1883.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMEH. 



IS 



gives his order for tliose of extra size, and which are 

 four or five years old. lu so doinfc he tliiukB that he 

 Is actl-ig wisely, hut the nurseryman knows and the 

 farmer will find hefore long, that, with equal care, 

 the small tree will grow faster and (if a fruit tree) 

 come into hearing condition sooner than (he large 

 one. 



In half a dozen years the tree that was small when 

 planted will be larger and finer than the other. 

 The reason for this is obvious. The larger the tree 

 the larger the roots which It has, and the larger the 

 roots the less fibres there will t)e upon them. A 

 tree that has plenty of fibrous roots will grow readily 

 if proper care is used in transplanting; but no 

 amount of skill can coax a tree (o live and flourish 

 which is destitute of these little fibres. The roots of 

 large trees are always more or le,.;s mutilated in the 

 process of taking up, while the small trees sustain 

 little injury from this source. Dealers in trees 

 assert that experienced men buy small, thrifty trees, 

 while those who are just starting are anxious for 

 the largest to be had. Those who are to set trees 

 the coming season will do well to learn from the 

 experience of those who, at considerable loss to 

 themselves, have demonstrated that small trees are 

 the ones to bny. — New England Ifomentead. 



•' Setting Trees." 



In the Ploughman of October 7th, Mr. Daniel T. 

 Curtis gave the readers his method of " Setting 

 Trees," and as hi; ideas very somewhat from mine, 

 wonld like to give ray plan of planting, etc. 



1st. Dig for large trees (say .wo inches in diame 

 ter and twelve feet high) a hole ten feet in diame- 

 ter Jnstead of four to five feel — for the reason that 

 the roots should be laid straight and at least four 

 feet in length from the trunk — then the other foot all 

 around would give the workman an opportunity to 

 stand in the hole and do his work to advantage, and 

 when filled with good rich loam would give the tree 

 food to live on (if in gravelly land) for a year or 

 more or until it had gained strength enough to force 

 its roots into the harder soil. 



3d. I like the idea of depositing in the bottom of 

 the hole stones for bottom drainage if the land is 

 clayey or wet. And I also practice putting flat 

 stones over the roots after being covered an inch or 

 two with loam, the stones then covered with loam ; 

 they steady the tree and prevent the wind from get- 

 ting them out of position ; they also retain moisture 

 in the summer season. 



3d. Always take up as large a proportion of roots 

 as possible and see tnat all bruises are removed with 

 a sharp knife, but my experience has taught me that 

 we cannot cut back the tops to advantage, as we in 

 jure the form and take away the lungs, thereby 

 weakening the tree. 



I believe it is very necessary for the first two years 

 at least after transplanting to keep the ground 

 thoroughly mulched, as it retains the moisture and 

 keeps the ground lii:ht to let in the air and rain 

 when it is most needed in the sunjmer season — the 

 past summer I have seen the beneficial effects of 

 heavy and wide mulching. 



If trees are planted on the streets or sidewalks, 

 they should always lie protected to keep horses from 

 biting them and children for swaying them or cutting 

 them with hatchets or knives. 



The Maiden Improvement Association hiis adopted 

 directions for digging and transplantingtrees which 

 meets with my approbation, and herewith please find 

 a copy which if you can afford the space I hope you 

 will print for the benefit, of your numerous readers. 

 — James F. Eaton, in Mastachusetls Ploughman. 



Keeping Squashes. 



A very large proportion of winter squashes decay 

 before the first of February ; in fact, under the usual 

 management, they begin to rot badly by the middle 

 of December. 



Farmers who raise a few squashes for family use, 

 give them but little thought and have no particular 

 place to keep them ; they often leave them ia the 



garden until the weather gets cold and frosty, so 

 that a jiortion of them get chilled on one side. If 

 the farmer Is very fond of squash pies, he may be 

 thoughtful enough, the evening before a cold night, 

 to go out and gather them, the work being done in 

 the dark and in haste ; they are loaded into the cart 

 with as little care as would be taken in loading 

 rocks ; thus bruised they are piled in a heap on the 

 south side of a building, where the suu will shine on 

 them, and where they can be covered up cold nights. 

 In sucli location there Is a irreat change in the tem- 

 perature every twenty-four hours, even If it is re 

 membered to cover them up, but if this is forgotten, 

 as is often the case, some of them are pretty sure to 

 get chilleii, if not frozen. When the weather gets 

 very cold the squashes are removed to a damp cellar 

 where they soon decay. With such treatment it 

 would be very strange if they did not. 



To have squashes keep well, they should be gath 

 ered before there is any danger of a frost, and in 

 gathering them they should be handled with as 

 much care as if they svere eggs. It is better'io store 

 them in a dry light building, spreaiiiug them on the 

 floor, never in large heaps ; here they should lie un- 

 disturbed until there is some danger of freezing' 

 when they should be carefully removed to some dry 

 place where there is no danger of freezing during 

 the winter ; a dry room above ground is much better 

 than a cellar. Squashes, to keep well, need a dry, 

 even temperature ; it is the sudden changes from 

 hot to cold, th.at causes premature decay, therefore 

 if put in a cool room, it is important that the room 

 should be kept cool all the timv, and if in a warm 

 room, it should not be permitted to gpt cold. 

 Squashes are often kept until a year old, in a room 

 where the temperature is 70 degrees, but if kept in 

 such place it is important that the atmospnere 

 should be free trom moisture. — Mass. Plowman. 



Preparing Plant Beds. 



