The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-17

to the top of the taSsal and with a
couple of ears just above the ground
But it is early and we are going to
try, to acclimate it, though we have
never had any success before with
the extra early sugar cornS. The new
/ sweet corn sent us from the New Jer-
sey Station seems to be perfectly az
home, and is growing finely | fear
| that L have made a mistake in plant
| ing the few seeds / had in a single
row. 1t should have been planted in
a square block for better polleniZa-
ton. But as it is we will try to assist
the poleniZing by taking ripe tassels
and busting the pollen on the fresh
silks bv hand. This corn was plant
ed late SO that it would not receive
the pollen from other sorts that are
not far away, and which VIII nave
the pollen ripe before this corn is
ready to take it. 1t is such vlgor-
Gus growing corn that we are LOOKING
| with considerable interest to the re-
suit, and will try to breed 1t alonJ
with, but not crossed with the Giant
we are acclimating. Our home grown
seed of the Giant is, in robustness
and general vigor, far ahead of the
same variety from the North, and it
seems certain that if we are to have
good sweet corn in the South we must
produce the seed here. One of our
seeding plums gave a crop this sea-
|
red plum about the size of the Wild
Goose, but better, and it is earlier
than the red June, which is not far
behind. All the Japan plumS are
loaded with fruit. Greensboro and
Triumph are the peaches now on the
table. Greensboro is the largest OF
the early peaches, not so highly col
ored as Alexander. but of better quail
ity. In fact it tastes more like q
i peach than the extra early ones usu.
ally do. Triumph is the earliest yet.
low peach. 1t is the worst rotter
know and when perfect is not highly
favored peach, being rather too sour
for my use In little while the bin
snowy Elbertas will dominate the
) market, and while not of the highest
quality it's snowy appearance and
size will always make it sellind
peach.
The gladoli are the leading feature
in the flower garden, and we are cut
ting and giving away the spikes by
the armful for we are growing theni
, for the bulbs. I have one piece OF
ground where the young gladoli are
as thick as wheat from the small Off
: sets left in the ground in diggina
. them last fall. / suppose that we will
finally have to treat the gladoH as a
weed and hoe them out so that we
can grow something else.
Parcels Post.
We fully agree with the Rural New
Yorker that we will never have the
parcels post we should have until the
farmers Of the country realize what
great convenience it will be to them
and then go for it as they went for
the anti-oleo law. The farmers of
this country are a power il united,
and the congressman know the i'm
portance of the farmer vote. OF
/ course the express companies are go
i ing to keep fighting it and they will
! prevent it until the Congressman find
out that the farmers all over the
country insist on having it. Such
law, which will allow packages OF at
least eleven pounds to go through the
mails at reasonable rate, like they
are carried in foreign countries, viii
be of more Importance to the dWellers
| in the country than to any other class
| of people. The express only takes
| packages TO their offices in towns and
delivers them only in the corporations,
| while with a parcels post the rural
free deliver will take them to your
home. Next to free rural delivery, the
| parcels post is the most important
move now to be made. Then keep
hammering at Congress until we get
it, friends
BOrax i'm Food.
The very common practice among
farmers of using boraX in the curing
of bacon, as was shown some time
since in the Pool discussion on the
curing of meat makes the investiga-
tons that have been carried on by
| DR.. Wiley, of the Department of Ag-
riculture, very important. Several
strong young men were Experimental
on and borax and boracic acid used
in various quantities in their food.
NInn h. ~
We're a persistent headache, fullness
in the head and a clouding of the
mental faculties. While very small
amounts did not seem to produce ap-
preciable results, the conclusions was
that when such materials, not neces-
J sary nor natural in foods exert a very
marked injurious effect when used in
large quantities for a short time they
would certainly produce a bad effect
when used for a long time in very
small quantities. The general conclu-
sion is that it is not advisable to use
borax or preseratives of that character
: in articles of food intended for COM
mon use. At the time this matter
was discussed in the Pool. and SO
J many stated that they used borax so
their bacon, we said that our opinion
was that the practice was a bad one,
and that there is no need for the use
of boraN in the curing of meat. And
petre even is to give the meat the
desirable red color. Good salt is all
that is really necessary in the curing
of meat.
Economic Entomology.
In many of the colleges of agricul-
ture the short winter courses of study
have accomplished "a great deal of
good. This is especially true in GER
tain colleges were the dairy has been
the leading feature in these courses.
/ But there is more and more need that
the winter courses should specialize
| in other lines as well. There is moth
! ing with which the farmer and gard
| ener comes in contact that is more i'm
| portant for him to know something
! about than the various insects that are
/ harmful to his crops and those that
/ are beneficial. There is a vast amount
/ of ignorance, even among educated
men in regard to the life history and
/ character of insects. To most men
they are simply bugs" and their
larval forms are worms" and that is
about the sum of what they know. A
| short study of the injurious and bene-