The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-07-09
FARM NOTES.

"A small maturing hog is much more
valuable than large one, as no more food
will be required to raise two good quick
growing ones than it will for a large Lut
slow sll-lard hog.
| American cranberries have at last been
successfully cultivated in England. The
bushes are planted in peat beds which ire
surrounded by water. The fruit has been
found delicious even when gathered as late
as the middle of April.
Mrs. j, A. Hewlett, Queens county,
Long Island, has on her estate a medlar
tree. fourteen feet high, which yielded last
SEASON about two bushels of fruit. The med
lar appears to succeed well when grated on
the pear. In England the ounce is favor
ite stock for it.
--ofthe l,OOO,oOO,OOO acres of cultivablc
land in the United States, only eleven and
half per ccntum are used. The 1886 ,463,-
800 bushels Of wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye,
buckwheat and potatoes raised last wear
were produced on lO5 ,9s5,6O acres, and the
cultivation is in most cases careless.
"A correspondent of the Manchester IN.
H. Mirror asserts that the crow is extermi.
mating the singing-birds of New England
He says: "Few are the nests that escape his
viglant search, and fewer still the young
birds that do not gp to satisfy his ravenous
appetite. have watched them for years. ]
have seen them pounce upon the nest of the
lark and of the plover; have seen them
leaving the nest of the robin with the young
in there beaks."
"A London paper says: "one OF the
most remarkable signs Of the times, as far ss
weather is concerned, is the fact that cloud
of bees has actually been swarming in the
busiest part Of London. Wellington street,
Strand, was the locality chosen on Tuesday
by these little visitors, who settled down on
the outside If newspaper Office as if they
were in the most rural nook of the pleasant
Surrey meadows, whence they had probably
strayed The swarm was hived without
any trouble"
"A newly vanished carriage is liable 4
spot. To prevent this some wash the car
riage two or three times in clean cold water
applied with a sponge instead OF using
hose. This will help harden the surface anC
prevent il, IN some extent, from being in
jured by the mud or water getting splashet
on the job. Never let mud dry on the sur
lace and then wash off expecting to see n,
spots on the varnish. You will certainly b.
disappointed, and the only way to remed,
the evil will be to have it revarnished. Soi
water is better than hard water for the wash
ing Of carriages.
The best beef is young beef reaching It
greatest point Of superiority at from two b
three years. The same is true Of sheep AM
swine. A wether, for the best mutton, SHOULD
be in market at two years. As a genera
rule, e $50 pound pig is much better il
quality and more profitable than hog tha
weighs 500 pounds. The point of sppreciA
tion of quickly maturing animals is beinI
reached, though somewhat gradually, and i
remains to improve the various breeds, es
pecia regard being taken to carefully selec
those animals to breed from that come t
! maturity at an early age.
, The lower leaves of grain in blossom
contain quite a quantity of fat and wax
. those of oats are found not unfrequ0ntly /
contain 10 per cent. Of these substances. In
vestigation goes to prove that all kinds @
grass cut in blossom contains more fat AM
wax than when cut later. Professor Wa,
found that early cut grass contained 81 pc
cent. Of fat, while that cut the latter part G
June did no contain more than per cent
There are few persons who have not notice'
a blush bloom on the leaves Of grass AM
grain, perhaps more distinctly noticeable II
seasons when the rainfall is too abundant
Now this bloom is the wax Of the plant, an,
at times is 50 abundant as 10 seriously inter
fere with the easy working Of the moWin
, machine. This wax preserves the sugar {
y the plant from being too easily washed ou
10 ease the grass gets wet after it is NOW
4 this wax will have 10 be washed Of beiog
the sugar can be reached.