Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1893 — HOME AND THE FARM. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME AND THE FARM.

A DEPARTMENT MADE UP FOR OUR RURAL FRIENDS. —? Destructive Caterpillars and Their Remedy -Home-Mixed Fertilizers Are the Best —A Handy Push Cart—General Farm and Garden Notes. The Fall Web Worm. There are two kinds of insects that commonly make conspicuous webs upon fruit and shade trees. The one so abundant throughout New England during recent years in spring is the old and too well-known tent caterpillar. The other is found in autumn, and is commonly called the fall web worm. The adult insect is a pretty white moth (Fig. 1, c), which deposits its eggs during the summer months on tho leuves of various trees. A short time afteryard small caterpillars hatch from the eggs and begin to spin a protective web. These little caterpillars are of a pale yellow color, sparsely covered with hairs, and have a black head and two rows of black marks upon the body. The

Fig. 1. Fall web worm; a, larva; b, pupa; c, moth. worms within the web feed upon tho green portions of the foliage, but leave the network of veins to toll the story of their presence. They gradually enlarge their web as tho foliago within is eaten, so that by tho time a colony of them has finished operations a good-sized branch may bo covered with the webs, looking conspicuous enough against the green background of the rest of tho tree. The full-grown caternillats are about an inch long (Fig. 1, as, and have their bodies densely clothed with yellowish hairs, their usually being a longitudinal black stripe on the back. At this time they leave the nests, and descend to the ground, where they go into the third stage of their existence, changing to pupa or chrysalids. The change takes place sometimes beneath the soil surface, and sometimes under shelter above it. For their protection the caterpillars spin slight silken cocoons within which the change to the pupa state takes place. Later they again change to adult moths. The simplest remedy for this insect is that of cutting and burning, or crushing the webs when they are small. The caterpillars at this time are all together, and are easily destroyed. Spraying with Paris green or London purple will also destroy ther\j.— Cultivator. A Handy Push-Cart. The accompanying engraving shows a push-cart that will be found of service in a score of ways about a place It is a common hand-cart, with sides and ends of slate so arranged that all may be used, forming an inclosed rack, or the two sides only, when it will be found especially convenient for drawing in green cornstalks from the field, or garden, where one keeps but a cow or two. It is a handy cart for the village resident who has to depend on a wheelbarrow, or some

such arrangement as this to move his small crops and other stores. The sides and ends flt tightly into iron sockets, and, for stability, lock together at the corners when in place, as shown’in the engraving. Any one handy with tools can construct a very serviceable rig of this sort, the only necessary adjuncts being a pair of wheels, which are often at hand, from some broken or worn-out wagon, sulky, or other light vehicle.—American Agriculturist Home-Mixed Fertilizer*.

Home-mixed fertilizers are preferable to those bought in the markets because the profits on the purchased ones can be saved to the farmer. -The New Jersey experiment station (in Bulletin 88) gives the results of analyses of 212 brands of commercial fertilizers as well as a number of home mixtures. The average composition of eight home mixtures ana of eight brands of special high-grade complete fertilizers selected as the most highly concentrated of the 212 brands analyzed at the station, and representing the best manufactures, are here given: Nitrogen Total av'blo Potash, per cent. pbo«. acid. Av.eight home mix’s, i.l &l in.l Av.eight special brands, 4.2 7.4 8 3 The average cost per ton of the home mixtures was $31.36, freight included, while the average cost per ton of the eight selected special brands was $43.50, a difference of $12.14 per ton in favor of the home mixture. When it is considered that the home mixture contained at least $2 worth of plant food in excess of the manufactured brands, it will be seen that the difference in value is still greater in favor of the home mixture. The actual labor in mixing these fertilizers does not exceed $1 per ton, hence the importance of using them is plainly manifest to every farmer. A good home mixture for general crops is as follows: 200 lbs each nitrate of seda, sulphate of ammonia and muriate of potash, 400 lbs each of Peter Cooper’s bone and bone black superphosphate, and 600 lbs of South Carolina rock superphosphate. For potatoes this formula is recommended: 250 lbs nitrate of 6oda, 200 lbs sulphate of ammonia, 400 lbs ot tankage, 700 lbs of bone black superphosphate and 450 lbs of muriate of potash or of bigbgrade sulphate of potash. Another formula tor potatoes is 100 lbs of nitrate of soda, 400 lbs each of dissolved hone. Peter Cooper’s bone and muriate of

potash, and 700 lbs of bone black superphosphate. Winter Manure Compost. On most farms the great bulk of manure is made from animals stabled during the winter. If not drawn out a§ fast as made it is commonly exposed to snow, rain, and other weather that prevents the decomposition that is needed to make it quickly effective. Hence the plan of drawing manure from the stables as made Is coming into general practice, ,But it can he drawn and spread in winter with better effect if piled in heaps two, three, or four weeks under coyer, and turned once or perhaps twice to prevent too violent heating. Manure thus made will tell at once, and is thus worth much more per load than its decreaso iu bulk would show. It will be for most early crops as good or better than tho concentrated manures, as Its large proportion of nitrogen will cause tho manure to heat again and make rich the soil with which it comes in contact. This composting will destroy some kinds of weed seeds, hut it is not to he depended on, as there arc otners that are only made to germinate more freely by exposure to heat and moisture.

