Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-06-25
AGRICULTURE.

CoMPoUSDING Dust BATHs.-I have
been trying several kinds OF material for
sand bath inside the poultry house.
From close observation find that they
dislike to wallow IN sand and wood ashes
when urmixed-my fowls have dug into
the ground floor and made wallowing
bath, and left both wood and coal ashes
entirely untouched. After experiment
ing / find that bath consisting of fine
sand, dug from the floor, and mixed with
equal portions of old lime, wood, and
finely sifted coal ashes, is very good.
The poultry seen to enjoy it very much.
besides wallowing. they constantly
keep picking, no doubt for the old lime.
Since l have used this compound my
fowls have busted themselves very much
more than / have known them to do
during any former winter. So far /
have had every egg hard shelled also /;
not one soft or partially formed shell. l
feed mornings boiled turnips, carrots,
potatoes, raw cabbage, all well mixed
with dry, coarse bone meal. knead
all with my hands. mixing well, not u.s.
ing a drop of water beyond what may
be poured upon hard crusts of stale
bread. In no winter have my poultry
done better, so far, in all respects with
regard to eggs, health, etc.
In preparing nests place few inches
of earth in the bottom or Invert sod.
'sIf the hens are troubled with lice"
says poultry monthly, "put spoonful
of sulphur on the bottom OF each nest
before you put eggs under them, lay
er OF fine-cut straw, then more sulphur
over it. 1t would be well to place a few
medicated or porcelain eggs under each
hen before You trust them with valua-
BILE ones. and when they show an 1ncli-
nation to fulfil their tasks faithfully,
then carefully place the choice eggs
under them at night. A supply OF corn
and oats, fresh water and a convenient
dust box are important necessaries in
the management and care of sitting hens.
A dust bath at hand is an excellent
thing for broody hens, for at this time.
If at all. they are infested with lice, the
feverish state of their bodies being fa-
vorable for their propagation. Fre-
quent busting with sulphur and carbol
ic powder is necessary.
A WASH FOR FRUIT TREEs.-Some of
the agricultural papers are advertising
caustic potash, or strong lye made from
wood ashes, as a wash for fruit trees.
This will remove all the moss and rough
bark, but trees on which it has been
used look red and sort of burned, and
soon have rougher bark than ever. The
following we have long used, and know
1t to be much the better preparation.
Buy common caustic soda if you can
get it; if not, buy saI-soda or common
washing soda; place it in an iron kettle
and over the fire; gradually heat it, stir
ring often until it turns red, when it be-
comes caustlc. Dissolve one pound of
this in from one to two gallons of water,
as the trees have more less rough bark
and moss attached, and with it wash
trees. 1t will remove all foreign matter
ss effectually AS the potash wash, and
will leave the bark of healthy green
color. Try it.
ALL French draught horses are Nor
man horses. from whatever province in
France they may como. There are diff
fe'ent tribes of families in the different
provinces, all tracing in their origin to
the ancient Norman war horse. The
Percheron, the Boulonnais and other
tribes have their admirers, and are they
called by their local names. but the
National Norman Horse Association,
comprising nine-tenths of all the impor-
tiers of French draught horses in Amer
lea, recognizes them all as Norman
nx-rr Of bn affaafc Of rNbpc-
phate on wheat was the result of drilling
1t in between the rows of wheat with the
same drill that was used In seeding the
previous Fall. No phosphate was ap-
piled when the grain was sown. The
good effect of the Spring dressing was,
doubtless, in part owing to the cultIva-
ton which the drill teeth gave the wheat
plants going between the rows. Both
the cultivation and the manure united.
and each probably made the other more
effective.
1T Is found in practice that beans are
not good crop precede wheat. One
reason possibly is that they leave soil in
too loose a condition or the roots will
not hold in Winter. But the chief OBJ
lection to beans as fallow crop is that
they rob the soil of precisely the food
that the wheat plant requires, phosphate
and nitrogen Farmers who grow beans
this Summer should save their land for
Spring again, which will give opportu-
nifty for more plant food to accumulate
before wheat roots are started in search
of it.
WHERE ii Is describabie to make the
droppings of the hen yard fine, IN order
to drill evenly, a little lime mixed in the
heap will greatly hasten to tho opera
ton. OF course the lime acts by assist
ing decomposition, and there is some
loss of ammonia by evaporation. But
this will occur in any attempt to make
the manure fine, and it ls probably bet
ter to have the work done quickly so
that loss can be guarded against, rather
than have it protected during weeks and
months when the compost heap must be
much of the time neglected.
SMKwoRMs will live on lettuce, CASTOR
oil plant leaves and other plants, but
they can only make silk from the leaves
of the mulberry or Usage orange. The
best mulberry is the Japan (white),
though there are five kinds of white. two
of black and several of different shades.
The Japan yields one pound of cecoons
to ten pounds Of leaves, while the 9TH
ers range from twelve to fourteen pounds
of leaves to each pound of cocoons.
In growing cabbage one of the condi-
tions is the thorough pulverization of
the soil, and it should be deep. Set ont
tine plants In freshly-plowed land and |
allow plenty of manure. The crop is
one that responds to liberal and frequent |
cultivation. In fact it cannot be worked |
too often. Well-rotted compost is the |
best to use where there is a tendency to |
club foot, but as the cabbage is grass
feeder it will thrive on any kind of rlch |
manure.
CLOVER hay is much better for milch |
COWS than timothy. 1t produces large |
quantity of milk, and also of better
quality. Ali bntter makers know how
yellow the butter is which is made from |
the milk of COWS fed on clover hay.
CLEAN the poultry house and sprinkle |
with ashes or plaster. If lice abound,
apply kerosene IN small amounts to the |
perches, from which it will spread to |
the birds in effective quantities.