Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-05-31

cattle. 1t must, however, be clean and
pure. Busted straw or straw that has
been widowed must not be fed, Of
course there is difference in value be-
tween different kinds of straw. Usu-
ally oat straw is the most valuable; bar
ley comes next, and this is valuable es-
pecially for milk COWS; next comes wheat,
and rye is last and poorest of all.
A MEMBER of the Oneida Community,
writing on the Importance of mulching
fruit trees and plants of every kind, says
that he mulched row of the Franconia
raspberry, and also one of the Philadel-
ph1a, side by side. The effect was very
marked. While the Franconias, which
were not mulched were literally scorched
and the leaves crumbled in the sun, the
row which received the mulching carried
through nearly double the crop of fruit.
The material used for mulching was old.
half-decayed buckwheat straw, etc.
The wild hyacinth, says a writer in
the st. James's Gazette, is very essen
TALLY beethoven, one of the kinds
which have especially adapted them
selves to that one peculiar mode of in
sect fertilization. Its color alone might
give one hint of its nature; for blue is
the special hue effected by bees, and de-
veloped for the most part by their selec-
tive agency. All the simplest and most
primitive flowers are yellow: those q lit
tie above them in the scale lave usually
become white; those rather more evolved
are generally red or pink; and the high
est grade of all, the blossoms peculiarly
modified for bees and butterflies, are
almost always blue or purple.
AFTER such a muddy winter the feet
of all sheep need attention. The hoofs
have been soft and grown into bad shape
and need trimming. 1t will add to the
comfort OF the animal. Besides, mud
has become dry in the cleft of the hoof,
and particularly mud and trash makes
them lame. No sheep or animal can
thrive while miserable on its feet. A
little timely care now, as at all times,
will add greatly to the comfort of the
flock, and that means it's profits in
health, condition, fleece and lambs.
THE turtle soup or black bean is the
best of al varieties for soup. The ripe
seed are mostly used In the preparation
OF turtle soup. This bean is of dwarf
or bush growth and is very sensitive
to the frost Or cold, therefore should
not be planted until the ground has
become not only dry but warm, and all
dangers from frost are past. It will
thrive in suitable soil and with good Gull
ture anywhere where other varieties of
beans grow. For succession make
paintings at intervals of two weeks.
Plant the same as any bean of bush
habit and give similar culture.
ASHES and poultry manure make a
nearly complete fertilizer, containing
potash, lime, phosphoric acid, and nitro
gen. But the mixture should be made
carefully, or the poultry manure may be
deprived of it's nitrogen, which is the
most valuable part of it. To avoid this,
it is best to add gypsum to the mixture
which fixes the ammonia produced from
the nitrogen and preserves it. So long
as the poultry manure is kept perfectly
dry no harm will occur, but this cannot
be done, for the moisture absorbed from
the atmosphere is sufficient to set up the
chemical action of the potash on the nj
trogen, SO that the gypsum should be
used. If the fertilizer is to beused i'm
mediately, the gypsum need not be
used, but as it is of great value it is best
to add it,