Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-15
Farm Notes.

Farm Notes.
) There is no agency so powerful in
preventing diseases as sunlight. If the
pig pen has not already been cleaned
up ii should be done at once and allow
this disinfecting agency to get in its
work. The calamities Of the year in
pork raising Will be about complete
wherever hog cholera strikes, and every
farmer should be upon his guard and
take every possible prccaution in clean
| ing up and disnfecting the pens and
yards There is no diSinfcCtant that
heats sunlight for cheapnesa or cffec-
: tiVenesS. The light will shine in ON
every nook ana Granny OF the yard.
stable and hog pens if you viii only let
it, 1t has undertaken for many ages
10 disinfect the earth. as we'll as light
and heat il. and if We viii ALLOW it to
do this without prevention or intcrfcr-
cnce we viii be doing a wise thing for
ourselves as We'll as for our live stock
! IT would also be u good idea to provide
sunlight for the inside OF the breeding
! pens. Saw out an opening and put in
cheap sash and provide sunlight for
the pigs during the cold days of The
fan and winter
The grange exhibit at Names State
fair is rapidly becoming an exposition
! OF Itself. Some enthusiasts want Maine
! patrons to start a state fair Of their
own. \ far wiser plan would be for
The state Agricultural society To erect
! a commodious exhibition hall for the
| exclusive use of the oranges This
| would insure a continuance Of The
/ hearty cooperation between thesociety
and the grange that largely accounts
! Tor Names great State fair. condi-
! tons We're quite different in New
! hampshire. where the old State society
became merely the flag end Of the New
| England Agricultural society in its
corrupt days. Granite state farmers
! cot sick of the whole outfit ana estab-
! Us he'd a grange state fair at Tilton that
is an honor to New Hampshire ana to
all New England.-Ex
! Taken as a whole, tn spite OF thederline
| in general condition during the past
month. the outlook for potato growers is
| much more promising than year ago
! Sly t!lt y ~ homestead some iJra 0t
! crop possibilities. treasured in bushels.
I Is desirable even though 1t may be nee
! cssarY when tnal returns are i'm to ma
| torially modify the figures. TO this end
showing the conditional averages by
| states Sept. !. approximate acreage ana
/ suggested yield in bushels. This iudi-
| Gates the probable outturn, providing
/ sept. conditions We're maintained
| throughout. and points TO commercial
! c1op of some 21t.0ol@A bushels. against
! fHtt f,s. st, =
ararlN l. per cent. 1t must br under
stood. however, that this journal cxplic-
/ lilly disclalms publishing thn preliminary
! figures as The potato crop Of 1896. but on
| Is suggestive. and subject to change
| When Our final report Is gathered ana
prepared a little later. Early September
! otlen develops decided changes in rate of
! Eiaid. and TINS Year II no exception.
! Since the opening of the month as fan
| ncr- get into the fields in earnest. they
| ind increasing damage. through blight.
widespread rot aud worms Should this
developed damage prove worse. rather
/ than better. rs the tuhcrs are harvested,
! Il is question how much larger the Nor
| "hdhtdble crop Will prove than that of
| two years ago. placed by this journal at
| 10 millions. A. to the course of prices it
| l. too early to determine. although any
e neral recognition of the true condition
| will serve to steady values. Last year
prices Were uniformly low. Taking quo
| talions at Boston. center Of great con-
sumption. and q distributing market
eastern and Canadian grown as we'll lis
! TO the movement of the western crop. It
/ may he noted that the market WAS $l.3oq
| 1.'a, per bbl. of about ~ bushels in OctO-
/ bcr. -. following last years enormous
! crop. sagGIng to$l40 in Northumberland 81. %
! also ut the close Of the season last July.
I Two years ago, following the short crop
I OF ~ the market advanced from $40 per
| Dbl. in October to $2.a5 in spring and early
summer of -.
| There is a general and justifiahle be
lief among potato growers that pota-
| tees grown far to the north are the
| best for seed They have usually Il
short season to grow and ripen in. ami
when cold weather comes. it has SO
little intermission that there is no
chance for the potatoes to sprout and
waste their vitality before being
, planted. To realize these conditions as
lest he may with potatoes grown on
| his own farm should be the aim of the
potato grower who does not wish every
year to buy northern grown seed po-
, tatoes. BY planting very late his pota-
toes may be dug in fall without hay
ing been dried out in the ground after
the vines have been killed by frost If
these potatoes are then buried in pits
in contact with the soil. there will be
III III, evaporation from Inen1 until tnpN
are uncovered If the potatoes are
first covered with straw. this keeps an
air space next to the potatoes. and they
are proportionably dried out That the
straw covering is important to keep out
frost is very true, but the straw should
he applied after slight covering of
earth, and then more soil should be
piled over the straw, with perhaps one
or more alternate layers of soil ana
straw if the winter is a very severe
one. Potatoes thus pitted will make
nearly or quite as good seed as that
procured from the north.
Until the level of the average farmer
has been raised considerably, our sta
tons have more need of lowering the
present scientific platform than of rails
ing it. There is more need of teaching
the farmer the profit of small kitchen
garden and the cheap identifying
power of a few towering shrubs than
of proving the profit or loss in growing
tomatoes under glass, or the effect of
electric light on plants--J. H. Monrad