The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-09-21
All Around the Farm.

Al the recent meeting IN Boston or
the Society for the Promotion OF Agri-
cultural Science. il was stated that the
English sparrow eats the caterpillar Of
the brown-tail moth with avidity. IL
would seem TO have met this moth in
England and to have acquired an ap-
petite for it. II has doubtless kept it in
check there, and may do so here. At
last the use Of the mnch-maligned Eng
lish sparrow has been discovered
Il is never advisable to have extra
large roots Of beet or other roots used
TO plant TO grow seed from. These
large-grown beets are necessarily plant
ed early, and they dry out during the
winter, so that the sprouts form, and
the substance of the root, on which the
seed largely depends, is injured. Beet
seed sOwn any time in August will give
a handsome, smooth, medium sized
root, that may be kept until spring
without beginning TO sprout. Such =
beet may not give 90 large a crop of
seed as does the large, cvergrown beet,
but it will be much better seed to plan.
for q crop next year.-American Culti-
vator.
According 10 the United States Cen
sus Reports of 1890, the value OF the ir-
rigated farming lands in this country
was SIS 2s per acre. while the value of
farm lands not under irrigation was
but S2095 per acre. This fact gives an
idea Of the value of water to crops. 1t
appears to increase the cash value of
land fcur-fold. How to increase the
water supply becomes the greategt con-
sid.ration, and the man who can GsS Sise
the means to preserve and distribute at
win the rainfall Of winter and spring
will be worthy the honors of the age.
Ten chemical. elements are found to
be essential to the growth Of agricultu-
raj plants. These are carbon, oxygen,
hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potas-
sium, calcium, sulphur, magnesium
and iron. To this list chlorine and so
dunn, the constituents Of common salt,
are added by some authors. Manures
and fertilizers are used for the purpose
Of conveying to the soil the three ele-
ments, nitrogen, phosphorus and pot
ash, in available and convenient form,
experience having demonstrated that
practically all soils contain an abun-
dant supply Of the other minerals for
plant growth,
All farmers know that wood ashes
are valuable as a fertilizer. But this
value, as many know, is due very much
to the material from which the ashes
come. Thus ashes made from hard
wood are more valuable than ashes
made from soft wood. In fact, some
ashes from soft wood have not enough !
virtue to make il worth while to bother
with them. 1t has also been found that
the value IS largely governed by the
part Of the tree from which the ashes
are made. 1t is declared by chemists
that the ashes Of the young twigs are
of more value than the ashes of the
trunk Of the tree; and the ashes of
leaves still more valuable.
Canada Experiment Farm expert
mented with the preservation of un-
grape juice. According to
its report, the natural flavor of grape
juice may be preserved intact by rails
ing the temperature of the juice grad
ually to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, keep
ing it at this point for ten minutes and |
then quickly bottling it, taking care to
use absolutely air-tight and thoroughly !
sterilized vessels. These vessels should |
be taken from tank or kettle of boil |
ing water, Immediately filled and cork
ed or covered with the least possible
delay. 1t would be well to wrap each
bottle with several thicknesses of news.
paper, or slide it into paper sack, and
in any case to place it on its side and
keep it in darS room.