164 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
other, that the whitewash fills up the pores of the hark, 
and interferes with its functions. This depends upon 
the condition of the bark. When the bark is young and 
smooth, whitewash would be detrimental • but if the 
hark is so old that it has commenced to crack, and form 
flakes or scales, it is then dead, and of no further use to 
the true. All the advantages proposed to be gained by 
whitewashing can be attained by the use of potash, or 
soda lye, or by strong soft-soap. After these have accom- 
plished their work, they are washed off by the rains, and 
the old scales of the hark fall away, and leave a clean, 
smooth trunk. It is better to use whitewash on old trees 
rather than to neglect them altogether, but it is much 
inferior to the other applications, which, in order to ob- 
tain the best effect, should be applied in a damp time. 
IvSelon Culture. — The amateur cares more 
for excellence in a melon than he docs for quantity, while 
a melon for market must yield well, bear transportation 
well, and he of good quality besides. The Green Citron 
aud Nutmeg are the varieties grown for the New York 
market, and those who give especial attention to melon 
culture obtain, by a careful selection of seed, a "strain" 
best suited to their purposes. A new variety, origina- 
ting at Alton, 111., the Alton Large Nutmeg, has received 
the commendations of both growers and dealers. Mr. 
O. L. Barler, by whom it was introduced, informs us that 
this variety is likely to he thoroughly tested, as sis 
bushels of the seed have been distributed. The follow- 
ing is Mr. B's method of growing melons : " Select 
light, dry, and moderately rich soil, containing a consid- 
erable amount of sand. We prefer a hill-side, slanting 
to the south or east. The melon will endure heat, and 
drouth even, but will not hear ' wet feet.' The soil must 
be worked deep, and be finely pulverized. Plant in May, 
in rows eight feet apart, and five feet in the row. Put in 
the hill not less than twelve or fifteen seeds, to provide 
for the bugs, and finally thin to two or three plants. The 
cultivation must of course be clean and complete. It 
will probably he of service to pinch the runners when 
they are just beginning to show themselves— when they 
are no longer than the finger; to wait until they are two 
or three feet long is to waste labor. To produce the best 
results, thin out the number of fruits on the vine." 
Pnmplcin Spoasaen. — Shirley Hibbard, in 
his (English) Gardener's Magazine, suggests a use for the 
pumpkin vine, which will be new to most of our readers. 
It is to use the tender shoots as spinach, or greens. 
He recommends that the growth of the plants he well 
established before the cutting is commenced, and to re- 
move all the young fruit that sets. He says: "Cook 
them in the same manner as turnip greens, and serve 
chopped up with butter, pepper and salt. The brilliant 
green color, delicate aroma, and grateful flavor of the 
pumpkin-tops, when properly cooked, will commend 
them to the nicest epicure." 
*Watermeloiis. — "J.N.G.," Burlington Co., 
N. J., writes: "It takes no small amount of work to raise 
good watermelons, and to have a crop, at the same time, 
that will pay. First, the ground should be well plowed, 
and hills made about eight feet apart each way, one foot 
square, and about ten inches deep. Each hill should be 
filled with well-composted manure, and trodden solid be- 
fore finishing. Plant from eight to ten seeds to each 
hill, and cover lightly with a hoc. When the fourth leaf 
has farmed, thin out to one or two to each hill; one is 
better than half a dozen, hut it is best to leave more, 
until they get well started, as one may get destroyed. 
When the vines commence to run, the hills should be 
well trodden down again around the vine. The plants 
will require frequent " farming " or cultivating until the 
fruit commences to set, when they should not be moved. 
With plenty of manure, and some guano or hone-dust, a 
light, sandy soil, (which is the best)and good cultivation, 
there will be a large crop. I have seen the ground near- 
ly covered with melons, some weighing from 30 to 40 lbs. * ' 
The Wax 15e<an. — "Where did it origin- 
ate?" asks " J. B. II.," Petersham, Mass. This variety 
is known as Indian Chief Wax, German Wax, and has 
been for a long time in cultivation in France, under the 
name of Beau of Algiers, a name which would indicate 
its origin, but we cannot just now put our hand on any 
authority to show that it did originally come from 
Algiers. Geographical names are not always correctly 
applied to plants, as witness the "English Walnut." 
Wild Parsnip.— 1 G. S.," Iona, Ontario. 
The wild and cultivated parsnip arc one and the same 
species. The cultivated will become a weed, and the 
wild, by a treatment similar to that described for the 
wild radish on p. 139, last mouth, may, in a few 
years, be brought back to the cultivated form. 
