Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-07-08
FARM AND EARDEH.

! WHEAT is the best food for growing
poultry and corn the best for fatten-
ing them.
PROF. STURTEvANT says that peas
| planted when at the edible maturing
state will vegetate as well as ripe seed.
WHEAT and oats may be sown late
| for hay if the season is not too dry.
Cut in the dough or milky state such
crops will be accepted by stock and
prove excellent feeding.
In pruning cut the wood off close to
the base, in order to leave no stubs.
This is especially needful with the
sprouts that grow up from the limbs
Of the middle of the tree.
PLANTS require various kinds of
mineral matter, and derive them en-
tirely from the soil, but different plants
require different proportions in order
to have luxuriant growth.
CURRANT and gooseberry bushes
should be pruned every year. If they
are pruned in tree form they will bear
larger and finer fruit, and the latter
will not be so apt to mildew.
ALL plants are benefited by the hoe
or cultivator, especially in a dry sea-
son. The frequent stirring of the soil
keeps the surface in condition to get
the full benefit of the air, dews and
rain.
INSECTS will now multiply very rap
idly, and only vigorous work will keep
them down. Encourage the birds, use
plenty of Paris green, kill all moths
possible and examine for the pests
daily.
The wire worm has done great dam
age this season. The worm resembles
wire, hence it's name. The best method
of Kidding a field of them is by latefall
and early spring blowing, asis donefor
cut worms.
To syringe plants infested with the
black aphis with water at tempera-
ture of $50 degrees, will kill the aphis
and at the same time help the plants
into growing finely. The application
may need to be several times repeated.
SIXTY pieces of potatoes were cut and
rolled in plaster one week before plant
ing. The same number of pieces were
cut, rolled in plaster and planted the
same day. The latter lot sprouted
about two days before the others.
-RUraI New Yorker.
THE ounce is a slow grower. For
this reason it is an advantage to buy
trees well grown, say four or five feet
high, rather than merely slips. Such
trees will come in bearing in three or
four years, and prove cheaper in the
end than smaller trees at q lower
price.
THE American Garden says that the
scraping Of fruit trees is often carried
to excess. A healthy, vigorous tree
does not require 10 be scraped at all;
it needs all its natural bark for pro-
lection against the cold, dry winds of
winter and against the parching sun
of summer.
STONES may be made very useful by
placing them around plants and trees
as mulch. Thus used under trees,
especially evergreens, they are very
valuable. One advantage over or
binary mulch in using stones is that
weeds are not so likely to spring up
among them.
The sweet potato is one of the most,
valuable crops grown. In addition to
being favorite on the table it makes
excellent food for stock. Hogs fatten
very quickly on cooked sweet pota-
toes, which are cheap article of food,
considering 800 bushels per acre is not
an unusual yield.
1t would pay all farmers who have
any considerable number of cattle to
winter, to get a small engine or horse
power, and cut up all the good corn
stalks in short pieces, half an inch or
less IN length, as this will induce the
animals to eat it all up clean instead
OF rejecting the large stalks.
DO not neglect your dry COWS just
before calvlng time, as it is then that
they need especial attention and care.
They should be well and iudiciously
fed so as to keep them in good condi-
ton, for when poor and thin in flesh
they cannot digest as much food and
will not be strong and thrifty.
j. 2. HALE, a well-known berry Gull
turist OF Connecticut, warns planters
against putting raspberries or similar
crops i'll the peach orchards, as the
drain on the moisture in the soil is
thus too great. Mr.. III. advises mot
to plant anything in a peach orchard,
but manure, with pillow, harrow and
good team"
FARMERS should always examine
their machinery before using it and
see that the joints and screws are all
right. Never use bolt longer than is
necessary soon as they begin to
show wear, take them out and put
new ones in their place. 1t may save
an awkward breakdown and consid-
cradle valuable time.
CORN fodder is produced as cheaply
as any other kind of provender, and
| should be grown as a crop independ-
emily of the supply obtained by ma
turing the grain. A field of corn fod-
der, cut when the ears are in the milky
state will keep better and prove much
more palatable and nutritious than
when harvested later.
| DECOMPOSITION commences in milk,
If allowed to retain it's natural heat,
soon after it is drawn from the COW.
Because the night is cool it does not
ODVIat0 the neceSsitv of cooIino the