248 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



December, 1907 



pullers is best. The traction engine has been 

 effectively used in removing trees from the 

 land. It does not work as well on tap-rooted 

 trees as on those with spreading roots which 

 serve as a leverage and it requires more 

 skilled labor and more time to do the work. 

 It also requires some experience in fastening 

 the chain at the proper height on the trunk, 

 else the tree is only broken off. 



An expensive but very effective way is to 

 use dynamite. One stick properly placed 

 will blow out root, trunk, and all, shattering 

 it so it is easily removed and thoroughly sub- 

 soiling the ground. A little practice soon 

 enables one to place the dynamite against the 

 tap root at a depth of three to five feet below 

 the surface. A handy tool to make the holes 

 is a 2 or 2^-inch carpenter's auger but 

 welded to a |-inch round iron shank five feet 

 long with a small gas-pipe handle attached 

 with a tee. Bore with this the length of the 

 bit or more and pull out steadily, and the 

 soil will come out as a core leaving a clean 

 hole. Repeat until the root is struck. This 

 is better than using a crowbar as it leaves the 

 ground around the hole undisturbed and is 

 quicker and easier. 



If you don't care for the timber, it is cer- 

 tainly an unnecessary expense to cut the trees 

 down. Either the traction engine or the 

 dynamite plan will effectually remove the 

 trees, roots and all. I am inclined to believe 

 you will find dynamite fully as cheap and 

 it works much better on whole trees than on 

 stumps. Only recently I saw dynamite used 

 on pine trees a foot in diameter, one stick 

 throwing tree and tap-root clear from the 

 ground. 



For small areas, cut the trees, bore a hole 

 in the centre of each stump, placing about 

 an ounce of saltpeter in it and filling with 

 water. If this is done in the fall, the stumps 

 will burn out readily and completely next 

 season. The ashes are of such slight value 

 that it does not pay to gather them. However, 

 the burning is usually a great benefit to the 

 soil, resulting in increased crops where the 

 fires were located. 



Penn. F. E. Bonsteel. 



Seeding Down Wheat 



TO OBTAIN a good seedbed for wheat, 

 the land must be plowed several 

 weeks before sowing to allow the soil to 

 become compact and the moisture content 

 near the surface to increase. The first step 

 toward making a good seedbed is to plow 

 about six inches deep; if the soil has not had 



time enough to become firm after plowing 

 the land, a roller may be used for the purpose. 



The quantity of seed sown per acre de- 

 pends upon the kind and condition of soil, 

 climate and season, time and method of 

 sowing, size and quality of the seed. Usually 

 not less than six and not more than eight 

 pecks are sown per acre. Broadcasted seed 

 is usually covered from one to one and one- 

 half inches deep and drilled seed from two 

 to three inches. On clay lands, shallow 

 seeding is best. 



Fertilizing the land for wheat is not a 

 difficult problem if the right rotations are 

 followed. It is better not to apply barnyard 

 manure directly to the crop, but preferably 

 to the preceding corn crop, as direct applica- 

 tion interferes with obtaining a good seedbed 

 and also frequently causes lodging of the seed. 

 For wheat, a mixture containing 4 per cent, 

 nitrogen, 8 per cent, phosphoric acid and 

 4 per cent, potash is generally used in amounts 

 of from 300 to 600 pounds per acre as a 

 fertilizer. The following formula will give 

 approximately the percentage of the different 

 ingredients: 500 pounds nitrate soda, 160 

 pounds kainit, 1,340 pounds dissolved phos- 

 phoric rock. A ton of fertilizer would then 

 contain about 77J pounds of nitrogen, 62J 

 pounds of potash and 187.6 of phosphoric 

 acid, and the fertilizer would contain approxi- 

 mately about 2.87 per cent, nitrogen, 3.12 

 per cent, potash and 9 per cent, phosphoric 

 acid. This fertilizer, if made at home from 

 materials purchased in the market, would 

 cost exclusive of transporting and mixing, 

 somewhere from $23 to $25. 



