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Newspaper
The Dakota Huronite
Location
Huron, South Dakota, United States of America
Date
Dec 30, 1897
Page
6
The article explains essential icehouse requirements as dry airtight foundations and walls, a ventilated roof, and a solid icy mass packed in interlocked blocks. It recommends a wooden double-walled house with dry sawdust or tan bark insulation, elevated windward placement, a tight porous roof, sealed floor with an air trap, and layered ice blocks to prevent air currents. Underground storage is deemed unsuitable.
The Campbell system of farming, described in the Milwaukee Sentinel and The Country Gentleman, is being tested in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. Railroads operate 12 large experiment farms in Kansas and Nebraska, with major lines like Burlington, Rock Island, and Northern Pacific taking part. The method uses deep plowing and a dust mulch to conserve moisture, then spring wheat is drilled 24 to 30 inches apart for summer cultivation, enabling 20 to 25 acres daily with a wide machine.
John Powers of Prophetstown Illinois explains his giant yield of 166 bushels 30 pounds from a single acre at the Illinois state fair. He says sixteen loads of manure were spread last fall, ground plowed deeply in 1896, harrowed thrice before planting and thrice after, and cultivated with a garden plow hoed and thinned, removing all unproductive stalks.
The article notes that sunshine largely drives sugar content in beets. Arizona leads the nation in sunshine, followed by New Mexico, with beets in these regions showing high saccharine percentages. A few cloudy days before harvest can noticeably reduce sugar.
The Iowa Homestead urges careful seed selection at husking time and strict drying and storage to ensure good germination. Do not rely on late picking from the crib, as damp or poorly dried ears lose vigor. Kiln drying or near it is safest, and keep seed ears warm and dry until planting. Exposure to freezing while damp harms germination and vigor.
The American Cultivator notes that spraying water over trees and shrubs before a deep freeze creates an ice cover that protects branches. As long as ice remains, cold injury is unlikely. once ice wears away or weather stays cold, renewed spraying may be needed. The piece links moisture in roots and sap circulation to winter survival.
The article notes the cane sugar output and beet sugar rise, with 1886-7 figures and last year’s totals 4 773 000 tons for beet and 2 432 000 for cane, plus 205 000. It argues beet sugar growth in Europe due to temperate zones, and cites the US lack of beet cultivation despite suitable belts from Florida to Texas, blaming overproduction focus on cotton and wheat.
The article surveys new farms near St Louis, urges kerosene treatment for San Jose scale, and notes state farm counts from the census. It reports Ohio leading in farms, Illinois and Missouri following, Florida orange crops rising, California expected to ship 12 000 carloads, beet pulp as stock feed, root storage with outdoor pits, and a remark claiming United States bacon is too fatty for foreigners.
H. W. Wiley explains soil fertility for sugar beets, contrasting American and European soils. He outlines autumn application of well rotted stall manure, and warns against overfertilization. Nitrogen restricts sugar content, while phosphoric acid and potash are more forgiving when paired.
An 1890s advisory piece outlines practical and experimental rat control methods for farmers. Tips include elevating buildings with tin tops, using ferrets and rat dogs to harry colonies, carbon bisulfide in closed bins with fire precautions, and releasing or feeding a specialized virus to spread contagion among rats while sparing humans and domestic animals.
Western producers market honey extracted while eastern producers sell comb honey. Comb honey sells in one pound frames packed 12 or 24 per case with glass fronts. For extracted honey, five gallon square tins and tin pails with screw tops are common. cases and crates aid shipment. suitable cartons and jars aid retail sale.
Horse radish is a profitable crop when grown correctly, mainly in NJ and NY. It is cultivated as a second crop after cabbage, using small shoots from the main root. Roots are dug late fall to December, cut into four to six inch pieces, planted in spring deep enough so tops are three inches below soil. By late fall the long, smooth roots are ready for market, the main root sold while small roots are kept for next year. Roots are shipped in barrels in winter or sold by the pound, fetching $50 to $70 per ton according to a farmers bulletin.
