1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
351 
to that of the common goat. The hair is used in mak¬ 
ing fine dress goods, being usually mixed with fine 
sheep’s wool to give it luster, softness and durability. 
It is also used for making shawls, and for other pur¬ 
poses. It usually sells for a little more per pound 
than the price of wool. Mr. Fuchs says that it is a 
good flock that will average three to four pounds per 
head per year. 
A well-bred Angora goat is a beautiful sight, and as 
these are superior to the common goats in every way, 
it would seem that they might well be kept in place 
of the latter. They are sometimes crossed with the 
common goats. The hair of the purebred Angoras is 
fine and silky ; Mr. Fuchs says that a really fine An¬ 
gora should not have a coarse hair on him except his 
tail and beard, and the short, smooth hair on the 
lower part of his legs. He also says that the best 
ones have very large ears. The purebred ones are 
very graceful, and their beautifully-shaped bodies, 
and fine, silky hair, make them very attractive. The 
hair grows 12 to 14 inches long in 12 months, but they 
should be sheared twice a year. 
The habits of the Angoras are much like those of 
common goats, except that they do not breed so often. 
The females seldom bring twins, and they are much 
attached to their kids. The latter should be kept up 
until six or eight weeks old before being turned out 
with the flock. The Angoras are very useful in clear¬ 
ing out underbrush. Mr. Fuchs says that they want 
no better range than brush, can be kept cheaper than 
any other kind of stock of which he knows, and on 
cheaper land ; in fact, that on land on which nothing 
else would live, they will get fat. He recommends a 
10-barbed wire fence for them as it will, also, keep 
out dogs and wolves ; but the wires should be very 
tight, posts 20 feet apart, and three stays 
between the posts so that the wires are 
stapled every five feet. He says that 
Angoras need no shelter except in cold 
rains ; but he lives in Texas. They need 
shelter in the North, the same as sheep. 
EARLY vs. LATE SPRING PLOWING 
OF CORN GROUND. 
Soil water is the most important factor 
in growing a crop. Abundance of plant 
food is essential, but without water to 
dissolve it and carry it to the plant, and 
through the plant tissues, it is useless. 
According to experiments by King, 300 
pounds of water arc required to produce 
one pound of dry matter of dent corn, 
which means that there should be about 
20 inches of rainfall during the growing 
season. With this amount of water in 
the soil, and a season favorable in other 
respects, a maximum yield of corn may 
be expected. The average rainfall for 
the growing season at this place is about 
15 inches, or five inches below the amount 
required for large crops. It follows that, 
by whatever means we can prevent loss of soil 
moisture, crop production will be increased. 
Early Spring plowing saves moisture. On cultivated 
ground, the loose soil acts as a blanket or mulch, and 
keeps the deeper soil moist, just as a board, or a cover¬ 
ing of straw, makes the underlying soil damp. If 
corn fields are allowed to remain unplowed until late 
in the season, large amounts of water evaporate into 
the air and are lost. Such fields break up dry, hard, 
and cloddy, and require a great amount of working 
before they are in condition for receiving the seed. 
After the seed is planted, there is frequently not 
enough moisture in the soil to germinate the seed and 
give the plants a thrifty start. Ou the University 
Farm last season, plowed corn ground contained— 
from April 20, the date of plowing, to May 21—suf¬ 
ficient moisture in the surface two feet of soil, to form 
a layer eight inches deep, while adjoining un¬ 
plowed ground contained only seven inches, showing 
a clear loss to the soil of one inch of rainfall in 
30 days. 
The following experiment by the writer shows the 
effect of early and late Spring plowing on soil 
moisture on corn ground at the University Farm last 
season: Two plots, each 2.82 acres in area, of first 
bottom corn ground, were used in the experiment. 
One plot was plowed April 20, and the other May 21. 
Each plot was disked with a Cutaway harrow and 
rolled with a tubular roller immediately after plow¬ 
ing. Both plots were planted to corn May 27, and 
during the season, all received the same cultivation. 
