The National tribune., 1894-08-23
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
TranspIanting Evergreens.

Il
have had good deal to do with such work
myself, and 1 would not hesitate to plant
almost any kind of couiferons evergreen dur
ing the months of July, August. and Sep
tember. In fact, rs a matter of choice. I
would prefer August or September to any
other time of the year. Late Fall and early
IN Spring witness great many evergreens
planted, and great many of them fail. The
trouble Is that the mass of foliage they carry
causes such a drain on the plants, through
evaporation, that it is more than the roots
can sustain, and death ensues. Now, if we
transplant in Midsummer, there is Just az
much evaporation, or more, than at any
other time; but Just take care of the tree
for few days by shading, watering, etc, and
the moist, warm soil will cause new fibers to
form in less than a week, and the plant is
safe. The soil in Midsummer is lust as hot
beds are in greenhouses in which cuttings
are struck, and In the same way as such
cuttings are treated must we treat the trees
and shrubs. We must shade them and keep
them moist. 1t is not always practicable to
shade large trees or great number of any
kind, and, though it is better to shade them,
it is not essential. | consider the main
points to be remembered are to get ball of
earth, if possible; to be careful that the roots
do not become dry, and to give good soak
ing OF water rs soon as planted. With hot
soil and plenty of water ii is almost impOs-
sible for transplanted trees to die.
It is a great aid to successful transplant
ing to have at least small ball of earth to
the trees. The most of those have named
make small roots enough to hold some soil
when dug up. If the trees are to be re-
moved some distance, this ball should be
kept firm by having some burlap tied about
1T. With ever so little ball undisturbed.
failure rarely comes.
My own method of planting evergreens is
as follows: The holes for the trees are dug
to the proper depth-deeper should the soil
be poor, and good earth put in in the plaza
of the other. The trees are set in, and fine
earth filed in about the roots and pounded
to make it solid, taking care not to bruise
the roots. When the holes are about half
filed up pour into each several bueketfuls
of water, enough, in fact, so that the soil and
water make a mush, az it WERE When the
water has soaked away fill in more soil,
but do not completely fill up the hole. The
next day more water is given, enough to
again thoroughly soak the mass. The third
day the filling up of the holes is completed.
Usually no more water is required. As said
before, the warm, moist earth causes fibers
to form, and the waterings given keep up a
moisture for more than a week. have seen
evergreens planted in this way in July and
August which never seemed to feel the dis
turbance at all, but kept fresh and made
more growth of top before the season was
over. When some ball has been retained,
have never found it necessary to shade the
tree, Or to sprinkle it daily, as is recon-
mended by some, and which is, of course, adj
ditional help to it. A good Swinging of the
foliage few times a day would certainly be
of benefit to it. This, the Summer plant
ing Of evergreens, may be kept up until the
warm days are over, say toward the close Of
September. / have known of large plant
ings in the middle of September which were
in every way successful.
In general paintings, we usually see more
deciduous trees and shrubs than evergreens.
There is not enough change in evergreens to
make them the favorites. The change from
bare limbs to foliage and flowers in deciduous
trees always gives great pleasure. Still there
are places where eSergreens are needed to
perfect landscape picture, and the many
uses to which they can be put, such as that
of screening, hedging and the like, make
them indispensable. Many of the arbor
yitas and japanese cedars are of variegated
of arbor vitae are others which are golden in
Summer and fame-colored in Winter. The
golden and variegated sorts are much
brighter colored at some seasons of the year
than others, so that it may be said we do get
the changes in them as we do In deciduOus
trees, thus breaking up the monotony of color
which eharacteriZes some evergreens.-C0ufa-
try Gentleman.
Peas and Cowpeas.
The value of peas as fodder crop is Just
beginning to be appreciated by Northern
and Western farmers. Until very recently
cowpeas were supposed to be fit only for
Southern land where the grass would not
grow well. But we are now pretty well
satisfied from experience that they should
not be restricted to the South, but that there
is a mission for them to perform in the North.
But the mission is not the same probably in
the two sections. In the South cowpeas are
forage crop, but in our colder
climates they may be more valuable for
turning under as green manure. Glover and
corn grow so rapidly and luxuriantly here
that it will be some time before better forage
plants can be obtained. Still cowpeas can
and have been cultivated in the North for
forage crops with results that are highly
lays from sowing the crop is large one and
ready for turning under. As fertilizer this
,rop ranks almost equal to clover, but we
nave to wait 18 months for good crop of
he latter to turn under The cOwpeas are
own early in the Spring as soon as the land
8 warm enough for seed, and they spring
Up rapidly and mature without any danger
rom being killed by extreme weather. In
he case of clover, however, considerable risk
s run, and there is danger of the whole
rop being killed either in the middle of
he Summer or from Winter cold. Besides,
lover is hard to "catch" on most soils,
whereas cowpeas do well on any kind of fair
oil. The contrast between the two crops
or green manure is thus all in favor of
Owpeas.
The vines of the cowpeas are large enough
o separate the soil in which they are plOWed
o that they induce porosity in very thick,
eavy land The vines rot and decompose
apidly, so that within a few months after
hey have been turned under the green
manure is almost ready to be absorbed by
he plants. Two bushels of seed to the acre
will yield very large crop, even in our
old States, and the vines should grow over
wo feet high.
In the South the pea vines have consider
BILE feeding value that nearly all farmers
vail themselves Of For sheep the eowpeas
night prove of considerable value in the
forth. We have just had it demonstrated
0 us at the Experiment Stations that there
no better food for sheep than our common
arden peas. The pea vines are rich in nu-