The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-10-26
New Forage Plan.-IIatch1ng Eggs With
Incubat0H.

Incubator.
I see an account OF a new forage plant in O pa
per called The Irrigation Age which has
been discovered in Germany. 1t says that 1t is
one Of the best forage plants that is known.
The botanical name given 1t Is LathyruS silves
iris. Do you know whether this plant has been
experimental on by any of the Experiment Sta
tons Of the United States? If it has what
was the result?
l should like to have your opinion as to
whether or not it will pay to run an incubator
for the purpose Of raising chickens for the mar
,ket when grown ones are only worth % cents .
piece -, S. p, Clark's Mills, N. c.
: answered by F. f. Emery Agriculturist n
c. Experiment Station.
Lathyrus silvestris has been expert
mented with by number of American
Experiment Stations, and at least one
has published it's chemical composition
In bulletin on that plant. From ac-
counts of it, this plant should rank with
,Medicago saliva, Lucerne or Alfalfa
which is perennial and yields two or
three cuttings per year. Lathyrus sill
,vestris seed, however, can hardly be
worth the price $3.50 per pound in 10
pound lots in New York city for common
use, while we have the clovers, Lucerne
and corn, the seed of which we can
raise freely.
It will pay to use an incubator to
hatch chicks if you learn to handle it
right and use good kind of brooder at
ter chicks are Matched. This is espe-
'cially applicable if your chicks can be
sold for broilers at 25 cents each. You
can supply chicks for the market by in
| cubator and brooder when prices are
best and perhaps realize more than the
prices given.
Treatment of Peach Trees.
| ; What is the best method of preventing peach
| trees from breaking.-W. E. j., Kingwood N. c.
answered by w. F.. Massey Horticulturist
Experiment Station.)
Peach trees usually break down be.
cause of neglect in pruning and shaping
| the young tree. The peach bears ita
| fruit upon last years shoots. If the
| growth is neglected the fruit bearing
| wood gradually gets further and further
out on the ends of the limbs, and the
weight of the crop has a tremendous
! leverage, and splits the limb off. When
we plant a young peach tree, of one
years growth from the bud, (the only
age at which they should be planted) we
cut the stem back to about eighteen to
twenty inches from the ground. When
growth begins in spring, we ru b off all
the shoots except three or four at top,
which form the limbs for the future
head. These are again shortened back
In the fall one third, and when the
| shoots are too thick in the interior Of
tho head and interfere with each other,
they are trimmed out. Every fall the
young growth of the season is shortened
back one third, and care is taken te
maintain an even distribution of young
wood all through the head of the tree
The crop is thus distributed over the
tree and no damage is done. If the tree
is planted and allowed to take the ma,
tural shape it assumed in the nursery
the lin bs will more readily split off thar
when formed by heading back.
Sowing Crimson Clover on Weedy Land.
We have piece OF strong land on river banl
| Qa winch there Is very rank growth of weeds
clover on this land; what preparation should b
| given and how should the seed be SOVIET r
P, Corinth, N G.
answered by F. E. Emery, Agriculturis
North Carolina Experiment Station.)
If it were not for seeding with the
weed seeds you might SOW the Glove,
among the seeds broadcast if the soil Il
light and save working the soil
1t will be best to NOW the weeds o.
roll down with heavy roller few days
in advance of blowing in order to lie,
them partially dry out, and not endangel
sowing the land by turning down grea,
mass Of green matter fermenting in it
Flow well, harrow smooth, SOW Glove,
seed broadcast at the rate fifteen, eigh
teen or twenty pounds per acre of clear
seed. or forty to fifty Of chaff per acre
Then drag with light brush, smoothing
harrow, or a plank with chain at
tached to both ends and the singletree
SO the plank will cover nearly its whole
length on the ground, Watch you1
field, so if seed terminates and is killed
by hot weather or insects, you can re-
harrow and re-seed.