->-.
_^NTHE^f^m
VOL  LV
INDIANAPOLIS. IND., JAN. 27. 1900.
NO. 4
What Will the Harvest Be?
Editobs Indiana Faemeb.
Whil'st we cannot accurately foretell, from
present conditions, the outcome of a crjp, especially far In advance of the harvest, due to
the caprlclougnese of nature, yet the observant farmer, witb years of experience, may
approximately overcast future results, and by
proper substitutes, can ln a measure retrieve
the inevitable loss from failure of the original crops
The unfavorable conditions last fall for
for winter wheat seeding, retarding germination and vigorous growth; and the exceptionally favorable weather for prolonged ravages
of the Hessian flies, make the preeent winter
wheat prospects ln much of the Ohio ani
Mississippi valleys such, that many Si .Ids are
apparently beyond natures' best efforts to recuperate suffi .iently to make a crop worth harvesting, even if the present prospective, Innumerable spring-brood of flies fails to materialize in destructive numbers. The pupae
or "Aiiseeds" appear to be more numerous,
and their distribution over a much larger
area, than last year. The condition of the
young clover can also be measured by zero,
due, in many places, to the combined effects
of last year's drouth and grasshoppers.
tr, .lo—ut   —..    l___V__.lH_t_.tl.
of our vr"**eat and young **~r*.•(>"?. the vit»v
question will be,
WHAT SHALL WE  PLANT
as a substitute, bo that the harvest may be
profitable? This problem, as to particular
substitutes and minor details, must be
solved by each farmer for himself, to fit his
Individual case and conditions, and only a
few suggestions of general application will be
ventured here.
In the case of clover failure, it ls supposed
the ground needed clover, and should have it.
Flow shallow or disk early in the spring and
sow 10 pounds clover per acre, more or less;
less on rich parts of field, and more on poor
knobs and washy hill Bides. If intended for
pasture, a half bushel of rye or a bushel of
oats may ba sown first; or a mixture of the
two. Don't pasture when ground is wet If
intended for pasture the next year too, sow a
mixture of timothy and alsike clover on the
low, rich ground, and mammoth and common red clover on high or poor ground. If
hay be the main ob j act the first year then
some of the millets may be the substitutes,
whioh, though exhaustive to the soil, If sown
thickly and cut at the right time, makes a
very good feed; but Instead of millet
DWABF SOY BBAN8
may be used Thia is a comparatively new,
leguminous forage plant, making a hay rich
in protein, adds nitrogen to the soil—in fact
ls so similar to clover for pasture, hay and
fertilizer, that lt will be found the best substitute for clover, and has this advantage: It
may be sown about June lst and cut for hay
from the first to the middle of August, yielding one to two tons of hay per acre, or, if not
sown bo thickly and let stand about a month
longer, will yield from one half to a ton of
rich, nitrogenous seed per acre, that can be
ground and fed the same way and with as
much profit as oil meal. This soy may be
planted ia the spring, be pastured, cut -for
hay, or let mature a crop of seed, and then
the ground be prepared and seeded with wheat
inthe fall; or let mature a crop of seed, and
then tbe ground be prepared and seeded with
wbeat in the fall; or, Instead of wheat, if intended for a spring crop it may be sown with
crimson clover or rye, either of which will
provide a winter cover, prevent washing, and
furnish much pasture before necessary to turn
under in spring. The suggestions given
above will hold good ln cases of wheat failures too. But where ground is intended for wheat ia fall again, gome early varieties of cow peas may be used, as   their vinlng
habits will make them shade the ground better, and they will furnish much nutritious
pasture at the right time, in (August) or, if
land ls deficient ln humus, the entire crop
may be turned under to supply
BOTH HUMUS AND NITKOGIN,
such as a heavy crop of clover would do in a
year or more from sowing. In the spring of
'97 I seeded with mammoth clover and thoroughly harrowed a 20 acre field of badly damaged wheat, and pastured it, but was compelled to mow a heavy crop of rag weed ln
August to Bave the clover, The moisture thus
saved and the protecting weed mulch safely
carried the young clover through a severe
drouth, yielding three bushels of seed per acre
the next year, and furnished a good foundation for an extra corn crop last year.
Last spring I did not realizj tbe full extent
of fly damage to part of my wheat until the
latter part of May, and thia was my best
ground and intended for wheat again ln fall.
