128 



QUERIES AND ANSWERS, 



Peat. 



Cantaloupe. 



Forcing 

 Lettuces. 



Fungicides 



and 



Insecticides. 



Cabbage 

 for Autumn. 



Weeds on 

 Tennis Court, 



"Weeds 



in General. 



Good Roads. 



A. Better pile it for further fermentation, provided it be piled and 

 attended to so as not to burn or fire-fang, otherwise nearly all the valu- 

 able properties will leave it. If this attention cannot be given it better 

 spread it and plow under in the Fall. 



802. Q. Is peat valuable as a fertilizer ? 



A. Yes, to a small extent ; but principally as an alterative, and as an 

 aerator to heavier or lighter soils. It pays for digging and hauling on 

 one's own farm at odd times, but it has no commercial value. 



803. Q. What do you consider one of the best citrons or muskmelons? 

 A. The Annie Arundel cantaloupe or muskmelon — good size, oval to 



pointed, well ribbed, green in flesh and of exquisite flavor ; a good shipper. 



804. Q. Name one of the best forcing lettuces. 



A. The New York Experimental Station has two or three times an- 

 nounced that Landreths' Forcing was one of the best. The Virginia 

 Solid Header is an excellent one. 



805. Q. Can I plant my garden crops with confidence that, through the 

 practical application of scientifically compounded fungicides and insecti- 

 cides, I will be assured of my ability to keep the plants healthy ? 



A. No ; the treatment of plant diseases is met with at every turn by 

 unexpected checks and unlooked-for changes in conditions. The treat- 

 ment against insects and fungi is at the most palliative. The scientists 

 are always most sanguine, but the practical farmer and gardener know 

 well how often their treatments fail to attain the results which they were 

 so certain of securing 



806. Q. What is the best variety of cabbage for Autumn sowing? 



A. For early Fall the Reedland Early Drumhead. For Winter sow 

 Market Gardeners' Large Late Plat Dutch. 



807. Q. I have a dirt lawn tennis court in which weeds are continually 

 growing, and write to inquire how to prevent them from appearing ? 



A. Spread a half bushel of salt on the court and two bushels of air- 

 slacked lime. These applications will destroy weed seeds upon germi- 

 nating and drive off" worms, grubs and other insects. 



808. Q. Where do the weeds come from ? 



A. From your own carelessness or that of your predecessors. Not one- 

 quarter of the weed seeds which ripen upon a cultivated field germinate 

 the next year. Those which do, are mostly killed, but those seeds which 

 do not germinate just lay in the ground awaiting favorable opportunity. 

 To these seeds laying dormant are every year added a fresh supply, so 

 that your soil — all soils — are thoroughly stocked with seeds ready to spring 

 into life under favorable conditions. To many seeds these conditions may 

 not come for years. To some not for twenty years, but when the condi- 

 tions do present themselves the weeds come up with the certainty of taxes. 



809. Q. Is the so-called good roads agitation, which will increase the 

 taxes of farmers, in their interest ? 



A. Farmers as a rule are blind as bats. They are so afraid of taxation 

 as to stand in the way of their own interests. Farmers, rather than 



