Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-05-14
thorough cultivation is a very i'm
portant item in securing a good
start to grow.
eLEANlN6S.

Every farmer has more or less
ashes every year. Many Just al
low them to be thrown out without
making any effort to use them to
the best advantage. Old bones,
hats and shoes are allowed TO go to
waste, while if they were gathered
up, the bones broken up and all
dissolved, it would make an extra
good fertilizer for special crops.
Very few farmers make any special
effort to save poultry manure or to
utilize house waste, when they are
the very best fertilizers we can
possibly secure, and couldbe saved
and used to the very best advan-
tage. One Of the principal items
in good farming Is, as much as pos
sible, to increase the fertility Of the
soil, and this can only be secured
by turning everything Of value as a
fertilizer to the best advantage.
A correspondent of the Country
Gentleman says in regard to quack
grass 81 have had some expert
ence with this pest, and have found
deep ploughing and thoroughly
covering the quack to a good cls-
lance beneath the ground, the only
sure remedy. None OF the roots OF
the Quack ever grow below two
inches from the top to the soil. AS
to buckwheat or any other crOD
choking Quack out, think it i'm
possible the quack seems with me
to choke every other crop out. After
ploughing, work the land with
some pulverizer that does not pull
up any rubbish ploughed under"
Many intelligent farmers have
come TO the conclusion that for
hoed crops manure shOulc be
spread all over the land, and that
| if anything is placed in the hill it
shall be very small quantity OF
some fertilizer that contains plant
food soluble in water, so that the
plant can derive immediate benefit
from it, and consume it before the
roots extend beyond the hill, and
before the manure spread broad
cost has become decompOsed sutli-
cient to form plant food.
MAY is a critical month with
farm animals. They are, over a
great part of the country, going
4" from hay to grass and are liable
to be affected by the facilitating
influence Of the succulent and loos-
ening feed. The only way to pre-
vent evil effects is to give hay and
grain at 7 orning and evening at
first, continuing the morning ration
of hay longer than that ofthe even
| ing, until the grass gradually
gains in nutritive value, and the
animals become accustomed to 1t.
Il is well enough to test many
varieties of potatoes on small
scale, as some of them may be need
ed for seed another year. But the
crop for marketing should be of few
varieties, and those favOrably
known in the market where they
are to be sold. Good potatoes are
unstable because they are new to
purchasers, who aIe even more
averse than farmers to trying eX-
periments.
When tree is to be transplanted
never leave more branches than are
wanted for mains, four or five at
most never grow a mass of un-
necessary limbs to be crowding,
which must be cut out afterwards,
much to the injury Of the tree ; re-
move them from the head first.
In keeping horse fat there is as
much in the driver as in the feed.
A cross and nervous driver will fill
the horse with fear and dread, and
will rapidly run his horse down
Always be firm and make it mind,
bat never get excited. A cool
headed driver makes a long head
ed horse.
A butter maker. writing to the
Iowa Homestead, says the best but
ter color is pailful Of corn-meal
mush, ted warm once a day, the
corn to be of the yellow variety;
adding, that it will increase the
milk and butter as well as give a
good color.
In eight of the American States
there are 1,79S butter and cream
factories, and the value of the dairy
products of the whole Union last
year was s5OO,OOO,OOO, while the
value Of the milk cows is estimated
at S7OO,OOO,OOO.