The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-10-13
AGRICULTURE.

Inc earth, ike the good mother thai
she is, is great stickler for the laws by
which she governs her family She in
sists upon feeding her plant children
upon nitrogen, the element most diff
cult to obtain and the most expensive
She does not care whether it comes from
plowed under green crops or from man
ures, but she must have it, or the plants
die.
Farmers are most to blame for the bad
roads Of the country, for they lie mostly
in their domain. 1t is their fault that
legislators are not more impressed with
the importance of improvements, and
even their own fault that more of their
number are not legislators. Stop vast
ing money. Have system about the
work. Do not fool with road taxes
worked out by the day, but employ some
one who will make it business and do
it intelligently.
In the silo even dry stalks can be made
palatable and nourishing. especially if
mixed with that which, green. Add a
little water while the pit is being filed,
and the contents will come out Juicy and
sweet. This has been done successfully.
Experience of the past few years shows
that the crimson clover is really more
hardy in winter than the common red
clover. If the one does we'll with you,
the other will grow on that soil also. 1t
is too late to SOW it this season, but next
July, or thereabouts, try some with a
buckwheat crop or in corn field.
In sowing wheat with drill our object
is not only to get an even distribution of
the seed. but to make furrow which
will help to hold the snow over the
plant, and whose edges may gradually
crumble down upon the roots and cover
them as they are heaved out by the
frost. With oats, after giving the
ground the same careful preparation,
the best result will come from broad
casting.
There is frequently better yield from
drilling oats, but this is because the
ground is put in better condition by the
use Of the drill than it would be if the
seed was to have been broadcasted, but
the latter way gives more complete root
shading and better retains the moisture
in the soil.
1t is not wise to waste much money on
novelties, but to stick to the old sorts
until the new have been we'll tested. We
must doubt if there be much that is new
under the sun" when Cato mentions as
paragus 200 years before Christ, and
Pliny had in his garden variety of
which three heads would weigh pound.
France is nearly up to us in wheat
production. Their average an acre is
nearly II bushels, and increasing, while
ours is but II, and the yield growing less
upon our whole cultivated area. France
spends eight millions in encouraging
agriculture, while we spend less than
four. France has potato crop nearly
twice as large as ours, and we buy their
surplus.
An analysis for the digestible food
compounds in different material shows
that the feeding value of timothy hay is
$3.50 ton; clover hay, s14; green corn
fodder, 81; dry corn fodder, SIT; wheat
straw, ST; oat straw, SO; wheat bran, 1913;
ground oats, $21; malt sprouts, S22 corn
meal, 800; linseed meal, s34; cotton seed
meal, S45. The actual value depends
upon skill and combination in feeding;
the more valuable return most to the
soil.
Northern grown potatoes will sprout
much earlier in the spring than those
grown in the South, as may be seen by
placing the two sorts side by side in the
cellar and watching developments. A
hint in buying for the early paintings
may be had from this.
Two thousand acres of the environs of
Paris have been converted into most
valuable market garden by utilizing the
sewage of the city. This has grown
from small beginning 25 years ago.
Iue eAdHlplo i5 Ouo WHICH, mlguL %
profitably followed by many American
cities.
The word novelty" is often tackled on
to some seeds in the catalogues merely
to warrant higher price, though they
may be but old acquaintance under
new titles, or they are untried sorts, no
better or not SO good as the old stand
ards. Beware of them and let some one
else waste his time in fooling with them.
1t costs little to cultivate or harvest a
hay crop. and the crop is much mose
regular than most others. At the same
time it is worth noting that this crop
in the United States exceeds in value an
acre. on the average. any of the great
cereal crops.
Alfalfa is an old crop in Europe, hav-
ing been cultivated perhaps 1000 years
and is now well known in both of the
Americas. Despite the frequent at,
tempts to grow it in the Middle and
Eastern States. it has never come INFO
general use, for the reason that it is
hard to get good stand, and it natures
before good hay making weather. 1t has
many things to its advantage.