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purpose better. For sheep and milch
cows the Ruta Baga is found very nu
tritious, surpassing most other roots ;
and it is good also occasionally to feed
to horses, if cat fine, and mixed with
cut straw or hay, as an alterative feed.
It is also an excellent table vegetable,
is very productive, and there is more
nutritive matter in it than any other of
the turnip family; it is hardier, and
easily kept, and preserves its edible
qualities long after other kinds cease
to be fit for table use in the Spring.
When intended for food for stock,
early sowing is desirable, say between
the middle and last of June, which will
secure larger roots and a heavier yield;
if for table use, the seedling may be
delayed till the first up to the middle of
July. This root is decidedly a potash
plant; in the inorganic elements there
of are found potash, lime, sulphuric
acid, soda and phosphoric acid, the
first preponderating. Ashes or their
equivalent are the most desirable of
this class of manures for the turnip.—
Sea weeds are rich in potash, wherever
to be conveniently had, yielding on an
average from eight to ten per cent,;
stable and barn yard manure will also
supply some potash; fish furnish also
an excellent application, and if formed
into compost with plaster and any rich
earth, would, when reduced, be an ex
cellent manure for turnips, containing
also phosphoric acid, lime, chloride of
sodium, salt, etc.; salt will supply the
soda and chlorine, and plaster of Paris
the sulphuric acid required for the tur
nips.
Thorough preparation of the soil is
requisite for nearly all crops, but in
this, it is especially - so ; when practica
ble, plow two or three times and fully
eight to ten inches deep ; reduce the
soil to the finest tilth by harrowing
and oross harrowing, and the use of
the roller. If you sow broadcast, the
manure should be evenly spread and
plowed in; but when thus grown, they
will require a much larger amount of
manure. If drilling is resorted to, as
is decidedly best, spread the manure
evenly in the drills, and run furrows
north and south, from BO- to 22 ir/ches
apart and four inches diep, into wviich, .
equally as possible
then cover with the fplow aud run a
light harrow over the/furrows.
The next step is to (drill in the seed,
which should be donJ by a drilling
machine, on the top of the line of the
furrows prepared as above directed,
and the work is done, as the imple
ment will make the drill, drop the seed,
cover and roll, all at one aud the same
operation, which economises time and
labor—and by the by, every farmer
and gardener should have a drilling
machine. If you have not such an im
plement, then stretch a line along the
centre of the furrows, and with a rake
or the corner of a hoe, trace a drill an
inch deep, drop the seed from the
mouth of a bottle, or any other con
trivance of the kind—in the bottle
equal quantities of seed and sand should
be placed, and be constantly shaken as
you progresg to secure an even and
thin distribution of the seed; as the
seed is dropped, let a hand follow with
a rake, to cover the seed, and press the
soil down of them with the back part
of it.
The manure recommended would be
per acre, ten bushels ashes, three or
more of bone dust, two do. salt, and
one of plaster; throw it in bulk, let it
remain eight to ten days, shovel it over
well, then broadcast it over the ground,
harrow it in and roll; then sow the
seed, lightly harrow them in with a
light harrow and roll—or 20 two-horse
loads of well rotted barn yard and
stable manure, or the same quantity
of either; half of the manare should be
plowed in eight; the other half four
inches deep; then top-dress with a
mixture of ten bushels ashes, two do. .
salt, and one do. plaster; harrow in
the mixtore, roll, sow the seed, and
harrow it in lightly with a light harrow, |
and roll the ground. Other formulas j
might be named, but anything produc- j
ing the elements contained in turnips,
mentioned above, can be applied at the
convenience or fancy of the cultivator.
Soak the seed twenty-four hours in
fish oil, then drain oft’ the oil, and dry
the seed with ashes, slaked lime or
plaster, or a mixture of any or all of
these—this secures an earlier germina
tion, and the odor is a repellent to
insects, and the oil is of itself a manure.
A pound of seed is sufficient for an
BANNER OF THE SOUTH AND PLANTE It S’JOURNAL.
j acre, but to allow for all casualties, it i:
j better to sow a pound and a half. Lesi
j quantities by one-third of the manun
| and the seed will be required if th<
: drill system is used. The land shouh
, be a deep fertile sand or sandy loam.
As soon as the plants come up, foi
; several mornings, while the dew is or
| them, the plants must be dusted ovei
with a mixture composed of two parts
ashes, one part soot, and one of plaster:
continue this until the plants are in the
rough leaf, to protect them from insects
—when they are large enough to be
worked, if drilled, run a small cultiva
tor between the middle of the rows,
leaving the line of plants undisturbed;
work them by hand and hoe at the
same time—in a week give a second
working, and thin them out so as to
stand 8 inches apart in the rows. In
another week or ten days after the
second working, give the plants athird
working, aad the work is done—if
there are any naked spots, draw plants
from places where they are too thic-r,
and dibble them in the vacant places,
eight inches apart, selecting a wet
season for the work. When the Rma
Bagas are sown broadcast, thin out so
as to stand twelve inches apart every
way, and stir the ground frequently and
keep the plants entirely free from
weeds and grass.
