1880.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



189 



Agriculture. 



Some Items in Farm Economy. 

 The arninfrt'iiu'iil ol' tlie lniiMiii'.'s iiiiil the ill- 

 vision of till' Cnrrii into lii'lils iic|MMiiI.'s so imicli upon 

 the eharacli r ot'tlie fai'm, tlic l^iml "('rMrrnin<r, in- 

 diviJiial tuslo, etc., tlial it ismitoClhe (|iu>li<>ii to 

 have a fixed plan that is thi' I)e8t our for all farnisof 

 any iriven size. There are ecrtain jreneral principles 

 whieh shoiilil serve as a foundation for the arrauire- 

 ment, Inif the details niu.«t neeessarlly vary L'really. 

 For example, if [lossible the hams shoiiM he upnn a 

 rise of irroiuid where a eellar can !"■ 'viiil* npeiiitii.'- to 

 the lower frrouml at the rear. The lields should he 

 so arranjed that there shall he as little fenein;; as 

 possihle, and so located that all the lields can he 

 easily reached from the lane. .\ lonir held has con- 

 siderahle advantacre over one nf the same area that 

 is square — in the "lonaer houls," and therefore less 

 time spelit in turniUL', plowin'r, harniwiui.', sowinir, 

 harvestinir, etc. A [laslure close to the stahles is al- 

 ways handy, and other thinj,'8 heinir eipial, the 

 orchard should not he put at tlic rear of the (arm, 

 where the wood lot had hest be located. There is 

 much labor to he saved in havim,' everylhins so 

 placed — and this applies to the various details that 

 seem trivial at lirst sii;ht — that there will tje no 

 extra steps or turns in doim; the evcry-day worlv of 

 the farm. For example, many day's work can l)e 

 saved by havinfr the pump in a handy corner of the 

 banyard, wher-e the stock from a number of yards 

 may come to the troughs. If the matters of the 

 farm are not already economically arrani^ed it 

 would be well to make such changes of fences, 

 buildings, etc., as to finally secure the desired end. 

 By decrees the tbout'hlful farmer will improve his 

 farm until it approximates to a moilcl and therefore 

 an economical farm. — American Aiji-iciMm-ist. 



Sviramp Muck as a Fertilizer. 

 Professor S. W. .Johnson of the C^nnccticut Ex- 

 periment Stations has just issued a tiulletin contain- 

 ing thirteen analyses of meadow muck, sent iu by 

 farmers livinfr in ditl'erent sections of the State. In 

 the thirteen samples reported, the v alue of each 

 varies according to the proportion of sand and clay 

 intermixed, and also acconling to the amount of 

 water it contains. ExcUuliui,' the water and ash 

 snbstauee, the organic matter remaining shows 

 from 1.10 per cent, of nitrogen as the lowest, to 3.44 

 as the highest in the thirteen samples. The oriranic 

 matter ranges from 7.5.5 per cent, to .5.5. .57 per cent. 

 The water content varies from 32.08 to S7.r! per 

 cent, and the ash, including sand, etc., from l.O'J to 

 45.01. With such widely diflTerent results it is not 

 strange that. farmers entertain very widely diflering 

 opinions concerning the value of muck as a fertilizer 

 for upland. But ten of the thirteen samples certain, 

 in their organic matter, over two per per cejil.of 

 nitrogen, or as much as many of the commercial 

 . fertilizers sold in the market. The sample was 

 taken from a drained swamp, owned by Augustus 

 Storrs, Mansfield, and was found to contain large 

 quanties of iron salts, mainly proto sulphate of iron, 

 the same thing as copperas or green vitriol, poison- 

 ous to vegetation. Leached ashes or lime are re- 

 quired for for such land to correct ditKculty. Some 

 samples, however, which are rich in organic matter 

 and which are tolerably dry, when dug may he valu- 

 able for immediate use as top dressing on uplands. 

 As a rule, however, the best use that can be made 

 of dry muck is to mix it with animal manures to ab- 

 sorb the liquids which otherwise would run waste. 



Seed Corn. 



In selecting corn for seed take none but the best 

 and most perfect ears, and from these reject the 

 kernels from the tips and butts. The experiment 

 has been tried of planting seel from tlic butt and tip 

 and with good sucess, and it was impossible to de- 

 tect the any. ditl'erence in the results from that plant- 

 from the centre of the ears; but shoulil such a test 

 be continued for a succession of years, then it would 

 be found that the corn planted from the tips and 

 butts had degenerated, and from the tips particularly, 

 whil3 that from the centre had eontiimed to improve. 

 If you desire to make great improvement iu your 

 corn, plant half an acre by itself in a pcrlect sqiiare, 

 and before either tlje silk or tassel show themselves, 

 remove all the stalks that do not bid fair to pro- 

 duce good ears. If you take two-thirds of the tas- 

 sels you will tbei^ leave enouirh to fertilize all the 

 others. Be also sure to remove all suckers, leaving 

 none but the very best stalks. By pursuing this 

 course for a few years you will find that you have 

 made a great improvement in your corn. 



The Wheat Crop of i88o. 