Penn. F. E. B. 



How to Serve Potatoes 



NEARLY all of us are too slavishly tied 

 to the plainly boiled potato, I suppose 

 because of the simplicity of that method of 

 preparing for table, but there are several 

 other ways worthy of a trial ; a baked potato 

 is often excellent, provided it is not gritty. 

 There is nothing more distressing than trying 

 to eat a gritty baked potato ; and there is no 

 reason why one should ever have to. A good 

 scrubbing is all that is necessary. For the 

 rest, cut off a slice from each end to prevent 

 bursting, and bake the tubers in a quick oven. 

 Always serve hot. Another way to serve 

 baked potatoes is to cut off one end and 

 remove the contents, mix with butter, pepper 

 and salt, and if desired a little cheese: then 



place the whole back in the skin and brown 

 them in a hot oven. 



The secret of good boiled potatoes is to 

 prepare them some time before boiling, 

 allowing them to stand in cold water for half 

 an hour. Do not boil too rapidly or they 

 will crumble. Drain well before serving. 

 There are many simple ways of serving left- 

 over potatoes. 



Creamed potatoes, without the use of 

 thickening, can be prepared as follows: 

 Slice cold boiled potatoes, barely cover with 

 milk, season and allow them to simmer on 

 the back of the stove for half an hour. The 

 starch in the potato will act as a thickening. 



The left-over cold mashed potatoes make 

 a splendid dish by mixing with them a little 

 milk and butter and placing them in an oven 

 in a baking dish to brown. Another way 

 for the cold mashed potatoes is to make them 

 into flat cakes, pat with flour and fry. 



When cooking a roast, it is a good idea to 

 put the potatoes in the pan with the meat, 

 first parboiling them a little. This would 

 not be necessary, however, if the roast is a 

 large one, as the potatoes would have a 

 longer time to cook. If they do not brown 

 satisfactorily, sprinkle a little flour over 

 each one. 



A palatable dish to serve with cold meats 

 is made by placing in a baking dish a layer 

 of sliced cold boiled potatoes, adding to this 

 a thick layer of cheese, then another of 

 potato and so on until the dish is full, finish- 

 ing with a layer of the cheese. A cream sauce 

 which is then made of two cupsful of milk 

 and one tablespoonful of flour rubbed with 

 one tablespoonful of butter (which is added 

 to the milk when boiling) is poured over the 

 potatoes, and the whole should be allowed 

 to bake in a moderate oven for three-quarters 

 of an hour. It should be served hot. 



A good way to use up the small potatoes 

 is either to boil them for the chickens, or to 

 boil them with the skins on, peel them when 

 cool and fry in deep fat. They should not 

 be boiled long, however, if they are to be 

 used in this way. When frying in deep fat, 

 it is most important to have the fat smoking, 

 otherwise the potatoes are soggy. Never 

 cover fried potatoes if you wish them to be 

 crisp. 



New York. K. Hasbrook. 



Potatoes Hashed au Gratin 



TO MAKE potatoes au gratin: Mix well 

 six finely hashed potatoes in a sautoire 

 with one ounce butter, half teaspoonful of 

 salt, saltspoonful of white pepper, saltspoon- 

 ful of grated nutmeg, two gills cold milk, one 

 gill cream. Slowly boil ten minutes, stirring 

 occasionally. Butter the bottom of a baking 

 dish, transfer the potatoes into it, and cover 

 the surface with two tablespoonfuls of grated 

 Parmesan or Swiss cheese, over this spreading 

 half an ounce of butter cut in small pieces. 

 Set the dish in a brisk oven to bake ten 

 minutes, or until a golden color. 



If desired, eight anchovies in oil cut in small 

 pieces may be added before putting the pota- 

 toes in the baking dish. These must be mixed 

 in well and allowed to cook for five minutes. 



