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show what immense wealth has, for so
long a period of time, been altogether
wasted or neglected to such an extent
as to render it of no material service to
the producer; and even now the agricul
tural section of America is so impov
erished that few have the means to
purchase necessary machinery for the
manufacture of the raw material. May
we not hojjc that machinery will be
improved so at to cheapen the cost, in
order to further utilize this great pro
duct of our soil t L. B. Morel.
From Southern Firm and Home.
Lucerne as a Green Crop for Stock.
Mr. Editor ;—\ bplievc that the
time is last approaching when soiling
cattle, instead of [ifisturing them, will
lie the rule—instead of as now the ex
ception—because it will enable farmers
to keep twice as many head of stock
on the same land, and keep them better
than by the. present mode—and because
stockraising on a larger scale will be
necessary to the production of the
manure requisite to keep up the fertility
of the laud.
T believe that Lucerne, or, as it is
sometimes called, Lucerne Clover (the
Alfalfa of the Pacific coast.), is the
very best crop we can raise for this pur
pose. As you have invited fanners to
give you their experience for publica
tion in the farm and Home, I avail
myself of the opportunity to tell what
I know about Lucerne, in the hope it
may benefit others.
First. —Let me toll you that, if you
want to raise a good crop of Lucerne,
you must plant, it in a rich, dry, deep
ly-broko and clean soil. It will do well
•on any land that will produce a good
crop of red clover.
Second.— Prepare the land in the
fall, or during the winter, so as to let i
the frost pulverize and mellow it. Plow
deep; manure liberally, either with
stable manure or some good mperphos
phate; and if you can subsoil the land
do so by all means. Early in spring
give the land a- light plowing, to be
followed by a harrow, so as to make
the surface soil fine.
'Third.—Sow in <1 rills twelve or fif
teen incites apart, using twelve pounds
of seed to the acre. Sow as earlv in
the spring as the season will allow.
Cover lightly with a rake, or 1 19110 w,
unless you use a seed-drill, which sows
and covers at the same time.
FonuTii.—After the seed comes up
run over the crop with a cultivator to
loosen the soil and destroy the weeds.
Weeds are the “worst enemies of Lu
cerne. They choke it out when it is
young, but if they are kept down until
the plants get strong and matured they
are no longer to be dreaded. If jkissi
ble, it is best to select for this crop a
piece of land which has been last used
for a hoed crop.
Fifth. —The first year you may ex
pect a good crop of food for soiling,
but in every succeeding year, for five
or six years—if you give the land a
light top-dressing of manure late in the
fall, and run a harrow and a roller over
it in the early spring—yon may count
on four or five heavy cuttings, com
mencing in the spring before clover is
fit to cut, continuing a'l the summer
and lasting until frost.
Sixth. —After the first year, except,
the top dressing and rolling above
mentioned, it needs no outlay of money
or labor. It will yield heavily for
fully six years.
Seventh. —All sorts of stock prefer
it to corn fodder, or any other sort of
food I know, and they thrive on it bet
ter than on anything else.
It is the cheapest and best soiling
crop I ever tried, and I believe it will
do well in every State in the South ;
{trovided, it be planted in good soil, the
and well prepared, and care taken to
keep down the weeds until the young
plauts arc big enough to take posses
sion of the ground. The forage is su
perior in quality and succulence to
millet, is fully equal to the best corn,
and has this great advantage over both
—that it lasts fov six years without
plowing or re-seeding. M. J. W.
Edgefield, S. C., Pecember, 1871.
A little girl in Ithaca, before she died, ex
claimed, **Papa, take hold of my hand and
help me across." Her father had died two
months before. Did she see him ?
“The people ov good sense” arc those
whose opinions agree with ours.— Hillings.
BANNER OF THE SOUTH AND PLANTERS’JOURNAL.
horticultural.
From the Fanner k Gardener.
Work for the Month.
FEpRU A ItV.
This, the last month of our Winter,
should admonish the orchardist to
hasten all necessary work to comple
tion. Pruning is the most imjiortant
operation now' in season, as it is during
this month that it can be perfomie
with the best results. Early pruning
often form) the sap into activity earlier
than if left untouched Hence it has
been conceded by adepts from time im
memorial that it is belt to prune a tree
when the first signs of returning active
vegetation are apparent. Peach trees
cspeoially are benefitted by late pruning,
the iueipent activity in the vegetation
is retarded and often a tardy expansion
of blossoms is thus secured; a result
highly desirable here, where the
greatest disasters to our ]>each crop are
caused by late Spring frosts. Pruning
should however, be judiciously per
formed; some trees will not require as
heavy reduction#ot their tops as
others, hence we should urge the
perusal of a previous number of the
Farmer and Gardener, where the
objects of pruning are fully set forth.
