THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



i3 



AGRICULTURAL. 



Couch-Grass as a Hay Plant. 



No one who has been lor many years coiKlucling 

 an ap^riculttiral jourual but picks ujiattimpsan **cyc- 

 oponcr" of a eonsiJcrablc size; but wc do not know 

 wlicn we liave been more astonislieii tlian when re- 

 cently wc read in an Eastern ajrricullunil journal a 

 recommendation to cultivate the coudi or twitch 

 grass as a hay plant. Our euloirist liiids it thrive 

 wonderfully well on dry, poor soil, aud as such de- 

 mands attention to its merits. 



All this is very well. It recalls the story of the 

 Western farmer, who, familiar with the fact that the 

 black f uakeate rats and mice,introduccd the "critter" 

 to his barns aud stables. The veriniu soon disap- 

 peared under his snakeship's rule, but so did cgifs, 

 chickens, ducks, etc., until In this instance our 

 farmer friend thought the great serpent was quite as 

 black as he is painted, and he was banished, if no 

 worse fate befell him. 



This couch-grass is worse than a black snake. 

 True it docs bear tolerably heavy In very hard ]>l;ups. 

 We remember once seeing a small patch whirli hail 

 taken possession of an old stone quarry, whieli nnnle 

 a thick dense mass of herbage from two anil a half 

 to three feet high. It would cut probably a ton aud 

 a half to the acre — pretty good lor a dry, barren, 

 worthless piece of ground. But no one would w.int 

 to have a crop of hay forever in the same ground ; 

 and when the time for change conies how is this grass 

 to be disposed of its hold upon the soil. The snake 

 might be discharged, couch-grass never. 



For our part we should taboo couch-grass at once 

 and forever, no matter how great its good qualities 

 might be ; and we cannot regard, as a friend to agri- 

 culture, any one who would seriously recommend its 

 culture. With as much reason might one recom- 

 mend the culture of the Canada thistle. It is an ex- 

 cellent food for jackasses, and moreover we have 

 heard New Torkers, when they failed to eradicate it 

 from their premises, praise it as making excellent 

 "cow-hay." But, somehow, whether couch-grass or 

 thistles, we prefer to let them a.\oiie.— Telegraph. 



Planting Corn in Old Times. 



Wc suppose thirty to forty years ago means "old 

 times." In preparing corn ground at that time a dif. 

 fercnt process was followed than the present, but not 

 as we see it stated, by merely throwing two rough 

 furrows of unplowed ground together, and, after 

 running cross furrows, to simply plant the corn on 

 the top of the ridge. We do not pretend to say that 

 this miserable way was not pursued by some lazy or 

 ignorant farmers, but it was not the com man way by 

 any means ; indeed we never saw it followed, though 

 accustomed to notice farming for nearly sixty years. 



This, however, was the way mostly followed : 

 Manure and plow the land, harrow thoroughly, then 

 ran two opposite furrows aud also run like cross 

 furrows. Planting on top of the little ridge by this 

 means made the rows uniform both waj's, and ad- 

 mitted freely of plowing both ways if necessary. 

 This plan was more laborious than the present one 

 and was more "scientific." The crops produced by 

 it on good farms were as abundant as now. For 

 many years after the present method was introduced 

 this was continuei as the best, und that looked upon 

 as lacking in skill and good sense. But as a rule far 

 more attention is paid to the crop now than forty or 

 fifty years ago. 



It was always customary to either manure in the 

 hill or apply "iilaster" after the plant had grown 

 two or three inches. And we repeat that we have 

 witnessed as line crops of corn by the old method as 

 we have by the new. This much we feel enjoined to 

 say in behalf of the way our fathers and grandfathers 

 cultivated the corn crop. 



Length of Roots. 



Tlie nature of the soil has much to do with the 

 length and number of the roots. In light, poor soil 

 I find roots of June grass four feet below the surface. 

 People are apt to uuderestimatc the length, amount 

 aud importance of the .roots of the liner grasses, 

 wheat, oats, etc. A young wheat plant when pulled 

 up only shows a small part of its roots. They often 

 go down four or six feet or more. The roots of -a 

 two-year old peach tree in light soil were found 

 seven feet four inches long. In dry, light soil, this 

 season wc pulled up one parsnip three feet and a 

 half long. Of course, smaller roots went down still 

 further. The noted buffalo grass on the dry, West- 

 ern i)n\iries is described in the agricultural reports 

 at Washington as having very short roots ; but Mr. 

 Felker, one of our college graduates, found, where a 

 well was being dug, that the roots went down seven. 

 The roots grow best where the best food is to be 

 found. They grow in greater or less quantity in 

 every direction. If a root meets with good food it 

 flourishes and sends out numerous branches. Koots 

 do not "search" for food as vegetable phvsiologists 

 now understand it. Many of the smaller roots of 

 trees die every autumn when the leaves die, aud 

 others grow in sprinj:. 



