Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-11
FARM AND ORCHARD.
INTERESTING POINTS FOR THE
FARMER.
A Newspaper Mans Poultry = Old
Cans for Tomato Plants
General Notes.

The editor of the Placer Republican,
gives the following as his experience in
raising poultry;
We have been reading in an agricult-
ural paper an article on the profit to be
made by raising good poultry. 1t is writ
ten by lucky dog named Smith, Dodson
Smith, VINO goes on to tell how he began
six years ago with flock of six hens.
Last New Years day he had 240 head Of
poultry, and he gives the most alluring
figures for each month-so many eggs at SO
much dozen, etc.-and his profits during
1888 were S345 so.
About three months ago We bought some
hens. There were five hens and rooster,
which we got from Billy Crutcher, for the
very moderate sum of 81 80. He brought
them down one night after dark, and left
them in the press-room, where We found
them later, and wondered why they did
not try to get away. The Wyandotte
rooster did try, but the hens couldn't be
driven away They had all been selected
with great care, and they all wanted to
eset" right where they were. They had
selected various articles for incubation.
One was fostering a bundle of paper, an
other monkey-wiench, while one was
trying to hatch out a glass miniature of
Plymouth Rock which we use for paper
weight. She was a Plymouth Rock her
self, and the Office boy thought she had
selected that article because she knew her
own breed when she saw it, but that prob
ably was not the reason. 1t is more likely
that she was attracted by the date, 1920.
She wanted to tackle something of nearly
her own age. We tore them away, how
ever, and bore them down to the back yard,
which had been provided with high
fence, and left them in the new Queen
Anne hen-house specially prepared for
their reception But they brooded over
their troubles for a week or two, during
which time eggs at the store remained up
to 10 cents a dozen. Then the egg of COM
merce dropped to so cents, and one of our
hens came out of her trance and laid an
egg of home production. That week we
fed them dollars worth of grain. In ten
days more Rock Creek eggs came down to
90 cents, and then all OF our hens laid.
The cheaper eggs became the faster they
laid. The rats killed one and carried off
the eggs of the others, but, to save the
rodents that trouble, the sagacious hens be-
gan to lay under the building out of human
reach, bat just where the rats congregated.
The place was boarded up, but just before
Easter they became dissatisfied and
wouldn't lay at all, and of course grocery
eggs went up. Then the ancient Plymouth
Rock determined to 'set" again. We
threw a good many obstacles in her way
but her patience is invincible, and at pres
ent she has been straddling an old benzine
can for two weeks Another one is keep
ing part of large stone warm and wears a
Roderick Dhu expression which says 'this
rock will fly from its firm base as soon as
l." The other two spent their time loaf.
ing around waiting for store eggs to come
down TO ten cents a dozen, while the
rooster flies over the fence into Warming.
toms strawberry patch. Scientific agricult-
wrists say that strawberry diet makes very
superior eggs, but we cannot get the two
hens over nor get the rooster back. Mr.
Warrington himself has had some
splendid exercise with the rooster. They
have races together up and down the lea
but that rooster has developed sprlntine
qualities like Red Bluff ostrich and it il
economy to let him stay. The Republican,
service in putting up the price of strawber
ries is alone worth a years subscriptions tt
Mr.. Warrington. He has our permission
to kill the invader, but good stalkers anC
sharp-shooters are scarce.
There may be something about the he1
business we do not understand to max,
it profitable, but up to date our poultry &C
count is something like this: Cost of plan
and interest, 81 rs; feed, Sl2; time de
voted to caring for stock, $50; total
500 70. As an offset we have had tire,
dozen eggs at 20 cents a dozen, 60 cents
loss, 500 Is.
OLD CANS AND TOMATO PLANTS.
A market-gardner writes the CountyT
Gentleman that he makes good use of ole
tin cans he picks up in the streets, TO
growing early plants. He says: "Whel
going home from the city market durin,
the summer, l generally drive out of al
alley, aud can almost always pick up
wagonload of tin cans before | get out o
town, mostly of the size in which corn ant
tomatoes are packed These | throw dow
in some out-of-the-way place until | hav,
gathered together as many rs ] need. Dur
ing the winter, when not very busy, W,
build a FIRE between two logs, and wheI
We have good bed of Goals, throw on
bushel or so of cans. In an incredibl,
short time the tops and bottoms drop off ant
che sides open, and with a long stick W,
toss them out. The operation is then re
peated, and so on till all the cans ar,
opened Some fine broom-wire is then pro
cured, and cut with the nippers into piece
Just long enough so that when the end
are hooked and fastened together the,
will each make loop of the proper size t,
go over can. The sides of the can should
be Tapped about three-fourths of an inch
The natural spring of the can will hold tn
wire on. The cans are all prepared in thi
manner, and plant put into each and pu
close together in the hot-bed At plant
ing time the can secures the soil until tn
plant is set, and then the tin casing
raised, and the work is done"
SPRAY FOR THE GOBLIN MOTH.
The quantity as well as the quality G
pears and apples, this season, will Target
depend upon the watchfulneSs and energ
displayed by our fruit-growers in fightin
the Goblin moth pest The first sprayin
should be done as the blossoms fall an,
with a solution of Paris green. one poun
TO 100 gallons of water. About ten day
later, while the fruit is small and before
turns on the stem, you should spray sec
oDd time with a solution of Paris greer
one pound to $50 gallons of water. Use
wagon in which a platform or staging ha
been erected, SO you can spray from abov
down upon the tree and fruit. The spra
or WASH should be reduced TO a very fin
mist by the use Of one of the many paten
nozzles for that purpose, under as great
pressure as possible. The fruit trees thu
treated will be found to be free from tn
Goblin moth, and, il the fruit is LIBERAL
thinned, the remainder will pay you YER
handsomely for your trouble.-Cdiiforni
Frat Grouer.
THE DURABILITY OF Cypress
For many uses cypress is better thai
white pine. The ancients recognized it
value, and Pliny tells us that statue O
Jupiter carved out of it existed GOO year
without showing signs Of decay. TIL,
doors of ancient st. Peters al Rome wer,
made of this wood, and when moved wer,
about LOO years old, but, nevertheless
were in state OF perfect preservation
Houses at New Orleans and England bull
entirely OF it nearly century ago are still
standing and in good repair, and for shin
giles in any climate it is the superior O