The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-11-13
INDUSTRIAL BREViTIES.

IA VI Ing LONuOn
Times writes: The most probable
cause of the liability OF certain trees
10 be struck by lightning is that they
are bad conductors of electricity. The
suggestion that oak trees are struck
because they contain iron is both err.
roneous and absurd. If oak did con-
tain iron it would in all probability
increase its conducting power and act
as a preservative. If oak contained
4 n estimabls quantity of that metal
the wood would turn black on expos
ure to the air, on account of tho tan
min which is present. This blacken-
ing may be seen surrounding the iron
nails in any oak fence. The. contour
of the ground, nature of the soil. and
the presence or absence of water has
more influence in deciding the locality
of an electric discharge than the
height of a tree. Add to this the diff
ference in conductibility between var
ious woods, and we have at once an
explanation of the apparent peculiar
ity of tall trees escaping unframed
while shorter trees are destroyed.
A Scotch farmer gives his experience
with liquid manure 1t was conveyed
by drains into tanks, and aftel wads
carried, without any mixture with
water, to the grass lands. 1t works
very much like nitrate of soda. Ii in
,reascs the moving crop greatly. 1t
stimulates growth in pasture and
attracts cattle to Craze greedily upon
the grass where it has been. applied.
Two parts of a pasture were used in
an experiment. To one was applied
liquid manure, while the other was
MANFRED by the dropping of lambs
and ewes that had been fed on linseed
cake. Cattle were turned in, and 1t
was found that they referred the grass
grown from the liquid n En-
pcrience has demonstrated III this
case that the action of the liquid ma
nure, though rapid, IS short-livcd and
rather exhaustiv of fertility in a e
dow from which the crop is removed.
Col. H. w. Wilson, in his address
on lawns before the Massachusetts
Horticultural society, said that blue
grass and white clover were undoubt-
eddy the finest plants for lawns, from
the beauty and thickness of the turft
which they make and their delicious
fragrance when mown. They are both
fond of calcareous soils, and tho only
way that fondness can be- met is by q
free use of lime while MAXIM the lawn;
two hundred bushels per acre would
not be an excessive quantity for the
soil when it is trenched or SUBSIDIZED.
at least two busheles of plaster should
be used with the annual top dressing.
An Objectionable practice, which Col.
w. mentions, is that of sowing oats or
other grain with the grass seed, which
puts the grass back nearly a year, and
while the grain is growing it is no or
nament.
A useful hint in relation 10 making
a tense for a sheep pasture is given by
a correspondent of The Rn7Gt Ne'O-
YORKER. He writes: l am not in favor
of barbed wire, unless used exclusive
ly for cattle. 1t is too dangerous for
horses and sheep. l have built Il sheep
fence with five strands OF plain wire,
and having fastened a piece of wire to
tho top strand, passed it down around
tho second, and so on 10 the bottom.
One or more of these IN each span (ac-
cording to the distance between the
posts)prevent the wires from spread
ing apart and letting the sheep through
Perhaps pickets stapled TO the wires
would be better; but wire is cheaper
and a be more quickly put on. For
horses, put one or two extra strong
wires at the top, and hang a light pole
or strip of board to tho top wire.
Prof. Myers, of the Mississippi Ag.
ricultural college, says Of cotton seed,
which until lately was a waste prod.
uct in the south: .'There is no agri.
cultural product known to your speak
er that has a value equal to this in al
most any place you can put it. Yor
may take its hulls and use them fol
cattle feed, for fertilizers, and fol-
fuel. The kernal you may use as {
feedstuff, a fertilizer. or q substanc.
from which oil may be obtained. The
oil is one of the best culinary articles
Is of extensive use in pharmacy, ant
of almost unlimited application to thu
arts. 1t makes little difference whcth
CIR you buy it as butter, as lard, as lu
bricating oil, or olive oil: whether 20,
apply it as a salve, a pomadc, or
soap; it is good n good everywhere
The wood of the common or whit,
elm is not durable when exposed I,
the weather and not kept dry, it
chief value depending on Its difficult,
in splitting, while its liability to war;
j is a strong objection. The red o
slippery elm is better in quality, strong
| er, apd more durable when exposed t.
!, the weather. 1t lasts we'll for rails
but decays in contact with the earth
In taking a pump from a well a
Fort Atkinson, Wis, a vast quantity q
T. small white roots was discovered
They belonged to a willow Tree whicI
, stood q few feet of. They had en-
), tered the well some thirty feet bclo1
the surface. and had entirely incase,
the pump. 1t was necessary to Gu
them off before the pump could b
drawn Il
An English statistician. estimatin