VOL. XXIX.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND , SEPT. 15, 1804.
NO. 37.
Clipping Clover—Clean Roadside*—Road
Improvements.
Editobs Indiana Fabmbs:
I have, this year, for the first time, tried
the plan of dipping my stubble fields.
The first one was clipped the first week ln
August, and present indications justify
tbe belief that tbe result will prove entirely satis faotory. The young clover in
thla field la doing very nicely. The weeds
were prevented from maturing and scattering their seeds, and during the past
month of extremely hot, dry weather
formed something of a mulch which partially shaded the ground from the scorching heat ot the sun. The other clover
field was clipped two weeks later and here
too, the olover Is looking well, but of
oourse the weeds used a little more fertility in making tbls two week's growth
and so robbed the clover that much more.
This week we have had several heavy
rains and now tbere are no weeds to evaporate from the soil the water that has
fallen, and the clover is getting the full
benefit of it. It seems to me that I never
before knew rain to do yonng elover so
much good at thia time of the year as lt is
doing this time. This Is the first year that
I have treated the clover and stubble fields
ln this way and I am so well pleased with
their appearance and with the condition of
the young olover after the prolonged
drouth, that I ..think I shall continue the
practice.
kxspinu thb roadsides clean.
For several years past I have been
spending a little time about the first of
August in mowing the weeds and briars
that spring up along the roadside. I used
to think that I couldn't spare the time to
do this, but now I think that I cannot afford to neglect it. It does not take so very
much time, and if carefully done, it requires less work eaoh year than it did the
year before. It certainly makes the farm
look enough better to pay for what time it
takes to do tbe work. To be sure, our
farm does not look as well in this respect
as many others, nor as well as I expect to
make it look before I shall feel altogether
satisfied with its appearance, but I should
certainly be ashamed to have lt look as it
did five years sgo. There ate many farms
not only in tbis vicinity but in other sections of tbe State where I have been, that
oould be made to look much more attrac
tive than they now look just by one or
two days labor at the right time eaoh year.
Here is an instance where the farmer who
is cultivating a small farm has a decided
advantage over the man whose farm is
large. But whether the farm is large or
small, this work ought not to be neglected.
Since writing tbe above, someone has
sent me a copy of the September number
of "Oood Boads," a journal devoted to
road improvement.
It contains an article entitled "The
Roadside Wilderness," which is Illustrated
by two pictures; one of a real roadside
wilderness and the other of a beautiful
and well-kept oountry highway. I quote
a paragraph or two:
"The most unattractive and to a reflective mind, the most depressing rural sp, c
tacle is the ngly weed-grown space between the wagon tracks and tbe tillable
land on either side of the country roadways. The space usually includes a
double line of dilapidated and decaying
rail fenoe along the length and within the
corners of which flourishes a rank growth
of thistles and every pestilent weed known
to the locality. Here shlftfeesness runs
riot."
The chief cause for regret is, that too
much of this description ia true. But in
his closing paragraphs the wri er describe!
something more pleasing; and gives us a
few hints that many of us could profit by,
"One need not be reminded of the exceeding   attractiveness    of    drive  ways
through beautiful parka or blooming
orchards. Nor of tbe pleasures found ln
passing along the better class of farm
roads, past well tilled gardens and fields.
Could we but dispense with the useless,
costly and inartistic road fen< et, and devote to cultivation the waste places of
this lengthy wilderness, how sgreeable to
the higher taste, the esthetic sense, would
be tbe ohange. The ordinary traveler, es
caping the present barricade of desolation
and disorder, is invited within the
charmed precincts of cultivation, luxuriance and thrift. Country farmers would
begin to vie with eaoh other ln efforts to
make yet more pleasing the borders of
thoroughfares passing their lands. Here
would be found their finest shade and most
dium may fill a very Important function
in oaae of a deficiency ln potassium and
that it is therefore not to be regarded aa an
altogether useless plant constituent. These
experiments, be states, show that the practice of applying salt to the soil Is a rational
one, from a scientific standpoint, and that
the large amount of sodium salt contained
in many ot the Staasfurt salts, is not to be
regarded as useless ballast, but as possessing certain value for the nutrition of
plants."
These same views must equally apply to
the sodium ln nitrate of soda and other
fertilisers containing acdlum in some of
its combinations.
It is known, however, that while nitrates
and carbonates are plant nouriahers, mu-
of the chlorides within the plant, the plant
seizing the alkali which ia essential to it
and liberating chlorine, which then exerted ita bleaching and poisonous influence.
Experience and experiment both aeem
to indicate that organic matter ln the soil
is able ln some degree to controvert the
injurious actions of the chlorides ln the
fixed alkalies, potash and soda.
Thia ia explained by the hydrogen of the
organic matter uniting with the chlorine,
tbe hydrochloric aold thus formed, neutralising itself by lime or other base at
hand. Andrew H. Ward.
south central portion of state fair grounds.
The location of the Indiana Farmer tent is shown, just east of the big water tank
that supplies the grounds.   Call and see us.
luxuriant fruit trees,  their richest vines
and largest vegetables.
"The considerations which urge the im
provement are (1) eoonomy, (2) safety and
(3) beauty. How possible it is to redeem
these waste places, to abate this nuisance
and remove this peril. The cheerless wilderness which now greets tbe eye may be
transformed into the most picturesque, inviting and hopeful of all rural charms."
