Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-04
FARM AND ORCHARD.
PROTECTION OF CROPS FROM THE
EFFECTS OF FROST.
Sunfiower eeed-shade for Poultry-A
Vegetable Garden-General
Farm Notes.

lack of some methods by which such losses
may be avoided. At the Minnesota Tx
periment Station the subject of protection
from frosts has received considerable at
tention, and the results obtained are OF In
terest to all sections. Professor Hazen,
who has had charge of the investigations,
states that distinction should be made
between frosts end freezing weather. The
latter comes with a cold wave, and cannot
be guarded against, but the former comes
from a cooling produced by intense radia-
ton of heat in clear sky, and can be pro-
tected against. The radiation continues
all night, the coolest moment being just
before sunrise.
The first and most important matter is
to determine if frost will occur. IF the
sky is cloudy or the wind brisk there will
be little or no danger from frost, as wind
keeps the air stirring, bringing down the
warmer air and mixing it with that near
the surface, while clouds act as a covering
to the earth and prevent radiation of the
heat If thermometer be placed upon
sod in clear night it will be found five or
ten degrees lower than one suspended six
feet above it.
As is well known, when ice water is
placed in pitcher moisture appears. This
moisture Games from the air and is called
dew, and the temperature at which it be-
gins to collect on the glass is called the
dew point. By putting crushed ice in a
glass of water and carefully stirring it, if
dew appears on the outside we could as
certain the dew point by putting ther-
mometer in the glass. When the temper
ature of the dew point is below $50 frost
is deposited, which indicates that the tenn
perature of plants is below freezing and
will be injured. This dew point is often
constant, rarely changing in twenty-four
hours. The air temperature reaches its
lowest point at sunrise and its highest
about P. NJ, perhaps 800 higher than at
sunrise, when it falls rapidly until mid
night, and then slowly until sunrise. Pre-
vious to storm the dew point gradually
rises, and again usually falls after storm.
The dew point is the most essential
thing to be determined. When the air
temperature is lowered below the dew
point incipient condensation takes place,
heat is liberated, and hence the lowest
temperature during the night may be
taken as the dew point of the previous
evening. If the dew point of the air is
watched from 6 o'clock to P. NJ, and it is
found steady and above $50, there will be
little danger of frost, but if the dew point
is below 800 look for frost. 1t is not pos
sible to heat the air, but we can prevent
radiation of heat, either by covering
the plants with paper or some other ma
terial, or produce an artificial cloud or
smoke by burning refuse straw, brush.
chips or anything that will answer, to the
windward of the orchard, which is easily
determined by the direction of the smoke.
If the smoke goes straight up burn the
material in the center of the field. Expe-
rience has abundantly proven that smoke
will protect against frost, and that it pays
to use such precaution in behalf of the
crops Philadelphia Record.
sUNFLowERs RAISED FOR CHICKEN FEED.
The following interesting sketch is from
Baltimore, Md, journal: Cyrus w.
Field raises an acre of cultivated sunflow-
ers on his country estate, Ardsley, near
Tarrytown, on the Hudson. But these
flowers are not cultivated alone to crafty
Mr.. Fields aesthetic taste. The man who
connected America and Europe with an
electric cable is nothing if not practical
He believes in uniting beauty with utility.
So, when he drives out by his sunhower
grove and his love for the beautiful is
touched by that sea of bobbing yellow
heads, the practical part of his nature finds
solid comfort in the thought that these
flowers are put to good use. Others may
delight in the tender orchids, or the gay
chrysanthemum, with their endless variety
of shades, but these are only fair to look
upon. Not so with the hardy yellow
bloomer which Mr.. Field loves so we'll.
When the frosts of autumn shrivel up the
petals of the flowers, and the center turns
a deep, rich brown, then the tops of the
flowers are carefully cut and hung up to
dry. In about a month the little black,
flat seeds which fill the head of the flower
are thrashed out and fed to the chickens
in Mr. Fields extensive memories. So,
on the days when a fine specimen from
the coops lies on his back nicely Drowned
in the platter, with his drumsticks lifted
heavenward, Mr. Field naturally reflects
in the strain of the family nursery rhyme:
This is the cock that ate the seed that grew
on the top of my sunflower weed.n And
how gratifying must be the thought that
the beauty of the summer has been trans
formed into the toothsome breast and the
tender wing. This reflection might escape
the aesthetic Oscar, but it is no doubt
scource of much pleasure to the million
aire who cultivates and admires the same
flower.
"Do you SOW new seeds for these sun
flowers every spring." was asked of Fred
Allison, who has charge of the field.
"Yes," he said, 1--WE plant new seed every
year and put them in hills as we SOW corn.
About the middle of September we cut off
the tops, hang them up to dry and in an
other month they are ready to shell. We
mix the seed with the other chicken
feed"
"How many chickens do you keep?' he
was asked.
"About 2,000," he said, "as that number
takes up all the space in our three houses.
From these chickens we gather over 5000
dozen eggs each year. All eggs that the
families do not use we sell. There are
three families to sGpply-Mr. Field, his
son, Edward NJ Field, and his son-in-law,
d. A. Lindley, and they use from fifty to
sixty dozen eggs week"
'Do you keep ducks?"
eyes, we have about COO ducks and
about sixty geese. We sell what ducks
We don't want for home use, but the
chickens we keep as the families use
great many. The three families use from
fifteen to eighteen chickens, four or five
ducks and about two geese a week"
SHADE FOR POULTRY.
Upon this question the Fdaeier's Gazette
has the following:
All poultry breeders do not have their
yards suited so as to be supplied with
natural shade, and their fowls, as soon as
they leave the coop, come into direct con-
tact with the glare of the burning sun.
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