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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1884)
VOL. XVI. jjorrcgtyontlenc;. Hot-Beds aad their Management. Salem, Or., March 13, 18S1. 3itor Willamette Farmer: Mr. E. S. Cook, of MoMiunvillo,has requested me to write an article and publish it in your paper, telling how to mako anil manage a hot-bod. Also how to nrovent the ravages of the turnip Ilea. The gardener must have hot beds to grow early vegetables and to start his cabbago and tomato plants and what ever other plants ho wants in his garden. If one has much hot-bed room it is bettor to uso flro heat instead of manure heat I will first describe tho making of the manure hot-bed : Tho usual size is 3x6 foet ; this determines the size cf tho hot-bod ; six feet from front to back, and-thrco times as many feet long a- one has sashos to use. It may be made entirely on top of the ground or a hole . may bo dug six feet wide and the iengtli of the hot-bed, from one to two, feet deep. Fill this hole with fresh cloau horse manure, treading it down firmly,, if 'it '" early in the season, the manure should bo two feet or more deep so it will retain the heat longer ; if late in tho season, then it may be no more than one foot deep. Early in the season is say, February 1, and late say middle of March. Tho soil tin top of the manure should be from six to eight inches deep and very rich garden soil, or it may bo cloan river sandl Sand works very nicely and does not pack' or form into lumps. Around tho hot-bed is a frame of boards made tight. It should extend above tho top suiface of tho bed when completed, six inches in front edde and o'ghtcen inches on the back side. Tho b3d should always extend east and west, tho sashes slorrine to the south. As soon as tho manure is put in and tho soil put on top, covor with the saslics. In two or throe days tho heat will ralso. At first it will como up too high for planting anything in, but wait until it commonccs to go down, and when the thermomotcr indicates about 90 dcg. sow seed. The soil must bo kept moist . and not allowed to get too dry nor bo kept wet. It must bo constantly watched and on all warm sunshiny days tho 'sashes must Iks raUod or taken off, not allowing llm temperature in the day time to get above 75 deg., and nt night it should go below 40 to 50 dcg. If the Bashes, are closed nn hour of sun wUl burn tho plants up. On a cold night tho plan - will get chilled unless tin-hot-bed covered with mats, carpet-, or anythi'ii; that will protect it. A great damrer in managing a hot-bed is that tho plant- ill damp or rot on. just at the surface .f the ground tho gieat and sudden dunces in tho temperature causes this. Tho best way to stop it is as .-oon as the small plants got their first pair of true leaves one fourth inch wide take them up and prick them out giving them room to grow and form good stalky plants. Heating a; hot-bed with fire heat js far more satisfactory than the above. Mako nltlior lean-to on tho south side of a building, walj or tight fence, or a separ ate house with roof going both ways, having the building run north' and south and tho roof slanting east and west, making it high enough so one can work insido of it standing erect Heat it with a brick fluo running underneath tho hot-beds. Tho boat then is under tho control of the workman, and the body of air inside of it being so mucli larger the temperature can be managed much easier.' ,It takes ,experienca to mnnpgo a hot-bed successully. . One may read all there is to be read in lxoks and' papers, then fail until he get exper ience: Peter Henderson's "Gardening for Front" and his other works on gar dening are the best bopka I ,know of on ., . if . j ' ,, z .T lit,! una buvjcvi. ( f nj ;m( The best way" to manage; the insect . v s.' 1 UrSJ -v J r 3 Os-H . ' oV '"uMfWHMB " . ?k V ) 9V ' Ts SALEM, OREGON, FRIDAY, MARCH 38. 1884-. called tho "turnip Ilea" is by using air slacked lime and u-lns. Any girden soil should h.no heavy applications of ashes," leached or unlcachcd. Alo of lime. I put on of ashes nt tho rate of 12 or 11 wagon loads to tiio acre and re peat tho application again in two orthieo years. Not many insects will live and thrive where there is plenty of limo and ashes along the row, or sprinkle it along the rows as soon as tho seed is sown; then if tho insects appear put on more. I believe the turnips attract more insects than any other veuotablo wo grow in the carden. Mv plan is to not grow any fturnips at all, then by using ashs and limo I am not bothered but very little with insects destroying my small plants. Let us never forget that wc May plant tho seed, cultivate the soil, watch the plant grow and do all wo can and still it i (iod who gives the increase. Dexti-i: Kiri.n. Macleay Itsms. Maci-kay, March 22, ISM. U litor Willamette Farmer: Maclcay is one of the foremost tnwns it the count'. Mr. V.1 Hermen ic ir loading merchant. Ho enme hcivhwt fall and has mado a wide circle of h n .Is and is