The Philipsburg mail. [volume], June 29, 1893, Page 3, Image 3

About The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
CELERY GROWING.
A New Jersey Market Gardener's Method
as Described In the Farm Journal.
For the early and second early coop,
for use from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1, we plant
White Plume and Giant Pascal. It is
preceded by onions, lettuce and radishes
as a first crop, and the ground is cleared
and plowed by the latter part of June.
The soil is harrowed until in a fine con
dition. We then remove the two out
side toy h from a 5-tooth cultivator,
close t!5 frame, and with the three re
maining teeth make a shallow trench,
which puts the soil in excellent order for
the plants. The trenches are madethree
feet apart.
We prefer cloudy weather for setting
plants, but do not stop work after start
ing'until all are put out. In this work
we use two men and a boy. The boy
drops the plants as fast as the first man
can set them with his dibble. He sets
them in the trench six inches apart, being
careful to get them in regular and in a
straight line. While the man with the
dibble opens a hole for the plant the
other man fills the hole with water. The
plant is put in this, and the earth drawn
around it. When set, the plants stand
about two inches below the level of the
surface.
After setting the plantsnothing is done
for about 10 days, or until we see signs
of weeds coming through. We then take
a steel garden rake, and walking be
tween the rows draw the rake over the
plants and stirring all the soil in the
row. This breaks the crust and checks
the weeds, ''btit in' no 'way hurts the
plants. A. good workman will rake 80,
000 plants a day. 'About 10 days later
we start the diamond tooth harrow.
working close to the plants, and in a
few days put in the cultivator. We do
nothing more now, 'but cultivate fre
quently, keeping the soil well stirred aip
until we begin to-bleach.
About Aug. 1 we go over the patch.
take each plant in' the hand, straighten
it up and draw dirt up around it to keep
it growing -upright. Aug. 15 we bank
Wiite'Pliume one half' its length. By
Oct. 1 it is ready for market. We are
careful not to bank too early or ..too fast,
as it will quickly spoil in warmweather.
"Oct, 1 we begin tod take' up eadh day
aii wanted, trim, wash and tie in flat
bunches; three or four roots in a bunch.
These we sell for 18 cents pet bunch, or
$1:25 per dozen, from our wagons.a
For late crops, for une from Dec. 1 to
March' 15, we plant Half DWarf and
Golden Dwarf. -Beetsuons-oand~ early
cbbaage are grown n the land as a first
aehan The drains on this lot are all
stopped tight at their openings to guard
against drought. The preparation of the
ground, the pliAting: and'cultivation are
the same as for the' early crop. The land
is cleared bf the'first.op about July 20,
andthe plants set as sobn afterward as
the land can be made ready. We begin
to liandle'the celery to nmake it grow up
right about Sept. 25. We never bank or
bleach this crop in the field. We try at
all times by thorough cultivation to keep
it growing rapidly and by so doing im
prove its flavor. About the lastof Octo
ber we' begin to bleach that which is
wanted Dec. 1. We have nearby a high
and dry and sandy piece of ground. On
this we dig trenches running north and
south, the width of a spade and as deep
as the celery is tall. What was trenched
the last of October is ready for market
by Dec. 1 and has not been covered at
all The rest must be covered.
A Nonswarming Device.
An important paper to beekeepers is
furnished by Mr. Frank Benton on the
Langdon nonswarming device for bees,
which is described, illustrated and pre
sented for the first time to the public in
the May issue of Insect Life, the period
ical publication of the division of en
tomology, United States department of
agriculture. Beekeepers have for many
years endeavored to prevent or at least
control natural swarming, but without
success. The benefits' to be derived by
the suppression of swarming are mani
fold, and a system has at last been de
vised to meet this want. The apparatus
if fully explained and also the system,
which owes its effectiveness to a non
swarming attachment for beehives, by
the uise of which the desire to swarm is
removed. It is even thought possible
that by its constant use a nonswarming
strain of bees will in time be evolved-a
result that has long been" desirable.
