The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-23

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are neglected lecause they are forgotten
when the time comes at which they might
be done. Note them down when
thought of.
For the highest success small fruits
need very rich soil, full of "humus" OF
vegetable matter. with abundant mois.
ture and no weeds. The moisture comes
from a rich soil that holds it somewhat
easily, and then is aided by frequent
culture, mulching or irrigation. The
beginner should start with small plat,
and particularly so when short of capital.
Blackberries and raspberries need
never be staked if properly pruned. As
soon as the spring canes reach height
of thirty or thirty six inches ''snip' their
tops off when they will throw out later
| ais, become more stocky and hold up
their load of fruit without stakes. Stalk
Ing is useless expense and labor. Some
times wires can be drawn by the sides of
tall plants to god advantage.
If an old cow is quickly fattened its
meat will be NOR, tender than where the
feeding has been protractel. The great
difficulty in feeding old cows is in getting
them to digest large amounts of food.
This is best done in summer, when fresh
grass, which is the most easily digested
of foods, may be supplemented with
gradually increasing rations of meal,
taking especial care never to give more
than will be readily eaten.
Some farmers who think they have
conquered quack grass rush into print to
boast of the ease with which they have
accomplished this result. In nine cases
out of ten getting rid of quack only
means repressing it so that it is not i'm
mediately troublesome A very few roots
are left in the soil, and after five or six
years the pest is as bad as ever. Those
who have had mot experience with
quack grass speak of it except with
due solemnity and awe.
AS soon as apple trees are in blossom,
or even before those can be distinguished
which promise to bear fruit, it will pay
to manure such trees heavily, giving a
good top dressing ten to twenty feet on
each side, and add two or three quarts of
potash salts to each tree. There will be
rains enough after this to dissolve much
of the manure and carry it down to the
roots. This heavy manuring will not
supersede the need of thinning the fruit,
though it will enable the trees to perfect
larger crop.
When the comb of a fowl is large and
bright colored, showing it to be full Of
blood and shaking with every activity
of the bird, she is in a healthy laying
condition. With this condition of comb
you will discover the utmost activity in
your fowls, starting at every sound or
motion. The movements are not like a
nervous jump, but with IN elastic spring,
showing condition of vigorous health.
On the contrary, if the edges of comb
and watties are purplish red and the
movements sluggish there is disease and
danger.
If YOUR hens are infested with insects,
blow buhach, pyrethrum powder or Per-
sian insect powder (they are about the
same thing) among the feathers. Do
this two or three times every week. We
believe it to be the easiest. simplest and
safest method of ridding the hens of this
pest. Go into the henhouse after night
fall, and, taking them one by one in
gentle manner, blow the powder among
their feathers through bellows, or the
little suffiatcrs sold by most seedsmen;
or, rub the powder under their feathers
about the head and body.
Everyone knows how difficult it is to
remove weeds from the garden walk
when they have once become rooted and
grounded. Salt is one of the remedies
most frequently employed, and the fol-
lowing is said to be The best way of ap.
plying it: Boil the salt in water, one
pound to the gallon, and pour the mix.
ture boiling hot out of a watering pot
with spreading rose. This will keep
weeds and worms away for three years.
In subsequent applications the solution
may be somewhat weaker. 1t will be
we'll to take care that none of the liquid
falls on the garden mold.
For killing the peach tree borer it may
not be advisable to place fresh ashes
about the roots of the trees, but ashes
partially leached by exposure for some
time to rains proves decidedly beneficial.
A planter of large experience claims that a
distribution of ashes among his peach
trees by placing little mound about the
stem of each tree is very etficacious in
exterminating the borer. Another peach
orchardist, residing in Indiana, applied
hot water the latter part of the winter,
before the ground was warm, so as not
to scald the roots. Having heated a
large kettleful of water, he passed through
his orchard of some thousand trees, pour
ing a quart around the stem of each. His
trees have since been perfectly healthy
and free from the bnrer.