The National tribune., 1891-10-15
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
MOTIFS.


The olive is destined to become great source
of wealth in this country. 1t is emphatcally
the poor mans tree, furnishing him what IS
next in value 70 bread. 1t will grow on any
kind of soil. and flourish where little or any
thing else will. No soil is too poor to raise
olive trees. Once planted-and they can be
started from seeds, slips or euttings-they pTac-
tieally live forever. Olive trees are known that
have a history of more than 1000 years, aud It IS
probable that the trees which are growing on
the Mount of Olives to-day are the same ones
under which the Savior spent His night OF
agony. In Asiatic Turkey, and the south oil
Europe, eight or 10 olive trees are as much to
man as a herd Of cattle or a flock of sheep 20 a
man in this country. In warm climates It largely
takes the place of butter. milk aud meat. In
this country it grows well aud produces largely
rs far north as the southern boundary OF North
Carolina, and perhaps could be made to do well
still farther north. In California 1t has been
found TO be very profitable crop. IL will
grow on the rOckiest hillsides, in sand and
gravel, and the stiiIrst kind Of clay. In fact,
no soil has yet been found in which it will not
do we'll If started from slips it will begin TO
produce in three years.
Analysis of individual beets indicates that
maturity, moro than size. determines the sugar
contents of the beet. A high weight Of leaves
as compared with the roots was no evidence OF
higher sugar content, but rather the reverse.
An interest in fruit culture would be- grand
thing for thousands Of women whose lives now
arc nearly useless and who have delicate
health" A good deal Of tho work fruit culture
requires they could attend to without diff
Guilty, and delicate health !" would soon dis
appear if accompanied by other good sanitary
rules. Massachusetts PloWmdH.
Instead OF filling bay window with pOtted
| Towering plants exclusively, a few pots Of
Strawberries would be q pleasant addition. Why
not, indeed? A few sauceTs Of early straw
| berries would be better than TO have only
| flowers in the window Massachusetts, PlO,CmaH.
With drug store in the stable there will
/ always be sick horses. without drugs and
with careful feeding aud good care a horse may
/ 60 through a long. hard service and die OF old
/ age at 30 or 81 years. Practical FdTlnsT
II plant happens to get frost bitten before
! il can be taken into the house il should be kept
out Of the sunshine and be well wateTed.
! This will most likely revive il. Sprinkling the
| leaves aud shading the plant are the best means
Of repairing damages.
MOISTURE FOR POTATOES.
The worst enemy Of the potato grower is
drouth. The potato is largely composed Of
water, and if water holds out on reasonably fer
tile soil the tubeTs will grow until they natu-
rally ripen. Only a small part Of the potato
| crop is grown under such fortunate conditions
| Ia the Spring there Is always moisture enough
| In the soil, butit dries out and by Midsummer,
between the potato crop ani weeds little is left,
| aud the potato tops die down before their
time, leaving the crop not only deficient in
/ amount but poor in quality. How TO keep the
I IL nm i'm
portant 10 making a good potato crop. The
first requisite is sabsOil blowing. This greatly
increases the capacity Of the soil for holding
moisture. On = sub-sOiled field rains sink
deeper and the moisture does not evaporate so
fast. The second requisite in holding moisture
is 10 plOw under green manure, clover sod
better than anything else, because its roots in
the subsoil help to Furnish moisture 10 that.
The third requisite for keeping potato ground
moist IS thorough and frequent, but not deep,
cultivation Of the entire surface. This keeps
weeds down. aud one or two inches Of fine,
loose soil make the best mulch for retaining
the moisture below IL. The best time 10 culti-
vate is after a rain. when the surface is per
haps moi-teT than the soil an inch or two be-
low IT, Turning shc moist soil under aud the
dry soil mp saves moisture from the speedy
/ evaporation which would di-spate 10 on soils
not cultivated until the surface had dried. In
this way even very light showers, hardly more
than "A good dew. may he made 10 furnish
moisture for the cr0p.-dmericH CWttrdt0r.
WASTED FERTILITY.
When the water in rayincs is dscOlOred By
the drainage from the barnyaTds which border
them. somebody is paying dearly for his i'm
providence aud llziness, says Drainage Journal
There may have been some excuse for first set
tiers locating their feeding yards in sheltered
places along the streams, but the practice Ough
10 have been abandoned long ago. The yard
should be- removed from the rayincs and placed
on high ground. IL such places are uecessaril!
bleak, shelter should be erected. Keep you
= stock confined 10 the yards aud stables as muCl
AS possible, and bed them well with straw o
refuse from the haystacks. Permit no prairi
= hay or straw 10 remain in tho field becaus
y useless for feeding. Haul IL into the yard {
: increase the size and value of the manure hear
[, Manure made aud kept under shelter is wort
, double that made in the open yard, exposed
, drenching rains which take away its mos
= valuable elements.
: WASTE oF POULTRY FOOD.
c II the poultry. keeper finds that his profit
n do not meet his rational expectations, let hi
: first inquiry be whether proper economy ha
/, been practieed IN the matter OF feeding; ~
one OF tho most common errors in poultry yard
h is too great supply of food, SO that grea
Z, deal which is given remains uneaten, while Oh
4 fowls show their examining By listlessly stand
"A l ing about, ana IN the diminishing NUMBER
{, eggs and quality Of chickens, says Poultry Vor
y, Probably most breeders err Ia this matter Il
e how few there are who feed with such care as
. make full allowance for the season. the healt
: OF the flock aud the variation IN their numbt
- aud size Yet all these causes bring abOI
- considerable difference in the amount of fee
" needed. The best way IS 10 experiment car
- fully. mixing up small portion OF food, an
= when this is eaten, feeding again, If necessar,
n aud remembering that ono extreme, that
=. over feeding is rs bad as the other 1t may
" worse for in cases where the fowls have an
p run, they will, If underfed, scratch about a
En- lively, and supply the lacking quantity then
- selves, thing desirable, Also for other reasol
.; than economy. The exercise renders the fOY
> healthy aud vigorous, and where poultry
=: kept simply for amusement, 1T will be fouI
Il. that the display il always most pleasing whe
e, the flock is hunting for iood.-OfaHgs Ja'
=, Farmer.
%. The fame OF the Ohio Improved Chester no
I. continues TO reach foreign countries. Alter ma
40 ing shipments 81 this famous breed OF hogs ia
~ various parts Of Canada. South America, MexiC
., and Europe sTIiE l.. 10. SILVER Co, CLEvELAN
- ONO recently sold pair Of this popular breed
~ senior jose 4. Perez Santa Clara, Cuba who Is o
~ Of the many enterprising agrie1ltuTiss OF that
- aud.
- n any Of our readers desire description Of Il
~ famous breed write the company, as above.
a