prospering. Our school is prospering finoly with Miss Bailey, from Polk county, .it tho teacher. Wo wish her success. There was an entertainmont at Mr. Levi Browers' to-day. A carpet sewing, which our Macleay hello's all took part in, and it was also Mr. B.'s birthday. If its getting fashionable to sow carpet rags on birthdays, I will inform tho young ladies that I am going to have ono every day of the week until ours are all sewed. Wo have a singing school here, with Mr. L. Brower as leader. Many who thought that thero was not a musical tone in their soul, have concluded that ho is tho ,right man in tho right place. At Mr. T. TV Oeer's a few nights ago wo had a nice birthday party in, honor of Mr. G.'s uCJ anniversary. It was a complete rjurprisc as ho was at his desk writing when we rushed in upon inui. Ho looked as though ho thought the Modocs had broken out again. It was gotten up and successfully carried through by Mifses Mary Bat and Noia Williams, and was a pronounced success in every ieect. Mr. and Mrs. Geer en tertained tho guests in a hospitably and pleasing manner. Thero was also n pleasant party at the residcnco of Mr. Al.Hcrrcn. 'Hide were present many young people from tho neighborhood as well as from Salem. It was well mnnnagod and Mrs. Herren w.is highly cqmplimented on her fine nppor, having cvcrytliing-Jioart could uIi. The Waldo Hills wolf club is doing a good work, having killed three wolves in two week". Messrs. Patten and Grif fith being the lucky ones. Uncle Johnny Kayos is very jworly at present. He ib one of Oregon's pionaors and ono of our mo-,t pcr-overing and enterprising citizens. Tho.loss of Edmon-on's Wide Awake is deeply felt by tho' cntiro community and we all sympathize with him in his misfortune. But as he is a thorough stockman'wo feci that ho will soon have the vacancy fiilled. W. A. T. )Lttr,rrom BouUitaitarn. Oregon. , PiTf- -Lakevtew, Or., March 10, 16S1. Editor Willamette Firmer : I am much surprised at "the number of letters received from Oregon asking of the ways and means of Southern Or egon, and although Gen. Sherman on the occasion of his last visit tojd us that " the Willamette yalley was Oregon" yet we are happy to say that there are a few garden patches left after tho Willamette is considered. Ono of theso is Ooose Lako valley, and as many of our best citizens' are from theVV,ilkunett,-we are ready to invite otheis from'tbe.'same region. There are msny-tnoHnands of 4. acres of land in this and adjoining .J leys open to home-lead and preemption entry. There is scaut.y any choice be tween one chum an-1 (mother. JLho water is near the surface mid although rain Seldom falls during'" tho summer months yet it is found preferable not to irrigate liefd crops. Tho avemgtsarc for wheat, aro twenty bushels per acre; barley, thirty bushels; oats, fortybushd". These figures aro often ihvjSIod and even tiebblod. This lias hitherto been considered a stosk region and for'uncs arc rapidly being amascod in this lino, for it is naturally adapted to tho raising of all kinds of slock. Yet the varied enterprises of oidiuary agricultural life prosper equally well. What fruit that has como into bearing proves itself equal to the best. As a poultry country wo can scarcely see how it could bo better. Tho turkey so troublesome to nourish grows hcie without tho loss of ono from tho brood. Wo have a superior dairy region, yet our market for these products is high, for tho people aro so busy making money by other methods that these products seem trifling. So you will find here tho largest farmers, buying their butter or doing without The greatost aggravation to tho A&r mers hero is to see so much government grass going to wasto annually, and ewcry additional hoof that can bo started out in the spring is considered another hax vestcr oi me great cropam It is but natural, therefore,' that homo imnrovements should bo neglected. We need more agriculturalists. Our land only awaits the plow and seed. A trifle of tho skill and lalwr of tho old States expended hero will make any man rich Thero is more to say than wc are willing to say of the ways and moans to wealth in this country. Como and ecc. S. S. OALiiww.r, Scct'y, .S.-IC. Or. Im. Society Linn County Ccaacll. AtiiAN-y, Or., March 21, I5S1. Eilitor Willamette Kumcr: The Linn County Council will meet on tho 29 instead "f tho last Sat ui day in the month. A. S. 1'own.L. A Comparison of Passcc. Tho Tacoma Nows has b'-cn gathering adthorativo figures about the Stnmpe.de and Natchez passe owt tho Ca ade mountains: From tjie crossing of lh Columbia river to the no.ust tide water tho routo through the Stampede pass is '20 miles and 300 foet longer than that by way of tho Natchez pass, and the estirrnto of the cost of tho mountain work is for tho former ifl,000,000 greater than that invested in tho latter. The length of tho tunnel required is 10,800 by the Stampede pas', or 7,700 feet longor than that by the Natche. pass. Tho grade in 80 feet per milo for ten miles by the Stampede pass. From tho Columbia crossing to tide water by tho Natchez pass the routo is 20 miles and 800 feet nearer than by tho Stampede pas-1. Tunnel 9,100 fict in length, or 7,700 fcot shorter than by tho Stampede 'pass. Cost of construction, .