VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APEIL 13, 1895.
NO. 15.
Tbains in the mountains of Colorado
were blocked for three days and more
early ln the -week, by heavy snow-fall
whioh piled up in the' cuts in places 20 to
30 feet.
During a visit last week to the nursery
grounds of J. K. Henby, at Greenfield, we
saw chip shavings from the planing mill
put to a new and valuable use. They are
scattered in the rows of blackberry, raspberry, currant and gooseberry plants and
prove to be an excellent mulch. They are
much better than saw-dust, aB they do not
pack so close. ' They keep down the weeds
perfectly and as they decay, add nutriment to the plants.
WBATHEE CROP BULLETIN.
United States Department of Agriculture,
Weather Bureau. Orop Bulletin of the Indiana Weather Service in Oo-operation
With the Agricultural Experiment Station
at Purdue University, Tuesday, April 9(
1895.
Continued drouth during the fall and
winter, continued low temperature during the month of January but especially
February, were not beneficial to crops and
pasturage, and at the end of the winter,
wheat was only in fsdr condition, brown,
not much advanced and winter-killed in
some fields: -Pasturage looked brown, and
some old olover was frczen. Peach and
cherry germs are reported to have been
killed, but apples, pears, plums and other
fruit are apparently safe. Cold, dry
weather continued during the greater part
of March, and the season, farm work and
crops were much retarded; but during the
last week of March and the first of April,
higher temperature prevailed and few local rains and snow were beneficial to crops
and farm work. Wheat and grass are
turning green and the ground being in
good condition, plowing and sowing oats
and other farm work advanced rapidly.
Live stock suffered during the winter
from cold, and stock water on many
farms was scare?, many streams, wells and
springs are low and almost dry.
SOUTHERN PORTION.
Cold weather during the winter was followed the last week in Maroh and beginning of April by warmer weather with
rain and snow.muoh to the benefit of crops
and farm work. During the past week
wheat, and grass and pasturage recovered
and turned green. In the more southern
counties, where the precipitation was
heavier, wheat is in fine condition, in
more northern counties, it is but fair.
Newly sown clover and timothy is coming
np nicely; the old were injured somewhat
by cold and drouth. The past week the
ground has been in fine condition and
plowing and seeding oats advanced rapidly; in most counties, oats is nearly all in
But little plowing for corn has been done
yet. Gardens are beginning to be made
and some potatoes have been planted. In
Switzerland county, a large amount ot tobacco beds are being sown and two-thirds
of the old crop has been sold and delivered
Peaches and cherries are killed, but other
fruit is uninjured. Barley and rye look
well. Stock water is scarce in many counties; streams, etc, are lower ln Knox and
Brown counties than ever before.
CENTRAL PORTION.
Rain was much needed everywhere and
the good rains Sunday night wer<_ beneficial. Wheat in general is now in better
condition; some had been injured by cold
and drouth, but apparently with warmer
weather and where better rains fell, it recovered rapidly. Clover and timothy of
last year wintered well in some localities,
some not protected by snow was frozen;
spring clover and timothy. has been all
sown in many counties. Plowing and
sowing oats progressed rapidly the past
few weeks, the ground, in plowing,turned
up loose and mellow; in many counties,
especially in the western part, all oats is
sown. Grass and pasturage, since the late
rains, are turning green and are recovering
after the dry and cold winter. Plowing
for corn progresses slowly. Stock is in
good condition, but on many farms water
is still scarce.
NORTHERN PORTION.
The cold weather oontinued later in the
northern portion and freezing and thawing was injurious to growing crops. In
many localities frost is in the ground yet.
High dry winds were not good for wheat
and grass. Wheat is only fairly well, in
some fields thin and weak, but the past
week it has improved and turned green.
PasturageMmproved during the past week
and grass is growing nicely. Bye ia in
good condition. Oats are not all sown yet
in many counties, but with favorable
weather and very good condition of the
soil, plowing and seeding is advancing
rapidly. Plowing for corn has begun and
a large crop will be planted in many counties. In localities fruit buds indicate much
bloom. Stock wintered well and the roads
are in good condition.
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Service,
Per C. F. R. Wappenhans,
Weather Bureau, Assistant Director.
The Big Loads qf Oorn.
£_>TTOB5 INDIAITA FaRMKB:
¥our report of big cDrn show says that
Fred Jessup's load, 633 71 bushels, and D.
