The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-09-08
FARM NOTES.

In EXPERIMENTS with sugar-beets, q
German agriculturist has found that the
application of phosphoric acid in the
spring materially increases the yield of
sugar.
FAT MAKES HENS LAY.-There is
much refuse fat from the kitchen that
can be turned to good account by feed
ing it to the hens. Of course when
soap is made it will be used up in that
way, but it is a question whether it is
not much easier and more profitable to
buy soap and make hens lay by feeding
them with fat. Everything that is not
wanted for drippings for cooking pur-
poses should be boiled up with the veg
etables for the fowls.
The farmers of the country, if they
would act individually or organize them
selves into forestry clubs, could, in a
very little while, awaken a widespread
interest in tree planting. The advan-
tages of such clubs are highly appre-
ciated In the t~reeless regions of the West
and Northwest. Many of them have
been organized, and through their
efforts millions of trees have been set
out, with an already manifest effect upon
the water courses and the humidity of
the Observation-Disclosures CONNER
cldL.
FERTnIzNG ORCHARDS When an
orchard requires fertilizing, it is best to
do this all over the ground, and not ap-
ply manure only near the trees. This
produces large growth of roots, close to
the trees, for roots grow where the soil
is richest, and prevents the growth at a
distance from the tree. Manure tends
to encourage the growth of wood rather
than fruit. Instead of manure, it is
better to cultivate the soil and leave it
fallow, or to seed it to clover and pillow
IN the clover, giving a liberal sprinkling
OF lime or wood ashes. The clover is
then plowed under. Orchards need
lime n ashes more than-manura-and
these o produce healthy, smooth
bark.
correspondent of the New York Tribune
writes on this subject as follows: Pre-
vention is better than cure fer hog chol-
era in about the ratio of fifty to one, and
to this end there should be q sheltered
place of rest with plenty of dry absorb
emit earth to lie on, abundance of good
air, sheds sweetened by whitewashing
once In three months, clean water to
drink, and salt, sulphur and sulphurous
soft coal or charcoal always accessible.
An entire change of food from corn to
potatoes, mangolds and carrots, cooked
and raw, often as once a week. The ex-
elusive use of corn failing to excite GER
tain digestive activities may result in q
weakness favorably to the progress of
cholera. Separation also into small
herds is well. Bears also of strong con-
stitution should be carefully selected,
untainted by cholera, or the progeny
may be tainted by a choleraic diathesis
81 that the disease will develop on slight
causes. +.
" How TO MAKE F-AnnfEas OF fHH Bers.
"A New Jersey letter to the Examiner
lays the blame at the door of shiftless
ing agriculture for other pursuits. He
says "That the fault of this lies with the
parents themselves, is plain from the
fact hat with the thrifty farmers the
number of sons who leave home and for
felt their birthright is very small indeed.
By the sale of an acre of ground, a pair
of horses which they can call their own,
or perhaps the entire charge of the
poultry, they become interested, and the
farm is made to have attractions for
them. Let good agricultural papers and
books be furnished them, and their edu-
cation encouraged in every proper way,
the waste places on the farm be planted
and made fruitful, and crooked fences
made straight. Let everything In and
about the garden be done d~ecently, and
the front yard kept in order, and long
before the sons of these farmers become
of age they will learn that agriculture is
the most certain source of strength,
wealth and Independence.
CEMENT CONCRETE FLooRs.-The de-
STABILITY of obtaining a good floor of
this description is patent to all. There
are so many who still adhere to the old
method that a cheap and practical plan
would seem to be of interest to them.
The New York Times gives the follow
ing directions for making a cement con-
crete floor for a stable: Mix drv and
thoroughly n bushel of fresh hydrau-
lie cement with two bushels of clean
sharp sand. Have prepared near by a
quantity ofcoarse gravel or broken stone,
thoroughly wetted with water; make a
basin of the mixed sand and cement,
and pour water on to it and stir well,
making a thin mortar; Immediately add
10 it five bushels of the gravel, and
shovel it over and over until the mortar
and gravel are intimately mixed; lay
this on the leveled earth floor, beginning
at one corner, and beat it down well with
q broad rammer made of a piece of plank
twelve inches square fixed to a handle.
While this bath is being laid another
should be prepared by an assistant and
laid as soon as it is ready, as o as it
sets and hardens. The cement should
be rammed down until the top is quite
wet and soft, when sand and fine gravel
may be scattered over it, and the surface
again beaten. The whole floor may be
soaked when finished and dry with hot
gastar.
FREQUENT AND THOROUGH TmLAeE.-
Jethro Tull, the famous English agri-
culturist, who believed that manure was
not essential In growing crops, as finely
pulverized earth and moisture were suf-
dcient for the best growth of plants, was
somewhat mistaken |; but the following
account, given in an exchange, of the
results OF this system on a crop OF pota.
toes shows that he was not so far out OF
the way as many have supposed. The
writer said to his neighbor, the Doctor,
who had the same variety of potatoes to
plant Well, now, Doctor, my land is
thin, and I must make up in work what
it lacks in fertility, and shall cultivate
my potatoes once a week, as long as the
vines stand up" He concluded his lani
was new and strong, and two OF three
workings would do. We had no potato
bugs then, but weeds and dry weather
mgch the same as now. My potatoes
did not seem to check growth in the dry
weather, and I concluded my soil wa:
not SO thin and impoverished as hat
been supposed. But when I looked
across the fence at the doctors potatoes
and grape vines, I felt sure that some
thing besides the soil had made my vine
and potatoes to flourish. They were ia
better than the doctors, while his sol
WIS new and rich and mine wa bleachet
and worn. I expected my excessive cul
tivation must have the credit. I sail