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Single Copy, Six Cents, 
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FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 188B 
gets so rank a growth as to injure the wheat crop. 
For this reason it is best to defer the grass-seeding 
until October, or next spring on rich land. 
Tools that have done duty through the summer 
should be housed from the rains and heavy dews of 
autumn. 
Stock .— Push along the fattening hogs. Stable 
work horses, cool nights at least, if not all the time 
when out of the harness. Renovate the poultry 
house. Feed milch cows liberally, even meal or oil 
cake, and they will pay liberally. 
MOOEE’S EUBAL NEW YOEKEE, 
AH OBIS IN Ai WEEKLY 
Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper. 
The potato being almost, like wheat, an absolute 
necessity in every family, I have for many years 
given it considerable thought, and have personally 
grown and compared many varieties — from the 
Rohan in 1836 to the Early Rose of 1868 —and each 
succeeding year tind something new and of promise 
sufficient to induce my testing it. 
Deep plowing is always to be recommended for 
wheat, and next in importance in mere cultiva 
lion, are the operations of harrowing aud rolling to 
thoroughly pulverize the top soil in which the seed 
is to be deposited. In dry seasons on clay land, the 
wheat field is often left in a iumpy condition at 
sowing, and if dry weather continues long afterwards 
a great deal of the 6eed will not sprout, or if it 
does start, will make but a feeble growth, and 
. finally die out or winter-kill. Many farmers 
m who complain of bad 6eed or the effect of win- 
te ter od their wheat fields, would Le surprised to 
find a preventive in a well pulverized seed-bed. 
The grain sprouts quicker and surer when the 
Ss earth is so fine that, like sand, it will retain 
some moisture under the most burning sun. 
i| A Another reason for making the top layer of soil 
H due is, that the first feeble roots of the wheat 
iMm Plant can then readiy find nutriment, and it will 
'Iffij push forward rapidly and become strong before 
BJjf winter. Some soils require the use of the roller 
W r- well as the harrow, to finely pulverize them, 
but the best effects usually follow early plow¬ 
ing and the subsequent action of air and moist¬ 
ure on the clods. It may be laid down as a 
rule that manure brings more money pro¬ 
perly applied to the wheat crop, than to 
any other ordinary farm product. The best time 
is just previous to sowing, and the best method 
is the mixing of fine manure with the two or three 
inches of 'surface soil. Aa it is pretty laborious 
to haul and spread manure on plowed ground, 
many farmers haul first and plow afterwards, turn¬ 
ing the fertilizer under quite deep. We have seen 
this tried many times, and no accurate observer 
could detect in the crop at any subsequent, stage 
of its growth the action of the manure; and we 
further believe that in nine cases ont of ten when 
manure of any sort is plowed under deep the fanner 
receives but a very small ratio of its actual value. 
But few farmers make barnyard manure enough to 
top dress the whole of their wheat fields; so the 
poorer portions get what there is, and the others 
must take their chances. It would probably pay 
well to use on the latter some more concentrated 
fertilizers as ashes, plaster, lime, salt, bone dust, 
guano, <Gc. Such substances tend to develop the 
first growth vigorously, stiffen the straw and in¬ 
crease the weight and yield of berry in proportion 
to the straw. As a general thing our 
manures contain more straw elements 
t than grain, because more straw than 
grain goes Into the barnyard, and our 
special fertilizers should be chosen with 
the view of aiding the development of 
the berry rather than the straw. Guano, 
bone dust, ashes and lime will do this. 
An old maxim says “ manure the up¬ 
land for corn and the lowland for wheat.” 
Thus, if there are low places in the field 
and rather wet, where the grain stands 
the winter badly, manure will give the 
plants such vigorous growth and health 
as to almost ensure a good crop. Such 
spots are generally made of rich soil, 
and underdrainiag would take the place of manure. 
Next to the low land the summits of knolls need 
fertilizers most. 
M ith the introduction of the reaper comes a ten¬ 
dency towards leaving the surface of the wheat field 
as smooth as possible after sowing. But rolling in 
the autumn is a questionable operation, and the 
omission of surface water farrows is ruinous to 
acres of winter wheat. Gut the furrows where they 
will be needed, if, at next harvest you are compelled 
to cradle a swath along them and fill with the plow 
before reaping; but defer rolling until spring, when, 
if the ground gets In a suitable condition before the 
wheat grows too much, use both harrow and roller. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
(PUBLISHES AND PHOPEIETOB,) 
With a Corps of Able Associates and Contributors, 
e. F. WILCOX and A. A. HOPKINS. Associate Editors, 
HOH. HENRY B. RANDALL, LL. D,, 
Editor of the Department of Sheep Husbandry. 