$1,000,000 less. Thogrado is 110 foet per mile for ton milca by the Natchez pas. In tho single matter of grade tho Stampede pass has the advantage of tho Natchez. Uol. emitti states, however, that tho grade on tho Natchez niay bo reduced to 100 ieel per milo, which would leave tho Stampede an advantage of but 14 fo2fin grade for 10 milt, while in overy point to bo considered tho Natchez has overwhelming advantage. Even with IS bridges on the Natchoz river, which will be required to reJuco the grade to 100 feet, tho cost will Ijo 30 per cent less tlian if tho road were to lie built throughthe other route. The estimate of $1,000,000 does not represent tho actual difference in cost between the two routes. It refers only to tho mountain work, and when tho approaches aro coasldcred tho total in favor of tho .Natchez swells to fully $ 3,000,000. The Stampede pats requires 25 miles of the heaviest rock work along tho Yakima canyon, many tunnels and ten degree curves, while the Natchez river prdaenls a roatl bed, comparatively free from' rock-work and, oiwyM grade. Send $2 for the Fjwvi b for" otlo vetr. LV Oregon, Washington '."ru -. ati Calllornia Two yonng fniinfr- v'ulitig eight milos noith of thii .! . decided last fall -oon after t ning of the Northern Pacific I.., .id, to take ft look at Oregon, Wu-dniij-tuii Torritory, and California, with a vie of locating themselves in one of these places if they should bo pleased. Their Wisconsin farms are worth $12o per acre, and they thoueht it inicht bo dsirablo to cot cheaper lands. They thought well of the Yellowstone Valley, in Montana; but from llolona west, they found nothiusr but mountains. Arriving in Oregon, they wore quite surprised to find but small acres of lilJaUio lami. Threo ranges of mountains traverse the Stato from north to south leaving only tho valleys for cultivation. They say that the farni present a sorry look ; poor buildings, and everybody wanting to sell. Hay was 10 per ton in Portland, and very little for sale even at that price. Wild oats and wheat straw oon-tituto tho hay used by tho farmers. Wheat is tho principal crop, and 5r now ery cheap. No corn ; hogs aro fattened on wheat boalccil in harms, mcy loinm the same thing in Washington Torritory. One farmor there told them ho lost all his stock last winter by btaivat'.on, except ono nniE-oJ-mwwsr" eitlier Oregon nor Washington icni torv impressed them favorable as a f razimr country. Thev were also ery much disappointed with roitland. They found it a dirty, muddy, umlraincu city. One small llouring mill, no elevators, aim no uemanu ior mitor. Tho wheat is sacked, takon to tho rail road stations or river landings, and, thence to the ocean vessels. ""-""""' he-jailroftd'trainwcro"Toadcd with people going West, many were mechanics and young men seeking employment, but none was to bo had in any of tho towns they visited. Hundreds go there, using up all their means by tho timo of their arrival, and then have to shift as thoy can, not being able to ge't back. Land aarents attacked thorn at every tain ; in fact, overy tocond man was cither a land acent or wanted to sell his farm. It began to rain the next day after their arrival in Portland (about Thanks giving), thereby making tho streets nejrly impassable and everything tin-plott'-ant. Tin mv tho bui dines, roofs and all aro coveiud with moss, and tho climato is very dunp through tho winter. J. hey hn.inl mora couidiinff in Oregon and Washington Territory, than in all their lives before. Thoy got their information from farmers mos'tly. going out among them. You may well believe, therefore, that tho much bragged up Urcgon ami Washington Territory didn t tun thorn. Thoy had left altoghthcr too g'od a country to like either of those places. Thoy then went to California, with which they were much pleased. They found it, however, gotten up on too big a scale for ordinary farms. Tho countiy lies in great tracts of sandy soil, requiring irrigation. None but men of largo means can successfully go into wheat farming in California (.Southern California is nut hero meant, as they only visited the center of this fclato), owing to the great ovpenso attending irrigation. Thev tlieiforo returnod homo woll satisfied with their Wisconsin farms. They did a wise thing in going W look Wore deciding to sell, and coiffldored their SoOO wolf spent. They found men from Illinois and other Western States who had sold their farms, had gone to these countries, relying upon tho big stories thoy had heard, and who found thoimlves "badly left." A. K. H. Milwackuc, Wis. Wo find tho above in a Western agricultural journal, the Prairie Parmer, that we rcccivo in exchanpo not sco how anybody with honest intention could get so many lies into the samo tqmco. Thousands of immi