The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-20

Hints to the Farmer.
Whitewash your trees il for no other
purpose than to give an appearance of
neatness to the orchard.
The young weeds may be kept down
with harrow if the field is worked Just
when the weeds are appearing.
DO not be afraid to use wood ashes on
any kind of fruit crop. Lime is also bene-
fetal on light sandy soils for fruits.
A peach orchard requires about the
came cultivation as corn. No grass should
ever be grown in the peach orchard.
Cut the young peach trees back the
first year, and have them low, which will
cause them to become stocky and less
liable to be shaken by winds
Plant more green peas, so as to have a
succession. Peas may be had on the
table until quite late in the summer if
crops are planted two weeks apart.
Plum trees are found on many farms,
but from which no fruit is taken. due to
the ravages of the curculio. This may be
prevented by giving some attention to
jarring the trees and killing the depreda-
tors.
Stone walls are a necessity on some
farms, as they provide places for deposit
ing the stones from the fields, but an old
stone fence is an excellent harboring place
for vermin and insects, being sometimes
detrimental.
The high price of feed is causing the
flocks of poultry to be reduced. But very
little food is necessary to be supplied at
this season if the fowls have range.
Hence it may be mistake to thin out the
tlOcks before fall.
Make the new strawberry plants grow
the first season. The yield of next year
will largely depend on the growth and
vigor of the plants from now until the
ground is covered with runners. An ap-
plication of some kind of fertilizer will be
beneficial
The little maggots found at the roots of
peach trees may be DESTROYED by remov-
ing the earth and pouring strong soap
suds around the tree. To each gallon of
soapsuds add four ounces of concentrated
I've. Air-slaked lime is also excellent tor
use, as it can be scattered freely around
the trees.
Commercial fertilizers do not stock the
farm with weeds, which is a matter that
should be considered when comparing the
cost of fertilizers with manure. As much
depends on the kind of fertilizers used, so
dlSO uOtS IluCil On tile
OF the manure and its freedom from the
seeds of weeds.
The borer in the peach trees should be
looked after now. If the borers are diff
cult to reach wrap piece of stiff paper
around the tree, leaving space for pouring
water in the paper. Bank up earth around
the paper, to support it, and pour boiling
water in the space between the paper
" and tho Ae tho hnIltnU
water will 60 into the holds made by the
borers the pests will be killed outright.
Cut away the limbs of cherry trees that
are attacked with black knot, and burn
the parts taken of and the disease NAV be
prevented, but unless destroyed by fire,
the parts removed will enable the disease
to spread by the dissemination of the
spores, which are carried to distant points
by the winds.
Have your asparagus bed near the
house, so as to permit of throwing your
soapsuds and refuse liquids on the bed.
In this way the crop can be made to
supply shoots of the largest size. Soap
suds make special fertilizer for aspara-
gus and celery, aud but little manure will
be required in addition.
Rough land can be brought to a fine
condition in year by cultivating it wi II
some crop that frequently requires the
use of the cultiva.or or hoe. Corn or
potatoes may be profitably grown on land
heavily in sod, and the land will be better
prepared for wheat or rye in the fall. II
requires a whole season TO get rid of grass
and weeds on rough land.
AS the grass and weeds are now grow
ing rapidly, the onion bed will need
looking after. No crop is more easily in
ured at first than onions. but after they
are well started they will thrive under
many disadvantages. Every square inch
of ground should be kept clean when the
plants are small, though it may neces-
state hand wedding between the plants
in the rows.
1t will be quite while before the main
crop of turnips goes in, but it will save
time to pillow the ground for turnips now
and manure it well. As often as the young
weeds come up go over the ground with
the Cultivator, which will not only incor-
Dorate the manure with the soil, but will
have the ground clear of weeds by the
time the turnip seed is sown. 1t is a cheap
and easy method, and saves much of the
labor that causes the cultivation OF tur-
njps to be Objectionable. The object
should be to induce the weeds to germin-
ate and destroy them all in advance.