70 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[May, 



At present there is an industry of consider- 

 able importance coming to the front \\liich is 

 regarded with great suspicion by many— we 

 refer to the making of sugar out of starch. 

 The manufacturers call it grape sugar or corn 

 sugar, and as such it can be bought now in 

 most large cities, and its composition is iden- 

 tical with the grape sugar of fruits or honey. 

 Starch differs from grape sugar in having 

 four atoms loss of each of hydrogen and oxy- 

 gen, which is in fact just equal to four mole- 

 cules of water. The simplest explanation of 

 its manufacture may be thus stated : Tlie 

 starch is slowly heated in very dilute sul- 

 phuric acid; lime is then added to this water, 

 which uniting with the sulphuric acid settles 

 to the bottom as sulphate of lime; the water 

 is then evaporated until it comes to the gran- 

 ulating condition. AVhen properly conducted 

 the product is a solid cake of white grape 

 sugar, but there are no proper crystals as in all 

 forms of cane sugar. 



The manufactiuers claim that it is a whole- 

 some product. The poorer qualities are, 1 

 believe, used pretty extensively in some 

 places in the manufacture of beer. The bet- 

 ter grades are used as a bee feed and in mak- 

 ing candy. It is claimed by those opposed to 

 its maniifiicture that it is used largely in 

 adulterating grocery sugar, making the sugar 

 appear of a better quality than it really is. I 

 do not think that this adulteration should 

 have any weight in making a protest against 

 its manufiicture, as we might just as Widl pro- 

 test against the manufacture of crackers be- 

 cause the latter are ground up and used in 

 adulterating pepper, or the raising of peas be- 

 cause they are roa.sted, ground and mixed 

 among coffee. Leave everything to stand on 

 its own merits and fight against the adultera- 

 tion. It is also used in making common 

 candy I believe, but as candies are made out 

 of so many different things, only having sugar 

 as a basis, I do not think it can be claimed as 

 an adulterant, and is at least not harmful 

 like terra alba. I believe in scientific works 

 the grape sugar is termed glucose; by manu- 

 ufacturers the term glucose is applied to a 

 heavy syrup which they also manufacture on 

 the same principle. Both this and the sugar, 

 like natural grape sugar, are very inferior in 

 sweetening qualities to cane (grocery) sugar. 

 —A. B. K. 



Selections. 



AN ACRE IN ONIONS. 



Few farmers seem to realize the fact that 

 as much money may be obtained from an acre 

 of land in onions as from a forty-acre farm de- 

 voted to the usual crops. At present prime 

 onions are worth $i per barrel by the car-load 

 and two hundred and fifty barrels may be, 

 and not unfrequently are, produced from an 

 acre of land. Let no one, however, expect 

 to realize a thousand dollars from an acre of 

 onions who does not pay the best attention to 

 the crop. To begin with, land naturally 

 adapted to producing the crop should be se- 

 lected. Experiments made in the eastern 

 States, where large quantities of onions are 

 raised for the southern market, show that 

 there is no better soil for onions than that of 

 a reclaimed bog. Of course the land must be 

 well drained and the surface soil decomposed 

 by exposure to the action of the atmosphere. 

 Most of our black prairie soils are suitable to 

 the production of onions if they are rightly 

 treated. The turf must become entirely rotted 

 and mixed with the earth below. Land that 

 has been in pasture for several years is easily 

 prepared for a crop of onions, as the turf is 

 comparatively thin, while the soil is quite free 

 from weeds. That portion of a pasture in 

 which cattle and sheep lie at night may be 

 converted into au onion-patch to excellent ad- 

 vantage. 



A field for onions should be very nearly 

 level. If there are elevations in it the soil on 

 them will be likely to wash away, carying off 

 the seed it before germinates, or leaving part 

 of the onions exposed to the sun. A piece of 



land intended for onions should be entirely 

 free from the seeds of weeds in the start, and 

 there should be a determination on the part 

 of the grower to allow none to attain any con- 

 siderable size. Absolutely clever culture is 

 essential to producing a paying crop of onions. 

