The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-12-06
directions for work on the Farm, in the


| The stock requires close attention. Fattening
stock for Christmas early winter sales must
| have extra feed and attention. Mutton, especi-
ally, for Christmas must be carefully watched to
| be in prime order, and the same may be said of
| poultry.
Hogs.-Keep these clean, warm and well fed.
Ice:-Secure an abundant supply as soon as
| possible.
Corn.-See that it is all lofted, and if time and
state of market allow, get il sheled and marketed
at once; but if you can, send it to market on the
| hoof and within the hides of animals. 1t is more
economical every way to do so, than to send it as
special product. If you feed it, you ''eat the
cake and have it too" You get full price for it
and yet have its substances left at home as man
ure, and saving much freight and commission.
Shelters.-Have plenty of those for the comfort
| of the various kinds of animals; they can be
made cheap, Jet comfortable, with materials on
the farm such polls brush straw, cornstalks &c.
Powing.-All stiff, clay soil should be well and
| deeply plowed if weather permits The action of
frost and snow is in many ways beneficial to such
soils, plowed deeply before hard winter sets in.
See that all things are set in order ON the farm
| every care taken for the comfort of the house.
| hold, employees, domestic animals of all sorts
we'll provided for against the rigors of winter,
| and with full larder and clear conscience you
will be ready to enjoy with delight and thankful
Less Merry Christmas, looking with hopeful ex-
pectation to the coming of Neu Year, full Of
| life and joyful expectancy.
| FRUIT GARDEN AND ORCHARD.
Little work can usually be done outside during
this month. If, however, you have raised any
apple pear seedlings for stocks now is the time
to begin grating them on the collar of the root.
If the whole root is used these root grated trees
are as good as any raised by other means. The
root is cut with slope at the collar and graft
of similar size fitted to it. They wrapped
| tightly with strips of cotton rags dipped in a
| and buried in sand in a cellar until planting time
| in spring. If the snow lies long see that young
| trees are not injured by mice and rabbits. See
that all trees properly labelled, and a record
made OF all planted. Finish all work undone
which should have been done earlier. Ground to
| be planted in spring will work better ii plowed
now whenever possible. Read up we'll on fruit
culture, and get the catalogues Of the most rel-
| able nurserymen for reference These nursery
| catalogues nowadays are valuable compendiums
Of information to the inexperienced. Get up
neighborhood clubs and compare experience with
| others.
VEGETABLE GARDEN.
The farmer who once establishes garden and
conducts it properly will be very apt to extend it..
1t will be to him a sort of experiment ground, the
lessons of which cannot fail to influence his farm
practice. 1t has been observed that men trained
| to gardening usually make the best of farmers.
They are not predisposed to reach out over too
great surface. They make constant use of the
roller and seldom fail to get "catch" with the
smallest seeds. Their familiarity with deep Gull
ture and draining gives them constant desire to
extend those practices. Their experiments with
manures, both natural and artificial, were, or
might have been five to one compared with those
on the farm, and in short, their efforts, within
their means, naturally direoted towards max
ing the whole arabic portion of the farm a farm
garden. In making arrangements for another
nr,lxv lois mt
with quarter or half acre of mangles One who
has not tried them with garden culture would be
astonished Mt the bulk and weight of roots that
can be grown on an acre. April is the best time
to SOW, and with rows two feet apart the cultiya-
tor can work until the crop is half grown, after
which the hoe must be used. Those who have
time and inclination to experiment with beds
another year might begin in January with a
mild hot bed for cabbage and cauliAower. At
the end of this month collect and pile up heap
of stable manure and turn it several times VIXEN
hot so that it shall heat evenly and moderately.
If made in pit two feet deep, the pit half filled
with manure aud the whole covered with the
frame and ashes, it will give better satisfaction
than if made above ground. Cover with six
inches of light earth (Which must be prepared in
the fall and kept from freezing) and sow when
the rank heat has passed away. Air freely when
the plants are up so as to have them grow stout
and strong
POULTRY.
The cold weather has now effectually cut off
the supply of insect food and unless the fowls are
furnished with proper substitute eggs will soon
begin to become scarce, and as the holidays are
approaching eggs will be in demand at good
prices, it will be we'll and wise to give the hens
all the meat scraps, refuse hones-crushed fine
One of the best egg diets we know of for this
time of year is crackins, treated in the following
manner: Take chunk about the size of pint
srawa o. ara1,
six quarts of water, or better eight quarts and let
it boil down to six quarts, when the crackins will
by that time have become pretty well dissolved;
while it is boiling stir in corn meal and wheat
middIings until it is so thick and dry you can
hardly stir it then remove it from the stove and
let it COOL This used for the morning feed, and
in connection with a miscellaneous diet of grains
and green food, if the fowls are properly housed,
will keep them laying the entire winter. OF
course we take 1t for granted crushed oysters
shells are where the birds have free access to
them. If you have no shed to strew the leaves in
you scatter them in the hen house. provided
it is scrupulousy clean, and scatter small grain
therein. Fowls must have healthful exercise in
winter, and this will afford the double purpose OF
giving it and teaches them to scratch for their
living. IF their combs should get touched with
frost rub well with glycerine and alcohol-four
ounces of glycerine to one of alcohol Study the
characteristics of your fowls, their wants. and if
you take good care of your ocks rest assured they
will return the compliment. Any one who keeps
fowls and does not do so with profit need not lay
the blame to the fowls. If you don't believe in
keeping chickens let the boys even your
daughters have chance, and charge them for all
the feed and let them sell all the eggs and sur
plus stock, and at the end of the year they will
have snug sum on the credit side Of the ledger,
besides the healthful recreation. business
spirit will be inculcated, and if the children can
be taught to feel they have personal interest in
them attractions formed which will result in
manifold good. Farmers, be more liberal in this
respect and encourage the children with their
pets and poultry, and you will find they will not
be so anxious to leave the farm as soon as they
get along in their teens. In keeping poultry,
remember there is nothing that will show neglect
quicker, while for the amount of labor and time
spent-nothing on the farm will prove as profit
able as the fowls.
When to Begin Beekeeping.- beekeeper