The estimated total yield of wheat this year in the 

 United States, as shown by reports up to September 

 25, is 4li5,691,000 bushels. These figures, however, 

 are likely to be reduced by later and fuller returns, 

 and the crop is, therefore, set down as approximating 

 455,000,000 bushels. The needs of the countrv for 

 food, seeds, etc.,, are placed at 205,000,000 bushels 



leaving a surplus of lil0,000,00i) (o be sent abroad. 

 After a comparison ol thi- 6ur|ilu8 and deficiencies in 

 foreign countries, the same authority estimates that 

 we shall have some ^7,l)0ii,(MII) bushels more than we 

 can linil a market for. The surplus, however, is 

 relatively very small, and it is quite possible that It 

 may disappear with an increased cimsumption at 

 home and abroad. It Is, therefore, very probalilc, If 

 tlies. figures prove to lie accurate, that prices for 

 w lieat will not sensibly d.-ellne. There Is no reason 

 on the other hand to anticipate any marked ailvance 

 and the Indications are tluit llie llueluations either 

 way will be comparalively sliu'ht. Tiie shorlnesos of 

 the corn crop in this country will, it is estimated, 

 have etiect in susia nini; tlie price of wheat ; while a 

 decline in prices would lu' Iblloweil l>y an increased 

 demand, which Wduld leml to keep up the market 

 rate. Our farmers may, therefore, eonirratulate 

 themselves that the price of wheat bids fair to be 

 maintained, with a possibility even that it may ad- 

 vance somewhat. 



Our Agricultural l-'rogress. 

 Mr. S. B. KugLdcs, of New York, has completed a 

 work on agricultural proirress of the nation in 

 ehes.pening the food of America and Europe. I' ex- 

 hibits a growth in cereal pnxlucis from (115,1)110,1100 

 bushels in I.S40 to HO.',IJOII,OIIO in I8.50, l,L;:is,Oi«l,oi)0 

 in 18(10. 1, "87,000,000 in |.S70, •-',187,000,000 in 1877, 

 and ■.:,4:!l, 000,000 in 187!». The annual product in- 

 creased from $ l,9:i5, 000,000 in 18.50 to 87,077,000,000 

 in 1-00, and 811,000,000,000 111 1870, yielding, after 

 paying for labor and wa^cs, a net amount of 8'i,l70,- 

 000,000, being nearly 20 per cent, on the total. The 

 book states that there are 400,000,000 acres of land 

 immediately available north of the Ohio river, which 

 can produce in wheat or other equivalent cereals at 

 least 4,800,000,000 bushels annually to meet the de- 

 mands of a greatly increasing population. 



^ 



Weeds. 



The farmers should be deeply interested in the 

 two leading points concerning weeds: How they gel 

 into the fielils and gardens, and how to get those out 

 that are already in. .Many of the seeds of weeds are 

 sown with those of the crop, especially is this the 

 case with those that are nearly of the size, color, etc. 

 of the grain and the grass seeds. Great care should 

 be exercised in sowing only pure seeds. If tlie weeds 

 are already in the soil, the quicker steps are taken 

 to eradccate them the better. Let no weeds go to 

 seed. This will end the annuals. With perennials 

 the work is more dilticult, but it should be remem- 

 bered that they are much more easily destroyed 

 when young. Cut frequently and dig out by the 

 roots when possible. 



Success in Wheat Growing. 



Mr. D. S. Curtiss, in his new work on " Wheat 

 Culture," eoncluues by saying : " Highest success in 

 wheat-growing involves and presunu'S skillful and 

 intelligent management iu other parts of farming, so 

 that he who uniformly secures superior results with 

 wheat and does not impoverish his land or soil, can- 

 not well be other than a good farmer, able to secure 

 profitable results iu all other farm operations. Hence 

 to become an eminent wheat-grower is to become a 

 complete farmer." Mr Curtiss knows of what he 

 speaks, as he has had a wide experience in wheat 

 culture. 



English and American Implements, 

 The English manufacturer makes his implements 

 heavy, without much regard to the strength needed. 

 Their forks, whether for spading, or hay, or manure 

 forks, are much too heavy, and are most unwieldy, 

 as compared with the neatly-shaped, li^'htly-built, 

 and easily handled American forks. The English 

 plow is usually three times as heavy as ours, twice 

 as long, and much less easily handled. The cradles 

 they use in cutting their grain would not be used by 

 one of our reapers, and so with many other of their 

 heavy farm implements. 



Horticulture. 



Orchard Products. 



We find in print a statement which is apparently 

 reliable, that the orchard products of the United 

 States have a market value annually of Sll!,000,000. 

