St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-03-02
FACTS FOR FARMERS.

FACTS FOR FARMERS.
SO long a. the ground does not
freeze 4 is not too late to set out fruit
trees or plants.
When bees do not work. when they
are seen running around over the hive
in an apparently unsettled state, with
but few guarding the entrance. 1t in
dicates the absence Of the queen.
As a rule, a half peck OF nice
selected apples will sell for as much as
a peck if the other half is made up OF
small, crooked. woriny apples mixed
in among them. Save the expense 81
marketing the inferior fruit
Gravel OF any kind is good for
fowls. but lime gravel is the best. and
it should be screened to remove all tho
large pebbles which prevents "he birds
from busting themselves with comfort.
It is also well to mix food with fine
sand. american Poultry Journal.
Farmers forget that ninety per
cent of our merchants fail In business;
that the learned professions are over
crowded. and not u tenth Of those en-
tering their ranks ever attain wealth
or eminence. aud that in large business
centers mechanics and operatives. in
times of commercial depression. are
often on the verge Of starvation.
Fall blowing and spading pays
manifold in heavy and cold soils. The
ground should be thrown up in narrow
lands running with the slope OF the
surface. leaving open burrows between
them for surface drainage. Fall-plOwed
land will be drier and finer, and often
ready two weeks sooner for working In
spring than unplOwed grOund.-An'cr-
icdn AgricuiturisI
THAT the pumpkin seeds are In
furious to stock is known to many who
do not suspect the reason. They are
strongly diuretic, and cause such flow
OF urine that the animal is weakened
They make fowls grow light and stop
the production of eggs Whenever hens
eat them freely. Fed to cows tho
pumpkin with it's seeds does not do
half the good it will If the seeds IRE
removed.
1t is a fact not we'll known that
native sulphate OF baryta is an active
poison to rats. mice and dogs. 1t is
not easy to explain its action. consid-
ering its extreme insOlubility, but
mixed with lard it is readily eaten by
them. This being the case, the ques-
ton suggests itself. whether it might
not replace the more dangerous poisOns
now so much used for this purpose,
and do away with the risk attending
! them. Boston Budget.
In preparing bees to winter success.
fully, there are two things of i'm
portance, besides the many minor
matters: Good and sufficient food and
even temperature. II you have used
the extractor all through the summer
and taken all the best honey from the
hives, letting the bees put in honey
gathered from fall weeds and flowers.
this honey should be removed in some
way. as it is bitter and grows sour.
1t does no good to fret and get
angry because things do not go just
right on the farm; kind words and
mild usage will do far more towards
subduing vicious animal than angry
words and heavy blows. Farmers
should cultivate the habit Of looking
upon every phase Of their work.
whether it goes right or wrong. In a
calm and common sense manner; this
can be done and should be done.
For the purpose OF a general farm.
according to the New York Weekly
Times, the Devon cattle are unqucs-
tionably the most useful. They are
hardy. easily fed, yield a good guam
tity of rich milk, grow to fair size.
fatten well. make the best Of working
cattle, excellent beef. and the calves
are the best veal. These qualities are
not combined in any other animal. ex-
cepting very rarely in some rare speci-
men OF a Siorthorn, which inherits
the good milking qualities Of the orig
inal race"