Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1903 — GARDEN AND FARM [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GARDEN AND FARM

PLANTING THE CORN CROP. v It matters not how soon corn may he planted, or how late such work may be deferred; the most Important detail in the growing of corn is the plowing, as upon the preparation of the aoil will depend the ability of the crop to endure drought. It Is not unusual for a prolonged dry spell to Injure growing corn from May to August, and the difference In the amount of moisture in a badly prepared soil and one that has received special attention will be very marked. Not only should deep plowing be- practiced, but the ground should be harrowed as fine as possible. The rule of a successful corn grower, who secures good crops, is to harrow twice as long as it may seem necessary. When the work of harrowing is finished, and the seed not planted on account of the weather, or some other drawback, it is always well to harrow again just before planting, and fully as much as before. TJie summary of the ipatter i 3 * OO much harrowing cannot be given the land for corn. When the seed .is planted the rows should be perfectly straight, which will be of much advantage after the plants are up. The seed should be carefully examined, and it is better to use enough seed and get too many plants (which may be thinned out), than to be compelled to replant, as replanted corn comes* too late to be properly fertilized with the pollen, which accounts for the lower yields of fields that have been replanted. Get the seed in the ground as early as possible (avoiding liability of frost), so a 3 to give the young plants an early start. The corn plant is a gross feeder, and It is an excellent crop upon which to put the coarse manure, but fine manure is better. The manure should be spread, so as to be worked in at the time of harrowing. Corn sends it roots In all directions, feeding near the surface, hence there will be no loss of manure If it is fine, as the roots will not miss anything that serves as a food. The amount of fertilizer to use depends on whether sod is turned under and well decomposed. On sod land, In fair condition, those who have made experiments find that an excellent fertilizer may be composed of 100 pounds nitrate of soda, 200 pounds ground dry fish, 250 ponds of acid phosphate and 220 pounds muriate of potash or high grade sulphate of potash. This gives . 30 pounds nitrogen, 40 pounds phospheric acid and 110 pounds potash. On land that is somewhat poor the nitrate of soda may be doubled and the phosphate and potash increased about 10 per cent. When manure is used the proportion of fertilizer materials may consist of 50 pounds nitrat of soda and 100 pounds each of ground dir fish, acid phosphate and muriatie of potash. There can be no safe rule to follow, however, as the quantity of manure used, and its quality and availability, must be considered. Where manure was used previous year on some other crop it is possible that a portion of the plant food was left over and the corn will secure it. The proportions of fertilizer recommended lire for one acre, and the best results will be obtained when the materials are broadcasted and harrowed in, as It may be Injurious to the young plants to use too much fertilizer In hills should a dry season prevail. Corn should be cultivated from the start. The weeder is a new Implement now in extensive use; it makes sad havoc with the early weeds without injuring the young corn, and it is also -a very simple contrivance. Many farmers, however, who have not changed their methods, prefer, to begin with a smoothing harrow for the first working and then use the cultivator. The weeder should be used only for young weeds. The cultivator is the proper implement after the corn gets well under way, and after the spring rains are followed by * dry weather, as the stirring of the surface soil is one of the surest modes of protecting JJie crop from the effects of drought. If the plowing Is deep, and the soil harrowed fine, it will absorb and hold more water than when the work is not so carefully done, and this stored water in the soil is retained by the blanket of loosa soil made by the cultivator. The cultivator also destroys the weeds and grass, and as the weeds will rob the plants of moisture it is important that they L be. destroyed as soon as they come up ' out of the ground. Never allow weeds or grass to grow In the corn rows as long as the cultivator can be used, and never “lay by” the corn as long as a horse can be worked in the rows if weeds or grass are noticed. Shallow cultivation is better than going deeper, as the object should be not to disturb the corn roots mote than is compulsory, and the cultivation should be done both ways, as close to the plants as possible.—Philadelphia Record. CHOOSING THE MILCH COW. Thoroughly examine jtfctf- cow you buy for dairy purposes. This requires some knowledge ,of cattle and a good eye to note defects as well as good points. v - r If the cow be In good health the hide will be soft and pliable, the hair smooth and glossy. If the skin be more or less hide bound and the hair dead looking, yon may safely assume that poor digestion and its consequent poor nutrition are at the bottom of the trouble. This last may come from a lack of nourishing food, and with a change to nutritious diet health may be ra-

