Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-07-06
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

| WHY FRUIT OROfS ALL. iiO AiOh'
H. E. Van Deman, pomologist of the
United States Department of Agri-
culture. gives the following reasons for
the failure of the apple crop, which
apply with equal force to the peach,
pear, plum or orange. Mr. Van De-
man says:
The true theory is to cultivate an
orchard every year, manure well, and
never plant or SOW to any crop unless
it be clover or COW peas. Small grains
are especially harmful, for the time of
their standing is just when the cult
walton should be going on.
The Over-age of the Trees: The av-
erage age at which an apple tree with
ordinary treatment reaches its highest
usefulness, is not far from twenty-five
wears. A great share of the orchards
of the older States have already served
out their time, and should have been
replaced by young ones of such varle-
ties as have proved the most valu-
able.
Insect Depredations: There is no
doubt that the insects which prey upon
the trees and the fruit are much more
numerous than formerly. These, how
ever, can be fought with success, II In
telligence and perseverance are used.
The person who allows insects to des-
troy his apple crop is neglecting his
business.
Lack of Sufficient Nutrition: When
the county was first settled the virgin
soil was full of decayed vegetable mat
ter. which stimulated the growth OF
orchard trees of all kinds The de
crease of natural fertility of the soil
has not been met by sufficient artifici-
al enriching it, Crop after crop has
been taken, and rarely a return in the
way of manure.
An orchard is like a bank account
deposits should be made that the
checks NAV be honored A little bust
ness commonsense might be applied
with profit to our apple orchard man
agement.
Defcrestation: This may have some
thing to do with the failure of the ap-
pie crop. The hills and valleys are
now brown and bare, where once
covered with cooling shade which
kept the moisture in the earth, and
made the streams constant and re-
freshing to all nature around. The
winds now unhindered sweep through
the orchard and shake off the apples.
After storm the hopeful owner of a
loaded orchard goes out to see the
ground covered with apples which he
had expected to take to maker the
next week, or the next day.
SowS EATING THEIR PIGS.-This is
one of the most annoying mishaps
that the breeder has to contend with.
Gifts are very prone to devour their
young, and the habit is most usually
contracted from neglect TO promptly
remove any dead pigs that may have
been still-born or overlaid. y very
valuable SOW of the writer's, ate her
first litter of seven pigs, and her sec
ond of eleven pigs, picking them up
as greedily as a wild wolf would have
done. unmindful of their piercing
suueals, and with a crunch or two
putting them out of sight We came
very near doing Il foolish thing,
namely. knocking her in the head on
the spot, and fully resolved she would
never have the chance to do the same
thing again. But as the months rolled
around, we found her with pig again,
and in talking with some of the neigh
bors in regard TO it, an old breeder
told us that ''he had heard that to
give a SOW q pound or two of old
bacon about narrowing time would
keep her from it." 1t seemed plausi-
BILE, knowing that morbid appetite
was a common sequence of pregnancy
in the whole animal kingdom. We
did not spare the bacon. The day be-
fore the SOW narrowed we fed her
some two pounds Of bacon, and as
soon es the pigs were born we fed her
several pounds more, probably three
or four at different times through the
day. and again the next day. She
had Uttered eleven pigs again; the
next time she had thirteen, and the
last time fifteen. The precaution of
feeding more or less bacon or fat meat
was taken each time, and she never
offered to modest her pigs, once or
twice failing to eat dead one when
she had the opportunity. -Americdn
Agricultmist.
CURING OF GRASS once laid up
a NOW of timothy and redtop, with a
small percentage of clover. One part
of the hay was cut as soon as the
herdegrass was in bloom; the rest in
same field was allowed to ripen. The
early-cut hay produced milk and
growth without meal. When it was
half gone we changed to the late hay,
and fed the whole NOW. The stock
survived the change, but when the
early cut hay was resorted to again,
began TO show signs of life, and the
growth and milk produced was all in
favor of the early cut hay. | have