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This newspaper page contains 19 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Lowell Daily Courier
Location
Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of America
Date
May 11, 1900
Page
8
The department invites Northern Middlesex farmers to share short, pithy lines on agricultural topics. Readers with few lines to say should write, for editorial selection and publication in this column. Long-winded pieces are discouraged.
In Lewiston Journal a backyard scene shows a hen resisting a neighbor trying to remove her from the nest. The man Penn tries twice to grab the bird then suffers a bite to the thumbnail. The hen stands firm, swallows the chunk, and cackles a hearty cheer as she remains on the nest awaiting a brood.
The article discusses a proposed road method. It suggests plowing out wheel ruts about one foot deep, filling with cobble stones, and topping with gravel or crushed stone. It claims this would be cheaper than all stone roads and better for light teams on a soft centre foot-path, though cobblestones may surface as a nuisance.
Brother Whitaker cites a Maine experiment illustrating how dairy and farm accounting can split income. He presents two methods of charging fodder feeding cows, each yielding $18.30 per cow but allocated to farm or dairy. The piece also summarizes USDA botany findings on fertilizer effects on seed germination, noting potash and sodium nitrate harm, lime and phosphoric acid are less injurious, and that direct soil contact matters.
Hatch Experiment Station reports that none of the new blackberry varieties fruiting outperform the established Agawam Snyder and Taylor. Prof Maynard praises the Ben Davis apple as beautiful and productive for shipping but notes poor quality. His fertilizer formula for trees in grass uses nitrate of soda one to five pounds, sulphate potash one to five pounds, and South Carolina rock four to ten pounds, adjusted by tree size and need.
In correspondence the writer urges starting farming columns for the Journal after winter institutes. He mentions bulletins from Experiment Stations and asks whether methods are changing, inviting discussion on practical farming changes.
H J Tolles of Dunstable Massachusetts urges farmers to test different manure methods on their soil to find the best approach. He details plowing in manure for corn and potatoes, broadcasting fertilizer for corn, and drilling or top spreading for potatoes, proposing side by side trials to compare yields. He notes reduced oats sowing practice, plans clover with barley, and efforts to remediate grub damage by sowing winter rye and grass seed, with nitrate fertilizer trial results to follow. He cites cousin Brother Taylor’s remark on old sod ground for potatoes and invites others to share experiences.
A local reader from Downsend Harbor criticizes tree wardens and foresters, arguing farmers must read to vote, lamenting government danger from lack of literacy, and recalling the futility of imposing tree wardens while defending liberty. The letter mocks public spectacles and ancient traditions, noting the poetical excess of public works and expressing wary endorsement of liberty as a personal creed.
Article discusses a shift away from home mixing of fertilizers due to rising raw material costs and availability of affordable manufactured blends. Farmers on Long Island increasingly buy ready mixes or compose blends from major suppliers, aided by widespread access to nitrates, potash, bone meal, and other natural manures. Additional note cites a successful chicken cholera remedy previously validated over years.
The article discusses using bark mixed with pepper as a remedy for chicken ailments and emphasizes cleaning, drainage, and fresh water to prevent disease. It also covers fertilizing small fruits with balanced potash and phosphoric acid to boost fruit size and health, plus weed control and early spraying for rust and pests.
Artificial fertilizers show variable effects across crops with nitrogen potash and phosphoric acid. Experiments at Cornell indicate phosphoric acid often yields best when used alone, while complete fertilizer rarely surpasses one or two nutrients. Stable manure sometimes outperforms complete fertilizer, possibly due to soil physical improvements. Stable manure benefits legume crops less because they fix nitrogen from air. Clovers and peas mainly need mineral nutrients. manure adds little value for them aside from minerals.
Instructions for selecting a well drained bog with sand, water control year round, and seasonal flooding. Details include ditch dimensions, layering sand, planting in April May, and management of water, weeds, and harvest. Fireworm control via arsenate of lead spray with precise preparation and application guidance.
In Homestead Edmund Hersey cautions on cranberry spraying and fireworm, recounting failures from coarse equipment and neighbor-introduced pests. He advises hiring an expert for first sprays, choosing well-drained sandy land in Plymouth County, and growing distinct premium seedlings to command higher prices.
Terms used in discussing fertilizer explain complete fertilizer as containing nitrogen phosphoric acid and potash. Nitrogen exists as organic matter ammonia and nitrates with nitrates the most readily available. Phosphoric acid comes from phosphates as phosphate of lime in bones rock phosphate and phosphatic slag. Superphosphate is treated phosphates with sulphuric acid to increase availability. Potash exists as chlorid nitrate or sulfate. chlorids may affect some crops. Main sources include German kainit sylvinit muriate and sulphate forms, plus wood ashes and cotton hull ashes. Department of Agriculture.
The Hutchinson Experiment Station stresses thinning as essential for better fruit. Removing crowded fruit boosts foliage vigor reduces pests and diseases, yields larger better colored fruit, and lowers next year insect pressure. Timing varies by fruit, with apples pears peaches and plums thinned early July and grapes by late June to early July.
J L Mudge describes village visits with Miss Beach to preach Christ among Hindus. They face gender barriers, social norms, and caste tension while engaging pundits, women, and families under a sacred Kali shrine and by a pond. They note growth in some inquiries and the challenges of conversion.
A hurried man grabs a loaf, string unspools along the street. The conductor warns riders as the twine lengths out behind the car. He winds along then follows the cord to the bakery, where he returns the ball of twine, proving his honesty.
This season advises Hood's Sarsaparilla as a blood purifying medicine. The ad claims the blood and system need cleansing and offers Hood's Sarsaparilla as the remedy.
Prices from local grocers and suppliers list numerous items with varied quotes. Butter tea eggs coffee sugar and canned goods appear with odd formatting and inconsistent values. The page itemizes groceries coal and provisions but many entries are garbled or incomplete.
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