VOL. XXIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APRIL 13,1889.
NO. 15
OEOP EEPOETS.
In the Thi-e Central Western States.
Our reports from the Central Western
States of Indisna.Ohio and Illinois are very
favorable for the growing crops, and show
a high oondition of the live stock. The
past winter was in temperature very
muoh suoh as that of 1879-80, except that
there was not quite so much rainfall, and
which was followed by the greatest wheat
crop ever grown. The past month was
unusually mild, and little or no damage
has resulted from freezing. Usually the
freezing March weather is harder on wheat
than any other in the year. In the
northern sections there were some complaints of dry weather, but since the first
of April good rains have fallen in all sections, and wheat and grass is in good
growing condition.
CKOPJ IN INDIANA.
The area of the wheat crop is put at 91
percent. April first last year, there were
but three counties in the State which reported the condition of wheat at 100 per
cent, whioh is an average. Now the reports show 27 counties at 100 and above,
the highest being DeKalb at 125. The following counties report the wheat condition at 100 or above:
Delaware, Owen,
Randolph, Rush. >
Wayne, * DeKalb,
Elkhart, Fulton,
, Huntington,   .'        :. ■'--„> Orange,. .-*.*,,.•,_.
Kosclnsko, Wabash,
Bartholomew,              .        Clark,
' Daviess, Dearborn,
Decatur, Gibson,
Hairison, Jackson,
Jefferson, Lawrence,
Monroe, Posey,
Ripley, Sjolt,
* Spencer.
* The following counties report the wheat
* condition above 80 per cent:
j Boone, Clinton,
J         Hamilton,                            Hendricks,
* Henry, Montgomery,
i Tipton, Union,
A Vermillion, Vigo,
j Crawford, Floyd,
I Greene, Jennings,
I Switzerland, Washington,
'{ Adams, Allen,
| Cass, LaGrange,
t Noble.
Only two counties reported as low as 70
, for condition.
Clover and timothy meadows are re-
i ported high and in fine condition for April
'first.
«i Fruit is very promising, all kinds being
reported high.
; Live stock never was reported in better
condition for April.
THE OTHER STATES.    '
. It will be noticed by the table of averages by States that Ohio and Illinois stand
in all respects very nearly as Indiana in
the condition of the various crops and of
live stock.
AVERAGES BY STATES.
Indiana. Ohio. Illinois
91
80
100
88
91
96
90
98
92
99
97
79
89
92
60
9*
89
93
93
92
91
100
99
Wheat, per cent of crop sown
Wheat, per cent ot condition
Clover, per cent of condition
Timothy, per ct. of condition
Apple, per ct. of condition....
Peaches, per ct. of condition.
Rye, per cent of condition....
Birley, per cent of condition
Horses, per ct. of condition..
Cattle, per ct. of condition....
Hogs, per ct. of condition      99
Sheep, per ct. of condition      97
Small fruit, per ct.condltion.     97
REMARKS OF  REPORTERS.—INDIANA.
-B9nton Co.—Oats all sown j dry March;
■some hog cholera.
Cass Co.—Finest weather ever known
for March. .
DeKalb Co.—Best prospeot farmers have
. had for years.
Kosciusko Co.—Weather up to 28th of
March very dry; on 29th and 30th cold;
ground f roue.
Noble Co.—Has been very dry; just had
agood rain; the condition for starting
Vegetables much better,
Huntington Co.—First spring rain March
30 and 31; oats nearly sown.
Alien Co.—Very cold and dry; dry
weather injuring wheat; oats ^mostly
sown.
Fulton Co.—The light winter has been
fine on stock and grass.
Cliuton Co.—Weather nice but cool.
Montgomery Cj.—The past winter and
spring thus far propitious to farmers.
Rush Co.—No rye or barley sown  here.
Putnam Co.—Peaohes, plums, cherries
and pears all alive.
Owen Co.—March has been favorable;
therein on 31st made everything look
fresh; farmers have their work well in
hand.
Howard Co.—Has been very dry but
rained on first; oats sown.
Union Co Dogs cut the per cent on
sheep; great many crippled.
Boone Co.—Weather very favorable for
growing crops.
Delaware Co.—Wheat safe so far, and
generally looks well; late sown not so
good.
