The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-08-28

The careful selection OF seed will al
ways pay. Every experiment in the
picking by hand of wheat seed, in order
to procure heavy grains. has given evil
dence that this is sure way of adding
to the harvest.
The farm which is we'll fed will feed
the farmer. 1t must be applied to the
stock as we'll as to the land, and by feed
ing the stock well the land may be fed
With the greatest accuracy, and 30 the
circle of feeding be made complete.
Where any grain is sown for the pur-
pose of making hay SOW more to the acre
than ordinarily so that there will be
good volume of light straw; otherwise
the.straw will be too large and coarse
to make good hay. Rye, wheat, oats and
barley may all be used to good advan.
tage in this way.
Prefer moderately good land and per-
feet cultivation to very rich land and
Indifferent cultivation. There will then
be less complaint from the man who
mourns that his land is not 30 good as
his neighbours. What is lacking in
plant food is made up by rendering that
which it has more fully available.
If manure is put on sod it can be
hauled out as fast as made, il we'll scat
tered. Solubility is an important point,
and it can never be soluble until decom.
posed. II dumped in heaps we must
wait until it becomes fit for plant food
before the crops derive any benefit from
it,
The harrow and the roller are two
essentials in preparing ground for wheat,
but never uee either when the ground
is wet or heavy, for it will take long
time to overcome the effects. Wheat
ground needs to be dry, fine, firm but
never heavy.
1t is possible for land to become "clo-
YER sick" Glover sickness is almost al
ways an exhaustion Of lime or ether
minerals which the clover demands for
it's support. An application Of lime is
usually found to be the remedy called
for.
If manure is thoroughly composted it
can by placed upon wheat ground just
after blowing and before planting, and
be as available as when used as top
dressing on soil later on; but the point
is to get the manure there in some
shape.
A good knapsack sprayer should cover
about four acres of potatoes day If
the labor costs little more than when
it is done with horse and cart outfit,
there is gain in not having the rows
tramped. For small growers, in any
event, the knapsack is best.
The United States produces more corn
than all other countries put together.
and could produce great deal more if
there was a profitable outlet for it.
Countries which do not grow it do not
seem to appreciate it's value, and no not
buy it. but in the last year or two their
tastes have been cultivated rapidly.
Too often the wheat straw is sold at
less than half it's fertilizing value. Do
not let it go unless you are sure you are
getting all it is worth, and can. there
fore, afford to feed your land in some
other way than by keeping it as an alb
sorbent for the manure.
Rent your farm for a good price, and
then move into town and try to live
there off the rental. You will find
vast difference between the comforts
you can there have with that amount of
money and those which you had from
the farm while living on it. We do not
credit our farms with all they are worth.