THE ILLINOIS F_A.RMEIl. 



57 



=DUJVLAPS WEED HO OK. 



We often have patches of weeds to 

 plow under. Sometimes the weeds in 

 our buckwheat patch get so high that 

 we cannot cover them. This, to us, was 

 a source of annoyance. We first tried 

 the log chain; but it was not satisfac- 

 tory. We next bolted a piece of tim- 

 ber to tlie beam, at the end of which we 

 put through a bolt. This did the work 

 quite satisfactorily, and we used it seve- 

 ral years. We then thought of substi- 

 tuting iron for wood ; and after several 

 attempts, (for we are no great genius at 

 invention,) we succeeded in getting the 

 weed hook as herewith presented. We 

 have no idea of making it any more 

 perfect, and give full permission to any 

 one who will improve upon it. 



The most stubborn corn-stalka must 

 yield to it ; the tallest of weeds must 

 come under. But we must give you 

 notice that loose rubbish will clog it, and 

 it is useless to put it in a field of dry 

 weeds, loose at the bottom, dead tumble 

 weeds, or anything that is not fast to 

 the ground at one end. Thus, corn- 

 stalks standing in the hill are first bro- 

 ken down by the whiffle-trees, and then 

 brought by the hook in position to be 

 covered by the turning furrow. So of 

 tall green weeds, or any green crop : 

 they are gathered within its arm and 

 buried beneath the furrow. Last fall 

 we turned under a portion of corn- 

 stalks from which the corn had been 

 husked, and so deeply are they buried 

 that we intend to plant with potatoes, 

 and cover them with the plow. With 

 this hook in the latter part ^of the sea- 

 son, all the unfarmer-like patches of 

 weeds can be put out of sight, and we 

 would particularly recommend it to those 

 farmers who have entered for the best 

 farm, to be put in active requisition a 

 few days before the committee on farms 

 shall make them a visit. The hook is 

 two feet long, made of common bar or 

 wagon tire iron. We dedicate it to 



the slovenly farmer, for with it he can 

 disguise and make valuable much that he 

 has run over and tilled at, — he can pick 

 his nubbins, and plow under both weeds 

 and stalks, and thus prepare his land 

 for a crop of spring wheat or oats, and 

 besides, it will so effectually wipe out his 

 bad culture, that Mr. Sloven will have 

 a better opinion of himself, and of course 

 think better of mankind. This we call 

 elevating the industrial classes. We 

 dedicate it to the progressive farmer, for 

 he will make money out of it by its ju- 

 dicious use. We dedicate it to the fancy 

 farmer, because he will be cli£ated into a 

 little profit by its use, and may t^ke the 

 big pitcher for the best prairie farm. 



-••► 



Graft.ng the Cfierry, etc. 

 Downing says that "grafting commences 

 earliest with the cherry and plum, and 

 ends with the pear and apple. The 

 precise time of course varies with the 

 season and the climate, but is generally 

 comprised from February to the middle"" 

 of April." 



That so close observers as the brothers 

 Downing should "write bo loose a para- 

 graph, on such an important subject, we 

 are at a loss to determine, other than 

 that grafting is not well understood in 

 New York, or that budding is more 

 popular. Grafting the cherry is so little 

 resorted to there, that we may take a 

 little of both conclusions. 



On the prairies the new set buds of 

 the cherry are liable to winter kill, more 

 especially on the Mahaleb and Mazzard 

 stocks, which are often killed to the 

 ground, bud and all; at the same time 

 the Morrello presents a hardy stock for 

 us, though it must be confessed with the 

 bad habit of sending up suckers; but 

 with deep tillage and deep planting, this 

 will to some extent be modified. ; 



GRAFTING THE SAME SEASON OF TRANSPLANTING. 



To do this with the cherry, the trees 

 should be taken up early in spring, be- 

 fore the swelling of the budg, the 

 branches trimmed off and top cut back to 

 within four or five inches of where the 

 head is to be inserted. They are then 

 to be planted in orchard or nursery rows 

 to be grafted as soon as the buds are 

 ready to hreah and until the leaf is half 

 grown. Of course, the top is cut back 

 i four or five inches, as before noted. 

 i This is the season of grafting. The 

 i cions should have been cut in the 



fall or winter and kept in some cool place, 

 and without materially having swelled 

 their buds. If the stock is half or three- 

 fourths of an inch in diameter, wo cut 

 It off at anr angle of forty five de- 

 grees, square off the upper part of the 

 cut and insert as in clift grafting, with 

 this difference, that the knife is held at 

 an angle so as to cut instead of splitting 

 the bark, but when the stock is of less 

 size we make the usual splice graft, but 

 without the tongue, simply putting them 

 together and winding with Imen thread; 

 for this purpose the thread is cut in 

 lengths of sixteen to eighteen inches. 

 The graft is then protected by melted 

 wax, put on Avith a brush in the usual 

 way. Soon as the growth indicates that 

 the thread is to cut into the bark, cutting 

 down through the thread even into the 

 wood will do no harm, but the thread 

 should not be removed, as the wax will 

 hold it so as to protect the graft from 

 blowing off until it is firmly knit to the 

 stock. 



GRAFTING TITE NEXT SEASON AFTER TBANSPLANTING. 



The trees to be graf ed, if of good 

 size, say one half to an inch or more 

 in diameter, must not have their side 

 branches cut back at the time of graft- 

 ing, but are to be shortened in as, 

 the graft is capable of absorbing the 

 sap. Those suitable for splice grafting 

 can be safely pruned at the time. We 

 think the fault in grafting the cherry 

 has been mainly in doing the work before 

 active growth, and which resulted in the 

 loss of the graft. 



Grafting the cherry and plum, even 

 after they are in bloom, is much safer 

 than too early. The caution to be ob- 

 served in rooted trees, is not to cut away 

 too mu«h of the top at once, but in the 

 case of the newly transplanted tree it 

 has been deprived of its vigor and the 



growth checked, hence it is not safe to 

 set the graft until growth is resumed 

 sufficient to act on the graft. No buds 

 or sprouts should be rubbed or cut from 

 the tree the first season after trans- 

 planting, 



GRAFTING THE APPLE. 



This we manage in the same manner 

 and set until the leaves are nearly full 

 size, using the same precaution in regard 

 to pruning.. 



Small Froits. 



At the meetiug of the State Horticultural 

 Society at Bloomington, it was suggested 

 tha the so-called "suiiill fruits'' be ctilled the 

 ''great fruits," from the fact that at the 



