The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-08-26
Millet for Late Pasturage-Girdiing
of Grapes.

1, is too fate TO depend upon mllet a
crop, but II piece OF land infested with
weeds Is sown 20 the ordinary common millet
the result will be that the millet will kill out
all other plants One Of the advantages OF
millet which Is sowu at this season is that it
provides excellent green food or pasturage
for all kiuds OF stock after grass becomes
scarce As it grows so rapidly it keeps up
almost an unlimited supply. One OF the uses
at late gUreu iOod Is that the animals are pro
vidcd Tor ii a season when they have difficulty
in securing plentiful supply of grass, and the
green food Is valuable as much for its aid IN
promoting digestion and supplying variety as
10 its value as a portion Of the ration. 1t is
a mil. of farmers to depend upon the pasture
as much as possible, but after dry summer
some pastures become exhausted, and are also
Injured by being too closely cropped. As the
broajcasting of a field with millet or Hunga
riap grass costs but little, and the growth Is
rariI there is no crop that can be seeded
down IN August that will give better results
a, green food late in the year than they.
The old canes of raspberrles and blackber-
ries are OF no further use, having fulfilled their
mission, aud should be removed late IN the
fall aud burned, as by so doing the borerS will
also be destroyed, as well as the spores OF the
raspberry disease known as anthracuose,
:
of raspberries All refuse material between
the rows. such As dead crabgrass, weeds, etc,
should also be removed and consigned to the
flames as a precauiion against disease.
The girdiing or ringing of graPeyines is
dome TO increase the size of each cluster. 1t
is not extensively practiced, however, although
some find the method profitable. The bark
is entirely removed below the fruit cluster
about IL month before the period of ripeniug,
which hastenS ripenng a week or two IN ad
vance and eulirges the bunch and berries.
The sap ascends through the pores of the wood
to sustain growth, but the elaborated sap de
scends between the wood and the bark, and
can 90 no lower than the point at which the
girtlle is made, where it stops and Is utilized
in feeding the grapes. Some INJURY Is done
the vine below the girdle, and 1t may not pay
to girdle on an extensive scale.
II pure, uneached wood ashes could be OBJ
tanned plentifully, and at a moderate cost,
they would give perhaps more satisfactory re-
suits than the salts of potash, as the ashes con
tain lime in its best form, and serve well as a
precautiou against the attacks of some kinds
of insects. They can be used without liability
or injury on all kinds of crops if broadcasted
over the soil, as many as $50 bushels per acre
not being considered excessive on certain
soils, and they make a better fertilizer tor
clover than baruyard manure. FOR trult trees
ashes cannot be eXcelled.
Sassafras is one Of the worst pests that can
find a hold on "A field Cut it down, or even
grub it up, and it will reappear almost unex-
pectedly. growing rapidly and taking posses
sion of the land. There is time when 1t can
be removed to the best advantage, however,
and that is by grubbing about the first of Sep
tember removing the roots and then clearing
off the field Should auy plants appear next
spring, go into the field and touch little sui
phuric acid on each-half II teaspoonful will
answer-and repeat should any shoots appear
later, first cutting off all plants that show above
ground. This is also an excellent method OF
eradicating thistles and other weeds that are
difficult to remove.
Cottonseed meal is used by growers of GER
tain kinds of tobacco in connection with sui
phate of potash. 1t has been found that
muriate of potash is undesirable for the pur,
pose. Cottonseed meal, however, is not classed