Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1893 — AGRICULTURAL TOPICS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL TOPICS.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR OUR RURAL READERS. Habits and Methods of Exterminating: the Woolly Aphis—An Improvement on Corn Ensilage—A Homemade Wheelbarrow— Household and Kitchen Notes. The Woolly Aphis. The woolly aphis affecting appletrees exists in two forms, one attacking the trunk, usually near the ground, and the other living on the roots. It is stated that they sometimes during autumn cover the under side of the branches, making them appear as if whitewashed. This I have never seen with this species, but an allied species (bchizoneura crataeyi ) occurring on thorn, has at times been extremely abundant in this form at Ames, lowa, some thorntrees appearing so white as to attract attention atadistance, Theclusters of aphides in autumn usually contain 6ome winged individuals, and it is probable that they distribute themselves over scattered trees then. In late autumn minute eggs are laid in crevices of the bark, mostly near the ground, and these remain over winter, and are the starting-point for the insects in spring. In summer broods reproduce viviparously (bringing forth the young alive as most mammals), as do other aphides, but just how many broods occur there

Is any general migration lam not prepared to say. The generally 'recommended plan of destroying the root form is to lay bare • the uppermost roots and pour boiling hot water upon them. Another plan is to use bisulphide of carbon, pouring two ounces into a hole made near the trunk of the tree. The hole can be made with a sharp stick to the depth of a foot or more, the fluid poured in and the hole packed with earth at the opening. The trunk or branches can be sprayed with kerosene emulsion, or the emulsion used by scrubbing the tree with a sponge, rags, or old broom, so as to thoroughly dislodge the lice and bring them in contact with the fluid, their woolly bodies tending to shed the first application. Subject trees that are being transplanted to a dip if suspected of harboring lice* to kill them or the eggs which may be deposited on the hark. In such case, immersing a few times in water at a temperature of about 150 degrees Fahr. will effectually destroy all lice and eggs. Immerse sufficiently to cover all rough places of the lower part of the trunk. —Prof. Herbert Osborn, in Orange Judd Farmer. A Cheap and Durable YVhcelbarrow. Last spring, the hardware stores were out of wheel barrows, when 1 went to purchase one, and each of my neighbors had his barrow in use. writes J. L. Townsend in the American Agriculturist. Rather than wait for the new stock expected at the stores, I spent about three hours in designing and making one that has proved to be so strong, .light, and-cheap, that it should be more widely known. An old barrow wheel fifteen inches in diameter, a dry-goods box of seveneights stuff 2:1x30 inches, cut down to depth of eight inches, furnished the beginning of the implement. Two pieces of red pine, ox spruce four and

Dne-half feet long of 2x2 stuff, made t'ne handles. The legs arc 43x2 inches, and about ten inches long. The braces are l£x2 inches, and twenty-live Inches long. Two cross pieces of one-inch stuff, one nineteen inches long the other a little shorter, and each about five inches w!de,comple the materia] used in construction. To the handles the legs are simply toe-nailed with wire nails and with the same size nails the braces are nailed securely , to legs and handles. The back cross pie e is then nailed to the legs, a place being beveled on the to receive it wheel is then inserted in holes, lured slanting, through the handles. The box is then nailed fast to the frame,and the under croas pieces nailed to the braces and handlca No mortises and tenons are used, the whole being simply Dailed together. The braces, being extended beneath the legs, keep them from being knocked off. While the barrow is much lighter than those usually sold in the stores, it has been much used in wheeling rocks and gravel in grading my grounds and all general purposes in the garden. The wheel and all parts, as shown in the engraving, can be easily made by any farmer, who has a suitable tire and a square bolt, with round ends, for the axle of the wheel and some skill with tools.

An Improvement on Com Ensilage. Oats and peas sown together make a fodder rich in nitrogenous matter or protein that is just tne thing to supplement the deficiency of corn ensilage in this element. J. H. Dycr,a large milk producer in Middlesex County, Mas., had two acres of peas and oats last year that was put in the silo the day it was cut. Samples of this silage and of the corn silage were analyzed at the Massachusetts experiment station and showed that ]OO lbs of each contained the following number of pounds of the feeding elements: Lbs. of the different Cbm Oats ana peas feeding elements Silage Silage Water so.O S»U .Fat d 2.4 Fiber 5.1 20.0 Sugar, starch, ect 11.6 25.4 Protein L 6 8.5 Ash LI 5.7 Feeding value $ cwt.'... 21'£« S3Ue. The corn silage has twice as much

water as the pea-ar;d-oat silage. With only 20 \bs. of dry matter to the hundred weight, the amount of the different nutriments is of course much less In the corn than in the pea-and-oat silage, the latter being 62 percent dry matter. Thismatter contains nearly 14 per cent, of piotein against only 8 per cent in the dry matter of corn silage, so that with three times as much dry matter in the pea-and-oat silage, the table shows that 100 lbs. of it contaius nearly four times as much portein as does the corn silage. Hence the former makes up what the corn lacks, and the two different kinds of silage together make a pretty complete feed. Mr. Dyer still further balanced up or enriched the pasture by feeding damaged wheat, which contained a still larger proportion of protein. The milk part showed the benefit of this ration. Farmers should try peas and oats, either as dry fodder or as ensilage.—Farm and Home.