I plowed and planted over 20 acres with soy
beans and cow peas, and realized more from
these crops than a full wheat crop at present
prices, plus the benefit to ground by shading
during the dry, hot August, and the fertilizing
roots and leaves left on the ground, making
sowing with  a hoe   drill  difficult  owing to
lar i-!>.ys of utilizing damaged .vhea. grouna, ,
but i oould never grow a good corn crop on
such ground. Remember, a crop of weeds
is better than bare ground—to be turned under or mowed bafore ripe; a crop of aome
commercial value is better than weede, and
where clover failures have been the rule, let
the substitute be a legume of some kind to
furnish humus, nitrogen and a bacterial foundation for clover. No extra work to grow a
legume is ever lost, especially on exhausted
soils, even if you must grow it alone. If one
kind falls, try another. E P  Diehi..
_>esburg, Jan. 10.
Money in Pop Corn.
__ditob8 Indiana Fabmeb.
The demand for pop corn increases every
year, yet the crop is never equal to the market. Good corn sells on the retail market to
day for five and six cents a pound. Farmers
do not consider the profits of this special
crop or there would be more grown for supplying home demands. An acre will produce
from 50 to 100 bushels of saleable corn and a
ton or more of fodder. The corn weighs 50
pounds to the bushel and never sells for less
than $150 to $2.50 a bushel. The fodder will
pay for the coat of growing and the corn be
left bb a fair profit after paying rental and interest on the land. From those who make a
business of raising pop com, I learn that a
poor crop will bring $100 an acre, and many
get  double that sum from an acre every year.
Pop. corn requires about the same soil as
that demanded by the sweet and field varieties. A sod or vegetable mould, containing
more sand than clay and having previous
clean culture ia beat adapted to corn growing.
If plowed ln the fall or winter and left to
freeze until the spring weeds begin to grow
before planting, the land will be ln fine condition, This crop wanta plant food like all
others, but can get along with little nitrogen.
An average fertilizer might contain about 8
per cent each of phosphoric acid and potash
and perhaps 1}_ per cent to 2 per cent nitrogen; from 400 to 600 pounds per acre would
be considered a fair application. Another
popular fertilizer for corn is a mixture of
about 350 pounds of fine ground bone and 100
pounds muriate of potash per acre broadcasted and well mlx3d with the soil before
planting time.
There are different varieties of pop corn, all
possessing merit ae marketable crops. The
white rice ia probably the moat ln demand,
but the yellow or golden gives perfect satis
faction to those who purchase by the carload
for commercial purposes. The Mapledale
Prolific is a very choice variety, having from
eight to twelve good ears on each stalk.
There are several mixed colored kinds much
esteemed for ornamental purposes and used
extensively ln decorating mantels and agricultural frames of dainty hand work. When
popped, one quart of good corn will make a
bushel of balls or bricks, ln which farm lt is
usually sold at confectionary stands, pleasure
resorts and thousands of other places. The
pop corn business has become ao Important
that large sums are paid for privileges of selling at fairs, public conventions and picnics.
The corn gets better with age, but it can be
sun-dried and made marketable the first year,
As a general rule the poppers want lt three
years old. After getting thoroughly dry in
the shock it can be husked, put ln gunny sacks
and left in the sun for aeveral daya, when lt
will be thoroughly dried, If completely dried
lt will sell better after being shelled, which
can be done with any of the commercial shellers. Many farm boys might find a very
profitable winter trade ln popping corn, buttering the rolls and selling in neighboring
cities and towns. Two or three quarts, costing less than a dollar, will plant an acre.   The
ana con/.srtinn keep_ng"t.ie"p_bw going and^
ousting out the weeds. It must not be put in,
near field corn, as the pollen will cause the
varieties to mix
Pop corn may bB planted closer than any
other varieties. Qne man reports having
grown 176 bushele the past year upon an acre.
His plan of planting is to make the furrows
three feet apart and have the corn stand one
stalk ln a hill, 14 inches apart ln the rows.
If the corn is planted very early or late it will
not suffer so much from the worms aa the
medium planted cropa. Where irrigated, care
must ba taken in keeping the water from the
stalks and not give the plants more than two
periods of irrigating during the growing season. The poor ears can be fed to poultry
with profit and the fodder is relished by the
cows, Bheep and horses. A ready market always awaits the grower of good pop corn,
and the business ls certainly profitable.
