The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-14
OF Interest to the Farmers
TOBACCO AREA SPREADING.

Troubles In Tennessee and kentucky
causs Activity Elsewhere.
Since the night riding affairs in Ten
nessee and Kentucky the tobacco
growing industry has been spreading
in other states. Missouri. for instance.
reports an enormously increased acre.
age for last year. with prospects OF
still further increase this season To-
bacco is by no means confined to the
south. Connecticut. 1t is well known.
grows magnificent tobacco. The leaf
from the Connecticut river valley vies
with that Of Cuba and Porto Rico rs
q wrapper for cigars.
In view of the spread Of the tobac-
co industry the following suggestions
| as to seed are Of interest:
Tobacco seed rarely terminates over
| Is per cent and often as low as 40 per
cent. making it necessary to test the
| tobacco seed to be used for sowing
plant beds, according to information
being sent out by the horticultural de-
| partment Of the College Of Agriculture
| of the University of Wisconsin. Some
years the seed is of especially low vi
tally. and il such seed is used in plant
beds poor plants are secured, which
cannot produce a good crop. The seed
harvested last fall was poor, due to the
early frost. ..-..
Tobacco seed should be cleaned by
separating from It the light seed and
foreign material. A simple method OF
testing Is to place = noistened blotter
or thick cloth on a dinner plate and on
to it count a definite number of Seeds
preferably 100 or 200. Another mois-
tened blotter or cloth should be placed
over the seeds, which should then be
covered with another plate and set in
a warm place slightly above room tenn
perature and moistsned occasionally.
| In Eve to seven days most Of the
living seeds viii have sprouted. and
the percentage that are alive may be
determined by counting. II the seed
is poor, growers should secure better
seed or use larger amount Of the
poor seed. subsequently thinning the
plants in the beds until only the
healthy plants remain.
Large crops OF tobacco can only be
secured by setting vigorous plants, and
the yield is too often reduced by neg
lect of seed testing by growers. Where
| a large amount Of seed is to be clean
ed a special seed cleaning machine
should be used. Such a device has
been designed at the Wisconsin expert
ment station and Is described in bulle-
tin 176, which can be had upon appli.
cation to the station
Cheap Protection From lightning.
As from TOO to 800 people are killed,
twice as many injured and an immense
amount of property destroyed by light
ming every year, Professor Henry OF
the weather bureau thinks more atten.
ton should be given to protection from
lightning. The professor has recently
prepared paper on this subject, and
1t has been published as farmers bull
letin No. 367 Of the United States de-
partment Of agriculture. In explain.
Ing what lightning is and how to pre-
vent buildings from being struck be
gives an instructive elementary dis
cussion Of electricity, ! conductors and
nonconductors, positive and negative
Identification and electricity in thun
derstorms. 1T is the practical part oil
this paper, however, which will appea
most strongly to the farmers Of the
country. Professor henry shows how
), lightning rods that are INEXPENSIVE
yet effective" may be put up by any
body. The following Is his list of thu
necessary materials: ), Enough galva
nized iron telegraph wire to serve fol
} the rod, pound Of galvanized iro1
staples to hold the wixe In place, few
connecting tees and a pound of alu
minimum paint He says, while irol
t Is not so good 4 conductor as copper
it is less likely. to cause dangerou.
side flashes. and it also dissipates tn,
energy Of the lightning fash more eft
fectively than does the copper"
? Record Lead Of Corn Hauled.
{ Walter Converse, q farmer Of Mad
ison county, O., considers himself tn
! champion corn hauler of his section
: Mr.. Converse made a six mile haul O