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THE PRAIRIE FARMER
A Weekly Journal for
THE FARM, ORCHARD AND FIRESIDE.
ESTABLISHED IN 1841.
ENTIRE SERIES VOL 56--No 12.
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1884.
PRICE $2.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE.
[Transcriber's Note: The Table of Contents was originally located on page
184 of the periodical. It has been moved here for ease of use.]
THE CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER.
AGRICULTURE--Drainage and Good Husbandry Page 177; Plan for a Flood Gate,
178; Great Corn Crops, 178; A Charming Letter, 178; Prairie Roads, 178;
Experiments with Indian Corn, 178; Specialty Farming, 178.
HORTICULTURE--Sand Mulching of Orchard Trees, Page 182; Pear Blight, 182;
The Black Walnut, 182. Notes on Current Topics, 182; Prunings, 182-183.
FLORICULTURE--Some New Plants, Page 183.
OUR BOOK TABLE--Page 183.
ENTOMOLOGICAL--Insects in Illinois, Page 179.
SILK CULTURE--Osage for Silk-Worms, Page 187.
SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL--Items, Page 187.
LITERATURE--The Gentleman Farmer (Poetry), Page 190; Frank Dobb's Wives,
190-191.
FIELD AND FURROW--Items, 179.
HUMOROUS--Items, Page 191.
POULTRY NOTES--Chicken Chat, Page 186.
THE APIARY--Spring Care of Bees, Page 186; Extracted Honey, 186; Southern
Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' Association, 186.
EDITORIAL--Items, Page 184; Lumber and Shingles, 184; Foot-and-Mouth
Disease, 184; Premiums on Corn, 184-185; The First Unfortunate Result,
185; Questions Answered, 185; Wayside Notes, 185.
YOUNG FOLKS--Little Dilly Dolly (Poetry) Page 189; Uncle Jim's Yarn, 189;
Puddin Tame's Fun, 189; The Alphabet, 189; What a Child Can Do, 189.
LIVE STOCK--Items, Page 180; Polled Aberdeen Cattle, 180; Grass for Hogs,
180; A Stock Farm and Ranch, 180; Western Wool-Growers, 180; The Cattle
Diseases near Effingham, 180-181.
THE DAIRY--Camembert Cheese, Page 181; Few Words and More Butter, 181.
COMPILED CORRESPONDENCE--Page 181.
VETERINARY--Symptoms of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Page 181; Shyness and
Timidity, 181; Glanders, 181.
HOUSEHOLD--How He Ventilated the Cellar, Page 188; An Old Roman Wedding,
188; Mr. Smith's Stovepipe, 188; Progress, 188; A Family Jar, 188; Mouce
Trap and other Sweetemetes, 188; A Sonnet on a Ronnet, 188; Pleasantries,
188.
NEWS OF THE WEEK--Page 192.
MARKETS--Page 192.
[Illustration: ABERDEEN-ANGUS BULLOCK, "BLACK PRINCE." Owned by Geary
Bros., London, Ont.]
Drainage and Good Husbandry.
BY C. G. ELLIOTT, DRAINAGE ENGINEER.
I.
The practical advantage of drainage as it appears to the casual observer,
is in the increased production of valuable crops. Ordinary land is
improved, and worthless land so far reclaimed as to yield a profit to its
owner, where once it was a source of loss and a blemish upon an otherwise
fair district. The land-buyer who looks for a future rise in his purchase,
recognizes the value of drainage, being careful to invest his capital in
land which has natural drainage, or is capable of being drained
artificially with no great expense, if it is suitable for use as an
agricultural domain. The physician, though perhaps unwilling, is obliged
to admit drainage as an important agency in the reduction of malignant
diseases and much general ill-health among dwellers in both country and
village. Our State Board of Health recognizes the influence of land
drainage upon the healthfulness of districts where it is practiced. The
Secretary of this Board gives it as his opinion that even good road
drainage would diminish the number of preventable diseases 25 per cent.
Such are now some of the impressions as to the value of drainage among
those who judge from acknowledged effects. That a great change has been
brought about by this practice is apparent to the most superficial
observer, if he compares pre-drainage with the present.
A FEW FACTS.
The Indiana Bureau of Statistics made an investigation about two years ago
of the influence of tile drainage upon production and health in that
State. Two periods of five years were selected, one before drainage was
begun, and the other after most of the farms had been drained, the area
examined being one township in Johnson county.
As near as could be determined, the average yearly yield of wheat for a
period of five consecutive years before drainage was nine and a half
bushels per acre. The same land and tillage after drainage in a period of
five consecutive years produced an average of nineteen and one-fourth
bushels per acre. Comparing the corn crops in the same way for the same
time, it was found that the average yearly yield before drainage was
thirty-one and three-fourths bushels per acre, and after drainage
seventy-four and one-fourth bushels per acre.
In order to determine the influence of drainage upon health, physicians,
who had, during the same two periods of five years each, answered all
calls in cases of disease, were asked to report from their books all cases
of malarial fever. It was found from this data that, for the first period
of five years before drainage, there had been 1,480 cases of malarial
disease. During the next five years under a pretty good system of
drainage, there were but 490 cases of such disease. These facts show that
drainage not only brings material prosperity to the individual, but
promotes the general healthfulness of the climate of that district, in
which all are interested and all enjoy.
