The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-13
Mr.. Somefville spoke on apples:

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Have lived in Minnesota (Olmsted
county, for thirty years; for the past
rs years / have raised apples every
year. got tired of the tender east
ern varieties, and then successfully
tried the Russian, At the last state
fair l had 65 excellent varieties OF
these. l began in '62. / secured 200
Russian scions, hardly any two alike;
set out 400 trees, the Russian prom
iScuOuSly among the rest. The latter
are still strong and vigorous, but the
rest have disappeared long ago. The
freezing and thawing on the south
side of the tree, prevent by leaning
the tree to the southwest and keeping
it there with stake and string until
it gets set. A tree leaning that
way will not sun blight anywhere.
Cultivate the trees until they begin
bearing, but not later, as the cultiva-
tiOn would injure the roots. After
that mulch well. This will hold the
moisture Ia very important item) and
also delay development in the spring
by holding the frost in the ground
till danger of freezing is over. Some
of the Russian varieties are as good as
anything we have in America: also
some are verypoor ones, which l dig up.
In answer to questions: Set In
rows II feet apart and II feet a part
in the row, breaking joints. / root
graft, using the full top, root. Bores
do not trouble if hogs are allowed to
run in the. orchard. l raised 400
bushels Of apples last year. Do very
little pruning: always on the north
west side, and in June. Heavy mulch
ing prevents fire blight.
John Gould on the Silo:
We need a silo. All prophecies of
about them lately discovered, but the
old thing has been proved. The old
fashioned sour ensilage was good, but
the modern sweet article is much.bet-
ter. Use the largest kind of corn that
will mature in this state, and let it
stand until it hardenS and begins to
dent. The corn in the silo loses II
per cent of it's substance, that in the
middle of the stack % per cent. OF
the ensilage one per cent. remains
undigeSted; of the fodder ten per
cent. Modern improvements cheaper
the cost. The stone SilO is now un-
necessary; likewise the lath and plast-
cred one. Mine is cheap wooden
one and just as good as any. Use
cheap lumber, board double, breaking
cracks and putting paper between.
Coal tar and gasoline make the best
paint | have found. Ii possible put
the silo inside of the barn. This
saves roofing and outside covering.
Corn can be put into the SilO cheaper
than it can be cared for any other
way. | raised 100 bushels per acre
and it cost me, all told, 80 cents ton
to put in the silo. l feed each COW,
on an average, so pounds day, with
three pounds of clover hay and lit
tie bran.
JOHN GOULD ON HOGS.
We cannot afford to feed hogs or
by brush fence or not sheltered at
of cheap lumber. A hog roots TO find
should supply him. Save all the cobS;
dig conicai opening in. the ground
five feet across and five feet deep;
cover with sheet iron. Put in fire,
and then basket of cobS; when these
get nicely started fill up with cobs,
cover up, and leave for II hours. Then
you will have the finest charcoal. Mix
five bushels charcoal, two quarts air.
stacked lime, eight quarts salt, and
three peckS of wood ashes. Dissolve
II lbs. of copperas in large pailful of
warm water. Pour this over the mix
ture, stirring constantly. Put the
mixture in self-feeding box and let
the hogs get at it. Give the hogs all the
dry salt they want, but no brine. l
always raise patch of peas. Man
ure the ground heavily in the fall,
pillow, and in spring drag, sow the peas
broadcast, turn them under five inches
deep, and sow the patch to oats. The
two come up together and the oats
support the peas. | have tried other
depths but / find five inches the best.
[ always plant squash in my cornfield,
but may not be able odo that here
after, owing to the kind of cultivator
use. If not, will put in the squash
separately. get IA lbs. of meat, live
weight, from "a lbs. of feed. Blue
grass is excellent for brood sows but
no good for GROWING hOUS