The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-09-08
Of Interest TO the Farmers

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be in an Inverse ratio to rhe number
allowed to mature. The best and most
perfect fruit is produced where but
two or three stems are permitted to
carry fruit. the pruning being done
gradually during the growing season.
However. where the vines have been
allowed to grow at will much can be
done to increase the size Of the fruit
set as well as to hasten maturity by
cutting OF u good share Of the grow
ing shoots with some kind Of q sharp
knife
A man who some years ago moved
! into a neighborhood where yellow mus
tard was thicker in the fields than hair
on a dogs back writes a leading az
ricultural paper that the way TO get
| rid of the pest is first TO clean the
seed grain and not SOW mustard seed
AS u second precaution he recommends
blowing the fields As soon as the
shocks are OF. which will terminate
the seed the same fall and prevent ii
living through the winter. Lastly he
| suggests keeping tie roadsides and
fence corners clean. This program Of
determination would seem to be pref
| ty good.
The forest service bureau has on ex-
hibition a number OF two inch sections
Of several varieties Of wood which
have been put through tests for
strength. and the showing which the
eucalyptus makes is remarkable. The
sample of this wood broke down I'M
der an end strain OF 1920 pounds.
the fiber stress per square inch being
1850. In like blocks Of oak and
hickory. generally supposed to be the
strongest and toughest Of our native
woods. the figures for the two strains
were respectively 1900 pounds and
4.S7O pounds and 36,2SO pounds and
$3.50 pounds.
The writer recently had opportunity
to put some questions to q civil en-
gineer who has had charge Of private
and government irrigation projects
in the Yakima valley. Among other
things. his opinion touching pumping
plants for irrigation purposes where
| the land did not lie right to receive
water from a gravity system was that
they were quite practicable and salts
factory and for u forty acre tract ought
not to exceed $500 He held that even
better results could be secured. includ-
ing greater economy In operation. II q
group of from three to six neighbors
were to unite in the construction and
maintenance Of such irrigating plant.
One of the surprises for the visitor
at the Seattle exposition is the re-
markable display of agricultural prod
ucts to be found In the Alaska build
ing. The climate Of southern Alaska
is greatly modified by ocean currents.
which have much the same effect that
the gulf stream has on the countries
of northern Europe. AS far north as
latitude 81 degrees grains and grasses
are grown successfully. as well as po-
| tatoes and other root crops. The last
to be added to the list is the festive
watermelon. Considering the fact that
| this great domain was for many years
| viewed as a resort for seals and polar
bears, the showing referred to IL not
bad.
The cutting Of the roadside weeds Is
| to be urged for two or three very good
| reasons-hrst. to keep them from ma
| turing and scattering a big crop of
| seed; secondly, to prevent their becom
ing catch for drifting SHOWS and thus
Il serious hindrance to winter traffic.
| nd frHl h>
| of the highway from the standpoint of
| those who drive over it. While the
| first two reasons given are perhaps the
| most practical. the third is just as i'm
portant, for. whether they will or no.
the character. public spirit and enter
| prise Of the residents Of a community
are often very accurately shown by the
care they give the highways for which
they are responsible.
As soon a. the tops Of the onions
are ripe and the roots sufficiently dead
to permit Of easy pulling the crop
should be rsked into convenient rows
with q round toothed rake. care being
taken not to bruise the onions. They
should then be allowed to dry until
the top is completely shriveled and the
outside skin rattles. when the topping
may be done with a pair Of light
sharp scissors. If dry enough to store
they may be Grated or sacked when
topped. If not they should be given a
few days more curing. Before being
sacked or stored the crop should be
thoroughly dry. and this IL a point
| which any careful buyer win insist
on. The crop should be secured as
early as possible In sections where
frosts occur. as a hard freeze will
cause the onions to sweat and sprout
Did he bat realize 1t the farm OF
ranch owner living along main Travelled
roads IL interested financially In keep
ing them in the best possible condition
10 4 far greater degree than the rura
carrier. the auto owner or any one else
who uses them.