Crawfish in the Cotton Field.—
Crawfish are very destructive to young
cotton on many plantations in this re
gion of country. They eat it, or cut it
down and carry it into their holes.
Can you suggest any way to get clear
of them—any practical and effective
agent that will destroy them ? In old
times planters sent hands out at night
with lights, and killed them flagrante
dilecto, but in these degenerate times
the freedmen can’t be induced to do
this. How can this pest be easiest
destroyed f A Subscriber.
Okolonci, Miss.
Glover, Entomologist to the Washing
ton Department of Agriculture, recom
mends that small bits of meat upon
which strychnine has been placed, be
dropped into their holes. We would
pajut in the form of a powder, that may
be had at almost any paint store. It
would be necessary to order “dry Paris
green,” otherwise you would get it
ground in oil. Mix in the proportion
of about one ounce Paris green to fifteen
ounces dry ashes, or lime, or flour, and
sprinkle it over the plants where the
crawfish use. Be careful not to inhale
it into the lungs while sprinkling, for it
is a poison. An old oyster can, with
small holes punched in the bottom, and
a cloth or paper tied over the top,
makes a good sprinkler. Apply when
the dew is on, and keep to windward of
the row. The compound will not in
jure the plants, but it will be very apt
to clear out the crawfish. Paris green
is a very cheap article, and one sprink
iing would be very apt to do for the
season. We have never tried it on
crawfish, but we have tried it on rab
bits and various insects with perfect
success, and therefore feel confident
that it would act on crawfish as well.—
Mobile Register.
horticultural.
PROFITS IN SMALL FRUITS.
At the Pennsylvania Fruit Growers’
Convention, Mr. A. S. Fuller spoke as
follows: Competition is brisk, aud
this leads me to believe that there are
| but two classes of small fruit growers
who can make the business very profi
table. The first are those who have an
j abundance of capital with which, in a
| measure, to control unfavorable circum
stances. If they only make a profit of
J a penny per basket, and sell enough it
j will amount to considerable in the ag
gregate. Cultivators without a large
• ipital having to come in competition
i would be ruined with prices which
j gave the extensive producer a small
margin for profits. The second class
are those who have a home market and
raise their fruit without any considera
ble outlay for labor. A man who works
in the field himself, and has a family to
gather and market his fruit, will find
small fruit culture quite profitable, inas
much as he receives an immediate re
turn for his labor; but should he at
tempt to extend his operations until a
number of hired laborers have to be
employed, he will very likely' find the
j profits growing gradually less. It is
: jnst here that so many persons have
made a most serious mistake in the
! culture of the small fruits. At the
beginning they have probably produced
! a few hundred quarts of fine fruit upon
a small plot of land, and this being
disposed of at a home market, they
resolve to extend operations in the
same direction without taking into
consideration the amount of capital
necessary to purchase baskets and
crates, as well as the extra amount of
labor required in production. Even if
these things are considered, the fruit
grower is very liable to forget that
there is sometimes a run of bad weather
during the harvest season, also low
prices and a short crop. Perhaps some
may accuse me of drawing too strongly
on the negative side of this question.
I beg them to remember that for many
years there has been a strong team on
the Other side. I do not wish to dis
courage any one from engaging ih the
culture of small fruits, but merely de
sire to put them on their guard against
expecting too great results. The
World.
[From the Rural Alabamian.]
Among the Flowers,
I lowers. —Let there be someone to
set a tuft of Mignonette by every sick
mans pillow, and plant a Fuchsia in
every working man’s yard, and place
a Gei auium in every sewing girl’s win
dow, and twine a Cypress about every
poor man’s grave, and, above all, may
there come upon us the blessing of
Him whose footsteps the mosses mark,
and whose breath is the redolence of
flowers. Between these leaves I press
thee, O Lily of the V alley.— From, Out
of Doors.
The Camellia. —The Camellia is a
difficult plant to manage. It is hard to
say what causes the" trouble, but too
much sunlight is the probable cause.