Db. DANIEL LEE, Southern Corresponding Editor. 
HIP.AM BUMPHREY asp REUBEN D. JONES, 
Assistant, and Commercial Editors. 
GRASS LANDS IN AUTUMN 
Manx farmers are remiss sometimes in the man¬ 
agement of their meadow lands. They often feed 
down these late in the spring, mow them when the 
grass is quite ripe, and, when it starts again, cut a 
second crop, or feed down to the roots or till the 
snow prevents a further skinning. This is asking 
too much, even of the best soils, while it is ruinous 
to those comparatively lean or deficient in the 
means of fertility. .Meadows stripped of their cov¬ 
ering during the scorching days of August re-eiothe 
themselves but slowly at the best, and it ia mani¬ 
festly nnwi66 to strip them bare of the protection 
which the aftermath is intended to give them during 
the severity of winter and the equally trying period 
of early spring. The after-growth of meadows 
should be fed off in autumn but sparingly, and, in¬ 
deed, not at all if other means have been supplied 
for furnishing stock with fodder during the fall 
months. Meadows, like cultivated fields, require 
in some form a return of that which they supply, 
ana it is the opinion of many practical men that to 
leave a fair share of the after-growth of grass upon 
them in the fall is an easy and effective way of re¬ 
paying what has been borrowed, while protecting 
the meadows from the rigors of the season, If, in 
addition to this, when the fail rains are about to 
set in, meadows were mulched with refuse straw, 
muck or scrapings of the door and barn yards, the 
effect would be conspicuous the succeeding season. 
In some cases meadows have been so hardly 
worked and ill-treated that much of the grass has 
died ont, leaving the surface spotted, caked and un¬ 
productive. ^It may not be desirable or practicable 
to break up, cultivate and re-seed these at once, , 
nor is this absolutely essential to bring them back 
to a productive condition, 
Terms, In Advance— Tonsa Dollaeb a Year:— Five 
copies for |ti; Seven, and one free to Club Agent, for $19; 
Ten, and one free, for *35 — only $2.50 per copy. As we pre¬ 
pay American postage, $2.70 is the lowest Club rate to Canada 
and $3.50 to Europe. The best way to remit is by Draft or 
Post-Office Money Order,—and all Drafts and Orders made 
payable to the Publisher hat be mailed at ms bisk. 
HINTS FOR THE MONTH. 
LOTTKlDGE’s SEEDLING. 
This last spring, hearing, through the Ohio Farmer, 
of some choice potatoes grown by J. B. Lotthidde 
of Rockport, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, I procured and 
tried some of their : * '■ . reat satisfaction; so much 
so that I ha- u , .ring his products a care¬ 
ful examinatK L. >u . . ttrtdqb has a fancy for the 
potato, and 1 it - ait if good sandy loam, to 
which he give? got rt c in, he grows the tuber 
just about peri . (U >../ id a great many varie¬ 
ties w 1th a spe . n » u.e for early fiiarkeling, 
one that while n t w a id mat ired early would yet 
produce a crop m quantity to be profitable even at 
a low price, he., some y> * ,*? since, set about growing 
seedlings, from among Vi ' 1 « now, after three 
years’ trial, selects the me of filch I send a draw¬ 
ing and description. 
In productiveness it exceeds Goodrich — hills 
frequently yielding fo r more good, market¬ 
able, medium sized pot ; - ,t by two and a half 
inches, and from one of • i wing was made. 
The skin is smooth, co o the eyes quite 
deep, (its only fault,) and . ■ liesn is white and firm. 
Wheat sowing is the most important farm labor 
which the month of September brings, Profitable 
as good crops of wheat have been for some years 
past, and as in prospect they will so continue, it is 
not a work to be slighted. It is impiortant to select 
a good variety, one that is adapted to the soil aud 
climate, and has shown itself to be good by past 
performance. It is always well to try new varieties, 
but if they are very new it is best, usually, to ex¬ 
periment with them on a limited scale. . Farming is 
not a business in which great risks are to be taken. 
In localities wnere winter wheat succeeds we can 
recommend the Diehl aa a white, bald wheat, 
adapted to dry, rich, genuine wheat soils; the Tread¬ 
well (bearded) as somewhat hardies aod good for 
lower grounds, the Week's (bearded) for like situa¬ 
tions, and in places where care has been taken to 
cultivate well and improve the seed the Mediter¬ 
ranean gives good satisfaction. Nothing pays the 
wheat grower better than care and painstaking in 
the selection of varieties; it often makes a differ¬ 
ence of several bushels per acre in his yield and 
hundreds of dollars in his sales. There is a differ¬ 
ence of opinion among practical farmers with regard 
to the amount of seed, but the balance of fact 9 indi¬ 
cates that with pure, plump seed two bushels per 
acre is an ample quantity. If the drill, or any other 
sowing machine is used which ensures perfect cov¬ 
ering, we should advise a less rather than a greater 
quantity. It is large, well developed heads of grain 
which give the largest crops of the best quality. 
