VOL. XXII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 1887.
NO. 18
ART EXHIBIT.
For the past two weeks our city  hits enjoyed an art exhibition, given by our Art
Association.which included many rare and
valuable paintings, from artists famous on
both siiics of the ocean.   It wasarare treat I
to our citizens, many of whom hail never
before had the opportunity of seeing works
of art ofao high a character.   Among those
of special note is a magnificent picture by
Edwin Weeks of the shah ienavm, eoming
from the great mosque at   Delhi with   his
splendid retinue  of elephants,  mounted
cavalry, servants, populace, and  umhrella
bearers.      Another   is    Frank   Bromley's
large  painting,   "Cheltenham  Beach,"  a]
a picture of radient skies  reflected in   an!
Immense reach of waters  which  curl  in !
light waves   on the   shore, long   wharves,
shipping and airy distance into which the
eve   looks   far  and   deep.    Many  of   the I
paintings   are of   a high   linish   showing
faces,   figures,   costumes,   interiors,   etc.,)
with the exactness of life.
HOME HADE CLOD CRUSHER.
I 1
was   April 14th;   last year it   was   Friday i to the ground, if there were, cutting would
the9th of April.   Hie present   year it was   answer all purposes.
April 8th. If the   ground is   mellow and   carefully
The   Superintendent    recommends thai    rolled   after seeding,   a harvester may    he
literary exercises consisting of appropriate  set so loss   as to remedy   the necessity  of
recitations, essays, dialogues and songs be   pulling, that   is when   the cost of the two
made a part of the program on Arbor Day.
Growing Flax for Fiber and Seed.
There is no difficulty In growing Max to a
profit for both liber and seed, and the
farmer engaging in the business can have
profit in proportion to the care and attention given to the business.
There is no   secret in the   business,   the
same   care   given   lo    other   staple   farm
crops is  all that   is required.   The  same   riffling.
To   prepare
methods of harvesting is considered.
If town on rich   soil three bushel* to the
acre the   fiber will   be very long and \ efj
valuable if cut (dose by a harvester,
When harvested the llax should bo
bound and   cored, but not   left ill the field
to become discolored by the weather.
Threshing may be done during the winter by Hails, by hand beating it over a
barrel or board,   by roller threshing or by
Onr cut represents a very useful and
easily made implement for pulverizing the
soil, either before or after planting. If it
is intended for use inthe field it should be
made of one and a half or two inch boards,
eight or ten inches wide. These should
lap one upon another like the weather
boards on a house, and be nailed firmly to
each other and to the slats. If need be
stones or blocks of wood may be fastened
upon the crusher to increase the weight.
We use one on our garden and potato
field and it puts the ground in prime condition for planting.
LIGHTNING RODS.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Do you think that lightning rods are
any protection to buildings? If so what
kind is the best? Please answer through
the FARMER anil much oblige a constant
reader. H. C.
Rushville.
We most decidedly do think that lightning rods protect buildings when property
put up. To be good protectors they must
extend above the tops of buildings six or
eight feet and should be set up at each end
of a long house, and the end of each I,, as
well   as   in   the   middle.     The    different
branches may b< nnceted. and the main
rod should pass dow n the sideof the building and enter the ground far enough to
find earth that is always moist. On this
oecount the north side is better than the
south. A mass of iron or of charcoal in
the ground at the extremity of the rod
will help to conduct away the electric
fluid. An iron rod % inch in diameter is
sufficient to carry oil' most of the discharges we have, but a much smaller rod
of copper U equally effective. A strap of
copper an inch or so wide is an excellent
conductor,  and very  easily put  on.   All
that is ni ssarj    to secure it   is to tack it
onto th. ridge board, the cornice and a few
weather boards, with nails. It is not liable
to rust and will last much longer than
iron. Six or eight strand- of telegraph
wire twisted   together   make   a good   and
cheap conductor, which can be put up by
any one.
In cases w here rodded buildings have
been struck and damaged, it has generally
been found that there was imperfect connection, either in the different parts of the
rod, or with moist earth at the bottom.
CONDITION OF WHEAT.
The April report of the Statistician ofthe
Department of Agriculture has the following summary regarding the condition of
winter wheat in this State:
The soil was generally In good condition
for the seed, anil germination was sure
and rapid. Some counties reported delay
on account of excessive moisture, while
instances are given where delay was occasioned by reason of drouth. The plant
was protected by snow for a period of
about 45 days, followed by rains and mild
weather, at which time the plants looked
unusually promising. Since the 10th of
March there has been repeated freezing
and thawing, together with cold northeast
winds, and the condition has steadily declined. The condition of rye is the same.
There was very small damage by the Hessian fly. This is found to lie the greatest
where wheat stubble has been resown to
wheat.
The per cent of condition is put at 90,
while the average of all the wheat growing
States is s.s.1 per cenl. (Iregon ranks first,
being 96 per cent ; New York comes next.
97; -Missouri. 95; Tennessee, "it; Illinois 92,
and i Ihio 7!i per cent.
careful preparation of land secures the
same results, the Only difference being
that of the care and character of cultivation peculiar to each crop. Corn and
wheat and potatoes and peas and beans
and rye and oats and barley all have their
peculiarities, and so with flax.
To insure the highest profits in either,
the best attention is required, and either
sutlers if neglected. Flax is just as sure a
crop, certainly if grown for both fiber and
seeds is a surer crop than either-of the
crops grown for seed alone.