Near a cherry tree in my yard was a rustic basket 

 without bottom filled with rich soil. On removing 

 the basket and earth, which had been there several 



years, cherry roots were found in large nunibe 

 this rich soil. Roots in such soil w 

 well as down. 



up 



The Wheat Crop. 



The October returns of the Department of Agri- 

 culture did not materially change the aspects of the 

 wheat crop as foreshadowed by the monthly reports 

 of condition. The December returns, including 

 estimates of yield per acre, confirm and somewhat 

 enlarge previous estimates. A computation from 

 all the returns show an aggregate crop of about 

 42.'),000,000 bushels. But, onaccountof the strongly 

 expressed public anxiety for reliable figures, a jior- 

 tion of the inquiries have been referred to the statis- 

 tical correspondents for revision. It is now believed 

 that the result will bo materially different. The in- 

 crease in the final out turn of the crop is due to the 

 large increase of acreage which was at least one- 

 sixth greater than of the previous year. 



Many of the larger wheat-producing States very 

 greatly reduced their average yield per acre. Virginia 

 fell from 10.4busheU to 7.2; Tennessee from 8 to 5; 

 Kentucky from 12..5 to 9..3; Illinois from lfl..5to l.'J.fi; 

 \Vi.sconsiu from 1.5 to 12; Minnesota from IH to 12; 

 Iowa from U.5 to 9.4; Missouri from 14 to 11. On 

 the other hand other States show a marked increase. 

 New York rose from 18 to 19; Pennsylvania from 13 

 to 1.5; Ohio from 1.5 to IS; Michigan from 17.5 to 

 18.3; Indiana from 14.5 to 15.8; Kansas from 13.5 to 

 10.3; California from 9.5 to 18.4. The Territories 

 show an immense expansion of wheat cultivation, 

 with the high average yield characteristic of virgin 

 soils. The yield of some of the Territories was con- 

 siderably more than double that of the previous crop. 



Water for Farmers. 

 The past very dry summer and autumn In Penn- 

 sylvania, at least, put many farmers to great iueon- 

 venience in supplying stock with suitable water, 

 some having to drive their cattle twice a day from 

 one to two miles to streams, and even some of them 

 were nearly dry. Now, we have often referred to 

 this subject and suggested how farmers could supply 

 themselves with water at all times at a moderate 

 expense. The roofs of buildings which shelter the 

 stock of a farm would furnish a supply at all times, 

 if cisterns of sufficient capacity were dug to hold the 

 water. Where the water does not lie too deep, wide 

 wells should be dug and wind power applied, and 

 they would seldom'if ever fail. The roofs of the 

 houses, however moderate the rain-fall may be, will 

 furnish water, if run into a cistern, that would supply 

 all the water needed for washing, bathing, etc. We 

 cannot imagine in what way a small expenditure of 

 money could be expended to more profit than in 

 supplying a premises with an abundance of water. 

 It is of the first importance to every household and 

 farm. Indeed, being liable in droughts to suffer a 

 scarcity is something to look forward to with dread ; 

 but when it is shown that at a moderate cost this 

 scarcity can be averted, it seems to us, and must to 

 all thoughtful people, surprising that provision is 

 not made on every farm, where needed, for a good 

 supply of fresh water at all limes.— Germantown 

 Telegraph. 



« 



Surface Manuring. 

 It was not known until discovered by Way, and 

 confirmed by Liebig and others, that a few inches in 

 depth of surface soil has the power to fix or retain 

 all, or nearly all, the food of plants which our 

 manure contains, such as potash, phosphate of lime 

 and ammonia, thus preventing its passage into the 

 poor subsoil, and it is not even yet knowu that nearly 

 all the feeding roots of plants are within a few inches 

 of the surface where the nutritious elements are. 

 We now and then find roots many feet below the 

 surface, and because they are so found people have 

 theorized that manure should be planted deep, and 

 that there was a nutritious principle deep down iu 

 subsoil culture. Deep soil holds moisture, and so 

 far deep soil is of value. A few roots have to do 

 duty as drawers of water for the community ; but 

 such roots arc few, aud these are the roots the deep 

 explorer finds. But where one little root can be 

 found running down like this, hundreds will be 

 found spreading away beneath the surface, and these 

 arc the ones that are collecting the solid food. For 

 liese reasons manure should never be buried deep, 

 but be always kept as near the surface as possible. 



Save the Liquid Manure. 

 How strangely we overlook the value of the liquid 

 crement of our animals ! A cow under ordinary 

 feeding furnishes in a year two thousand pounds of 

 liquid. The comparative money value of the two is 

 but slightly in favor of the solid. The urine of 

 herbivorous animals holds nearly all the secretions of 

 the body which are capable of producing the rich 

 nitrogenous compounds so essential as forcing or 

 leaf-forming agents iu the growth of plants. The 

 solid holds the phosphoric acid, the lime and magne- 

 sia, which holds the seed principally ; but the liquid 

 holding nitrogen, potash and soda is forming the 

 stalks and leaves. The two forms of plant nutri- 

 ment should never be separated or allowed to be 

 wasted by neglect.— J/(?;i<r«a! Gazette. 