We suggest to wheat growers the trial of the 
plan of drilling the rows wide enough apart to 
admit of cultivation next spring. In the absence of 
a better implement, the drill itself may be used for 
this purpose by raising the tube which previously 
deposited the grain. Try it on a small scale, if you 
This end is often at¬ 
tained by a generous use of the harrow and the 
application of grass Beed in the deficient places, 
followed by a liberal application of fertilizing 
agents. It often happens that meadow grounds are 
so situated that irrigation is practicable from the 
roadwayB or'other sources by which much invigor¬ 
ating matter, which would be otherwise wasted, 
can be distributed over the surface, causing the 
ensuing season a vigorous growth of grass for hay, 
and an after crop scarcely less valuable. To secure 
these results in favorable locations requires but 
little labor, but this should oe seasonably done so 
as not to interfere with the cropping season. For¬ 
merly the) opinion prevailed very generally that 
grass seed should be sown early in the spring, and 
at no other time. Experiments made at various 
times by parties widely asunder exploded this 
theory and established its opposite that late sum¬ 
mer or early fail seeding was the best. It has an¬ 
other advantage in the fact that the farmer is 
usually less hurried with other work soon after the 
close of baying and harvesting than in the early 
spring season Therefore if any portions of the 
meadow or pasture require to be re seeded, now or 
during the month of September is the time to do 
it. Scarify ine surface well with the harrow, re¬ 
move obstructions to the free play of the scythe or 
mower, and re-seed and top dress liberally, and a 
great Improvement in production will be the con¬ 
sequence. 
There ia another point in managing meadows 
which is too frequently overlooked oy their owners. 
Many of these have a soft, yielding soil under the 
carpet of turf, which in autumn and spring, when 
the ground becomes saturated with water, gives 
way beneath the pressure of the hoofs of cattle and 
horses, leaving holes in the ground which it lacks 
the elasticity to replace with the covering essential 
to vegetation. Tee consequence is that the surface 
is left ia a rough state, and the power of production 
diminished by the amount or quantity of the per¬ 
forations thus rendered for the time being unpro¬ 
ductive. We have seen meadows sadly abused in 
this way, where numerous cattle and horses have 
been allowed to range over them at unseasonable 
portions of the year. 
Farming lands, and especially those devoted to 
grass, Lave found a strong competitor—may we not 
say an enemy .—in the numerous paper mills which 
dot the country. Before it was discovered that 
straw would make paper, the fanner used his straw 
as food for stock or as a mulch for his fields, thus 
returning to the soil a portion of what was taken 
from it; but now the paper mills compete for and 
get no inconsiderable portion of it. This diversion 
of a considerable fertilizing agent to a new purpose 
necessitates greater carefulness in the preservation 
and application of those which formerly were suf¬ 
fered to run to waeie because deemed unnecessary. 
But a small portion of the farming land of the 
country win bear cropping several successive years 
without losing much of its productive power, un¬ 
less invigorated by raanuri.il agencies; and especially 
is this true of meadow land. Autumn is regarded 
as me most fitting season to make these applica¬ 
tions, which are too often deferred to another time, 
or not mi d ■ at all. 
'•■lie ucju manured wrin, ten laroe 
loads of bam - yard manure made from fattening 
cattle. The yield was 30 bushels without manure, 
35 with barn-yard and 80 with this Bpeeial manure! 
We tried it upon grass alongside a strip with the 
above amount of yard manure, and found the grass 
better the first, second and third years, showing it 
to be lasting in its effects. The barn-yard manure 
was put on in March, while a light snow was on the 
ground, and the special manure, sifted on with a 
machine, a month later. My land is a stiff clay, but 
it operates equally well on a light soil,—for the sul¬ 
phuric acid fixes the ammonia, so that none is lost 
by evaporation. We were inclined, at first, to place 
too great reliance upon the hen manure; but, on 
many trials, we found that it depended greatly upon 
the season, whether the crop was increased much by 
it. In a wet season it made a much greater compara¬ 
tive show, or when applied to grass early in the 
spring so as to be carried to the roots by the early 
rains. When applied later in the season, with little 
rain after application, scarcely a difference could be 
discovered between the portion with hen manure 
and that with only dissolved bones and ashes. 
The principal effect of the hen manure over the 
bones and ashes is eausea oy the ammonia which it 
contains, and probably mis does not exceed the 
amount contained in fresh bones. Hen manure 
should be used, when readily obtained, but the dis¬ 
solved bones and ashes make a manure of great 
value. The amount which we applied to an acre by 
the side of ten loads of the best yard manure, did 
not cost more than 85. 
