The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-05-19
RATS IN CELLARS.

RATS IN CELLARS.
A small amount of chloride of lime
left in their run-ways will drive
away rats, and is besides in most
cellars needed to keep the air pure
and free from the dangerous malaria
from decaying vegetables. If it is
desired to catch the rats, a small
piece of cloth placed yer a steel
trap, and the bait set on that, will
secure them after have become too
vary to be taken in with a trap not
hidden.
Y FOR FATTENING.
1t is reported by those who have
tried it that ground rye is very fat
tening, especially for hogs. We
know it is excellent food for working
horses, ranking next to oats for
giving strength, and superior for
keeping in condition. Rye is not
good feeding to breeding animals,
as it is liable to contain ergot, which
will cause abortion. But for fatten-
ing or bringing any animal in heat
rye cannot be exceIled.
THINNING ROOT CROPS.
1t is scarcely possible to get an
even sowing of any root crops thin
enough SO that wedding out will not
be required. Every super1uous
plant is the worst kind of weed, as
it detracts so much from available
food supply adapted to that plant.
Two roots growing side by side will
not make as much bulk as either
standing alone.
PACKING EARTH AROUND ROOTS.
More failures in transplanting
come from having soil loosely packed
in and among the roots than from
any other cause. No root can take
hold of an air space. Merely tramp
ing the soil on the surface after the
tree is set is not enough. If fine soil
is worked among the roots, and
these first wet to make it adhere.
the tree will almost certainly live.
THE COST OF MILK.
i IuIIll1llS "CIC uOllC 1llOIc OlI Il
commercial basis fewer mistakes
and failures would result. If a ma
of farmers calculated closely
the cost of keeping mich COWS, in
Guiding the labor, they would find
that a large proportion of their herd
does not pay expenses, and that
what profit is made is on a few ami
mails. More in the dairy than any
other branch of farming profits
would be greater if the business
done were smaller.
FEEDING THIN STOCK.
An excessive amount of grain is
the worst treatment of an animal
put up to f~atten, and particularly
lift is thin in flesh. Poorly kept stock
have presumably weak digestive or
gans, and these must be strength
ened by careful exercise. Giving
little grain at first, and rather
less than the animal will eat with
good appetite, is the way to begin.
The amount may be gradually in
creased as more flesh is put on, but
care must be taken not to cloy the
appetite. Poor sheep are the most
delicate of all feeders, and so few
will feed carefully that an
Did sheep going into Winter in thin
flesh had generally better be killed
1T once, to save further expense and
N NT-DTNH WINES JN nIIE T
There is sound reason in the old
practice of putting a shovelfui of
manure in the hills of melons and
:ucumbers. The manure should be
rotted and thoroughly mixed
With the soil. If left in a heap it
will firefang in a dry season and do
more harm than good. If it is to be
mixed with the soil why not have
he manure distributed through the
whole surface? One reason against
his is not generally appreciated.
What we want on vines is not
merely exuberant foliage but fruit.
f length of vine only were desired,
make all the ground a bed of
manure. When the manure is con-
'entrated in a hill, as soon as vine
cots reach poorer soil outside their
is checked and the energies
# the vine r turned to producing
This is one a why the
'est and earliest melons are grown
n sandy soil, which is nearly always
terile unless recently manfred. In