The Opelousas courier., 1884-06-07
Farm and Garden Notes.

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Farm and Garden Notes.
Stock fed on ensilage are never off
their feed, as they often are when fed on
grain.
Ventilate the cellars on fine days.
Garry out all the partially decayed fruit
and vegetables, which are a prolific
source of malarial fevers.
Put several handfuTs of wood ashes in
each melon hill, mixing well with the soil.
If ashes are not ~obtainable use a single
handful of sulphate of potash.
If you are doubtful about the economy
of using the finest potatoes for seed try
a bushel at least and see for yourself
which will produce the most and largest
tubers.
All concentrated fertilizers should be
applied by broadcasting in preference to
placing them in the hill, as too large a
quantity in a small area is sometimes
fatal to seeds.
Guinea fowls are a great help against
insects and not destructive to growing
crops. On the Landreth seed farm they
are given access to all the fields, and are
the only fowls kept.
DR.. Sturtevant's analysis of the New
York experiment station shows that the
narrow leayed plantain, generally re-
garded as a weed to be eradicated, pos
sess nearly the same nutritive value as
timothy.
Hickory and cherry require a growth
of thirty years before they are valuable
for timber, maple twenty years, and
beeches and birchcs fifteen years. Black
walnut, however, will produce , trunk
fourteen inches in diameter in as many
years from the seed.
A German journal states that the pcne-
tration of roots in drain tile, which
sometimes occasions much trouble, may
be prevented by covering the joints in
the vicinity of trees and shrubs land red
cloyerO with earth in which a little coal
tar has been distributed.
Professor Bessey has recently been show
iRe in his lecture how among the adVan-
tages of a rotation of crops is the Kidding
of the soil of fungus growths and insects,
which, where the same crop is grown
year after year, are certain to find easy
means of subsistence. Smut, he says,
grows up through the interior of q wheat
plant, and finally develops its spores
within the bran casing of the grain, filling
It with seeds of the parasite, which stick
fast to sound grains of wheat, and also to
particles of the soil, where they are ready
to enter into the circulation of nextyear's
wheat, unless killed by stepping the pol
luted seed in blue vitrol solution and dry
ing off with lime. The polluted soil is
purified only by using it for some other
crop on which the smut plant cannot
take hold. Smut, in fact, although an
extremely low form of vegetable growth,
is still an organic vegetable. and may
ever be described as a parasite weed
London Graphic.
Joseph Harris gives an account of his
carrot crop in his seed catalogue, his OBJ
ject being to save needless expense. The
seed was sown in r0ws twenty-one inches
apart. The plants came up thick, and
when he most wanted his day hands they
left him. He kept the cultivator runniag
within an inch Of the plants, which kept
down the weeds, and the carrots grew
g with astonishing rapidity.n But they
must be thinned or the crop would be
worthless, 80 the men-went through the
patch with hoes and cut spaces clear
across, the width of the hoe, leaving
punches of four to ten young carrots.
The cultivator was kept going, and after
harvest the weeds which escaped were
cut out by hand. The entire labor thus
expended was no more than for q crop of
potatoes, and Mr. Harris says: do
not want q better CROP The roots
were diverse In size, but the whole r
was larger than where regularly thinned.
Recipes
APPLE JELLY FOR CAKE.lGrate one
large o two small apples, the rind and
juice of one lemon, one cup Of sugar,
boil three minutes.
SPRING RoLL.--Four eggs, one cup of
one cup of fiour, hail teaspoon of
soda, one teaspoon Of cream of tartar, add
any flavor to suit the taste. Stir well,
and spread this on bread pans; bake
quickly, and when thoroughly baked
turn it out on d cloth, and spread with
jelly and roll it up. s
ENaLIsH BRowN SoUP.-Take plenty
Of fresh bones, put them in D large pot
with quite two quarts Of water, two
small heads of celery, two c%lrrots, two
slrnips, onions and plenty of herbs in q
muslin bag. Let this simmer for d day
and q mali, then, when wanted, thicken
it and add sliced vegetables.
Squash PIE.--Steam the squash and
when done beat perfectly smooth; add a
tablespoonful OF sugar, one-quarter of a
cup Of butter, nutmeg and two eggs. The
quantity is sufficient for three pies. Mix
two and one-half cups of sifted -four
with d half cup Of lard, one-haIf cup
Of butter, salt and one half cup Of cold
water.
CHICKEN SHoRT-cAKEs--Cut the
up, put in q pan, oye with wa
ter; let It stew until tender. When
done, make d t~hickening of cream and
add butter, pepper and salt; have
ready d nice ~shortcake, rolled thin as for
crust, cut in squares and baked. Lay
he chicken and gravy over them while
Household Hints.
For damp closets and cellars put shall