Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1880 — HOUSE, FARM AND GARDEN. [ARTICLE]

HOUSE, FARM AND GARDEN.

at better prices. ▼ ICKI IS tOOUI V,wU t UW pOQIKIB, WOYttl fWO,OOP, or about an aTenge allowanoe of thirty pounds for each inhabitant. The Eaton county, Mteh, Petra— at but if not, they will chip it to Boat—, as they have Am the past two year*. « r \- The culture of the caator bean ic attract ing oonaiderable attention in Loe Angeles county, OaL, thia year, and a larger ana of this valuable product has been planted than erer before. The Azusa and Los Nietos fanners are giving special attention to the industry. London Purple.— A new insecticide has been Introduced which is likely, from its cheapfa Loess, to supersede the Paris green for potatoes and other plants. Ills highly recommended by Prof. C. V. Riley, of the United States Entomological Commission, Dr. P. Collier, of the Department of Agriculture, at Washington, D., C., Prof. O. E. Barney, at the lows Agricultural College, A. R. Whitney, of Franklin Grove, 111., and other prominent scientists and orchardists have tested its value. Its destructive power is very great, while, at the same time, it is very cheap. Among its advantages are Its extreme fineness, adhesiveness, its color and its cheapness. Inoolortt is, as its name implies—purple. its presence being readily detected whenever used, thus being a safeguard against accidents. Tho experience with it last year was eminently satisfactory. It proved effectual on potato viaee in destroying the potato For this purpose it lg mixed with water into a smooth paste, water then being added in the proportion of three gallons to each ounce, or forty-eightgallons to oae pound. Ilia applied to the plants in fine spray by means of a waitering-poL Or it may be uaed dry in the proportion ot one pound ol purple to six pouhds of plaster, the two-' materials being thoroughly mixed by passing them through a fine sieve. When used on trees to destroy the canker-worm, it is applied with water as for the potato vine, except that a force pump is employed if the worm has got into the tree. A band of tow, well saturated with London purple, and bound around the trunk of the tree before the female insect (which*cannot fly) bas ascended, has been recommended, as the insect would be killed by crawling over a portion of the poisoned tow. The Joumai of Forestry briefly sums up many of the uses of lime when applied to the soiL The effects of lime, as will be seen, are In part mechanical and in part chemical. . s v<

, 1- Upon deep alluvial and clay soil It increases the crop of potatoes, and renders them less waxy. Sprinkled over potatoes in a store-heap it preserves them, and when riddled over cut sets it wonderfully increases their fertility. 2. Lime eradicates the finger-and-toe disease in turnips, and gives greater soundness to the bulbs, 3. It gives, when applied to meadow land, a larger produce of more .nutritious grasses. It also exterminates coarse and sour grasses, destroys couch grass, and acta powerfully upon rye grasses. - . 4. Upon arable land It destroys Weeds of various kinds. 5. It rapidly decomposes vegetable matter, producing a large amount of food for plants in the form of carbonic acid gas. 8 It destroys or neutralizes the acids in the soils; hence its adaptability : to sour soils. ~ '

7. It acts powerfully upon some of the inorganic parts of the soil, especially on the sulphate of iron found in peaty soils, and the sulphate of magnesia and alumina. 8. It proves fatal to worms and slugs, and the larvae of injurious inserts, though favorable to the growth of shell-bearersr 9. Slacked lime added to vegetable matter causes it to give off its nitrogen in the form of ammonia. Upon soils in which ammonia is combined with acids, it sets free the ammonia, which is seized upon by the plants. 10. Its solubility in water causes it to sink into and ameliorate the subsoil. When the soil contains fragments of granite or trap rocks, lime hastens their decomposition and liberates the silicates. 11. Its combination with the acids in the soil produces saline compounds, such as potash, soda, etc. 12. Strewed over your plants, it destroys or drives away the turnip fly. I - 18. Worked in with grass seeds, the beneficial effects of lime, chalk, marl and shell-sand have been visible for thirty years.

Salt vok akimals.— Many farmers are very stingy in the matter of supplying animals with Bait They seem to think that the money invested m salt for animate j 8 virtually thrown away, and they study how to avoid this loss as far as possible. Occasionally a farmer will find that some sheep will live six months without eat ing salt, and he loses no time in making his discovery known to the world. A large proportion of farmers furnish salt to their animals but once a week. On these occasions they eat so much of it that they feel uncomfortable during the following day. Stock of all kinds should have salt constantly within their reach, whether they are in the yard or pasture. It is very easy to keep a supply of salt In an open box in a shed where cattle have free access to IL. It requires but little ingenuity to direct a salt-box in a pasture so that its contents will not be wasted. All that is required is a hanging roof, that can be moved by the heads or cattle and sheep. When cattle have a supply of salt always within their reach they will never eat so much atany thnnss to render thorn w, comfortable. Salt is not a'loxury, btwk neccessity, and it should be supplied without stint Animals know better thaw their owners do how often they require salt Any stock owner would object to be ing allowed to taste salt bnt. once a week.