1878.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



93 



were in other respects eqiially as gooJ as his. Let. us 

 here say to all tliat keep fowls, see tliat they roost in 

 a place where their liropjiinu's can be saveil, and they 

 ■will prove one of the best manures that can lie ob- 

 tained . 



^ 



Protecting Cornfields from Birds. 



The crow, the blackbird and the blue-jay are the 

 only birds that niolosl our eorntiolds, and this for a 

 period of about two weeks, start intr irom the time 

 the crop is u|i. To protect the tields aijainst tlnMr 

 depredations many devices are resorted to, two of 

 ■which at least are clfectual, the rest doiiig little or 

 nothing; in averting the mischief. The lirst is the 

 runninii: of a twine around the field, clevate<l six to 

 ei;i"ht feet fi^om tlur trruund on pules; but this re- 

 quires time and is sinuewhal expensive. The other 

 is to sow corn over the Held to feed the hungry birds. 

 It is not necessary to extend this sowim; over more 

 than a small portion of the ground at two or three 

 dilferent place.*, at tlie beail-lands. The depredators 

 would soon discover the ebarilable donation and lie 

 perfectly s.atislied with the arraiiEement, leaving the 

 young plants unharmed. In providing this remedy 

 tlie time spent woidd be trilling, and the whole co^t 

 from a half to a busliel of corn. Hut it should be 

 remembered that the ei'ow never eats Aa)'(? corn. If 

 found liard it is carried otf, si\ to eight grains at a 

 time, anil bnrinl until it becomes soft. Therefore 

 the corn, before being scattered, a portion at a time, 

 should lirst be ii'ell-m<ik€il . With Ibis precaution we 

 think we can promise any eorntield to be free I'rom tlie 

 depredation so much complained of in certain seasons. 



^ 



Buckwheat. 



The name comes from becchwheat, because the 

 seed resembles the I^ecchniast in shape, but has been 

 eori'upted into buckwheat. It is a native of Asia, 

 and was biought into I'Juropc either by the Crusaders, 

 six or seven humlred years ago, or into Spain by 

 Moors'. It did not readi England until the last l'.")!) 

 years, liut just in time to come over with some of the 

 earliest settlers in America. It was tirst cultivated 

 by the Hudson river Dutch, and by the Swedes on 

 tiie Delaware. The Dutch mention it as early as 

 • lliL'.5, and from what they say ou the subject it is 

 quite certain that tliey knew quite as nuich about 

 buckwheat cakes as was ever worth know ing. From 

 these two centres of early settlement .the cultivation 

 spreait" over New York, New Jersey and l*eunsyl- 

 vania, following the colonists into the new homes 

 they cleared up in tlie forests as certainly as the 

 honey bee follows in the pathway of the westeru 

 pioneer, making his home wherever the white man 

 builds his cabin. These three States have always 

 been iinnicnsc proilucers of buckwheat, growing two- 

 thirds of the whole (luantity raised, now amounting 

 to millions of bushels annually. Its cultivation is 

 rapiiily extending through the North aud Northwest, 

 until the preseutraunual product is over 30,000,000of 

 busliels. 



Soot and Wireworms. 



A writer in Land and M'nter says, that a gardener 

 found the wireworms so abundant in every part of 

 his garden that he could scarcely grow a potato or 

 carrot w itiiout it being rendered useless by them ; and 

 among the various things be was led to adopt as pre- 

 ■V' n ivi 8, soot appeared lobe the only clfectual one. 

 This he applied to potato crops in the following man- 

 ner : The drills were got ready in their usual way, 

 and the sets laid in at the bottom of each drill ; the 

 soot 'was put down upon them in quantity snllicient 

 to cause the drills to assume a pretty black appear- 

 ance ; then the drills were closed in the ordinary 

 manner to the natural level, and the work was 

 finished. Wherever soot was applied the crops 

 turned out clean and good, scarcely a trace of the 

 wireworm's ravages being visible ; but the yield 

 from rows not dressed with soot wore quite another 

 look, the potatoes being pierced through in every di- 

 rection and fit only for feeding pigs. 



-^ 



Manure for Tobacco. 



Dr. Ledoux, chemist of the North Carolina depart- 

 ment of agriculture, in answer to a recpiest lor a 

 formula without cotton seed or marl as a basis, 

 gives the following, of which he recommends 400 to 

 GdO pounds to the acre : 



Stiible m»nure, mould, etc 1000 lbs. 



Sulphite of notasll 31.0 " 



Suliihatt; of aaimonia lilO " 



Sulphate of ma{^neBia 1(10 '* 



Dissolved bone 400 " 



Laud plaster 100 *' 



2,000 " 

 Muriate of potash is often used instead of sul- 

 phate, but produces a poorer quality of smoking 

 tobacco. 



.— ^ 



Evert farmer should keep a pot of mixed paint in 

 his workshop, and should apply it liberally to plows, 

 wagons, harrows, reapers, and all implementsthat are 

 exposed to the weather. This will cause them to last 

 twice as long as usual. Farming tools and implements 

 ai-e less frequently worn out by hard service than by 

 Jjscless exposure to the weather when not iu service. 



