The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-12-03
OUR RURAL TOPICS
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
ASPARAGUS Growing.

expect the best and largest, you must have
! thrifty plants grown in rich soil. This can be
secured In one years growth and where the
plants are not crowded. They will make the
best plants 10 set. yet two or throe-year-Old
plants may be used adyantageously. Thrifty,
strong, young plants. set either ia the Fall or
Spring in any good corn land that will produce
100 bushels per acre. will answer. For per-
manent plantation give plenty Of room. say
four or five feet apart each way. and give thor
ough cultivation in the Fall after growth has
ceased. The harrow in the Spring Will do. Set
your plants not less than four inches deep the
harrow will not iujuto the crown Of the plant.
and the breaking of the roots in blowing will
not be Objectionable Indeed, IL in renovating
an old bed, you have team strong enough,
turn all over aud upside down, fertilizc b0unti-
fully and harrow all down fine. and your old
Plantation will take a new lease of life and
lake you returns for the outlay.
IL is claimed by some that there Is but one
variety Of asparagus. ] differ from them. Some
years ago j set out a small experimental lot OF
COnOycr's Colossal, Mo0Te's Crcssbred and
Smalley's Defiance aud noted the result,
which was Ia favor Of the latter both in size
and quantity. More recently have tried the
Palmetto. and was much pleased with IL, and
think il an improvement over the other sorts.
1t is needless 10 add that the richer you make
your plantation, the larger earlier aud better
II viii reward you. As TO marketing. the
third -bushel box is in so general use that other
packages arc seldom seen or used; ] have used
with satisfaction a half.bushe baied basket
with cover setting the asparagus punches on
end, putting two dozen in each.
A GREAT Loss.
IL the experiments of Prof Myers. OF West
Virginia, are 10 be relied upon. aud no one as
yet has called them ia question. tho loss ia
churning sour or acid cream, in preference to
sweet cream at 90. amounts 10 no less than CO.,
100000 pounds annually. This is a serious mat
ter, Sl5,oJ0OOO at least; for rs food for calves
or pigs, butter fat is but tribe more valuable,
pound FOR pound. than oil meal. This has no
reference 10 milk partly SIX immed for cheese,
but as milk used exclusively for butter making,
where u is admissible TO get IL possible the
last wrung drop OF fat from IL. Just how 10
get this fat as perfectly from the milk as Prof.
Myers succeeded In getting il from the cream.
Is a matter OF study. There is but little doubt
if the loss of butter in the chuTn is 60.000,0O0
pounds, that the loss in imperfect Dreaming the
milk Is half larger. To half or even three
fOuTths do thing nowadays does not pay.
To do it well aud thoroughly is the profitable
way, and applies with especial force in butter
making, with butter selling AT the store for 30
cents. il Is no uncommon thing 60 fEd pound
OF butter fat left back in 100 pounds of skim
milk, because Of imperfect crcamng Of the milk
aud half as much more in tho butteTmilk; "A
pound aud a half OF 3D-cont butter lost. save TO
make feed for pigs, when twOcents' worth Of oil
meal would produce equal results when fed
with pure skim milk. Are you losing IL
pounds Of butter fat with each 100 pounds OF
milk? Find out, and correct tue loss, If So
Practical Farmer.
OATS FOR GROWING STOCK.
Oats have long been considered the best food
for horses. In fact, they are without rival for
this use. But the same qualities that give them
excellence for horse food arc equally il not
more important for al young stock. The horse
at work requires food that will supply bone
and sinew. This is exactly what the growing
animal needs. in addition the young stock has
presumably weaker digestion aud therefore de-
mands food that will not pack closely in tho
stomach. The husk Of oats is by no means
useless. IL makes the masked grain more POI
rous. and enables the saliva which comes from
mastication, and which is AN important aid 10
digestion, 20 penetrate all parts of the mass as
IL lies in the stomach. IL is this thai makes
oats more digestible than other grain aud adds
lagely 20 its value as food for stock whose diges-
ton is not perlect-AmeTicdn CHl'iuaigr.
SMALL VERSUS LARGE PLATs
Very much Of the Geld experimenting to de-
termine comparative yields of varieties is done
In plsts and the size Of these plats has much
10 do with the results. IL would be better To
have acre fields, but this Is usually out Of tho
question, as it is very difficult to get a uniform
. position; the most uniform conditions are fur
nishcd by long drills. Small square plats have
the additional disadvantage Of waste land in
; paths which necessarily give additional feeding
. ground for the plants, and the plats really
larger than set down in the note bOOk.-Amsri-
can AgricaltEria.
sEooND-CROP POTATOES.
. The Western farmers are learning the yalu1
, OF second-crop potatoes for seed. For long
y. - ia RI
in the habit OF growing them. as the earliness
aud quality thus secured are Of considerable
advantage 90 them. May it not DO that other
plants can be treated in the same way with ex-
celleut resultsg-Americ1R AgricaltHrisL
NOTES
Bees work when you are not watching them
} Just as industriOusly rs when you stand and
( watch. They are the best Of hired help 10
gather up the sweets Of the faTm.-MaryLand
. Farmer.
Give a hog clean quarters aud he will not dis.
appoint you, ifyou wish him 70 prove himself a
= clean animal but invite him by filthy pen
aud he will WallOw in filth.-MaFylaad Farmer.
Sheep husbaudry is something like fruit
. growing; IL is about the poorest kind Of an &C.
cupaiion for "A careless man. But the man who
/ is diligent in business can make a higher per
eentage Of profit with sheep than he can from
: mixed farming; aud this will always be so. be-
cause the sheep business is not permanently at
tractipe TO the majority OF farmers. Ii Is not
4 | even necessary that man should have a
{ special knack or eye for judging shcep IL he is
only thoroughly attentive to their wants be
4 may be iolerably indifferent 10 fancy points y
d and yet make handsome profits american
Shfey, Breeder.
Farmers on the Pacific Coast are interested
= In a discussion Of the uselessnoss or usefulness
OF pigs tail. One side argues that il Is as
useless rs the letter p in pneumonia. The
other side asserts that the tail indicates the
. exact physical condition Of the animal If il
a hangs loose il indicates that the pig is not Ia
!, condition, aud that its feed should be changed
s. IL il be cOed tightly, ii indicates c0nteutment
i, aud good health.
= No sort Of bird, beast or creeping thing vii
touch a castor-Oil plant IL seems 90 be rank
Z poison 10 al the animal world. Even goa
will staTye before biting of leaf aud sniff
= az il aud turn mp his upper lip though IL had
!, the most dctestable OdOr on the face Of the
Is earth. Army worms aud locusts will pass by
- il, though they may eat every other greeu
thing in sight, aud there is no surer way &
/. drive moles from lawn than 90 plant few
!. castor beans here and there. Even the Tobacco,
r worm viii refuse 10 be fed lis leaves. There
n is hardly another instance in natural history
p Of plant being SO universally detested by tht
animal world.
Cooperation among farmers is not so com
mon as IL should be, as il was in the earlier
settlement OF the country. In one sense thu
" greater wealth Of each individual makes hin
/ fnprg indie pndput sppfniuulv nf his nafghhar