The Host Frul) the Cheapest. One of tho most encouraging facts alout fruit growing is that tho careless and s’oveuly growers are being surely weeded out of the business. There Is no money in trying to grow poor fruit cheaply,allowing nature to do all and man nothing. What nature does in such cases is to multiply insect enemies and fungus diseases. If nature is to do all, nature will take all and leavo the lazy member of the firm nothing. On tho contrary; If man will work with nature, combatting insects and diseases, the fruit will be so much finer, that it sells itself at good prices, while the poor fruit can hardly be given away. The liest fruit can now, under careful treatment, be produced cheaper than it was In astateof nature. Now it can be guarded so as to be a sure crop every year, 'in the olden tline, the good and poor crops rapidly alternated with many more poor than good. A seed Harrow. G F. Schlanderoff sends to the Farm, Stock and Home a sketch of his seed barrow. It runs lighter, ho says, than a hand-sled and is easier made. Take a ploce of oak board 3 feet long, 8 Inchos wide and J inch thick. Cut out as seen in cut, leav-

ing the runner 2 Inches wide on both ends, and 8 inches in tho middle. Take two pieces of oak, 2x4 and 8 lpchcs long, bevel one side, leaving them i inch thick at one end and 2 inches at the other. Nall them on the runner, 2 inches higher than the sole, as s6en In, cut, oiie on each side. Bore two i Inch hole? al B, put in bolts and pull the the nuts tight, to prevent tho runner from splitting. Bore a hole at A and put In a J inch rod for the axle. Shoo the runner with hoop or band iron.

Farm Note*. Give the fowls grit. For eggs alone Leghorns are best, with Hamburgs second. Mules will do more work for the money than horses. Corn feeds more of the human raco than any other crop except rice. Honey was once considered a luxury, but now It Is within the reach of the common people. Permitting suckers to grow around the trunks of apple-trees, and thus making a wasteful brush-heap, spoils the trees. Shelled corn, wheat bran and oatmeal makes one of the very bent rations that can be made for fattening sheep. One of the standard doctrines of modern daily practice is that disinfectants can never take the place of simple old-fashioned cleanliness. When chicks droop, and appear sick without cause, especially In summer, look for lice, not the little red mites, but the large gray body lice on the heads and necks. The first step toward good roads In any neighborhood can be taken by draining off standing water from the sides. Next drain the roadbed. Then pave or gravel as the circumstances will permit. It is poor economy to let the farm manure go to waste and buy highpriced commercial fertilizers. Use the barnyard manure nearest where made, and the commercial fertilizers on tbe parts of the farm farthest away No man who owns a vegetable garden should neglect to raise a good crop of onions. Physicians say there is no more useful and hoalthtul vegetable, to stimulate the appetite, promote digestion, keep the pores open and the skin soft and healthy.

Hints lor the Cook. Graham Cakes. —One egg, onehalf cup of butter and lard mixed, five tablespoonfuls sweet milk, one level teaspoonful of soda; make stiff, roll thin. Spice Cake.—One cup brown sugar, one-half cup butter, two eggs, one tablespoonful black svrup, one teaspbonlul of cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful of cloves, a little nutmeg, one-half cup sour milk, ope teaspoonful of soda, one ana one-ball cups Hour, one-half cup raisins, one teaspoonful of vanilla. White Mountain Cake.—Two cups sugar, one cup milk, one-half cup butter, three cups flour, whites of three eggs, two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, one of soda; beat the white of one egg and stir in seven teaspoonfuls pulverized sugar to use instead of jelly; or make a corn starch filling, which is better. Peach Jam.—Peel, stone, and weigh the fruit Allow half a pound of sugar to each pound of peaches. Heat the fruit slowly and let it boil for half an hour, then add the sugar and cook for half an hour longer. Stir often from the bottom to prevent burning. Kemove every particle of scum; pour tbe peach boiling hot into air-tight jars and fasten immediately

A HOMEMADE HAND-CART.