stored, although, as It usually Is causea by some chronic disease, one should, in loosing a dairy cow, pass such a one by. Cows-, besides having tuberculosis, have kidney, liver and other diseases. It is dangerous to use milk from cows afflicted with the incipient forma of such diseases, to say nothing of the disease in well advanced stages. If a cow goes after her food with animation, eating until satisfied and then lying down to ruminate, it Is a* sign of health; but if, after a few mouthfuls, she turns away and humps up in a corner or prepares to lie down, look out for impaired health in some way. >- Heavy breathing and too quick is a sign of trouble, if not exactly in the lungs, at least along the respitory tract. Look with suspicion on a cough. In tuberculosis, except In the last stage, the cough is very feeble—a mere hack. And often in the last stages It still remains so. A good, jstrong cough usually indicates some trouble that will yield to treatment. Such a cough is not, as a rule, indicative of lung disease. is to close the nostrils tightly with your hand, and if the cow coughs when the pressure is removed you may find inflammation or other trouble of the respitory organs. - ' - Good respiration is essential to a good milk flow. In making choice of' a cow, see that the chest i 3 long and the ribs set far apart to give lung capacity. Large, tortous milk veins are always present with the gbod milker. A dull eyed cow seldom proves a good milk cow. A hollow'back is a sign of poor breeding, or hastened maturity. The neck, of a good milker is delicate in proportion to her general build, and a little out of proportion as to length. Hind quarters must be heavy and set well apart. A cow with an extra milk flow should be a hearty eater. A good milch cow i 3 seldom a handsome cow.*—lndianapolis News.

PUDDLING THE ROOTS. The advice is often given to puddle the roots of trees and other plants before planting. In puddling, a quantity of soil is stirred with water until it becomes a paste of a rather thick consistency. The roots are then immersed in this and thoroughly coated over. This practice has and yet its purpose should be kept clearly in mind. If followed blindly, as it sometimes is, bad results follow. In a puddles soil the soil particles are compacted, making it practically an impervious soil and one that excludes both air and moisture. This impervious coat of cemented soil, as it were, may serve as an excellent protection to prevent the roots of plants from drying out and being exposed to the air while in transit. However, it should always be removed before planting, especially on plants having small roots, such as tho strawberry. If -planted In a puddled condition the roots are bundled together in a mass instead of being properly spread out so that each one comes in contact with the moist soil. In addition to this the roots of all plants require oxygen. This coat-of cemented soil is largely impervious and hence oxygen is excluded, which is not a good condition for growth. The feeders of the plant sffe the delicate threadlike hairs which are emitted freely on the distant ends of the roots. If the roots are planted with this puddled coat on them, especially if it has been allowed to out and harden, the root hairs are unable to penetrate it. In fact, with the improved methods of packing where the boxes are first lined with a heavy paper to pVevent drying out of the plants and then damp jposs is used to hold the moisture to the roots, the old, puddling process is of questionable value. Better methods of shipping plants are now In vogue. At any rate, If it Is used, strawberries and other plants should not be planted before it is removed. —National Fruit Grower.

VARIATIONS IN WOOD ASHES. There is no commercial fertilizer that is more variable in composition than wood ashes, and While such ashes are valuable under certain conditions it is unsafe to.buy them without first having the percentage of potash ascertained by an analysis. Experiments have shown that there is a vast range in the percentage of potash in different samples of wood ashes, hence, without the analysis, as suggested, one may easily be led into paying double the value of the ashes. There is not much variation in the phosphoric acid content, but as the chief need of tbe wood ashes is for the potash content, one easily sees the importance of being reasonably sure the ashes contain the desired proportion of potash. The value of this suggestion would be easily seen If the crop to be grown were potatoes, where if the ashes were used as a fertilizer at all they would be used almost wholly for the potash they contained. —Indianopolis News.

FARM TIMBER CULTURE. At the present rate of consumption the timber supply of the United States in view will, according to B. E. Fer* non, be exhausted within thirty years. As sixty to one hundred years are required for the production of a full crop millable timber, and for other reasons, few farmers can engage in this business. For the production of wood for fuel purposes, however, the time required is only twenty to thirty years, and waste lands may be utilized for thta purpose. It is claimed also that catalpa can be profitably grown for railroad ties and fence posts, also chestnut for the same purposes. Physicians believe that one good turn deserves another. The doctor pays a visit and the. visit pays the poctor.