The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-05-02
OUR RURAL TOPICS
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Irrigation Experiments In Utah.

II UeIIluent StdIlOu IS OF unuSual Interest,".
The subject treated is Farm and Orchard
Irrigation" The report is the result of q
number Of experiments extending over a
| period Of aboutive years. The first expert
ment, discussed by A. A. Mills, is the amounts
of water required for the various crops. In
| brief it is as follows:
On clay soil the maximum yield Of both
wheat and straw was obtained by saturatinx
the soil, approximately, two feet deep at
each irrigation, or covering the ground with
1852 inches Of water during the season.
/ On this soil there was decrease of crop
where either a more or o less amount Of
water was used
This maximum yield was secured by the
use of 80 acre inches, which is equivalents
toa cubic foot per second for 81 hours
| Though the water that drained from the
| soil through excessive irrigation was richer
| In fertilizing material than when applied,
| the total amount of this material added is
| more than that extracted.
On clay soil containing more sand the
yield of grain (wheat) increased as the
| water increased up to 40 inches, while the
Is inches of water.
On clay soil containing little sand ting
othy gave mixed results, though where tho
maximum amount of water 413 inehesl
| was used the yield was the greatest.
On clay soil containing more sand the
| first crop of clover increased steadily and
| rapidly from the use of T. inches of water
| mp to 1873 inches. The application of So
| inches more of water decreased the crop
nearly one-half
Pruning Pear Trees.
| It requires knowledge of the variety and
habit of growth of tree to prime it as IL
! should be. Some varieties naturally run mp,
and their central shoots must be checked to
encourage more spreading habit. Nearly
all pear trees will grow like church spire
| If the central shoot Is not pinched back. In
most varieties the center needs trimming
out down to where the branches put out
from the trunk. Ths Seckel pear is one
which naturally grows a round head and
requires less severe pruning than most others.
The pruning should be done before the
leaves put forth, except in the rare instances
when the tree is making too much wood, and
pruning while in leaf is resorted TO TO in
crease the formal of fruit buds.
Manures for Hoed Crops.
The large amount Of labor required in cul-
tivating hoed crops makes it all the more
important that they should be pushed for
ward as rapidly as possible, and also in WAYS
that will not lessen the moisture in the soil
For this reason the concentrated fertilizers
containing available nitrogen are preferable
to stable manure. There is always in coarse
manure great amount of vegetable matter,
which will only rot when the soil is wet.
Tpla he frr hoI,1.
soil, creating air spaces which dry out both
the manure and SOIL so that the manure viii
not rot. The commercial fertilizer furnishes
nitrogen without making the soil dryer.
This often means with a hoed crop the differ
enee between failure and success.
Small Fruits,
The universal and overwhelming popu-
larity of the strawberry has cast all the
other small fruits in the shade. Not merely
do the blackberry and raspberry lack the
delicious flavor of the straw berry, but the
size of their seeds is regarded as an objection
which originators of new types should de-
vote their energies toward overcoming.
But currants and gooseberries are much
neglected and rarely receive the care and
attention their merits deserve. The market
for these fruits is capable of great extension,
and there is very little loss in handling them.
There is no rush or hurry attendant on the
gathering of eurrants. They do not require
to be picked as soon as ripe, but may hang
for days on the bushes and be gathered only
as convenient, while the gooseberries may be
marketed either the day they are picked or
a week thereafter. There is no fear of their
spelling on the dealers hands, nor is their
Suitability injured by stained boxes. IL
would seem as if these two fruits had great
c,,t he L.
has never been great as at present, and
the growers of small fruits would do well to
recognize this fact.
Bone for Laying Hens.
In the raising of poultry for market pur-
poses nothing is so important as to feed the
hens to best advantage in order to get the
largest possible supply of eggs.
Many substances have been fed with
varying results. Ground and cut bono is
very popular just now as an egg producer,
it containing lime and nitrogen, which
make shell and white, and also large pro-
portion of oil and fat. For general results
there is nothing which equals it or contains
such a combination of egg producing mat
ter There are two kinds used ground and
cut bone and while they both are recon-
mended there is quite difference between
Them ground bone being, as its name inn
plies, ground fine, while the other is cut
fine with knives. Green bone is most
economical, it containing particles of meat,
fat, etc, which adhere to the bone, and is
the most easily dissolved. Ground bone,
after being kept for time, becomes dry
and brittle in consequence of evaporation
which naturally takes place. s4
Experience has proven that the most
profitable way to feed bone is at the rate
of an ounce per day to each hen. This in
conjunction with the usual food will pro-
duce an abundant supply of eggs, and bring
in threefold returns for the outlay in bone,
The Agriculture of the Country. s7a
The agricultural report just issued gives
the number of bushels of all kinds of grain
and tons of hay produced in the whole eoun-
try in 1898. Reducing the figures to car
loads of 10 tons each on hay, 1000 bushels
of oats, and all other grain 500 bushels, we
raised 639, s54 carloads of oats, 1860 car
loads of potatoes, 7,491 carloads of barley,
49, 282 carloads of rye, 1872 253 carloads Of
wheat, 3,23S, 1872 carloads of corn, and $685.
615 carloads of hay. Thus we see the hay
crop exceeding all of the crops as above men-
toned by ,473, 675 carloads. Reckoning the
ears 80 feet long would make the hay train