The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-02-27
Farm Notes.


Warmth is very important for young chicks.
The early chicks pay well, and this is the season
when they should receive extra care.
The earliest crops come off the land that is
well drained. 4 damp soil requires longer
time 10 become warm. Thorough drainage
pays.
The greatest enemy of the birds is the family
cat. She kills the young as soon as Matched,
and does much of her work of destruction at
night.
One part cement and two parts Of coal ashes
make an excellent mixture for garden walks.
III Left until il sets il viii become very hard and
servieeable.
Whenever you whitewash slake stone lime
with boiling water, and then thin down TO the
desired consistency with skinned milk and 1t
will be much more durable.
Cover the soil around the rose-bushes with
well-rOt!ed manure now, while the ground Is
frozen, and you will have an abundant crop of
roses when the season arrives.
Young trees may be trimmed now. Cut the
peach trees back severely. so IS to get them
stout and stocky. 1t will show its beneficial ef-
tects as the trees become larger.
Dried ground fish is all excellent fertilizer,
and is cheap compared with the advantages to
be derived from IT'S use. For corn it is excel
lent, and it may also be used literally on gar
den crops
When pear trees refuse TO grow aud appear
dormant cultivate them well and apply plenty
OF wood ashes around them. Trim back the
wood and give the trunks good washing with
strong soap-suds.
Use your woodashes on your fruit trees and
vines. For peaches it is the best fertilizer
known. Broadcasted over the orchard ground
il will greatly increase the growth of new wood
and invigorate the trees
When you put out young peach trees cut the
sticks back to within two feet of the ground.
f..- = L - Il, l. 4
will grow better. Young trees can be trained
TO any shape desired by iudicious pruning.
Cut out the old cane from blackberries and
raspberries while the ground Is frozen. Trim
the grape vines while the weather is cold. Ii
the trimming of grape vines be deferred until
spring it will be unwise to cut them at all.
When blowing the land this spring cross the
burrows over those that were turned in the fall,
which will aid you in pulverizing the soil. Be
fore planting run the pulverizer over the
ground and then harrow until the soil is as fine
as possible.
Avoid using kerosene on peach trees, or APP
plying il to vines, in order to destroy insects,
as it often destroys the trees or vines. 1t is
dangerous substance TO use on trees for any
purpose. AS a lice destroyer in buildings
however, it has no superior.
Feed the brood sows that have litters OF pigs
literally on warm, sloppy food. Skim milk or
buttermik is excellent, but if this is difficult to
OBTAIN give neT all the sciiueU ground grain
she can eat, with q mess OF cooked turnipS or
potatoes, to which has been added pint OF
Hnseed meal.
A hen that lays 100 eggs per year, the eggs
averaging eight to the pound, produces more in
weight than does a hen that LAYS 120 eggs a
year that weigh twelve to the pound. Eggs
should be sold by weight IL Is not always the
hen that lays the greater number of eggs that is
the more seryiceable.
Grow only such crops as have been found
best adapted to your soil and climate Any at
tempt to grow something that is not well
adapted to the soil increases the cost of
production and lessons the profit. All new
varieties should first be tested in small plots be-
fore attempting to grow general crop there
from.
Don't be afraid of burning up" your crop
by using too much manure. 1t is a myth that
never materializes. The only way to "burn up"
O crop Is by neglectng II. Plenty OF manure
and the soil kept loose on the surface will al
ways give good results. Concentrate your
work on a small space and aim to leave the soil
richer after the removal Of every crop.
Early in the season give the wheat field a top
dressing of 100 pounds of nitrate of soda, 200
pounds superphosphate and 100 pounds high
grade sulphate of potash per acre. This is an
expensive application (abouJ So, but it should
nearly, If not quite, double the yield of grain as
compared with the natural yield. There will
also be more straw and "a more vigorous growth
MIX the ingredients ana narrow the 0eiQ after
broadcasting the fertilizer.
D. NJ. Ferry & Co. of Detroit have published
their annual descriptive catalogue for 1889. 1t
is interesting to read simply to pass away time
if for nothing else, but our readers need not be
told that il is a very valuable book, especially
TO the farmer. Messrs. Ferry & Co. say in their
introduction: knowing must always precede
the doing, and much of our knowledge of what
10 offer is obtained at our trial grounds They
are unquestionably the largest in America
and compare favorably with any in the
world. We believe there are none where
tests are more accurately and comparisons more
carefully made A competent and disinter-
ested observer, who had visited for comparison
all the trial grounds and state experimental
stations In this country, said, after carefully
examining them. that they were not only the
largest but that the skill and care with which
the work was done and the consequent reli-
ability of the results obtained, they are by far
the best of all. There from seven to nine thou
sand tests are annually made of the vitality
and quality, not only OF every lot of seeds we
offer. but of samples OF the standard kinds OBJ
tanned from all the large seedmen of this coun-
try and Europe.