Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1894 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

Fertilizer?. Philadelphia Record. Too mueh can not be said about fertilizers at this time. It is, no doubt,-the intention of a majority of farmers to use both manure and fertilizer, and the advantages of their use are well known; but the quantity to use has been regulated solely by the cost, in which cases inferior brands have superseded the better grades. The farmers of this country have been educated to a better knowledge of fertilizers by experiment stations, and they have practically demonstrated the results of the use of fertilizers, but they have not taken advantage of fertilizers to the fullest extent possible in order to produce the largest yield in a single season. Plant food sufficient for an ordinary crop may have been supplied without allowing for an increased production. A large supply of fertilizer to an acre of ground will not only give a much greater return, but also pay for the fertilizer itself. In a fruitgrowing section of New Jersey one tilizer to an acre, the cost being sometimes as much as SSO, but he was the only one in that section last year who made a good profit, as his crops grew rapidly from the start, were well rooted before dry weather and were within reach of a continual supply of plant food, the yield being sufficient to repay the outlay for fertilizer and giy.e a profit as well, at the same time leaving his soil in better condition than before. In such a case he would have been extravagant had he attempted to economize in the cost, as he would have failed in his crops, as was the case with some of his neighbors. It is on record that over a thousand bushels of potatoes per acre have been grown on an experimental plot, but the crop was due to the very liberal use of fertilizers and excellent cultivation given. Estimates of the amount of plant food removed from the soil by an average crop have been made known many times, and farmers endeavor to avoid this loss by supplying fertilizers which contain the elements removed, but such a course does not increase fertility of the soil or induce the growth of a larger crop, as only that which is removed is returned. To increase the yield there must be an addition to the supply of fertilizer, and the increased growth will demand an abundance of plant food ready for use. If the crop is [advanced largely and luxuriantly to that stage at which its mission ends (the production of seed), all the efforts of the plants wilt be concentrated to effect their object, which is th’e most critical period with the j farmer, as his crop may depend upoa the result, and should the plantfood not be abundant there may be> a ioss which should not occur. Farmers who stimulate their crops by using fertilizers induce greater growth and an increased demand for plant-food, which must be supplied, or a loss will result in the cost of the fertilizer, but if the soil and the crops are abundantly supplied with plant-food every dollar expended for fertilizer will be regained from the crop if other conditions are favorable.

Sowing the Seed of Annuals. Mr. A. H. Fewkes, in his chapters upon-—Gultural Notes, ” in ‘ ‘The Beautiful Flower Garden," says: “Annuals are usually classed as hardy and half-handy. The seeds of the former may be planted in the open ground in April and May, or as soon as the ground is sufficiently warm. The soil should be thoroughly worked over to get it into a mellow condition, and should be well matured. If it is of a clayey nature the best drying is well-rotted horse manure, with clean straw bedding, which will keep the soil open and prevent its hardening. The manure should be thoroughly mixed through the earth, and not simply turned under —something which only a careless gardener does. Commercial fertilizers are of great value if properly applied, especially in sandy soils. If the seeds are to be planted

in quantities, and exclusively in one bed, the latter should be carefully raked over until it shows a surface as nearly level as possible, without a trace of the roundness which is so often given to flower beds: a rounded surface sheds water instead of holding it until thoroughly absorbed. All fine seeds should be simply strewn on the surface and gently raked in. A very good plan to insure the certain germination of seeds planted in the open ground is to ‘mulch’ or cover the surface after the sowing with clean straw. If the ground is dry at the time of planting it should be lightly watered before the mulching is put on; it will need little watering then until after the mulching has been removed, which should be when the young plants begin to push their roots into the soil. The entire covering should be removed at once, but would better bo taken off gradually, so the young plants may become accustomed to strong sunlight. Fatten Ore«« With Tnrnlpv If you want to fatten geese in a hurry, try turnips. In every part of Germany it is well understood by the country people that nothing will make a tough old gander more presentable for market than the liberal use of this vegetable. The turnips must be cut into pieces a little

smaller than dice, and thrown into a bucket of water. ; A goose will devour a most extraordinary amount of this food, and if allowed all it can eat, will gain a pound a day for two weeks. But you will be obliged to lay in a liberal stock of turnips to begin With, for without hr.ving made how great is the quantity that a goose will consume without bursting. Stimulating Tomato Plant!. American: Cultivator. Two years ago we tried an experiment in feeding newly set tomato plants with a very small dressing of nitrate of soda, which was thoroughly mixed withTthe'soil around them. The ground was moderately fertile before the application. Not only was the growth of the plants greatly stimulated, but their productiveness also. The fruit was unusually large and fair, and it ripened several days before that on vines to which we did not apply the nitrate. As a special manure for the tomato crop, nitrate of soda cannot be excelled. Paring' Crop*. Eastern farmers have a great advantage over those of the West in being-nearer the great markets, yet tEey overlook the opportunity which they possess. Instead of growing crops that open the field for more customers they compete with the West in the growing of grain, and on land that is too valuable to be used for such purposes. Fruit, vegetables, milk, meat and butter open more avenues to profit than grain, but farmers are slow in making changes from the usual routine that has been practiced for years. Begin with the vegetables, but do not be tempted to put out the tender kinds too soon. Some crops, such as peas and onions, may be planted early, as they can endure light frosts, but in this climate the rule is not to plant a majority-of the crops until the apple trees are in bloom, which usually occurs in May. Frost is liable to destroy crops at any time during April, as a few cold days may follow warm weather. Spraying Fruit Trees. M. W. Davis in Ohio Farmer. The institute held at Watertown, and the excellent lecture delivered on spraying, set the farmers wild “fora day” on the subject, and a great many resolved to give it. a trial, but so far as I know but three pumps were brought into this township. -Two of "them were used and laid aside; the third one I bought myself and used three times in my orchard. 1 also used it in the potato field.

In spraying my orchard I used the dilute Bordeaux mixture. I selected 350 Rome beauty trees, and about the time the foliage began to show the pump was loaded on a light two-horse wagon and the first spraying done. We drove slowly between the rows and sprayed one at a time without stopping. We found that one barrel would spray forty trees, and the 350 were gone over in one day. On one-half of the trees the bloom failed to appear; on the other half it was so light wo expected no fruit. When the bloom fell we sprayed again, adding one-quarter pound of Paris green to each barrel of mixture. In ten days from the second spraying we sprayed the third and last time. As the season advanced we could see the apples begin to show, and at picking tim'd we were surprised to find we had sixty bushels of as fine Rome beauties as we had ever seen, which sold for $1 per bushel, besides all we wanted for winter. Our groceryman told my girl he would take anything of her that looked like an apple. She went back to the -orchard and gathered the culls and sold $22 worth more. May look like a small showing, but it paid for the pump and material and gave us not less than $lO a day for our work. The work was ail done by myself and children. My girl drove while my boy and myself handled the pump and hose. It “done ine proud" to drive up to the grocery with my load of fine apples and have the farmers ask how it came that I had apples this year.