We have found the raw bone reduced with acid 
and afterwards diluted with more water, applied in 
a liquid state, the best fertilizer for cabbage, tur¬ 
nips, beets and carrots. Its dilate acid effectually 
destroys the 3y, which is so great an obstacle to 
raising turnip-s, and operates as a powerful stimu¬ 
lant to the young plants, without injuring them. 
Its effect upon cabbage is greater than the most 
liberal application of barn-yard manure. It is best 
applied with a watering pot, running * small stream 
directly on the young plants in the drill. This is 
done quite rapidly by walking along each row. Raw 
bone thus prepared is better than animal charcoal, 
because it contains about thirty per cent, of cartil¬ 
age aud gelatine. 
All our cultivated plants contain phosphate of 
lime. Bones are a most efficient manure for any 
soil, as all their component parts arc food for plants. 
The bones of our animals aft grown from the 
vegetables upon which they feed, and these bones 
returned to the soil, will produce again the same 
amount of vegetable food which was consumed in 
their growth. Vegetable produces animal, decay¬ 
ing animal reproduces vegetable. 
Our next will be devoted to ashes, lime, «&e.— 
e. w. s. 
THE SHAW. 
like the Mexican or Shaw; of which latter I also send 
you a drawing. Mr. Lottbidge considers it the best 
of all the old named sorts, he having, like myself, 
tried the whole bill. For a family piotato, the Shaw 
iB a moderately productive sort, of good fair size, 
maturing early, clear, smooth, white outside aud in, 
and has the eyes almost upon the surface. This Mr. 
L. counts best as a family sort, but for profitable 
marketing not equal to his seedling, or even to one 
he has under name of Massachusetts White, a draw¬ 
ing of the product of one hill of which I Bend you, 
as dug this 15th August. 
DISSOLVING BONES. 
When the farmer wishes to prepare bones with 
acid for his own use, the only apparatus he needs is 
a large linseed oil cask, holding about 200 gallons, 
sawn into two parts at the bung. Place these two 
half casks under a shed, or in some convenientplace 
for working; put fifteen gallons of water into each, 
then it is ready for the acid. A carboy of sulphuric 
add holds about ten gallons and weighs from 140 to 
160 lbs. Pour one-half of a carboy of add into each 
tub and stir it with the water a few minutes, when 
it will produce much heat and effervescence; then 
stir into each tub, while the heat is up, double the 
weight of fine bone black that you have for add, 
say 140 to 150 lbs., or three bushels of bone. As the 
bone ia put in it must be well stirred, and when it 
becomes too stiff to work easily, more water may be 
added, gradually, till the bone is all in and all work¬ 
ed up; then cover the tubs and let them stand afew 
hours or over night, when it may be turned out 
upon the fioor and left te dry. But if it be neces¬ 
sary to use it before it has time to dry by the air, 
the drying may be accomplished very soon by mix¬ 
ing it with drv ashes, lime, plaster, charcoal dust, or 
dry, pulverized clay. It should be mixed evenly 
and well worked together, so that it may be sown 
from a drill with the seed grain. But it is better, 
where time will permit, to let the bone remain un¬ 
disturbed in a compact heap for a few days, before 
mixing with any drier, that it may get the full ben¬ 
efit of the acid. 
If the bones to be dissolved are raw and ground 
coarse, or only broken with a hammer, then put into 
the tnb five times as much water as acid, fill with 
MASSACHUSETTS WHITE. 
In form this potato is much like the seedling, but 
the skin is not clear or smooth, nor the flesh as 
white; but for productiveness, early market profit 
and eating qualities, it stands at the head, or only 
second to the seedling. From the seedling, planted 
first week in April, 1 this year had good sized tubers 
tit for the table June 10th, and Mr. L. gays that is 
the general character. I have cooked and eaten of 
the three at the same time, and the seedling is best 
of all in mealy richness. Addi. 
Treatment of Focndeb.—A remedy for founder 
in horses is communicated to the Iowa Homestead, 
There are two veins in the head of a horse, which 
run down on each side of tbe ere, comimr together 
an inch and a half or two inches below it — tome 
quite prominent and others less distinct. When 
founder takes place the main vein below the eye is 
to be punctured with the point of a sharp knife or 
other instrument — operating on the veins under 
both eyes alike. This treatment is said to affect a 
certain cure in the course of twenty-four hours 
Blood should be drawn quite freely. 
In Canada most of their pork is fatted on peas, 
six bnshels of which are equal to ten bushels of 
corn, and more can be grown from an acre. 
rnim 
IP ^3 
I 