It is a matter of note that the Campagne about Rome, which in ancient days
was the healthful home of a dense population, is now afflicted with the
most deadly fevers. It is claimed by high authorities that this is due to
the destruction and choking of the drains which in excavating are found
everywhere, but always filled and useless.
It will be readily seen that this subject has at least two important
bearings upon our prosperity, and though in considering and perfecting
general farm drainage, the effect upon health may be manifested without
effort being put forth in that direction, yet it should always be kept in
mind and receive that consideration which it deserves.
DRAINAGE AND FANCY FARMING.
It is thought by many who have not yet tested the value of tile drainage,
that it is one of those luxuries often indulged in by so-called fancy
farmers. By such farmers is meant those who farm for pleasure rather than
for profit; those who raise wheat which costs them $1 per bushel, but
which is worth only eighty cents on the market; those who raise beef at a
cost of ten cents per lb. and sell it for six cents per lb.; in
short, they are men (and there are many of them) who receive their income
from some other source, and cultivate a farm for recreation. That drainage
properly belongs to this class of farmers is a mistaken notion, as
hundreds of thrifty, money-making farmers in the West would prove, could
they now give their experience. In the example previously given, drainage
increased the production of wheat and corn fully 100 per cent, which was a
township report for five years. In order to emphasize these statements, we
will insert a few practical examples communicated to the Drainage Journal
during last year.
Geo. P. Robertson: "One ten-acre field failed to produce anything except a
few small ears. I drained it, and have cropped it for eight years
successively, and have paid time and again for husking 100 bushels of corn
per acre."
"Mr. Losee, Norwich, Canada, says that as a matter of actual test, his
underdrained land yields one-third larger crops than his undrained fields,
although the same treatment in other respects is applied, and the land is
of the same character throughout. The average wheat yield of his undrained
land is twenty bushels per acre, while the drained fields yielded an
average of thirty bushels. As the cost of draining on his farm is
estimated at $20 per acre, this preparation of the soil pays for itself in
two years."
Horton Ferguson, Indiana: "The swamp contained twenty-seven acres, and was
regarded by all neighbors as utterly worthless except for hunting grounds.
Mr. Ferguson, who has great faith in underdraining, determined to
undertake to reclaim the land, confident if successfully done, it would be
a paying investment. Last year he tile drained and grubbed it, paying
customary rates for all the labor and tile, and this year put it in corn,
with the following result:
Dr. Cr.
Tile used for 27 acres $544 87
Paid for ditching 88 00
Expense for clearing and grubbing 275 00
-------
Total expense $907 87
--------
By 2,530 bushels of corn at 50 cents $1,265 00
The land proved to be remarkably rich, having produced, as shown, ninety
bushels to the acre, and Mr. F. assures us that several acres exceeded 100
bushels to the acre. It will thus be observed that he realized the first
year of cultivation enough to pay the entire expense of reclaiming and had
$357.13 left to pay on the crop expense. Next season, if favorable, he
expects a still better yield."
Every farmer knows that, in these times of easy transportation, profits do
not depend so much upon the price his product brings in the market as upon
the quantity he has to dispose of. In other words, abundant crops are the
farmer's source of income. There is evidence enough at hand to justify the
statement that of all improvements put upon farms containing wet land
valued at $40 per acre and upwards, drainage pays the largest profit for
the outlay. Just what this profit will be will depend upon the soil
drained, the necessary cost required to improve it, and the use and
management of it after it is drained. All of these things vary so that
each case must be considered by itself. Drainage is simply a necessary
part of good husbandry which merits the careful consideration of all
thinking farmers.
Plan for a Flood Gate.
To maintain a fence across a water course, is one of the trials and
tribulations of the farmer. After a heavy rain, generally fences in such
places are either badly damaged or entirely washed away. Having been
troubled this way for years, I have hit upon the following plan, which,
after two years' trial I find to be a success.
A stick of timber, three or four inches in diameter, is placed where the
gate is needed, and fastened down with stakes, driven slanting, on each
side, the tops of the stakes lapping over the piece so as to hold it
securely, and driven well down, so as not to catch the drift, but allowing
the piece to turn freely; inch and half holes are bored in the piece and
uprights are fitted in them; the material of which the gate is made is
fastened to these uprights. A light post is driven on the lower side and
the gate fastened to it.
This will keep the gate in place in any ordinary flood, but when a Noah
comes along, it turns down on the bottom of creek, and waters and drifts
pass over it. When the water subsides all that is necessary to do is to
turn the gate back to its upright position. If the gate is not needed
during the winter, it is better to lay it down and let it remain in that
position until spring, for if it is fastened with the post in an upright
position, it will be broken with the spring floods. A. E. B.
CARTHAGE, ILL.
Great Corn Crops.