YcoinauN Grape Trellis. — T. G. Tco- 
iniui, a well-known fruit grower of Walworth, N. Y., has 
invented a very simple contrivance for slackening and 
tightening the wires of a trellis. By the movement of a 
lever the wires of a vineyard can be made slack on the 
approach of winter, in a very short time, and in spring, 
when it is necessary to stretch the wires, it can be done 
with equal rapidity. 
Ijoaruing; Farming from JSoolcs. — 
"J. J.," Baltimore, says : "I am a city tradesman and 
know nothing of the farming business. I want a book 
that will teach me to farm profitably." — The art of agri- 
culture is not learned from books alone. Perhaps the 
best thing you can do is to hire out to a good farmer for a 
year, aud learn the handling of farm tools and crops. Iu 
that way you will acquire something of the art, and, what 
is more important, learn whether yon like it or not. No 
one book contains what you wish to know upon the sub- 
ject. A reprint of Allen's American Farm Book, greatly 
enlarged by Lewis F. Allen, now ready, is more nearly 
what you want than anything else we know of. Price $2.50. 
Garlic. — " Greenhorn," Hon coy e Falls, N. 
Y. Garlic will grow with you. Get the bulbs, and break 
them np, so as to separate the small bulbs or " cloves," 
which are to be set in rows, six inches apart. They are 
sold by the New York seedsmen. 
White niacichcrrfes.— " J. M. McA," 
Summerville, Mich. There is no good white variety iu 
general cultivation, and it* yours is as described, it is in- 
teresting. In going South, some of your stock should 
be left North; it may not be suited to a warm climate. 
Apricots* — " Greenhorn." The plum makes 
the best stock for the apricot, but it is of no use to try 
apricots without first determining to fight the curculio. 
Mixing: Potatoes. — " Several inquirers." 
It does no good to argue the case. It is claimed that 
the mixing of the pollen of two varieties will affect the 
character of the tubers. We shall be glad to receive any 
evidence upon this point. 
HBerrts-g-rass, I'imotliy, Re«l»top. — 
" T. L. S.," Lewisburgh, W. Va. These common names 
are transposed in some localities. Herds-grass of Penn- 
sylvania is Red-top. Herds-grass of New England and 
New York, etc., is Timothy. In view of this the name 
Herds-grass might as well be dropped. 
Compost Heaps. — It is often recommend- 
ed that when manure is thrown into heaps in the field, it 
should be covered with a layer of earth to prevent the 
escape of the ammonia. The experiments of Br. 
Voelcker, at the Royal Agricultural College at Cirences- 
ter, in England, have established the fact that the evapora- 
tion of ammonia from large heaps of manure goes on 
but slightly: for the reason that, daring the decomposi- 
tion of the manure, certain organic acids are formed at 
the same time the ammonia is evolved, and then imme- 
diately unite with the ammonia, forming non-volatile 
compounds. There is au active escape of ammonia 
from the interior of large heaps, where the heat is too 
great for the chemical changes above referred to ; but, as 
it approaches the exterior parts of the heap, where the 
heat is very much less, the ammonia is completely taken 
up by the organic acids and retained. There will be 
but a trilling escape of ammonia while there is sufficient 
moisture to retain it, for water absorbs aud retains many 
hundred times its bulk of ammonia gag at ordinary tem- 
peratures. These non-volatile compounds, from being 
highly soluble in water, are liable to be washed away by 
every rain storm, giving the well-known brown color to 
the diuiuings of manure heaps. 
Fish Gnano. — We advise all farmers, dur- 
ing the coming season, to purchase fish guano with ex- 
treme caution. The Menhaden or Moss-bvnker seems to 
have deserted our shores during the past autumn, and 
most of the fish-oil works have remained idle. If the 
market is this year as largely supplied as it has formerly 
been with fish guano, the assumption will be natural that 
there is a good deal besides fish refuse in it. 
Garget, or Calcetl Bag;.— In very many 
cases, if this troublesome disease is taken in hand at its 
very outset, it may be entirely reduced by thorough and 
frequent sponging with cold water, and a subsequent 
gentle friction with the hand, previously dipped in cold 
water. This is much more simple, and less likely to 
produce injurious results, than the use of the various 
ointments recommended for the purpose. 
