The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-11-06
INDUSTRIAL BREvITIEs.

a correspondent OF Jhe London
Times writes: The most probable
cause Of the liability of certain trees
70 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. II oak did con.
tain iron it would in all probability
increase its conducting power and act
Is a preservative. If oak contained
an estimable quantity of that metal
the wood would turn black on expos
ure to the air, on account Of the 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 q 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 unharmed
while shorter trees are destroyed.
AScotch farmer gives his experience
with liquid manure. 1t was conveyed
by drains into tanks. and aftel wads
carted, without any mixture with
water, to the grass lands. 1t works
very much like nitrate of soda. 1t in.
.reases the moving crop greatly. 1t
stimulates growth in pasture ana
attracts cattle to Craze grecdily upon
the grass where it has been applied.
Two parts of pasture were used in
an experiment. To one was applied
liquid manure, while tho other was
manured by tho dropping of lambs
and ewes that had been fed on lnsecd
cake. Cattle were turned in. and 1t
was found that they referred the grass
grown from the liquid manure. Ex-
perienco has demonstrated IN this
case that the action of the liquid ma
nurc, though rapid, Is short-livod and
rather exhaustive of fertility in a moa-
dow from which the crop is removed.
Col. H. w. Wilson, in his address
on lawns before tho Massachusetts
Horticultural society. said that blue
grass and white clover were undoubt-
edly the finest plants for lawns. from
tho beauty and thickness of the turft
which they make and their dclic.o .ous
fragrance when mown. They are both
fond OF calcareous soils. and tho only
way that fondness can be met is by
free use of lime while making tho lawn;
two hundred bushels per aero would
not be IN excessive quantity for tho
soil when it is tronched or subsoilcd.
At least two bushelos 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 tho grass seed. which
puts the grass back nearly year, and
while the grain is growing it is no or
nament.
A useful hint in relation 10 making
n tense for a sheep pasture is given by
q correspondent of The Rural New-
Yorker. He writes: am not in favor
of barbed wire, unless used exclusive
ly for cattle. 1t is too dangerous for
horses and sheep. have built sheep
fence with live strands of plain wire,
and having fastened piece Of wire to
the top strand. passed it down around
the second, and so on 20 tho bottom.
One or more of these IN each span (ac-
coriing to the distance between tho
posts)prevent the wires from spread
ing apart and letting the sheep through
Perhaps pickets staplcd To the wires
would be better: but wire is cheaper
and can be more quickly put on. For
horses. put one or two extra strong
wires at the top. and hang light pole
or strip of board 10 tho top wire.
Prof. Myers. of the Mississippi Ag-
ricultural college. says of cotton seed.
which until lately was waste prod
uct in the south: "There is no agri-
cultural product known to your speak
or that has value equal to this in al.
most any place you can put it. You
may take its hulls and use thom for
cattle feed, for fertilizers. and for
fuel. The kernal you may use as a
feedstuff, fertilizer, or substance
from which oil may be obtained. The
oil Is one of the best culinary articles,
Is of extensive use in pharmacy, and
of almost unlimited application to the
arts. 1t makes little difference whctll.
er you buy it as butter, us lard, as lu-
bricating oil, or olive oil: whether you
apply it as a salve, pomade. or
soap; it is good and good every where.
The wood of the common or white
elm is not durable when exposed TO
the weather and not kept dry. its
chief value depending on Its difficulty
in splitting. while its liability to warp
is a strong objection. The red or
slippery elm is better in quality, strong
er, and more durable when exposed to
the weather. 1t lasts we'll for rails,
but decays in contact with the earth.
In taking pump from well at
Fort Atkinson, Wis, vast quantity of
small white roots was discovered.
They belonged to willow tree which
stood few feet of. They had en-
tered the we'll some thirty feet below
the surface. and had entirely incased
the pump. 1t was necessary to cut
them oil before the pump could be
drawn out.
An English statistician, estimating
cows at 800 each, makes their aggre-
gate value in dairy farming $3.50, ,OUO,-
600. The average yield per COW is
placed at 4,50O pounds of milk yearly,
and about 2O0,OOO men are employed
on tho dairy farms alone besides those
employed in town diaries and in the
retail milk trade.
Col. Wilder says he does not believe
in the deterioration of va.ieties. The
white Doyenne pear prospcrs in Ne
braska; the Hovey strawberry is some.