It having been mentioned in the Iowa State Register some weeks ago that
Mr. Hezekiah Fagan, of Polk county, in that State, had once grown one
hundred and fifty-eight bushels of corn per acre, a son of Mr. Fagan
writes the following regarding the kinds of corn, the ground, and the
manner of cultivation:
"Father's farm joined Brown's Park on the north and run a mile north; the
corn was raised where the old orchard now is; it was part prairie and part
brush land, and was about the third crop. The ground was plowed in the
spring, harrowed and marked out with a single shovel both ways, the rows
being four feet apart each way. The corn was dropped by hand and covered
with a hoe, and left without harrowing until large enough to plow, and was
plowed twice with single shovel, and once with the two horse stirring plow
and hilled up as high as possible, and hoed enough to keep clean. The seed
was from corn father brought from Rockville, Ind., with him when he moved
to Des Moines, in the spring of 1848, and was of the large, yellow variety
which matured then and matures now with anything like a good season, and I
verily believe that with as good ground and as good treatment and as much
care in having every hill standing, and from three to four stalks in every
hill, that the amount might be raised again, if it was over 150 bushels
per acre, and I must say that I have never seen a large variety of corn
that suited me so well, that would yield so much, or mature so well, and
if any Iowa farmer will come and look at my crib of corn of this year's
raising, and if he will say he can show a better average ear raised on
similar ground, with similar treatment, I would like to speak for a few
bushels for seed at almost any price, and I will not except the
much-puffed Leaming variety."
The young man adds that his advice to Iowa farmers is, "to raise big
horses, big cattle, big hogs, big corn, and big grass, and if the profits
are not big, too, they had better make up their minds farming isn't their
forte, and go at something else."
Being desirous of knowing something of his big corn yield we wrote to Mr.
Clarkson, of the Register, for further information, and received the
following reply:
DEAR SIR: Yours of the 7th inst., relative to the Fagan corn
received. The corn raised by Hezekiah Fagan was thirty years
ago, and he received the premium for it at the Iowa State
Fair in 1854. The only facts I have relative to it are in
the published proceedings of the State Agricultural Society.
It states that he raised in Polk county, Iowa, on five
acres, at the rate of 139-1/2 bushels per acre, shelled
corn. The whole, shelled, measured 697-1/2 bushels, but
weighed, it made 151 bushels and fifty-three pounds per
acre.
At the same fair, J. W. Inskip exhibited, with all of the
necessary proofs, 136 bushels per acre.
I think there was no mistake in these matters, as great care
was taken to have statement correct; it is to this crop
which his son refers in a late number of the Register. Yours
truly, C. F. CLARKSON.
DES MOINES, IOWA.
A Charming Letter.
At the head of the agricultural department in THE PRAIRIE FARMER I notice
a standing invitation, viz.: "Farmers, write for your paper." All right!
Now, if you will just move up a little I'll take a seat in your
Communicative Association.
We, that is my wife and myself, eagerly read and discuss the interesting
articles with which THE PRAIRIE FARMER is replete every week, and many are
the practical hints that we have found therein.
It is not strange that, in the heart of a new country with vast
undeveloped resources and unlimited possibilities, a young farmer who has
his fortune yet to make, should be particularly enthusiastic. Tired of the
atmosphere of the school-room, fagged out by ten years of study and
teaching, and plainly seeing the improbability of being able to lay by
enough for a rainy day or old age in this noble, but as a rule,
unremunerative calling, my mind involuntarily reverted back to my early
life on the old homestead in Illinois, to substantials implied in that
word, and to its pleasant memories.
My mind was made up. With my portion of the old homestead in my pocket, I
turned the key in the school-house door, grateful for the experience and
lessons of patience gained inside of it, a friend of education, and with a
heart full of sympathy for the teachers of our public schools. I came to
"the land of the Dakotas" once more to break the "stubborn glebe" and
enjoy the sweets of farm life. Next June I shall have had three years'
experience in my new undertaking. I have succeeded fairly well. At some
future time I may communicate something about raising wheat and vegetables
in Dakota, to the readers of "our paper."
This winter is proving to be rather long and stormy, but with plenty of
fuel, good books and papers, time has not hung heavily on my hands.
Indeed, I consider these long Northern winters a decided advantage to
those who regard the cultivation of the mind as important as the
cultivation of the fields. I am afraid the majority of farmers do not lay
enough stress upon mental culture. In this age of cheap books there can be
no excuse for being without them. Systematic reading leads to the best
results in mental culture just as systematic farming leads to the best
results in agriculture. At the beginning of the winter I select some
standard work as my principal reading matter and stick to it until I have
it completed, reading for an interlude, good weekly newspapers, and one or
two of the standard magazines, with which I always like to be supplied.
This breaks up all monotony, and makes reading thoroughly enjoyable and
instructive. This winter I am reading the works of Goethe, the great
German author.
March, the last winter month, has come, and although the wind is still
howling and snow flying, before the first of April we expect to see the
railroads thronged with emigrant cars bringing new settlers, more thrift
and more capital. Thousands of new homes will be established on the
fertile prairies next summer.
Will you please regard this as a kind of an introduction into your
"association?"
If we find that we are mutually agreeable perhaps we shall find occasion
to meet again.
KASPER VON ESCHENBACH, PRAIRIE PARK FARM, BATH, D. T.
Prairie Roads.
The article on prairie roads in THE PRAIRIE FARMER of March 1st, 1884, by
A. G. H., of Champaign county, was good, and I would like to see more on
the same subject. If we get any better roads, we must keep the ball
rolling.
