VOL. XXIX
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.  MARCH 3, 1804.
NO. 9
__lttvtlcultxxvc.
Prop. Troop, in his Bulletin No. 48,
from our State Experiment Station, gives
Mr. Cowlng's Brunette high praise, and
other authorities who have tried it are
equally well pleased with it. Plants of lt
.will be on the marketnext fall we presume.
IrTSECTO-FUHGICIDKRS WABT-D.
W. H. Ragan, secretary of the State
Horticultural Society Ina paper on orcharding, read before the Marlon county
Farmers' Institute last week, advocated
the new profession of insect and fungi
'spraying we have spoken of and are trying to find a name for. In the discussion
following the paper it seemed the general
opinion that such a profession, calling or
pursuit, is demanded, and that one or
more persons ln e.ch township would be
.justified in engaging ln the business, and
providing them with spraying apparatus,
arsenites, emulsions, etc., and posting up
on the subject, and be prepared to make
-contracts with farmers, fruit growers, vegetable gardeners, etc., to keep them free
from injurious insects and fungous
growths.
We coxmend the subject to director
Plumb and his assistants at the State Experiment Station. They can train men
for the work if they regard it as lik8ly to
prove profitable business.
WIU Sprayman Do?
Kditom Indiaka Fabmbb)
I would suggest the name "Sprayman"
for the sprayor. There is no doubt that
the sprayman would be of great benefit to
any oommunlty, or communities we
might say. Jas. G.'Lyons.
Bloomfield.
BEST GRAPES.
TThe Agricultural Experiment Station of
the University of Illinois has  ready to
send out to persons interested in farming
its bulletins No. 28 and 29.
Some 54 varieties were planted and careful descriptions are given of all these.
The general conclusion drawn from the
test is that for the place where the test was
conducted the following recommendations
may be made:
grapes for market.
Black.—Concord, Worden, Ives seedling.
Bed.—Delaware, Lindley.
White.—Grein's golden, Niagara.
FOR HOME USE.
List would be nearly the same:
Black.—Concord  or   Worden,  Moore's
•early.
Red.—Delaware, Lindley, Massasolt;
Brighton.
White,—Grein's golden, Elvira, Niagara,
Green Mountain.
Some account is given of a grape disease, and also a brief deecriptlon of methods of training. "
Bulletin No. 29 has two articles.
The first is one of a somewhat technical
character on the "orange rust" in raspberries and blackberries.
It ls well known that clover, plowed
under, increases the fertility of the soil,
and investigations show that this plant
and some others make useot the free nitrogen of the air as an element in their
nutrition. Most other plants cannot do
this. Investigation also showB that clover
utilizes the nitrogen of the air through the
agency of low organisms found ln little
knots or tubercles, which "form like galls
-upon the roots. Such knots are found on
the roots of all plants which gain nitrogen
from the air. They are not found upon
any of the ~ grasses or cereals. Some investigations have been carried on during
the past summer and fail at the Experiment Station to determine whether these
organisms can be made to grow on the
roots of cereals. The second article In bulletin No. 29 gives a preliminary report of
theso investigations; -Both articles of the
bulletin are illustrated.
Any person interested In farming who
would lUe to receive these bulletins cau
h«ve them free of charge by addressing a
request to the Agricultural Experiment
Station, Champaign, BI.
Prulta and Flowers—How They Enhanced
the Cash Value of a Home.
