The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-08-13
farm aud Garden.

ORCHARD GRASS AND CLOvER.-Or
chard grass connot be compared with clio
yer in any way. It's grass that blossoms
once in each year, Just as timothy does,
but two or three weeks earlier. 1t may
be cut with the cradle and bound in
sheaves or mown with the scythe and tied
in bundles and threshed with the fail or
a threshing machine, and cleaned by sift-
ing from the straw As the seed is very
light, it cannot easily be separated from
the chat. A bushel Of the seed in the
chaff weighs but fourteen pounds The
season for cutbngis in June, early or late,
as may depend upon the season. When
left for seed and ripened, orchard grass
makes rather poor hay, but when cut
early the hay is equal to any, and is ca
gerly eaten by horses and cattle. When
cut early and before ripening the seed
second crop may be had, but not if left to
mature seed-Rlual NelU Yorker
HEALTHY FowLs-It pays better to
keep fowls healthy than to cure them af-
ter they get sick. Once week give big
and little feed in which either sulphur
or red pepper has been mixed These
may be given alternately or a little Of
each altogether We hear, as usual, many
complaints of gapes, but we have raised
nearly TIVE hundred chicks this year and
have had but one case of gapes, which we
cured with camphor We have kept the
young chicks in small urns until the dew
was off the grass each day, and protected
them from rain in the same manner. For
the first three days we fed a hard boiled
egg to each brood, giving coarse oatmeal
In addition After the first week a little
wheat screenings have been given once
day. Old fruit cans cut down make ex-
cenent cups and are kept filed with thick
milk and clear water. Of course all this
entails care and trouble, but we have not
lost a single chick by disease, and we are
convinced that good care pays.
SALT FOR SToCK.-The value of salt
for stock cannot be overrated. 1t is an
undoubted fact that where animals have
unrestrained access to salt at all times
many of the diseases to which they are
liable are warded off and prevented by
keeping the system regular. Farm ami
mails, when kept on grass or on green sue
culent feed, naturally take more salt than
when kept on dry fodder. Salt increases
digestion by increasing the flow of saliva,
aiding also further by promoting thirst
and a constant flow of fluids to assist in
dissolving much of the food which other
wise might be only imperfectly digested.
Actual experiments, carefully conducted,
have demonstrated that where two hogs
were fattened one fed salt in Its food and
the other with salt excluded, the one fed
salt food tattened very much faster and
in several weeks less time. 1t exceeded
in weight by a considerable proportion
the one fed without salt in its food Stock
should have free access to salt, and they
Will only take what is needful; but if
they are left without it for a long time a
surfeit is often taken which operates in
iuriously.
HARVESTING Observation-Disclosures
being easily grown, succeeding on poorly
prepared soil, giving a quick return, and
generally yielding a remunerative har
vest is a favorite crop with inexperienced
farmers. Still it requires peculiar treat
ment in the harvesting, and those who
are not acquainted with it are apt to
make mistakes. 1t requires cutting be-
fore it is fully matured and its habit of
throwing out blossoms at the top until
killed by frost, is apt to mislead When
frost is expected, the crop should be cut,
and many immature grains Will become
perfect in the few days during which it is
drying in the field. Whenever the lower
branches are we'll loaded with ripe grains,
it may be cut; this should be done with
the cradle, and while the stalks are damp
with dew or moist after a shower. The
grains are loosely attached to their stalks,
and are easily shaken off in the cutting
or raking, unless these are carefully done.
After the swaths have lain for few days
for the grains to ripen, the buckwheat is
raked up into punches, and these are set
up in gavels or loose stocks, without be-
ing bound; the tops being gathered to-
gether as much as possible In this con-
dition the crop remains until it is threshed.
As it heats very rapidly, it should never
be put into a stack, nor moved away into
barn, as has been sometimes done by in
experienced farmers. When the buck
wheat is sufficiently cured and dry, and
the unripe grains have matured, it may
be threshed by treading out with horses,
with the fail, or the threshing machine.
1t is frequently threshed in the field, by
making a bed of Clearly swept ground
and beating the swept surface as hard as
possible with hammer made of plank
The gavels are placed in a circle, upon
the bed thus prepared, the heads toward
the centre, and to a depth Of two feet