Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1879-10-15
Farm. Garden and Household
SALT FOR POULTRY.

Injurious to poultry has often bcen
mooted. To get at the true facts, l
have been feeding salt to all my poultry,
Young and old alike, and closely watch
ing the result. l have fed it in cold
mush and hot, in bran and everything
else, all the spring and summer $50
far). with the following result: The
poultry will eat all kinds of salted food
in preference to unsalted they are
better in general health; not louise
of any kind in young or old (the first
wear have been able to say SOY, and
thev are all beginning to moult, many
of them laying as though not moult-
ing. Eggs are cheap now, and the
hens will be ready for fall laying when
the weather is cold and eggs scarce.
This may or may not be the result OF
feeding salt largely to them, but am
compelled to believe this to be so, as
are some other peculiarities. | have
noticed one feature, which may not be
in favor of salt-the hens have seemed
to be more persistently inclined to sit,
it being very difficult to break off the
inclination they sit much closer than
usual. All seem voraciously fond OF
green food of any kind, and have eaten
a large quantity of clover, grass, young
corn, and other similar food. My
observations lead me to the conclusion
that salt is q needed condiment for all
our poultry, and in all points is bene-
fetal to them. Pigeons are excessively
fond of salt in any form, and why should
not our poultry be also? Such being
the true status, it behooves US to con-
slider their needs and attend to them.
HOW TO PLANT TREES.
We have received from few OF our
customers complaints that some of
their trees died; so when we could,
we looked into the case, and gen
erally found that their death was
caused by neglect, carelessness or ig-
norance in planting. For instance,
one wrote a woeful letter about his
plants being mostly dead, but accident
ally mentioned that he kept them for
two weeks in his cellar before planting;
50 of course they all rotted. Another
crammed his trees into hole dug in
hard gravel, as he would a post-so
the tree died because it could not pos
sibly live-in fact he might as well
have laid it on the top of the ground.
Another that his trees came IN good
condition, but he was not quite ready
to plant them, so kept them in the
wood house for week. A fourth that
his trees came all right, nice, large
trees, but now they are all shrivelled
and don't grow. We write him-too
much top, prune. Now, in the first
place, if you intend to plant an orchard,
or a few trees, find out from your
neighbors what variety grows best in
your section, and see if they sell well
in market. Next, get your ground in
a good condition by ploughing and
narrowing until it is finely pulverized.
If soil is wet or damp it must be
drained. Order your trees from re-
liable nursery, stating that you prefer
medium-sizeds stocky trees to large ones.
If, on the receipt of trees the ground
is frozen, or if very windy, put them
in cool, damp place where they can
not freeze, and soon as possible, "heel
them in," by spreading them out and
burrying we'll the roots and half OF
the tree, laying it on the ground nearly
horizontally, and soon as possible plant
out where it is to remain. Have the
ground all ready. Never plant where
an old tree stood before. The hole
should be dug at least two feet in
diameter five is better), and have one
foot of good rich soil under the roots.
Take your tree and prune off the ends
of the tree at least one third, always
with sharp knife. After digging the
hole make little mound in the centre
rather than basin; and after the tree
is set on it, carefully adjust the roots,
SO that each one is spread out in its
natural position the fine (no lumps)
rich dirt is then filed in till half full,
SO that each little root will come in
contact with the solid soil. If it is
taken in the spring, or if the soil is
dry, empty pail Of water in the hole,
and then gil up with rich dirt. Just
before planting the roots should be
puddled by dipping in thin mud.
After the ground is settled the tree
should be the depth it was at the nur.
sery. The trees would be better il
securely staked, especially if along the
road. Hoe the ground, and mulch
with barnyard or stable manure or cut
straw, which will protect from cold in
winter or drought in summer. The
manure must not be new.
In the after management of an
orchard, the ground should be thor
oughly cultivated, and small stuff, like
raspberries, potatoes or peas grown
between the trees but the ground
must be enriched every year. Grass
should never be grown in orchards
except to be ploughed under, except in
old pear orchards.-Lake View Horti
culturist.
SALT FOR TREES AND VEGETABLES
/ set twenty-five trees in sandy sol
for each one Of seven years and only
succeeded in getting one to live, and
that only produced twigs few inches
long in nine years Last spring
sowed pint Of salt around it, and
limbs grew from three to three and Q
half feet long. In the spring of 1871
set out twenty-five trees, putting q
pint of salt in the dirt used for filling
and then sowed pint more on the
surface, after each tree was set. AL
grew as if they had never been taken
from the nursery. Last spring SCI
thirty more, treating them in the same
way, and they have grown very finely
The salt keeps away insects that in
jure the roots and render the soil more
capable of sustaining plant growth.
In 1877 my wife had garden forty
feet square. 1t was necessary tc
water it nearly every day, and still
the plants and flowers were very in
for;or in oil racnaota Tn 1879 I NM