Connecticut western news., 1885-04-15
FARM AND GARDEN.
POINTS FOR CORN PLANTERS FROM THE NEW YORK STATE EXPERI- NIENT STATION,
Failure of GermInati0n in Corn nOr Due 10
 Cold Rains, but to the Presence of Fun

POINTS FOR CORN PLANTERS .-Direetor Sturtevant, in the 103d bulletin of the State Experiment Station, reports certain tests suggesting that the failure of ger imitation ill corn, or rotting of the seed, is not due to cold rains or low temperature, as commonly supposed, but to the pres ence of fungus. The summary of con- clusions as to this and another notable point is as follows: ''First, kiln-dried seed, or seed dried at temperature of 90 de- grees, perhaps more, is preferable to seed from the bin. Second, that every farmer can afford to exercise the utmost care to avoid selecting moldy seed, or seed from moldy lot of corn. Third, that competing the soil over the seed as planted, it being presumed that the soil is in fit condition for planting, will be found to compensate in part for inferior quality of seed, and with the best seed often will, under certain conditions of soil and climate, become an important factor toward obtaining the full stand which accompanies maximum crops" Part of the details relating to the latter point we quote, for the sake of impress ing it's importance, frequently if not generally overlooked in planting, espe- cially early, when the surface may be somewhat lumpy: "Open spaces left about the seed tend to retard and, under the varying conditions of heat and moist. ure, often destroy the germinative pro- cess. So marked is its influence that the per cent. of germination by actual trial, as observed between two plats, both of which were planted at the same time, but upon one the soil was firmly pressed upon the seed with the foot and upon the other the seed carefully cov- cred by means of hoe in the ordinary method, was. largely in favor of the trod- den plat. This trial was in accordance with practical experience in farming. whereby it was found that the gain in crop through the use of Western corn planter whose wheel compressed the soil over the seed as planted, compensated largely for the additional first expense of the machine. So much SO that even it may be said that under conditions of the locality noted, farmer could better afford to himself plant his corn crop with q machine than to accept the gift of the planting with hoe."
 GRAPE-v1NEs. -Grape-yines bear their fruit on the current years canes, grow ing from the previous years wood, and the principle of pruning is to leave only such an amount of last years wood as shall produce 8 proper number of bear ing canes, aud not so much fruit as to be unable to ripen it, and the wood for future productiveness. The most ap- proved method in pruning now is to cut away most of the bearing wood and de- pend upon renewing the bearing arms for the next season.
 POTATOES. Of the sixty kinds of new potatoes tested at the Rural Ne,U Yorker'S farm last season, Delmonico, Home Comfort, Late Hoosier or McCor- mick, Montreal and Green Mountain are the best keepers. Of the older kinds, Early Mayfower is the best. Of the still older kinds we should select the White Star as the best keeper.