Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-07-24
Farm and Garden Notes.

4 A. S. Fuller claims that applica
tions of lime and salt to the soil vii
usually prevent club-foot in cabbage
| In ploughing under green crops i
should be done while the crop is full
of sap, generally before il has Mt
tanned full growth.
Unless the manure is old and vel
rotted it should not be allowed to
touch the roots Of the fruit trees
but be spread upon the surface.
DR.. j. A. Sewell, of the Colorado
University, has been making expert
ments; testing the blood of hogs af
fected with hog cholera that he finds
contains microbes, which are not
present in the blood of healthy hogs.
He is cultivating the microbe for
purposes of incubation and expects
important results.
A very observing and prosperous
farmer attributes his success to SOW
ing cheap seed. He studies at seed
ing time to put in those crops which
had paid least the previous year,
rightly calculating that enough far
mers would become disgusted and
cease growing that crop to make it
profitable again. Besides, he made
the certain gain in the cheapness of
the seed used.
The roots of horse radish to be set
in starting a plantation should be
strong ones, though they may be cut
into lengths of less than an inch
each. In planting, hole at least a
foot deep should be made with a
crowbar or stake, and one piece de
posted at the bottom, filling up the
hole afterward,. The root will easily
find the surface and make straight
clean root in the future.
Young peach trees need judicious
pruning every fall or winter. All the
new growth should be cut back near
ly or fully one-half, and all suckers
which start from the inside of the
tree on the lower branches should be
removed
There are now more Jersey cattle
in this country than in the little is
land where this breed originated. 1t
is doubtful now whether any better
animals remain than have been
brought over, nor perhaps SO good as
some that have been bred here.
Never be tempted to put coarse
manure close around young trees in
the supposition that such material
might be useful as mulch and for
winter protection. Mice will congre-
gate there and certainly girdle the
trees.
In treating black knot in plum
trees the diseased parts, after being
cut off from the tree, should all be
carefully collected and burned, and
the tree should be carefully watched
and all the excrescences removed in
summer or early autumn, before they
turn black and crack open.
Few farmers appreciate the impor-
lance of giving the bulk of their food
for stock to young animals. They
gain more from the same amount of
feed, which means that by proper Sc
lection of stock q farmer can get high
er prices for hay, oats and corn. It
is very possible that by feeding only
to growing stock, farmers might make
the feeding greater than the CONNER.
cial value of coarse grain and make
the manure pile SO much extra.
A constant supply Of pure drinking
water is equally important with food.
An expensive drinking fountain is, of
course, the best method Of securing
this, but the homemade, small, shall
low tin dishes are the next best thing.
1t is true that fowl or q chicken will
often drink dirty water even when
clean water is at hand, but this is no
reason why they should be compelled
to do 80. They should always have
clean drinking water within reach,
and if it becomes dirty a dozen times
a day it should be renewed dozen
times.