The great objection to the Ross plan, or any plan of road-tiling here, is
this. When tile is laid in the roadway the teams will travel right over
it, and the black soil gets packed and puddled until it is as impervious
to water as clay, and the water can't get into the tile. And on the clay
hillsides, if the tile is covered with clay, the water can't get into it.
This has been well tested here, for we have been road-tiling for six
years.
The question seems to be to get the water into the tile. The answer is
simple enough. We must provide sink holes for it. We must fill the ditch
over the tile with sand, gravel, or anything that will let the water in, a
yard in length, say, once every rod. Then I think the Ross plan would be
perfect.
As to the cost, well, $750 per mile seems large, but to take an average of
the roads in our county one-half that sum would answer, for it is only the
worst places would need the full Ross plan.
In a good many places, one string of tile with gravel sinks would do, and
others with the laterals to drain all to one side, thus saving the cost of
one string of tile, or more than one-third of the whole cost.
Now, if we get the commissioners to commence the work, we must vote for
men who are in favor of road-tiling as commissioners. There is where the
battle must be fought. Buckle on the armor comrades and see that the work
is done.
W. H. S., MCLEAN CO., ILL.
Experiments With Indian Corn.
On May 16, 135 kinds of corn were planted in the garden, with the
intention of promoting the cross fertilization of the varieties in order
to study the effects. The seed used was some of it selected on account of
its purity; other seed was from named varieties, still other seed from
varieties purposely hybridized, or presumed from their appearance or
location on the ear to be hybridized; and seed which possessed
peculiarities in appearance. The types represented were the three kinds of
pop-corns, the flint pop, the pearl pop, and the rice pop; the flints in
eight-rowed and twelve-rowed varieties, and soft or Tuscarora's; the
sweets in two or more types of ear, the one corresponding to the flint,
another to the dent corn ear; and the dents also in two or more types, the
eight-rowed with broad kernel, and another, the many rowed, with deep
kernel. We also had a pod or husk corn.
Through a study of the crop from these various seeds, we are enabled to
make some general conclusions, which probably are sufficient to generalize
from, but which certainly apply to the case in hand.
The seed of the preceding year gives uniformity of ear; that is, a dent
corn seed may produce an eight-rowed flint, or an eighteen-rowed dent, but
each ear will be perfect of its kind, and will be free from kernels of
other type than its own. The flint corn kernel may produce several
varieties of flint corn ear, or dent corn ear, but there will be no
variety in the kernel upon the ear; a dent corn seed may furnish a sweet
corn ear, and dent corn ears, but not mixed upon the cob. A pop-corn
kernel may produce a sweet corn ear, of sweet corn type, a sweet corn ear
of pop-corn type, or a pop-corn ear of the various types, without
admixture of kernels upon the ears.
On the other hand, hybridization of the current year produces changes in
the kernel, so that one ear of corn may bear kernels of various colors,
and of various types, the tendency, however, being for the shape of the
kernel to be governed by the type of the maize ear upon which it is found.
The appearance of various types upon an ear allow of some curious
generalizations. Thus, the rice pop kernel form does not appear upon ears
of other character, nor does the pearl pop kernel form appear upon the
rice pop ear. The flint pop does not seem to appear upon either the rice
or the pearl pop type, so far as form is concerned, but its structure,
however, influences. Sweet corn, however, appears upon the three types of
pop-corn indiscriminately, but, on the other hand, the pop-corns do not
appear upon the flint corn ears. While flint corn appears abundantly on
sweet corn ears, on the other hand, sweet corn does not appear upon the
flint corns. Dent corn kernels will appear upon the sweet corn whose type
of ear is that of the dent ear, but not upon sweet corn whose type is that
of the flint ear. The dent corn, again, does not appear upon the flint
ear, but in some isolated instances the flint corn kernel may appear upon
the dent ear.
The appearance of kernels of one variety upon ears of another variety, for
each of the types, is of frequent and constant occurrence, except in the
case of red ears. The red ears have a constancy of color which is truly
remarkable: where sweet corn appears upon red pop and red dent ears the
sweet corn partakes of the red color.
The practical value of these deductions consists in the guide they afford
toward the improvement of the varieties of corn that we grow. For
instance: by planting in adjoining hills, or, better still, the mixed seed
of two varieties of corn, one of which is distinguished for its length of
ear and smallness of cob, and the other for the large size of its kernel,
we should anticipate, in many instances, the transfer of the large kernel
to the small ear and of the small kernel to the large ear. By selecting
from the crop those ears which have length and the large kernel, we should
anticipate, by a series of selections, the attaining of a new variety, in
which the large kernel and length of cob would be persistent. The same
remarks hold true with the dent corns. But in the matter of selections the
true principle would seem to be to plant but one kernel of the desired
type from an ear of the desired type, and to keep the plant from this
kernel free from the influence of plants of another type, and securing the
crop through self-fertilization. After the first year of this procedure,
by the selection of two or more kernels of the same type from different
plants, cross fertilization should be used, the crop being gradually
purified by selection.