Other important advantages are claimed
for the system.
Sit Down and Sow.
Broadcast sowing of oats and other
small grains, says a farmer in Rural
New Yorker, may be done much quick
er and equally well by using a steady
horse and a low, light wagon. Place in
front of the` seat a tub or box that will
hold one or two bushels of grain and
drive with one hand while sowing with
the other. You can save all of the time
spent in pacing off and setting stakes to
sow by if you will drive crosswise of
the last harrowing, no matter how large
the piece of ground, for you can plainly
see the wheel marks and keep the proper
distance from the tracks your wheels
made the last time across. Many a
farmer who cannot walk and carry
grain to sow, but knows well how to
sow, had better adopt this plan than to
trust the seeding to the hired man or
some' one not so' competent as himself.
'I recommend sowing all.'grain right ndl
left, ai grass seed is sown. A slow
walking horse is best.
CUTWORMS.
Natural Enemies of These Pests--Artiaial
Remedies and Destructive Measures.
Qatwrrius are the la~rve of the owlet
moths aniid have the habit of hiding just
under the surface of the ground during
the day and'feeding on the roots, stems
or leaves of plants by night. The larva
or worm when full grown is about 1i
inches long, a dull red brown color, with
fine paler stripes running along the body,
the under side of the' body being of a
pale greenish yellow. The moth has
dark fore wings, with a bluish tinge on
the front border and with a dark brown
lance shaped mark running from the
posterior portion of the kidney shaped
spot in the middle, of the wing; hind
wings white and semitransparent. There
are two broods, and the moths are on the
wing from April to October.
The natural enemies of cutworms are
various species of parasitic and preda
ceous insects, birds like the robin, black
bird, catbird and poultry, and animals
like the skunk and mole. Among arti
ficial remedies named in a bulletin from
the Maine experiment station, the au
thority for the above, are these pre
ventive measures: A handful of salt on
the surface of the plant hill; tobacco
dust about the stem of the plant; paper
wrapped around the stem of the plant;
paper or tin tubes, slit at one side, slipped
over the stem, or dusting dry powders
like hellebore, air slaked lime, ashes and
pyrethrum. about the stems and on the
foliage of nlants.
Among'destructive measures are men
tioned early fall plowing, which covers
up the feed of the young worms and
leaves them to starve; late fall and win
ter plowing, which exposes them in their
winter quarters to perish; dipping plants
to be set in a solution of hellebore (a
pound to 10 gallons of water) or paris
green (an ounce to eight gallons of
water), digging out worms by hand
where plants have been cut by them.
An effective method of saving a crop
from the ravages of cutworms is by
poisoning them before the plants are seL
or a crop like corn comes up. To do this
grass, clover, cabbage or turnip leaves
are dipped in paris green water and scat
tered in small handfuls over the garden
or field. A' stone or piece of wood laid
on it will keep the poisoned trap from
drying out or blowing away. The green
stuff may be moistened and poisoned
plaster or' flour dusted over it. Of course
poultry-and animals that will be injured
by eating the poisoned greens must be
kept out of the field.
Kerosene emulsion has been success
fully tried by the department of agricul
ture for destroying root eating grubs in
grass grounds and would, it is believed,
prove'as effective in killing 'cutworms
under similar circumstances. The places
effected were thoroughly drenched with
an emulsion 'of kerosene 'diluted in the
proportion of 1 to 16 and the ground
then well watered. For this emulsion
dissolve a quarter pound hard soap in
two quarts boiling water, add one pint
of kerosene and churn violently until
the emulsion "comes." Add to this two
gallons of water. Before sprinkling the
sabd dilute as above.
Cost of Cutting and Curing Hay.