 These are ehiclly ai>ples, which crop has become a 

 regular export to foreign countries, and is highly 

 esteemed and in great demand in Europe. It is the 

 only one of our orchard products that has thus risen 

 to the highest level cominercially, and the trade is a 

 permanent one, and likely to increase in proportion 

 to the progress of the production. The orchards of 

 the Northern States have for many years past re- 

 ceived a great deal of attention both from practical 

 and scientific farmers and horticulturists, and the 

 results are seen in the excellence of the food crops, 

 and more es[M-cially in the mau'nitude of the Ameri- 

 can apple trade. It is only within a fc.v years past 

 that our trunk line railroad companies have deemed 



It advisable to culllvale this trade. In the same way 

 they have done the commerce in hreadstulls, lallle, 

 fresh meat and provisions, by multiplying facilities 

 for warehoiisinL' and Bhipmenl to Boston, New York, 

 l'hiladel(ihla and Baltimore. In pro|)orllon as these 

 facilities have been auu'meiited and mull Iplleil, the 

 production of apples In the Northern ami VS'estern 

 States has become more ami more extensive and 

 profitable, thus aiding materially In the (Ilversltlea- 

 tlon of our airrleullure. American apples an' hlirhly 

 appreciated In Eni;biii<l, ami alwavs meet with a 

 regular denianil from the leading British markets.— 

 Oermanloion Ttltgraph. 



Scabby Potatoes. 

 Scab on potatoes Is proiliieed by minute animals 

 which have not yet been thorou!.'hly studied. The 

 si-ab shows Itself first on the surface of the |)olalo, 

 in rough spots, whieh afterward become raised, like 

 blisters. These collap.se suh8e(|uently and leave Ir- 

 regular holes or pits of various sizes in the substance 

 of the tuber. They do not seem to be confined to 

 any parthular aL'c of the plant, as they make their 

 ap[>earance on very youns: tubers, and In other cases 

 not before their full development. Aiioiit the pre- 

 dls|)06ing conditions and prevention of these para- 

 sites little is known. Ashes and lime do not prevent 

 or destroy them. I have found them plentiful In 

 fielils where ashes had never been applied, and also 

 with and without swine, horse, or cow manure, 

 where potatoes had not been planted for several 

 years. In this case like does not produce like, for I 

 have seen scabby potatoes p;-o<luce splendid seal)-free 

 potatoes; on the other hand, some soils, which seem 

 to be saturated with scab, will produce scabby |K)ta- 

 toes, no matter what seed is used. Some varieties 

 are more liable to scab than others. A row of 

 Buckeyes were almost eat<n up by scab, while other 

 varieties close by were free from it. Little as Is 

 known of the nature of the scab, I think I have 

 proved to my own satisfaction, at least, that since 

 the exclusive use of commercial fertilizers my |>ota- 

 toes have become entirely free from scab and better 

 than with the use of barn-yard manures. 



When to Transplant. 

 There is a great deal ofdilfercnce of 0|iinlon among 

 fruit growers as to the time lo transplant fruit trees. 

 It is natural that this should be so, since tiieir views 

 are generally based on their experiences In different 

 localities. 



It may, however, be stated as a gen 'ral projwsitlon, 

 that when the bllmate will allow it, fall transplant- 

 ing — that is from the fall of the leaf till the middle 

 of November is to be preferred. The wounds made 

 in the process of removal heal more quickly then, 

 and the tree, having become fixed in Its new posi- 

 tion, is ready to begin growing at the first dawn of 

 awakening spring. 



In the more northerly parts of the Union, however 

 fall transplanting would be pretty sure to be follow- 

 ed by the death of the tree, and It becomes a neccB- 

 sity to defer the removal till siring. But the plant- 

 ing should be done just as early as the condition of 

 the ground will admit, so that the roots may get 

 hold of the soil and begin t(> draw up life Into the 

 tree as quickly as possible. If ileferrcd till late In 

 the season, the tree will be less able to resist the dry 

 weather of summer, and may thus suffer irreparable 

 injury. 



It is easy to determine, therefore, by the exercise 

 of a little common sense, aided by proper observa- 

 tion, whether it is best to transplant iu fall or spring. 

 No more explicit directions than those we have indi- 

 cated can safely be given.— /rjr<i»ii;icr and ClironicU. 



Enriching Orchards. 



Any farmer who has been accustomed to raising 

 apples and has been uniformly successful, will doubt- 

 less say that if he expects to get food crops he treats 

 the orchard as he does for any other crop — he man- 

 ures it, and he fimls that a manure that will do for 

 most other crops w ill do for the crop of apples. It Is 

 the neglect to manure orchards at all that causes 

 them to bear so poorly and the trees lo look in bad 

 eonilition. There is noihini' better than wood ashes 

 for orchards, if we had the ashes ; but nearly every- 

 body burns coal except In certain out of the way 

 secllons, and we must therefore resort to something 

 else. Next lo wood ashes there is no other fertilizer 

 better than barnyard manure. A liberal application 

 of this, if only once in three years, with careful 

 prunuur and scraping of the trees, and ferreting out 

 the borers and all other insects which lay concealed 

 under the bark, will soon make a change In the pro- 

 ductiveness of the orchard. October and November 

 are the best months to afiply the manure and give 

 the trees a i,'ood scrapinir otf of all old bark. If the 

 trunks were washed with whale oil soap, say one 

 pound to an ordinary sized bucket of water, there 

 would not be many insects left alive after the opera- 

 tion. — Gtrniduton'it Tvhgraph. 



Protecting Plants and Shrubs. 

 There is one principle which should not be forgot- 

 ten, whatever be the nature of the covering applied 