While the maize plant, as a rule, is not self-fertilized, that is, as a
general thing the pollen from one plant fertilizes the silk of another,
yet in very many cases the pollen and the silk upon the same plant is
synchronous, and self-fertilization becomes possible, and undoubtedly is
of frequent occurrence. The pollen ripens from below upward, and thus the
fall of the pollen, through the successive ripening of the blooms, may
last for three or four days, and there is a great variation in period of
blooming as between individual plants. The silk maintains its receptivity
for pollen for some little time, but for how long a period we do not yet
know from direct observation. It seems, however, true, that closely
following pollination, the silk loses its transparent structure and begins
to shrivel, while before pollination is effected the silk retains its
succulency for several days.--_E. Lewis Sturtevant, Director N. Y. Exp.
Station._
Specialty Farming.
I noticed in THE PRAIRIE FARMER of February 23d, a communication from Cape
Girardeau, Mo., on "The Dignity of Our Calling." It contains some very
good reasoning, but I do not indorse it all, and take this mode of
expressing my views upon the subject. The point upon which I beg leave to
differ from the gentleman is, should a farmer have a smattering idea of
everything pertaining to farming?
I believe that a man should make a specialty of some particular branch of
farming, for it is universally conceded by all competent authority that no
man can succeed in a given pursuit unless his time and energies are
concentrated in that direction, consequently we have successful men in all
the avenues of life--and why? from the simple fact that these men make a
specialty of some particular branch of their calling; they are no
jack-of-all-trades--not by any means.
So it is with farming; the man who endeavors to be proficient in all its
departments is apt to be a failure, while his specialist neighbor
succeeds, simply because he has his course marked out, and bends his
energies in that direction. Life is too short for a man to comprehend
everything. It is true, that the farmer has no fixed law by which to guide
him; however, he must, in measure, be governed by past experience. If the
farmer does his part, God will do the rest. In my opinion, what we want,
is not learning in every branch of farming by the same individual, but we
do want lore in a given direction, and then success will crown our every
effort. Take as an example one of our large machine shops; do we find its
workmen, each one, commencing a machine and completing it in all its
parts. No; each man has a special task to perform, only that and nothing
more. As to farmers' sons longing for other callings, I am forced to admit
that it is a lamentable fact which can not be ignored. I believe the
reason for this is that they are constantly coming in contact with nature
in all her varied forms, and before they have yet reached their majority,
they become inspired with an ambition which is prone to go beyond the
boundary of farm life, hence we find them, step by step, climbing the
ladder of fame. However, we have one consoling fact, and that is, they
make some of the most noted men we have--find them where you may. A
glorious example of this is in the person of a man who rose from the
humble position of plowboy, to that of Chief Executive of the Nation.
A few words more and I am done. If the fathers of this land would have
their sons follow the noble vocation of farming, let them educate them
thoroughly for the branch which they would have them pursue, and by so
doing teach them that proficiency in any given direction is sure to
command respect and success. SUBSCRIBER.
Field and Furrow.
One of the strong points in preparing horses for spring work is in having
their shoulders in a good, sound condition. With this to start with and
soft and well-fitting collars there need be but little fear of any
difficulty in keeping them all right, no matter how hard the labor horses
have to endure. By keeping the collars well cleared of any dirt which may
accumulate upon them from the sweating of the horse, and by bathing them
daily with cold water, there need be but little fear of bad shoulders.
HUSBANDMAN: Every member of the Elmira Farmers' Club present had used
sapling clover, more or less, and all regarded it with favor, although for
making hay common red clover is worth more, as it is also for pasture. Mr.
Ward expressed the opinion, in which all shared, that there were really
but two varieties of field clover in common use at the North, red clover,
usually called medium, and the large, or sapling clover. The chief
function of the clover root as a fertilizer is in bringing nitrogen from
the lower soil upward within reach of succeeding crops and changing its
form to meet the requirements of the plant and crops that follow.
BROW CHEMICAL CO. CIRCULAR: The wise farmer will change his seed from year
to year. A remarkable feature of the variety in potatoes is that no two
kinds of potato are made up of the same chemical components in precisely
the same proportion. There are now over 300 varieties of potatoes of
greater or less merit. Some are celebrated for their large size, some for
their fineness of texture and some for the great increase which may be
expected from them. One hundred and thirteen years ago there were but two
known varieties of potatoes, one being white, the other red. If the soil
is too poor potatoes starve, if too wet they catch cold, and refuse to
grow to perfection.
FARMER'S ADVOCATE: Spring operations will soon commence, and with these a
demand for good farm hands. The general rule that is followed in this
country is to put off the hiring of men to the last moment, and trust to
chances for some one coming along, and then probably some inferior workman
has to be taken, or none at all. Men who know their business on a farm
will not wait, and are early picked up in the neighborhood in which they
may reside. The trusting to men coming along just at the exact moment you
are crowded, is a bad policy. There should always be profitable employment
for a man in the early spring months before seeding commences, and it will
pay any farmer to secure good farm hands early; and pay them good wages.