Farm fioacls. — There arc two conditions 
which arc essential to all good roads. Oue is a dry 
foundation, and the other a hard surface. A well-drained 
road-bed aud a covering of stone and gravel make a 
perfect passage-way for the heaviest of vehicles. Such 
roads, however, arc too expensive to be universally 
adopted by the farmer; and he generally contents him- 
self with laying stone or gravel, or both, over the wetter 
portions of his roads. It would be far better, if only one: 
of the two conditions above named can be attained, to> 
secure the dry foundation rather than the hard surface r 
and half the cost of stoning or graveling expended im 
the construction of a good underdrain, four feet below 
the surface of the road, either under the middle or at onc- 
or both sides, would accomplish better results: and 
during all but a small portion of the year, the road would 
be very satisfactory, and its condition yearly improve 
Manure tor Cora and Potatoes. — 
'■"J. L. C." asks, lL Is guano for corn and potatoes prefera- 
ble to a mixture of lime, ashes, and plaster ?"— For pota- 
toes, yes; for corn, no. It is probable that the ashes and 
plaster would be a valuable addition to the guano for po- 
tatoes. But the ashes should not be mixed with the 
guano, as they set free more or less of the ready formed 
ammonia, especially if the ashes are moist. 
Deep Sowing.— " II. S.," Waverly, Pa., 
writes: " One of my neighbors says that peas aud rad- 
ishes do best planted S or 10 inches deep. "—Some grow- 
ers think that peas do better if planted 4 or 5 inches 
deep. If radishsccd were buried Sor 10 inches, we doubt 
if it would ever see daylight, but we never tried it. 
Sowing Half tlae Farm to BarJey. 
— lt E. S. B.,' 1 of Pittsburgh, Pa., writes : " In the Janu- 
ary number of the American Agriculturist, you hinted* 
that barley would be a profitable crop if well cultivated. 
I have a farm of twenty acres. Bo you think it would 
pay me to put in a crop of barley, say ten acres? My 
land is in splendid condition, as I plowed iu a crop of 
clover last season.''' — If we are to understand that a crop, 
of clover was plowed in last summer, and the land has 
had no crop on it since, hut has been fallowed, there can 
be little doubt that, if the other conditions are favorable, 
a very heavy crop of barley will be obtained. But if the 
land was planted to corn last season, and well cultivated, 
it would also be in good condition to sow barley, though 
of course the growth will not be so large. As a rule, 
however, it is a mistake to sow half a farm to any one 
crop— especially of a crop of which, ns we judge, you 
have had little experience. If the land has been thor- 
oughly fallowed since the clover was plowed in, it will be 
in splendid condition for almost any crop. Potatoes, 
carrots, parsnips, onions, beets, mangel wurzel, and crops 
of this kind, would do well. If you arc conveniently situ- 
ated for marketing, and can command the necessary la- 
bor, they would pay better than barley. For root crops, 
on such a soil, two or three hundred pounds of a good 
superphosphate per acre would prove valuable. 
Kest Machine tor Sowing: 4* c:;*ii<>. 
etc.— "J. L. C," We cannot answer this question. 
There arc several machines used for the purpose. But 
the one we happen to have, although it sows plaster very- 
well, is apt to clog with superphosphate and other arti- 
ficial manures. And as even distribution is desirable, 
we still continue to sow by hand. The cost of sowing is 
so small compared with the cost of the guano, that we 
do not feel it so much as in the case of plaster. 
SEBirising' ILisac on tJae Farm. — " D. 
B.," German Settlement, West Virginia, asks for a plan of 
burning limestone, for manure on the farm, with wood. 
Some years ago he made the attempt, but failed. When 
wood or coal is abundant and cheap, lime may be burned 
without a kiln ; but when wood is worth two, three, or 
four dollars a cord, it is cheaper to build a kiln and burn 
in the ordinary way. When a farmer has limestone on 
the farm, and he intends using a considerable quantity 
of lime for manure, it will pay him to erect a kiln for his 
own use, rather than draw the lime from a distance. But 
as a general rule, it is better to leave such work to those 
who make a business of it. 
Selling Straw to the Paper Mills. 
— " S. D. S.," Hagerstown, Md. The policy or impolicy of 
doing this depends on circumstances. Straw is worth about 
$3.00 a ton for manure. If you cau get from $5.00 to 
$10.00 per ton, on the farm, as we can in the neighbor- 
hood of the writer, it will of course pay much better to 
sell it than to rot it down fin- manure. Instead of selling 
all the straw, the better plan would be to sell half of it, 
and buy oil-cake with the money, and feed it out to stock 
with the remaining half, on the farm. And if you make 
anything oa the stock, buy guano with the money ! In 
this way, you can sell straw with great advantage to the 
farm, and ultimately to yourself. 
Poisoned Rats ivill poison hogs eating- them. 
