Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-05-29
AGRICULTURAL ATOMS.

to accumulate In the lighthouses.
TARRED paper roofs must be made
very secure, or the high wind will rip
them off.
WHEREVER there is low, damp place
there should be ditch or an under.
layer Of drain tile.
SAVE the feathers from all the fowls.
Scald them thoroughly and dry them as
quickly as possible, keeping them well
aired until DISPOSED of.
Do not feed too much corn to laying
hens, but iced good deal OF it during
severe weather, as it is the best material
known for promoting warmth.
A CLOVER sod, enriched with we'll
composted manure, is good beginning
tor crop of Swedish turnips. Ashes
may also be applied with advantage.
POULTRY will eat broken glass with
benefit where sharp, gritty material is
scarce. They need something of the
kind, and it should not be withheld.
OLD stumps, if allowed to season, can
be utilized for back logs in the fire
place, or may be chopped for the stove,
as they should be converted into ashes
Tor spring use.
WATER under foot is a great detri-
ment to sheep-growing, and hence in
wet seasons the f1ocks have to be
watched closely. Foul foot is seldom
known in billy country.
A Low-wHEELED wagon is Of heavier
draught than the high Wheeled vehicle,
but Tor hauling short distances the
former is preferred by many. owing to
the ease with which it can be loaded.
For grazing alone blue grass is one of
the very best grasses that can be grown
on the farm. Once well established it
will withstand heavy tramping and close
groupings with less damage than almost
any other grass.
AN entirely open exposure is best for
geranlums, but roses are all the better
if they are situated where they have
light shade during the middle of the
day. They should not, however, be
placed under trees.
WATERMELoNs seem to thrive better
and produce more when grown on
ridges instead of hills. Use plenty of
manure on the ridges, with the ridges
six feet apart and the plants ten feet
apart in the rows.
The best cross for common fowls,
when they have been reduced in size
by ln-breedlng, is to mate Brahma or
Cochin cock with ten common hens,
which will prove valuable the first sea-
son.
THERE is just as much in knowing how
to feed hens al there is in knowing how
to feed any other farm stock. This is
the next important item to look after rs
soon as good houses shall have been
provided.
PERCHEs should be at least two inches
wide and rest firmly in slot or NOR
tise. Fowls will climb to one edge Of
wide perch, and the width will give OPP
portunity to rest the weight on the
shanks.
EVERY young weed that comes up and
is cut down is one weed less to go to
seed. The way to keep down weeds is
to allow the seeds to terminate and then
destroy the young plants. In this man
ner the work is easier and better per-
formed.
TT costs no more to raise and harvest
800 bushels of Swedish turnips than it
does for $50 bushels of potatoes, and
there is more fun in it. Only learn how,
and do away with the feeling that it is
gardening" and requires particular
skill, and then go ahead.
JOSEPH HARRIS tells in the American
Agriculturalist how he would fit his
land for prize oat crop. He would
SOW half ton OF potato or corn manure;
it doesn't matter which. Then, on
separate acres, he would SOW all the
way from 200 to 500 pounds of nitrate of
soda or sulphate of ammonia.
"SMoKY chimneys' are often caused
by being located on low portions of the
building. If adjoining roofs are as high
or higher than the chimney, currents
passing over are apt TO descend. One
or two feet added to the height of such
chimney, by pipe or brick, will In
most cases remove the difficulty.
THE liquid manure is more valuable
than the solids, and liberal use of abb
sorbent material will aid in arresting
its loss. Il should be saved carefully,
should conduct it to some kind of re-
ceptacle from which it may be pumped
over the manure heap.
HARD shrubs and flowers should be
selected with view of having supply
of flowers from spring until fall. AS
some flowers bloom early and others
late, selections of varieties pest suited
to the soil and for each month will as
sist in ornamenting the yard until frost
appears.
IN certain parts of Europe the belief
is prevalent that busting the trees with
lime, ashes or road dust tends to fruit
fulness. In the orchards of the Volga,
where the fruit rarely fails, the south
east winds are loaded to suffocation
with the dust OF the desert.
THE heavy breeds of ducks can be kept
within an enclosure, with very low
fence, and, ii given trough for bathing
purposes, they will thrive and do we'll If
led on grass or bulky food. Too much
grain is detrimental. The Pekin breed
seems best adapted on farms that have
no ponds or streams of water.
A HEN that lays 100 eggs per year, the
eggs averaging eight to the pound, pro-
duces 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. It is not always the
hen that lays the greater number of
eggs that is the more serviceable.
IT is a waste of time and labor to at
tempt to Keep sheep on wet land.
They should be pastured on the dry
lands of the farm and given shelter, as
dampness is more injurious to them
than cold. Many failures with sheep
are due to neglect in properly protect
ing them against storms, as they are