The National tribune., 1892-09-22
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
OATS WITHOUT FLOWING.

. was taught to always pillow the ground
thoroughly for oats before sowing the seed, and
it was only after careful trial that was
willing to give il up. But three years OF SOW
ing part of the crop on land that was carefully
plowed, and the balance on land unplowed,
and then cultivating in thoroughly. onvinced
me that the latter plan would give the best
yield, while the cost of getting the crop seeded
is considerably less than when the pIowing 10
done. like to have oats follow corn and then
seed to wheat or grass afterwards. The plan
most generally followed here is to sow the oats
broadcast by hand as early as the condition OF
the soil will admit, earlness always being an
item in the growing of this crop. A good cul-
tivator is used to work the seed into the soil,
and then a thorough narrowing is given that
fines the soil and leaves it in good tilth. Some
use the disc harrow to work the seed into the
soil. For the last two or three years number
have tried the plan OF using broadcast seeder,
with either disc barrow a spring-tooth
cultivator; the principal advantage with these
is that the work can often be done to better
advantage when the wind is blowing hard.
But with two good teams and three men, good
cutivator and harrow, the work can be done
very rapidly. / use cultivator with fifth
shovel attachment Both my draw and
spring tooth shovels have this attachment;
the ground is stirred more thoroughly with
them than without. / use spike-tooth
harrow, made so that it can be spread out
until it will cover IL feet, or draw together
until it is only seven feet wide; the advantage
in this is that in some soils it is much less work
to prepare in proper filth, and, OF course, the
work can be done faster. 1t is quite an item
in finishing up the work to leave the soil IN
good filth.
/ never tried the plan Of sowing oats and
depending upon the common spike-tooth har-
row for working into the soil. A shallow stir
ring of the soil only is necessary for oats, but
use either disc harrow or cultiVator to work
into the soil, and then spike-tooth harrow to
properly fine. 1t is necessary to have the sur
face thoroughly fined in order to get the best
growth and yield, and care in narrowing will
nearly always pay well for this reason.-Prao-
ticaL Farmer.
RELATED FUNGUS GROWTH.
We have observed within few weeks some
interesting facts, not at all conclusive in them
selves, but certainly suggestive and worthy to
be made the basis of careful experiment here
after. These facts relate to the possibility that
the various kinds of vegetable fungus that are
now the plague of farmers, and more especially
of fruit-growers, may be interchangeable
that to be affected by one will be the same as
being plagued with ALL Our observations relate
especially to the neutrality-suspicious. Of the
fungus that causes the rot in plums and the
scab in apples.
1t so happens that an orch ard which we have
watched the past Summer is planted with plum
ana apples alternately. Most OF the piums
have rotted, most of the apples are scabby and
worthless, except for cider purposes. Neither
have been sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, as
both doubtless should have been. Probably
timely spraying would have prevented both
rot and scab. But the injury having been
done, it becomes an interesting, practical ques-
tion whether both kinds of fungus were not
made worse by their close connection.
Both plum and apple trees interiaced each
other. This was unfortunate, because without
question free circulation of air among leaves
and fruit helps to prevent fungus growths of
any kind. In the dense shade of interlacing
branches there is little sunlight, and small
chance for the free circulation of air which
seems to be needed for the fullest and best de-
velopment OF any kind of fruit. The apparent
connection between the two kinds of fungus
may be only the relation between an over
crowded growth and disease. Or it may be
that the fungus causing the scab in apple and
rot in the plum are so interlaeed that either
under suitable conditions will produce the
other. The matter is at least worthy further
investigation and experiment, and we COM
mend it to experiment stations.