The National tribune., 1890-02-06
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers

|
ABOUT PLANTING AND CARE OF GRAPEvINEs
A correspondent in n contemporary says that
he planted a vineyard in rows, 10 feet apart
| one way and five feet the other, that gave
about the same number of vines to the acre as
was considered tho standard distance for wine
grapes All his neighBors made sport of this
old style of planting, but % years of expo
rience has demonstrated tho wisdom of the
plan. This vineyard produces fully as many
tons of grapes to the acre as tho adjoining
vineyards; besides it can be much more cheaply
handled permitting the wagon to go between
the rows; the brush to be burned on the spot,
and portion of the ground to be cultivated
with a larger team. Some Of his neighbors
have adopted 6 by IL with wide rows run
ming north and south. This, he says, is mis-
take; tho 6 by II is all right, but the wide
| rows should be east and west for tho reason
| that the vertical sun will get on the trays no
matter which way the rows run, but to get tho
! greatest benefit We want the morning aud
evening rays. Now to get this it is very OBJ
vious that the wide rows should run east and
west. Then there is another advantage in this
manner of planting, which is that sometimes
the grapes get sunburnt, and one will always
find that on the west side it is the o'clock
sun that gets in It's work Shining in under
| tho vine. if the rows are set thickly east and
west one vine will shade and protect the other.
1t is not the number Of vines, but the number
of shoots that makes the difference in the yield
If you have more vines you leave less shoots
! 10
mend by 15 with tho rows running east
and west.
Another thing is the girdling of grapevines.
At the suggestion Of Prof Maynard Of tho
Massachusetts Agricultural College, DIR. Jabez
Fisher, OF FitChburg, girdled one Of the two
bearing arms of each of 60 Concord grape
vines on the 9Th of July last taking out a ring
of bark half an inch long near the trunk of
the vine. As a result tho grapes these arms
showed color six days before those on the OPP
pOsitc half. They were III for market Sept. 90
some 10 days in advance of the others and
the berries were much larger and sweeter
The gain in earliuess makes great difference
in the price of the fruit and later varieties
could bo grown when thus treated, which
would not ripen If left to themselves. The
grapes are larger and more attractive. and this
would counterbalauco the softness of the ber-
ries, condition which tho girdling seems to
cause
Mauurng ia also an important factor in
grape culture, aud tho way in which to apply
it is still more important factor. If you de-
sire fertilizers TO do your grapeyines the most
possible good, you must apply them where the
small roots will reach them. Applying fertil-
i2crs close to the stem is not the proper way.
Sometimes the little rootleis are deep in tho
soil. Then tho fertilizers should be buried
In thin soils they not deeply fixed.
PROTECT YOUR MANURE.
The December Bulletin Of Cornell Univer-
sity takes up two very important subjects for
the farmer. Il Is devoted to investigation on
the deterioration of larmyard manure by leach.
ing sud fermentation, aud on the effect Of grain
ration for COWS at pasture.
We dwell only on the experiment with
manure, for we think that that Is the most i'm
portant thing Of all in good farming. II Is our
intention to try aud make tho farmer realize
what important factor manure is TO make
farming Eucccss. We said recently that
every farmer should manufacture all. or almost
nil. the manure lao requires on his own farm
He should also know bow 10 treat the manure
when had. so that none of its value is lost and
on this was tho experiment. made.
The investigations haze been made on this
subject IN three main directions, viz: l. What
loss does horse manure suffer when thrown out
in pile, uusheltorcd from the weather? 2
What ioss docs mixed farmyard manure suffer
when piled In a close pile so that fermentation
is SLOW. but without protection from rainfall
3. Is there apprccRblo loss of valuable mat
ter when manure simply dries without fermon-
tation3
The summary Of tho above questions Is rs
follows: The results OF seasons trial
seem To show that horse manure thrown in "A
loose pile, and subjected 10 the action of the
elements will lose nearly one half OF its valua.
BILE icrtiliZug constituents in the course of six
months; that mixed horse and COW manure in
"A compact mass, aud so placed that all water
falling upon u quickly runs through and of, is
subjected to u considerable though not so great
a loss, and that no appreciablc loss takes place
when manure simply dries"
Wo hope now, that this experiment proves
that manure sheltered from the weather is bet
ter than that which is not, that all OF our readers
will promptly act OH this matter, and protect
the manure they make. This il not q new OK
pertinent, but has been found out many years
ago. But now that an experiment station has
taken up tho subject, tho attention Of farmers,
may perhaps bo drawn TO IL moro effectively
Tor few weeks at least-and then the very
Same thing will need TO be repeated, like an
echo, sounding from tho pages Of the agrieul-
tural papers from time TO time. Let us hope
that If any of our readers try this they will
keep 1t up,
WHERE THE LOSS OCCURS.
The loss in keeping poultry is mostly in
inc w lUttE Season, ana results from keeping
over until Spring stock that consumes food
without giving any return Such stock con.
sists, usually, Of immature pulcts, overt fat
hens, surplus cOckerels late-hatched chicks
and m0lting hens The food is not tho only
consideration in the matter, as the room is also
| taken up and occupied. A dozen laying hens
| in the entire flock have the duty of convincing
their owner that poultry pays, while the others
| eat their share Of the food and refuto the inn
| preston made by the profitable members Of the
| flock. Nearly all poultry houses contain un-
| profitable stock, and the only reason for per-
mltting such IS the expectancy Of each begin
| ming the work Of egg-prOduction daily. There
| is no halfway house in the matter of poultry
keeping and but little reliance can be placed
on the future. 1t is tho ever present that we
must meet, aud no one should attempt To wait
| for profit The best hens that are known
will iind it difficult to recover lost time, and
this is more applicable to the surplus stock,
that give no promise OF production until tho
! Spring rolls around. Loss Of time is loss of
profit, and the safest aud surest mode of avoid.
ing loss is To keep 40 unproductivc stock
Fam md Hreside
NOTES.
"A good paint for shngle roofs-that can be
applied cold aud dries quickly-can be made AS
follows: One barrsl 0i coal tar, 10 pounds of
asphaltum and 10 pounds of ground slate; mix
by tho aid OF heat aud add two gallons of dead
oil.
Every farmer should raise pigs and cure
his bacon. There is no meat equal to that pro-