The National tribune., 1885-06-18
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
THE CARE. OF POTATOES.

THE CARE, OF POTATOES.
The marked deterioration in the yield and
quality of our best varieties of potatoes has
given rise to much discussion upon points
which do not seem 10 have any close connec-
ton with the trae cause, and which have raised
issues which arc not pertinent TO the subject.
1t has been taken for granted that the deterio-
ration is the result of the cutting of the tubers
for planting or the selection of small seed, and
upon this issue many different theories have
| been advanced, all bearing more or less closely
upon the nature of the eye or bud of the potato
and the analogy between it and cutting of
any other plant. Nothing, however, has been
hitherto said of very important element in
the problem, viz, the probable effect of the in
jury to the plant by the destruction of its
! leaves by the potato beetles and the constant
dosing of it with Paris green and its various
preparations with which the leaves have been
| covered. Now, the destruction of the foliage
| greatly damages a plant, and when q potato
| plant is kept under a constant process of ex-
haustion by the effort to replace the destroyed
foliage the tubers cannot be expected to grow
| to perfection. They must necessarily suffer
with the plant, both in size and quality. The
starch of the potato is almost wholly derived
from the atmospheric carbon absorbed by the
foliage, or at least this is supposed to be the
| case; when the leaves are constantly destroyed
| and the whole plant is engaged in an exhaust
i've effort to renew the foliage, the supply of at
mospheric carbon is cut off and the tubers fail.
| While we do not suggest in any way that the
Paris green is absorbed by the foliage to the
| injury of the plant yet it is clearly a damage
! to it when the leaves are plastered over with
| any obstructive substance which closes the
pores and prevents the absorption of air. In
| localities where the potato beetle has not yet
shown itself there has been no deterioration
and as good quality as ever are secured.-N.
| Y. Times.
Farmers should have large variety of
fruits, such as peaches, prunes, cherries, pears,
plums nectarines, ounces, crabs, grapes, rasp-
berries, Strawberries, currants, etc. Peaches
| should be planted on a northern slope, and
should be mulched with rotten straw, coarse
| manure, litter, sawdust, etc. 1t makes the
| ground hold moisture in q time of drought.
| Their culture is about the same IS apples. 1t
would be a good policy for farmers to set out a
wind brake on the north and west side of their
orchards composed of Norway spruce to protect
| their trees from the severe Winter and storms.
- Bee teachers are employed by the Govern
ment of Germany to travel from place to place
and give instruction in bee culture. 1t is said
| that the German rural schoolmaster is exam
| ined in bee culture before he is granted a
| diploma as a competent teacher.
| - 1t is said that there is no better index to
| the health of cattle and horses than the condi-
tion of the hair. Indigestion and all other
diseases that farm stock is heir to. even in a
short time, is plainly indicated by rough,
harsh coat of the animal.
There is no danger of an overproduction OF
! the best quality(of goods. 1t is the poor goods
that do not sell lat home or abroad. What is
desired is fine beef fine butter fine cheese ETC.,
which are always saiable.
- France is the greatest egg producing
country in the world, supplying not only her
own peoples demand but selling also to Eng
land, Germany and many other countries.
| The codling worm on apple trees may be
destroyed by spraying the trees with a mixture
which is made by dissolving tablespoonful of
| Paris green in four gallons of water.
- Winning the Derby seems to give a brevet
| Of longevity to horses, for out of the % last
winners of that race only five have died. and
one of these not froaa natural causes Butwhile
| all but five of the horses which have won the
owners or IL, counting the two owners of the
horses which ran dead heat last year, are still
| in the flesh.
- Professor Axe thinks it not improbable
that roots grown under high forcing with arti-
| fetal manure are not as wholesome for in-lamb
ewes as roots grown with barnyard manure and
bone. At all events there is popular belief
that the abOrtiOns known to be caused by diet
largely of roots are more frequent when such
roots are raised with strong chemical fertilizers.
- Enough land in the United States is owned
by foreign syndicates to furnish 100000 fam
| lilies with so acres of land apiece.
| There is no cure for glanders, and animals
| afflicted with it cannot be too quickly killed.
| Pears peaches and ounces will not thrive
in the shade Of larger trees.
| Next to clover, perhaps millet is the best
| forage crop. 1t requires rich land and a warm
season. 1t is hardly any use to sow millet till
the middle of June, and the time of growth is
| till the middle of September. 1t should be cut
| in the most succuent condition to be the most
valuable.
| - In driving the cows. never hurry them !;
as when their udders are full of milk, or they
are heavy with calf it is very likely to do
them permanent injury.
Never allow wagons and implements to be
| used as hen rOosts.
! - 1t is said that there are upwards of II 600
poultry keepers in the United Kingdom, and
their annual exhibitions are very numerous.
| So great is the desire Of obtaining prizes at
! these, and so great the advantage in the sale
| Of their fowls after getting them, that unprin-
| cipled poultry men resort to many deceptions
to secure prizes. They stain the legs with de-
sirable colors, paint parts of the body feathers
| in different spots to make more perfect show
| Of plumage, pull some from tufts on the head
aud sickles from the tail, glUeing in others of
| more fashionable kind to take their place ;
cutting combs and wattles, especially of game
cocks, in order to give the head q fine snake
like appearance
| In the course Of 20 years there was
exported from New Zealand gold of the aggre-
| gate value of $40, SOC, 900. The exports Of wool
in the same time exceeded So, 100000. To
| arrive at the full value Of the sheep industry
of that country, however, the mutton should
| be taken into account, and, as the reports of
| the frozen mutton shipments from New Zea-
land show, this would be Q very large addition
to both these; moreover, there should be in
| cluded in this estimate the benefit to the land
| which has procured for the sheep the title of
| Golden -hoof" 1t is title certainly not mis-
applied to the sheep of New Zealand.
= The experimentation sheep husbandry in
this country are almost unlimited. Four times
as many sheep may be kept in the Middle
States and New England as are at present
maintained, and the fertility of the farms
would be greatly increased thereby, while,
with judiciOus feeding and the use of select
breeds, the produce FROM each would be greatly
increased. The East can easily supply itself
with choice mutton, though at present the sup
| ply is limited. nGf -
| - "A correspondent Of the Farm Stock and
Home says that he has discovered secret in