Wo have had so fur an unusually
favorable Winter, the weather has been
evenly cool, without the usual inter
mission of warm spells hence it is
probable that active vegetation in trees
| will be retarded until late; this respite
can be of avail to those who have yet
delayed transplanting fruit trees etc.
This should not lie delayed any longer
if successful results are anticipated.
Examine peach trees, seo it the borer
has been at work during the past Sum
mer, remove the earth from the crown
of the roots and leave this portion un
covered until March. Plow orchards,
apply a top dressing of lime, ashes, or
manure and as stated before apply this
broadcast end not close to the tree as is
generally the ease. Trees do not
receive their nutriment near their base,
but this is furnished by the ends of the
youngest roots and as these extend
further as the tree increases in size the
philosophy of applying fertilizers
broad cast will be easily understood.
Strawberry beds luaist be worked, and
manured without delay. Plauts can
be set out during the mouth with a
prospect of a small crop of fruit in
May. Prune grape vines, tie up vines
and repair trellis before the buds begin
' to swell as it will prevent these from
being broken off. Set out cuttings of
figs, grapes, roses, etc. In fact we de
. oidedly prefer February for this opera
i tion, but would say that cuttings must
be prepared at once and if the ground
is not ready, keep them in damp moss
| or earth until the proper time.
. Asparagus beds must be worked at
■ once if not done so before. The
vegetable garden must be thoroughly
• worked and manured. Plant peas,
* beets, carrots, parsnips, onions, either
from seed or sets for early Spring use—
r other vegetables which resist light
[ frost can also be sown. Set out cab
; bage plants and prepare hot beds at
J once, so as to secure a good supply of
strong plants of tomatoes, peppers, Egg
\ plants etc, fov setting out, when danger
. of Spring frost is past Burr Artichokes
) can be increased by planting sets frotn^
> old plants. We have mentioned in
J several previous issues, the new varie
ties of Irish potatoes as possessing
great advantages upon older kinds ;
the Early Hose has no superior for
j earliness. Peerless for second in ina
> turitv and Climax for Summer keep
ing. Plant at once for early crop, and
end of the month for later in the
. seasou.
Flower beds most lie prepared and
seeds of Perennials sown at first mild
spell. Transplant and divide perennial
plants of last year's growth.
Greenhouse plants will need repot
ting and renewing of soil, out back
soft wooded plants when jwrfonning
this operation. Winter blooming
varieties should however be left undis
turbed until their season of blooming
has passed.
This is a favorable season for propa
gating plants for bedding out in April.
Geraniums, Heliotropes, .Salvias,
and similar classes can be grown now
without bottom heat if the stock plants
are in proper stage of vegetation.
Agricultural Education. •’
There is,.probably, no elass of pub
lications that has contributed so much
to the national wealth of the country,
as those bearing upon Agriculture and
kindred topics, and for the amount of
useful knowledge, thus cheaply dissem
inated. there are lew, if any, that receive!
less deserved appreciation.
As successful agriculture is the foun
dation of the country's prosperity, so
the means whereby the science and
practice of agriculture is advanced,
should be regarded as the most impor
tant clement in our progress anil wealth.
Within the last ten or twenty years,
vast improvements and changes have
taken place in this direction. Improv
e<l Implements for filling the soil, im
proved breeds of stock, a more widely
diffused knowledge of the nature and
application of manures, newly intro
duced articles of production and im
provements in the varieties heretofore
existing, have almost revolutionized old
established agricultural ideas and cus
toms.
In arriving at this slate of affairs,
agricultural publications have acted in
a two-lold capacity. Through them,
ideas of practical farmers were inter
changed and given to the world, to be j
taken hold of and put to practical ac i
count by inventors arid others. Im-!
provemeuts and inventions were thus
introduced, to be brought back through
the same channel, to the notice and
consideration of those they were in
tended to benefit. Very few farmers
who subscribe to an agricultural paper,
but will say that many articles and
many single numbers have benefitted
them much more than the price of the
yearly subscription; but we believe that
in the South the majority of fanners
take no such publication. Northern
fanners support their papers, almost
without exception, and herein lies much
of the secret of the unequal evidences
(as regards the South) of progress and
prosperity that there exist; some of
the leading agricultural publications of
the North have a subscription list of
from one to two hundred thousand,
whilst a southern paper of the kind,
that- can boast of five thousand is con
sidered prosperous. For ten dollars a
year a Southern fanner can supply him
self with an excellent variety of read
ing matter that will convey, not only
instruction, but amusement and profita
ble occupation to his family both old
and young. It is true that Northern
papers are generally conducted for the
use of Northern farmers; most South
ern. publications are particularly adapt
ed foV the use of those of the section
I of country in which they are published;
but we iusist that a farmer who does
not subscribe to an agricultural publi
cation of some kind, must necessarily
be behind the times.
