The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-30
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
THE NECESSITY OF SAVING MANURE.

|
manufacturing tho manure they need at home
but buy it from factories. This is waste, rs
almost all tho manure used should be made on
the farm. 1t would be cheaper for the farmer
| to feed the grain and other products no raises
to his stock rather than sell them. The return
is given in manure, which, if no bought, would
cost double that of tho feed. The people in the
West formerly saved little manure, for the land
was comparatively now and not worn out; but
now the fertility of the land is weakened, and
| they arc paying much attention to the suhje
Manure is the key that unlocks the earth and
lets loose the dormant forces of plant life, and
then pushes them forward.
Winter is tho time for making composts.
Most all that was saved has been used, and
therefore now supply is wanted for Spring.
Manure is mover sufficiently abundant, and
should therefore be saved when in hand. 1t is
surprising to see tho difference in farmers on
| this subject. One farmer will manage to get
good amount of dressing with small resources,
mainly by utilizing all the waste and decaying
matter upon the farm, looking after tho leaks,
| the seeming trnes, while another, with large
resources, gets comparatively little, and run
out fields testify to starvation, and meager re-
turns compel the farmer to keep less and less
stock each year. Thus stock and manure react
upon each other TO help along this retrogres-
sion. No hay, no stock; no stock 10 manure;
no manure, no crops, and the reverse
ROOT CROPS AND POULTRY.
If roots and ensilago improve tho health of
animals, and cheaper tho cost of the food they
will do the same for fowls. IL Is too expensive
Il.
are long and severe and AS the hens prefer a
variety. they should have IL. A quart of corn
meal, added to half peck %! cooked turnips.
will provide "a better meal than can DO procured
! from either tho cornmeal the tufnips if
they are fed alone. IL is the mixed food-the
combination of various elements-that enables
the hen to provide tho different substances that
make up the CONT iuation called an egg. Lime,
phosphates. nitrogen, magnosia, and even wa
ter. elements that are absolutely essential
and many foods contain an excess Of some kinds
and deficiency OF others. When mixed food
IL given there is a partial balancing Of the
needed elements, and the several varieties as
Bist IN dtgesting each other thereby avoiding
waste of undCcstcd food Finely chopped Gu
silngc or clover, potatoes, turnips. carrots, or
any succulent bulky food, served with an adj
mixture Of a variety Of ground grain, will pro-
vide the hens with a larger supply of egg ee-
mcnts, aud entail ess cost for food than when
the hens compelled TO subsist entirely on
grain. Farm aud FiTesids.
TAKE TIME ny THE FoEELocK
The leisure time afforded at tn season of tho
ycnr may DO employed with much benefit and
profit In making up nceessaries for use during
the coming Season. For instance In the or
chard more ladders may be needed, bOxes and
crates for storing fruit should 10 made, fruit
house, perhaps. may DO built. or home. made
ppa Iga nod nd
few tools and a comfortable place TO work In
good deal Of pleasure and considerable gain
may be gotten out Of those wintry days
IL Is a good sca3on Just now TO get out the
posts aud other material needed for grape
trolls. and prepare them for setting. When
tho ground is not frozen the posts may be set
and the trollis erected before the busy season
is at band, To make posts last long it Is ueces-
sary in some way 10 protect tho part which is
below ground against the destructive action Of
time and moisture. common practice il to
char the butt OF the post by FIRE; a coat of hot
coal-taT may be applied. Crude petroleum is
also an excellent preventative. The bark
should always be removed. - Orchard and
GardeH
NorEs
The egg. eating habit in hens may be cured
by outwitting them. Bnld tho nests in such
a way that the hens cannot got at the eggs.
such nail kegs stood on ond half filed with
hay or straw, then the hen cannot reach 10
when standing on the edge. Another way Is to
make nests Ia dark places where the hen can
see 10 go into the nest, but not after she gets
there. Feed plenty OF crushed oyster shells 80 IA
TO make the cRRshclls hard. When hens arc at
liberty or have plenty Of exercise they arc less
liable 10 contract this habit than when kept in
confinement
Pruning may be done during the latter
part OF the month where necessary The
annual hacking and called trimming IN
that Is done in many orchards is altogether
unnecessary and hurtful. Remove only tho
suckers aud sufficient wood 10 admit air and
light freely. Cover wounds at once with
grating wax, paint or varnish Cut out the
black knot eKcrcsceuces from the cherry
aud plum trees, cutting down 10 tho sound
wood, apply "A wash OF lime and cover the
wound with liquid grating wax.
The most phenomenal yield Of corn ever
produced in America has been awarded tho
prize Of $500 offered by the american 1grculttrist
for tho largest crop Of sheled corn grown on
one acre in 1889. The crop was within a frao-
ton OF 255 bushels. green weight which shrunk
to 239 bushels when kiln dried aud when
chemically dried contained pit bushels. The
South Carolina State Board of Agriculture
doubled the prize, making the award 81. 900 In
all. This crop was grown by H. j. Drake, of
Marlboro County, s. C.. IL Is nearly twice IA
large rs tho greatest authenticated crop ever
before reported The $500 awarded for the
largest yield of wheat last year goes TO Henry
Burton, OF Salt Lake City, Utah, for a yield of
80 bushels on one acre.
A writer Of CoitaaHs Rural World practices
n successful method Of Kidding sheep OF grub in
tho head. Ho feeds them sholled corn Oh
IL barn floor literally strewed with air-sacked
lime. The sheep in eating fill their noses with
lime, which causes violent sneczng thus ex-
polling the grub. In u few moments the floor
will be covered with grubs which should DO
destroyed. The use Of this remedy occasionally
through the Winter will rid the sheep of this
pest.
Prefer we'll pulyerized, clean surface In
an orchard, with moderately rich soil, to a
heavy manuring and surface covered with
hard crust aud weeds and grass Remember IL
is better to set out 10 trees with all the noces-
sary care to make them live and flourish than
to set out 100 trees aud have them all die from
caTeessness.
- Never plant blaekberries so near q fence
that horse and cultivator cannot pass between
the two. Treat every stray sucker as a weed
aa soon as 1t appears, or else you will soon have
an impossible blackberry thicket.
The prize butter ut the Bay State Fair
Boston, was made from cows fed on cut clover
at night, pasture by day, aud a grain ration
composed OF two parts cornmeal and one part
each OF crushed oats, linseed meal, and wheat
middlngs. 81
Spinach that came up from seed last Fall
will make some growth during the mild wea.
ther, which may be prevented by mulchIngth the
had