Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-05-30
INDUSTRIAL BREviTIES.

cause oI uHe llaDlllty OF certaln trees
to be struck by lightning is that they
are bad conductors of electricity. The
suggestion that oak trees are struck
because they contain iron is both er-
roaeous and absurd. If oak did con-
tain iron it would in all probability
increase its conducting power and act
as preservative. If oak contained
an estimable quantity of that metal
the wood would turn black on expos
ure to the air, on account OF the tan
min which is present. This blacken-
ing may be seen surrounding the iron
nails in any oak fence. The contour
of the ground, nature of the soil, and
the presence or absence of water has
more influence in deciding the locality
of an electric discharge than the
height of tree. Add to this the diff
ference in conductibility between var
ious woods, and we have at once an
explanation of the apparent peculiar
ity of tall trees escaping unframed
while shorter trees are destroyed.
A Scotch farmer gives his experience
with liquid manure. 1t was conveyed
by drains into tanks, and aftel wads
carted, without any mixture with
water, to the grass lands. 1t works
very much like nitrate of soda. IL in
creascs the moving crop greatly. 1t
stimulates growth in pasture and
attracts cattle to Craze greedily upon
the grass where it has been applied.
Two parts of pasture were used in
an experiment. To one was applied
liquid manure, while the other was
MANFRED by the dropping of lambs
and ewes that had been fed on linssed
cake. Cattle were turned in. and 1t
was found that they referred the grass
grown from the liquid manure. Ex-
perience has demonstrated In this
case that the action of the liquid ma
nure, though rapid, Is short-lived and
rather exhaustive of fertility in a mea-
dow from which the crop is removed
Col. H. w. Wilson, in his address
on lawns before the Massachusetts
Horticultural society, said that blue
grass and white clover were undoubt-
edly the finest plants for lawns, from
the beauty and thickness of the turft
which they make and their delicious
fragrance when mown. They are both
fond of calcareous soils, and the only
way that fondness can be met is by
free use of lime while making the lawn;
two hundred bushels per acre would
not be an excessive quantity for the
soil when it is trenched or SUBSIDIZED.
At least two busheles of plaster should
be used with the annual top dressing.
An objectionable practice, which Col.
W. mentions, Is that of sowing oats or
other grain with the grass seed, which
puts the grass back nearly year, and
while the grain is growing it is no or
nament.
A useful hint in relation to making
a tense for sheep pasture is given by
correspondent of The Rural Nea0-
Yorker. He writes: | am not in favor
of barbed wire, unless used exclusive
ly for cattle. 1t is too dangerous for
horses and sheep. l have built sheep
fence with i've strands of plain wire,
and having fastened Il piece of wire to
the top strand, passed it down around
the second, and so on 10 the bottom.
One or more of these IN each span (ac-
cording to the distance between the
posts)prevent the wires from spread
ing apart and letting the sheep through
Perhaps pickets stapled TO the wires
would be better: but wire is cheaper
and can be more quickly put Oh. For
wires at the top, and hang light pole
or strip of board 10 the top wire.
Prof. Myers, of the Mississippi Ag-
ricultural college, says of cotton seed,
which until lately was a waste prod
uct in the south: There is no agri-
cultural product known to your speak
er that has value equal to this in al
most any place you can put it. You
may take its hulls and use them for
cattle feed, for fertilizers, and for
fuel. The kernal you may use as
feedstuff fertilizer, or a substance
from which oil may be obtained. The
oil is one of the best culinary articles,
Is of extensive use in pharmacy, and
of almost unlimited application to the
arts. 1t makes little difference wheth-
er you buy it as butter, as lard, as lu-
bricating oil, or olive oil: whether you
apply it as a salve, a pomade, or a
soap; it is good and good everywhere.
The wood of the common or white
elm is not durable when exposed 10
the weather and not kept dry, it's
chief value depending on Its difficulty
in splitting, while its liability to warp
is strong objection. The red or
slippery elm is better in quality, strong
CT, and more durable when exposed to
the weather. 1t lasts we'll for rails,
but decays in contact with the earth.
In taking q pump from a well at
Fort Atkinson Wis n vast uuantitv of