The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-03-26
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers


There is no satisfactory way of preventing
the occurrence Of smut upon corn. It can
be prevented from spreading by going
| through the field, picking of the punches Of
smut, and burying or burning them. Dip
| ping the seed in water at n temperature Of
1902 does not injure the germ, but neither
does it prevent the smut in the case of corn.
| The case is different with the other cereals.
The smut of oats, wheat, barley, and rye can
| be almost completely prevented BY the Jen-
sen hot-water treatment" which consists in
| dipping the seed for 10 minutes in water
maintained at a temperature of 1929 f.
New Varieties of Fruits.
| In the report of the Committee on Foreign
| Fruits, Of the New York Horticultural So
| ciety, the following were mentioned as of
especial value for trial, viz Auguste Mig
| nard pear, ripening with Duchesse; Cbre-
| tan Fred Baudry late Winter pear;
| Olivier des Series another late Winter pear
OF good keeping qualities; Prince Napoleon.
| ripening in February and March; TriOmphe
| de Vienne, ripening with BARTLETT but of
better quality; Grand Duke, a late plum
| rs large as Bradshaw and entirely free
| from rot one of the best for market, ripen-
| ing in September; Superlative, fine red
raspberry of large size and eOncal shape,
| handsome, and surprising all other existing
sorts of its class
Mixing Manures.
II very rarely pays to buy different kinds
of chemicals to mix together, unless il can
/ be done on a large scale. A little makes
| more bother than the profit will be from
using the fertilizers thus mixed. But as
stable manure is often deficient in mineral
plant food it will pay to buy phosphate and
! potash to mix with it. The mineral fertil-
| lzer thus used is much more effective than
if applied alone.
Purchasing Spraying Outfits.
Farmers who have not secured outfits for
spraying their orchards should do so early
IN the season The first spraying ought TO
be done before the leaves are out, especially
for fungous diseases. The spray can then
be made quite strong without danger of
injury to the leaf Besides as the fungus
attacks the leaves while they are small and
tender, un,eSs its spores have been killed
before, great deal of damage will be done :
before the late spraying reaches and destroyz6
it. In spraying orchards, as in most 9th
farm work, promptness is an impOrtant
factor of success.
Something About Alfalfa.
Alfalfa seed weigh so pounds to the
bushel. For hay crop sow "a to 80 pounds
per acre. For crop of seed sow IA 70 10
pounds per acre. Sow clean seed. North
OF the latitude of Washington, ID. c., sow
alfalfa in the Spring as soon as the ground
is warm-from the middle of April to the
middle of May. Sow in drills or broadcast
In the South and Southwest and in Cali
fOrnia alfalfa in Spring or Autumn
Sow in drills In the South SOW in drills Is
to 20 inches apart, and cultivate the first
season. Do not cOFer the seed too deem.
Alfalfa does not obtain maturity until the
third or fourth year; therefore, do not sow
it expecting to get the best results in less
than that time. Alfalfa gfows best on deep,
sandy loan, underlaid by n loose and perms-
able subsoil. 1t will not grow if there is
an excess of water in the soil The land
must be well drained. Alfalfa is a deep
feeder. Plow the land thoroughly: the
deeper the better. Alfalfa thrives best in
the soils containing lime, potash, and mag
nesium. 1t does not grow well in soils
containing an excess of iron, or where lime
is wholly absent. Cut for hay when the first
flowers appear. If cut in full bloom the
hay will be woody and less nutritious. Cut
for seed when the middle clusters of seed
pods are dark brown. To make alfalfa hay
cut in the forenoon and let it wilt; then
rake into windows 1t should be cured in
windrows and cocks, and stacked up or put
in barns with as little handling as possible.
Great care is required in order to get it in
stack before the leaves become too dry and
brittle. The leaves are the most palatable
and nutritious parts of the hay. Cover the
stacks with caps. This will prevent loss by
holding when it rains. In the arid regions,
where irrigation is practiced, put water on
the field before sowing the seed, and imme-
diately after cutting each crop of hay. It
is not safe to pasture either cattle or sheep
on alfalfa, as they are liable to bloat when
it is fed green. Feed them the hay, OF prac-
tiee soiling. There is no better or cheaper
way of growing hogs than TO pasture them
on alfalfa. One acre will furnish pastursge
for from 10 TO 20 hogs per season. Horses
can be pastured on alfalfa. There is no
better hay for work animals, or for young,
growing stock.
Farm Notes.
In oats tests at the Indiana Station with
81 varieties eight pecks per acre drilled
10 peeks broadcast gave better results than
any greater or less quantity Of seed; horse
manure was profitable, but no commercial
fertilizer used on oats returned any profit
Rape has come into general use in those
sections where sheep-raisipg is an industry.
Two or three crops can be grown In year
if it is pastnTed while it is young. 1t can
be used in about a month or six weeks from
the time the seed is sown. The dwarf varie-
ties are preferred. Sheep thrive upon it,
provided they are also given a small allow
anee of grain.
The castor bean plant is one of the most
beautiful and ornamental that can be grown.
Raise them in boxes or in the hotbed and
plant them in the open air after danger of
frost is over. They require very rich soil,
and there is no danger of giving too much
manure. With good care they will grow as
high as six feet during the Summer.
cold frame is more serveeable than
hotbed, because it can be constructed more
easily and at less cost, giving greater space
for early plants. A simple box, filed with
rich earth and manure, is sufficient, and at
night it may be covered with boards or an
old carpet. The hotbed is used during cold
weather, the plants being transferred to the
cold frame later, when the weather is
milder. The cold frame serves admirably
for keeping the early plants until they can
be transplanted to the oDen air.
The way to secure early melons, squashes,