HORTICULTURAL. 



Dwarf Pears. 



We have had our hands full for the past dozen 

 years or more in defending the cullivaliou of pears 

 grafted on quince stock. Some people, who seem 

 to be ignorant of cultivating any fruit requiring a 

 little nice .attention, and fail In all, of course utterly 

 fail in attempting to raise dwarf pears. A writer for 

 an agricultural paper will go upon somebody's prem- 

 ises and notice a number of firmly growing trees, 

 and not far from them some small scrubby-looking 

 trees, and finds that the latter arc grafted ui)on 

 quince, hence their appearance, lie therefore says : 

 "Our conclusions Is to advise our readers to plant no 

 more pear trees grafted on quince stocks ; they may 

 bear a year or two earlier, but they will not make 

 a lasting tree ; they will die iu a few years and result 

 In disappointment after a few crops." 



And this Is what is claimed as information about 

 raising dwarf pears. The fact is that most of these 

 writers are totally ignorant of what they are writing 

 about, and their readers who depend upon them will 

 soon find themselves behind the facts and the times. 



All persons may not regard raising pears on quince 

 stock as a profitable business, though we know of a 

 number who have made money by it and have fol- 

 lowed it for a number of years. 



As to the dwarf trees not making a "lasting tree, 

 and that they will die in a few years," all intelligent 

 growers of these trees know this to be untrue. With- 

 iuthe last five years we have lost more standard Ihau 

 dwarf pear trees by blight, &c. We have now a 

 number of thrifty trees, thirty years old, abundant 

 bearers and which promise to live as long as the usual 

 time allotted to standards. 



Dwarf pears require more attention than the 

 standard. They should stand in cultivated grounu, 

 and be manured about the same as the rest of the 

 garden crops. But they stand eight feet apart, and 

 vegetables may be grown among them. None should 

 be [jlanted except those with sound roots and the 

 quince stocks clear of worms. .Then set full three 

 inches below the union of the pear and quince slock 

 and there will be no fear of worms. Sometimes they 

 take root from the pear stock and make very beau- 

 tiful pyramidal trees, aud are annually abundant 

 bearers. The dwarf pears on our premises fully 

 bear us out in what wesay.— (/crmaK^oroit Telegrnjih. 



Look to the Fruit Trees. 

 Wc consider early winter to be the best time fur 

 scraping and washing the trunks of trees, though 

 the present time will do very well wh^n it has not 

 been previously attended to. It is well-known to all 

 observing fruit-growers that the loose bark of trees 

 is the winter quarters of myriads of insects, w here 

 they securely remain until the ensuing spring, when 

 the warm, genial weather invites them to quit their 

 cosy homes and begiu their destructive operations 

 for the sea.son. We^have found a narrow saw, rather 

 fine-toothed, to be an excellent tool in rasping off the 

 superfluous bark. It accomplishes it more uniformly 

 than a hoe, trowel or other scraper; a trowel or a 

 short-handled hoe, however, is very good, when the 

 other may not be possessed. After the bark is re- 

 moved, the trunks should be washed thoroughly 

 with a preparatiou of whale-oil soap ami water, say 

 in proportion of a pound of the soap to four or five 

 gallons of water. It can be applied to large trees, 

 with a hickory broom or a stiff whitewash brush, 

 and to small trees, especially dwarfs, with the baud 

 scrub-brush. Sickly trees, which can at this seasnu 

 be easily detected by being covered with a species of 

 fungi, or, perhaps more properly, a peculiar in- 

 sectivorous deposit— should be scrubbed so as to 

 completely remove this. The mixture will of itself 

 benefit the tree, while the removal from the stem of 

 all extraneous and injurious substances will give to 

 it new health and vigor the ensuing season — iii some 

 instances to a surprising extent. When whale-oil 

 soap is not obtainable, lye may be used, but it should 

 not be very strong, or it might be injurious to the 

 roots of the tree if applied plentifully and the tree 

 small, otherwise it will do no XxArmi—Gcrmantuicn 

 Telegraph. 



The Scarcity of Quinces. 

 Within a few years past the quince trees have been 

 attacked by a v.orm, just under the surface of the 

 ground, somewhat similar in appeaiance and in its 

 effects to the peach worm, and not being properly 

 attended to and the worms removed, the trees have 

 generally died, and the fruit accordingly disappeared 

 from all our markets. The quince can l)e just as 

 successfully grown as the peach, if a little care is 

 taken to head off its principal enemy, the worm at 

 the root, which requires but little time and trouble 

 each spring aud fall in removing the earth from around 

 the stem of the tree, probe for the grub in his hole in 

 the bark with a stiff wire, and filling up around the 

 tree with wood ashes orslackcd lime. The cheap gas- 

 lime, from the gas-works, is a very effectual remedy 

 for worms in peach trees, and it would no doubt 

 answer the same purpose around the quince. 



