Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-04-24

FAN and Garden Baias,

stop them.
Scotch farmers believe that cut
straw is better for the dairy when
newly thresaed, Lence they thresh
every day enough fodder for the
following dag.
Horses may he taught to canter
slowly and gracefully by riding
them under the saddle for long dis
tanccs mp hill. The canter is a
gait not so much desired since
horseback riding has gone into
disuse, but there arc many indica
tons that the healthful exercise
given by riding ON horseback is to
become moro popular, as it certain
ly should.
The ounce lisa slow grover. For
this reason il rs an advantage to
bny trees well grown, say four or
five feet high, rather than mere
slips. Such. trees will come in
bearing IN three or four years, and
prove cheaper in the end than
smaller treesat n lower pIice. They
will have more than paid all cx.
pcnscs before the smaller trees viii
yield anything.
Aside from the looks Of the
thing, dead limbs on fruit or other
trees should be promptly removed
Where limbs die from blight the
cutting Should be below any dis
caSed part, OF it will spread the
injection. Prompt cutting down
to healthy wood will check most
cases Of blight. The saw used
should not DO applied TO healthy
trees unless first washed with
carbolic acid and water.
Barnyard manure is commonly
deficient in phosphate, which is
one reason why the two kinds of
fertilizers go so well together. There
is one advantage in mixing phos-
phatc in manure heaps, as the
fermentation which takes place
makes the mineral manure more
soluble and available. In soils
deficient in vegetable matter phos-
phate often becomes insoluble be.
fore it can d. ans good.
The only safe way when weed
seeds abound in manure IS to
thoroughly compost it until their
vitality is destroyed. Turning the
heap over at least once, to get the
outer edges OF the first heap in the
middle, il is necessary, in order
that all tie seeds may be exposed
t. the heat Il well done, so rs not
10 hurn the centre, the manure will
hc all tine hcifcrfo the operation,
as lhc plant food viii be more
soluble.
There is a growing inquiry
among farmers as 90 the profits
from keeping geese. Feathers are
high, and though geese if unre-
strained are destructive to grain
crops, yctit IS the belief Of many
that they fully pay for all that they
destroy 4 goose may be plucked
three 10 iOur times during the warm
season, and despite the cutlery
against the cruelty of picking
live birds, The goose will be in as
good condition in fall as if the
feathers had been allowed to drop
ont.
ltiswcll known that the com.
mon potato is the product Of seed
which in its wild state is wholly
unfit for food That the quality Of
potatoes now, however, depends
largely ON the soil AMI methods
of cultivation, is less generally
understood. The potatoes grown
Oh the soil fnll IF vegetable matter
will be largo and coarse. Iua wet
season they Will be 'sOggy when
co l1ed. Ifnot well covered from
the sun while growing, the tubers
will be green and have harsh,
bitter taste, which is really that of |
poison.
English farmers make much of
their turnip crop. 1t is, with oil
meal, and corn meal when it is
cheap enough, the staple food for
fattening stock. We, perhaps, do
not grow as large turnip or ruta,
baga crops as English farmers, but
we do grow mangold wurtzul as
large Is anybody, and presumably
Of greater sweetness, rs our sum.
merS are warmer and dryer than
those of England. But here roots
are scarcely considered a staple
food for anything. We feed some
10 milch cows to promote milk
secretion, but supplement 1t with
grain. The reason is that we can
grow Indian corn. If English farm
rs bad our corn crop they would.
Iffl- 1.a4 nf Vn,f1