The National tribune., 1891-08-27
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
NOTES.


10 bushels, and this is spread into as many
little heaps, each containing a bushel. The
first shower will pulverize il, and il can then
he easily and evenly spread. Lime Is one OF
the cheapest and most important fertilizers
that can be used on the farm, yet farmers do
not give il the place il ought to have as a fer
| tilizer. Lime is one Of the most important
factors that goes TO make up plant life. and
while il may be abundant in some lands, il
is nearly always insolublo. 1t is absolutely
necessary that lime should be in the soil in q
soluble condition, and while most ofthe fertiliz-
ers the farmer purchases contain lime. they do
not generally contain the required quantity.
Lime, 10 n certain extent, is found in horse and
COW manure, and If enough of this is applied TO
the land it may furnish the required amount Of
limo needed by the plants while maturing.
Lime is SO cheap however. that we do not see
why farmers should not use il direct, as il is
the easiest aud surcst way.
When millet is in full blossom, and before
the seed hardens. is the best time to gather it,
II does not take long to cure, aud in less than
one day, il the sun is shining, it can be put
away in the barn. If cut later than this il
rapidly decreases in value, and tho fodder is
indigestible aud the horses are apt to be in
jured by the awns, which arc quite sharp.
The skin-deep, thickened and scabby ex-
crescence which appears upon the skin Of the
potato, and which perhaps is better known as
the potato scab, has been found to have been
caused by minute parasite. This parasite
exists in the soil, and when the skin of the
potato has been injured by any worms or in
sects these parasites are ready 10 begin their
work and the scab commences. Many farmers
were Of the opinion that the seab was caused
by the so called wire-worm, commonly known
as tho thousand legs, and they are right, but
the disease is not directly caused by them, as
they simply pierce tho skin and these parasites
do the rest. This disease is not only begun
by the wire-worm. While the potato patch Is
being cultivated with an implement, the i'm
piement is liable 10 scratch or iujGre the skin
Of the potato, and the parasites take advantage
Of this. Thus il Is seen that the real cause Of
the disease is in the soil, and the best way TO
get rid Of this pest is to use the ground for
other crops. This is tho most profitable way to
get rid of them. The parasites can be killed
by starvation; or, IN other words. let the
ground lilo idle for a season or so, and they will
have nothing upon which to feed. But the
farmer cannot well afford to let the ground lie
idle, and the best way is TO plant some other
crop upon the infected land. That the pest
which caused the scab was in the soil was dis
covered by Prof Roland Thaxter, of Connec-
ticut. who noticed that the majority Of the dis
aaupH crtatq rangrv,r.rSaI - Il
mold-liko appearance, which was most prom
inent about the edges OF the growing spots,
and frequently visible to the naked eye. This
grayish matter was carefully examined and
found 20 consist Of masses of loosely coherent
bactoria-like bodies Of various lengths. Il was
found that these gray parasites invariably &C
companied the disease wherever il was exist
ing. Successful efforts were made 10 cultivate
the bacteria. The cultivated germs were in
troducei into sound growing potatoes by means
Of needle The point Of inoculation began
showing the disease after three days, and sub
sequently developed into IFS ordinarily mature
stage which was accompanied by the grayish
mobilize appearance as in the scab.
There Is money in tie raising Of pecans, and
we have been urging orr readers who live in
sections Of the country suitable for the raising
Of such to sot ont an orchard Of pecan trees.
They will thrive very well in the Southern
States, and they need rich alluvial bottom
lands. The deeper the soil the better, as a tree
will thrive and bear twice as much on rich
valley than on poor land. The selecting Of the
nuts is one Of the main points with which to
start right, as a soft-shelied, large full-meated
nut will always bring high price, and the
tree takes the same amount Of care as a small
nut tree; therefore il is advisable to get the
best seed nuts when starting. The nuts ought
TO DO planted as soon as gathered, or if not
planted Immediately, soaked in water for four
or five days before planting. The trees need at
tention for the first three or four years, and
after that they can take care Of themselves.
The only thing necessary Is TO have the ground
soft, Loose and clean. The less pruning the
trees receive the better, as they cannot stand
much pruning. The tree, like everything else,
has its enemies, which must be fought If per-
son wishes TO be successful. The wood louise is
one Of its worst enemies. They make their
way to the nut and eventually to the tap root,
and thus kill tho tree In the Winter the rab-
bits have to 10 fought, as they gnaw the trees
TO the ground. In the early Spring the bud
worm gets into the buds aud kills them. The
bud worm, however, does not begin his depre-
dations until the tree IS two or three years old
AIr. i. A. Swinden. Brownwood. Tex, who has
a farm Of over 400 acres set out with pecan
trees, has device which prevents the rayages
Of the wood louise and rabbit. lie uses boz
crates is inches high, Of cypress wood and
tarred bottoms, which he places around the
tree. This same gentleman has II 600 trees In
his orchard, aud, placing the yield of each at a
bushel, which Is very low estimate, this
would give the yield of II 900 bushels. The
nuts readily sell at S per bushel. which make
the entire crop worth $4,000. Allowing 5000
for polishing, gathering aud hullng, he has a
net profit Of $4,000. He had lost many thou
sand trees by the wood lou5e, rabbits, and other
means before lie was able TO stop their deyasta.
tiOns.
The green lice, or aphides, are again at work
in New York aud other sections. The best
way to destroy them is by showerlng some ex-
tremely fine dust ia the trees and among the
leaves. Spraying with London purple or Paris
green Is Of no use as the aphides do not feed
by eating the leaves, but by sucking tho Juice |
from them.
The July report Of the Statistician Of u. s. !
Department of Agriculture, devoted to areas
and conditions of growing crops, places the
United States acreage of corn, compared with |