Here is an estimate made by The
American Cultivator: The cost of cut
ting and curing hay and putting it in the
barn will necessarily vary much with
circumstances. In a good field, where
there are two tons of hay to the acre or
more, a man with a pair of good horses
can begin in the afternoon and mow
three or four hours; the next morning,
after the dew is off, a smart boy can stir
it up with the tedder, and in the after
noon can draw it into windrows with the
horse rake, and if the weather has been
good it may be driven into the barn at
once, or if not quite cured enough it
may be bunched and covered with hay
caps, to sweat during the night, when a
very little stirring the next day will fit
it for the mow, and the cost of labor of
man, boy and teams need not be over $1
a ton at fair wages. If the grass were
heavier than two tons to the acre, it
Would not reduce the cost very much, as
not as many acres could be cut unless
the horses were very heavy, and it would
be more work to get it properly cured,
and the drawing in and putting upon the
mow would be just as much for a ton in
one case as in the other.
But where the grass is not more than
a half ton to the acre, and we have seen
many fields mown that fell far short of
that, to mow with the hand scythe and
rake with hand rake and to give an extra
handling in airing because of lack of fa
cilities for getting it dried the same day,
two men would do very well to put in
six tons in a week, and their time should
be worth in haying not less than $80, and
it would cost $5 per ton, and if one or
two showers delayed and made it neces
sary to dry the hay several times it could
be increased much more than that.
Probably a fair average for a good farm
ing town or county would be from $2 to
$2.50 per ton as expense of curing and
putting in, but the poor farmer's hay
will very likely cost him at least $2 per
ton more in expense than does the hay of
his better equipped neighbor upon richer
and more highly manured land.
Feeding Stuff From Molasses.
A company has been formed in Cothen,
Germany, to utilize beet molasses by
manufacturing it into a feeding stuff
which can be conveniently handled and
transported. It has been found that by
mixing certain materials with molasses,
which also adds to its value for food, a
dry, mealy food can be produced. Ex
periments with this new molasses food
by farmers and at some of the experi
ment stations are said to have given ex
cellent results. Arrangements are being
made to manufacture this food in large
0.auatitia.
J. A. & J. B. FEATHERMAN
NEW CHICAGO AND DRUMMOND
Fine Groceries, Dry Goods and llairare
W. A. WOODS' REPAERS, MOWERS AND RAKES
Twine Cheaper Than Anybody.
HELENA PRICES. J. A. & J. B. FEATHERMAN.
ALLISON- •
~SHERMAN
FURNITURE HOLE
Carry
a
Full
Line of
FURNITU RF,
CHAMBER SETS,
LOUNGES,
YFANCY CHXIRSRIG
General Under
taking Business
Done. Office acd
Ware-room Loca
ted One Door Be
low the Hynes flo
tel, Broadway.
CHOLERA! CHOLERA!
Thousands are now dying in the East. Cholera will
be the plague here this summer. The World's
Fair will bring it.
3R. Ef, B. ' TO- DI 1,T'S
CHOLERA COMPOUND
Is the only known preventive. None known to have
ever taken the dread disease who have used this
compound.
Take it With You to the World's Fair.
And take no chances on the dreadful disease.
Price $2 per bottle or $9 per half dozen bottles.
Address
THE LOUDEN MEDICAL COMPANY,
Agents Wanted. TIFFIN, OHIO.
Barret &c Jacky, Butte B·arret B& JOacky Co., Anaconda
BARRET & JA.CKY BROS.
XDEJA.ILERS IlNS
BAIN ANn 8BHUTTLE R FARM AND QUARTX W1AON8
SPRING WAGONS, BUGGIES AND ROAD CARTS.
!Champion BinderkanciMowers, JohnDoddsan lollingsworth IHa Rakes
HARNESS, SADDLES, HARNESS, SADDLES,
BRIDLES. · BRIDLES.
TENTS, WAGON & HAYSTACK COVERS ITENTS, WAGON & HAYSTACK COVERS
A Full and Complete Line of Horse Furnishing Goods.
Prices as Low as Anywhere in Montana. All Work Warranted.
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