A Virginia department bulletin describes the Virginia razorback ham grown in Surrey, Southampton and Nansemond counties. Hogs fed on woods, corn, black eyed peas and small remaining potatoes gain a gamy flavor. Finishing and curing are local, with genuine hams selling only to customers who order a year ahead.
Investigations in Utah on alfalfa growth and feeding span several years. Studies compare early, medium, and late cut alfalfa from first and second crops. Each cut before blooming shows higher protein than later cuts, with the third crop richest in protein overall.
T. L. Lyon heads the agricultural department at the Nebraska University Lincoln. The winter course runs from December 28, 1897 to March 18, 1898 with instruction at the experiment station farm and adequate buildings and facilities provided for the program.
A practical irrigation technique shows how to raise water from a spring or creek with a homemade leveling tool. Build an A shaped frame with wood strips, use a weighted cord as a plumb line, and level across your garden to trench and scrape for a six to eight furrow irrigation line capable of delivering about 30 inches of water.
A Louisiana Farmer article extols Bermuda grass as the sole forage capable of thriving through heat, cold, and drought. It advocates planting now for spring establishment, noting its superior yield per acre, year round green forage, and compatibility with cowpeas and oats for seasonal feed.
Researchers report that whitening peach trees with lime whitewash helps protect them in winter and early spring. Dormant buds remained until April, while unprotected buds swelled during late February and early March. The mix used was four parts water to one part skim milk with lime, pumped through a Bordeaux nozzle, applied by bucket sprayer with four applications starting late December to keep trees coated until spring.
The article notes dry plains soils in spring and contrasts watering approaches. Thorough winter irrigation fully moistens soil to two or three feet, aiding fertilization and crop growth. Experiments cited from Cowgill and Perry show best results when soils are saturated in fall, winter, or early spring, reducing need for later watering.
Researchers report cow manure green clover and meat scraps form humus rich in nitrogen. Humus blends with soil phosphoric acid and potash to create humates. Forest fires can destroy 75 percent of soil nitrogen, and overburning new land harms long term crop power. Sandy soils worn by years of corn potatoes and small grains need humus and proper crop rotation.
Winter grain benefits from late fall top dressing when soil is frozen. Loose soil reduces poaching and the manure on the frozen surface moderates freeze thaw cycles, protecting grain. If clover is sown in spring, manure aids early protection and vigorous growth later.
Feeding roots can be cut fine to prevent choking. They are valuable for sheep and dairy cows and can be fed to most farm stock with profit when succulent feed is scarce. With other feeds cows may receive up to 20 pounds daily.
The article discusses flax fiber decortication advances and urges farmers to adopt better harvesting, threshing, and byproduct use. It notes over a million acres grown for seed, potential fiber value from straw, and efforts in Minnesota and other states, plus a national flax fiber association. It compares European fiber scarcity, cotton competition, and a push to develop U.S. linen mills through northern flax cultivation and improved processing.
A writer praises the white pine as universally adaptable and resilient. It thrives on varied soils from bottom lands to hilltops, sheds dead limbs, oozes healing resin when wounded, and forms wind breaks in rows or clumps. Mature trees yield rich harvests and its scent is medicinal.
Under ordinary circumstances celery sells well at fair prices though growers rarely receive ideal prices. Look for bright well blanched stalks with sturdy heads and avoid rusty or spindling heads when supply is good. Boxes vary in size but flat tight packing matters. a box of six to twelve dozen is most favored.
North Dakota notes report a winter course in agriculture at the state agricultural college in Fargo starting January 3 for three months. It cites Indiana sugar beet farmer results, seeds and grasses gathered by Thomas A. Williams in the Northwest, Ohio alfalfa prospects, Australian salt bush value for alkali soils, and orchardists favoring winter irrigation. Fargo experiment station finds grain finishing sheep is more profitable than shipping green from grass.
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