In fact, the conditions of the test on both plots were 
made as nearly alike as possible, except the time of 
plowing. The amount of moisture to a depth of two 
feet on each plot, was determined April 20, the date 
of plowing the first plot, and weekly thereafter until 
September 11. The average moisture content of the 
soil for each month during the season was greater 
in the early plowed plot. The following table gives 
the results : 
Average amount of water in sur- 
1807. face two feet of soil expressed 
Average for month of ,-in inches of rainfall-. 
Plowed April 20. 
Plowed May 21. 
April (20 30). 
3.41 
May. 
.3.80 
3.50 
.Tune. 
3.36 
July. 
3.41 
August. 
2.98 
September (1-11). 
. 3.19 
2.89 
Average for season. 
. 3.50 
3.26 
Of course, one experiment is not conclusive, but 
it indicates that ground plowed early (April 20) 
will contain more moisture during the season 
than similar soil plowed late (May 21). All things 
considered, moderately early Spring plowing has sev¬ 
eral advantages over plowing later. The soil turns 
up mellow, requires less draught, retains moisture, 
and is easily worked down to a fine, deep and loose 
seed-bed such as corn requires. If the soil is packed 
by rains before planting time, or if weeds begin to 
grow, an additional harrowing will be necessary. 
.Some form of the disk harrow is the best implement 
for tbis work. w. n. gibbs. 
Ohio State University. 
A TOMATO GROWER TALKS. 
SETTING, FEEDING, TRIMMING THE VINK. 
Soil rich enough to grow a good crop of corn is rich 
enough for tomatoes. An excess of nitrogenous man¬ 
ures at planting time, especially fresh stable manure, 
is one of the principal causes of rot; others are close 
planting and improper preparation of the soil. Choose 
a piece of land that has been plowed deep the pre¬ 
vious year: don’t wait until planting to plow, or it 
will likely be hard and dry, and will break up in great 
BALANCED RATION FROM SUGAR CANE. Fig. 152. 
clods. It will be impossible to get such ground in 
condition to grow a good crop of any kind. After 
plowing, keep it harrowed down every few days, and 
sow broadcast 500 pounds per acre of a fertilizer con¬ 
taining 2 per cent of nitrogen, 8 per cent of phos¬ 
phoric acid, and 10 per cent of potash. Cross-plow 
deeply, harrow well, and again sow 500 pounds of the 
same fertilizer, and harrow in deep. Mark off no 
less than four feet each way (five feet would be bet¬ 
ter) ; at each cross, drop a very little fertilizer, and 
with a potato fork mix well. At the same time make 
a hole for the plant. Be sure to get the plants plenty 
deep, firm the soil, and water well. Level the ground, 
never heap it around the plant. Cultivate often, 
deep at first, more shallow as the plants grow. 
When the vines commence to lie down, go over the 
piece and see that the branches caused by nipping 
when small, are spread evenly around and not all on 
a heap at one side. When they can no more be culti¬ 
vated with a horse, it will pay to go over the ground, 
after each rain, with a steel rake and stir the crust. 
One can’t afford to lose the moisture where so much 
needed. Just before the first clusters commence to 
ripen, sow at the rate of 100 pounds nitrate of soda 
per acre, just before a rain, when the vines are dry, 
and then clip off all the ends of the vines, and keep 
them cut off. The first clipping of the main branches 
should be beyond the fourth cluster. To keep them 
off the ground, lay some small limbs (trimmings from 
the orchard are good) around each plant; this will 
keep them clean, and hasten ripening. 
One will now see the advantage of nipping out the 
top of the young plants when small; they will average 
four branches, each containing a cluster fully as large 
and as early as the one cluster on the plant not nipped, 
thus increasing the first pickings fourfold. At the 
first pickings, make a selection of seed. Look fer the 
plants containing the largest number of perfectly 
smooth, solid tomatoes, and the earliest to ripen. 
Save the seed from these, do this every year, and you 
will have little use for the average seed as sold. 
If shipping, pick before fully ripe ; for local market, 
let ripen before picking, which improves the quality. 
