The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-09
Live Stock and Aericultural Notae.

Live Stock and Agricultural Notes.
Charred corn is excellent to feed to
hens in order to increase their eeo-lay-
ing capacity. Tt is not desirable to feed
it as their general food, but a portion of
it every day will be found beneficial
Char the corn on the cob pretty thor
oughly, taking care not to reduce any
part of it to ashes. Then feed the hens
their usual rations, which had better al
ways be Of mixed food, and then throw
an ear or more of parched corn, accord
ing to the number of fowls, on a clean
feeding place and let them peck at it at
their leisure.
Nothing viii better promote a good
yield OF wheat, oats or barley; for in
stance. next to an appropriate fertilizer,
than the use of roller in pulverizing
the 1umpy soil and settling the mold
about the plant roots. After our rainy
Spring our fields of springing grain viii
naturally become cloddy as dry weather
approaches, and eyenness of growth
and ripening may both be promoted by
using the roller In new lands, where
stumps are troublesome, short rollers,
with strong, heavy frames, are prefer
able.
The larvae of a small spotted insect
called the lady bird feed upon the aphis
and other insects, devouring vast num-
bers of them. The lady bird is the gar
dener's friend, and they should never be
killed If it can be avoided. These little
beetles are usually red or orange yellow,
with small black spots; some kinds have
only three spots, others have as many as
nine. They are very common, and many
has been the crime that has been laid to
them of which they were entirely inno-
cent.
Most poultry-keepers know that fowls
possess an individuality, and that they
could tell their feathered pets among
strangers as readily as they could tell
their own horses among a drove of stran-
gers. Not every one, however, would
be as willing to swear to the identity of
chicken as of a horse; and yet in a
case in Connecticut, woman testified
that 'tshe knew her turkeys by their
walk, their eountenances and their man.
ner of roosting."
A correspondent says his fowls have
white scales on their legs, and asks what
will cure it. The disease is known as
scaly leg ELEPHANTS, and is occasioned
by damp fowl houses or exposure. 1t is
caused by a minute parasite, which bur-
rows under the scales of the fowls leg.
The best way of removing them is to
grease the legs with a mixture of sui
phur and lard several times. Some use
kerosene, but this is liable to make their
legs sore.
Eggs are an article of cheap and nu-
tritious food which we do not find on
the farmers table in the quantity which
economy demands. 1t is probably be-
cause they do not understand how valu-
able eggs are for food One pound of
fresh eggs is worth as much for food as
nearly two pounds of beef. They are
easily digested, if not damaged in cook
: ing, and may be eaten with impunity
by children or invalids.
Keeping bees in the old-fashioned box
hive is entirely out of date. The trouble
with it is that the internal economy of
the colony cannot be regulated, but the
bees must be left to do pretty much as
they please. 1t is fact often preached
but seldom practiced, that bees need
management and care, the same as
horses, cattle or poultry, or any other
kind of farm stock.
Experiments prove, says the German
town Telegraph, that in order to insure
the best growth of grass seed it should
be very Slightly covered with earth.-
When covered to the depth of an inch,
only about one-half of the seed will ger
inmate, and if covered with two inches
there viii be no growth. The kinds thus
experimental with were red and white
clover, timothy and orchard grass.
A north room in house, properly
ventilated, is better place to keep milk
in Summer than half the so-called milk
cellars in the country. To obtain the
most cream and best results, milk should
stand thirty-six hours before Swimming.
1t is lamentable that so few farms
have supply of small fruits. Many
farmers never have berry of their own
raising, while that most hardy and gen
orally reliable fruit, the common red
cherry is not at all plenty.