The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-04-14
Farm and Garden Notes.

THE tying of bag is often matter
of importance. Seed and grain dealers
have method which every farmer
should know of. Before putting the
cord around the neck of the bag double
it, and, bringing the ends around, put
them through the loop. Now draw it
tight, and then, carrying one end around
the bag in the opposite direction, tie as
usual. This knot will rarely or never
slip.
IT is stated by those who have tried
it that cows in milk in winter will drink
about one-third more water at tenn
perature of eighty degrees than they
will at the freezing point of thirty-two
degrees; also that the flow of milk will
be increased one-ffth to one-quarter by
warming the water, and this without
deteriorating the quality of the milk for
butter-making. We want careful ex-
periments on these points.
THE approaching season bids fair to
be remunerative to bee-keepers. The
winter just past has been severe at
times; yet not as hard on our bees as
though it had been more settled, and
the many chances for flight, given dur
llS tiC vain . pCilo, lldNC COlluuCCu
to safety, with the probable result of
few losses, where ordinary care was
given in the fall preparation. Such a
winter as this has been proves the
value of chaff, or otherwise protected,
hives.
FARM AND GARDEN says: 1t is not
good practice to give sheep grain
early in the morning, unless they sleep
out of doors and have an opportunity to
get up and stir around briskly awhile
before feeding. In a flock of sheep
there will always be some that resemble
certain persons-destitute of appetite
in the morning. If the grain ration is
given out, they will not come at all, or
so lstlessly that they will not get fair
proportion, and they will lose con-
dition."
THE Rural NeW Yorker says: The
efforts to regulate the sale of oleomar-
garine in this market have not met
with success; one section of the law has
been declared unconstitutional. Plenty
of arrests for offenses covered by other
sections have been made, but owing to
the slow process of law in this district
and the influence against such prOsecu-
tons, little progress can be made. 1t
seems likely that imitation butter has
secured a permanent hold on the
markets."
Mr.. POORE discusses the question
whether propagation of plants by bulbs,
cuttings and tubers causes degeneration,
and refers to the sugar-cane, the grape,
! the currant, the Jerusalem artichOke,
h trrn1. hn of of hnI
long so propagated without degenera-
ton, or the necessity of resorting to
seed propagation. Facts seem to indicate
that while plants may deteriorate under
continued propagation by cuttings,
bulbs, tubers or seeds, it is not nee
essary consequence of any of these
methods, but of unsuitable manage
ment, location or climate.
THE Rural Ne,C Yorker remarks that
I" a pound of potash in kainit is worth
! Just as much as pound of potash in
| the muriate, unless the salt in the latter
is thought to reduce its value. 1t va
ries in composition, and at the above
prices it is assumed that the per cent of
potash is as much as twelve. AT whole
sale it has been much cheaper than
high-grade muriate; while at retail it
has been much higher" To which we
add that when the cost of freight on the
eighty to ninety per cent of useless
matter in kainit is considered, the mu-
riate is much the cheapest to farmers in
! Vermont.
BROTHER CHEEvER of the Ne,o En-
gland Farmer very truly says that the
" industrial college was given us by
congress before we had learned that ii
was needed, before we were ready in
sober earnest to accept it. We had no
teachers who had been trained for the
positions that were opened We had
no patterns in the country to work by.
The schools have consequently been all
the way along an experiment. Some
have failed, others have had a semi
existence only, while few have at
tanned a position fully meeting the
expectations of the founders of the
institution"