The Opelousas courier., 1883-11-03
FOE THE FARM AND HOME.
Farm and Garden Notes.

head well. It is a careless gardener that
allows a crust to form around his cab
bages.
1t is said that either lime or ashes
sprinkled oyer each load of oats when
it is put away in the barn will keep
the rats away.
Grease is said to be a u remedy
for a~pple-tree bark lice. 1t should be
applied cautiously, however, for it in
jures the twigs.
Provide some kind of support or
trelis for the tomatoes. It win keep
fruit cleaner, and they ripen better by
allowing the sun to enter.
Seeds of many native perennial
plants will not terminate until next
spring, if planted now, and one should
not be discouraged if they do not APP
pear at once.
When the rowen or second crop of
hay is gathered, lay aside a quantity OF
this article for winter use in the chick
en- houses. Fowls eat it eagerly in the
absence of green grass.
Hay that is not sufficiently cured or
that has been hauled in during a show
er should have salt scattered over it,
as it is put away. It helps to preserve
it and it is liked by cattle.
1t will pay on any farm to clean up
the weeds along the side of the road
In many places needed in doing this is
allowed as an offset against the road
tax, and were it not it would still pay
to prevent weeds from spreading seeds
over the farm.
The dead leaves On squash vines
should be carefully removed and
burned. They are usually infested with
eggs of the squash bug, and the first
leaves that appear are of no use as
O as others form, and are then sure
to wither and die.
E. P. Roe says that the best soil for
strawberries is a rich, moist, we'll
drained loan, and a heavy clay is bet
ter than sand or gravel Next to irrf-
cation, which is often impossible, and
in most instances expensive, fertility
and deep culture are the best means
Of keeping land moist.
The only certain way to secure seed
that will geminate, is at harvest TIME
to select a load or two, or at least a
sufficient quantity for next years
seeding, from the ripest or best devel-
oped portions of the field, keeping it
separate from the main crop when
hauling and at threshing time.
Careless planting of corn and po-
tatoes is the cause of serious losses to
| American farmers. In hills three #.
apart, if one is a few inches out of line
it is almost sure to be knocked out by
the cultivator, and the use of ground,
labor and seed for that season lost.
| The unreliability of much of the, help
nowadays makes drill planting prefer
able to putting hoed crops in hills.
Probably no better use of potato
tops can be made than to allow them
to lie on the ground in the winter and
then in the spring to gather what re
mains in heaps and burn them. Much
of the manurial virtue of the tops will
be washed into the soil by rains, and
as the covering serves as a mulch
double purpose is served Potato tops
and potatoes are also rich in potash.
Should a fowl become crop-bound
work the crop we'll with the hand, and
endeavor to force away the obstruc
ton in the passage-way to the gizzard
Should this fail, draw the skin to one
side and cut the crop sufficiently to re
lieye it of the contents. Sew up thu
wound with silk, and the fowl win mo-
be seriously damaged. After the cut
ting be sure that the obstruction il
the passage is removed as well as the
contents.
A Vermont sheep raiser claims th,
foot rot can be entirely eradicate(
from a flock Of sheep by dipping TIN
feet of every member of the flock
whether lamb or not, into kerosen,
oil, and then putting a pinch of sui
phur between the hoofs. One repeti
ton of the treatment at the end Of tw,
weeks, he claims will be sufficient
They should be kept in a dry place TO
a few hours after each application o
the kerosene.
A novel method of draining yer,
wet swamps is being practiced in som
countries. 1t is known to botanist
that most large-leaVed plants give OF
about their own weight in moisture ii
from t~hirty-six to ~forty-eight hours
Upon this principal certain plant
have been grown in swamps whicl
were not wanted for immediate cul
tivation. and in a few wears tn,