PEORIA TRANSCRIPT: We prepared a half acre of ground as good as we knew
how. Upon one-half of this plat we planted one bushel of seed obtained
from Michigan, and upon the other half of home-grown seed, both being of
the variety known as Snowflake. The two lots of seed cut for planting were
similar in appearance, both as regards size and quality. The whole lot
received the same treatment during the growing season. The plants made
about the same growth on the two plats and suffered equally from bugs; but
when it came to digging, those from new seed yielded two bushels of large
potatoes for every one that could be secured on the land planted with seed
of our own growing. This difference in yield could be accounted for on no
other theory than the change in seed, as the quality of seed, soil, and
culture were the same. This leads to the belief that simply procuring seed
of favorite varieties from a distance would insure us good crops at much
less expense than can be done experimenting with new, high-priced seeds.
In another column a Kansas correspondent speaks of the crab grass in an
exceedingly favorable way. We find the following regarding this grass in a
late New York Times: Every Northern farmer knows the common coarse grass
called door-yard grass, which has long, broad leaves, a tough, bunchy
root, and a three-fingered spreading head, which contains large, round
seeds. It is known as Eleusine Indica, and grows luxuriously in open
drains and moist places. It appears late in the summer. This is an
extremely valuable grass in the South. A friend who went to Georgia soon
after the war bought an abandoned plantation on account of the grass
growing upon it. It was this door-yard grass. He pastured sheep upon it
and cut some for hay. Northern baled hay was selling at $30 a ton at that
time. He wrote asking me to buy him two mowers and a baling press, and
went to baling hay for the Southern market, selling his sheep and living
an easy life except in haying time. His three hundred acres of cleared
land has produced an average of 200 tons of hay every year which gives him
about four times as much profit as an acre of cotton would do. Perhaps
there may come an end to this business, and the grass will run out for
want of fresh seed, but with a yearly dressing of Charleston phosphate the
grass has kept up its original vigor. Now why could we not make some use
of this grass, and of others, such as quack-grass, which defy so
persistently all our efforts to destroy them?
[Illustration: Entomological]
Insects in Illinois.
Prof. Forbes, State Entomologist, makes the following report to the State
Board of Agriculture:
"Now that our year's entomological campaign is completed, a brief review
of some of its most important features and results will doubtless be of
interest. Early attention was given to the insects attacking corn in the
ground, before the sprout has appeared above the surface. A surprising
number were found to infest it at this period, the results of their
injuries being usually attributed by farmers to the weather, defective
seed, etc. Among these the seed corn maggot (Anthomyia zeae) was frequently
noted, and was received from many parts of the State. A small,
black-headed maggot, the larva of a very abundant, gnat-like fly (Seiara),
was excessively common in ground which had been previously in grass, and
attacked the seed corn if it did not germinate promptly and vigorously,
but apparently did not injure perfectly sound and healthy grains. A minute
yellow ant (Solenopsis fugax) was seen actually gnawing and licking away
the substance of the sound kernels in the ground, both before and after
they had sprouted. The corn plant-louse (Aphis maidis) was an early and
destructive enemy of the crop, often throttling the young shoot before it
had broken ground. It was chiefly confined to fields which had been just
previously in corn or grass.
"The chinch-bug was found in spring depositing the eggs for its first
brood of young about the roots of the corn, a habit not hitherto reported.
"With the increasing attention to the culture of sorghum, its insect
enemies are coming rapidly to the front. Four species of plant-lice, two
of them new, made a vigorous attack upon this crop in the vicinity of
Champaign, and two of them were likewise abundant in broom-corn.
"The corn root-worm (Diabrotica longicornis) was occasionally met with in
sorghum, but does not seem likely to do any great mischief to that plant.
It could not be found in broom-corn. In fields of maize, however, it was
again very destructive, where corn had been raised on the same ground a
year or two before. The Hessian Fly did great damage throughout the winter
wheat region of the State, many fields not being worth harvesting in
consequence of its ravages. Several facts were collected tending to show
that it is three brooded in the southern part of the State. Nearly or
quite all the last brood passed the summer as "flax seeds" in the stubble,
where they might easily have been destroyed by general and concerted
action. Fortunately, the summer weather was unfavorable to their
development; and the drouth conspired with their parasites to greatly
diminish their numbers. In the regions under our observation, not one in a
thousand emerged from the midsummer pupa-cases, and numbers of the larvae
were found completely dried up.
"The wheat straw-worm (Isosoma tritici), a minute, slender, yellow grub,
which burrows inside the growing stem, dwarfing or blighting the forming
head, was abundant throughout the winter wheat region of Southern
Illinois, causing, in some places, a loss scarcely exceeded by that due to
the Hessian Fly. Our breeding experiments demonstrate that this insect
winters in the straw as larvae or pupa, emerging as an adult fly early in
spring, these flies laying their eggs upon the stems after they commence
to joint. As the flies are very minute, and nearly all are wingless, their
spread from field to field is slow, and it seems entirely within the power
of the individual farmer to control this insect by burning or otherwise
destroying the stubble in summer or autumn, and burning the surplus of the
straw not fed to stock early in spring. A simple rotation of crops,
devoting land previously in wheat to some other grain or to grass, will
answer instead of burning the stubble.
"The life history of the wheat bulb-worm (Meromyza Americana) was
completed this year. The second or summer brood did decided injury to
wheat in Fulton county, so many of the heads being killed that some of the
fields looked gray at a little distance. This species was also injurious
to rye, but much less so than to wheat. It certainly does not attack oats
at all; fields of that grain raised where winter wheat had been destroyed
by it, and plowed up, being entirely free from it, while wheat fields
adjacent were badly damaged. We have good evidence that postponement of
sowing to as late a date as possible prevents the ravages of this insect,
in the same way as it does those of the Hessian Fly.
