ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE. 539 



horses), is a solution of sulphuret of 

 potassium in water, say two to four 

 ounces to a gallon of cold water, varying 

 the strength according to the age and the 

 tenderness of the skin of the animal, as 

 the solution will contain some potash, 

 which, if too strong, would irritate a deli- 

 cate skin. There is no danger in its ap- 

 plication, but it has the disagreeable odor 

 of sulphuretted hydrogen. The sulphuret 

 of potassium comes in the form of green- 

 ish or greyish lumps, put up in tight bot- 

 tles. It is used in photography, and can 

 usually be bought at the principal drug 

 stores. 



Carbolic acid, diluted in water, is also 

 recommended as an excellent wash for 

 killing most kinds of parasites. 



PARSNTPS, To Raise.— Select a heavy, 

 but clean and rich, loam. Plow it deep, 

 and harrow it thoroughly as early as it 

 can be worked ; mark off in rows fifteen 

 inches apart, and drill in the seed or sow 

 by hand. Use plenty of the seed, two 

 or three to the inch, and be sure it is 

 fresh. Go through the rows with a 

 pronged hoe, or other implement, as 

 soon as they can be distinguished. When 

 large enough, thin the plants to stand 

 four or five inches apart, and be sure that 

 they stand singly. Keep the land very 

 clean by frequent hoeing. 



PEACH TREES, Management of.— 

 Seedling trees are the longest livers, most 

 prolific and most profitable. Secure a 

 good variety of pits which produce the 

 same kind of fruit — these are rare. Plant 

 pits where you desire your tree to remain, 

 or, if transplanted, they should be of the 

 first year's growth. After your trees have 

 attained to a proper size, cut back, and 

 prevent their bearing ; this will cause the 

 roots to spread in the soil, and will add 

 to the longevity of the tree. Trees which 

 send down one large root and small 

 fibrous roots, will soon become covered 

 with moss and die. Use coal ashes and 

 soap suds plentifully, and if you wish to 

 keep the trees from blooming early, 

 spread manure, coal ashes or sawdust 

 deeply upon the roots when the ground 

 is hardest frozen, and do not remove till 

 late in the spring. (This has been sold 

 as a great secret.) The largest roots of 

 a peach tree will be found upon the 

 north and west sides. Branches grow 

 fastest toward the south and the east. 



PARSLEY, Culture of.— Sow it in drills, 

 half an inch deep, early in April. When 

 the plants are three or four inches high, 

 thin them to six inches apart ; to keep a 

 young stalk constantly for use, cut down 

 about a third part at a time. Keep it 

 only from severe frost. For this object, 

 select a warm spot of ground, light and 

 rich; sow it early in the season; cut them 

 all over in September surround the bed, 

 early in November, with boards, and 

 cover with mats or shutters ; glass is much 

 better if it can be obtained. 



PEACH, Yellows. — The disease termed 

 the yellows is truly formidable. It is 

 peculiar to the peach and nectarine. It 

 has destroyed whole orchards in portions 

 of the country, and for a time induced 

 the entire abandonment of peach culture 

 in certain localities. 



The cause of this malady has not been 

 satisfactorily ascertained. According to 

 conjecture, it has arisen originally from 

 exhaustion by deteriorated soil, over- 

 bearing and neglected pruning and bad 

 cultivation. But whatever may have 

 been its origin, it appears at present to be 

 chiefly communicated from diseased 

 trees. It is quickly induced by inserting 

 the bud from an affected tree into a 

 healthy stock. It spreads by contact 

 with diseased roots; a knife used in 

 pruning the tree will infuse poison if used 

 on another. It appears to be communi- 

 cated without actual contact, the healthy 

 branches nearest a diseased tree being 

 usually first attacked. It is also prob- 

 able that the stones from diseased trees 

 cause its development after a few years' 

 growth. Its highly contagious nature, 

 when in its most virulent form, is 

 indicated by the equal facility with which 

 young and vigorous trees, and old and 

 feeble, may be inoculated by contact. 



Its infallible indications are, first, pre- 

 mature ripening of the fruit, some weeks 

 earlier than usual — accompanied with a 

 rather insipid flavor, purple discolora- 

 tions of the flesh. These usually occur 

 the first season, and on a part of the tree 

 which has first been inoculated with the 

 poison. The following season, numerous 

 small wiry shoots are frequently throwh 

 up from the larger branches, the leaves, 

 become yellow, the whole tree assumes a 

 sickly appearance, and eventually per- 

 ishes. No instance is known where a. 



