The National tribune., 1891-09-03
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
MOTIFS.

always, Winter and Summer. II is not very
good 10 give poultry corn during the day, as it
is not very conducive to egg laying. The fowls
should go to bed with n full stomach, and corn,
aside from its bullziness. takes some time TO
digest, and on this account we recommend it.
Corn is also a heat producer, and the fowls need
such during the night.
Sheep arc undoubtedly the best weed killers
alive. They not only destroy the weeds, but
manure the ground, which is greatly to the
farmers advantage. Weeds will spring up in
every nook and corner and kill the plants
which ought to live According to Rural Life
weeds are better than nothing. They have
their own uses. Nature abhors bleak ex-
panse Of soil, and properly sends weeds to cover
the nakedncss Grass is the bencdietiou Of
nature" When man ruthlcssly destroys grass
nature pau5es a brief period aud then gathers
herself for action aud covers the ground with
weeds. Why is this? IL is because valuable
food materials are all through the growing
season being showered from the clouds, washed
down aud absorbed from the atmosphere, elab-
GRATED by wonderful alchemy in the soil, and
this store OF nutriment will leach out and be
lost If no living roots are in the soil to seize
and hold it. For this purpose are weeds sent.
When we kill weeds wo should have crop
ready 10 gather up the nutrment When the
crop is removed, blowing or cultivatiny at once.
so rank vegetation will spring up, saves the
fertility Of the soil as elaborated Weeds in
the cornfold or potato patch will not do, be-
cause they take up the nutriment before the
corn or potatoes can get it. They DO not ex-
haust the soil. They save soil fertility. While
a crop is growing weeds cannot be tolerated,
for the crop needs the nourishment They are
crop robbers, but not soil robbers; rather may
they be called soil restorcrs.
Turnips may be sown from now until the
first week in August. Il IS best to put the
seed Ia with a turnip-drill, but it may be sown
broadcast, using from one pound to a pound
and half per acre. If put in so late as this,
a good season is necessary TO perfect the crop.
There is a possibility that the honey crop
may be a failure. The white clover was a
failure, what little bloom there was yielding
sparingly. In some regions Eastwood had an
of year, and in other sections events were such
that little honey has been gathered. Illinois
will perhaps have the best crop, as everything
in that State was all right.
Every farmer should be a specialist Of some
kind. That is while he ought to be able to do
all kinds Of farming fairly well, he should
strive 70 do some one thing especially well.
Let this be fruit-growing, DECREASING, hog
raising corn OF wheat culture, or whatever
branch Of farming he may prefer. lie will
make his biggest profit on his specially, but
have his other branches to feed it, and be a
stOp-gap in the years when there may DO a
failure or Improbable prices in his speciality.
Some California farmers struck It rich by intro
ducing the pampas grass. The first really known
in this country Of the plant was in 1874, when
a florist at Santa Barbara sent few pIumes to
a New York firm. The firm Immediately sent
back an order for GOO moro. Then the demand
for them began, and for some years they brought
rs high as 5000 per 1000. As an acre can pro-
duce 10000 fine pIume5, it will DO seen how
profitable this was. Now the price is but so
per 900 select plumes, Int even at this rate
tho pampas raisers cannot be said to be starv-
ing. Great quantities are sent to England and
Germany.
IL IS better to have one ear on stalk OF corn,
and that big one, than two Of medium or in
ferior size. II there are more than one they
arc sure to be inferior. One is as much as a
stalk should be required to produce and it does
its whole duty if it makes that fine one
The French make an asparagus bed begin to
produce in the third or fourth year, and con-
tinue for 10 or 20 years, and yield four tons to
the acre.
Wheat, oats. rye and barley draw their sub
sistenco from the upper five or six inches of
soil peas, beans. and such GO down from four
to six inches deeper, aud alfalfa reaches down
as far as 10 inches for its nutriment This is
the reason that alfalfa does not impoverish,
but rather improves tho soil for small grains.
WHEAT II MISSOURI.
The Missouri Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton has just completed series Of yaluble ex-
periments on the different varieties of wheat.
Sixty-three different varieties were planted.
and the yields which were carefully com
pounded, give the Early Oakley first place.
with yield of 40 bushels to the acre, while
the German Emperor brought up the rear with
% bushels. Tho Oakley, however, has been
found to yield well only under favorable con-
ditions. suffering greatly in hard Winters The
Fultz variety, the wheat most in use in this
State, was pronounced the best. Its yield is
not so great as some other varieties, being 80
bushels, but it is remarkably hard, and the
straw is very still, but five per cent. being down.
while with the Oakley 90 per cent. was down.
ROLLING LAND.
The results Of rolling the land are entirely
different rs the land and its condition differ.
Upon light, sandy soil il should never be
used. IL then makes the surface so compact
that IL dries out too quickly and is apt 10 be-
como baked and crusted. Stony land is always
benefited by the roller. It smOOths the surface
aud presses the stones into the soil. where they
attract aud hold tho moisture IL is on clay
land that the roller may be used 10 the most adj
vantage or the most injury. After the land
has been plowCd, especially in the usual dry
weather 10 this time Of the year, it remains
lumpy and hard. Then the roller is required
10 bring the soil into proper condition for the
seed. IL is the best implement that can DO
devised TO break the clOds and prepare the
ground for the harrow
Now, tho roller, ia passing over the ground
brushes the clods aud presses them into the
soil. Then comes the harrow and tears uU
these broken clods and separates them, bring
ing them 10 the surface and settling the fine
soil 20 tho bottom. IL tho operation has not
been fully effective il Is repeated, and more
crushing Of the cl0ds is done; more narrowing
then follows, and the surface is made finer,
while the soil under 10 is more mellow and
compact. Then we have the very best cOndi-
tiOns for the sowing Of tho seed and vet more