"The common rose chafer (Macrodactylus subspinosus) greatly injured some
fields of corn in Will county, the adult beetle devouring the leaves.
"The 'flea negro-bug' (Thyreocoris pulicarius) was found injurious to
wheat in Montgomery county, draining the sap from the heads before
maturity, so that the kernel shriveled and ripened prematurely. In parts
of some fields the crop was thus almost wholly destroyed.
"The entomological record of the orchard and the fruit garden is not less
eventful than that of the farm. In extreme Southern Illinois, the forest
tent caterpillar (Clislocampa sylvatica) made a frightful inroad upon the
apple orchard, absolutely defoliating every tree in large districts. It
also did great mischief to many forest trees. Its injuries to fruit might
have been almost wholly prevented, either by destroying the eggs upon the
twigs of the trees in autumn, as was successfully done by many, or by
spraying the foliage of infested trees in spring with Paris green, or
similar poison, as was done with the best effect and at but slight expense
by Mr. David Ayres, of Villa Ridge. Great numbers of these caterpillars
were killed by a contagious disease, which swept them off just as they
were ready to transform to the chrysalis; but vast quantities of the eggs
are now upon the trees, ready to hatch in spring.
"A large apple orchard in Hancock county dropped a great part of its crop
on account of injuries done to the fruit by the plum curculio
(Conotrachelus nenuphar). There is little question that these insects were
forced to scatter through the apple orchard by the destruction, the
previous autumn, of an old peach orchard which had been badly infested by
them.
"In Southern strawberry fields, very serious loss was occasioned by the
tarnished plant-bug (Lygus lineolaris), which I have demonstrated to be at
least a part of the cause of the damage known as the 'buttoning' of the
berry. The dusky plant-bug (Deraecoris rapidus) worked upon the
strawberries in precisely the same manner and at the same time, in some
fields being scarcely less abundant than the other. I have found that both
these species may be promptly and cheaply killed by pyrethrum, either
diluted with flour or suspended in water, and also by an emulsion of
kerosene, so diluted with water that the mixture shall contain about 3 per
cent of kerosene.
"The so-called 'strawberry root-worm' of Southern Illinois proves to be
not one species merely, but three--the larvae of Colaspsis brunnae, Paria
aterrima and Scelodonta pubescens. The periods and life histories of these
three species are curiously different, so that they succeed each other in
their attacks upon the strawberry roots, instead of competing for food at
the same time. The three together infest the plant during nearly the whole
growing season--Colaspsis first, Paria next, and Scelodonta last. The
beetles all feed upon the leaves in July and August, and may then be
poisoned with Paris green.
"The season has been specially characterized by the occurrence of several
widespread and destructive contagious diseases among insects. Elaborate
studies of these have demonstrated that they are due to bacteria and other
parasitic fungi, that these disease germs may be artificially cultivated
outside the bodies of the insects, and that when sown or sprinkled upon
the food of healthy individuals, the disease follows as a consequence. We
have in this the beginning of a new method of combating insect injuries
which promises some useful results."
Illinois Central Railroad.
The elegant equipment of coaches and sleepers being added to its various
through routes is gaining it many friends. Its patrons fear no accidents.
Its perfect track of steel, and solid road-bed, are a guarantee against
them.
FARM IMPLEMENTS, Etc.
NICHOLS & MURPHY'S
CENTENNIAL WIND MILL.
[Illustration of a windmill]
Contains all the valuable features of his old "Nichols Mills" with none of
their defects. This is the only balanced mill without a vane. It is the
only mill balanced on its center. It is the only mill built on correct
scientific principles so as to govern perfectly.
ALL VANES
Are mechanical devices used to overcome the mechanical defect of forcing
the wheel to run out of its natural position.
This mill will stand a heavier wind, run steadier, last longer, and crow
louder than any other mill built. Our confidence in the mill warrants us
in offering the first mill in each county where we have no agent, at
agents' prices and on 30 days' trial. Our power mills have 25 per cent
more power than any mill with a vane. We have also a superior feed mill
adapted to wind or other power. It is cheap, durable, efficient. For
circulars, mills, and agencies, address
NICHOLS & MURPHY, Elgin, Ill.
(Successors to the BATAVIA MANF. CO., of Batavia, Ill.)
THE CHICAGO
DOUBLE HAY AND STRAW PRESS
[Illustration of a straw press]
Guaranteed to load more Hay or Straw in a box car than any other, and bale
at a less cost per ton. Send for circular and price list. Manufactured by
the Chicago Hay Press Co., Nos. 3354 to 3358 State St., Chicago. Take cable
car to factory. Mention this paper.
DEDERICK'S HAY PRESSES.
are sent anywhere on trial to operate against all other presses, the
customer keeping the one that suits best.
[Illustration of men working with a hay press]
Order on trial, address for circular and location of Western and Southern
Storehouses and Agents.
