Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1880 — AGRICULTURAL. [ARTICLE]

AGRICULTURAL.

June Work on tiic Farm. [From the American AgrlculturiaLJ Poultry. —Mtway chickens arc carried off by hawks, rats, etc., unless safe coops are provided, which should lie cjosed at night and not opened until the dew is off’ the grass in the morning. Ticks. —lmmediately ■ after shearing, the ticks leave the sheep for the longer wool of the lambs. The lambs thus infested should be dipped in a decoction of tobacco stems, which will destroy the ticks.’ Several sjiecial dips are in the market. Cellars should bo ventilated at night and kept closely shut up and dark in the day time. The outer air, highly charged with moisture, if allowed to enter the cellar in the day time will de-; posit much of its moisture upon the! cold walls, and the cellar is made more damp instead of dryer by the day veii-j tilation. Buckwheat may be sown during tliis month, and may be made a profitable crop, especially upon newly-cleaned ground where the mellowing effects pi the crop are of importance. The silver- ’ hull buckwheat is better than *the common variety, the yield being, greater and the flour from it whitey and.of a finer quality than the ordinary sort. Hat-caps are excellent things to protect the hay from the damage that showers would otherwise do to the curing hay. They should be made of stout cotton a yard or a yard and a half square, provided with loops at the corners for fastening down with wooden pegs. If well cared for, a set of caps will last many years, and save several times their cost. Hay tedders are important implements in conjunction with the mower. Frequent stirring of the grass, to give the air access to all parts without burning the surface in the sun, is a great aid in making hay of the best quality. Grass cut in the forenoon, and well stirred with the tedder, may be, put into cocks in the afternoon, when it will cure better than if spread over the surface of the meadow. Potatoes.—The Colorado beetle must be kept in cheek by free and judicious use of Paris green, or the equally-effi-cient and cheaper London purple. The liquid method of application, using some sort of a sprinkler, is now most generally practiced. It must be remembered that these substances are deadly poisons, to be handled with caution and stored in a secure place, or serious results may follow.

Mowing machines have come to be an indispensable part of the machinery of the farm. It is a serious loss of time and money to get in any large crop of hay without using them. Scythes may be used around fence, corners, trees, etc., but in open fields they must give place to the horse mowers, many kinds of which are so near perfection that it is hard to go astray in selecting one. Haying.—Clover and timothy should be cut when in full blossom ; if allowed to get ripe, the quality of hay is not so good. By beginning early the work need not be hurried. Use the mower after the' dew is off in the forenoon. Cut only as much as can be well cared for. It is often remarked that the average quality of hay is not so good as be-i fore the introduction of the mowing machines, from the temptation' to cut the grass faster than it can be cured. Swedish Turnips may be sown this month in drills thirty inches apart. A plenty of seed should be sown, to insure an even stand of plants—two pounds per acre is not too much. The land should be well manured and thoroughly prepared—a fine tilth is especially essential to success on old ground. Thin the plants, when the second leaf appears, to at least twelve to fifteen inches apart. Partial or total failure is, in many cases, to be attributed to defective thinning. Sheep Shearing.—Washing sheep, under the present system of buyingwool, will, perhaps, be the prevailing practice. If care is taken to keep the sheep so that the wool will not be filled with dirt, it is better not to wash. Fleeces should be done up with care, nicely rolled aud securely tied with light twine. When it is known that a farmer puts up his wool in neat shape without any tags, etc., he will obtain the highest price. Everywhere, but especially here, “Honesty is the, best policy. ”

Summer-Fallows.—ln rare cases it may be well to summer-fallow. The object is mainly to kill off weeds that have become plentiful and sire otherwise difficult to destroy, especially on heavy clay soils. There are so many green crops that may be grown to advantage for cleaning the ground that it seldom pays to keep a field idle for a whole season merely to rid it of weeds. If it is decided to summer-fallow it should be done with thoroughness, that the greatest good may come from the expensive rest that it has given the fallowed land. Fodder Corn may be sown in drills, two and a half to three feet apart, and at intervals of ten days for several weeks to come. It is not well to sow the seed broadcast, as the plants, to do the best, need to be cultivated while young, and for this purpose drills are necessary. The smaller varieties are preferable on account of superior fineness of the fodder. The notion that sweet corn is better for corn fodder than the ordinary field sorts is without foundation. That the grain is sweeter in the former does not indicate that the stalks arc any better.

Corn.—Frequent cultivation is necessary to the destruction of the weeds while they are young. A smoothingharrow may be used while the corn is small, to be followed by the Cultivator and hoe, as the plants get larger. The double cultivator with a span of horses is more economical than the single cultivator and a single horse, as it saves the labor of one num. One great advantage of the corn crop is the opportunity furnished lor thorough tillage, the beneficial, influence of which will be felt throughout the whole rotation of crops. The labor expended upon the, growing corn should be charged in part against the crops that are to follow. Orchards.—With newly-plarited trees it will pav to give a little time in examining their condition. If they are loose or leaning to one side, a minute spent in pressing the soil about them with the foot will often save them. A mulching, if not already given to the young trees, should be provided before the long drought. Almost any substance that will cover the soil and protect it from the sun will do. Grafts set this spring should be looked to, and if the bud or buds grow too vigorously, pinch baak into shape; in fact, a graft should be treated as if it were.a young tree. Cut away all shoots that come upon the stock below the graft, that the nourishment may go to the graft. See that, the branches of the graft have plenty of room and the growth is not interfered withby surrounding branches.