Year: 1877

Practical Farm Notes.


BARLEY. management is re-
quired to succeed with this crop. Pecu-
liar soils are required to produce clear,
thin skinned, bright colored sample,
such as brings the best price in the mar
ket. A friable, clean, mellow, dry,
limestone clay loam is perhaps the best
soil, but some lighter soils, that are
warm and rich, will produce good bar
lev. The soil must be thoroughly work
ed, and free from weeds. Barley should
always be drilled, and the seed placed at
an even depth below the surface. There
is no better crop with which to SOW to
clover.


Oats will succeed upon soils where
barley would fail. A rough sod and a
moist soil will grow good oats; it is the
best spring crop for reclaimed swamp
or newly broken clayey meadow. Two
and half bushels of seed per acre is
light seeding; three bushels, if drilled,
or three and a half, if broadcast, is
sometimes sown with good results. The
thick seeding yields finer stalk, which
makes a more desirable fodder than
stouter straw.


Oats and peas, sown together, pro-
duce very nutritious fodder. The two
crops together, upon one acre of good
soil, will yield nearly, if not quite, as
much fodder as would an acre. OF each
sown separately. We have sown two
bushels of oats and six pecks of peas to
the acre. If sown early, the fodder may
be cut for soiling COWS or horses in May
or June, and succession for continuous
use may be sown every two weeks until
early in May. Roll the ground after
sowing, SO that the crop may be cut
with mower, which may easily be done,
as the oats support the peas and prevent
lodging.


Other fodder crops are barley and
tares, or vetches, spring rye,
and in the Southern States the cowpea
may be added to these. A few acres Of
some early fodder crops will be found
very useful for feeding green, or for
cutting and curing for hay.


POTATOES. - Earlier planting than
usual will be advisable. Few plant
early enough, and now that the Colorado
beetle is around very early, it will be
well to get the start of him. We have
planted as soon as the frost was out of
the ground and the soil dry, without
needing occasional night ifrosts. When
the potatoes appear above ground, an
inch of earth thrown over them with the
hoe, or light furrow, will be sufficient
protection, and if the tops are nipped,
the plants will sprout again.


The COLORADO BEETLE.-Where this
pest has been around for years past, 1t Is
not feared. No one thinks of being
much troubled about it. Yet we hear
farmers ask: "Shall we plant any po-
tatoes this year or not? ?" Potatoes must
be raised, even if the beetle has to be
fought, and paris green is safe and ef-
fective remedy when properly used.
WINTER WHEAT AND RYE.-These
crops are much improved by narrowing.
If the ground is dry, the plants will n 1t
be harmed, but the crust will be loosen
ed, earth will be drawn over plants
that have been heaved, and the just
starting weeds will be killed. The
Thomas harrow, having light, slanting
teeth, is admirable for this work, but
the common harrow may be used instead
of il. it.-Agriculturist.


I The Household.


ANTs.-A certain way to keep ants
from sugar barrels, lard cans and pre-
serve jars, is to tie string wet with
kerosene around the barrel, can or jar.
Repeat the wetting of the string every
few days.


OATMEAL BREAKFAST CAKE.-Take one
pint of oatmeal, pinch of salt, and just
warm water enough to stir up into q
batter. Pour it into shallow baking
pan, and bake for twenty minutes in a
hot oven. Or bake it in small cakes on
the griddle iron, first putting in hand
full of wheaton -four and little more
water. The cold porridge will also make
delicious griddle cakes.


COLD S1Aw.-Cut up a quantity of
cabbage very fine with sharp knife,
and sprinkle upon it teaspoonful Of
salt. For large dish use two eggs, a
piece of batter the size Of an egg, half
a teacupful of water, and half teacupful
of good vinegar. Beat the eggs, whites
and yolks together, very light, add the
water, vinegar and butter, and put all In
q tin on the fire, stirring all the time
until it is of a creamy thickness. Pour
it hot over the cabbage, stir up well with
a fork and leave to cool.


WALL PAPER AND TYPHOID FEVER
An Englishman, several members OF
whose family had been sick with typhoid
fever, had room repapered, and found
that there were no less than twenty-five
wall papers already on the wall. The
presence of this mass of decomposlng
paste and paper sufficiently accounted
for the disagreeable smell that was al
ways noticeable, although drains and
water closets were well trapped.


ScoTcH CAKEs.-Into two quarts OF
flour rub a tablespoonful of butter, stir
in cup and half of milk, cup OF
yeast, two eggs, and half teaspoonful
of salt. Let this rise over night. In
the morning roll out and make into small
thin biscuit, let them rise and bake
quickly. Dip each biscuit in melted
butter before putting it in the pan, and
they will readily part from each other