Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-06-24
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
Rotation OF Crops and Clean Culture

Hxotat1Om u NfOps nmo SIeAm tuAuEes
1t ia not necessary to rest the soil
The old naked summer fallow has given
place to more modern and scientific
practice. Given a sufficient amount of
humus aud potash in the soil, nitrogen is
evolved. The annual breaking down of
the PARTICLES of mineral Inorganic mat
ter Is going on constantly in well-eulti-
waited soils. In soils badly cultivated
this remains largely inert. 1t is the
oxygen of the air that is chiefly active
in this. Water, a. it comes from the
clouds, is natures universal solvent.
Bad management will quickly and Ger
tainly exhaust the soil; but all soils,
however rich, are certainly exhausted II
more is taken from them than Is given
back. This, it is true, may come very
largely from the great store-hOuse of
fertility, the atmosphere, but one must
know how to get it out The secret is {:
Careful rotation and clean cultivation -
Frairie Farmer.
Educate the Children.
One great danger AS a republic is the
city, and ore of its most alarming dan
gers ia the large number of children that
are growing up in it without proper ed
ucation. The anarchist desires to teach
his child the principle of resistance to
constituted government. lie does not
desire him to attend school in house
over which the American flag floats.
Already there have been established
Anarchist Sunday schools, in which
blood and thunder and rebellion to so
cial laws and customs are the gospel
taught. There is only one thing that
can be done and ought to be done with
the children of such parents, and that is
to take them and put them where they
can he properly Observation-Disclosures to
be decent men and women and educated
to be loyal American citizens.- Western
Rural.
Building the silo.
Silos built in the BAYS of barns have
proved very satisfactory, and whoever
desires to experiment with the least out
iay win find this an excellent method.
Studs set up about the bay, resting
against the beams. double boarded on
the inside with buildiug paper between,
il the simplest plan and recommended
by many. II the bay reaches TO the
ground no floor is needed; if it is over
the basement second floor should be
laid over the old one with building paper
between. The roof Of the barn saves
expense In that direction. Glover en-
silage has generally given an excellent
account of itself, the only eases of
failure coming from putting it in either
too green or too dry. The best stage
for cutting appears to be when fourth
of the clover heads appear to turn brown.
just about the time, in fact, for making
the best hay. IL put in greener than
this the excess of water gives the
ensilage an unpleasant odor; if cut when
older the clover is so dry that il is apt to
mould Breeier's Gd=ette.
The Potato Beetle.
We learn from many places that the
potato beetle is proving this summer
much less numerous than usual. The
fact, wherever il be n fact, il probably
due to the excessive amount of rains last
winter. keeping the soil filled with water.
The potato beetle goes in the ground or
finds hiding place under some rubbish,
where, incased in frozen soil. and him
self in torpid state, he a waits the coming
of spring to reach the surface and begin
the seasons work. Wet weather in
winter instead of cold spells such calcu-
lations. The torpid insect of any kind
cannot protect itself from water, and
soon perishes. But In localities where
the soil is naturally so dry that it is
never saturated for a day at a time, or
where stone heaps or other rubbish offer
a dry shelter, the instinct of the beetle
leads it to choose places where it will be
most secure from the chief dangers that
threaten it.-Imericda Ca'tfrafor.
Have Good Tools.
Good farming is incompatible with the
many wastes going on all the time on
average farms One of the greatest of
these common wastes is the labor thrown
away on the use of poor tools. 1t should
be known by all that, in this country.
serviceable machinery aud good tools
are much cheaper than labor. This is
especially true Of the smaller and mex
pensive tools. A dull, clumsy hoe OF a
poor axe often consumes in a single day
such an extra amount of labor above
what bright, sharp hoe OF axe would
require. that the new tools could be paid
for by the saving of that one DAYS ex-