 Neglect in this matter will cause a vast 

 amount of work, which will not, after all, in- 

 sure a good crop of onions. A field of onions 

 can not be neglected on account of a demand 

 for labor on other parts of the farm. Unless 

 a farmer has help that can attend to his field 

 of onions during the season of plowing corn, 

 cutting grass, and harvesting grains, it will be 

 better not to attempt to raise the crop at all. 

 The care of onions, however calls for light 

 work, which may be chiefly performed by old 

 men, partial invalids, women and cliildren. 

 Persons who cannot perform heavy work on 

 the farm may engage in onion raising to ex- 

 cellent advantage. 



It is useless to undertake to raise a paying 

 crop of onions on land that is not very highly 

 manured. From thirty to fifty loads of ma- 

 nure should be applied to an acre of land de- 

 signed for producing this crop. It should be 

 well rotted and free from the seed of grass 

 and weeds. Unleached ashes form a valuable 

 addition to composted stable manure. After 

 a piece of land has been prepared for onions it 

 is best to continue the crop for a series of 

 years. As onions are gross feeders it will, of 

 course, be necessary to apply a coating of ma- 

 nure every season. The soil of an onion field 

 should be well pulverized and the manure 

 thoroughly incorporated with it. After it is 

 plowed and harrowed a roller sUould be em- 

 ployed for crushing the lumps. 



Many growers employ a hand-rake for fin- 

 ing the soil before the seed is so\vn. About 

 four pounds of seed are required for an acre. 

 It should be the product of the previous sea- 

 sou. The seed may be tested by counting out 

 a certain number and placing them on some 

 moist cotton laid in a saucer. If good, it will 

 germinate in three or four days. The seed 

 should be sown as early in the spring as it is 

 possible to prepare the land. Growers who 

 aim to get the largest yield from a given 

 amount of land allow only the space of a foot 

 between the rows. There is a drill which 

 plants two rows of onion seed at once. If 

 sown by hand one seed should be dropped 

 every inch. In order to mark the rows it is 

 well to drop a radish seed every five or six 

 inches. The radishes will grow very rapidly, 

 and will be large enough to pull before the 

 onions attain sufficient size to be injured by 

 their presence. If there is no market for rad- 

 ishes in the vicinity, calibage plants may be 

 raised in their place. When of sufficient size 

 they may be pulled and transplanted. 



The cultivation of onions must be chiefly 

 performed by means of hand tools. The 

 shuflle hoe is the best implement for doing 

 most of the work. It should be of the best 

 quality, and great pains should be taken to 

 keep it clean and sharp. After the plants are 

 about four inches high they m,ay be thinned 

 so that each has a space of about three inches 

 in which to grow. Some growers who seek 

 to raise very large crops allow three onions to 

 grow in the space of six inches. Of course 

 they crowd each other after they become of 

 nearly full size, but this setting is necessary 

 to secure the maximum yield. After they 

 arc thinned to the proper distance nothing is 

 required by way of cultivation except to keep 

 the soil light and free from weeds. — Chicago 



Times. 



-^ 



FENCES AND FENCING. 



I wish to say a few words with regard to 

 the ^"-Barbed Wire Fence" question. With 

 all the figuring on this point, I find no show- 

 ing describing how it is possible to build a 

 laiifful fence with wire. It would be a grand 

 thing for the country if this could be done, 

 but it can not unless 7 to 10 wires are used. 

 Even then I doubt whether it would turn 

 pigs, and any fence that won't do that, is not 

 the thing for a majority of farmers to adopt. 

