The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-08-02
FARM AND GARDEN.

WHAT A YOUNG LADY DID LAS
YEAR.-In Concord township, Della
ware county, farmers daughter, dur
ing the last year, had the care of hi
poultry yard. In the spring she com
menced with about sixty fowls, of thu
common breeds, including one Domin
ique rooster and several hens of tina
stock. She also had two roosters o
the Partridge Cochin breed. From
these she raised $50 chickens. Wher
young she fed on cracked corn, bu
fattening them, gave whole corn and
Indian meal. During the season she
sold eggs to the amount of $50, and
from Sept. 29th to January 18th, she
got ready for market so pairs of chick
ems, which she sold for $3.50, making
in all $3.50. She thinks the Domin-
iques much the best for market, but
they are not hardy when young. She
has some young hens of the Partridge
Cochin breed which weigh 6, and s
pounds each. 1t will be seen from this
statement, what may be done by pro-
per attention to poultry, the profit be-
ing perhaps greater than almost any
other branch of farming. 1t also shows
that the business is one in which fe-
males may engage with success. The
time occupied in caring for sixty to a
hundred hens doesn't average more than
an hour or two a day. The exercise
is light and pleasant and the change
from household duties rather agree
able than otherwise. Indeed we con-
slider the poultry business, as an occu-
patton, both profitable and interesting.
Gathering eggs, setting hens, watch
ing the Matching, and tending the
young, has charm, which, in connec-
ton with the profit, is calculated to
please every lover of natures great
working world. Our Concord girl de-
serves preium-Del County Ameri-
can. aA r.
To PRESERVE GRAPEs.-The best
manner of keeping grapes fresh for
winter use is that method pursued in
Spain, namely, to pack the entire clus-
tiers in thick, open mouthed, stone ware
jars, laying dry, putting fresh hard
wood sawdust between them so thickly
as to fill up all interstices; then to
place the jars in a cool even atmos-
phere, excluding all light. This meth
cd is more laborious, but better, than
the practice of the Italians and French,
which merely consists of hanging the
grapes in dark room subject to a
slight current of heated air. Thus the
grapes are partially dried, and though
sweetened by the process, lose their
freshness and part of their fine flavor.
In the British Isles, where only hot
house grapes can be brought to matu-
rity, the clusters are retained on the
vines for weeks and weeks after they
have become ripe by simply moderating
the heat of the conservatory; also by
cutting the clusters just before they are
entirely ripe, dipping the ends of the
stalks into mixture of hot resin and
sealing wax, and suspending them in a
cool, dry and dark atmosphere.
SEPARATING HONEY FROM BEE
BREAD.-A lady correspondent of the
California Agriculturist gives the fol-
lowing convenient and old-fashioned
way of separating honey from bee
bread:
Put such pieces of the comb as have
bread in them into round tin butter
cans Chose little faring at the top
are best) until nearly full. Then set
the wash boiler on the stove with water
few inches deep in it, but not enough
to boil up into the cans; then lay few
pebbles or an iron chain evenly on the
bottom and set the cans on them. put
the cover on the boiler and let the honey
steam until the wax is melted, which
can be ascertained by small stick or
wire. The honey must be stirred if
wished clear. When it is all melted,
lift the cans out and set away carefully
to cool, and when just about milk warm,
with knife and fork, lift the wax and
bread off the top, and your honey will
be clear and nice in the can.
ECONOMY OF FUEL.-A correspon-
dent in The British Workman tells how
to build fire as follows: The person
laying a fire should fill the CRATE up
to the top bar with Goals, putting the
large pieces at the bottom and smaller
over them then upon these, put paper
enough to light the sticks, which should
be laid upon, and not under, the coal.
Cover the sticks with cinders remain
ing from the previous days fire; these
will soon become red hot; the coal be-
low will be warmed sufficiently to make
it throw off gas this passing through
the hot cinders, will burn with bright
flame, instead of going up the chimney
in smoke, as it does when the Goals are
laid on top. The fire thus laid will re-
quire no poking. and will burn clear
and bright from six to eight hours with
out the necessity for more Goals to be
thrown on.
MADE 1T PRoDUcTIvE. "A CORE
spondent of the Ohio Farmer s. having
nothing to start WITH purchased on
easy terms. Zone of the poorest farms
in the township and made it produc-
tive. His plan is as follows: First,
plough deep, then seed with wheat in
the spring sow clover on the field the
summer after I take off the crop, pas
ture one season, and the next season