Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-05-20
Agricultural.

AFEEp OF Bones FOR Fowls Moth
ing better can be done with refuse bones
from the rural kitchen than to allow
them to be consumed by that portion OF
the farm stock which has a taste for this
dry eating. The composition OF bones
fit them exceedingly well for fowls. In
the course of a year hen produces In
the shape of the shells of her eggs many
times the amount of lime contained In
her whole organism at any one period.
Ii must be furnished in her food. But
all the corn a hen will eat in twelve
month, or let us say 100 pounds, con-
tains only about half an ounce OF lime.
a quantity insufficient to supply her for
more than a few weeks. Then, 1t Is
plain, she must be supplied in some
other way. Bones provide her with the
needed matarial, and also with guam
tity of animal matter, which goes 10
prevent her from desiring to break and
eat her eggs, or to pluck and swallow
the feathers from her associates. Ihe
bones should be broken into small frag-
ments. and not burned. If burned,
the animal matter. of which they con-
tain nearly half their bulk, is lost. A
convenient, cheap, and effective appil-
ance for reducing them to the proper
condition is simply a log OF WOOD,
slightly followed at one end, and sur
rounded with a shield of tin or sheet
iron, an opening being left to admit the
handle of the pestle, which Is a maliet,
the striking end being armed with small
bolts driven into the wood SO as to leave
the heads exposed. Any bones that are
in excess of the wants of the fowls may
be fed to the animals in the barn-yard.
II is the need of such matter that IN
duces sows to eat their young, and 1t
has been known that sheep, so gentle
and free from hateful vices, have torn
newborn lambs to fragments and de-
voured them, :mpelled by a craving
which was supplied in no other way.
Cows, too, very often desire to eat
bones, and they will almost always lick
up gratefully a handful of bone meal
offered them.
KEEP THE ROADSIDE NEAT.-What a
gain to roadsides throughout the coun-
try, if only every sloven could be taught
the virtues of order and neatness The
village roadside ought, indeed, to be
the village park and the village pride ;
not necessarily showing great breadth
of common (though this is commend
able), but carrying its green coil and
shadows of trees between all the houses.
The beauty and the attractiveness of
nearly all the little towns up and down
the Connecticut valley are due to the
nice keeping and empowering shade OF
the village street. In no other single
feature do they offer so striking con-
trast to the lesser towns of New Jersey,
and of the middle states generally. In
many of them societies are organized
made up of their most enterprislng
citizens-for the oversight and execu-
tion of village improvements.
Trees are guarded zealously; decaying
ones are removed and replaced by
others the laws with respect to straying
cattle are rigidly enforced and every
good citizen counts 1t duty to become
in this regard, and for the public bene-
fit, an executor of the law. The road
side by a mans door is not encountered
with old vehicles; there is no selfish
enroachment upon the highway. A scru-
pulous regard for neatness is counted,
and very justly, as an element OF the
towns prosperity. Strangers are at
tracted by it, those who wander from 1t
in youth are drawn towards it in age.
Its paths are paths of pleasantness--
Household.
ROLLING THE GRoUND.-A correspon-
dent writes: "On dry or wet ground
the effect of the roller is found to be
salutary. Plowed and prepared for
sowing, dry land is much helped by the
roller. The blades of grass spring up
sooner and retain frmer 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 heavy ground it
is believed the roller, smoothing and
hardening the surface, will leave the
soil Immediately beneath the surface In
better condition to generate the seed.
On grass ground that has been heaved
by 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 unevenly the previous
wear. If the land is too dry, wait till
Just after soaking rain, and it will
work capitally. 1t is good idea to
roll plowed sowed ground before har-
rowing, as it presses down the burrows
that would be turned back, aud makes
the surface less uneven, and the harrow
pulverizes it much. We find that on
an average not one farmer in four has
roller.
A CROP OF CLovER.-If it is desired
to take Fall or second crop OF clover,
il is necessary to cut an early crop in
June, or when the blossoms have gene
rally appeared throughout the field.
Then, unless a very serious drouth oc-
ours, second growth takes place, which
is generally cut for seed some time in
September. II the first crop is not out,
the clover falls down, ripens some seed,
and withers. In this case, the drouth
of last Summer may have hastened the
ripening of the clover, but it is doubt
full if the roots have altogether died out.
Glover is biennial plant, and afte,
ripening and shedding its seed the
second year, many OF the roots will die
but it is generally followed by a self
sown crop and lasts in the ground some
years before running entirely ont. II
the early crop is not cut, there can be
no Fall crop cut, but the field may be
pastured, and much of the coarse herb,
age eaten Off 1t is, however, very un,
nutrious feed.
OXFORD SHEEP FOR CROSSING.
Downs have for wears been rising il
public repute, and are much used
throughout the midland and southwest
ern counties of England. They are oi
hardy constitution, can be run some
what thicker than the pure Cotswolds
or Leicesters their dark faces and legs,
and good proportion of lean meat re-
commend them, especially when the
mutton trade happens to be fiat. In
size they do not differ much from Cots
wolds, Lincolns, or Leicesters. They
have fleece as heavy as any long-wooled
sort. In ordinary Oxford iocks, hun
dreds of feeces, including sheep of va
rious descriptions, average from nine to
ten pounds. Oxford-Down rams foI
crossing NAV be had at the Oxford