The National tribune., 1891-09-24
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
NOTES.

The glory of Orange County, n. Y, as q
! butter-pUodueer has passed away. There are
whole Townships in which good butter cannot
! be made. This is attributed to the negligence
| OF the farmers in allowing the daisy and wild
carrot to get so strong foothold. These are
bitter herbs, and inevitably spoil the butter
when present in the pasture or the hay.
Whenever farmer sends the heifer calf Of
| n good COW TO the butcher he is killing the hen
that lays the golden egg. A farmer can raise
| his cows far better than no can buy them, and
/ he knows what he has got when he has raised
/ them, too.
1t seems safe to say that under the ordinary
conditions Of piling and exposure the loss Of
fertilizing materials during the course of the
/ Summer is not likely TO be much below 80 per
cent. OF the original value OF the manure.
A practical farmer in Pennsylvania an
nounces his determination to make his fields
average him from 800 to 5000 per acre. He
believes that this is quito possible.
Mr.. Hopkins, Of Niagara County, N. Y, has
Bartlett pear orchard two acres in extent
This year no sold the pears OF it for $500 last
/ year for 5000, and the year before for $1,000.
Mr.. J. +. White, OF Mt Morris, n. Y, is not
| only wonderfully successful peach grower,
/ but he more than completes successfully with
the Kalamazoo cclcry-growers, and gets much
better prices for his product than they can.
| Where they get II cents a stalk he gets p for
all that he sends 10 market. He has field Of
80 acres, which produce him over $1,000 a
year, or $3.50 an acre. lie is a splendid Organi-
ger and manager, and has everything about
/ his place systematized to the highest point. SO
that every stroke of work tells
| The favorite grape with the growers about
| Nauyoo, H., is the Concord, on account Of its
hardness and productiyeness. The Cottage,
which is a Seeding Of the Concord, is smaller
in bunch and berry, but more compact, sweeter
and ripens earlier. The Early Victor. which
is very much the same kind Of grape. is OK
/ tensyely grown. Moore's Early is becoming
more popular every year. The most popular
white grape is the Niagara and next to it the
! Elyira, which is very popular as a wine-gTape.
The navy bean is the best 10 raise As a crop.
About u bushels seed are required to the acre,
and the yield will be from % to 80 bushels.
| II is a mistake to think that bees are mimi
cal to fruits They never puncture the skins
Of sound fruits, but feed of those which have
been injured by birds or other enemies.
Kansas farmers find that the best wheat crops
follow blowing when tho ground is very dry.
A good wheat crop will take fully 30 pounds
Of phosphoric acid from every acre. This must
DO replaced with about one-half more, IL wheat
is to be raised on the same ground the follow
ing year.
All danger from tho Hessian fy may be
avoided by delaying the sowing OF wheat until
after sharp frost.
To test melons il a difficult matter, and
a Georgia farmer, who has been annoyed by
mistakes made i'm attempting 10 determine
when melons are ripe by humping them, now
judges by scraping OF the thin rind with his
thumb nail III the edges Of the skin on each
side OF the scar arc iclt ragged or granulatcd
the melon is ripe. but il the edges Of the scar
arc smooth and even the thumb. nail dug into
the Tind in places and tie skin does not come
OF clean then the melon is green. The test
can be made on two melons, one green and the
other ripe.
CARE or MANURE.
The New York Experiment Station has for
two years been carefully experimenting as to
loss in valUe Of stable mauures which are
thrown outside and exposed to the action Of
the weather. II finds that the loss is much
greater in horse than COW manure, and after a
long description Of its methods OF testing it
gives the following table Of results, which it
has arrived At couCiuziyely, as 70 losses by
Bt.rhIwv and frrFnrut rff.u