The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-03-06
FARM NOTES.
CHECKING CORN AND AN EXCELLENT
RECEIPT FOR KILLING JOHN
son GRASS.
How to Save Trees, the vital Neces-
sity for Good County
Roads.

This column is edited by Mr.. John C.
Edgar of Duval, to whom all communica-
ions should be addressed.
CHECKING CORN.
EDITOR STATESMAN Il am very
much pleased with your Farm Notes
as you give lot of information that
will do farmers good. Your way Of
planting corn is very good but l think
checking is better than planting close
in the row and then thinning to a
stand as you can pillow both ways. |
always plant 4 feet by 4 and leave
two stalks to the hill and make full
crop if anybody does. My land is
black prairie land and l plant from
March l to March 10. Respectfully.
A. F. G..
The check system is a good one for
all crops needing much cultivation, as
it lessons both labor and expense and
puts the soil in better condition to
resist drouth than when the painting
is done in drills. ED.
HOW TO KILL JOHNSON GRASS.
In reply to J. B. S., whose fields are
being overrun with johnson grass to
the injury Of other crops and who
asks for some way of getting rid of it.,
| would say that the only sure and
certain way to kill out johnson is to
cover all affected fields with layer of
rock twelve inches deep. roll it down
till it is solid mass then lay over
this foundation a covering of Port
land cement six inches thick taking
care that no cracks are left or "this
valuable forage plant" will come to
top. Let this cover remain for fifty
years and the cure will be complete.
The usual remedies for wire and
other noxious grasses such as sum-
mer blowing, planting in sorghum,
etc, only encourage johnson" and
it is a waste of time to try them. The
above recipe is the only reliable one.
1t may become question whether it
will pay to apply the remedy. Proba-
bly, it won't. In that case the best
thing to be done is to sell out to some
one who wants johnson" and "can't
farm without it," and move, if posi-
BILE, thousand miles away from the
pest.
HOW TO SAVE TREES.
The injuries done to trees by borers,
rabbits and mice have so discouraged
many people that they have given up
the fight. Should this meet their eye
they should read the following re-
cipe by j. Faith, recently published in
the Southern Horticultural Journal
Use a wash made as follows: Fresh
lime Stacked with soft water (old SOAP
suds is best), make the wash the con
sistency of whitewash for house Oh
fence. Where one peck of lime il
used, while hot add one-half gallon
crude carbolic acid COSTS 5 cents)
one-half gallon gas tar COSTS 10 cents)
and four pounds of sulphur; still
well.
TO USE FOR SUMMER WASH.
Leave gas tar out and add in place
of it one gallon of soft soap. WASH
the last of May or June. If the miller
has laid the egg which produces the
borer, this wash is death to the egg
and millers, moths and beetles will not
deposit their eggs in Il tree thus
washed The wash prescribed viii
prevent both apple and peach tree
bOrers.
Wash the trunk, branches anc
limbs as far as the rough bark goes
A man or boy can wash 200 to 5O(
trees a day with a 3O-cent flat palm
brush.
To keep rabbits and sheep from
girdling, wash late in the fall or abou
the time of frost, as high as they cal
reach. | would not neglect washing
my trees for fifty times its cost.
A weak I've is very useful and per
fectly safe tree wash.
Old soap suds that has stood few
days after use will keep the bari
smooth and the borers off. ii tree
are washed two or three times in sum
mer season with one pint of crud
carbOlic acid added to fifteen gallons
of old soap suds will keep insect
off for months. Many other washe
will keep insects from killing trees
but some are injurious instead of ben
fetal.
GOOD ROADS.
Mr.. John M. Stahl writing to thu
American Rural Home on the subjec
of choosing n new home says:
The roads of this country arr
noted for their exceeding badness
But as there are degrees of guilt IL
the heinous crime of murder, or a
some roses are more lovely THAI
others, so comparisons may be made
of our highways; some are worse thar
others and it is well to locate tina
new farm in neighborhOod blessed
with good roads. While good road
enhance the price of farm land i'll thu
neighborhood, the difference in price
does not equal the value of the al