Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-04-20
AGRICULTURAL, a


AGRICULTURAL.
Land Measure.
| The american FARMER advises evc,
farmer to keep rod measure-a liplf.
SUN pole Just sixteen anda half feet lopo
Tor measuring land. BY little prac.
tice he can learn to step rod at five
PAGES, which will answer very well for Or
ilnary farm work. Ascertaining the
number OF rods i'll width md length of
the lot You wish to measure, multiply
one by the other and divide by 100, and
you have tho number of acres, as 100
So uare rods make an acre. If you wish
TO lay OIL one acre measure thirteen rods
each way. This lacks only rod of full
measure. A four rod tapo line is better
when you have n boy to carry one end. 1t
is very important that every farmer should
Know the acreage and yield of his own
crops Abandon guess work and begin
measurement at once.
Pckin Ducks.
This variety of ducks was introduced
into this country from China about twelxe
years ago. Since their introduction .hey
have rapidly become popular with ail
lovers of fine water fowls, until at tbe
present time they are almost universally
admitted to he one Of the best yarieties
II not the best variety, known and bred
IN this country. They arc very large.
weighing from fourteen to sixteen pounds
per pair, are of fine form, and the plum
age of both sexes is of a uniform creamy
white. The legs are short set wide apart.
and nre of n beautiful yellow color. The
bill is OF n lighter shade, approaching to
fine orange color They are devoid of
top-knots, the head being uniformly
smooth and Of fine form. They are very
active, hardy and prolific, often COM
mencing to lay from the middle to the last
of February, and continuing, with short
intervals of rest, until the end of sprinp
Ihey can be successfully raised on farms
not supplied with ponds or running
streams by keeping them well supplied
with water from the well or spring. placed
in troughs where they can have free nc.
cess to 1t at all times This combination
OF good qualities certainly entities them
TO be called superb variety.
Fruit and Tree Culture,
i. Instead OF trimming up" trees ao-
cordin8 to the old fashion, to make them
long 8-legged and long-armed trim them
down, so as to make them even, snug and
symmetrical.
q Instead of manuring heavily in
small circle at the foot Of the tree, spread |
the manure, if needed at all, broadcast
over the whole surface, especially where
the ends OF the roots can get at it.
3. Instead Of spading small circle |
about tho stem, cultivate the whole sur
face broadcast
4. Prefer well pulverized, clean sur
face III an orchard, with moderately |
rich soil. to heavy manuring and a sur |
face covered with a hard crust and weeds
and grass.
o. Remember that it is better to set out
ten trees with all the necessary care TO
make them live and flourish, than to set
out hundred trees and have them all die
from carelessness.
q. Remember that tobacco is poison.
and will kill insects rapidly if properly
applied to them, uud is one of the best
drugs for freeing fruit trees rapidly Of
small vermin.
l. Finally, do not neglect to set out as
many fruit trees Of different varieties as
you possibly can. 1t will pay. If you
have but small farm put out the fewer
.rees, but put out rs many as you can find
'pace for. Larger farm, more trees.
Fruit evaporators are comparatively in
expensive, they are very easily operated.
md properly dried fruit Is always salable.
II your farm Is near II railroad, YOU will
De able to sell every bushel of fruit for
'ity consumption that you may happen to
aise, and You will realize satisfactory
prices for it. By all means plant all the
rult trees that you may find room for,
md raise all the fruit that YOU can coax
our trees to bear.
A New Use for sawdust.
A writer TO tho Home and Euyy.. Ken
ucky. makes mention of the Use of saw
lust III planting potatoes, and asserts .
hat the product where sawdust was used /
'as twice as great rs where mono was |
Ised, and larger and smoother. 1t was ,
lot stated whether the snwdust had been [
Ised as an absorbent, was mixed with I
manure, or was used as it originally came {
rom the saw, which would make consid- |
rable difference. Neither was it stated |
ow much was used in the hill, nor wheth- |
r the sawdust was from hard or soft '
rood, all of which are very important G
But 1t ia hardly proba- c
le that this article is i'll its native state v
I'LL be used very extensively Us fertiliz- t
until more is known about it, although .
as stated the yield of potatoes can be /
oubled by its use, at the present time, c
'hen there are SO many portable mills at
'ork III the general destruction of the II
'rests Of New England. and sawdust is r
formulating in quantities, if it can be Ii
tillzed ms protitably, it certainly should u
o done. 4
Within very few years farmers in Col A
mbia, Conn, have been i'll the habit of Il
arting from permanent steam-inill tho l,
,wdust that accumulated, using il rs IN "
bsorbent and for bedding purposes, but i.
o claim has ever been made, nor has it II
cen suggested, that Of itself it possessed NJ
ny agricultural value further than its G
bsorptivc power, but that it exerted q Ii
beneficial mechanical effect Ii
pom the manure with which it WAS in b
SO that it very much aided it's
or pulvcrlzatiou, thing
iat is always desirable. SawGlust is a
distance that is useful t. the farmer in q,
10 Office 1t performs as mn absorbent and
lslntcgratOr, aud also in the use that is a.
satisfactorily made Of it for packing
round the ice of an ice house, but its
lrther use has not yet been satisfactorily IL
roved.
Farm Notes. ii
The earlier in the season that land plas-
r or gypsum is sown on clover the more
'rtaln it is to produce good results.
ONE experienced farmers SOW it ON the :"
st snow, and insist that to do most good
should be applied before spring rains 3,
ave passed. NJ
1t is best to get the old coat of hair
hanged as soon us possible on horses, III
sfore being put to hard spring work. III
or this purpose the brush and curry
'mb should be freely used A little oil W
cal will helm tha nnarat;ou but sb,,I1 II