Farm Talks

To cnable tlio farmers of the older settled Si ates to compete with the cheap lands of the Northwest, it is necessary to grow larger crops per acre, Take wheat as au cxainplo. On land worth one hundred dollars per acre and wheat at eighty cents per bushei, a erop of ten bushels per acre is a dead loss; a erop of twenty bushels per acre may be grown for the purpose of seeding down tbe land, but thère is no profit in the erop; while a erop of thirty, thirty-five, or forty busliels per acre, taking the vnluo of a toa and a half of straw per acre into considcralion, enables us to hold our own with the cheap lands and average smnll yields of the Northwest , We are using enormous quantitips of commercial manures, composed pjincipally of superphosphate, potash-sa-lts, and a small quantity of nitrogen iii tho form mostly of fisl), flesh and dried blood. The average well-mantigcd farms on which these fertilizers' are used contaia all the ingrediente of plant-food, except nitrogen, to produce large crops per acre. All the facts of exper ence and Ecience point to the necessity of a more liberal supply, of available nitrogen in the soil to enlabie it to produce large crops per aero. i ïhere is no lack of nitrogen. We can develope it froru the soil, or we: can niuke more manuro on the farm, or buy stable manure from the citiea or, purchase from the manufacturera of commercial fertilzers. the nitrogen: we somnch need. But - and here is where the shoe pinches - at the present prices of wheat, corn, oats, barley and hay, we cannot afford to buy nitrogen. The price of nitrogen is too high, or the price of the staple crops too low. CARE OF FKOZEN TLANTS. When by nny mishap the plants; whether in parlor or greenhouse, become frozen, either at once remove them, (taking care not to touch .the leaves) to sorae place warm enough to be just above the point of freezing; or, If tliere are too many to do that get up the fire as rapklly as possible, and raise the temperalure. The usual advico is to sprinkle the leaves and shade Ihe plants from the sun. We have never found either remedv of any avail wilh frozen plants, and the sprinkling is often a serious injury if done before the temperature is above the freezing point. In our experience with thousunds of frozen plants, we have tried all manner of expedients, and found no bettcr raethod than to get them out of the freezing atmosphere as quickly as possible; and we have also found that the damage is in proportion to the succuleut condition of the plant and the intensiiy of the freezing. Jast what degree of cold plants in auy givlen cond.tion can endure without injury, we are unable to state. Flants are often frozen so that the leaves hang down, but when thawed out are found to be not at all injured. At another time the same low temperature acting on the same kind of plants may kill them oulright if they happen to be growiög more thriftily, and are full of sap. Much depends on the temperature at which plants have been growing. Whon the frost is penetrating iuto a greenhouse or room in which plants are kept, and the heating arrangements are inadequate to keep it out, the best thing to do is to cover the plants with paper (newspapers) or sheeting. Thus protected, most plants will be enabled to resist four or five degrees of frost. Paper is rather botter thau sheeting for this purpose. CROSS-BRKEDING OF FISH. Seth Groen, in reviewing varius experimenta iu cross-breeding fisbes, writes: "A few year3 ago 1 tnade some experimenta crossIng the native -brook trout with tüe Califoru'a salmón, the ipawn of latter haviug buen sent from the Pacific coast and the fish were nearly all dofoi'med in sotue waj We kept some of' tlicm uaül thoy were eight or nine years oíd. They showed eharacteristics of botli parents, but reeembled the salmón rather more in general appearance than the other parent Wheu thóy were between three and four years old they began to show indications of spawning. Oue of the pècaliarities discoverod was that the male fish were either absent 01 stcrilo. On attempting to tako the spawn from the feruales artiticially, and unexpected difflcully was encountered. To all appearances they had the organs of the brook trout and the eggs of the salmón, whicli are mucli largor than those of tbe brook or speckled trout By tbe careful use of a knife we took the spawn from the flsh. gcntly pressing the foreliiiger down the lish's abdoraon. ïhere being no railters, we tried to fertilizo the eggs and thus taken by using a male brook trout, but without success, as none of the fertilized eggs ever produced fish. The original fish grew well, and when about three and a half years oíd gome of Ihem weighed nearly if not quite two pounds. The cross never amounted to auything pratically, but had much interest as an experiment Tbe salmón used had been hatchcd and reared entirely in fresh water, and were consequently not in as good condition as those in their natural waters." THE VALÜE OF COW PEAS. Thougu regarded as a Southern erop, experimenta have demonstrated tliat cow peas can be grown in many of the Northern States, as a soiling or hay erop. The Cow Pea draws ita sustenance largely from the atmosphere, as is demonstrated by the fuct that it will flourish upon our poorest sandy soils. It is a common saying "down South," in speaking of very sterile soil, "That land is too poor to sprout Cow Peas!" For green manuring they should be sown broadcast at tho rate of from three to five pecks per acre, aceording to the soil and variety planted. In plowing under a erop of Cow Peas, the returning oí plant food to -the soil, though the principal good, is not the only bonelit exerted ou run-down soil. The roots are very penetrating, reaching down into, and rendering more porous, the underlying stratum of our tields. A pea erop is ono of the easlest ineans of supplying vegetable matter to exhausted soils. It supplies both chumical and meohnnical manui'Q at the same time. Cow Peas for green manure should have a rank growth ol vine, as this is the most valuable part of the plant for this purpose. When the erop is in full bloom, and ready for turning under, more seed should be sown on the ame ground. The pUnviug ers the seed sufflcicntly, and if th'is is dono in the latter half of June, a second erop will maturo before trost destrojs and will produce a luxuriant pasture for cows, horsus, or hogg. CowPensmake most excellent