 I could give you facts and figures to substan- 



tiate what I say, but do not wish to be tedi- 

 ous. I own a snug little farm of 82 acres 

 here, and I have at least 10 different kinds of 

 fencing on my place, "Barb Wire" included, 

 so I know of what I speak. Whanever any 

 man can show me how to build a wire fence 

 that will be pig-proof, then I will adopt the 

 plan, even if it cost one-half more to construct 

 it, for in the long run it will be much cheaper 

 than wood fences. Meantime, we must be 

 content to get along the best way we can. 



A Good Fence 

 can be constructed in either of the following 

 ways — fence-boards 16 feet long; posts 8 feet 

 apart : 



3 boards and 2 wires. 



3>^ inches to firdt board. 



6 inch feuc -board 



3>(; incbes to et-coud board. 



6 inch fence-board. 



6 iuchee space, 



iuch board, 

 10 inches to first wire. 

 13 inches to second wire. 



54 



or 3 boards and 2 wires. 

 3 inches to fir^t board. 

 6 int^h fence-board. 

 33^ inches to second board. 

 6 inch fence-board. 



5 inches to third board. 



6 iuch board. 



9^ inches to first wire. 

 13 inches to second wire. 



inches total height. 52 inches total height. 



The law in this State (Wis.) requires fences 

 to be ii feet high, or 54 inches, but I would 

 be willing to risk a wire fence 50 inches in 

 height, thus : 50 inches to top wire, 37 inches 

 to next, 27 inches to next, 19 inches to next. 

 The bottom space of 19 inches left can be 

 managed this way : Make portable pieces of 

 fencing by nailing two 4-inch wide fence- 

 boards on to stakes, and driving them down 

 at bottom; they can be taken up at pleasure. 

 True, a fence of three or four wires will do 

 for cattle and horses, and may be a good 

 thing out in Texas or Colorado, and other 

 AVestern States and Territories, but for gen- , 

 eral adoption it is not the thing, because you 

 can not construct a perfect or lawful fence 

 with it. As to the present forms of barb 

 wire being dangerous to stock, I have only to 

 state that whoever says so does not know 

 what he is talking about. I have two horses 

 that stick their heads over and between the 

 top wires of my fence, only 11 inches apart, 

 and crowd them down and reach at least a 

 foot on the other side the fence, and eat the 

 crop close to the ground, and I have seen 

 cows do the same, and I use the Frentress 

 Wire, which is, perhaps the severest kind 

 manufactured. 



There is not a single form of Barb Wire at 

 present in use that is half barbarous enough. 

 My stock have never received the least dam- 

 age from the wire, and I don't believe they 

 ever would, were the barbs ten time.s as se- 

 vere; in fact we need a more severe barb wire 

 introduced, and then we may hope to make a 

 pig-tight fence by putting 3 or 4 wires pretty 

 close together at the bottom of the fence. — 

 Robert Wood, in American AqricuUurist. 



AMERICAN MERINO SHEEP. 



Sheep-raising has formed an important part 

 of the husbandry of most nations from the 

 early historical times. Each country has had 

 its peculiar breeds marked by characters, due 

 in a great degree to the modifying influences 

 of climate, and in part to a rude selection. In 

 some cases these breeds have reached a high 

 degree of development, while in other coun- 

 tries the flocks have shown no improvement 

 for centuries. This country, young as it is, 

 has made its contribution to the list of useful 

 breeds, in the American Merino. Our climate 

 and pastures have better satisfied the wants 

 of this-flne wool-bearing animal than those 

 of its native country, and now the American 

 Merino stands at the head of the fine-wool 

 sheep of the world. This breed would seem 

 to have reached that point in its development 

 where it appears of but little use to try to 

 further improve it. The first importations of 

 Merino sheep into this country were made 

 early in the present century, and consisted of 

 very choice animals from the best families of 

 Spain. The most extensive importations were 

 those of Hon. Wm. Jarvis, the American 

 Consul at Lisbon, in 1809 and 1810, who sent 

 over nearly 4,000 head. From these Spanish 

 sheep as a basis, and by means of careful 

 crossing, breeding, and selecting from several 



