The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-11-01
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
KEEPING COMMON FOWLS.


not consist of possessing merit but because, like
the Chinese, she out-numbers all others in
progeny, and forces herself where other breeds
cannot as yet 60 In fact, it is cheaper to begin
with a common flock, and all that may be said
or written against them will be of no avail so
long as everything depends the cost. 1t is
safe to say, however, that the pure breeds are
fast making inroads into the ranks of the COM
mon fi0cks, until at the present time common
flock is often we'll bred. We doubt if there is a
flock of 20 fowls anywhere that does not con-
tain the blood Of some of the best Breeds and
the excellence of certain hocks is due to the
good blood in them, for which, however, due
credit is not given. But a common flock de-
serves as much care and attention as any other
1t is an old maxim that " he who will not prop
erly care for common flock will not managea
better one ;" and the expression is true. A COM
mon flock can be procured with but little
pense, and, using it as a foundation, the begin
ner can grade up to a higher degree of excel
1ence every season by the use of purebred males
for crossing The value of the common hocks
is greater than that of the pure breed in this
country. and we can add additional value by
improving them.
Crowding will save space in the poultry house,
but at the expense of not receiving eggs. hen
should have ample room in the hen-house in
severe weather. she should have plenty of
room on the roost, an empty nest should always
be available, and she should have space on the
floor for exercise. If the hens are crowded
they will begin to struggle for their existence;
some will get more food than others, and vices
viii be learned that in the end will prove fatal
to success Crowdiug induces disease also, and
| lessons the receipts but adds to the cost.
What is the best material to be used on the
floors as litter for hens to scratch in is often
| asked. At this season litter is not easily pro-
! curabie excepting dry dirt and straw, but later
/ on the cheapest and best material is leaves.
/ They should be raked up and stored away for
winter use and kept dry and clean The next
most available material is straw, but it requires
little labor to prepare IT, as it should be passed
! through a stFaw-cutter. Dried grass and musty
hay can be used, but the hens will sometimes
eat it, which may cause them to be op-hound.
! Crushed and cut cornstalks may be used also,
| but should be mixed with dirt. Dirt itself is
excellent and plentiful supply of it should be
stored for the purpose.
The feeding of cabbages to poultry may be
! done in two ways: one is to tie the cabbage to
stick and permit the hens to pick at the head
whenever they so desire, which is an easy and
| excellent mode. The other is to chop the cab
bage fine, which, however, is more or less labori-
ous. All vegetabe-tops or roots should be
chopped, as the hens cannot eat them convent
| entity when they are thrown entire over the
! fence They will not care for such food unless
it is fresh aud sueculent If it is allowed to
wither it is often refused. To use it more prof.
! tably chop it very fine and feed only the guam
tity required at the time Germantown Iele-
graph.
KEEPING CABBAGE.
We are asked by an amateur gardener if he
shall store his cabbage in the cellar. Yes if it is
the right kind of a cellar: but there are COM
| paratively few cellars that are the right kind.
Cabbage NEST be kept in temperature that is
not warm enoughto cause them to split or rot
and it does not require an exceedingly high
temperature to cause that. They must be kept
from freezing, too twill readily be seen that
many cellars viii not fill the bill. Better barry
| them. Select high dry land that furnishes a
natural flow for water Dig trench from six
to eight inches deep, and as wide as will enable
You to cover and take out the cabbage with
convenience. Four or five rows, packed closely
| together, is about as wide as is convenient.
Put foob of earth ON them, and when the earth
is frozen cover with cornstaks or fodder or
anything else that will protect them as you
would do with potatoes IPesterjs Rural.
ANOTHER EVIL.
One of the recent and rapidly growing interests
y :
an important industry, is fruit canning. This
makes use of large quantities of tin. Last Fall
| a tin trust was formed in England, from whence
our tin is derived, and when the tin manufac-
turer discovered that the price of tin had adj
vanced TO BIZ cents per pound, and that he could
buy lead for five cents per pound, he engages
in aduteration and mikes lend with his tin. AS
a result the acids of the fruits placed in the
cans manufactured of this kind of tin, the lead
Is cOrroded, becomes. mixed with the juices OF
the fruit, and the effect is lead poison almost
as dangerous as the cholera. Thus by the for
nation of the tin trusts there is in reality the
creation of n manifest foe to horticulture and
far more dangerous than all the insect foes COM
bined, for the reason that the lives and health
of the people are endangered. Unless some
steps are taken to prevent this adulteration the
canning industry is in danger, and all fruit
growers have a right to demand such legisla-
tive action as will prevent the danger.
NOTES.
--Plum-stOnes should be planted as soon as
gathered, before they have any chance to be-
come dried out. They are best soWn like peas,
in broad drills, about an inch and half deep.
The effect of the moisture and the freezing OF
Winter is to crack the stones, and usually a
large number will start to grow the following
Spring.
- Evaporating corn has grown into quite a
business chiefly in Ohio Pennsylvania and
/
ter than the canning factories, as many of the
Eastern Gamers evaporate their surplus corn
and then can it in Winter. There is quite a
large market for eyaporated corn, however and
many consumers prefer it to canned corn.
Its quality depends much upon the way in
which it is prepared, and at what state of
growth.
In describing some experiments for the
purpose of learning the best way of keeping
early potatoes, Henry Stewart says Early
Rose and Burbank were the kind used 10
bushels of each kind taken up in August last
buried in pits two feet deep covered with
boards, and then with the two feet of earth
taken OUT this was protected by roof OF
boards; were taken up in perfect condition in
April following The loss of weight was moth
ing. The tubers were fresh and crisp as when
dug eight months before, and not one eye had
? started. Ten bushels of the same kind and crop
were put in barrels and kept in dry cellar OF
the usual kind, but were not exposed to the
light These were examined in April; they
were much shriVeled, many were rotten, most
had sprouted considerably, and at the bottom
the roots had matted about the tubers. The
loss by shrinkage and by decay was 81 per cent.
of the original weight. Equal lots put up in
a heap on the floor we're less decayed and
grown, but lost over % per cent. IN weight.
"A German paper in an article on the pres
D ent methods of rope manufacture from hemp,
and the determination of the different uuali