Kegraftmi Old Orchard*. The loss from keeping trees which are naturally poor bearers or whose fruit does not sell well is apparently less considered than it used to be. When trees were mainly “natural fruit,” to regraft them wa3 thought a matter of course and was seldom neglected. Now the unprofitable tree is of a kind that has been once grafted, and any mistake that has been made is toe- often deemed irreparable. Every fruit grower ought to know how to graft. The operation is simple, and changing trees of unprofitable orchards may often be done by a few davs work more than doubling their product and value. Meadow Foxtail. In seeding for permanent pasture, about one-eighth of the seed should be meadow foxtail (Alopecurus). This is not the troublesome weed (Setaria) called foxtail, but a most valuable grass relished by cattle, and very nutritious. It is three or four years in reaching maturity, as the more permanent a grass is, the longer time it takes to attain its full growth and sod.

Farm Notes. It is of no advantage to have feed before animals all the time. Whether it be grain or roughness, the better and more economical plan is to give them what they will eat up clean. A half acre devoted to a garden will convince the farmer that he can make at least a good living on a small farm. The value of a garden crop should not be estimated by the prices which the articles will bring if sold, but by what they would oost the farmer if he did not have them and had to buy them. A ooitKESPONDENT of the Country Gentleman, with forty-two years’ experience. says: “Do your pruning a lyttle every year about one week before the trees blossom. This gives them a surplus of sap just as the fruit is setting. Your fruit is sure to set and stick to the tree, and Will stand more cold and blasting winds.” It is claimed that the short horns have improved the cattle of America more than all other improved cattle that were ever brought here. Thev have raised the average weight of thousands of our beef cattle from 20 ) to 500 pounds a head and redu ed the selling age a whole year, besides greatly increasing the selling price. Scientific authority now acknowledges what practical farmers said long ago, that corn-robs have a feeding value when ground with the corn. At first they denied this, because analysis did not show it; then they thought it might be of benefit by mixing with the meal and preventing it from packing so closely. Now, Sir Lyon Playfair of England, says that when ground along with the grain the cobs “are of great value'on ac- . count of their percentage of potash, find the potash is neces-ary as a chemical agent to change the blood miik, and the albumen to caseine in cheese. ”

Kitchen Recipe#, WniTE Indian Cake.—Two cups of white Indian meal, one cup of flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, one egg, one cup of sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda, one-half teaspoonful of salt. Celery Catsuf. —Grind one ounce of celery seed very fine and mix it with one teaspoonful of salt; strain through a sieve and pour over the mixture one quart of the best vinegar; bottle and cork for use. Coffee.—Mix one cup of ooffee with one egg and one-half cup cold -•water. Put it into the coffee pot, add six cups of boiling water and boil for three minutes. Stir down and set it back on the range for ten minutes.

Wheat Johnny Cake.—Two cups of fine Graham flour, one cup of Indian meal, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one-hair teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one tablespoonful of cream or butter, two eggs. Mix with sweet milk a little thicker than sponge cake. Bake in a cake tin about half an hour. Celery Sour.—ln three pints of milk boil a‘cup of rioe until it will pass through a sieve Grate the tender part of two or three heads of celery on a course grater: add this to the rice and milk, put with it a quart of white stock and let boil until the celery is thoroughly tender; season with salt and a very little cayenne, and serve. Oysters on Toast.—Cook two dozen oysters in their own liquor until they just begin to curl; season to taste with salt, fepper. butter, and a little nutmeg if likecL Beat the yolks of two eggs well with a teacupful of. milk or cream and stir this ipto: the oysters. Have ready half a dozen slices of buttered toast* pour the oysters over them, and serve while very hot. This method -of serving oysters make them delicious. Crea3i of Celery.—Wash and scrape two heads of celery and cut into two-inch pieces, and cook in boiling water five minutes, then drain. Melt one tablespoonfui of butter, add half a tablespoonfui of flour and the celery; then "pour on slowly half a cupful of white stock or hot water and cook twenty minutes. Add half a cupful of cream and the beaten yolk of one egg, half a teaspoonful of salt and a saltspoonfulof pepper, and cook lor.? enough for the egg to thicken.

"WOOLLY APHIS.

A HOMEMADE WHEELBARROW.