The record-union., 1891-02-09

1ne Que8tlOn OF the money Valuo OF
wood ashes-the price that farmer can
afford to pay-is SO frequently asked that
it may as well be answered here. The
chemical composition of ashes varies con-
siderably, according to the plants or parts
of plants, from which it has been derived:
the smaller the wood, or the more of
weeds or other herbaceous material there
was in it, the more valuable the ash; but,
taking broad average, a bushel (say As
pounds) Of wood ashes would, according
to the ordinary valuation of the ingredi-
ents,. be worth about 25 to 80 cents-that
is, the valuable ingredients could be
bought at wholesale for that amount of
money. This does not mean that such
will be the value to each individual farmer,
for he who does not need the fertil-
izer will get no return for the time being,
while he who needs it badly will get good
on his investment. Potash and
phosphoric acid are the two substances
that one would pay for in ashes. Now
potash is rarely wanted in our soils as
yet, SO the chief value would be in the
phosphoric acid, which we need badly,
and the value of which in average ash
may be put at about 2 per cent, thus
making the ash on that score worth about
6 cents per bushel; 10 cents may be taken
State, under the usual conditions.
AS for coal ash, it is ordinarily not
worth transporting to the ground, unless
when, in very tenacious adobe, it may
serve to render the soil less refractory
e. W. Hitgardm Pacific RuraI Press.
STRAIGHT TALK.
A Mansfield, Texas, correspondent of
the Dallas Netcs writes: / found $500 to-
day, and l know who it belongs to, but /
won't tell. 1t was in an old turning row,
way out in the field. 1t belongs to a man
who calls himself farmer, but can man
be farmer, prosperous farmer, and let
it comes? The 1900 that l found was a
thrasher. Did that man need that
thrasher? Ifso, why don't he take care
Of it? Was that all / found? No.
found a cotton planter which cost S11, a
turning plow which cost $40, and double
shovel which cost SIS. His crib has no
roof on it; his corn gets wet and rots. Is
there any wonder that there is no money
in the country? The same mans cattle
are standing in the fence corners, and
you can count every rib in them.
WHEAT ROOTS.
AS usually grown, wheat has two sets
of roots, one springing from the seed,
which strike downward, while second
set start out near the surface and spread
out horizontally. This indicates too deep
covering OF seed. Let it be covered shall
low, so that the first roots will strike out
laterally, and the wheat plant will be
much better to stand the winter. If there
is a firm bed under the seed bed, the plant
may not strike down until after winter
frosts have loosened it, and made it mel
low and rich with the plant food in the
subsoi1 that it needs frosts to make avail
able. The great point in having the
wheat stand The winter well is to have as
much lateral growth near the surface as
- DO Il
to prevent it from freezing, but to pre-
vent those frequent alternations of freez-
ing and thawing tha..are most the dread
OF Northern wheat-growers.
CHANGING EGGS.
One of the practices among farmers is
changing eggs with each other i'll order to
avoid in-breeding. In the first place, the
eggs themselves are a risk, and no one
can tell what they may produce, perhaps
no two chicks from them being alike and
no breeding of value i'll the stock. In the
second place, the changing of eggs makes
the tiocks in community all OF one
blood, SO that really nothing can be
gained by the practice after it has been
persisted in for while. Get pure bred
males from some source, or eggs from
some breeder of pure breeds. II you
must cross, do it correctly. Do not waste
time in the attempt to better your flock
by changing eggs for some nondescript
stock that has no merit nor possesses any
advantage. 70 improve a flock, one
should know the Kind of stock he is
using, and what can be expected from it.
The changing of eggs is a practice usually
pursued by those who do not know the
value of breeds, and such persons should
not be encouraged.
FARM NOTES.
Poultry droppings should be mixed
with the manure from animals, and it will
then keep better and give better results.
Begin now and scatter air-slaked lime
around the grape vines, first cleaning up
all the debris of last year, and you viii
thus assist in preventing the rot next sea-
son.
A New York farmer raised an acre of
suntlowers for seed, and found that the
seed was an excellent addition to grain
for the use of hogs and poultry, Small
mill being used to grind it for hogs.
The stalks made excellent kindling
wood and the heads and seeds Were
ground together.
Since the introduction of the tomato,
says the Michigan Farmer, no vegetable
has 50 rapidly changed it's position from
luxury, cared for by few, to neces-
sity, eaten by everybody, as celery has
done. Its production is constantly in
to keep pace with it.
The hens need to work. Thousands
of poultry-raisers get no eggs in
winter because the hens do not have to
work for a living. They get too fat and
cannot lay. Keep deep layer of chaff' or
cut straw in the hen-house and scatter
wheat or corn among it, and let the hens
scratch for it and get exercise and they
will lay eggs.
If you cannot grind or pulverize the
old bones you can reduce them by laying
them IN wood ashes and keeping the
mass damp mot Wet. A small quantity
of urine poured over the bones and ashes
occasionally will hasten the decomposi-
ton OF the bones. If you cannot do this
bury the bones around the fruit trees and
grape vines.
One great point in favor of artificially
Matched chickens is that they rarely have
q bug or insect upon them. This alone
helps to reduce the cost by death and aids
in bringing them up strong and healthy.
Too often the nest i'll which the chickens
are Matched is so foul with parasites that
the chicks have but little chance to get a
start in the world.
Smallspotatoes, though not so attrac-
tive in market, are just as valuable on the
farm as those that are large. They can
be cooked and fed to the COWS, hogs or
poultry, and will provide an agreeable
change of food for them. If turnips are
added to tho potatoes and small guam
tity Of bran sprinkled over the mess, the
whole will be improved, as well as more
highly reiished.
Do not fall into the idea that you know
everything about farming. The world is
progressing, and in no other department
Is there more progress being made these
days than in agriculture. We can all
learn-learn from experience, from one
another and from those who are making
life study of the science OF farming-and
the more we learn the better we are pre-
pared to make success of our business.
Carrots are regarded as promoting the
strength and endurance of the horse in
high degree. They are much esteemed
as feed for sick and convalescent horses
In health carrots may be given sliced in