The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-09
LUNA WORRIES "A TYRO
MIR. AMATEUR AGRICOLA WANTS TO
KNOW WHEN TO PLANT CROPS.
His Efforts to Learn whether Seeds
should he SONn i'm the Light or
the Dark of the Noon.
special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, June S.-A Washington
man whose early life was spent on a farm
and who likes to remember the days of
backache and hard work decided last year
TO buy a small place in New York State
where his boys could wear their old clothes
and enjoy themselves. Here. in the height
Of his second season, he turns up as a
critic of the scientific bureaus Of the Agri-
cultural Department. the Cornell Reading
Course" and every agricultural newspaper
in the land
Il bought my farm rather late in May
OF last year." he said to-day, land
promptly began to read the Rural New
Yorker, the Country Gentleman and the
publications of the Department of Agricul-
ture, the Cornell Reading Course and a
whole lot of other agricultural literature.
find that not one of them pays the slight
est attention to the most important of all
subjects. namely the moon. 1t was June
before L got my potatoes planted con
shares) last year and when L expressed a
fear that they were planted too late the
scientific farmer who was sharing crops
with me replied not at all. This is exactly
the time to plant late potatoes-the dark
of the moon in June. Last week would have
been too early, the moon changed only
on Saturday night Well those Murphies
did not pan out. We scarcely got seed
back-but then there was drought last
year.
"A few weeks ago." he continued. 81 went
up TO the place to see how things were
getting along. My men had just made the
garden. They had planted several rows of
peas, among other things, and they were
then helping a couple of extra hands saw
"A d no nj
extras said:
Its mighty iucky you got your peas in
the ground to-day. The moon changes to-
What's that got to do with plantin'
peas asked, dropping the final g
through force of association.
All TO do with it, was the reply.
Plant peas in the new of the moon and
you git posy bed. all flowers and no
pods
Il waited a few days and then planted
But l wanted further light on this impor-
tant moon question | walked up to my
neighbor and told him what L had heard
about the pea problem.
There amt nOthin in it, said he, in
dignantly, but you stick out ingun (onion)
sets in the new of the moon and they'll
all come to the top o. the ground. Thet' s
as true es preachln.'
by this time L was interested very
deeply Interested in this moon theory.
hunted through the year books clear back
once reports, but not a word could / find
about the connection between the moon S
Reading Course and the Reports of the
Iowa Experiment Station also the Crop
Bulletin of the Weather Bureau. were
scanned without result Last Monday AL
fred Gilman. one of the best farmers in
the whole county, came down to help me
out for a day
. Say Alfred I said to him. how about
this moon business? Do you think it makes
any difference whether peas are sowed in
the new or the 'old" of the moon?'
Wall. replied Alfred. I've heered this
Teller up at the burg teliin thet kind of
stuff, but l don't take no stock in II. But.
say, eff yer want luck with cucumbers, now
don't plant hill till the moon changes.
| know what I'm talking about when il
comes to cukes.
ALFRED slapped the lines down hard on
the back of the near horse. and stepping
into the furrow. continued his blowing. L
concluded to consult Tommy Foster. He
lives near by. and | always go to him for
real scientific agricultural information.
told him all | had learned about the moon.
'Pshaw,' he said, my theory is that the
time to plant peas. cucumbers or any
thing else. is when the ground is ready and
the weather fine. Let the moon go. But,
say. he added, L believe the moons got
something TO do with weanin' pigs Now,
one year | had a fine litter of Chester
whites | took them all away from the old
SOW when | thought they were big enough,
and you never heard such a squealing as
they kept up all night Next mornin | hap
pened TO mention it to a Teller from over
by Celeryville who'd raised hundreds of
pigs. Say. Tommy" he said you wait
till next week. The moon changes Monday,
and after that you can wean EN- all right"
Well. sir. 1 put them pigs back with their
mother and left EN- week. When | took
EN- away again they stayed as peaceful as
"a healthy baby with full stomach.
don't take any stock in the moons infu-
ence on crops but I'll be hanged if the
Queen of the Night. the poet calls her,
don't have some KIND OF influence in the
matter of weanin' pigs.
I've come back to Washington" con-
Guided MIR. Agricola, Ito see the secretary
these experts and hire helpers who know
useful things about the moon"