The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1924-04-10
TOPICS OF THE FARM
A Department Devoted Exclusively to Farm
Affairs in Hand County
Contributed to by z. II. AICHER, Hand County Axri. Agent

ouri Agricultural Experiment Station
on a one-fourth acre farm garden for
three years gave the following re-
suits: Average costs per year were
| $i6.55. gross returns averaged S1SO.69.
and the net return $134.14 a year.
This garden paid S1.79 an hour for the
he successful in gardening work, n
labor expended upon it. In order to
should keep in mind a few fundamcn-
tai facts. viz, manure and plOw in
TALL: get an early start in the spring:
| avoid Improbable and nOn-esscntiaI
crops; select the best varieties; buy
GOOD seed: raise strong, vigorous
plants :or transplanting; avoid I'M
necessary work by arranging the gar
den for horse ~cultivating; give thor
| ough cultivation and control mOis.
ture supply keep the weeds out; be
prepared to control insects and dis
~casees. and do not attempt to raise a
larger garden than you al care for.
Bridge Grafting-Apple and other
tree. injured by rabbits Dr. mice
should receive treatment as soon As
noticed. Where the damage is slight
| the bark should be smoothed down
and the injured portion covered with
grating But when the bark has
been completely eaten away or the
/ I,a, -.,lIal "a rrs1l H. -
resort 10 bridge-grafting. This should
be done as soon as possible, pTefera-
bly, before growth starts. First
smooth the margins of the injured
region, using a sharp knife. Then
bridge over this region using coin
wood of last years growth. Cut both
ends Of the coin in a wedge shape
with the inner bevel much longer
than the outer me-. These bevels
should be parallel with each other.
and the prepared coin a little longer
than the width OF the girdleed area.
Then place the ends of the coin under
the edge of the bark above and below
the injured region. Be careful Il
have the buds pointing up and to wax
all cut surfaces.
H~ealing-in Nursery Stock-Immc.
diately upon arrival of the nursery
it until planting time or until the soil
has been prepared. BY allowing the
stock to lie around for several days
before unpacking and h%eeling-in, one
very materially weakens the plant:
if not killing them completely through
loss of moisture. When unpacking
the stock soak the roots in a tub of
water for several hours before heel
ing-in. Large bundles should be I'M
tied, the packing removed and the
bundle somewhat lOosened so that
when heelcd-in the moist soil will
come in contact with all the roots.
Plants are heelcd-in by digging a
shallow, sIoping trench in a cool sit
lation mad placing the loosened hun
die of stock in il so that the plants
lie nearly horizontal. yet with a por-
ton OF the tops sticking out OF the
trench, then covering the roots with
soil.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and flow
" plants which are started i'm the
house or hotbed should not be left
too long in the seed bed or fiat before
transplanting. When seedlings are
left over three weeks i'm the seed bed
they usually begin to crowd each
other. which causes them to grow
spindling. Moreover, damping off fun
gus diseases arc much more liable to
;ause considerable loss. AS soon as
he first tree leaves appear, the plants
'hould be t~rsnsplanted into fats so
mat they stand about an inch and a
half apart each way. Small plants
may be transplanted successfully by
dibbling in. A satisfactory dibble may
be made from the round of an old
chair. 1t is preferably about four
inches in length and sharpcncd at onc
end. In making the hole TO receive
the plant. rotate the dibble as 1t Is
inserted and taken out. This prevents
the hole from filling up immediateI;
upon remo"ing the dibble. The soil
should be packed firmly around the
roots and the surface left loose.