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THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[June, 



my much as lime acts on soils. Lime is not 

 a fertilizer in itself, but it aids the soil assimi- 

 lating the other plant food in it. So roots, 

 when fed with hay or grain, seem to enable 

 animals to derive a greater benefit from them. 

 They also seem to have special properties that 

 conduce to the health of the animals. The 

 avidity with which the latter eat them seems 

 to show that they are almost a necessity with 

 some kinds of farm stock. 



The above, along with many more considera- 

 tions that might be urged, should induce 

 farmers to plant root crops more extensively 

 than they do hereabouts. There is consider- 

 able variety of choice ; but we should very 

 much like our farmers to try to grow a few 

 sugar beets. They are richer in sugar tlian 

 any other roots and their value therefore 

 greater as a fattening and heating food. They 

 are very productive also and on the whole 

 yield as valuable a crop as either mangles or 

 turnips. From fifteen to twenty tons can be 

 grown on an acre, and such a yield is undoubt- 

 edly worth as much for feeding purposes, in a 

 money point of view, as any other crop tliat 

 can be grown. But we also advocate this on 

 other grounds. Sooner or later sugar beets 

 will be grown for other purposes. They will 

 be needed by the sugar factories that are cer- 

 tain to come along in due time, and which 

 will then make demands upon the farmers 

 which they may not be in a position to com- 

 ply with. The cultivation of the sugar beet, 

 like every other crop, must be learned by care- 

 ful experience. A beginner is apt to raise only 

 half as many tons on an acre as one who has 

 grown the crop for years. It pays to know 

 how the best results are obtained. Therefore 

 let a beginning be made now. "Why cannot a 

 small patch be put out as our experiment ? 

 Half an acre will not be missed by the other 

 crops usually planted, while the cost to the 

 farmer will be moderate. Where much stock 

 is kept, sheep as well as cows, an acre or two 

 would not be too much. While the stock 

 would be benefitted fully as much as the out- 

 lay would cost, and more too, a valuable ex- 

 perience would be gained that is pretty sure 

 to turn into money at no distant day. Let the 

 experiment be tvied.—New Era. 



CULTIVATING THE ORCHARD. 



There is a great variety of opinion among 

 farmers concerning tlie best way of managing 

 an orchard. Nearly all agree that at first — 

 during the first three or four years — the or- 

 chard should be cultivated ; that is, some 

 crops should be planted which would in some 

 measure keep the soil stirred, whether the 

 crop be corn, oats, wheiit or potatoes. Rye 

 and corn are hardly the best for the first year, 

 especially for a very young orchard where the 

 trees are small ; and again with a cultivated 

 crop, like corn or potatoes, there is always 

 more or less risk of damaging the trees with 

 the chains, single-tree or plow. Some plant 

 in potatoes and then cover with straw, but so 

 far as my experience goes this is a very poor 

 plan. 



I had a neighbor once in Illinois who nearly 

 ruined a fine young orchard of fruit set out 

 that spring. The soil was first well plowed 

 and put in good condition before the trees 

 were set out. Later in the spring the whole 

 was furrowed off in rows three feet apart, one 



way, running the plow as close to the trees as 

 Then the whole plot was planted 

 , in drills, the hills eighteen inches 

 apart. After they had sprouted well, or in 

 about ten days, the whole was covered with 

 straw, from twelve to eighteen inches apart. 

 The orchard had been set out near his house 

 and barn buildings. The trees seemed to do 

 first-rate during the summer, but late in the 

 fall, when the potatoes were dug, the trees 

 showed the effect, as fully four-fifths of them 

 were ruined by the mice. They had burrowed 

 under the straw and had stayed all the time, 

 living on the potatoes and the bark of the 

 young trees. Although a fine crop of pota- 

 toes was raised, yet the damage to the or- 

 chard was greater than the profit on the po- 

 tatoes. 



In two or three instances I have noticed a 

 crop of vines such as watermelons, pumpkins 

 etc., raised in a young orchard to a good pro- 

 fit, and without damaging it. Oats or sweet 

 corn are good crops, as neither occupy the 

 land for any considerable length of time, and 

 yet long enough to keep down the greater 

 part of the weeds. 



The usual practice is to plant to some crop, 

 for two or three years, and then sow to grass. 

 This plan is a very good one if in following it 

 out we do not neglect the orchard. If we 

 want to secure two crops in this way from the 

 same land in one year, we must care for it in 

 such a manner that the land will be able to 

 do this, and the only way to accomplish the 

 result we seek is to manure. 