Let a farmer who has not been ac
customed to this class • of reading try
the experiment of investing ten or even
five dollars for one year’s subscription,
to two or more reliable farmer’s papers,
and our word for it, the investment
will never be regretted or the amount
of it diminished.— Farmer <t G.
Flavor of California Fruits.—
Josiah Hooper, in his late annual ad
dress betore the Pennsylvania Fruit
Growers’ Society, said of his observa
tions in California: *1 may say in re
ganl to the larger fruits, such as the
apple, j>ear, peach, etc., that their re
markable size and beauty appeared very
little short of a miracle; indeed I was
totally unable to detect old standard
varieties time and again. Their enor
mous size and perfect shape, together
with that peculiar waxen appearance,
proverbial to all California fruits, was a
continual picture, and will not soou be
forgotten. But beautiful and large as
all these vegetable productions are, there
is lacking that delicious flavor, the
agreeable aroma and the richness of our
less perfect but better fruits. We search
in vain for these requisites beyond the
Kooky Mountains, and I very much
doubt if they have the more preferable
acquisitions, or that we would exchange
our quality for their appearance.”
Vlcrrni iz to. —Our excellent anJ usually
cautions Votemporary, the Cultivator and
Country Gentleman lias been taken in by
the “Wild Tea remedy for Cancer ' dodge.
In its last issue a communi ati m appears
stating the unfailing virtues of Wild Tea, as
a remedy for cancer. Os coarse this state
ment was calculated to create a demand for
the article of Wild Tea, which it appears is
only procurable from the originator of the
so-called euro.
The retired clergyman whose sands of life
have been for so long a time running out,
and who advertises to furnish sufferers,
gratuitously, a prescription for the cure of
consumption, &cl, has met his match in the
Wild Tea man. It is almost unnecessary to
repeat what has been so often said about
the clergyman's prescription; it contains an
article, that cannot be obtained except from
the clergyman himself, and of Course at his
own price. This is really the age of hum
bugs.—Farmer & Gardener.
Gardening for Ladies.— How many en
thusiasts there arc now to lie found among
the gentle sex, in behalf of gardening or
out-door exercise for ladies. It is quite re
freshing to read such a dainty little story as
this, told by Julia Coleman:
“I know one lady whose sensible doctor
told her, twenty years ago, that she was hall'
gone with consumption, and that lier only
chance of of life was to be in the open air
as much as possible. And a perfect bower
pf Paradise was her little yard. Was the
soil fioor ? She enriched it.’ Were her va
rieties indifferent ? She procured better !
Nearly all the flowers were fragrant. Fit'-
teen kinds of rows bloomed under her
hands, and a succession of flowers filled out
the Summer. One side of the yard was
covered with grapes. Peaches, plums and
rasplierries were trained eri espalier, and
choice squashes ripened on the roofs of the
out-houses. Tomatoes were trained to
single jioles and yielded luxuriantly: and
ruby strawberries peeped out even from
the bleaching grass. She, herself, was as
fresh and vigorous as you could expect one
to lx* whose half decayed lung bail left her
with insufficient vitality. But her life was :
saved and it had been a happiness to herself !
ami a blessing to others.”
She is right, too, when she says that more 1
than half the credit for the ’ ornamenta
tion <sf our door-yards and homes, is due to,
the ladies who push the men up to their
duty.
THE GRIDIRON.
The principal difference between preparing
a breakcast in the city er country is this : In
the former the meat is broiled, in the latter
| it is fried. No one would think to commence
1 housekeeping in a large town without first
i purchasing a gridiron, though a frying pan
might not lie thought of. In tiie country the
converse of this is true; every house con
tains a frying pan, often quite’ a number of
them, but a gridiron is rarely seen.
Whether tested by the light of science, the
rules of economy, the laws that govern
health, or the appetite that has become cul
tivated by good living, the frying pan may
justly be regarded as the most objectMßable
cooking utensil, as far as preparing meat for
the . table is concerned, that ever was in
vented. Its origin dates from the dark ages
of cookery, in the. gloom of which many
people are now living. Its use is most waste
ful, inasmuch as it drives out of the meat
cooked therein many of the juices that form
the most nutritious part of that substance,
and puts the remaining portion in a poor
condition to be digested, or to be relished by
one who has been accustomed to eat steaks,
chops or cutlets prepared in any other way.
More cases of indigestion aiid dyspepsia
among farmers' families can lie traced to the
flying pan than to any other cause. The
frying pan vitiates the taste to such an ex
tent that the victim of fried meat often re
quires years to prepare his appetite to enjoy
the delicacy of meat cooked in a rational
way. A physician who would recommend
fried beef for a patient would be set down
by the medical profession as an ignoramus.
