Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-06-15
FARM AND ORCHARD.
HOW TO KEEP THE HEN HOUSE FREE
FROM VERMIN.
The Best Method of Planting Asparagus
Garden Manure-Horse Den
tistry-Notes.

A poultry raiser residing near this city
makes the following suggestions:
The poultry raiser's greatest bane in
this climate is vernin. Our long hot sum
mers and mild winters are peculiarly
favorable for the growth Of parasites, and
they multiply with the greatest rapidity
and infest every nook and creyice of the
hen house The red mite is especially
prolific and persistent, its size enabling it
to congTegate by thousands in the smallest
cracks and nail-holes, and the poultry
grower who thinks he has got rid of it
often finds to his sorrow a short time after
wards how many thousands of them to the
square inca a henneTy can support. The
most efiectual roost can find tor keeping
them within bounds is a movable one.
Two saw-horses are made, about three feet
high, and long enough to come within
eight or ten inches of each side of the hen
house. The advantage Of making them
thus short is that the vermin have no op-
portunity Of getting from the roost to the
sides of the building except by going to
the ground. Lay poles or scantling for
the roosts across these aw-horseS, and you
have roosts which you can easily clean.
The lice congregate under the poles, where
they touch the horses, aud bottle of ker-
oseue with quill in the cork applied to
these places when the poles are turned
over keeps the vermin within bounds
About once year I take the horses and
poles out doors, cover them with kerosene
and set them on fire. The neat and fire
destroy all lice and eggs on them, and
coat Of whitewash viii leave both roosts
and house III prime condition for long
time. The accumulation of droppings Is
the principal source Of yermin in the hen
merry, and as they make valuable manure
its pays in more ways than one to remove
them often. Since adopting this style Of
roosts the sides of the house have never
been infested with lice.
TO SUCCEED WITH ASPARAGUS.
The first and most important point is
TO select land that is naturally or arti-
ficiaIly undetermined Rich, moist allu-
vial land, containing considerable sand
IS best, if the land is vel. drained \
dry sandy knoll, if rich enough, will pro-
duce q fair crop, but not as good one as
moister land Provided the drainage is
good, asparagus delights in an abundance
Of water With good drainage and plenty
Of water and plant food, the character of
the soil, as to whether it is sandy, or
clayey, or muckey, is not essential to
success. 4 soil that contains little clay
and a good deal Of sand, with some muck,
is best, but this IS not half so important
as thin planting and heavy manuring.
Iou cannot make the land too rich
When should the plants be set OUT"
Either in the autumn or spring But
whether you plant in spring or fall, be-
fore planting the land must be worked
till it is fine and mellow. How shall we
piant| First, get some good, fresh two
year-old roots Then, if you are going to
plant a small bed in the garden, stretch
line not less than four feet from any
other plant, and with hoe make holes
along the line, eighteen inches or three
feet apart, four inches deep, and large
enough to hold the plants when the
roots are spread out horizontally. Do
not make deep holes straight down in
the ground and stick the roots in as YOU
would 4 cabbage, but spread out the roots.
After the roots are set out cover them
with fine soil, and that is all there is to
it. Then move the line three feet from
the first row and repeat the planting till
the bed is finished In the field make
the rows with a common corn-marker,
three feet apart each way and set out
plant where the rows cross. It Is little
more work to plant an acre Of asparagus
than an acre Of potatocs.-ImericaR Ag-
ricuitlujsa
GARDEN NraST-pr