Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-05-16

lOr meal since he got 1t. lie cuts the "
best and finest hay he has, about two
inches long and pours boiling water over I
i let's it stand until cooled to about
the heat of milk from the COW, when the A
tea is given to the calf and the hay to
the COW. Both calf and COW thrive on
feed. We have fed a great deal of
hay tea TO calves, with good results.
NeW Yorker.
S~cRAPINa FRUIT TREEs.-Perhaps Dc.
tober and November are the two best
months of the year for scraping
and washing fruit trees apples and
pears. There is nothing better as a
" wash" with which to scrub the trees
than a preparation of one pound Of
whale oil soap to a large bucket of wa
ter, well dissolved. There is nothing
moro nauseous to insects than this. 1t
will lay "cold" everything that we
have tried it on but the curculio'; that,
however, cares no more for the mixture,
even though accompanied with sulphur,
lime water and tobacco juice, than if it
were a %Pingerly dose of pure spring
water. But rosc-bugs and the steel
blue grape,bugs surrender to its power
incontinently. Every farmer and gar
dener ought to have a supply of this
soap on hand for use whenever neeessa-
ry. Apple and pear trees, well scraped
and then washed with the preparation,
will not only be freed from some of the
chief insects preying upon foliage and
fruit, but will sensihly feel its invjgor-
ating effects.
ROLLING THE GRoUND.-On dry or
wet ground the effect of the roller is
found to be salutary. Plowed and pre-
pared for sowing, dry land is much
helped by the roller. The blades OF
grass spring up sooner and retain a
tirmer hold in the earth. In a season
of drought, rolling has saved the crop,
when without it the seed would have
never sprung from the ground. In wet
and Eeavy ground it is believed the
roller, smoothing and hardening the
surface, will have the soil Immediately
beneath the surface in a better cOnli-
tlon to generate the seed. On grass
ground that has been heaved bv the
frost, the roller has an excellent effect
in fixing the roots. Rolling the ground
is also good when the land has been
laid down uneyenly the previous year.
If the land is too dry, wait till Just af-
ter a soaking rain, aud it will work cap
italy. 1t is a good idea to roll plowed
soWed ground before narrowing, as it
presses down the burrows that would be
turned back, and makes the surface less
uneven, and the harrow pulverizes it
much.
BUTTER WoRKING.-The drudgery of
butter working, which falls so heavily
upon farmers wives in dairy districts,
is in a fair way of being done away
with, If a western example shall be
generally followed. An establishment
has lately been started near Beloit, Wis,
for putting into marketable shape I'M
washed and unsalted butter. The but
ter is purchased from the n~eighboring
farmers just as it comes from the churn.
This, in quantities OF from 500 to 100
pounds, is put into a vat made of two.
inch plank, eight inches deep, twenty
four it ches broad and eight feet long.
With a wooden instrument the butter is
then separated into small pieces, when
moderately cold water is let in to cover
it, and then a wooden hoe stirs the
whole thoroughly together. Then the
butter is put into another box with a
wire screen bottom, through which it is
forced by means of a lever, at the ratU
of 1000 pounds in less than five min
utes. Winter butter being white is
colored the salt is added, after which
it is put through another machine, by
which the salt is evenly distributed;
and thus two men can handle and pack,
ready for market, from 5000 to 5000
pounds a day, and the butter is of uni
form quality, sound and sweet.
SENDING PLANTS BY MAm.-The
c~heapness and readiness with which
plants may be S mt through the mail
prompt these suggestions from the Ag-
richlturist as to the best method Of
packing: Many contrivances have been
made for packing, but none are better
than sphagnum and oiled paper when
they can be had. Lay down a piece of
oiled paper of the proper size, spread a
thin layer of dry moss upon this re-
move all the earth from the roots of the
plants by washing, lay them upon the
moss, and roll the whole tightly then
enclose in q strong wrapping paper with.
out sealing. Plants sent in this way
will remain in good condition for two
weeks at least. Where oiled paper cal
not be had, the next best thing is q CT
gar-box, as it is light, and may be lac
almost anywhere. The moss must b,
dampened as for sending by express, al
evaporation will be more rapid than il
oiled paper. When plants are sen
either by mail or express, a portion 0
the leaves should be cut off, and the,
arrive in better condition when q larg
part of the top is removed in the cas-
of all trees and shrubs, with the exceI
ton of evergreens. Herbaceous plants
or those Of leaves and stems of whic
lie down, every fall, should be cut bac
to within two inches of the roots. Us
strong Irvine in tying the boxes, and d
not wrap in paper. Bulbs not in
growing state must be packed in quit
dry moss or chaff of any sort. Whe
plants are sent out during cold weathe
or in the fall or early spring, the mos
ought to be drier than that used durin
the summer. Those sent to us frol
California AMI the far west need rattle
more moisture, as they are on the roa
so long. 1t should be borne in min
that more plants are ruined by bein
packed too wet than too dry.
A BIT OF RocK-woRK There is man
a shady nook and corner in the viclnit
of country homes which might be bea,
titled with very little e&pense-norther
exposures, where the sun seldom shine.
and which are left bleak and bare b,
cause grass and flowers refuse to grow
Any time harness the old horse an
start for the woods to hunt up suitabl
material for what our English FRIEND
term "a pleasing bit of rock-work.
An unusually rough stone, all over a
giles aud uncouth projections, is a priz
let such form a load to begin will
Next collect a supply of the unctuol
leaf mould which has lain buried b
meath its covering for many years, unit
it has become as dark and firm as I'll
most fastidious plant can requir,
ThaGa thinpa with tho addition