I his will indicate the cure. They can
be propagated by cuttings, but it is
difficult. Papers are better, but take
time. Raising seedlings is a slow pro
cess, and then they' must be budded or
in-arched; better to buy plants than
mULi—Llltl* —Lid— HAlll florists i,ol 1 our
correspondent how to manage. An ex
change says:
Camellias thrive best in a cool, moist
atmosphere—one quite different from
that usually found in an ordinary sitting
room. Any considerable change in the
temperature of the air, or in the amount
of water applied, is very likely to make
Camellias cast their buds; still we know
of many ladies who have excellent suc
cess in growing and blooming them as
parlor plants. VVe do not think the
Camellia is a difficult plant to cultivate,
but it requires a peculiar treatment, and
one quite different from roses and gera
niums.
We would advise keeping plants
in an atmosphere not above sixty de
grees, nor below forty-five degrees;
| keep the soil moist by giving plants
j plenty of water once or twice a week,
j but do not apply a little every day', as is
j the too common practice with amateurs
(in window gardening. If the plants
casts their buds again this season, take
them out of the pots ond soak the ball
ot earth for a few hours in water, until
it is wet through. If any of the roots
are rotted, cut them away. Remove a
portion of the soil, or all, if it parts
readily from the roots. Now take good
fresh loam from a hedge row or near an
old fence—that which is full of rich
vegetable mould—and add to this some
old, rotten cow manure, say one-fourth
the whole quantity of the latter. Break
up and thoroughly mix this compost,
and it is ready for use. Put the plants
again in this material, being careful to
l>ut plenty of drainage in the bottom,
and see that every root is surrounded
with soil. Press the soil in firmly, give
water to settle it, and put the plants in
a situation to grow again.
Next Summer set the plants out
doors in a half-shady position, and water
them as required. Apply water fre
quently overhead in order to keep the
leaves clean and free from dust. In
Autumn remove the plants to the
house, and if you do not water too
freely, give too much heat, or make
some other grave mistake, the plants
will not fail to do well.
The Zinnia —This beautiful annual,
says the Journal of the Farm , does not
receive the attention which it richly
deserves. The plant is very hardy, re
quiring no special care, conies into
bloom very early, continues in flower
the whole season, and constantly in
creases in size and beauty. The "blos
soms are usually' double, veiy large, of
many colors, and are excelled by no
flower of the garden except the Dahlia.
Last year our Zinnias were unusually
admired; for many long weeks the
garden was gay with their bright colors,
in nearly every shade of crimson, with
pure white, splendid scarlet, deep yel
low', buff’, pink and salmon. The only
objection which can be made to the
Zinnia is its stiff foliage and bushy
habit, which requires more room than
most annuals. It is admirably adapted
to large flower gardens in the country,
and quite indispensable where a brilliant
display of flowers is desirable, with but
little labor.
Climbing V ines. —One of the greatest
improvements to a small cottage is the
prevalence of vines clambering over it,
so as to almost entirely conceal its out
line. For this purpose nothing can be
better than the American Ivy (Ampe
lopsis), and golden veined Honeysuckle
(Lonicera aurea reticulata), closely in
tertwined, so that during the Autumn
months the effect of the golden and
crimson foliage is beautiful beyond de
scription. Over the front of the house,
especially if there should be a porch,
the effect will be heightened by a ram
pant growing Clematis) either O. Vi
talba, the European Traveler’s Joy, or
C. Virginiam , our native Virgin’s
Bow'er. The abundance of pure white
fragrant bloom on each of these, aided
by a dense mass of foliage, is produc
tive of good results. The Prairie
Roses, owing to their entire hardiness
and free flowering habits, are also
worthy of due consideration as cottage
runners; but there is an air of stiffness
and primness about them, which never
harmonizes so well with their sur
roundings as do the vines before men
tioned. When the cottagers of America
are willing to receive a lesson in flori
culture from the Paisley weavers of
England, we may then date an era of
progression which is sadly needed
throughout our land to-day. The few
hours spent during the evening, or early
inthemormng, ori a bed of choice i
flowers, will return
in pleasure, on a capital invested nf
labor; and my repbtation for veracity
will never be questioned when I state
that, when men are once induced to
feel an interest in plants, it increases
with their years, so that rarely is it
ever forsaken.— Josi.ah IToopes.
Grafting Geraniums —Many of the
new Zonal Geraniums are wonderfully
slow growers on their own roots, re
quiring two or three years to obtain a
good, showy plant. Among the plain
leafed sorts there are plenty of strong,
vigorous growers. I am using these
for stocks upon which to graft the more
delicate kinds. Grafting geraniums
has been practiced but very little in
this country, but I think that W’hen
our gardeners learn its value they will
be extensively used for the slow grow
ing but elegant Zonal varieties. Even
for the purpose of obtaining a supply of
good strong cuttings, grafting the
weaker sorts upon the stronger will be
found of considerable value to the com-
To Destroy the Aphis on Single
Plants, an English writer recommends
the following mode: If the infested
plant is small aud short, take three or
four laurel leaves, beat them all over
with a hammer, so as to thoroughly
bruise them: then place them round or
under the plant and cover ; a bell glass
does best. Let all remain closed for a
few hours, and the aphides will be
found dead, each hanging by its probo
scis only. If this process is repeated
within a day or two to make sure, the
plant will be perfectly freed, and in
some cases, is not again attacked. This
way of killing aphides may be accepta
ble to those who dislike tobacco smoke,
all danger arising trom an overdose of
it to a very tender plant is avoided; and
the laurel is so generally grow'n, it
must be almost everywhere at hand for
the purpose.
