Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 641 



Baklet after Corn. 



Mr. J. H. Breckbill, of Lancaster county, Pa., in answer to a letter 

 inquiring about the matter, wrote : 



'■' Yes ; you can grow barley after a crop of corn in this way, 

 having, of course dragged your stocks when frozen ; manure heavily 

 with green manure, plow as earh^ as possible, make your ground 

 in good order, roll, and drill quite shallow. If you sow by hand, 

 harrow well first, finisli with rolling, sow two bushels clear seed. If 

 mixed with oats they will ripen nearly at the same time and will not 

 blow out. It will ripen before your wheat or rye, if sown early. 

 Cut before it is too ripe ; house, if possible, without a rain and you 

 will have a fair, bright sample ; you can average thirty-five or forty 

 bushels per acre. Winter barley must have the same treatment ; 

 will not easily freeze out, and is something heavier. If you sell, as 

 a general rule have your crop ready early. Last autumn you would 

 have got from §1.60 to $1.74 per bushel. If you sell, it will be made 

 into malt ; it and cocculus indicus will make beer and bloats. If you 

 feed, grind equal parts with corn* it will make meaty and meat is 

 good for the hungry." 



Black Ivxot ix Plum Trees. 



Mr. R. Blanchard, of Lyndonville, wrote in relation to a cure for 

 this disease. He said that he discovered It about ten years ago, and 

 had proved its value. " It is this : Take a paint brush, dip it in 

 spirits of turpentine, and thoroughly saturate the knot, being careful 

 not to touch the tree except in the diseased part. It stops the knoty 

 and tlie tree puts out healthy branches below it. I am careful to 

 burn all the branches removed in pruning. If the spirits of turpen- 

 tine is applied about the time the flowers open, the curculio will not 

 be so troublesome, as its smell repels insects otherwise attracted by 

 the perfume of the flower. Another remedy I have tried for the 

 curculio, is to smoke the trees with sulphur. On a still evening, 

 when the flowers are opening, place a kettle of coals so that the 

 smoke will circulate freely among the branches, then throw on sul- 

 phur and pieces of leather or woollen rags. Of course, care is requi- 

 site to prevent heating the branches. A very successful apple grower 

 in our neighborhood smokes his trees in this manner evenings and 

 mornings, every year, to destroy the apple worm. To return to the 

 black knot. As tbe summer is the time the mischief is done, every 



[Inst.] 41 



