Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-05-31
FARM TOPICS.
THE BIyTTs or copNsrA,Ks

| W ~, bUdl Will HOL pay 50
well as throwing these unused portions
OF the feed out of the managers, to be
used as bedding. They are excellent
for this purpose. absorbing liquid ma-
nure that must otherwise be wasted
and lost
DESTROYING CURRANT WORMS.
The currant and goosberry leaf
| worms hatch out about as soon as the
leaves begin to put out. They can be
| found at first on the under side of the
leaves, and very little hellebore pow
dered and sifted on them will save SUBJ
sequent trouble. II the fruit grower
waits until they begin their ravagcs he
cannot destroy them without subject
ing his currant bushes to damage that
u little forethought now will prevent.
MOSS IN MEADOWS.
II the meadow becomes filled with
moss it is a certain sign of cold, wet
soil beneath. Moss cannot displace the
cultivated grasses where the ground is
suitable for the latter, though it will
thrive where they will not Merely
dragging such pieces with a common
forty-toOth drag and sowing grass
seed will sometimes renew them, but
it will be far more effective if the sur.
face is covered with manure in the Fall
and then dragged toward Spring, to
M X tho particles of manure with the
surface sol.
cows THIN IN FLESH.
1t is hard to say what farmer shall
do with a cow that is poor whom she
drops her calf. If he sells her, prob
ably it is the best lie can do for his own
pocket. though it must worry any man
who has Il conscience to SO impose on
customer. A really good COW will
never at any time be fat; but neither
should she be allowed to get downright
poor. Her milk will be defic ent in
both quantity and quality all the season
if this il the case. The flesh which IN
dictates fair thrift also shows good feed
ing capacity. without which no cow is
worth much.
TIMOTHY SOD ROOTS EATEN.
There are complaints in many places
this Spring that the roots of timothy
sod are eaten just below the crown.
The grass appears mostly loose and is
easily raked up. THIS is done BY the
grub which is apt to infect old timothy
meadows. Il takes three years for it
TO come to maturity, and its greatest
injury is usually done the last year.
Sometimes when the soil is wet rolling
the field will press the grass roots
down and make them take new hold
Generally, however, when field gets
in this shape the best thing to do is to
pillow it up and reseed with clover or
timothy or both
CARE WITH WHEAT SCREENINGS.
Years ago we learned that it was
poor policy to feed wheat screenings
to laying hens. The weed seeds that
poultry will thus eat do more injury
than the wheat gives benefit. But these
shrunkcn grains of wheat should also
be withheld from all animals bearing
young. Cows and mares fed with
ground wheat screenings may abort
from the poison of ergot which it often
contains. Where rye is mixed with
wheat while growing, as it frequently
is, the smaller grains of the rye gen
orally fall into the screening box. Be-
sides tn $. crgot sometimes attacks the
grains Of wheat, causing them to
shrink in size.
WASHING SHEEP A BARBARISM.
The old practice of washing sheep
fashion, ut least with any sheep ac-
counted valuable. 1t does not pay to
imperl ones own health by standing
in cold water, besides that of the sheep.
to perform an operation of very doubt
ful benefit. Chilling the sheep gives
them cold. and thus impairs the quail
ty of the fleece more than getting out
n little dirt benefits it. Usually by
shearing time wool has become as
dirty as before. 1t certainly needs Il
good deal Of cleansing before is is fit
for use. If the flock master has no
sheep too valuable to subject to this
harsh treatment, he should lose no
time in selling his present stock and
getting some.
TEACHING TURKEYS TO FORAGE.
Turkeys are very tender when young,
and easily injured by tramping through
wet grass. The old hen turkey has no
discretion in this business and makes
a bad mother while the chicks are
young. The common hen has less
disposition to ramble. If the hen tur.
key with her brood are confined at
night fed in the morning and not
turned out until the grass is dry, the
pastures where grasshOppers, crickets
and other small stuff will furnish them
abundant food. Turkeys thus man
aged will attain much larger size by
November than those kept in contino-
ment. however literally fed. There is
something about the food the turkeys
find themselves that agrees with them
better than the grain or neal rations
that the poulterer can provide.
Low HEADED APPLE TREES.
Nearly all old apple trees are too
high headed. The idea of their plan
ters and early trainers seems to have
been that it would not do to let
branches hang so low that the largest
horse could not pillow or cultivate close
to them without injury. The conse-
guence is, the stems mostly run up
seven or eight feet without It limb,
and most of the fruit, exposed to
winds, is blown oft and spoiled for
marketing. If not it is extremely
difficult and even dangerous to gath
sr it by ladders. The way the bust
ness is managed now is to train low
keep the branches so that when loaded
they will almost touch the ground.
mulched with manure, and this will
suppress most of the grass that would
otherwise creep in. Many of the APP
Piles thus grown can be picked from
the ground or by low step-ladders set
under the trees.
DEMAND FOR EARLY GRAPES.
In setting out grape vines earliness
is with most people the chief requisite
demanded. The two varieties earliest
introduced to cultivation, the Catawba
and Isabella. were each too late for
profitable growing except in favored
localities. Experience with those
whose grapes were only half ripe when
frost cut them off has naturally made
people cautious. Aside from this the
demand for new grapes at first is one
that scarcely respects their quality.
The Champion grape, though poor
one, and scarcely eatable after others
come. always sells well for few days.
but its season is very short one.
There are now many far better grapes
nearly as early. Among these the best
are Morris Early black. Brighton and