Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-03-09
GardGn,Farm and Field.
BY JOHN J. L
Seed,

1eSlLdb4O COCo o4 LAC SSSb An NS1A
lest varieties is of the highest i'm
portance. With proper are both
gardeners and farmers may raise
some of their own seed after having
obtained desirable sorts. Among
these are spinach, lettuce, peas,
beans, sugar cane and onion sets.
All these are hardy and do not read
lily lose their character, but if ear
illness Of product be taken into con-
sideration it will be best to obtain
even these from reliable seedsmen
or their agents. As a rule home
grown seeds are those that ripen last.
Few gardeners or farmers select
seed from their earliest products.
These are gathered for the table.
The consequence is that vegetables
raised from home grown seeds man
ifest a tendency to mature later and
later with each revolving year.
Seedsmen who value their reputation
pursue a different course. They
select their seeds from the earliest
and thriftiest of their products.
Every inferior seed is discarded. In
this way they promote an annual
tendency to greater earliness and
improvement of quality. Good seed
can be obtained at small cost and it
does not payto waste time and labor
on an inferior article.
OATS.
Large quantities of oats are ship,
ped annually from Audrain county
but considering their average yield
and marketable svalue they cannot
be regarded as a profitable crop.
Besides this they impoverish soils
and their continued growth on land
destroys its fertility. They can,
however, be grown between corn
and wheat advantageously and
raised in less time than almost any,
thing else. When fed to stock they
pay more than when threshed out
and sold. They also clean up land
better than any other crop and put
it into fine condition for wheat.
After harvest it can be broken up
and followed and every weed and
bunch Of grass destroyed. Oats
should be sown in the spring as
early as possible. BY that is meant
as soon as the ground is in suitable
condition. 1t does not pay to break
up land when it is wet and SOW
oats in the mud, but early oats get
a good start and are less subject to
be ruined by droughts than those
put into the ground later. There
fore push the seeding of them in
ON corn land
break it up with a disc harrow or
cultiyator. Oats grow near the sur
face and therefore ground for them
ought to be well prepared. Two
bushel per acre is the usua. quantity
sown but it is better to use rather
more than less than that amount as
thir1y sown oats are apt to lodge.
The value of oats as fed for stock
depends greatly upon the condition
Of their straw when harvested. They
ought to be cut before the straw is
dry and hard as then it contains lit
tie or no nourishment. When har-
vested at that time it will always be
best to let them lie loosely in the
sun till cured. If bound up imme-
diately they are liable to mould.
When properly harvested and fed to
stock with the straw they make a
good ali-round ration. For such
use it will be best to house them as
they are liable to damage when
stacked or ricked. To get the most
feed out of oats they ought to be cut
up. A little bran and water added
to them in hal state will greatly
improve the ration. They will bind
the oats and straw together and
every particle of them will be
eaten.
THE TRUCK-PATCH.
Every farm should have a truck
patch as vegetables can be raised in
them with less labor than in gar
dens and they are not only whole
some but necessary to the comfort
of a well ordered family. Nothing
helps the thrifty housewife to fill
up her table US much as crisp and
toothsome vegetables and scarce
anything gives her as much pleasure
as to see them eaten with relish.
AS a rule, too, even farmers that
think it is too much trouble to Gull
tivate them in the garden enjoy
them away from home when they
are properly cooked and seasoned.
The truck-patch requires a light, rich,
deep and moist soil and to avoid
depreciation should be located out of
the range of the farm poultry. 1t
should be MANFRED every fall and
after being ploughed n the spring