Hotbeds are usually employel for starting early 

 vegetable plants, but beds in the open air answer as 

 well for late kinds, as well as for tobacco. In pre- 

 paring such beds plenty of fiue, rich old manure 

 should be used, thoroughly mixed with the surface 

 soil. When the bed is completed, cover||lhe entire 

 sui face with dry straw, hay, brush, or feome similar 

 material, and set it on fire. The burning of these 

 materials on the bed will warm the ground, destroy 

 Insects and weed seeds, besides adding a fine coat- 

 ing of ashes and coal to the surface, both of which 

 will increase the fertility of the bed, and act as a 

 preventive against the attacks of many plant-eating 

 insects. Where the common flea beetles are trouble, 

 some to tobacco, cabbage and similar plants, this 

 firing of the bed previous to sowing the Jseed will 

 prove very beneficial, if not a certain preventive. 

 This is but a modification of the old and (eommOD 

 practice of American farmers of making their tobac- 

 co and cabbage plant bed on some spot where a 

 brush heap had been recently burned. 



graft should be shortened. This will of course in- 

 crease the number of'branches and give the tree a 

 more compact form. — n cnnatilown Telegraph. 



Look to Last Year's Grafts. 



Now Is the time to examine the grafts set last 

 year. In many cases it will be found that the 

 stocks, by the growing of the grafts, have split 

 open, exposing the inner wood, and .admitting air 

 and water. This should at once be tied tightly with 

 strong twine, and surrounded with fresh wax, re- 

 moving any hard substance that*uiav have got info 

 the split. This will frequently repair the mischief, 

 otherwise the work will be an eyesore and the parts 

 never become firmly atlacljed and make a good con- 

 nection, and of course a perfect union. 



Frequently double the number of colons are set 

 that the stock will sustain. These should be car-e 

 fully gone over and the excess removed, leaving 

 those that spread somewhat from the stock. Unless 

 the stock is stout — say from two to four inches in 

 diameter— not more than two grafts should be left, 

 and they should be as nearly as' possible opposite to 

 each other. When the growth has been rapid the 



Manuring Trees. 



We notice frequently outlandish recommendations, 

 agrieultnrally and horticulturally, which must lead 

 to failure and discouragement. We have have now 

 before us one of these for stimulating the growth of 

 trees, by boring holex in the ground and pouring in 

 lignld manure about tile roots .' How the roots are 

 generally to be got at in this way we cannot see. 

 What better can be desired than applying the same 

 liquid uniformly over the ground and let it soak in ? 

 If the surface is very hard it should he loosened. Or, 

 what we contend is still better, top dress the surface 

 as far as the branches extend with good manure, and 

 the substance will soon find its way uniformly to the 

 roots with the assistance of the rains. Our own 

 judgment and practice has always been to treat the 

 soil in which the trees, fruit and ornamental, grow, 

 as far as can be done, the same as soil that is culti- 

 vated for vegetables or general farm crops, and we 

 have always been satisfied with the result. As some 

 evidence of the effect of such application 'we will 

 mention this instance : Some years ago a hemlock 

 spruce had a rusty appearance and at last fell much 

 behind the others in depth of color. It was about 

 twelve feet in height, and must have been set out at 

 a spot, where the soil was not as affluent as that 

 where others were planted. At any rate two wheel- 

 barrow loads of good manure, spread out as far ai 

 the extremity of the branches, restored it perfectly 

 the Urst year, and it was among one of our hand- 

 somest trees. — Oermantown Telegraph. 



Domestic Economy. 



How To Tell Good Butter. 



When butter is properly churned," both as (o the 

 time and temperature, it becomes firm with very 

 little working, and it is tenacious; but its most de- 

 sirable state is waxy, when it is easily moulded into 

 any shape, and m.ay be drawn out a considerable 

 length without breaking. It is then styled gilt edged. 

 It is only in this state that butter possesses that rich 

 golden yellow color, which imparts so high a degree 

 of pleasure in eating it, and which incrcafes its value 

 manifold. It is not always necessary, when It smells 

 sweet, to taste butter in judging it. The smooth 

 unctuous feeling in rubbing a little between the 

 finger and thumb expresses at once its rich quality; 

 the nutty smell and rich aroma indicates a similar 

 taste; and the bright golden, glistening, cream-col- 

 ored surface shows its height of cleanliness. It may 

 be necessary at times to use the trier, or even use it 

 until you become an expert iu testing by taste, smell 

 and rubbing. — Exchange. 



Something about Sassafras. 

 The sassafras shrub or small tree grows from New 

 England to Mexico. In some places, writes I'rofes 

 sor Darby to the American Grocer, It could not he 

 rightly called a small tree, for it sometimes attains a 

 height of sixty to seventy feet and ten to twelve 

 inches in diameter. It Is the Laurtn sassafraf, 

 closely related to the cinnamon tree and the spice 

 bush. It is the bark of the root that gives it most 

 importance. To this genus belongs the claxsic laurel, 

 and from which the name of the genus was derived. 

 That is the Laurns nobilis. It grows on the borders 

 of the .Mediterranean in Europe, Asia and Africa. 

 Its branches were used to form the crowns awarded 

 to the victors in the Olympic games and for crowning 

 poets. In the middle ages it was used to crown the 

 successful students in the universities, but with the 

 berries on the branches, hence we have our word 

 baccalanrnte (bacca, & berry. All parts of this tree 

 yield an abundance of essential oil, which gives it a 

 delightful aromatic odor. This oil, especially from 

 the berries, is used medicinally in Europe, for its 

 tonic and stimulating properties. It is esteemed 

 highly in favoring digestion. The fruit yields from 