Hendricks Co.—Farmers sowing large
acreage of oats.
Vermillion Co.—Weather cool; ground
frozen one and one-half inches.
Grant Co.—Has been very dry, raining
now; peaohes all right; oats mostly sown;
some potatoes planted. %
Jay Co.—No barley sown; prospect for
clover never poorer; peaches and oherries
all right. , . .
Hamilton Co.—The rainfall in Maroh
was very light.
Tippecanoe Co.—But very little rain so
far this spring; farm work well advanced.
Warren  Co.—Oats all sown;   weather
cool; light rains.
Gibson Co.—Everything lovely in Gibson.
Clark Co.—Good weather but dry plowing for corn.
Crawford Co.—Beautiful spring; weare
looking for fine crops.
Posey Co.—Stook hogs scarce but fat,
owing to low price of corn; very little
rain this past winter; some peaoh trees
in bloom; ice houses empty; grass making
good pasturage; much wheat high enough
to hide a rabbit, and a good stand; March
first, had a rhubarb pie made from rhu-
burb grown in the open ground.
Harrison Co.—Farm work ahead; nicest
weather ever seen for the time of the year;
wheat forward; peaches in bloom.
Jennings Co.—A warm open winter;
peaches all right yet; Mirch a very dull
month; many deaths this spring.
Jefferson Co.—In some localities the
grape crop likely to be a failure.
Orange Co.—Stock of all kinds in good
condition; fruit all right.
Monroe Co.—Has been very fine weather
for plowing; oata all sown; a good deal of
ground plowed.
S,vitzerlandCo.—Too wet last fall for
seeding the usual amount.
Dearborn Co.—March very favorable for
winter grains; some plowing done.
_9 loyd Co.—Everything looks well.
Spencer Co.—Had a fine rain;  fine for
clover.
Washington Co.—Oats all sown; stock
in good oondition; mumps and measles
plenty; roads good.
Daviess Co.—The dryest March I ever
saw.
Scott Co.—No rye or barley raised here.
Ripley Co.—H it was not for butter and
eggs here farmers could not make both
ends meet; eggs and butter shipped every
day but Sunday.
Decatur Co.—Wheat and young clover
needing rain badly; oats all sown.
LaGrange Co.—Just had a much needed
rain. >
ILLINOIS. ■
Pope Co.—Snowed the 28th one and one-
I half inches,
Pratt Co.—Fruits of all kinds all right
bo far.
Macaupln Co.—Peach.buded fruit about
half killed, common all right.
Gallatin Co.—Peaches damaged some by
the snow and fr03t of the 27th.
Crawford Co—Large crop of oats sown j
many plowing for corn.
Douglass Co.—Will be a crop of peaches;
but not a large crop of apples.
Cumberland Co.—Weather cold and dry
which may injure fruit; oats about ha I
sown; at this time a large amount being
put in.
Clay Co.—Fine weather and everything
promising.
Shelby Co.—A heavy crop of oats sown;
farmers are happy.
Richland Co.—Very fine weather; oats
about all sown.
Montgomery Co.—Wheat extra fine;
oats about half sown; peach trees full of
buds just ready to open.
Effingham Co.—Farmers ten days ahead
of average years; oats sowing mostly
done; cool weather favorable to fruit
crop.
OHIO.
Butler Co.—Rye, barleyjand sheep not
cultivated.
Miami Co.—Oats all sown; never so before in the history of the State.
Van Wert Co.—Large quantity of oats
has been sown.
Henry Co.—Up to this writing it has
been dry and freezing with us here.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Planting- Oorn.
BT JOHN M. STAHL.
It does not pay to plant corn until the
ground Is warm; and in the spring several of what we call warm days, 1. e., days
when the atmosphere is warm, are required to bring the ground to a proper
temperature. The soil warms slowly, especially if it Is damp. Water receives
heat more slowly than earth does. Hence
planting corn when the ground ls yet wet
increases the chances of the seel rotting
ln two directions, for the excessive moisture will also keep down the temperature
of the ground. It is doubtless well known
to the reader that corn will rot at a temperature that will not iDJure the seed of
other important grain crops; and scientific
experiments have shown that corn will
stop growth at a temperature in which
wheat, oats, etc., will continue to grow.