TAKE NOTICE.--As parties infringing our patents falsely claim premiums
and superiority over Dederick's Reversible Perpetual Press. Now,
therefore, I offer and guarantee as follows:
FIRST. That baling Hay with One Horse, Dederick's Press will bale to the
solidity required to load a grain car, twice as fast as the presses in
question, and with greater ease to both horse and man at that.
SECOND. That Dederick's Press operated by One Horse will bale faster and
more compact than the presses in question operated by Two Horses, and with
greater ease to both man and beast.
THIRD. That there is not a single point or feature of the two presses
wherein Dederick's is not the superior and most desirable.
Dederick Press will be sent any where on this guarantee, on trial at
Dederick's risk and cost.
P. K. DEDERICK & CO., Albany, N. Y.
Sawing Made Easy
Monarch Lightning Sawing Machine!
Sent on 30 Days Test Trial.
A Great Saving of Labor & Money.
[Illustration of a male figure using a sawing machine]
A boy 16 years old can saw logs FAST and EASY. MILES MURRAY, Portage,
Mich., writes: "Am much pleased with the MONARCH LIGHTNING SAWING MACHINE.
I sawed off a 30-inch log in 2 minutes." For sawing logs into suitable
lengths for family stove-wood, and all sorts of log-cutting, it is
peerless and unrivaled. Illustrated Catalogue, Free. AGENTS WANTED.
Mention this paper. Address MONARCH MANUFACTURING CO., 163 E. Randolph
St., Chicago Ill.
MONARCH HORSE HOE AND CULTIVATOR COMBINED
For Hoeing & Hilling Potatoes, Corn, Onions, Beets, Cabbages, Turnips, &c.
[Illustration of hoe-cultivator]
SENT ON 30 Days' TEST TRIAL.
An immense saving of labor and money. We guarantee a boy can cultivate
and hoe and hill potatoes, corn, etc., 15 times as easy and fast as one
man can the old way. Illustrated Catalogue FREE. AGENTS WANTED. Mention
this paper. Address
Monarch Mfg. Co., 206 State St., Chicago, Ill.
[Illustration of boiler]
THE PROFIT FARM BOILER
is simple, perfect, and cheap; the BEST FEED COOKER; the only dumping
boiler; empties its kettle in a minute. Over 5,000 in use; Cook your
corn and potatoes, and save one-half the cost of pork. Send for circular.
D. R. SPERRY & CO., Batavia, Illinois.
"THE BEST IS THE CHEAPEST."
SAW MILLS, ENGINES THRESHERS, HORSE POWERS,
(For all sections and purposes.) Write for Free Pamphlet and Prices to
The Aultman & Taylor Co., Mansfield, Ohio.
REMEMBER _that $2.00 pays for_ THE PRAIRIE
FARMER _one year and, the subscriber gets
a copy of_ THE PRAIRIE FARMER COUNTY MAP
OF THE UNITED STATES, FREE! _This is the most
liberal offer ever made by any first-class weekly
agricultural paper in this country._
[Illustration: LIVE STOCK DEPARTMENT]
Stockmen, Write for Your Paper.
Well-informed live stock men estimate the drive from Texas the coming
spring at 325,000 head, unless shipping rates are unusually favorable,
when it may go above 400,000 head.
A careful estimate of the stock on the range near the Black Hills is as
follows: Cattle, 383,900 head; horses, 2,200; sheep, 8,700. It is asserted
that the stock has wintered remarkably well, the loss not exceeding 1-1/2
per cent.
A virulent disease resembling blind staggers has appeared among the horses
of Oregon, and a large number of valuable animals have succumbed to it.
Over 400 have died in two counties. So far the veterinarians have been
unable to stay its progress.
The period of gestation in the mare is in general forty-eight weeks; the
cow forty six weeks; the ewe twenty-one weeks, and the sow sixteen weeks.
Having the date of service, the date at which birth is due may be easily
ascertained. Careful breeders always keep strict record of each animal.
The Illinois State Board of Agriculture has adopted a rule requiring the
slaughter of all sweepstakes animals at the next Fat Stock Show, in order
that the judgment of the committees may be verified as to the quality of
the animals. The premiums for dressed carcasses have been largely
increased over last year.
Polled Aberdeen Cattle.
The subject of our 1st page illustration, Black Prince, is a
representative of that black, hornless race, which had its foundation in
Scotland several hundred years ago, known as Polled Aberdeen-Angus Cattle.
This breed of cattle has grown into very high favor in America during the
last five or six years; so much so, that, while in 1879 the number of
representatives of this race in America were very few, now the demand for
them is so great that the number imported yearly is easily disposed of at
prices ranging from $250 to $2,000. Messrs. Geary Bros., London, Ont., say
that the demand for such cattle during the past winter has never been
equaled in their long experience. As the prevalence of the foot-and-mouth
disease in Great Britain, will, without a doubt cause the importation of
cattle from that country to be prohibited at an early day, it is safe to
say that the value of such stock must rise, as the number of its
representatives in America is limited, and those who have such stock in
their possession fully appreciate their value; and not being under the
necessity of selling, will hold their Aberdeen-Angus cattle unless enticed
by a very high price. Therefore, the coming public sale of Aberdeen-Angus
cattle in Chicago may be looked forward to as going to show unequaled
average prices and especially of individual prize animals.