Connecticut western news., 1883-10-31
FARM AND GARDEN.

A PAYING POULTRY FARM.-A poultry farm of 5000 Plymouth Rocks is owned and carried on by A. c. Hawkins at Lancaster, near Boston, Mass. He cal- culates to have about 5000 fowls every fall, and carries over about 2,500 laying hens through the winter. At the pres ent time he has 12,OOO including all sizes. His farm contains twenty acres, and his poultry buildings occupy an acre and half. They are situated on the south slope of hill, and com- prise six or seven sheds 200 feet in length Each shed is divided into apart ments of 12 by 20 feet, and about twenty-five hens are kept in each division. A yard is made in front of each apartment, so that the members of each are by themselves. MT. Hawkins believes that if confined poultry have all their wants attended to, they will do as well in production as if allowed free range. He bases this belief upon several tests. In hatching- time he sets 200 hens in one day, and puts 800 eggs in an in- cubator, which is due to hatch on the same day, the chickens from which will be distributed among the 200 hens. Boston is one of the best markets for fancy prices for eggs and poultry, and his sales of fowls and eggs for matching at fancy prices are large, about ninety per cent. being profit. He has also 8 standing order for sixty to ninety dozens of eggs daily, for which he gets the highest market price. MT. Hawkins began at the age of twenty-one with 100 hens, and by careful management and economy his business has enlarged, so that at the age of twenty mine, he has 8 very handsome income. The manure from the poultry is quite an item; he sold last year 500 barrels at $1.5O bar rel.-Bosto,s Cultivator.
 KITCHEN AND MARKET GARDEN.
 In well-managed garden, as soon as one crop is off, the ground is made ready for another, if the season allows. In stiff soils, especially, blowing or spading, and leaving them rough through the winter, greatly improves them.
 PRESERVING Roors IN WINTER. nips, salsify, and horseradish are not in- jured by hard freezing; all others must be stored for the winter, and sufficient supply of the hardy kinds should also be taken up. If the cellar is not too warm, a supply for the present use may be kept in boxes or barrels, and covered with earth, to prevent shrivelling.
 CARRIAGES. The usual method is to pull the cabbages, set them in 8 dry place, heads downward, and on the ap- proach of cold weather, cover with a coating of leaves up to the ends of the roots; light soil is often used instead of leaves. For family use, it is convenient to dig trench where water will not stand, and set the cabbages, with what soil adheres to the roots, close together, upright, in this. Make sloping cover ! ing with boards. As cold weather. comes l on, place layer of leaves or straw over the heads. Soft cabbages thus treated will very often form firm heads by spring. ~>
 ASPARAGUS AND RHUBARB. B.-Thougl these plants are quite hardy, the beds | will produce all the better and earlier il they have covering of three or foul inches of manure. All litter should be first cleared off, and if not already done the asparagus tops should be burned. CROPS W1NTERED IN THE GROUND such as spinach, sprouts, onion sets, etc. will need two or three inches of leaves straw, or marsh hay, as protection during winter, in all but very mild To- calities.
 | COLD FRAMES. s.-Novices are more ap to injure the cabbage, caulifower, ant lettuce plants wintered in these by keeping them too warm than by too much cold. The object of the frames is not only to prevent too severe freezing but all growth, and to keep the plants in perfectly quiet or dormant state The sashes should not be put on unti really freezing weather, and on milo days must be tilted, to allow ventilation -Novema6ey Agricwlturist.
 MIXING MILK OF DIFFERENT HERDS Last fall I added to the number of my COWS two high-grade Jerseys. soo1 found: on weighing my butter product that the addition made no perceptible in crease over the previous quantity O.
 butter. I concluded at once that m, Jerseys were at fault. I next set tn,
 milk of each of the suspected Jerseys by itself, and found that one made twelv,
 pounds of butter and the other ]ittl. less; also that the original herd yielded
 as before.