Corn requires a comparatively high temperature for the fixation of carbon; and
without this chemical action growth cannot continue.
Hence we gain nothing by planting before both atmosphere and soil are thoroughly warmed; and we are liable to lose.
The seed may rot; or, If it germinates, the
weak plants may succomb to the unfavorable conditions. The initial vigor of a
plant of corn or wheat or oats is of the
highest importance. If the plant starts
weak it is very slow to'gain strength and
vigor. Its weakness is apparently inhfir-
ent, and is hard to overcome. On the
contrary, the plant that starts strong and
thrifty, is apt to remain so, and to pass in
growth the plant started earlier at the expense of vigor. This is especially true of
corn. I have seen corn planted of a cold,
backward spring, In May, while the ground
was yet cold and wet. I must confess that
some of this corn was planted by the
writer. It made an imperfect stand arid
slow growth, and was soon outstripped by
corn planted the middle of June, when
tbe ground had become warm and contained only a proper amount of moisture.
In this latitude—the fortieth parallel—we
expect to finish corn planting toward the
lastV.f May, at the latest. Yet I have
seen a splendid crop from July planting.
That taught me something. I had worn
out myself and teams during May and
Jane, in cold rains, and had to show for
lt corn that I was ashamed of. My neighbor waited till the ground was in proper
condition, saved much labor, and had
much better corn. Of course planting Is
to be delayed so long only in exceptional
seasons; and then we must trust to an ex-
ceptionably favorable fall. But while
corn Bhould be planted as soon as the
ground and atmosphere are fit, it is also
true that corn should not be planted until
they are fit. Year after year more is lost
than is gained by planting earlier.
As it is true that we gain  nothing by
planting before nature has done her work,
so do we gain nothing by planting before
we have done our work.. We must do our
part in making the ground fit for the seed.
Germination   must   be   imperfect   and
growth unsatisfactory in ground that has
not been well broken np and fined.   This
work is essential to the establishment of
the conditions precedent of germination;
and it must be done thoroughly if every
grain Is to be subjected to those conditions.
The same conditions are essential to  the
proper nourishment of the plant when the
seed has germinated.    Hence   he who
plants before he has  properly prepared
the seed bed, plants too soon.
Also, the seed should not be planted
until It has been tested. The loss and
vexation from planting poor seed is so
serious and the trouble of testing is bo Inconsiderable that this matter needs no
more than a mention. Much more might
be written about planting corn, __ but the
thing first to be Impressed upon ns at this
time, when we are apt to be Impatient, is
that nothing is gained by being "too previous ;" that he plants too soon who plants
before he has tested his seed and he and
nature have put the ground in proper oondition.
Quincy, 111.
<§»**£ and QuswzVm
Give yonr name and address when asking questions. Many queries go unanswered for failure to
observe this rule.
Please let me know who burns the
Mitchell or Erwin lime in Indiana,
Enfield, 111. G. A. W.
We do not know. Some reader can perhaps inform you.
Do you know anything of the Arnold
Automatic Steam Cooker (for table
purposes, not for stock) manufactured by
a firm in Rochester N. Y. I .T. G.
Stones Crossing.
We have no knowledge of this Cooker.
Can any reader tell anything of its value,
price, etc. ?
What will keep grub worms from working on corn? Can one put anything on
the ground to keep them from injuring
the corn? A Reader.
Nothing will prevent them from feeding
on the young corn if they are on the
ground. Break up the ground as early as
possible and harrow it frequently. This
will turn up the grubs and cut worms
and the birds will destroy thousands of
them.
What kind of cement is used in making
walks? Is there a patent on it? Cin any
one make it for their own use?      C. A. R.
Union City.
You refer to asphalt probably. This is
prepared for walks by taking two parts
of very dry lime waste and one part of
dry coal ashes. Sift them both fine. In a
dry place on a dry day mix them together,
and leave a hole in the middle of the heap.
Into this pour boiling hot coal tar; mix,
and when still as mortar spread lt out on
the walk about three inches deep. The
ground should be dry and beaten smooth
and hard. Sprinkle coarse sand over the
walk and pass a light roller over it. In
a few days it will be solid and water proof.
There is no patent on this pavement.
.The three platforms inthe Eiffel tower
will hold 10,000 persons.