A good top dressing should be applied if 

 possible every fall ; a light dressing of well- 

 rotted manure spread evenly all over the sur- 

 face—that, too, without any lumps to damage 

 the grass, will prove better and give more 

 profitable results than a heavy dressing given 

 every three or four years in such a way as to 

 damage the grass. 



The trees should have the soil for a consid- 

 erable distance around the trunk stirred up 

 and good fertilizers applied ; for this purpose 

 wood ashes unleached are very valuable. 

 The worst objection to seeding down an 

 orchard is the tendency to let it take care of 

 itself, after a good stand of grass is obtained. 

 I know of an old orchard that had been ne- 

 glected until it was worse than unprofitable, 

 it was an expense. The owner first plowed 

 up the whole plat as well as he could, and 

 then gave a heavy application of manure 

 early in the winter ; this was spread evenly, 

 not all around the trunks of the trees but all 

 over the ground. Twice during the winter 

 the plat was well harrowed, so as to incorpo- 

 rate the manure into the soil ; early in the 

 spring as soon as the soil could be worked 

 well, the whole was plowed again, harrowed 

 as fine as possible, then rolled and seeded to 

 clover. Since then the owner has realized 

 four fine crops of apples, and has a tip-top 

 clover pasture besides in which he keeps his 

 sheep or hogs. 



I know of another orchard— and it is a good 

 one— that the owner acknowledges has paid 

 him better than any plat on the farm. He 

 manages it in tliis way ; after the orchard be- 

 came established he plowed the laud in strips, 

 but only plowed between the trees, never run- 

 ning nearer than four feet on either side of 

 trees ; that is, he left a strip about eight feet 



wide one way of the orchard that was left un- 

 plowed. Potatoes were planted and covered 

 with straw ; in the fall the straw was piled in 

 long rows opposite to the ground plowed and 

 planted the year before, and the potatoes dug 

 the next spring. This soil was plowed cross- 

 ways, and in the same manner as before, and 

 planted to potatoes. This old straw was used 

 to cover again. The next fall the straw was 

 thrown off the same as before, and the pota- 

 toes dug ; after this the ground was well 

 plowed, and at each round of the plow the 

 furrows were filled with the straw, and then 

 covered up the next round. During the 

 twelve years the orchard has been treated in 

 this way, but two applications of other ma- 

 nure — rotted manure from the stable — have 

 been applied. The rotting straw has been of 

 considerable benefit. ^ 



The fertility of the soil has been kept up, a 

 fair crop of potatoes raised, and the owner, of 

 course, thinks it an excellent plan. One thing 

 is certain, we must enrich the soil if we ex- 

 pect an orchard to prove profitable. The idea 

 that an orchard after it once gets started will 

 take care of itself is a decidedly mistaken 

 one, and if we expect to raise some other pay- 

 ing crop in the orchard extra care in this re- 

 spect must be given. 



Taking all things into consideration I pre- 

 fer to cultivate an orchard at least three years 

 after setting out, and then give a good appU- 

 cation of manure, put in good condition, and 

 seed to clover, using it then for hog and sheep 

 pasture. In this way the fertility can in a 

 great measure be kept up without extra ap- 

 plication of manure, and although we may 

 cot find the clover a profitable crop for hay, 

 yet it will furnish a very large amount of the 

 very best of hog feed, and then, too, at a very 

 low cost, and by using it in this way we will 

 be able to make the orchard yield as great 

 profits, taking one year with another, as any 

 other part of the farm. — JV. /. Shepherd, in 

 Prairie Farmer. 



NEW SILK INDUSTRY. 



The chief attraction at the silk culture ex- 

 hibition at Horticultural Hall last night was 

 the awarding of premiums by Strawbridge & 

 Clothier for the best silk cocoons raised in the 

 United States during 1883. The premiums 

 were awarded on the basis of the quality and 

 quantity of reeled silk yielded by 100 cocoons. 

 There were seventy-seven entries from twenty 

 States for the premiums, which amounted to 

 $500. 



Mr. Clarkson Clothier, in awarding the pre- 

 miums, said : 



I come forward this evening to announce 

 the award of the third annual premiums 

 offered by Strawbridge & Clothier to the silk 

 culturists of the United States through the 

 Women's Silk Culture Association. On the 

 first occasion, the number of contestants was 

 twenty-six, from four States ; on the second 

 occasion, the number was thirty-three, from 

 eleven States; this year we have seventy- 

 seven competitors, from twenty States. 



It is but fair to assume that the growth of 

 silk culture is to be measured by these figures, 

 and the astonishing development of this in- 

 dustry in the last three years is, indeed, won- 

 derful. From all parts of the country come 

 assuring sounds of encouragement. 