If picked ripe, handle with care, use small baskets, 
not over one-half bushel, and never throw from one 
basket to another. Wipe off with a dry cloth, and 
sort before crating, making two grades. Don’t top 
the crates, rather put the best in the bottom. Never 
pick when wet if it can possibly be avoided. Sell in 
uniform, full-sized crates, with the amount they con¬ 
tain, and your name, on each. 
For a late crop, sow some seed at the time the early 
ones are moved to the field. These will give a good 
crop when the first begin to fail, and are also useful 
for the green ones, as there is often quite a demand 
for these late in the Fall, and they sell at paying 
prices. I would recommend, for the late crop, or 
where green ones are grown for market, to plant the 
Improved Table Queen, a late variety. It will produce 
one-third more large solid tomatoes of fine table 
quality, than any other variety with which I am ac¬ 
quainted. The Stone is very good for late or green crop. 
Rockland County, N. Y. m. s. b. 
THE SUGAR CANE IN FLORIDA. 
NOTES ON DOMESTIC SUGAR MAKING. 
Louisiana is the recognized sugar-producing center 
of this country. It would seem, however, that Flor¬ 
ida is excellently adapted for the growth of this crop. 
Before the Civil War, there were numerous flourish¬ 
ing plantations in various parts of the State, but of 
recent years, the introduction of new industries, and 
the changes in business and social con¬ 
ditions, have rendered the industry almost 
extinct, except as a means of supplying 
home demand. 
The suitability of Florida as a cane¬ 
growing State is discussed by H. E. Stock- 
bridge, in Bulletin 44, of the Florida Ex¬ 
periment Station, from which we repro¬ 
duce Fig. 152. The small boy shown in the 
picture is not only enjoying an unadul¬ 
terated sweetness superior to any candy, 
but is, also, laying in a balanced ration 
of peculiar value. Raw cane possesses 
high nutritive value, and the little picka¬ 
ninny displays much scientific acumen 
in selecting it for a meal. 
The chief manurial requirement of the 
sugar cane is nitrogen, preferably in 
organic form. Velvet beans and cow peas, 
turned under, and cow-penning, provide 
this. Potash stands next to nitrogen as a 
food requirement. Acid phosphate, cotton¬ 
seed meal and muriate of potash are the 
most economical and effective forms of food 
supply for cane, and are best applied imme¬ 
diately before planting, being strewn in 
the furrow and mixed with the soil. 
In Louisiana, most of the cane is planted in the 
Fall, but in Florida, February and March are the best 
months. The seed cane is planted in rows five to six 
feet apart, preferably the former. The seed cane may 
be laid in one, two, or three parallel rows, without 
intervals between the ends. Two rows give best re¬ 
sults, upon moderately fertile soil. The upper third 
of the stalk, which is the least desirable for sugar, is 
best for seed. Stubble cane may be used for 
seed, but the result is very inferior. The crop 
receives surface cultivation until June or July. 
Harvesting is deferred until there is danger of frost ; 
the longer the canes are ripened, the higher the sugar 
content. In Florida, sugar growers can ripen their 
crop a month longer than may be done in Louisiana. 
The manufacture of cane syrup and sugar is a sim¬ 
pler process than beet-sugar making, and is quite 
possible as a domestic process. The juice is expressed 
from the cane by rollers, and then relieved of foreign 
substances by simple straining through a gunny-sack 
or similar material. This, however, merely removes 
physical impurities, and the resulting product is dis¬ 
colored by other foreign substances, chief among 
them being non-sugar carbohydrates and albuminoid 
compounds. These impurities are removed by sub¬ 
mitting the juice to sulphurous fumes, and then re¬ 
moving the sulphurous acid, by milk of lime. This 
method, however, seems too complicated for domes¬ 
tic use. After numerous experiments, Dr. Stockbridge 
found that Spanish moss, cleansed and picked over, 
made an excellent filtering material, the moss being 
tightly packed into a tub or half barrel. After passing 
through this, the raw syrup was clear and nearly 
colorless. The syrup was then evaporated and clarified 
in shallow pans. 
Passing beyond the syrup stage, sugar may readily 
be made in domestic manufacture, the result being 
the soft, yellowish sugar thrift}' housewives once 
