The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-05-31

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| taken TO raise such varieties rs viii command
/ the nost ready sale and the highest price For
| fall shipping nothing equals the Early Rose.
The Beauty of Hebron viii probably come into
| like, and viii yield one-thrd more TO the acre.
| Early Rose and Early Ohio sell best during
4 the winter for southern seed. The Early Ohio is
/ in special demand during January and Feb
ruaTy. For late shipping the Peerless, Mann
/ moth, Pearl, Snow Flake, or any of the COM
mon white late varieties are the most ready
sale. The Burbank, however, stands at the
head of the list as late potato. IL is a long,
smooth, white potato, yielding abundantly and
/ keeping well until new potatoes make their
+ appearance. Sort the crop properly when dig
! ging, feeding the small and scabby roots to
stock, and plant mostly Of one or two kinds such
/ as the market demands The farmer who can
4 deliver half or full car load of one kind will
realize more than one who has a few bushels
of number of kinds.
DURABILITY OF WOOD IN BUILDINGS
A German forest inspector has recently pub
lished summary OF his observations bearing
on the above subject. As reason for the CON-
! plete preservation and great durability of the
buildings erected during the middle ages, he
remarks, that the whole of the wood for any
/ large building was carefully selected from one
/ spot and, after being felled, was stored and
| dried together, certain homoSeneeusness in
the woodwork being thus obtained. Nowadays
wood is used just il is delivered by the dealer,
coming from various districts. and having been
felled at different seasons; these circumstances
/ causing q more or less marked divergence in
quality, As showing the neglect of forest cnl-
| ture. he states that trees yielding 35-inch
planks, such IS are to be found in old castles,
can only be exceptionally found in forests
under government control.
BEES swARMING.
The Indiana farmer saws that the most gen.
eral indications of swarming are the inactivity
F! of the bees hanging in clusters about the en-
/ trance, and the pollen gathcrcTs hanging with
/ them instead of entering the hive. Sometimes
! they may be prepared TO swarm, and because OF
! unfayOrabie weather will give it up; but they
may soon again commence preparations, wasting
a great part OF the honey crop, for they seldom
| do but little good gathering honey while the
swarming fever is on. The intelligent bee
keeper viii now divide the bees. Where honey
is the object colonies should not be allowed TO
cast but one swarm, as a rapid increase can sell
/ dom be accomplished except at the expense of
the honey crop. With the movable frame it is
! but little trouble TO prevent this by simply
! opening the hive some seven or eight days later
and removing the extra queen cells, when they
will at once employ themselves in gathing and
storing honey.
THE sUNFLowER.
The sunfiower is much cultivated in Russia
for the sake Gifts seeds which are fed to poultry.
They also yield an oil which is bland and
edible; it also makes fine quality of soap and
| burns well. The cake which is left after the
oil is expressed is considered highly nutritious
| food for cattle. 1t Is claimed by some that
these seeds arc the best egg producing food
known for poultry, keeping them i'll thriving
condition and largely increasing the produc-
ton of eggs. Every poultry raiser who tries it
viii find that this seed is the best food known
for CLOSING the plumage of fowls, and is almost
| indispensable TO those whc want to fit their
| birds Tor exhibition TO the best advantage. If
planted in good soil it is said that 100 bushels
of seed per acre may be obtained. This is far
above the average yield 1t should be planted
and managed like corn, the distance apart for
the plants depending upon the variety used.
RUSSIAN MULBERRY.
This tree, about which great deal of useless
matter has been said and written, including
wearisome details about its introduction, the
ship it came in, aud the kind of voyage it ex-
perienced, with other equally important de-
tails-important to the advertisers OF the plant
at least-is nothing more nor less than the
Chinese Mulberry, AiOrus alba. Purchasers OF
mulberry plants may find out that there is
something in a name; for instance, if the
order calls for Russian mulberry plants, the
price may be about ten dollars per 100; but if
the Chinese white mulberry is wanted, they
may be furnished for about the same amount
per 1000, and the same kind of plant furnished
in both cases.
PRUNING PIONEERING SHRUBS.
The best time TO prune early Towering
shrubs is just after they have finished flower
ing. 4 method of doing this-which is alto
gether too commons 10 shear the plant into
cabbage-shaped head, thus destroying al
natural beauty of outline, SIS well as impaiGipg
Its capacity for blooming. The proper plan is
TO thin out the older branches, cutting them
out right down 10 the base of the plant, SO
that a system of renewal of shoots may be
encouraged. This is, in fact, pruning; the
former method is only clipping, and has no
right whatever TO be styled pruning; it also
destroys all individuality in plants, making
them all alike in appearance, as well as impair
ing their Towering properties.
ENsILAGR.
Putting grass, cornstalks OF other substance
in Eilo, does not add anything TO the nutri-
ment contained III the material. We cannot
take out what we did not put in. Cutting and
storing the green food in a silo may make it
more digestible; may and often dses make il
more palatable than when the food is dried in
the open air. Letting the moisture dry from
meadow grass or from green cornstalks in itself
should not make these substances less desirable
as food. In fact it does make them less pala-
table. Preserving much of this moisture in the
ensllaged food may be help; but if fermen-
tation goes on in the silo to any considerable
extent there is absolute loss of food value.
GAPEs IN CHICKENS.
The Poultry Journal says to cure gapes take 9
ripe head of timothy grass and carefully
strip OF the fuzz, which will leave it rough
Then take up the chick, pull its tongue out a
little, and at the root OF 1t you will see the
opening of the windpipe Hold the tongue out
firmly with the third finger, while you insert
the straw with the same hand, holding the head
with the left. Pat it down the wndpipe
straight and carefully till you reach the bot
tom, then draw it up with a twisting motion
and it will bring out small red worms Some
times, instead of bringing up the worms, il
simply loosens them, and the chicken imme
diately sneezes them out.
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