54 



THF IRRIGATION AGE. 



That was about two dollars and twenty 

 cents per bushel here, boxed. 



It would pay at these prices, to give 

 especial attention to early sweet potatoes 

 and to Jersey Sweets. I know that 

 many of our people are looking for a 

 crop that will pay while their fruit-trees 

 are growing, and I think here is a crop 

 that will fill the want. 



PEACH GROWERS TEN COMMAND- 

 MENTS. 



One of the largest eastern peach grow- 

 ers, offers the following for the guidance 

 of peach growers; 



1. High, dry, sandy or sand-loam 

 soil. 



2. Careful selection of varieties most 

 hardy in fruit bud. 



3. Vigorous, healthy seeding stocks, 

 budded from bearing trees of undoubted 

 purity and health. 



4. Trees given entire possession of 

 the land from the start. 



5. Thorough culture from the open- 

 ing of spring till the first or middle of 

 August. 



6. Liberal annual manuring, broad- 

 cast, with commercial manures rich in 

 potash and phosphoric acid, lacking in 

 nitrogen. 



7. Low heading and close annual 

 priming for the first five years. 



8. Keep out most borers with some 

 suitable wash, and dig out all others. 



9. Search for traces of yellows every 

 week of the growing season, and at first 

 sign pull up and burn every infected 

 tree. 



10. Thin the fruit so that there shall 

 never be what is termed a full crop. 



And adds: " On these ten command- 

 ments hang most of the law and all the 

 profits. 11 



OUR EXPORT TRADE. 



There was a considerable gain in the 

 export of manufactured merchandise 

 last year. Agricultural products made 

 up about 60 per cent of our total exports 

 in 1896, against 70 per cent in 1895. 72 

 per cent in 1894 and 74 per cent in 1883. 

 That made an increase in absolute 

 value from $553,000,000 in 1895 to $580, 

 000,000 in 1896, and is accompanied by 

 a falling off in percentage, due to the 

 fact that the sales abroad of our manu- 



factured products grew proportionately 

 much faster from $184.000.000 in 1895 

 to $22S.OOO.OOO in 1896. This gain was 

 the result of the stimulus given to the 

 export trade by the reciprocity arrange- 

 ments negotiated under the last Repub- 

 lican administration, and it would have 

 been much greater if they had not been 

 revoked. The manufacturers believe that 

 it can be made much greater year by year 

 if the reciprocity arrangements could be 

 renewed and extended to other nations 

 upon a broad and just principle that will 

 equalize trade. 



The association already has a bill 

 before congress for the establismeut of 

 a department of manufactures and com- 

 merce, with a cabinet minister at its 

 head. The bill was reported favorably 

 from the committee on commerce of the 

 Senate, but there was no prospect of its 

 passage at the last session. The effort 

 to secure such legislation \vill be renew- 

 ed at the next session. The manufact- 

 urers think they are entitled to equal 

 consideration with the farmer, and that 

 the export trade could be considerably 

 promoted if there were some agency 

 under the government looking out for it. 



A Remedy for Burdocks. The follow- 

 ing letter to Secretary Coburn, from 

 P. H. Wimpey, of Burlington, Kas., con- 

 tains a good suggestion from experience 

 and is here published. Doubtless the 

 kerosene remedy will be found efficacious 

 for other troublesome weeds as well as 

 the docks. Mr. Wimpey says: 



" Burdock is very common in this 

 part of Kansas, and when it once gets a 

 good start in yards and along fences it 

 is very troublesome to get rid of. I 

 have a remedy that perhaps is new to 

 some. It is simple and not expensive. 

 Any time after the weed begins to grow 

 in the spring until fall, cut the stalks 

 off at the top of the ground, make a hole 

 in the top of the root and pour about a 

 teaspoon or tablespoonf ul of kerosene in 

 the opening, and it will rot from top to 

 bottom of the root in a few days. It is 

 a sure remedy and never fails in any 

 kind of weather, and is much quicker 

 than digging them out by the roots. 

 The same remedy will apply to yellow 

 dock. I generally use a screwdriver in 

 making a small opening for the oil. 