Ed-toes Indiana Fabmbb:
For the benefit of many who fear to
plant because they fear they may not be
rewarded'for their labor and its attendant
expense, I will briefly give my experience
concerning my first home. In 18531 bought
a lot on Boundary street in the eastern
part of Washington, D. C, enclosed it with
a paling fence and built a house on it—
the land and Improvements costing about
$950 The soil was com posed of the barren
red clay peculiar to the District of Columbia, which had probably been cropped before the Revolution until lt would grow
nothing. After fertilizing lt with oyster
shell lime and manure, I proceeded to
plant it with fruits and flowers. I intended It to be my permanent home, but
my health suddenly failed In the fall of
1856, and I was forced to sell it and remove to the city where my business required my presence each day. But my
leisure time while I lived there was most
pleasantly spent in planting fruits, flowers,
trees acd vegetables. When I left the
place in 1856 lt contained three* grape vines
three years planted, on which hung about
two bushels of splendid grapes, dwarf
pears In bearing, peach trees, strawberries,
a number of evergreens and an evergreen
hedge, and large beds of the best roses,
verbenas, phlox, etc In a small way my
place at that time was the most beautiful
spoil had ever seen. My veibena beds,
each* ten feet in diameter, contained no
variety but Robinson's Defiance, a glowing
scarlet, and were amass of splendor in
the sunlight. The presidential race between Buchanan and Fremont took plaoe
In 1850. Many of my neighbors feared a
dissolution of the Union ehould Fremont
be elected, and many endeavored to sell
their property, but none were able to do
so. Many of them lived in handsome
houses but had not made their surroundings attractive by planting fruits, flowers
and ornamental trees. I had a buyer soon
after I offered my place for sale, who happened to see it and was favorably impressed
by its appearance.. He paid me all I asked
—$1,200 cash down—which was at least
$250 more than it oost me, and to that
amount I might add $600 saved in rent
during my three years occupancy of It.
In the country especially, people should
plant all they can of fruits, flowers and
ornamental trees if they wish to make
their homes pleasant to themselves and
attractive . and desirable to others. But
they should read and plant judiciously.
Buy of reliable nurserymen direct from
their nurseries—there are many such men
ln the country. G. Cowino.
ing potatoes in July or August and digging them late ln October, when not fully
grown, to be saved and used as Beed, I felt
sure he had made a needed dlsoovery.
Tbat same year I planted potatoes in
July for a second crop and I got a g^od
yield. In the spring I planted the ececond
crop seed for my main crop and was astonished and delighted at the result.
Some of the seed were planted whole,
some cut to three eyes, some to two and
some to one. All came up promptly and
every piece sent up one shoot and one
only, and lt was as strong as lt could possibly be. From five to eight tubers, no
more, formed on each stalk, and when I
dug my crop I had all big, marketable potatoes. I had 50 per cent the best stand in
the history of my place, and 50 per cent
the best crop. As soon as tho ground
could be prepared I planted again ln the
same field, using second crop seed that I
had saved. This was late'ln July and la'e
In October I took from the ground fully as
many potatoes as I had secured in tho first
harvest, but, of oourso,lboing immature,
nearly half of them were too small for the
market. These I saved as seed and the
rest were sold,
The next year more;of my ground was
devoted to potatoes, and|the business has
grown every year since then until now,
although I am only half a mile from the
limits of a large city,'affordlng a fine market for cabbage, peas, beets, lettuce, and
all the market truck that is usually most
profitable, I find potatoes -pay me best.
John C. Peabce.
ALL'ABOUT A HOT BED.
How to   Make and  Operate them Successfully.
HY H   W, BCCKIIEE,  ROCKFORD, ILL.
Second Crop Potatoes.
I have been growing second crop potatoes for the winter market and for planting purposes ever since I first heard of
them, which was in 1876. Up to that time
I had been buying my seed potatoes in the
North and they alwaj s gave me trouble.
It was often heard to make them pay;
they came up with a number of shoots;
they produced as many unmarketable
tubers as large ones; and frequently, ln
spite of thorough cultivation, the yield
fell below a profitable rate per acre. I
knew that the difficulty lay in the fact
that having been dag when fully mature
the Northern seed, even if they had not
sprouted in the cellar, had been on the decline and were feeble. So when I heard
that a gardener near Louisville was plant-
Mushroom Beds.
Those having facilities will find this a
good time to.make mushroom beds. The
crop should show Itself ln from six weeks
to two months after spawning. Light is
not necessary ln raising mushrooms,
hence any situation that can be kept at an
average temperatnre of 60 degrees at all
times, will grow mushrooms. The price
at which they sell is from 75 cents to $1 per
pound. This leaves a good margin of
profit to those who are successful. Besides
a cellar, cave, vacant space, under green
houee benches, or any convenient outhouse, the next necessary thing • Is horse
manure, which should be as fresh as possible. Before using, however, lt should
be thrown together and the first rank heat
expelled, after which it can be built up into the beds and spawned. Some make
these beds, flat, some pyramidal, others
mere mouridB, while not a few have
benches or shelves one above the other in
which the beds are made. Very shallow
beds are apt to be Bhorter lived than those
two or three feet in thickness, but a crop
can be raised In a vessel containing not
over a gallon of manure, provided everything is favorable.
