Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-07-09
farmers' Column,
tive fools their gold " knaves their power
Let fortunes bubbles rise and fall;
Who sows q field or trains flower.
Or plants a tree. is more than all.
Agricultural Notes.

When fowls are confined in limited
quarters, construct the nests so that
they may be in darkness, or at least in
twilight. This is acknowledg ed to be
a preventive of egg eating.
One of the signs Of improved farm
ing is the earliness with which the
grass crop is secured. 1t was former
ly left until late, often postponed till
after the grain harvest, and then got
in when not worth more than an equal
weight of well-cured straw.
Those who grow orchard grass
should remember that it 10 very early.
1t should be cut or eaten down before
the seedstalk becomes hard. Thus
treated it can be cut oftener than any
other grass, and when well seeded on
rich ground will make an astonishing
amount of feed per acre.
June is the time to prepare for the
turnip crop, although the seed may be
put in either in this month or in July.
Probably the best turnips grown are
of the July planting. They are said
to grow much smoother, and are better
for cooking purposes, if grown upon
sward land turned over only one or
two weeks before they are sown.
A good sign OF the times is the in
creasing tendency to feed green food
to hogs. This unquestionably i'm
proves the quality of the meat, and the
wider Introduction of the practice
would contribute much to the health
of the swine of this country. The
American system of feeding includes
altogether too much of corn and heat
ing foods.
Fowls that have fair run will live
in summer with surprisingly small
amount of feed. They will, however,
do much more damage than the cost
of feeding, and unless where they can
destroy more grain than they eat, will
not lay many eggs on this no-feeding
plan. Better feed literally, and then
even fowls left to range for themselves
will do little damage.
There is probably much less differ
ence in the rainfall now than that
which prevailed when the country was
new. 1t seems more in wet seasons
now because the ground is less porous
and more runs off ia streams. In dry
seasons it seems less for the same rea.
son. The tests made by careful meas
urement of the water fall show the
average of five years to be almost ex-
actly the same as twenty or fifty years
ago.
A compact seed bed is important
for wheat, but it should be made by
rains and previous rolling rather than
by using the roller after the grain is
soWn. A slightly uneven surface will
prevent much of the wheat from be-
ing winterkilled. Even Jumps are
not injurious, provided there Is enough
moisture in the soil to bring the wheat
up. Wheat succeeds best on clayey
soil, which is always lumpy at seeding
time.
There is no way to increase fertility
more cheaply than by sowing clover
and grass seed. Rundown farms will
usually be found to have suffered from
neglect of sufficient seeding. Il is by
growing something and letting it de-
cay on the soil that nature restores
fertility in waste places. Ia grass
land the crop can not be entirely re-
moved, as the sod constitutes large
part Of the growth and the part most
important as fertilizer.
The orchard should be supplied
with all the manure the trees can ap-
propriate, and the trees will then be
vigorous, and will show it by good
growth of wood and handsome front.
When the trees Go not make free
growth of wood it is certain that they
are in i'll condition, and need the as
sistance of fertilizers and cultivation
probably, also, judicious pruning,
cleaning the bark, and the destruction
of worms and insects.
Wheat is crop that thrives best in
cool, moist climate. If sown too
early, especially if the soil be hot and
dry, the plant spires up too quickly.
Besides there is danger that the seed
will be covered too deeply by the I'M
due sinking of the drill wheels in the
pulverized earth. With moist seed
bed the danger of too deep covering
is obviated. 1t is better to wait for a
late seeding by the almanac than to
put the seed in the ground before the
heat Of summer has gone out of it.
The fact that birds destroy great
quantities of insects does not point
conclusively in their favor until we
learn what kinds they destroy. They
are insects and insects, some Of them
doing almost Unreasonable Service to
the farmer and fruit grower by destroy
ing the enemies of his crop. There is
more reasons for sparing an unknown
insect than there is for sparing many
of the birds with whose predatory
habits we are unfortunately only too
well acquainted.
In some parts Of England turf is
annually burned, and dressing of
the ashes applied to the wheat fields
before sowing. This burned earth,
with the ash from roots and other
vegetable matter, makes good ferti-
lizer for wheat. Some American
farmers have tried this turf ash with
good results. 1t can be distributed
quite readily in grain drills that have
a fertilizer attachment, but for wheat
it should not take the place Of phos-
phate, but be used in connection there
with.
On sandy soils potash is nearly al
ways in demand for crops, and in
some form it is valuable on heavier
land. Wood ashes can no longer be