they do but little good in pond of cold
spring water. In case the pond is fed from
springs the water Should be conducted some
distance through an open channel, SO that it
will be warm by the time it enters the pond
| There should be aquatic plants set out in the
shallow water These afford food and shelter
the fish from the extreme heat of the sun, and
IN spawning season the spawn adheres to the
During the spawning season the water should
be kept at the same height, for if the water
recedes the eggs will not hatch. At the same
time sudden rise or overflow should be
avoided"
STRAWBERRY CULTURE.
Many growers of strawberries suffer frcm
not rotating their crops. A strawberry patch
should not be allowed to produce more than
two crops; if kept longer the crop will be IN
I profitable. Like all other plants the straw
berry requires change of SOIL or, rather, it will
not succeed well for many years on the same
land without change of crop. The best fruits