Grooves, 569.42 bnshels, of ear corn were
the winners and the orib was 40 feet long,
6 feet wide and 5 feet high. So I. see in
Farmer of Feb, 9,1. M Miller says such a
orib will not hold the amount by 150 bushels. I think he is mistaken by 51 bnshels.
I say such a crib will hold 533V3 bushels by
weight cr gauge, lf gord corn. This
amount I make by gang*).
Hazleton. J. M. Manning.
A Remedy for Hard Times.
Editobs Indiana Y ______ ___\: .
A general remedy is, "keep out of the
saloons. There Is more in these five words
than in a whole column on other causes
given. Nine-tenths of poor farmers drop
Into tbe saloon when they go to town, and
take something, and frequently take some
more. Nine-tenths of well to do farmers
are seldom if ever seen in a soloon. It
holds good with mechanics or day labor,
ers. Tobacco also keeps many poor or
helps keep them poor. It is like a leaky
barrel; if only a drop leaks out at a time,
it will get empty. Look about you and
be convinced of the above.
Sunman. J. Bennett.
Mammoth Egyptian Corn.
Editobs Indiana Fashes:
I will give some of the reasons why we
grow this great corn here at Maple Shade
farm. It is a good strong grower, stalk of
medium hight, standing up well; ears
large around but of medium length, with
often 18 and sometimes 20 rows ot grains,
which makes it a great yielder. It fills
out well at the butt and tip, so there is no
waste room on cob. I have raised from 50
to 80 bushels per aore with ordinary cul.
ture. It is a white dent with a white cob
and makes the b sat of meal. It is a great
stook corn. It seems to have about the
right proportion of oil and other properties to make it a well balanced corn feed;
and then it has been bred in line for 30
years, which makes it a thoroughbred
corn.
I could give many more reasons why I
raise this corn, but you are too busy to
read, I am too busy to write and the col-
urns of the good old Indiana Fabmeb are
too precious for a waste of words.
Frlendsville, 111. O. H. Wood.
Alfalfa.
Editobs Indiana Fabmkb:
1 wish to obtain some information concerning the growing of Alfalfa clover.
What kind of land is best for it? How
does it do on sand or land that is suitable
for melons? How much seed should be
sown per acre? When is the best time to
sow? What is the surest method to obtain
the best stand? Can we cut two crops of
hay and one of seed here in Indiana in one
year? S. Livengood.
Parke Co.
—A deep, rich loam is required for this
plant. Ordinary thin day land will not
give good yields. A principal reason for
the wonderful yields reported in California
and other western States is the fact that
the soil is new and deep and rich. It would
not do as well on sandy land as our common red olover. Sow from eight to ten
pounds of seed to the acre. Sow in March
as early aa it is possible to get the ground
well prepared. If soil is rich enough and
you get a good stand you oan cut two, perhaps three, crops each year. The plant has
not been cultivated yet to any considerable
extent in this State, and it Is impossible to
say what can be done with it here.
. m .
Smut.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Plea«e answer the -following questions
and oblige a number of farmers:
1. Iifsmut in corn and smut in wheat
the same thing?
2 To sow wheat in corn whioh is infested with tiant, would it not infest the
wheat, If the smut is the same?
3. Will it kill the smut to go through
the corn before the stalks have matured
and cut out the infested stalks?
4. Is the smut which is left to mature
liable to infest the next crop of corn?
5. Would you plant seed corn which had
grown in the field with smut?
Daviess Co. Amos Datton.
—We forwarded the above to our State
Experiment Station and have the following reply from Director Plumb:
1. No. They are as different as two
very distinct breeds of cattle. They belong to the same family however.
2 Yes, if they were the same. As it is,
the wheat smut will not affect the corn.
3. Not unless the affected stalks are
burned.
4. Yes. For that reason the smutted
oorn or stalks should be burned.
5. Not if the disease was very prevalent.
We know of no practical method of preventing corn smut.
Carroll D. Wright says: "Hunger has
caused more men to commit petty crimes
than anything else." Of 6,958 homicides
ln 1890, 5,100 had no trades.
Elt Rsed of Hope, has celebrated his 87th
birthday. He is the father of eight child-
dreD, all living,and he has fifty-two grandchildren and forty-nine great grandchildren.
William Dollens, a boy living near Hopewell, four miles west of Franklin, was
thrown against a thorn tree, and his
right eye was punctured by a thorn,
ruining the eye which was removed.
