The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-04-19
FARM AND GARDEN.

KEROSENE FOR PARASITES, ETC
Eds. Country Gentleman: Seeing Sc
many articles about killing lice on cat
tie, fowls, etc., l cannot resist offering
a gratuitous recipe in connection with
the subject. Almost from the first in
PRODUCTION of the kerosene burning fluid,
or kerosene" for short, 1 fancied,
without being able to offer scientific
reasons for my ideas, that it was good
stuff to use about animals, plants, etc.
always with some judgment about
the latter, however. l would like to
slip in word here to the effect that
dry applications are very doubtful in
my observation. when employed to
worry and destroy parasites upon ami
mails or plants. / have seen chickens
raised in the gas-works yard, where the
lime and sulphur dusts and gases would
almost choke mere visitor, alive with
lice, and rats burrowing almost in the
lime, all thriving (the rats and lice) in
a most magnificent manner. A bug
will roll in key of sulphur for hours
and hours TRY it if you doubt it), and
then have energy enough to climb out
and never mind it. You must have
something that goes on them and goes
into them. Kerosene does this. 1t is
the cheapest thing, all things taken
into consideration, that can be used.
Facts are stubborn things, and l state
that l have used it by the quart upon
the neck, name. and other portions of a
horse, and afterwards curry combed,
while wet, handfuls of lice off the ami
mal-(not my horse when he got SOY.
l have taken basinful and an old
stump of broom, and secured Ches-
ter sow thoroughly all over, and the
huge side-traveling black lice with which
she was covered were knocked perfectly
cold, and gave up the ghost. have
anointed hens and young chickens,
choosing fine sunny day for the latter,
and the little fellows Immediately be-
gin thriving; it will not bring dead
chicken to life, however, aud let no one
expect this in putting it on to chickens
in dying state. Some persons imagine
it to possess greatly irritating proper
ties, and l have had even physicians to
caution me about it, saying it would
raise a blister. In my experience,
never discovered any bad effect what
ever, and l have washed my face and
neck and arms copiously with it at re-
peated intervals, during nights of wake
fulness on James River, in order to
prevent being devoured by the Drewry's
Bluff mosquitoes. No discernible in
convenience ever attended its use, either
on the feathered tribe, the four-footed
animals, or myself.
To HAVE EGGS DURING THE WIN
TER.-There has been a good deal said
about how to make hens lay during
winter, and I venture to say have seen
a hundred articles on the subject. Some
of the ways spoken of appeared so
reasonable that l tried them, but have
never yet discovered a sure way to
make hens lay when you want them; if
l could l should make fortune in no
time, with eggs at three dollars per
dozen. But l have found out how to
have hens that will lay in the winter
l noticed that certain hens laid at GER
tain seasons, and did so for several
years, and that if a person had chance
to pick he might find two or more in a
hundred that would be sure to lay in
any month of the year. l further find
that if such fowls are used to breed
from, and such pullets saved as proved
winter layers, and also bred from, in
few years eggs would be plentiful dur
ing the winter-if they could get any
food to make eggs from. These winter
layers, however, notice, are not much
for summer, though some on Matching.
Country Gentleman.
THINNING FLOWER BUDs.-As it is
an established fact that a thorough
thinning out of fruit on tree causes
that remaining to grow to greater per-
lection, so the same process will apply
to plants producing flowers. When the
rose-buds are beginning to form, 60
over the bushes and remove fully one
half, leaving only the largest and best;
cut off the bloom as fast as it fades, and
you will have finer and larger roses,
and the season of bloom be prolonged.
Balsams, started early in heat and
planted out when the weather gets set
tied, will begin to bloom in few
weeks. These will bear an unmerciful
amount of pruning of their branches.
and bloom abundantly for it. When
the flowers begin to fade, they should
be removed, if it is desired to keep up
the yield. This process of thinning
will apply equally to many other plants.
STONE Coal FOR PLANTs.-A writer
in the Revue Horticole, states that he
purchased very fine rosebush, full Of
buds, and after anxiously waiting their
maturing, was greatly disappointed
when this took place to find the flowers
small, insignificant in appearance, and
of dull, faded color. Incited by the
suggestion of friend, he then tried
the experiment of filling in the top of
the pot around the bush to the depth
of half an inch with finely pulverized
stone coal. In the course of few days
he was astonished at seeing the roses
assume beautiful red hue, as brilliant
and lively as he could desire.