I 



HORTICULTURAL. 



Thinning Out Fruit. 



It may be con-idered somewhat early to make 

 suggestions on the subject of thinning out fruit, but 

 it can never be too early to give good advice, and we 

 think as pear and peach trees arc beginning to show 

 their products, the thinning out process may be 

 begun at almost any time. 



It is true the ojieration can be performed conveni- 

 ently only upon such trees that are not over large. 

 Rnt It should be especially attended to In young 

 trees, whieb I'reipicnl ly over-bear to the great injury 

 of the health of tbi' trees, as well as the quality of 

 the fruit. To olitain the finest spcciiuens, they 

 should not be allowed to grow In clusters or In con- 

 tact with each other, and all that exhibit the least 

 imperfectinn should be removed. >Vliat is lost in 

 number will be doubly made up in size and llavor. 

 This should be remembered. Many persons regard 

 the thinning out of peaches, pears and apples as so 

 much loss; but they are not judges of fruit, and 

 have no knowledge of its proper culture. They want 

 as large a crop as jiossible, letting the quality take 

 care of itself, no matter how much the tree is dam- 

 aged and what etfect it may have on next year's 

 crop. 



On some of our own pear trees we sometimes re- 

 move three-fourths of the entire crop, and after- 

 wards lind the tree to grow more than is advisable. 

 Occasionally, with dwarf trees, we do not allow 

 more than one in ten to remain, when the tree is 

 small. 



It goes hard with some people to diminish the 

 quantity of fruit upon their trees. Sometimes they 

 plead want of time ; but this is not admissible, for 

 if they have not time to attend to the proper cultiva- 

 tion of fruit they should abandon it altogether. The 

 real cause is their greediness. You can't make 

 them believe that they are the gainers by destroying 

 a portion of the crop, saying that nature is the l)est 

 judge as to the quantitj' of fruit. Such persons have 

 no practical knowledge of fruit -raising, and the 

 sooner they give it up the better it will be for them, 

 their pockets and reputation. 



Protecting Trees Against Worms. 



The bandage system, which we were the first to 

 suggest some twenty-live years ago, and often re- 

 ferred to since, is the only effectual iirolection we 

 liavB yet seen against the operations of the worm in 

 fruit trees. We repeat again that in not a sinirle in- 

 stance have tve ever had a worm In our dwarf pear 

 trees where this was properly attended to. It is 

 simply to bandage the bottom of the tree with any 

 kind of muslin or cloth and tie it, letting the bandage 

 be aliout six iuches above ground and two inches 

 below. It should be applied as soon as the ground 

 is in a fit condition to go upon. These bandages 

 should be removed at the end of October, but it will 

 do no harm to let them alone, only that they remain 

 in good condition for another season. As long as 

 this is continued we defy the worm. The beetle lays 

 its eggs an inch or two above the ground early iu the 

 spring, that is as soon as the warm days in JIarcli 

 will admit of its coming forth from its winter- 

 quarters; the eggs are soon hatched by the sun, 

 being laid on the sun-side of the trunk, and the 

 young grub finds its way down to the soft bark be- 

 neath the soil where it gradually works its way in. 

 The bandage prevents both the laying of the eggs 

 and the descent of the grub. I,et doubters try it. 

 One man will bandage two hundred trees iu a day. 

 It may also protect the peach tree in the same way. — 

 <J Lrmautoii'H Tdcgraph. 



To Keep Cabbage. 



Though we have seen recommended various modes 

 of preserving cabbage through the winter, and have 

 tried several of them, we continue to pursue the 

 method that we liavc gradually adopted for some 

 twenty years, and which we have frequently described 

 In this department. Itissimiily to dig slight trenches, 

 side by side, on some rising or dry spot whence the 

 water will readily drain off, in which stand the cab- 

 bage just as it grows, sinking it up to the head. The 

 rows can be as close together as the size of the head 

 will admit of. Cover over with cornlbdder, straw or 

 bean-haulm. Then set four posts so as to form a 

 pitch, placing the head against a wall or board fence. 

 Form a roof by bean-iioles, when boards are not at 

 hand ; cover this with cornstalks or straw. If ordi- 

 narily well done the cabbage will keep as long as Is 

 desired, having usually kept ours until April and 

 .May. We are aware that it is generally recom- 

 mended to place the heads of the cabbage in the 

 ground with the stalks stickingup. But having tried 

 this way we found that the cabbage kept better and 

 fresher as we recommend. To prove this we have 

 had coleslaw in .May. — flcnminton'ti TcUr/raph. 



Flower Pots. 



Save the tin fruit-cans, and convert them into 

 tasteful flower pots in the following manner : With a 

 can opener cut oH" any rough or projecting portions 

 of the cover, leaving a narrow rim to project inward. 



With a pair of pliers or a small hammer, bend this 

 rlin down. This gives firmness to the top of the can. 