A city hotel keeper who would include fried
fresh meats among the dishes on his break
fast bill of fare, would drive all his guests,
who were accustomed to good eating, from
his table. The frying pan is a relic of cvfii
naiy barbarism, the continued use of which
in. fanners' families can oniy be defended on
the score of convenience.
The chemist, physician, cook and. epicure
all unite in commending the gridiron. Its
invention marked the commencement of a
new era in cooking. It can be said of few
things that economy and epicurean taste
both favor them; but the gridiron is cer
tainly of that number. There is far less
waste in weight in broiling than in any other
method of cooking meat. There is a’lso less
loss of nutritious principles and agreeable
flavors. Scarcely anything is taken from the
meat except a small portion of water. If we
except sausage, fresh and salt pork, there is
no kind of meat, poultry or game, that is
not vastly better, every way considered, when
cooked on a gridiron, than when fried out in
a frying pan. Most persons who have tried
both methods will prefer to have salt pork
cut in very thin slices and broiled,, to having
it in the usual way it appears on fanners'
tables, the pieces tried to a crisp and floating
like pieces of a wreck in an ocean of gravy.
But because the gridiron is a good thing,
it is no argument that meat should be kept
on it, as good Saint Lawrence was, till the
flesh becomes blackened. Asa rule, the
?uieker the operation of broiling is per
ormed, the better. To this end there should
be a good supply of coal from which all the
gases have escaped, so that there will lie no
blaze and no smoke. The coals should rest
on a bed of ashes, so that they w ill not cool
too quickly. They should extend upwards
as near the meat as possible w ithout touch-'
mg it.
The heat should be suffered to sear over
the under-surface and prerent the escape of
the juices. Almost as soon as this is done
the pieces should be inverted. A little ex
perience will teach one how long the pieces
should lie on the gridiron. People who have
been habituated to eating meat fried to a
scrap, will not at first relish steaks or cntlets
cooked rare, but they will soon prefer meat
cooked in this way. Asa rule, all seasoning
should be added to broiled meat after it is
taken from the gridiron. If the weather is
cold, the table plates should also lie warmed.
“Piping hot.” Webster says, is an inelegant
expression; hut really it expresses the way
a steak should come to the t able better than
any words we have at our disposal.— Prairie
Farmer.
RECIPES.
Cocoanut Cake. —One cup of butter, two
cups of sugar, four eggs, two teaspoons of
cream tartar, one of soda dissolved in a cup
of milk, three cups of flour, and one grated
cocoanut.
Apricas Poi nd Cake. —One cup of sugar,
one cup of batter, one cup of syrup, one
cup of sour milk, three eggs, one teaspoon
of soda, four cups of flour, two cups or rai
sins and cun-ants, (half, cup of citron, cinna-__
mon, cloves and nutmeg to suit the tastix
and a small wine-glass of brandy.
Batter Pudding.—Four eggs, one quart
of milk, eight tablespoons of flour, hake one
hour. This is also very good boiled.
Yorkshire Pudding. —One pint of inilk,
two eggs, add flour to make it a little stiffer
than liatter pudding; bake half hour.
Dried Peach Pudding.— One quart dried
peaches chopped fine, onfe cup sweet milk,
one cup syrup, one cup sugar, three eggs,
one tablespoon of butter, one teaspoon soda,
two teaspoons cinnamon, half teaspoon of
cloves, add flouf enougli to make it nearly
as stiff as a ptmud cake. Boil three hours.
Brandy sauce.
German Puffs.— Three eggs, three cups
of milk, three cups of flour. ” Bake in cups
and eat with lemon sauce.
Dressing Black Hogs. —A corres
pondent of the Michigan Farmer
says; “The principal objection to the
Essex and Berkshire breed of hogs, 1
find to be their color. Now as Youatt
justly observes, this is not even "skin
deep.” The coloring matter will be
found to be secreted between the trne
skin and epidermis of outer skin. If
care is taken in scalding black hogs
they can be dressed as white as qny
white hog. It is a well known prin
ciple that all black substances absorb
heat- Hence in dressing black hogs
the water should not be so hot as in
scalding white ones. If this simple
rule be observed there will be no diffi
culty in dressing black hogs. Instead
\of this color being an objection I re
j gard it as an advantage, for the skin of
j a black hog will always be found to
>be smooth and glossy, free from
cutaneous eruption and always dean.
Onions.— “ Onions,” says Dr. Hall,
“are one. of the most nutritious, health
ful and detestable articles of food
found in our markets. We never ate
one to our knowledge, and never ex
pect to; we can smell them a mile off,
perhaps. A few grains of coffee,
eaten immediately afterwards, or a
teaspoonfnl of vinegar swallowed, re
moves at once the odor of the breath.
If onions are half boilgd, and the
water thrown away, and then put in
soup to be boiled ‘done,’ the odor will
be but little noticed.”