The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-26
HOME, FARM AND RANCH.

Feed too Well-Sometimes remarks
Farm and Garden, we feed too well
and get our fowls too fat. The Ply
mouth Rocks are notorious for being
always fat, while the Leghorns are
said to be never so. A Brahma chick
en- will not fatten perfectly, but,
when grown, takes ON fat quickly.
To reduce the fowl in flesh, without
depTiving them of food, may be done
by forcing them to scratch for a liv-
ing and giving them oats only, and
but once day. Select a dry portion
of the yard, or, if in wet weather, the
| floor of the fowl-houSe, and cover it
with leaves, cut straw or salt hay,
and such waste material us answers.
Throw the oats into this and let them
hunt for the grains. Feed nothing in
the morning, feed the oats at noon,
and allow nothing at night. On very
| cold nights little corn may be fed.
Watch the fowls carefully and do not
carry on the process any longer than
may be necessary. Moistening the
oats to swell them little before feed
ing, and also parching them occasion
ally, will be sufficient change during
the feeding for reduction of fat.
Water to Plants.-A noted horti
culturist once said that if he could
have but one way of applying water
to plants he should prefer to apply i
to the leaves. 1t is frequently OBJ
served that plants endure dry weather
better if water is applied freely to
the foliage than they do if watered
entirely through the ground. The
explanation of this fact is obvious
Transportation, or evaporation, takes
| place through the leaN es. The eVap-
Grafton is checked by the application
OF water to the leaves, causing the
plant to make greater use of the
moisture it obtains from the soil.
Turnips.-A large crop of turnips
| most seasons, "can be grown upon a
newly-inverted sod. There is always
a good market for these which are tit
to sell, while the small ones, also those
overgrown, are among the best of
roots for young cattle, oxen, sheep
and store hogs, promoting growth of
bone and muscle as much as or more
than any other root. Farmers who
have tested them recommend them
highly for working horses, and value
them above carrots, though the ordi-
nary farmer will grow them with
half the labor required for the latter.
The Best Cow.-The Agricultural
Gazette notes that COWS in diaries for
the London milk trade inherit some
| ShOrthOrn blood lin ninety-nine out
of hundred cases." 1t adds that this
is not true of the diaries in or neal
| London, where there is a liking, il
not preference for Dutch COWS. In
view of the persistent charge that
| ShOrthOrnS are not good for milk, it is
worth noticing such statements as
these, as also the fact that at the re-
cent dairy show in London the best
COW was ShOrthorn.
Seven Advantages.-Aw writer in the
Journal of Forestry enumerates the
| following seven advantages of plant
ing shade and forest trees on the
farm: 1. characterization Of the farm
2. Place for song birds. 3. Ultimai {
profits of planting waste places.
Promotion of healthfulneSs, trees alb
sorhing and consuming effete ANNA
eXhalations. 8. Modification of tenn
perature, with screens from winds.
Shade for cattle. Z. Supply of tim
Der and poles.
Potatoes.-In DR.. Lawes' expert
ments potatoes were planted six sue
cessive years. some on land receiving
no manure and one piece receiving
fourteen tons of barnyardmanure pei
acre yearly. The field unmanureG
rapidly diminished in yield, as might
be expected; but the fact most re
markable is that another field, with {
dressing of $50 pounds of alkaline
salts, produced better crop than that
| which had the stable manure