Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-16
Farm and Stock Notes.

Farmers are gradually becoming in
formed of the true nature of commercial
fertilizers, and, instead of depending solely
on single substance, now rely only on
those that combine several substances in
the same bags.
Mr.. Ezra Packard's second hatch with
his hot water incubator at HammOnton.
n. j., resulted in his securing 70 per cent.
of chicks from the gross number of eggs.
The Hammonton broOder, which he uses,
raises them with but trifing loss. The
incubator is again in operation.
A gardener who has tested it for three
years says that broken pieces of bone are
much better than broken crockery for
draining f1ower-pOts. The plants suck
the fertiliZing quality out of the bones and
make such vigorous growth that the
plants in pots supplied with bones could
be told at once.
The advantage of thoroughbreds over
natives may be shown by the statement
Of a Michigan farmer whose grade Short
horn calf weighed 125 pounds when only
one day old. At the time he was weighed
be had not sucked his dam, but had light
feed four hours previously. Another breed
er reports his ShOrthOrn calf, aged nine
months, as weighing 740 pounds, which is
more than many calves from native stock
weigh of two years growth.
Raspberry TIPS need little more than to
be covered if planted early. 1t is better
to spread the roots out fiat rather than to
drop them down into a hole with the
thought of their finding moisture. Never
put plant into dry dirt. Take off the top
dirt, spread the roots out on the moist
place thus made, cover with the same dirt
to two inches deep, and press it firmly
with the feet. The root will feel the heat
quicker and no danger of drying out.
Professor w. j. Beal, in the Gardeners
Monthly, gives some curious eccentrici-
ties peculiar to plants. Roots grown in
damp air in the dark will often make a
complete coil, sometimes two or more of
them. If piece of gummed paper be
placed ON one side OF the root tip it be-
comes unusually excited and begins to
coil away from the paper, sometimes tying
itself into knot, and often succeeds in
rubbing off the paper. Roots generally
turn downward, though not always.
Mr.. N. J. Shepherd says that farmers
should always be careful to use only good
seed for potatoes. With everything IA
vOrable you may sometimes raise a good
crop from poor seed, but this is only the
case when the general crop has been plen-
tiful and the prices low, while, by using
only the best of seed, giving it good soil
to grow in, and good, clean cultivation,
you are reasonably sure of a good crop
when others fail, and as there is then re-
ceived a higher price the result is more
profitable.
Due de Charities, the great Centennial
show Norman stallion, was sold by James
A. Perry, Wilmington, ILL.,, for $5,377 to
company of ten men in California, who
paid for him in gold that was then at
premium. One of the stockholders last
season sold his interest for $500, which is
at the rate of $4,000 for the horse. He
stands next season at 800, and is now
Is years old. He was one of Mr.. Perry's
first importation and was famous show
horse in Illinois, won sweepstakes at the
Centennial and captured everything in
California, and is now barred at their fairs
to give other horses a chance.
Much difficulty is often experienced by
farmers in making cuttings of grape and
other wood grow when planted in cold soil
in the spring. The trouble partly arises
from the fact that air is much warmer
than the soil, which starts the bud before
root action commences. If cuttings are
placed with their base ends in dry soil in
the cellar bottom the base will become
callOus and be ready to emit roots as soon
as planted. Market gardeners make every.
cutting live by furnishing bottom heat,
which simply means keeping the soil in
which the cutting is planted warmer than
the bud, which is exposed to the air.
Says J. w. Porter, of Charlottesville,
Va: "To obtain the largest amount of
comb honey we must have at the right
time powerful force of bees. To pre-
vent any "slip between the cup and the
lip" by natural swarming before they get
to work in boxes, we often do need room
below of ten frames, and then to use the
extractor. True, eight frames of solid
brood in all stages of development is a
strong base; but more room for work and
/ for food is often desirable. Then it is so
easy to contract space with the dummy
when desired. Besides, we have broader
surface on top for sterage-a most desira-
! BILE thing.u