The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-03-25
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Orchard and Nursery.


Preparations for planting may be made
this month, and in some ATTITUDES the
trees may be set out. The soil should
have been prepared last year, but if it
was not, no time should be lost. New
soils rarelyneed manuring, but exhausted
land must be renovated. 1t will be use
less to set out young trees in stiff, poor
soil, and expect them to give a satisfac
tory RETURN it is true they may live and
bear in time, but they can never make a
healthy growth, or produce good fruit.
See that there are no low spots in the
orchard where ice and snow may collect
and remain during the greater part of
the winter; trees planted in such places
do not ripen their wood properly, and
are liable to be injured by early frosts,
and the land cannot be cultivated until
late i'll the spring.
Pruning may be done at any time be-
fore vegetation starts. When large
limbs are removed take care not to allow
them to fall before sevcring the bark on
the under side of the cut, rs they may
peel the bark from the trunk, thus
making bad wound. Always pare the
cuts smooth, a sharp knife, chisel, or
drawingknife may be used, cover with
melted grating wax, paint, or anything
which will exclude the air and rain.
The best guide for a novice i'll fruit
growing is the experience of others in
similar localities, and one about to set
M orchard can make no better invest
ment than the time and money it would
require for him to visit the fruit growers
in circuit of ten OF twenty miles, and
learn of the successes and failures of
others.
If. one lives near city or town large
enough to afford a market, a good share
of carry apples may be profitable. For
distant markets, only varieties that are
well known should be grown, n local
variety, no matter how good it may be,
if not known to dealers, will meet with q
slow sale. Summer-Early Harvest,
Large Yellow Bough, Red Astrachan,
Golden Sweet, Summer Queen, VIII
liams. Autumn-Chenango Strawberry,
Duchess of Oldenburgh, Fall Pippin,
Fall Wine, Gravenstein, Jersey Sweet,
Keswick Goblin, Maiden's Blush, Porter,
Washington Strawberry. Winter-Am.
Golden Russet, Baldwin, Ben Davis,
Canada Reinette, Esopus Spitzenburgh,
Fameuse, Jonathan, King of Tompkins
County, Lady, Monmouth Pippin, New
town Pippin, Northern Spy, Peck's
Pleasant, Rambo, r. I. Greening, Rox-
bury Russet, Talman's Sweet, Twenty
Ounce, Winesap, Yellow Bellhower.
INicultuist.
Fixing for the Fair.
''I could tale UNFOLD" says a Tribune
correspondent, how Joness ram, or
Smiths COW, or Robinson's bull took
that premium, that would make Brown
open his eyes in astonishment. Brown
wondered why his Cotswolds' fleece was
so raw and harsh after it had been washed
with soap and warm water, but he did
not dream as he snoozed in the next pen
upon the straw, that long before daylight
Jones had rubbed his rams fleece with
yellow ocher and so gave it a rich color,
soft greasy feel, and a luster that
charmed the Judges and took them by
storm i'll moment. And he does not
know to this day that Smiths COW was
fed quart of linseed oil daily a week
before the milking trial was made and
her cream measured thirty per cent. OF
the milk, nor that her tail was bound up
every night i'll hay bands to make it thin,
nor that her skin was sponged down
early in the morning with mixture OF
COW dung and water, which was allowed
TO dry upon it and give it the rich orange
color that was so much admired by every
body. Nor did he see the cows ownel
sandpapering her horns and polishing
them with beeswaX, and carefully going
over her switch with a feather and a bot
tie of ink. And in this way the limo
cent man would have found that the pre-
miums were filChed from poor but honest
exhibitors who relied on merit only, an6
that by course of such breeding the
reputation of certain pedigree stock was
built up; and then he might have re
peated with the poet, truly "things arc
not what they seem.
Feeding Hens.
Hens will lay in cold weather if sup
piled with greater variety of food.
keep thirty hens and three roosters.
do not house them well, and for three
months of winter the sun does not shine
on their house, it being under hill
facing north, and altogether n Yer,
cheerless place. / feed corn, buckwheat
cabbage, potatoes, and all waste vegeta
bles from the table; keep them suppliet
with box of water, and box of sane
TO dust in, also coal ashes. Last winte
i bought twenty pounds of bone iron
the meat market and broke up n littl
every day. The monthly result Gn egg
by the DOZEN is as follows for the yea
ending Dec. l, 1874: December, 3 2-12
January, IL; February, 1912; March
26 1912; April, 81 PIP; May, 40; june
49, 1912; July, 26; August, 28 3-12
September, IS; October, 1-12; Novem
Der, 6-12-total, 233 1912 dozen. Ials
used nine of the hens to raise 10l chick
ems. About one-half of my hens ar
: White Leghorns; the others are commo
fowls. Credit by sale of eggs and chicl
ems, $78.S7; by increase of stock, tiftee
pullets at sixty cents, $9-$8787. DR.
by food, $45.19. Net profit, $4O6t
Ny hens in summer go where the
please. have kept poultry for seve
years, and this is about my annual expt
rience for that time. 1 always feed hen
all they can eat, and as great variety &
[ can get for them.-IH. c. Norma
-Ne,r YORK.