The National tribune., 1890-05-15
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
CARE OF YOUNG CHICKS.

give their hens eggs to hatch and when the
chicks appear let them die for want of proper
care. They would have been better off had
the eggs been used for some other purpose.
The estimated loss Of chicks which die from
inattention in the United States runs up to
many thousand annually. Some people think
that young chicks can care for themselves
and let them run around with the grown hens.
This is one of t% most common mistakes Of
all, for, when the food is given to the chickens
the young chicks in endeavoring to got to it
are trampled upon by the grown chickens and
in this manner many of them perish.
The best remedy for this is to isolate the old
hen and her chicks from tho rest of tho flock.
Take an old box which will easily accommo-
date the mother, and tear off one side. Put
Stats on this side so far apart rs to allow the
chicks to get through easily. In this box put
the old hon and place the food near the Stats, so
that she can reach it readily.
Another thing Is to SEQ that the floor il dry
as dampncss ia fatal to tho chicks. And for
this reason do not allow them to run around
on a wet day or early In the morning for the
dew is IA bad as the rain. Keep the place clean
and free from vermin, and have their coop we'll
ventilated, but under no circumstances allow n
draft to be created, ss it s not only fatal to the
young chicks but to the grown chickens rs
we'll.
Overlooking is another very great mistake.
Some people imagine n chick is hungry every
time they look at it, and straightway go and
feed il. This Is very bad habit and should
Immediately be checked. Others throw large
amount of feed to the chicks, and have it lying
around so that il is fouled in few hours. Tho
best plan is 10 give the chicks all the food they
will eat up clean and feed them twice day,
giving one good meal before going to roost and
the other before noon.
MELONS.
good and convenient market and suita-
BILE soil are tho principal requisites for making
melons profitable. Then, with good seed
properly planted in a soil we'll prepared and
the plants given thorough cultivation, a good
crop may bo made. A loose sandy loan Is best
one that Is readily prepared into good filth,
reasonably rich and sufficiently low to have
plenty Of moisture Such soil should be
worked deep before planting. blowing first
thoroughly and then narrowing until in a
good filth.
If manure Is applied it should be well rotted
and fined. When there is n sufficient supply
the better plan is TO apply broadcast, and then
harrow cultivate into the soil but very good
results may be secured by applying in the hill
il proper care is taken. The principal thing
is TO SEQ that it ia thoroughly incorporated with
the soil Mark off the rows eight feet apart
one way aud five or six the other. Use plenty
of seed it is much better to thin out than to
replant and tho cost of the soed Is q small item
in getting good yield.
Put fvo or six seeds in each bill, cover about
an inch deep and press the soil down we'll upon
the seed. After tho plants come up we'll 90 over
fla ma ch aud thin inuyin NOT NOR than
four aud if the soil is not rich leave only two
or three. Whatever cultivation Is necessary
should be given during tho earlier stages of
growth as after the vines get we'll started 10
running thcy should be disturbed as little As
possible. The advantage in having the rows
further apart one way Is that at FIRST more work
in cu!tiyating can bo done with the cuitivator.
At FIRST this can ba rua close TO the plants each
way, but later IL will BIO best to cultivate only
way, keeping out the weeds aud grass
between the hills with the hoe Thorough
cultivation Is necessary. No weeds should be
allowed TO grow aud the soil should DO kept
ia good filth Ia majority OF cases IL will be
good plan 10 dust the plants as soon as they get
well above ground With slug shot" or with a
mixture of ir-siaked lime and Paris green.
This should 10 repeated two three times
after hard showers until the plants make a
good start to grow. A preventive Is better than
remedy. Pests often injure the plants severely,
the best plan is 10 prevent at the start.--.St.
Louis Republic
NOTES.
- Farmers, do not burn up all the ncsts of the
humble. bees for they are worth SO 10 you in
fertiliZiug red clover blossoms thereby insur-
ing heavy crop Of seeds. In Australia there
are no bnmble- bees OF our kind. aud they could
not raise clover seed there until they imported
some. THAT fertilization by insects is necessary
for the development OF seeds is shown in that
snowy flower, bleeding heart tDiceHfrG speeta-
biits), which produces no seed for its fertiiizipg
moth has never been imported from North
China. its native hAbitat.--PTair FaTmsT.
Potatoes aud other vegetables may be
planted in the young orchard. or strawberries,
raspberries and other small-fruits, until the
trees come into bearing; then seed down TO
clover aud let the treea have the whole ground.
Fertilizers should be freely used when au
orchard rs heavily cropped. These should be-
applied during April and May. but not later
than June. good wash TO make trees nice
and slick is common soft soap with little
kerosene or carboic acid in it, applied with
stiff brush TO tho trunk, crotches and large
limbs of the trees.
--A correspondent Of the Western Rural says:
IL will take % bushels of corn to raise aud
fattcn hog 10 300 pounds, worth today $3.50,
while the Is bushels of corn would raise aud
fatten five sheep worth SOS Now, the sheep
What has the hog to offer for its care and keep.
mgr Nothing but the "grunt" and our pork
packers, with all their ingenuity and skill have
not learned To utilize that / know from my
experience in handling sheep for the past four
years that money invested judiciously in sheep
will pay for their feed and make 100 per cent
on the investment"
What may properly be termed leaks In
dairying. through which all profit is filtered,
may be summed up in a few words says the
cream, cburning cream at too high or too low
temperature, too much working of the but
ter, poor salt, the lack Of u well-baanced
ration for tho cows, lack OF cleanliness In
dairy utensils aud in the dairy room, and un-
inviting. rusty packages Butter made in such
surroundings and by such methods always has
ing TO its value which is usually about 10 cents
pound, IL snapped for Goldfish and kerosene
oil at the village grocery store.
Salt the ground VOL where the cabbage
plants are set; this prevents cubfoot. Plants
should be set not less than three and half
feet apart, and hoed often 10 insure good heads
To prevent worms from iDjuring the heads take
one pail of water, stir in one pint of soft
soap and half pint of salt. Take whisp
broom and sprinkle this solution over the
growing.
Warm the cream up TO GO or 6a degrees and
add as much water IA cream Warm the cream
with water temperature no degrees Stir the
cream lively when tho water is put In. When
cream is cold the butter globules cannot unite.
They will not stick together, nor can they unite
when the 10 fna lln