The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-11-22
FARM AND GARDEN.

no animals more omniverous than fowls;
fish. flesh, herbs and grain being de-
voured by them with equal relish. We
say equal, for though they commonly
pounce upon meat with greater avidity
than upon grain, this is generally be-
cause it affords variety, and a flock
kept for awhile almost entirely on ami
NAL food will show the same greed for
few handfuls of corn.
Now, those animals accustomed to
use varied diet should not be confined
to an unvarying one. There are indeed,
some species which are naturally limit
ed to one or few kinds of food. Thus,
cattle do well enough, although kept
month after month on grass alone, and
tiger will thrive with nothing but
lean meat upon his bill of fare. But
with other animals, as with the human
race, for instance, the case is different,
for no person can maintain the highest
efficiency when confined to one article
of food. No matter how fond we may
be of particular dish, we lose relish
for it when allowed nothing else for
number of consecutive meals, and the
intense craving for variety indicates as
its source something more than mere
appetite. 1t gives evidence of real ne
cessities of the system, which are con-
stantly varying with the changing cir
cumstances of weather, employment
and other conditions.
The fondness for variety shown by
fowls is as significant of real needs as
we have found it to be ourselves. In
purveying for them, a judicious variety,
selected from the three general divi-
sions-fresh vegetables, grain and ami
NAL foods at all seasons absolutely ne
cessary for young and old, in order to
make them perfectly thrifty. True,
they will not starve on hard corn and
water, neither will they pay profit so
kept.-1he Poultry World.
AsPARAGUs.-I have tried all kinds
of manure for asparagus plants, and all
sorts of treatment. Nothing, however,
produced such rank growth and thick
crop as fresh COW manure. We have
often used horse manure, well rotted,
and salt, and various other applications;
but the pure COW manure spread over
the bed about three inches thick proved
the best. The year before last we had
the most wonderful growth, and, as we
believe, entirely from this cause. We
always leave our stalks until they are
about enc foot high before cutting
them. We fancy they are much bet
ter and we know we get three times as
much vegetable food fit to eat.
If we cut them just as they show
above the earth, and, to get sufficient
length, point the knife somewhat dag
onally downward, severing the plant
about three inches under the soil, we
only get an edible portion of about two
and half inches in length; whereas if
we wait one or two days more for in
creased growth, and cut just at the sur
face, we get nearly or quite nine inches
of excellent food, and we think our bed
yields more of this long kind than the
short, and that the plants really thrive
better. After the first cutting being
thus delayed, there is no more lost time,
as all future growth, by being allowed
to flourish a little before cutting,
comes in rotation the same as if cut
earlier; but, as l before said, we think
better and more crop can be obtained
by this treatment.-Cosrespondence
Canada Farmer.
LAZY FARMERs.-Laziness prevents
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