Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-06
Practical Suggestions.

1T has been shown that at the Michi-
gan Agricultural College single bush
ell Of plaster has added full ton of hay
to the yield OF an acre of ground in the
five, most of it III the four, mowings that
followed, two crops being taken off the
ground each of the two years succeed
ing the sowing of the plaster.
MANY farmers make a practice of
feeding their half-starved fowls all they
will eat just before killing, and then
send them to market with full crops, in
order to get the price of poultry for
corn. In this they make mistake;
the crop being swollen to an unusual
size turns black after being packed
a while, and not only shows clearly the
dishonest intentions of the packer, but
Injuries the sale of the fowls great deal
more than is gained in weight
IRON and steel goods of all descrip-
tions are kept free from rust by the fol-
lowing: Dissolve half an ounce of cam
phor in one pound of hogs lard, take
off the scum and mix as much black
lead as will give the mixture an iron
color. Iron and steel, and machinery
of ali kinds. rubbed over with this mix
ture, and left with it on for twenty-four
hours, and then rubbed with a linen
cloth, will keep clean for months.
In building an ice house, the sides
should be built with two rows of scant-
ling not less than ten inches apart when
bark is used; if coarse sawdust is
used, twelve to fourteen inches Chaff
is altogether improper, since it settles
down and soon decays into muck.
Coarse hay is sometimes used as a
makeshift Six inches wide of charcoal
is thought to be as good as ten or twelve
inches of tan bark. Whatever the ma.
terial it should be tamped so tight that
it will not settle. Put no hay on the
bottom, but provide good drainage, and
" the ice on planks loosely laid. The
ice should be cut perfectly square IN
blocks of equal size, and packed close,
layer an layer, to the caves. Over this
place about two feet of hay or flax straw.
Give thorough ventilation above the
hay, and your ice will keep.
Mr.. G. F. B. LEIGHTON, President of
the Norfolk, Va, Horticultural Society,
is authority for the statement that the
remedy for pear blight, recommended
by the Commissioner of Agriculture,
has proved successful in Eastern Vir-
ginia. This remedy is made and ap-
piled as follows: One pound OF sulphur
added to six or eight pounds of carbo-
late of lime, reduced to the consistency
of thick whitewash, and applied to the
diseased parts, and where the bark is
diseased, remove the outer portion be-
fore making the application Mr.. L.
4 no 7, 81 IL
on blighted or diseased trees, but writes
to the American Farmer that in future
he will s. use the formula recommended
by the Hon. William Saunders, of
Washington, who has charge of the
public grounds, as being more econom-
ical than the above, on account of the
volatile nature of thu carboic acid: To
half bushel of lime add four pounds
of sulphur to the consistency of
whitewash, and when applied, add half
an ounce Of carbolic acid to each gallon
of wash, and apply as above directed"
VAENIsH Oh carriages is spoiled by
cracking, or entirely destroyed by am
monial gas arising from stable manure.
or decayed vegetables The ammonia
thus arising combines with the oil of the
varnish, and forms a soapy film, which,
every time the carriage is washed, is
dissolved and removed, leaving fresh
surface of the varnish, to be again acted
upon in the same manner until the var
nish disappears altogether. This hint
is for those who keep their carriages in
the barn, where vegetables are often
kept, or worse still, in the stable, where
manure accumulates more or less.
AN experienced dairyman says that,
after trying several plans of preventing
turnips, when fed to mich cows, from
impartlng an unpleasant taste to milk
and butter, he at last succeeded per
fectly by cutting good slice off the top
and annthar off Tho h0tfnrn of tho