Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-04-06
Farm and Garden Notes.


A halter that controls a cows nose is
much better for leading her than a rope
around her horns. Every calf that is
to be raised ought to be taught to lead.
Every farmer should bear in mind the
fact that superiority of crops depends in
a great degree on the good quality of
SEEDS, and he should therefore try TO get
the very best, even if cost be consider
ably greater.
D. H. Thing says he has visited silos
in Maine, Vermont, Maryland and New
Jersey, and has never met the first man
but was pleased with them He believes
the stock could be largely increased and
consequently the farm would improve.
A farmer at South Charlotte. Me-,
thinks superphosphate is best for beans,
but for oats he has best success with fish
pomace. half a ton per acre. The
pomace sells at the factories for So to
S12 per ton, and some farmers think it
better to by than superphosphate.
Professor Whitcher says that ton of
ordinary manure contains only about
twenty per cent. of fertilizing material,
the remaining eighty per cent being
water. If that is correct, dry manure
would be all fertilizing material, which
would place it ahead of superpnosphate.
Chloride of lime is an infallible pre-
ventive for rats, as they flee from its
Odor as from peStilence. 1t should be
thrown down their holes and spread
about wherever they would be likely to
come, and should be renewed once a
fortnight.
A dairy woman gives the following ad
vice about churning in the FarD1er and
Home: Cream should never be churned
fast until it has thickened some as it is
likely TO become frothy, especially in
cold weather, as there are more milk
taken off with the cream than in warm
weather, where open setting is practiced.
If one is in a hurry the best plan is to
make haste by churning slow at first.
Any kind of straw, chopped into
lengths of about six inches, which is
done by passing it through fodder
cutter, makes excellent litter in which
the fowls can scratch. Leaves are not
easily obtained now, and straw is the
next best material. Use plenty of it,
pla ing at least two inches thickness of
it on the floor, aad if a handful of grain
is thrown therein the hens will keep
busy.
Regularity in milking is an important
point in successful dairying. We know
some good farmers who make practice
of milking at 6 O'Clock night and morn
ing winter and summer. This requires
the use of lanterns at both milklngs dur
ing three or four months In the year;
but there is probably better yield than
would other otherwise be obtained. One
advantage certainly is that the stock this
cold weather does not have to 90 so long
between meals as it does when all the
chores are finished by dark, and nothing
is done again until morning.
There is no doubt that bees often serve
a valuable purpose in fertiliZing the
flowers of fruit trees and plants Where
there are no bees fruit crops are less GER
tain than where they are. Other insects
undoubtedly help some also. But neither
bees nor insects of any kind are abso-
lutely necessary to natures processes.
They are helps, and in the Towering sea-
son are never any in Jury. If the weather
is dry and the wind blows freely it helps
to distribute the necessary pollen. Some
flowers, as those of corn, the bee never
visits, and winds do all the distributing.
But in fruit trees the air in spring is often
moist and the pollen is heavy. Then
bees do valuable service.
Wood ashes, beside being useful on
TIC 1dI III III eAAANN III 'AA'H-A4AS
purposes, may be used to advantage as
a deodOrizer Hog pens and feeding
houses begin to smell bad at this season
of the wear, but this nuisance can be done
away with by scattering a liberal guam
tity of wood ashes on the floors. Pow
dered charcoal is better for this purpose
than the ashes, but is not usually at hand
for use. In building hog houses layer
of burnt clay or wood ashes, one foot in
depth, should be put in before the floors
are laid, and will tend for years after to
prevent bad smells and like evils. Such
sanitary measures as these are worthy of
consideration in improved farming
Farmers often want moisture proof
Glue, and it can be made by dissolving
pound of common glne in three pints of
skim IN TX. The cement is stronger If
powdered quicklime is added. A fire
proof cement for use around stove pipes,
fire places and chimneys, where the
danger from fire is greatest, can be made
by mixing two parts of sifted fresh wood
ashes and one part of air-slacked lime,
with sufficient boiled linseed oil to make
a smooth paste 1t hardens quickly TO
the solidity OF stone. This Is my own
discovery, and the ement applied around
a stove pipe where it comes through the
roof in the ordinary sheet-iron shield
three wears ago is now as firm as at first
1t is water and fire proof, and adheres TO