Jobl Shomakbb.
lighter, and on the other hand, if the land ia
very light and loose, a dressing of lime will
bind the particles of the soil more closely together and thus render it more compact.
If a soli contains an abundance of organic
matter, lime will tend to hasten its decomposition, which, of course, means that the plant
food will become more available.
Another very important function of lime,
and one not generally known, ls that lt will
cure some fungus diseases, and prevent "rust"
or "smut" ingrain. It also destroys certain
insects and worms which infest the soil.
Many lands contain an abundance of small
rocks and stones, which, owing to their com
position, are slow to disintegrate, and become
part of the soil itself. It has been found that
on lands of thia kind, the disintegration of
theae rocke and atones Is hastened by an occasional dressing of lime.
When properly used, lime is a valuable constituent of plant food, but when its use ls
abused, can bring a field to a state of sterility.
It ia in no sense a subaitute for manures or
fertilizers, and if used alone, the plants will
take up the entire store of available nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash which ia in the
soil. It is an unwise practice to apply lime to
really poor land, as this material cannot very
nlied with plant food. The function of lime
is to alter and improve the plant food ingredients already in the soil, and to make them
more available for crops; furthermore, one* of
the greatest advantages of the use of lime is
that it brings the eoil into such a condition
that if additional fertilizer ingredients be
supplied, they oan serve the plant to better advantage.
Aa to the amount to be applied, this will
depend on circumstances. It may be stated
as a general rule, that a dose of lime about
once ln five yeare ie suffi.ient. About forty
buehels per acre of slaked lime would be considered a fair application. It can be broad-
cated over the plowed surface of the soil and
will work in of its own accord,
Gkokqe Wilson.
Lime.
Editobs Indiana Fabmeb.
The subject of the use and value of lime in
agriculture ls both interesting and important.
It ls strange, though, how opinions differ as
to this material. In some sections of the
United States, for example, at certain seasons
of the year, the lands are white with lime,
whereas in other sections, this material ie
seldom, if ever, used. These differences are
due mainly to the lack of intimate knowledge
as to the true functions of lime ln agriculture.
From a theoretical point of view, lime is as
important for the growth of plants as nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash or any other
element of plant food. From a practice}
standpoint there ls hardly a cultivable soil
which does not contain in itself sufficient lime
to meet the demands of the crop. The soils
which are most apt to be deficient in lime are
thoee which are light and sandy in character,
and which have been formed by the decomposition of sandstone rocke. At the aame time,
theae light soils are usually deficient in phosphoric acid and potash. As the fertilizing
materials which are used to furnish phosphoric
acid and potash contain eome lime, the farmer
doea not have to concern himself about making an application ot lime to serve as plant
food.
Lime has ita sphere of uaefulneei ln agriculture, and It la a very important one. Briefly
stated, its value ie in the following properties:
If land ie eour, a dose of lime will sweeten
it, and make lt more productive.
If a soil ls too heavy, lime will make it
Cornmeal in Europe.
It is just about ten years since the task of
educating the people of Europe to eat oatmeal
was undertaken by this government. Since
then the exports of corn to Europe have increased by leaps and bounds. In 1888 the exports of corn amounts to little more than 25,-
000,000 bushels. During the eleven months of
1899 ending with November, the exports of
corn amounted to more than 185,000 000
bushele.
The value of the exports of corn during
the eleven months of 1899 was $74,742,128,
which exceeds by $22,000,000 the value of the
corn exports in any other year, 1898 These
figures Indicate that corn is king among the
cereal crops, not only becauee of the great
home consumption, but becauee of the exports.
Notwithstanding the preeent Increase inthe
European demand for our corn, however,
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, points out
that American farmers are making a mistake
ln not feeding more corn tt home and sending to Earope products which are more valuable than the grain. The farmere of Denmark, he eaye, fed to their cattle last year
nearly 17,000,000 buehels of American corn,
and they sold ln the Britleh markets something like $33,000,000 worth of dairy products.
But the corn cropa of aouth America ie not
only to supply the home demand for food
for human beings and domeetlc animals, but
to leave a big surplus for export, and the
American farmer in the great west hae little
cause to worry about the future.—Cleveland
Leader.
 *•*>	
The collar bone is more frequently broken
than an; other bone ln the body.