Dry seasons will unduly affect crops mi
dry land, and wet seasons those On moist
land, but llax stands both wet and dry
seasons more favorably than the other
crops.
The same careful preparation of the land,
the lilicr the old plan of
spreading it in gavels on the ground to
be retted by the action of the atmosphere,
and frequent turning is still the general
practice by small growers, others steep it
until ihe retting is effected in stagnant
water, where it is placed and held under
the water by planks and weights.
Other processess of retting arc under
consideration,   and when   central Stations
become established to purchase the straw
from the farmers and carry on the bus!
ness of preparing   fiber some  of the more
elaborate expensive processes of retting
will be adopted.
Alter letting the straw is passed through
a brake by hand or machinery, and then
scutched by hand or revolving knives.
the business   of preparing Ihe   fiber is a
in good tilth and fertility is rewarded | good winter employment, and our fore-
cinially by all the farmerVaises. All may i fathers produced very fine fiber, and our
be pushed   by unusual fertility   and good   grandmothers   spun very line   linen from
ARBOR DAY.
Editors In.liana Farmer:
Will you be kiml enough, to give us,
through the columns of your valuable
paper, the origin of Arbor Day. its objects,
etc? Is the da V fixed? If so what is the
day.' A. V. R.
Cory, Clay ('uunty.
Arbor day was appointed by the ex-
! Superintendent of Instruction, John W.
Holcombe, two years ago, in compliance
with resolutions passed by the Indiana
State Horticultural Society at its meeting
in December 1883 and endorsed by the
Indiana State Teachers' Association at its
annual meeting in January 1884. The
purpose in appointing the day was to en
courage in the scholars at our public
schools a love of the beautiful ami a desire
to improve the ap]>earaiiee ofthe school
yards and surroundings. Shade trees.
[lowering shrubs and flower beds were
r mmended to be planted and cultivated by the children, and lists of such
j trees and plants as are most suitable were
i prepared, and published in the Superin-
dent's report.    The day   appointed in 1884
drainage, llax especially
Flax may be sow n as early as the ground
• an I.e stirred, or up to the first of July if
the soil be naturally moist, but most crops
suffer more late in the summer, and are
more sure the earlier sow n.
Perhaps tlax is the one crop best adapted
to a moist, mellow soil, or a soil which is
not perfectly drained. The stalk grows
taller, remains green longer, and is better
for the liber when grown ou soil a little
moist as much ofthe soil is In parts of
Indiana.
The quantity of seed sown Isdetermined
by tin- character of fiber desired. One
bushel to the acre on poor soil would be
almost totally a loss, while on very rich
soil it would praeucally eo\ er the ground
anil produce a heavy, coarse fiber. Poor
soil should have more seed, if poor soil
must l.e seeded at all, that it may shade
the ground.
Kich soil will staiuleither light or heavy
it.
The flax industry is a sate business).
There inn he no loss, and if the straw is
housed will always be valuable. There is
at this time no more promising pursuit to
the American people than to develop this
industry in all its bearings.
S. S.  BOTCB.
Chicago, April 20, 1887.
Letter from Grant County.
Killtors Indiana Farmer:
Fanners are about done breaking in
this county, breaking was unusually hard
on account of the extremely dry weather.
Some planted their corn last week while it
was so dry and hot. the iiinreury standing
at sii in the shade. Many have their gardening done. Wheat does not look as well
this spring as it frequently does, there was
so much hard freezing and so little snow
during the winter. Fruit trees are budding
out, but the pleasant anticipations of
spring were entirely destroyed yesterday
bv   a slow   cold   rain,   with   considerable
ram,
seeding.   The greater the quantity of seed   sleet.   This morning,   another wave from
the Longer the fiber and the finer and more ' the northeast   has added   an inch of snow
,,,.., ,       , .   , with sleet and cold winds.    Farmers have
valuable, but   the amount   of seed is less-   improveu the dry weather by putting in a
ened. ; vast amount of tile.   Some one, who seems
About   2'i bushels  of seed   to the   acre  to   know, says   "Grant county   now   has
sow ,,  just before  planting com,   on good   thousands upon thousands of miles of tile,
,,    '    , ,, ,.       . m   fact it is the   best tiled coiintv   in the
mellow, clean -oil is the nearest directions
which can be given lo obtain the highest
i results in both seed and liber. For fiber
alone, or where liber is the first consideration, sow ing three bushels to the acre Were
better
the
United States." The gas excitement still
runs high in our counts. Marion with its
three wells, now has them under control,
and is rapidly piping it all over the city,
and is lighting up the streets and business
houses. In that vicinity land is selling at
tSOOto   £"i00 per acre.   Jonesboro struck a
To obtain the fiber   in the best shape the I l,etu'r *as ™j™   ,t.han g!*her '.'!   the w,'!ls al
„        ,      ,,, ,,   i .i    a   .. Marion.     \\ e  live   five   miles   south   of
llax should I*- pulled just as the bottom of ,,olu.shoro, and can distinctly hear the
the-talks are turning lo ripeness. The ; roar of the well, see the flame and smell
seed loses nothing in this rather earlv il«* disagreeable odor. It has 326 pounds
harvesting pressure in a two inch pipe.    Fairmount is
,,7 „   ,    „        , . now boring and is down nearly 400 feet.
\\ e say   pull the flax,   because there   is Angie Pearson.
no such thing practicable as to cut it close      Fairmount, April 18.