Truly, this is a consumation devoutly to
be wished. H. S. K. B.
Potashes.
Editobs Indiana Farmer:
When the ashes of plants are treated
with water, the salts of potassium are dissolved, th se of calcium and magnesium
being left. Oo separating the tqueous solution and evaporating it to a certain point,
a great deal or the potassium sulphate,
being much lees soluble, Is deposited, and
the carbonate remains in the solution;
this li evaporated to dryness, when the
carbonate Is left, mixed with some potassium chloride and some sulphate; thia
mixture constitutes the substance exported from this oountry when wood was
abundant, under tbe name of potashes,
and which were then much in demand for
the manufacture of soap and glass. When
further purified they were sold under the
name of pearlash and made into a bicarbonate by the absorption of carbonic acid
then termed saleratus and used for culinary purposes.
By recent experiments made by Oerman
chemists, A. Atterburg and Wagner, each
by himself, it has been found that the
presence of sods in the soil causes the plant
to use less potash, supplying its plaoe with
the soda. The United States Record of
experiment stations says: "The results,
the author believes, clearly show that so-
riates are plant poisons, but ln small quantities may not prove injurious.
It is evident that the fixed alkalies, potash and soda, are most beneficial when
used in the form of nitrates or carbonates,
but ln these forms potash comes high,
whereas soda is much cheaper.
It is now generally conceded that the
use of the chlorides of the fixed alkalies,
either soda or potash, is inferior to the alkaline carbonates for use separately, or
in mixed manures for potatoes, sugar
beets, tobacco, fruit, or for any crop where
the formation of starch or sugar is specially important.
For potatoes, the depression ln starch
was greatest when the chloride of potassium (muriate of potash) waa applied
nearest plant time.
The chlorides decreased tbe starch, alao
the number of bushels, more than the sulphate, especially when applied late. The
chlorides, if used, should therefore be applied as early as possible, at the latest ln
December. Any exoesa which might do
no harm on some other crops, should be
avoided, and if potash or soda must be applied near planting time, only sulphates
or carbonates should be applied, and of
these the carbonate is by far preferable.
Potash or soda salts are generally only
useful when phosphates and nitrogenous
manures are used together with them, and
very much depends on tbe form in which
they are used. The use of tbe chlorides of
the fixed alkalies, potassium and ■odium
are in some cases injurious to plants, actually poisoning or killing tbem, tbe
symptoms being such as directly point to
tbe action of free chlorine. The leaves
were markedly bleached throughout ln an
early stage of growth, and ultimately the
plants died.
The cause probably ia the decomposition
Grow Leas Wheat and Get Better Prices.
Editobs Indiama Fabmeb:
In your issue of Sept. 1st you ask "what
shall be done as to raising wheat so that a
paying prioe may be obtained for it?" It
would seem tbat the answer to that question la obvious. "Raise leas of it;" four
words makes complete reply. The crops
of this year ('94) is estimated at some 500,-
000,000 bushels in this oountry. There are
some 70,000,000 people here to be fed from
the products of the farm. For all purposes
about five bushels per capita will be required for home consumption, say 350,000,-
000 busbels. Had the acreage been leas by
25 per oent than that of this year, with the
aame average product per acre, the number of buahela produced would have been
375,000,000 and the price very much nearer
$1 per bushel (perhaps quite that) than the
45 or 50 cents now paid in this State.
If this be true why should farmers oon-
tinue to exhaust their land, waste their
labor and aeed already raised to put wheat
on an overburdened market, at, in many
cases, an actual loss and ln all other cases
a mere nominal profit. It may be supposed that a farmer oan understand, if he
ia fortunate enough to have a deposit In a
bank, that when he draws a check for 950
he is reducing his balance just twice aa
fast as if the check were for f25 The elements of fertility In the soil are the farmer's equivalent for cash in bank. The
faster he draws them out the smaller the
balance to draw upon. There is no crop
raised by the ordinary farmer whioh
makes such heavy drafts upon his soil as
wheat, and yet with most of his class he
never seems to consider this fact or foresee
the Inevitable consequences, but goes on
year after year ln the same old way,
crowding acre npon acre and bushel on
bushel until all demand is swamped in
immense over production.
What does the merchant or manufacturer do ln like cast? The former with
hia shelves filled with unsold or nearly
unsalable goods does not load them down
with more, the manufacturer ceases to
fabricate, or reduoes his output that the
supply shall not much exoeed the demand.
The farmer seems to reverse tbls simple
law of business and imagines tbat if he Is
to get only half as much for his wheat he
must of necessity sow twice as much to
get the sme money out of it.
The sum of the argument is this: If you
intended to sow 20 acres, sow only 15; if
100 acres sow 75, and see the result. It
cannot make matters worse than they are
and may and moat likely will make them
much better. H. L.
Romney.
The 33d annual Bridgeton fair closed
August 31st with satisfactory results to the
board of directors and exhibitors. The
art hall and horticultural were not so well
filled as in former years, bnt showed an
interest of exhibitors. Stook and poultry
were exoelient Hieing better than at any
previous exhibition. Bridgeton is noted
for Its fair dealing and a plaoe of meeting
of many old friends. Owing to destruction by storm of amphitheater, and expense thereby, the society will not be able
to pay tbe premiums in full.