Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-03
Farm and Stock Notes.


The Gardeners Chronicle relates an in.
stance where apples and pears were
planted on heavy clay, which had been
trenched down to stan irOn-hard par. >,
The trees made no growth, and moss and
lichens grew on them. The orchard was
then thoroughly drained. In six months
the lichens began to disappear and the
next year a fine growth was made. The
soil lad been warmed by the drainage and
the fertility had been made accessible to
the growing roots.
In the dooryard of Delos Hotchkiss, at
Cheshire, Conn.,, stands an apple tree,
which is supposed to be the oldest, largest
and most fruitful in New England. 1t is
the last survivor of the orchard which
was set out by the first settlers of that
neighberhood and popular belief fixes it
at 100 years. The tree is go feet high and
the tips of its outmost branches are 104
feet apart. Mr.. Hotchkiss affirms that he
has picked 125 bushels OF sound apples
from it in single year.
A Baltimore paper SAYS that city alone
put up the past season IA, 400, 900 cans Of
peaches, 100000 cans of peas, 100000
cans Of string beans and 100000 cans of
pears, 100000 cans of tomatoes, 1000, 600
cans of fruits and other vegetables. This
is an immense amount of what NAV be
called new industry. Maryland seems
to take the lead Of all her sister States in
this growing industry. In the canning of
corn and tomatoes and oysters she seems
determined to soon become mistress of
the markets of the world.
The Rural Nel0 Yorker suggests the
HanseI as an early raspberry and the
Cuthbert as a late variety, both of which
are red in color and suitable for family
use and market. The Caroline is hardy
and productive, but yellow and not of
first quality. For canning there is moth
ing like Shafer's colossal. For the ear
Hest and most productive of black caps
the Souhegan is the raspberry, but for the
largest try the Gregg. OF currants, Fay's
Prolific is the best of the reds and the
White Grape currant the best Of the
whites.
In response to inquiries as to the prac-
ticability of allowing sheep to have access
to acorns as food, says the editor of the
IeTdS Wool Grocer, our experience and
observation has led us to the following
conclusions: In Virginia, where we first
handled sheep, the white oak and black
jack acorns, as general thing, were not
regarded as a safe diet. The tendency
was to produce constipation, causing fe-
yer and in numerous instances death.
From this cause we were impressed,
when embarking in sheep husbandry in
Texas, that all species of acorns were
dangerous for sheep to feed upon.
A Massachusetts gardener plows very
deep for asparagus, manureS plentifully
and plants in burrows eight inches deep,
gradually filling up level as the plants
grow. Rows should be feet apart and
plants from II to 20 inches. Thick setting
bring in full crop sooner, but thinner
setting gives quite as good results in the
long run. A bed is in perfection from s
to II years old. The fourth years growth
will be of full market size, but the third
will give medium crop of medium-sized
stalks. An old bed is hard to kill, but
constant and late cutting up to August,
with subsequent cultivation, will do it.
A farmer who has grown the Alsike
clover the past season for the first time
reports himself we'll pleased with it. Cat
tie aud horses eat it more readily than red
clover, both as grass and hay. 1t is des-
titute Of the slightly bitter flavor that de-
tracts from the value of fresh green clover.
In an Alsike field COWS eat the new seed
ling instead of waiting until starved to it,
after knawing bare the old sod in fence
corners. The crop of seed varies from
i've to as high as ten bushels per acre; but
If the Alsike is left for seed its hay is much
less valuable. Its superiority is manifest
as compared With the chaff from red clover
that has been thrashed from seed.-Ameri-
can CaltiUdt0r.
The first incubator of the season. hold
ing seventy-five eggs, has Just been ope-
rated at Hammonton, N. j. Thirteen
eggs were thrown out as worthless and
there were Matched out thirty-eight chicks
from slXty-two eggs, or a little over 81
per cent. Three hens were set on eggs
from the same basket. The first hen
Matched five chicks from ten eggs, killing
four. The other two hens did not hatch a
single nhJQE II Tho ol,s -.
are alive and thrifty. This incubator was
made to operate without the use of a
lamp and consequently no expense of oil
was incurred. tank of hot water was
kept over the egg drawer, the loss of heat
being replaced by adding kettle full of
boiling water once day, except in very
cold weather.
1t is but a few years since anything like
systematic bee culture has been attempt
ed in the United States, but the business
has now become an important industry,
more than 81, 900, 900 pounds of honey being
annually produced and sold. The trade
is principally carried on by large capital
lists, who often have from $500 to {. 200
swarms of bees. In California the bees
are farmed out, that is, apiaries of 100
sWarms or so are placed in the grounds
o. farmers, generally from three to four
miles apart. The farmers receive fixed
rent or share of the honey for their
compensation, as may be agreed upon. On
an average, one acre of ground is esti-
mated to support twenty-five swarms of
bees, and the yield Of a swarm is generally
about 80 pounds of honey year.
Manure from the yard or stable. saws
Professor johnson, rarely contains such
an amount Of volatile fertilizing matter
as should deter from spreading it broad
cast on the surface when most convenient
IInIQCa m 10 rio
fed animals, and is in an active state of
fermentation, hot and smoking, and ex-
haleS distinct smell of hartshOrn. there
can be no loss from exposure. and in anV
case the loss will be less by spreading
over thinly than by dropping in small
heaps, because spreading means cooling
and loss of fermentation. But manure.
when properly handled, need not suffer
any waste from evaporation. A moderate
and regulated heating of fresh manure
results in the formation of humic acid.
which secures the ammonia from loss by
evaporation. This moderate heating it
should have before hauling out, or in cold
weather, before it heats at all.
The american AgricULturiSt SAYS of the
cowpea: ''This pea, which is great bles-
sing to Southern agriculture, presents a
large number of varieties. A few DAYS
ago we, through the aid of some friends
III OCOA Sldg Il COllOCbAOu Vi all bLG
different kinds we could procure. We
received peas under nearly forty different
names, but found that only about twenty
of these were really distinct, so far as we
could judge by the appearance of the
seeds. A share of the varieties are cult
waited in the Southern States tor the sake
of the seed, but the majority are regarded
as forage plants. We notice that some
New York seedsr1en offer the seeds of
Whirlpool and others which are esteemed
in the Southern States as forage plants.
We know no plant more worthy of a care
full test by those who practice ensilage
than the Southern cOwpea.' Like other
beans-tor it is much nearer bean than
a pea-it should not be soWn until the
soil is well warmed and all danger OF late
frQsts is over"
The Mirror and Farmer gives the follow
ing synopsis of the system of manure
saving, to which very successful New
farmer ascribes his success. He
keeps eleven COWS and a horse, breeds of |
pigs and poultry, on less than nine acres
of land. ''Fowls are kept for their eggs
and meat; are kept in confinement and
made to helpp part of their expenses in
composing and fining the horse manure;
thus they get the exercise they need and |
the horse manure is improved. The drop |
pings from the rOOst-rOom are husbanded !
and saved in barrels, and sold or used on
the land. The stable manure and all