Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-01-19
FARM TALKS
suggestions for tho Husbandman.
LARGER CROPS NEEDED.


cheap lands of the Northwest it is
necessary TO grow larger crops per
acre. Take wheat as an example. On
land worth one hundred dollars per
acre and wheat ut eighty cents per
bushel, crop of ten bushels per acre
is dead loss; crop of twenty bushels
per acre may be grown for the purpose
of seeding down the land, but there is
no profit in the crop; while II crop of
thirty, thirty-tive, or forty bushels per
acre, taking the value of ton
and half of straw per acre into
consideration. enables us to hold our
own with the cheap lands and average
small yields of the Northwest
We are using enormous quantities of
commercial manures, composed princi-
pally Of superphosphate, potash-salts,
and small quantity of nitrogen in the
form mostly of fish, flesh and dried
blood. The average well-managed
farms on which these fertilizers are
used contain all the ingredients of
plant-foOd, except nitrogen. to produce
large crops per acre. All the facts of
eXper ence and science point to the
necessity of q more liberal supply of
available nitrogen in the soil to enable
1T to produce large crops per acre.
There is no lack of nitrogen. We
can develope it from the sol, or We can
make more manure on the farm. or
buy stable manure from the cities, or
purchase from the manufacturers of
commercial ferti zers. the nitrogen we
so much need. But-and here is where
the shoe pinches-at the present prices
of wheat. corn, oats, barley and hay,
We cannot afford to buy nitrogen. The
price of nitrogen is too high, or the
price of the staple crops too low.
CARE OF FROZEN PLANTS.
When by any mishap the plants,
whether in parlor or greenhouse, be-
come frozen. either at once remove
them, (takug care not to touch the
leaves) to some place warm enough to
be just above the point of freezing; or,
if there are too many to do that. get up
the fire as rapidly as possible, and raise
the temperature. The usual advice is
20 sprinkle the leaves and shade the
plants from the sun. We have never
found either remedy of any avail with
frozen plants, and the sprinkling is
often n serious injury if done before
the temperature is above the freezing
point. In our experience with thous-
ands of frozen plants, we have tried
all manner of cXpedients, and found no
better method than to get them out of
the freezing atmosphere us quickly as
possible; and we have also found that
the damage is in proportion to the
succulent condition of the plant and
the intensity of the freezing. just
what degree of cold plants in any given
condition can endure without injury.
we are unable to state. Plants are
often frozen so that the leaves hang
down, but when thawed out are fclnd
to be not at all injured. At another time
the same low temperature acting on
the same kind of plants may kill them
outright if they happen to be growing
more thriftily. and are full of sap.
Much depends on the temperature at
which plants have been gro wing. When
the frost is penetrating into Il green
house or room in which plants are
kept, and the heating arrangements
are inadequate TO keep it out, the best
thing to do is to cover the plants with
paper (newspapers) or sheeting. Thus
protected. most plants will be enabled
to resist four or five degrees of frost.
Paper is rather better than shceting
for this purpose.
CROss-BREEDING OF FISH.
Seth Green, in reviewing varius ex-
periments in cross-breed ding fishes.
writes: "A few years ago i
ing the native brook trout with
the California salmon. the
spawn of the latter having been sent
from the Pacific coast and the fish were
nearly all dolormed in some way. We
kept some of them until they were
eight or nine years old. They showed
characteristics of both parents, but re-
sembled the salmon rather more in
general appearance than the other
parent. When they were between three
and four years old they began to show
indications of spawning. One of the
pcculiartics d scovered was that the
,,oIa fiah Iyern pithpr absent on Sterila
On attempting to take the spawn from
the females artiiicially, and unexpected
difficulty was encountered. To all APP
pearances they had tho organs of the
brook trout and the eggs of the salmon,
which are much larger than those oil
the brook or speckled trout BY the
careful use of knife we took the spawn
from the fish. gently pressing the fore.
finger down fine fish \ abdomen. There