The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-03-21
FAaM NEWS AND VIEWS.
Management Of the Garden Season
able Suggestions.

I from The Philadelphla Recorl
7 The most esssntisl portion Of the gar
den work : the making q the soil as
fine A. possible. The manure should
be evenly spread over the ground and
then well Incorporated with the soil
This is done with the harrow in large
| gardens, bat the spade, hoe and rake
are used on small Piots. One mistake
made with gardens Is IN using manure
that Is not well decomposed. The seeds
Of vegetables are very suAll, and where
the manure Is coarse and containing
portions Of cornstaiks, many Of the
seeds are covered in manner TO dss-
troy them. When the rake is used the
litter remaining on the surface should
be raked or and thrown back on the
manure heap. Another advantage in
using fine and thoroughly decomposed
manure Is that the seeds Of weeds ana
grass ere usually destroyed during the
process Of decomposition, and less work
will thus be required in the garden.
/ The plowingor spading should be deep,
which will be q partial protection
against drought, and the spaces be
tween the rows should be hoed after
every rain, which not only destroys
weeds, bot serves TO prevent loss OF
moisture from the soil
II is not wise farming TO attempt 10
make an impoverished farIa produce
heavy crops, as the land will become
poorer every year unless something is
pot on the land to compensate for loss.
With q PooE farm one should expect to
incur a loss for a year or two. Take
tine aud grow green crops to be plos-
ed under, and use lime, fertilizers sud
manure, selling nothing OF the farm
that can be used on the farm. Any
farm can 0e improved, but it requires
time 10 get the land back to IFS original
condition after it has been closely crop
ped for years.
CotsOnseed meal should be used on
All farms where stock is kept, II posi-
Die, IS it greatly enriches the manure.
Some Farmers, especially those who
gros tobacco, Use it directly on the
land as a fertilizer, aud when the mar
ket price Of eottonseed does not exceed
50 per ton, it Is considered equal 10
some fertilizers. as it contains nitrogen,
phosphorie acid and potash in a per-
tally available form. It is m1re prof
iiabie TO feed 10, however, and thus de-
rive more profit from its use.
a small quantity OF land plaster in
the hiliI Of corn viii be found benef-
eial, as the plaster absorbs moisture
froc. the atmosphere, and viii give a
green color 10 corn, when other eorn
not receiving plaster will be yellow.
Pisster is not considered valuable fer
tilizsr, but it is nevertheless, capable Of
influencing the amount Of ammonia
derived from the air. and in proportion
to IT'S cost gives excellent results
Cheap wheat leaves q larger profit for
the farmer than was received half
century ago with wheat at double the
price OF the present day. The value of
an article is il price compared with its
cost. The wheat-drili, the self binder,
and the combined tbTesher have 80 low
cred the cost Of labor aud reduced the
time in growing and harvesting wheat
as b enable the farmer 10 grow four
acres Of wheat instead Of one. The
way 70 make wheat more profitable Is
to increase the average yield per acre
by the Eberai use Of fertilizers.
The hog that Is grown between two
winters vilI e.,st less and be more
profitable than one kept from the fall
20 the winter OF the next year. The
spring pig shOald be Of just the right
weight to bring the highest price by
November or Christmas, and il viii re-
quire less attention than one kept
through the winter. Il is not now
necessary to have pigs excessively ft,
though weight il An important factor.
Quality is ROW sought and fixes The
price.
When fattening poultry for market
the fowls viii gain more rapidly if they
arr kept 10 small Il lcks than when they
are cooped singiy, a. they aili become
lonesome and lose appetite. Feed them
four times a day, allowing green food
at least Ooe@ a day, with plenty Of corn
at night. Tae other two meals msy
consist Of ore part, by weight. Of corn
meal, one OF bran, one OF ground oats
aud one of crude tallow. Nix with
boiling wa.er and give as much as they
wiz eat.
TIE farmer and his farm are said to
be alike; that =, the farm Is what the
owner makes IL. and it indicates his
characteristics. TIE main desire OF an
enterprising farmer Is 70 save as much
manure as possible, and il is an cd
maxim that the best way to judge of
the work OF a farmer il TO observe how
he manages his manure heap, as in the
manure is collected the riches Of the
farn- AnenterprisiI g larmer will also
keep his buildings in repair, and make
the farm attractive in appearance, but
at all seasons OF the year, whenever an
opportunity IS afforded for 50 doing, he
viii give a portion Of his tiEe to the
manure heap.
Just as soon as the ground IS ready
Tor the p;ow sad c1itivaior the spring
work should begin. When the ground
Is plexed early it becomes warm, and
the seeds of weeds commence germina-
ting, which permits Of their d-struc-
ton with the harrow or cultivator.
The earlier the weeds can be started the
more of them can b. d ,strJyed before
the regular crops are planted, and the
labor OF cultivation d1rilg the year
viii b. materially decreased and the
crops benefited accordingly.