Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-10-14
THE FARM AND HOME.
HURRYING CROPS IN.

Two or three days difference in date
of seeding does not commonly make
half as great variation in the crop as
will follow between good and Door
preparations of the soil. In sowing
wheat it is well to work the soil thor
oughly, but not SO as to make q deep
seed bed.
a LITTLE MANURE.
If farmer has too little stable
manure to thoroughly fertilize his land
in crops, as is the fact with most
farmers, it behooves him to make a
little manure 60 as far as possible in
aiding the next crop and promoting
fertility. This object, we are satisfied,
is best attained by top-dressing winter
grain which is to be seeded with clover
in the spring.
DRAINING GRASS LAND.
Where drains are laid in fields that
are to be kept in grass the tiles should
be placed deeper than is necessary
where only annual crops are grown.
The grass roots growing continuously
follow the water to the tiles and soon
choke them. But with good fall and
outlet, drains partly filled with grass
roots will wash themselves clear after
one or two years blowing the field.
SWEET CORN FOR FEEDING.
1t is strange that sweet corn is not
more generally planted for fall feed.
The stocks are so rich in sweet that
they will be eaten clean by cattle,
where the stocks of other corn will be
left. Sweet corn seed is rather diff
cult to save and is usually scarce and
dear at planting time. Let every farmer
provide a supply now SO that he can
put in a piece of fodder corn next
spring without being obliged to pay
exorbitant prices for seed.
PIGS IN ORCHARDS.
1t is always bad policy to crop bear
ing orchards, and one reason for this
is that it generally prevents their
pasturing by pigs, which are the best
scavengers for destroying wormy fruit
with it's contents. The apples in our
markets would be fairer if pigs had the
range of apple orchards, and the pigs
themselves would be more healthful
food. If not ringed pigs will give an
orchard all the blowing it needs, with
no danger of injury TO tree roots.
BLIGHT ON POTATOES.
The mysterious disease known as
blight comes on potatoes from causes
little understood. Iteenerally attacks
potatoes just after they have been set,
and as the vines turn black and die the
further development Ct the tuber is
arrested. 1t seems to attack potatoes
most freely in hot weather accompa-
uied by rain, and is generally more de-
structive on potatoes planted shallow,
or whose natural growth is near the
surface. Entire fields are often de-
stroyed in a single day.
THE POTATO BEETLES INSTINCT.
Rank-grOwing potatoes are not
much troubled by the potato beetle,
so long as there are small weakly ones
growing beside them. 1t is not to be
inferred from this that the rank growth
is distasteful to the larva. The truth
is that a heavy mass OF leaves holds
so much moisture until late in the day
that eggs laid on these leaves will often
fail to hatch. The small plants dry
out quickly, and the potato beetle,
especially in moist, COO. times, selects
these on which to deposit it's eggs.
SPREADING WEEDS BY THREsHING.
On many farms weeds not known
before follow the appearance OF the
travelling threshing machine. The
seeds which are grown on one farm
are thus spread over the entire neigh
borhood. They get into the manure
pile, and are thus carried to places
where they are not looked for, and
get a heaGway which years of hard la
Dor will MT entirely reverse. Careful
farmers should look to this, and have
the threshing machine we'll cleaned
when coming from farms known to be
foul.
WHEAT AFTER POTATOES.
A field of potatoes kept clean
through the season is easily put in ex-
cellent condition for sowing with wheat.
No blowing is needed and only enough
cultivation to thoroughly level the
surface. 1t makes hurrying work to
get large potato crop off the land in
time for wheat sowing, but it is very
good rotation. The cultivation of the
ground required in digging potato
crop develops a considerable amount
of plant food which goes to waste IN
less something is sown on the field to
takei it up.
LIQUID MANURE FOR CABBAGEs.
AS a rule the application of liquid
manure does not pay its extra ex-
pense. There is too large bulk for the
fertlizing material used on the soil.
If we apply manure in winter or early
spring, snow and rains will dissolve it
and give all the good effects of q more
expansive application of liquid man
urelater in the season. But on cab
bases a little liquid manure may make
the difference between head good on
ly Tor feeding to stock and one worth
inmarket three to five cents. Such
use Of liquid manure will pay.
RAINY WEATHER IN HARVEST.
Wet weather is bad enough in harvest,
but it's loss may be modified, provided
there is work fox men and teams be-
tween showers. It is here that the
preparation of ground for wheat seed
ire becomes matter of little expense.
II a. barley field is cleared early, it
nay often be plowed for wheat before
the later oats are ready to cut, and