The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-07-09
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural ReaierS
TurniP Crop.


very laborious to grow turnips but in this
age Of progress, when seed-drills, weeders
| heel-hOes, and hand-cultivatOrs largely as
sist the farmer to produce a crop turnipt
should not be overlooked. The new crop 81
seed is now ready, and il should be used
plentifully in order to guard against the
attacks Of the fly. Turnips are not long in
terminating, and when they get start they
/ grow rapidly, soon getting ahead of weeds
/ and grass; and, outside of the labor reauired
/ in the FIRST stages, they cost but little. while
+ the yield is enormous on good land. 1t iI
/ the weeds and grass which make turnip-
/ growing Objectionable: but if the crop is
/ given attention from the start, there will be
! but little difficulty later on.
+ In 100 parts Of turuips there are about 90
| parts of water the dry matter being less
/ than 10 per cent. About eight-tentiIs of
one per cent. is protein, six-and-a-half per
1 cent. starehy matter, and one-tenth of one
/ per cent. fat. The large proportion Of water
renders them succulent; and though the
proportions of nutritious matter are small,
+ yet quite large quantity can be consumed
4 by an animal daily. The feTtlizing con-
| s'itUeDts Of turnips are one per cent. of ash,
| one-ffth of one per cent. Of nitrogen, one
| tenth OF one per cent of phOsDhOric acid
/ and one-th'fd Of one per cent. OF potash.
/ These pro. lions conf are very favorably
/ with other 40t crops; and as the yield Of
| turnips IL very large. the amount of food
| secured on an acre is much more than that
/ from some concentrated foods grown. Tur-
/ nips contain more mineral matter than do
| potatoes but are inferior to potatoes in
| amounts contained of protein and starch.
Il IF
much less than for potatoes, as the seeds are
cheaper. and less labor is required in planting.
/ Turnips, being q Summer crop, are soon
readv for harvesting, and, if properly stored
| for Winter use, can be made to materially
assist in promoting the health of animals,
| and also in saving other foods. Leaving ont
| the food value of turnips altogethe they
| possess value in supplying a change of
| food during the Winter season on farms
where ensllage is not speciality; and as
they may be fed cooked or raw they are
relished by cattle, sheep, and swine as q
delicacy at a time when all foods are dry
and concentrated. 1t is the juicy, succulent
quality of turnips which should be kept in
view and as they are 30 easily produced,
without the necessity of heavy outlay for
seed, the farmer should grow large crop,
and put the turnips TO good use in Winter,
affording the stock better f0eds, and ena-
bling each animal to produce more than
from dry food.
Steam as Insecticide.
Prof Woodbridge, of the University OF
California, has been experimenting with
steam as an iusectieide The tree to be treated
is first covered with canvas tent, and let
of steam is then forced among the foliage
at a temperature of 100 degrees. 1t has
been found that no damage results at less
temperature than 125 degrees. The experi-
ments so far have been made on orange and
lemon trees for the red and black scale, and
are reported as very successful. The cost is
from two to six cents per tree If this treat
ment proves successful in future trials and
can be relied upon il will replace the hydro
cyanic gas treatment now in use, and which
costs from 80 cents to 81 so per tree, and is
heavy burden on the grange growers If
the treatment proves successful on other
plants, it may have a wide application, and
by adding certain substances TO the water or
steam. the fumes may possibly be made still
more destructive to pests with less injury to
plants.
Orchard Grass with Clover.
The combination of clover with orchard
grass is not made so often as it ought TO be,
timothy being the old standby, which is ex-
pected to take the place ofeloyer when the lat
ter fails. Orchard grass will do this even bet
ter than clover. 1t grows in punches at first,
and spreads from year to year until it makes
perfect sod. In the meantime. while grow
ing with the clover, the orchard grass can be
hest cut while the clover is just coming into
bloom. This is too early to cut timothy,
and the consequence is that the farmer who
grows beth clover and timothy leaves his
baying until the timothy is ready, and much
of the value of the clover is lost This late
cutting of clover uses it up, ard the next
year there is big timothy crop, which every
year thereafter decreases until the seeding
is entirely run out. When orchard grass and
clover are grown together the clover, being
cut at the right time, lasts two or three years,
and the result is that the orchard grass has
time to fully occupy the land.
No Grass for Working Horses.
II is a great temptation to cut some grass
to feed either green or partly dried to the
horses that have to work hard every day on
the farm. 1t should be resisted, for grass
will surely induce arrangement in the di-
geStiye organs, which will make the horses
too weak to do effective work After the
blowing is finished many farmers think the
hardest work is over but horse cultivating
all day will need good dry hay and grain no
less than when blowing. The step is quicker
in eultiyating than in blowing, and requires
quite as much muscular exertiOn to keep at
it all day.
The Best Soil for Rhubarb.
1t requires high manuring to make rhu-
barb-growing profitable, especially as most
of the money to be made is from the very
early cuttings, and these must be grown on
warm, sandy land, which is not generally
very rich. The plant is great consumer
of nitrogen, and this is not supplied early in
the season by coarse manure. Either the
manure must be we'll rotted, so that it will
have available ntrates, or these must be
applied in the form of commercial fertil-
zers. The late rhubarb is easily grown
with coarse stable manure, but it's price is
always very low.
Farm Notes.
Some farmers grow cow-peas between the
lows of corn. The peas are planted after
he corn has received its last working In
ections where the rows are checked, this
:annot be done, but it may be possible that
l field of cOw-peas can be grown if planted
now, provided they are grown separately
rom corn and well MANFRED. They will
grow on any soil that produces corn, and are
profitable for feeding both the peas and
7ineS being valuable.