 Punch three or four small holes Ihruugli the bottom 

 of the can. Then paint It with varnisli made of gum 

 shellac dissolved In alcohol, and. colored with lamp- 

 black and a little yellow uehre to i;lvc a dark brown 

 color. The cans may be ornamented by pasting on 

 them little medallion ligures or plctMrcs. They are 

 handsomer than the ordinary tlower pots, require 

 less watcriuLT, and keep the plants free from all In- 

 sects, owing to the presence of Iron rust In the can. 

 One of the prettiest arrangements for plants we have 

 seen was a window with two narrow shelves placed 

 one above the other, on which were these home-niado 

 llowcr |)Ots, containing heliotropes, geraniums, 

 pinks, begonias, pi^tunias, fnschias and other plants, 

 all as thrifty as if grown In a greenhouse. They 

 should be showered oiicc a fortnight with lukewarm 

 water, using a whisk broom for the purpose, and 

 watered sparingly every second day. On very cold 

 nights uews|)apcrs may be placed between the win- 

 dow and the jilants, to protect them from frost. 



Is the Strawberry Wholesome ? 



Some |ieopIe can digest anything. The ostrich en- 

 joys Iron spikes and barrel hoops. Strawberries to 

 the great majority of [icople are certainly whole- 

 some, or at least not directly injurious; but that 

 they are universally wholcsoine and unequalcd liy 

 any other fruit, as it U claimed, we deny. .>Iany 

 people cannot eat them at all. , We do not allude 

 only to persons liable to attacks of gout or skin dis- 

 eases, to whom strawberries are almost poisonous, 

 but to those who are in the enjoyment of general 

 good health. They seem to afi'ect the tissues and 

 excite the blood, ]irodueing pimples, blotches and 

 even lioils. We saw a young lady, a belle, at a fash- 

 ionable watering-place, three or four years ago, wlio 

 was obliged, mneli to her discomtiture, to confine 

 herself to her room for ten days from eating a plate 

 of straw berries in the evening. And we have known 

 of many others who were forced to abstain from 

 their enjoyment altogelluT for the same reason. — 

 Qcrtnaiitoirn TeU graph. 



Success of an Exposed Orchard. 



J. M. Smith, of Green Bay, Wis., has a pear or- 

 chard one and one-half miles east of the city, ufion 

 the highest point of land, a white oak ridge, in the 

 most exposed situation, and without any sort of pro- 

 tection from the north or west winds. Of lifty trees 

 planted in l>>fil thirty-four are now bearing, twenty- 

 two of w hieli yielded fruit this year. These trees are 

 models of beauty and fruitfulness, and commenced 

 bearing in 18(17 ; have borne good crops sinre 1S70. 

 The years 187^, 1874 and 1870 gave enormous crops, 

 aud the off years fair crops. This orchard has been 

 in blue grass lor the last twelve years. Very little 

 blight Ifas ever appeared, and none this year. It is 

 thought the secret of success in this ease is the free 

 circulation of air, steady growth on a medium soil, 

 uncultivated, contrary to the old theory that protec- 

 tion to the trees is the only road to success. Mr. 

 Smith's trees are common ones, the Flemish Beauty 

 perhaps doing the best of them. 



The Egg-Plant. 

 This vegetable is perhaps the most difficult to cul- 

 tivate of any to be lonnd in the garden, owing to the 

 tenderness of the plant^ when se£ out. The young 

 plants must, of course, be grown in a hot-bed, and 

 can be purchased at some nurseries or from others 

 who raise several kinds of early plants for sale. 

 They should not be set luit before the last week In 

 May, and generally the first week in June is better, 

 to provide against frost or cool nights, and they 

 should be covered with old newspapers or boxes 

 until firmly established. A single cold night will 

 [lilt them liack two or three weeks, and sometimes 

 render them unfruitful. As they liave small roots 

 occupying a very limited space, they should be 

 planted in the richest soil, and have the best .stable 

 manure liberally aiiplied. They should then be 

 mulched w itli grass or light manure and the ground 

 frequently stirred aud the mulching renewed. 



A Hint to Geranium Growers. 



In flowering seedling geraniums the process which 

 I generally practice after the plant has grown some 

 eight inches is as follows : I make a six-inch cutting 

 of the top, dry it in the shade for a day, and Insert 

 it in sand or sandy soil, keeping it moderately dry 

 until rooted, when it should be [Kitted and shifted, as 

 it requires, or planted out in the ground. By this 

 means seedling geraniums are made to flower much 

 quicker and grow dwarfcr than on the seed roots, 

 and w here room is no object and slumps arc kept, 

 you get two iilauts instead of one, which is a great 

 advantage if the seedling be worth preserving. 

 ^ 



A MAM.woTn bunch of grapes, six feet in circumfer- 

 ence and three feet long, and weighing l'.i5 pounds, 

 was recently exhibited iu .San Francisco. It was from 

 the great vine at Santa Barbara, which is 16 years old, 

 and produces annuallf from 18,000 to 2O,0OJ pound* 

 of grapes. 



