The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-02-28
Horticultural Observations

We notice in a contemporary a rec
ipe for sulphuring apples, by which
method they car be kept without can
ming. In brief, the plan is to put the
pared and quartered apples in a bar
rel in which is to be burned a cupful
OF sulphur. Until further advised our
readers should beware of the process.
Sulphured fruit is under the ban Of
medical authorities and is considered
bad food. Canning and drying give
healthful food products and these proc
esses should not be abandoned for
one that gives questionable results.
Now is the time to be preparing for
the early radishes and lettuce. To
have them early increases their value
to the eater. By growing them in a
hot bed they can be placed on the
table from four to six weeks earlier
than If grown in the open ground.
Make the bed on the south side of a
building, where it will receive all of
the sunlight possible, and where it will
get little wind. The manure bed may
be made in a pit or OF a level and
covered with a few inches of good
loan. The glass should Of course
slope toward the south to catch the
sun and turn the rain. The radishes
can be sown in drills or broadcast, but
must be thinned to give room for de-
velopment. Good radishes must be
grown rapidly to be tender.
.H.aH.N aaaH" # .a"-- L
Grape growers have generally paid
little or no attention to the question
of cross-fertilization of grapes, believ-
ing most grapes 10 be sufficiently self
fertile to give. a good yield of fruit
II other conditions were right. OF late
some Of our stations have taken UP
the question and have found that the
varieties differ greatly in this regard,
some being self-sterile, others only
partly self-fertile. The self-sterile va
rieties cannot be improved by planting
them together, but may be benefited
by planting them near the self-fertil-
izers. However, little definite informa-
ton exists on this point, and it is
evident that a great deal of expert
AACAS0A WIN AO0k yOk OO oOAO " 6lf0
us light on the subject. Very marked
results have already been secured, in
dicating that a variety which is more
or less incapable of fertilizing itself
generally fails in the fertilizing Of
other self-sterile varieties, while on
the other hand the self-fertile varie-
ties have usually been successful in
fertllizing the self-sterile sorts upon
which they have been tried. Further
investigation is necessary to determine
whether any grape may be more sue
cessful in tertilizing some varieties
than others.
Sheep Items.
Fergus county. Colorado, has been
wrested from the cattlemen by the
sheep raisers and the former have been
compelled to close-herd their stock.
Fergus county is credited with more
sheep than any other county in the
state. 100000 to 100000 being consid-
cred a conservative estimate Of their
numbers.
George Taylor says: II have found
that q little grain Of any kind. say a
half bushel for twenty-five or thirty
sheep. once q day during the winter.
10 q great help towards making both
desh and fleece and good strong lambs
In the spring. Feeding ewes wheat
should be avoided after lambing or the
lamhH will scour. / have found the
feeding Of oats highly satisfactory at
any time. / do not think any domestic
animal will respond 30 readily to .
little extra feed and ~ q sheep"