Charles Cassidy, age 70, was struck and
killed by the cars at Jeflersonvllle. He
was deaf and could not hear the approaching train. He was one ol the oldest steamboat engineers in the country, having retired only a short time ago on account of
his hearing.
Dr. Geo. W. Cassel, who owns an elghty-
aore farm in Nottingham township, Wells
county, has drawn $820 royalty from the
Ohio Oil Company as one-sixth the value
of the petroleum produced on his farm
during the month of March. There are a
hundred other Wells county farmers
whose monthly incomes from oil range
from |200 to $500.
The drouth which prevails In Ciss county this spring is the worst this part of the
State has known since its settlement.
Wells which for 50 years have furnished a
plentiful supply of drlnkirg water,
are dry. Many farmers are sinking new
wells or deepening their old ones. The
soil is parched and breaks up in eleds, as
It usually does at autumn plowing.
Mrs. Henry Burgess, of Hebron,hasbeen
bedfast for the past eight weebs,and for the
past 45iday s has not taken a morsel for nourishment. During this time she has drank
only one thimbleful of water. How she
keeps alive is a mystery. It has bs ffled all
the doctors who have diagnosed her case.
Before she was sick she weighed about ISO
pounds, and during the eight weeks of
sickness she has fallen off until she weighs
only 50 pounds. She has been expected to
die for several weeks of starvation, but she
apparently feels as well now as when taken 111.
ginU Hs-ws.
Four horses and two cows were cremated
in the burning of a large barn at Waka-
rusa, owned by Samuel Holdeman.
The American starch works at Columbus were burned last Saturday. Lewis
Wade perished in the flames, bnt his body
has not yet been recovered. The loss is
about $300,000.
Sheep-killing dogs have done hundreds
ot dollars' damage in Harrison township,
Cass county, within the past week. John
Crlmmins alone lost seventy head, valued
at $300.
The residence of Ophelia Ballengerat
Jeffersonville, was burned down by order
of the attendant physician. The patient
was started to the pest house, dying on
the way. She was suffering from a loathsome disease supposed to be leprosy.
Same one distributed poisoned meat very
effectively among the dogs of Brooklyn
last week. Eight animals have died.
Among them was a very fine bloodhound,
owned by R9v. W. F. Smith. He valued
it highly for the reason that it had saved
one of his children from drowning.
Price Rupe, a farmer, residing seven
miles south of Warsaw, on Friday had an
increase in his live stock that is certainly
out of the ordinary. He had five cows
oome in fresh, and the five cows dropped
seven calves, two of them having twins.
The calves are all of the usual size, and are
healthy and vigorous.
mentxvCi ^6xus.
Oscar Wi'de was arrested last week in
London for perjury.   He is still In jail.
• Smallpox record for the winter In United
States cities shows Milwaukee, Wis., to
have suffered the most.'
Marshall Field has offered $25 000. provided $275,000 is raised bv the W.' C. T. TJ.,
to raise the debt on the Women's Temple,
Chicago.
Western cattle raisers are organizing to
fiijht the dressed be<-f oombine. The prioe
of beef is reported to be advancing rapidly
in various cities.
There have been copious rains all
through the West, and the people In the
droutu- stricken region of last year, are especially grateful,
Athens, Ga , was visited by two severe
hailstorms within 24 hours, last week.
Hail stones as large as hens' eggs fell, doing considerable damage.
Noah Raby, an inmate of the poor farm
at Plscataway, N, J , c lebrated his 123d
birthday last week. He learned to Bmoke
when he was seven years old.
Three persons were instantly killed, two
probably fatally injaredand ten otherwise
slightly hurt, on the Lehigh Traction Company's road by jumping from a runaway
trolley oar on the mountain, near Janes-
ville, Pa.
Mrs. John Cotoy and three-year-old
child, near Merrill, Wis , were burned to
death by being enveloped by the flames
from a pot of pitoh which the woman was
boiling for gum.
Edward Crossley, late member of Parliament tor Halifax, England, proposes to
present to the Llok Observatory his great
three-foot reflecting telescope, with its
dome and all parts.
Ninety-three farmers from Colorado,
Nebraska, Kansas and Illinois are noto in
the southeastern part of North Carolina
looking for lands. They are prospecting
as an advance guard of a large number of
intending settlers.
George B. Swift, the Republican candidate for Mayor of Chicago had a plurality
of 41,110 on the 2d, the largest ever known
there in a similar contest.   Civll-servlee
i^T™83 carrled by tbe tog* majority of
45,570*