The National tribune., 1888-07-05
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
ENRICHiNG THE SOIL.

celYe only mineral matter and moisture IN q
gaseous state from the earth Therefore the
soil in which plants will most readily thrive
must be porous, so as to admit a ready entrance
of the air, which will change moisture from a
liquid to gaseous form.
Clay is one OF the substances in which tender
plants cannot grow for it quickly packs and
prevents the roots from penetrating it, and ex-
cludes the air
The soil in which plants will most readily
thrive is mold, which is composed of de-
cayed vegetation. 1t is found on our prairies,
often to the depth of several feet where grasses
have grown and annually fallen for centuries,
making rich deposit of mold. Our forests
also make like deposit of mold by the decay
ing of leaves and decomposition of roots and
trunks of trees.
In rolling land where forests have been
cleared away for agricultural purposes, the
deposit made by the forest trees has produced
good crops. But there is one great danger in a
hilly country, for as the network of roots,
which tend to retain the mold to its original
position on the slope of the hill has deCom-
posed, the rains sweep it into the valleys, leay-
ing the elevation uncovered to the clay on
which the primitive forest first began its
growth.
1t is mistaken idea that land from which
the rich mold has been washed can be redeemed
artlfcially 1t is true that if decayed vegeta-
tIOn be scattered over it to the depth of several
inches it viii enrich the land for q time, but
the same danger of washing away presents
! Itself, as there are no roots TO hold it to its
| position.
| Now, the only way in which wornout, I'M
! productive land can be made valuable is by
| allowing the forest to again grow and make its
| deposit. This will take long time it is true,
! but the coming generation can reap bOunti-
! tuFbarvest OF timber and Of agricultural pro-
| ducts, which can be successfully cultivated
after the timber has been cleared away.
| POTATOES MIXING IN THE HILL.
1t must not be supposed that because some
| vegetables originate from what is technically
! called a sport" this method of creation
| is not as natural and permanent as that of re-
| production by seed. We are so accustomed to
| this latter mode Of origination in new varieties
| that we are liable to imagine it to be natures
| only mode; but the history Of many things
shows that good permanent varieties originate
! in this way sometimes. We have heard, for in
| stance, of potatoes mixing in the hill. Some
! one plants pieces of white potatoes. He knows
! they were all white, without any admixture Of
| any sort, yet on digging he finds taber or set
OF tubers all red. Therefore he fancies that
] DCCo udFO DAOuS+lt Tic ppllGu VI u EGu NdIlEky
from some distance to the white flower, and in
this way the pollen Of the red became infused
! with the white, and that this infusion Of pollen
affected the sap SO as TO infuse the whole plant,
even down to the tubers, and this is called
! mixing in the hill"
It's clear from one circumstance that mixing
cannot occur IN this way, for II our observations
are correct, as we believe they are, bees do not
| exhibit much partiality for the potato blossom,
The chance, therefore, that pollen is carried
| backward and forward and thus mixed by them
is very small. But there is no occasion for in
venting any such roundabout explanation.
The sweet potato mixes" in Just the same way
as the other potato. That is to say the plant
will occasionally produce a red tuber from
white stock, or white one from a red stock,
and yet the sweet potato in this part of the
world produces no flowers at all. 1t is believed
that all the varieties ofthe sweet potato under
culture were raised in this way; that is, that a
tuber was found varying from the rest, and this
one saved or selected" originated a new va
riety or race.
The fact is, there is an innate power in plants
to change sometimes, without the intervention
of seed or the seed organs and there would
therefore seem to be no reason why varieties
may not sometimes originate in this way, and be
as permanent rs if raised by what seems to us
to he the more natural mode of seed.-GernlaT-
tOWn Telegraph.
HANDLING BEES.
Among those who are not professional apiari-
ans there is dread Of handling bees that pre-
vents many farmers from having anything to
do with them, although the honey that is pro-
duced is great luxury. One great secret in
the management Of bees is to cast aside all fear
and work with them as though they were per-
fectly harmless. If they appear to be making
too familiar, or show signs of irritation, you
want to keep cool, remain quiet, and not begin
to show disposition to fight or to run, in either
OF which cases the bees will holly follow up
their advantage. During the swarming season
everything should be in readiness for hiVing
the new colony as soon as it energies from the
parent hive. AssoOn as they gather upon some
branch OF bush tree, as they usually will
If near the ground, place table supporting the
{ hive and shake the bees off at the entrance and
they will go in without difficulty.
GROWING VINES.
} We long ago learned, as we presume most
farmers learned, the difficulty of securing
what might be called success in growing good
healthy vines. We now have some that are
+ looking very promising, and hope that the
promising look will be realized in rich and
abundant harvest. We planted upon an old
.. sod that was plowed last season for buckWheat
, but from lack of seed was not occupied with
T any grain. 1t was pretty thoroughly decayed
and had good dressing OF phosphate after the
: blowing last year. The soil is a sandy loan
anu was puiF6IlAGu ny udEIONluB IOE Il Ter
, tilizer we took hen manure and fine horse ma
( nure mixing in the proportion of about one o
the former TO three of the latter, putting nearly
half bushel III each hill, mixing with the soil
on which the seed was planted. They are nov
growing finely, looking better than any vines
9 we have had for long time.
! NOTES
=, - Super phosphate Of lime is a special fertil
izer for turnips of all kinds, 800 to 500 pound
r being usually applied.
' - -Four quarts of fnely-g ground cornmeal O
q of a mixture of bran and cornmeaI may b.
a given every day to cow on pasture. If thu
!, milk is sold and not made into butter, buck
!, wheat bran may be given instead of cornmeal
Y An Ohio man recommends a iudiciou
r, pruning OF ounce trees that refuse to bea
4 fruit literally, saying the restriction of bloom
=, tends to the setting Of fruit The ounce j
r generally too much neglected, anyway, de
g serving better treatment than it usually re
d ceives.
, "A young colt which has a deficient suppl,
e of milk may be fed twice day with two quart
!; of warm skinned milk in which handful O
Ia linseed has been boiled and stepped until milk
:, warm. The quantity may be increased grad
Il ually until three quarts given at meal
!, 1t is not wise to have the colt running witt
2. the mare while she is at work, as the milk be
e comes heated with the mare, and is not health
= full for the colt. 81