The National tribune., 1889-10-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
mANuRrNa THE SOIL FOR WHEAT.


farmers are aware of. Our once abundant.y
fertile soil is failing to yield tho large crops of
golden grain it formerly did and now we must
| supply this lost fertility, If we expect to raise
profitable crops. In manuring the soil for wheat
there should bo several things considered, to
gain the best resnts-quantity, quality, and
when applied.
There should be manure enough applied to
| gil the soil with all the plaut-food that tho
wheat crop will require. Now the question
arises: What shall we apply, that contains tho
needed plantfood2 The farmer may apply a
large amount of manure, aud yet meet with
disappointment from tho fact that it contained
but small amount of valuable plautf food
Fresh baruyard manure, applied directly to
the wheat crop, is Objectionable not only for
its many foul seeds, but from its tendency TO
excite strong growth of weak straw, at the
expense of grain, causing the wheat TO lodge
and rust. Lime, if applied with this manure,
would lend an important aid to the full aud
certain growth of wheat, checking its exuber-
ance of straw and its tendency TO rust and
speedily aiding TO fll out the grain.
Again, tho time this manure ia applied to the
soil is of great Importance in n successful crop.
1t is not altogether the great number of bushels
to tho acre that make n successful crop. for the
| expense of manure. land, sowing, reaping aud
| thrashing may be so great as to overbaiance the
| profit. At least these things should be con-
| sidered by the farmer. and he should eudeayor
| to apply the most, best aud cheapest manure
| possible, aud at the same time that which will
have the best profit
Manure should be applied with view TO
vigorous Fall growth. for the success of the crop
| undoubtedly depends very materially on the.
| progress of the underground growth during the
Fall and early Winter months; and this will
! depend upon the quantity OF available nitro
| genous constituents within the soil.
1t seems. from the experience of the best
| farmers, that the clover plant affords the best
! fertilizer, III every respect for wheat. In taxi
ing ride through the country noticed the
| finest wheat was growing on land that had been
| in clover, the Fall growth OF which had been
turned under some SIX weeks previous to SOW
| ing.
Prof Vile says that nitrogen is the dominant
part Of wheat and this IL receives from the soil.
| Clover turned under supplies abundance of
| nitrogen to the soil. The clover plant besides
| drawing 10 from tho air. makes dense shade
which imparts nitrogen To the soil Its roots also
| penetrate deep into he subsoil. bringing up rich
| fertIliZiHg elements 10 the surface. The green
| clover sod being turned under few weeks be-
| fore sowing. will bo in fine state of deeom-
position, which will give abundance of avail
able paut-food ut the best time to secure the
| best results.
| From this think the best and most effectual
mode of manuring the soil for wheat--one
| which will make the most clear profit to the
| iarIner-is 10 apply the manure to the clover
| crop IN The Spring Fresh manure applied In
| this way the clover will soon shade. causing il
| to decompose faster. which in turn. will make
heavier crop, larger root. aud thicker sod
/ This way Of manurins the soil for wheat is the
cheapest, best and most cfIsctual. Prairie
| Faraier.
nRIsE Sailing or BuTTER.
| The demand Tor less salt in butter has called
attention anew 10 brine shIting, and think
| that whenever the maker has mastered the
| method this brine sailed butter has given the
| best satisfaction tn consumers IL has been
wrongly supposed that s=lt used for sailing but
| ter strikes into the fats themselves and pickles
/ them. as we assume il does in the case of meat.
i;ut all that is accomplished Is 20 substitute for
| the water left In the butter. usually from 10 To
/ 10 per cent, a saturated brine, water contain
| ing all tho salt IL bold la solution ut ordi-
nary temperature. At the Minnesota expert
| inent station IL was found that butter fats can
not be niado 30 absorb salt or brine; the parti-
| eles nf fat only rounded by this solution.
| All the salt that will be dissolved in a pound
| IL auy, over half an ONCE hence of an ounce
| Of salt ia pound Of butter large part is stint
| ply undis2olyed salt. 10 was shown, further,
| tlE,t the finer the granuation of the butter,
aud tho longer the butter stands in the brine,
| the more Of the solution IL will take up; the
more brine the butter contains the more Of
Gaseous cheesy matter is removed, or in
| some other way rendered harmless, aud the
| longer the butter will keep
But IL the grain - made too fne an undue
| amount Of water Is left ia the butter, which
washing will not remove. On the other hand,
| If the grains are left too large they inclose
more of the Gaseous matter that will not DO
| taken out since the brine cannot penetrate
into these larger masses Of Fat. Gathering the
| butter into granuics the size of small bird shot
| Is about the best one can do TO avoid the undc-
| sitabe extremes above mentioned. Brine salt
| ing can be most perfectly done by draining the
butter a. close as possible after the last wash
| ing, then adding strong brine, enough TO
cover the butter-not 10 Goat IL. Such granu-
lated butter will contain 30 per cent. of its
weight of wash water, which. of course, weakens
the added brine by that much. IT. after stand
ing in this solution for few moments this
| brine is mostly removed aud salt added 10 rein
force its strength. and it ia then poured back
aud the churn slowly revolved, the butter will
be sailed as much as is possible by any process
Of saltiRg if ali the salt Is TO be dissolved and
the Gaseous matter aud keep the sugar from
fermcnting. Possibly, beyond this, moro salt
may act for few days as antigeptic, but not
long unless the butter is placed In cold storage.
Make and care for butter as we may, il is best,
like buekwheat cakes, when eaten as soon after
| manufacture as possble.-NeW York Tribune.
NOTES.
- Crowd the late cabbage-hoe we'll and ton
dress with any kind Of fine manure.
| 49, Carelessness and neglect are two of the
greatest curses on the farm. They have ruin
cd many "A farmer.
A very good flock Of ducks for the coming
seasons breeding purposes is composed of one
drake and I've ducks.
Twenty-one million cows in the United States
yield 1866 600 gallons of milk, 6,500.00
pounds of cheese aud 1850, 100000 pounds oil
butter.
If you keep chickens in pens throw in all
the vegetables aud garden truck you can spare
They will not waste IL, but will make ample
returns in eggs.
Suit was brought in England against a
man for saving the horns from his stock. and
the case was carried to the Queens Bench
| where the act was pronounced illegal, and Chei
Justice Coleridge called 10 detestably brutal
- The following is given as good way To
| prepare rolling place. or dust bath, for fowls
Lay rough floor of did boards on the ground
fasten boards one foot high all around the sides
and ill the apartment with 10 or 20 bushels oil
dry loan, road dust or coal ashes
There is no meat placed in the market on
which there Is so wide range In value AS In
mutton aud lamb, says an exchange. An in,