Attempt to Shoot the State Treas
urer of South Carolina. —ln Colum
bia, on Tuesday, James D. Tradewell,
Jr., while under the influence of liquor]
attempted to shoot 'State Treasurer
Parker, while that officer was sitting in
the office of C. IX Melton, Esq. The
young man was disarmed, however, be
fore he had time to discharge his pistol.
Household Recipes.
Lemon Cake. —Two cups of flour,
one of butter, one of milk, three of
sugar, six eggs, one large lemon, one
teaspoonful ol soda.
Ginger Cookies. Excellent for
breakfast with coffee. Two cups of
molasses, one of shortening, one of
water, one egg, one tablespoonful of
soda, one of ginger. Roll pretty thick.
Peas. Peas should be put into
boiling water, with salt and saleratus,
in the proportion of a quarter of a
teaspoonful of saleratus to haTf a peck
of peas. Boil them from fifteen to
thirty minutes, according to their a<re
and kind. When boiled tender take
them out of the water with a skimmer,
salt and butter them to the taste.
Derby Short Cake— Rub half a
pound of butter into one pound of
flour, and mix one egg, a quarter of a
pound of sifted sugar, and as much
milk as will make a paste. Roll this
out thin, and cut the cakes with any
fancy shapes, or the top of a wineglass.
1 lace on tin plates, strew' over with
sugar, or cover the top of each with
icing, and bake for ten minutes.
An Elegant Pudding. — Remove
the inside of three lemons into a basin,
take out the pipes, and add half a
pound of sugar, mix w'ell: roll a long
strip of paste, as for rolly-pollv pud
ding, lay the mixture over with a "spoon;
roll and boil the same as rolly-polly
pudding. Orange can be done the
same way, with the addition of the
juice of half a lemon.
Jumbles. —One pound of sugar, one
of butter, four eggs, one and a quarter
pound of flour, half a gill of rose water.
Beat the butter and sugar to a cream,
whisk th<p eggs with "them, then the
rose water; lastly, stir the flour lightly
in, roll it into round slips the thickness
of your little finger, form it into rings
the size of half a dollar, place them on
tins about Half an inch apart, and bake
in a moderate oven.
Pies. —Four eggs beaten in
j£ai|Hunt of cold milk, with .six large
‘ o f
fcfiffgar, a little salt. Heat one q'uari ol
milk nearly to boiling, then stir rapidly
until it thickens. Add one teaspoonful
of lemon. Make the pastry as for cus
tard pies. \X hen done pour the cream
on the pies and set aw'ay until cool.
Cheap Sponge Cake. —Beat up four
eggs, yolks and white separate; add to
the yolks a teacupful and a half of
sugar; beat them together, and add to
them four tablespoonsful of cold water,
and one teacupful of flour. Stir the
flour into the yolks and sugar, then add
the whites of the eggs, after they have
been beaten to a froth. Lastly," add a
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in water.
Flavor with a few drops of essence of
vanilla or of lemon. Bake about an
hour.
Pickling Cucumbers. —A corres
pondent at St. Elmo, Alabama, desires
information on the subject of putting
up cucumbers. Make a brine strong
enough to float an egg, and put the
cucumbers into it, sinking them beneath
the surface with a weight. This is the
usual mode of putting them away in
salt. They will require to be soaked
and otherwise prepared for use, of
course. A good aud quick way of
pickling cucumbers is as follow’s :
Put together—l gallon good vinegar;
1 ounce mace; 2 dozen cloves; £ ounce
ground ginger; 1 teaspoonful of salt.
Simmer together in a porcelain kettle
ten minutes, then put in the cucumbers
and simmer slow’ly (they must not boil)
ten minutes longer. At the end of
that time pour into a suitable vessel
and set aw'ay for use, covering closely
to keep out flies. —Mobile Register.
Tricks with Trout— ls you want
to make the colors of trout deep and
dark, grow them over a black, muddy
bottom, well shaded.
If you want to cultivate light and
delicate tints, grow the trout on a light,
open, gravelly bed.
If you want to have trout short and
deep, and, to use an expressive Ameri
canism, chunky, grow them in a deep,
still pond.
If you want to have them long and
slim, grow them in a shallow, swift
current.
3