grant) are arriving here who aro finding homes and aro content. TJnvo who have bocn bore a few years aro all satis fied. Portland is a beautiful city and hay has never sold thero for ?I0 a Urn in twenty years, if it oyer has. At pn tent it is worth about $20. Of courte there are land agents; also eomo wish to sell their improved farms to bo able to take up new land. As to "coughing," the country is ery healthy, .Tako the abovo through and it is a mess of slanderous lies from beginning to end, done, no doubt, for the pnrpoee of preventing im migration. The extent of arable land open to settlement U as largfi and offrrs grtutf.r inducement than any other - . Kk . -tT. NO. 7 section mn picsont. wo nope our contemporary who g.ue the aboe to tho public will publish our brief icpjy. i'fu t Nctec A lUllimuie firm has introduced the Japanese persimmon Into this country, and planted 1,000,000 trvo. The fiuit is said to bo delicious, mid thn gonoial opinion is that it will be well leccivod when ofl'eied for sale. From all qnartors the Wilson straw berry has been attacked, but tho source of wnrfaio may generally be traced to those who .iro engaged in endeavoring to supi Mcue it wjth tomotiung oi meir own. Newer vaiii'tica aiu given all the benefit of mulch manure .and cultiva tion in order to mako thorn attmctivo. If tieated as the Wilson has been .they would soon p.vs nwny. Hnvingstoud in. high favor for uioie than leu years, it still remains the champion bciry for shipping and pioducing under adverso circumstances. It has been long a disputed question whether plants derived nitrogen from tho air or not. Thu veidict has been in favor of the nnn-npprnpiitUion of that elemont fiom tho iitmo-qiheio, despito Ilonssingault'M claim to the contraiy. M. f vrJ "Jj-t Villc. in order to test tho matter, cal- . , cined a poition "f th" earth, to expel all utrogen, and then grew a good crop oi tl f CJ ilovir in tne sumo wiin a lerunzur nm- - ining no nitrogen, the water used be- . g distilled. 'I his demonstrates that VTY), i A-Ui clover aiipropriatcs nitrogen fiom the ' w air, ami, consequently, wnon grown.miu n .i lowed under, adds nitrogen to the soil. Wheat derives no nitrogen from tho at mosphere, and when experiments woio made with that plant tho nitrogen was not increased. Ono of the chief cantos of decay, whon tippled or other fiuit is stored, is closo contact. Should an imperfect apple be come diseased, the tliseaso assumes n. contagious form, and spreads from one apple to tho other until all aro dost toyed. This -is more paiticulurly noticed with peaches and plums, and it reminds uh thnt more core should be exercised in preset viug iruits overwinter. Lemons and oranges como to us from fuieign, countries wrapped in p.ipor and packed only in small lots. It has been demon strated that apples, when placed on n shelf, each being tep.ii.ited from tho other, keep wi!1 ; and why cannot a les son be taken frofn the foreign in- thuds, which enable fruits grown in warm cli males to be safely ireinporlcd to long distance? Whon flint is wrapped it is partly protected fiom cold, and lliu'dif lie.ultv fiom fifOKim: is not hi gimit. A cool place should thueloio bo selected for storage. No doubt many may ob joct to the pn.piMtion of u.-ing n miieh cam with fiuit, but If the good quality and Ftiui ilness lestilt in an increased price no objection should be made. rami an' Garden. Myrtlo Timber. There in no pi .we of which wo have any knowledge where niyi Ho grows to that degico of pcifcctness that it does in CV county. The wooJ, if as fully known as black walnut, would brcomo ' more valuable than that highly pruod liirisliiiiti wood; and when wo tiko into consideration thu fact that tho timber grows large and nctuully incumlors the grounil.we can justlyclaim much wealth in this respect. When wo tnko into consideration that walnut is being fhtp lied fiom Europe to the United Slates, we should be careful bow wo destroy our mvrtle. Canes made of the black mytlo Kio the fincbt we havo ever seen, without cxct-jition, and can readily bo sold for three or four dollars here. larmer, fil)lnc ,mt ,, j,nV(, ,nn sould 'inl and do doubtedly bring a largo price ill some city where men ot money appreciaiu inn beautiful. P"r furnituro it has no qual for beauty of finish or durability, and when it is well known ptcrjbody wiW prefer it. Coquillo lforald. native To'jjcco. J.sst fall t'jvcral farmers who" havo trieil on a smiill scale the practicability of tobacco raising in this vicinity brought samples of tho product for exhibition on tho vidls of the laud olllce. A few days ago Sir. Myer", a gontleman who ban bix-'tit tho gieater part of bis life iw n. tobacco raider in Koiitucky.ciillod in to examine these sample. After milking a careful insptxtion lie expressed siirpi at. finding an article of nuch excellent quality and gave it as h.s opinion that the IiiibIiiom of raising mid matin fwt tir ing toUcco In this vicinity would be found not only piaclicahlit but hig'dy profitaLlc. ooO