The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-07-03
-s.-.s-l.-s-.s-l
AGRICULTURE
OF LOCAL INTEREST TO-
WAYNE COUNTY FARMERS !


strength. Both arsenate of lead and
Paris green should, after being
weighed, be mixed with small
amount of water till they are an
even creamy mass, and then washed
into the spray barrel. Then before
beginning to spray this whole mix
ture should be thoroughly agitated.
A test repeated FOR rcur years at
the New York agricultural expert
ment station, Geneva, shows a decid-
ed gain in yield by growing tomato
plants from seed produced by cross
ing two varieties. The first genera
tion of crossed plants outyielded the
parents in every case, the average
gain being about three and one-half
tons of tomatoes to the acre. The
advantage was greatly less in plants
of the second generation, and dsap-
peared entirely in subsequent genera
tions. The station horticulturists be-
lieye that the growing of this first
generation crossed seed is a CONNER
cially profitable undertaking. The
details of the work are given in bull
letin 346, which may be obtained
from the station without charge.
Chickweed is a great nuisance in
the garden, and in grass lands. 1t
chokes out smaller and weaker
plants, including seedlings of all
classes. 1t grows perpetually, and
the common chickweed, stellaria
media, flowers all the year round ex-
cept when there is frost, so that it is
perpetually seeding. Constant work
with the hoe is the only way to sub
due it; infested grass land should
be broken up, and treated to a
short rotation. Several of the chick
weeds are a great nuisance to green
house men, both outside in the gar
den, and under glass when bought
inside in the compost
Generally speaking the egg-eating
hen is not as much to blame as is
the poultryman. Hens crave animal
food. If this is not to be had, it is
only natural that the hens craving
for this form of food should lead it
astray. Nine times out of ten the
egg-eating habit, as well as the
feather-pulling vice, is caused by a
lack OF animal protein in the ration.
In attempting to control the habit,
then, it is well to see that all temp
tation is removed by including a
sufficient quantity of animal protein
in the feed.
If one is raising any considerable |
number of chicks, feeding pens are
almost a necessity. Either wooden
crates made of lath so nailed that
only the little chickens can get
through the cracks, or pens inclosed |
with small mesh wire netting will |
answer the purpose. Thus the little |
chicks will have a chance to eat in |
quiet instead of being pecked and |
knocked around by the big ones. The |
big chicks can be fed outside the |
pens, or, if there are hens around to |
worry them, pens can be provided in !
to which to throw their feed.
The department of agriculture has
Just received a report from the New |
York agricultural experiment station |
OF tests made to determine the in
fuence of crossing in increasing the |
yield of the tomato. The infusion of |
new blood obtained by crossing some |
what closely related varieties, says |
the report, has been found, in many |
plants, to increase the vigor and |
yield OF fruits to a very marked de- |
gree. Among the common CONNER
clal crops, corn, bean and tomato |
nave been proved eXperimentally to !
be greatly benefited by such crossing. |
With this idea in view, the expert
ments were begun as far back as
1907 in order to determine whether
crossing increased the yield of toma-
toes, and, If so, how much? For
this purpose the Livingston Stone
and the Dwarf Aristocrat varieties
were selected. Their fruit is identi-
cal in color and quite similar in
shape, but the vines, however, are
very distinct in stature, one being a
standard and the other a dwarf.