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Show value as a forage and hay crop. Itii value1 as' a soiling crop cannot be estimated. esti-mated. With this plant farmers can defy the drouth and tell It to do Its worst. We will add that no irrigating has been done on the field of cow peas mentioned. The Wisconsin station has, we believe, done no more Important Import-ant work this year than the giving of this object lesson in the growing of the cow pea. Three-Lined Leaf Beetle. The Three-Lined Leaf-Beetle (Lema trilineata) attacks the potato plant, both the larvae and the beetles feeding .FARM AND GARDEN, MATTERS CF INTEREST TO AGRU CULTURISTS. Some Up-to-Iate HluU About CultW vat ion of the Soli and Yield Thereof Horticulture, Viticulture and Floriculture. Hort'eullurat Observations. Charles Hirschinger tells the Farmers' Farm-ers' Review that the best way to cut the surplus runners from strawberry plants is to use a plow with a rolling coulter. He goes over his strawberry fields several times after the plants have ceased to fruit, each time cutting off the runners and cultivating the ground between the rows of strawberry strawber-ry plants. Keeping the plants well cultivated ia the fall helps them to form large root systems and insures strong plants in the spring. The fall growth and development has very much to do with the power to bear a crop the following year. Discussing the use of fertilizers on strawberries, A. L. Hatch suggests to on its leaves. The larva may be distinguished from all other insects that Jrey upon the potato plant by its habit of covering cov-ering itself with its own excrement, which is greenish in color and may act as some protection. In the illustration, illus-tration, "b" shows the last few joints of the abdomen of the larva, magnified and viewed, not in profile, but from above. The vent of the larva, as will be seen from this last figure, is situated situ-ated on the upper surface of the last joint, so that its excrement naturally falls UDon its back, and by successive discharges is pushed forv.ard towards it head, till the whole urper surface of the insect is covered with it. There are several other larvae, feeding upon other plants, that commonly wear cloaks of this strange material. The perfect beetle is of a pale yel-' low color, with three black stripes on the writer the more extensive use of wood ashes. The man that has a strawberry patch covering four square rods can use a bushel of ashes to advantage. ad-vantage. It should, however, be applied ap-plied at two different times, about a week apart The first application should be made after growth starts in the spring and the second application a week later. Mr. Hatch believes that the ashes do gqod not by the amount of potash and other chemicals they contribute to the soil, but by operating oper-ating on the nitrates in the soil and making them available for plant food. This view of it will doubtless not be readily accepted. In the use of ashes it must be taken into consideration that they vary greatly as to their make up, some woods giving an ash having three times the potash con- its back. It bears a strong resem- tained in others. The soft woods are quite generally deficient in potash, and their ash is therefore of little value. In the planting of plum pits care should be taken that they are not too dry, as dry and shriveled kernels are of no value. This fact explains the cause of many failures in the planting of these pits. From the time the pits are separated from the pulp they should be kept slightly moist, just enough to prevent the drying out process from acting. Some men think it best to break the shells to liberate the kernels, but this is unnecessary, as, if the pits Ere left out of doors all winter they will start to grow very early in the spring, Cow Peas la Wisconsin. It has been believed that the cow pea could not be maturea as far north mance to tne cuinmuu tuuujuuci uu6. It is, however as a general thing, a slightly larger insect. The Moth Traps. These have come in for so much inquiry in-quiry that I take this occasion to again caution about the use of moth traps. They do more harm than good in the orchard. They will not catch the codlin moth, curculio, borer, canker can-ker worm, or gouger and these are insects in-sects we want to kill. Prof. J. M. Sted-man Sted-man says: "The use of moth traps by the general public will do more harm than good." Miss M. E. Murtfeldt says that "The moth traps will catch more friends than enemies "n therorchard " Mr. F. H. Speakman, who used 40 traps during one whole summer in the orchard, orch-ard, says: "I pronunee the use of lights to save our apples, peaches and plums a decidedly dismal failure." Nearly all of the state entomologists of the coun- as northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Wis-consin. Hitherto the men that grew ! cow peas have made a practice of purchasing pur-chasing their seed from the states south of the Ohio, it being recognized that the cow pea is a southern plant. Here and there in the states farther north men have asserted that they had matured the cow pea, but as they produced no proof of their success in the way of seed the general public has paid no attention to their claims. "But the Wisconsin Experiment station has settled the matter, at least so far as this year is concerned. At the station named a considerable try have stated positively that the use of moth traps in the orchard does more harm than good. The testing of the moth traps at New Haven in June 4 and 5 by the Society showed that not one codling moth or curculio was caught. Dr. L. O. Howard, U. S. Entomologist, En-tomologist, says: "I am glad that you are giving the facts about the moth traps in Missouri." It would seem that when we have such positive statement! from those who know, we would do well to heed their instructions. L. A. Goodman, Secretary Missouri State Horticultural Society. Fruit Notes. Ohio. Peaches are being marketed. The early varieties are small, but the late varieties will be improved by the rains. Apples are a light crop generally. gen-erally. Grapes are reported rotting in a number of sections of the state. Tomatoes show marked improvement Missouri. Apples and peaches have not improved except in portions of the western, southwestern and southeastern south-eastern sections, where they are somewhat some-what better than when the month opened. Illinois. Apples are still falling and a very light crop seems inevitable. Pears, plums, grapes and peaches range from fair to good crops. Kentucky. Apples are scarce and poor. Tennessee. Peaches are abundant but quality has been damaged by rainy weather. Apples are poor and scarce. Indiana. Apple prospects are now promising in many parts of the state. The crop is exceptionally fine In Washington county. Wisconsin. Drought has so reduced water supplies that the reserves to be used for flooding cranberry marshes in case of frost are low. Cranberry picking will begin September 2. area has been devoted to the cow pea, and the crop has been perfect The writer saw the plots August 28 and 29. The lack of water was not apparent In the least, and it is hard to imagine a more perfect stand even with an abundance of rain. The seed had been planted in rows thirty inches apart and the growth of the plants had very nearly obliterated the spaces between the rows. Each stalk stood upright and bore an immense wealth of broad leaves. Professor Moore, who accompanied accom-panied the writer, said: "Dig down here for five feet and you will find the ground perfectly dry, and it is a marvel mar-vel how the plants have continued to grow apparently without any moisture. The drouth has been severe here and still continues, but the cow peas do not feel it" As the professor talked he picked off and shelled some of the ripe pods, "saying: "say-ing: "You see how many ripe pods there are now, and they ripen very quickly after reaching this stage. In a week or ten days most of these fully filled pods will be ripe enough to gather. gath-er. We may reasonably expect thirty days more without severe frosts, and long before that time the crop will be out of the way." Relative to the success with the crop Professor Henry remarked: "Of course this is an exceptional year so far as the amount of sunshine is concerned, but we have had great lack of moisture. Whether we can get the cow peas forward for-ward so rapidly in wet years remains to be seen. There now appears no reason rea-son why we cannot grow cow peas extensively ex-tensively in Wisconsin. The variety grown this year is the most common niu th Whinnoorwill." As a drouth resister the cow pea Is this year demonstrating Its value. As s gatherer of nitrogen it has great value and the same may be said of its |