In making mushroom beds, the manure
ls of the most importance. It should be
fresh enough to still have considerable
heating power left In lt. Itshould neither
de unduly saturated with water nor so dry
that lt will not pack well in the building.
In this condition a very gentle heat should
arlese after the building. It Is then ready
for sprouting, which ls nothing more than
to break up mushroom spawn (sold at the
seed store*-*) Into Bquare Inch pieces and
set them into the manure as you would
plant potatoes, two Inches below the surface, and a foot apart all over the bed.
Put on a couple of Inches of soil, water
gently, press down solidly with the back
of spade, and await results. If the heat
appears to be rather high keep the bed uncovered; if it appears cool, unless the
place Is perfectly dark, cover tho bed with
three inches of old hay. It is found thst
mushrooms grown in the dark are better,
and are rarely affected by a liy that deposits Its eggs on exposed crops. They
thus become wormy.—Ex.
One of the most convenient and profit-
aole luxuries in the spring is a well managed hot bed from which one can dally
gather lettuce, radish, spinach, etc., and
forward plants, such as cabbage, tomato,
pepper, cauliflower, for outside planting.
Also makes a desirable and very satisfactory place for starting flower seeds and
early flowering plants for outside planting. Make the frame "box shaped" to fit
sash (any size- sash you happen to have on
hand), though the standard size ls about
3x7 feet. At the bottom, boards should be
about 12 inches high; the top or back, 18
inches; the back being higher than the
front gives a declivity to the sash, thus
ecastlngofr the rain and gives proper slant
to receive the sun's rays.
Tho proper time for starting a hot bed
in this latitude is from*;the* latter part of
February to the first of Marcb; further
South earlier; further Northja little later.
Select a well drained location and one
never iloxied by rain. In'preparlng a hot
bed fresh horse manure should be piled
up, which will heat ln about slxidays. It
should thon be turned andlwell.tramped
down; the second fermentation |will then
take placo in four or five dajs. It is now
ready for the bed—should be picked one
foot deep and banked upj on;:all sides to
the top. Five or six inches;.of rich and
finely sifted soil must be [spread over the
manure, then cover the^framelwithsash,
after standing six days, ;or;until the rank
steam bas passed off;lseeds may then be
sown.
Keep the temperature as even as possible, from 45 to 50 'decrees Fahrenheit at
night and not over 75 to 80 degrees during
the day. In keeping up the above temperature, (cold weather will give some
draw backs) It wlll.be necessary In many
instances to cover the sash with straw,
mats, light manure, etc., on cold and
frosty nights. (This covering, however,
Bhould be removed as soon as possible.)
Remove the covering everyImorning when
weather permits, at 9 o'clock, or as soon as
the snn rests upon the glass, as every
effort should be made tto give the plants
all the sunlight possible, as Its rays are
vivifying to a degree beyond the amount
of i's heat, lt having a chemical and
physiological effect beyond explanation.
Even dull light ls better than no light,
consequently lt ls a bad plan to cover ths
eash with mats, except for the direct purpose of keeping out cold. Give a little air
about 10 o'clock; cut off the air in the
afternoon as soon as it (the air) becomes
the least chilly, then if necessary cover
with mats, etc., about sunset to retain
heat. Care should be taken to keep the
•old winds from blowing ln upon the
plants when sash are removed to admit
air. Great care should be taken in watering hot beds. D) not give too much
water, for If this be done, the soil is apt to
become soggy and sour. Success depends
upon bottom heat from the manure, top
heat from the sun, water from daily application, and air at midday. Without plenty
of air the other requisites will be fruitless.
All seedlings should be transplanted
into other hot beds, cold frames or intermediate beds when two inches high. For
fear that there may be localities where
stable manure for hot beds cannot readily
be obtained, we give the following simple
formula for "artificial heat" for the production of a moderate aud continuous
heat, the quantities named being sufficient
for a space 8x12 feet.
Take as the crude materials, 500 pounds
of straw, three bushels powdered quick-