The record-union., 1891-05-04
Breeding Many Varieties--,-The
Poultry Business.
How to Plant an Orchard on Poor
Land-Thinnfng Out the Fruit
Vtttculture In the United States
Whitewashing Fruit Trees-Tobacco
Crops.


old and well-established breeders. After
some ten years as breeder of single
variety I added other breeds, until now
have six, and I am free to confess that
after this season / shall gladly return to
my early love, and content myself with
the one variety that l consider the best.
My reasons for SO doing are these: First,
the expense of keeping a number of va
rieties, yards, buildings, feed and atten-
tion, is in proportion to the number.
Second, the chances of cross or mixture
of some of the breeds are also in the same
proportion. Third, the attention given
any one breed is likewise, and the demand
for all breeds you are likely to keep is out
of all proportion.
Then, first, the expense is an important
item with the majority of breeders. Of
course there are few who are in the
business for pleasure, and expense cuts
no figure, but TO have adequate yards
and buildings for each variety Will cost
at low estimate, $40, and of course can
be increased indefinitely. When they are
. closely confined the feed must be varied,
and will cut quite a figure. Ii person
has only one variety the birds can have
free range, if in the country. y single
house will suffice and the living can be
and barn-yard.
Second.There is no chance for cross
with any other variety. We all know
that we would rather send to breeder of
a single variety for eggs or stock for
what we want, as we will be certain to
get no cross-bred stock. There is no
breeder but has had some experience of
this kind, and however careful a person
may be, there is great danger that different
varieties will get together some time dur
ing the season, and thus spoil the egg
trade for time.
Third-The attention. When breeder
is in love with certain variety he will
study that breed in all its standard quail
Iications, will learn the many points that
are to be bred for, and the many points
that are to be avoided. He will in the
course of time gain reputation for
ability TO breed, mate, judge and sell
firSt-class standard birds Of the variety
he breeds exclusively and makes an ex-
elusive study. The breeder knows there
are only few varieties that are in con-
slant demand on account Of their useful
ness, and he will by close observation at
fairs and poultry shows and from the
poultry journals and agricultural papers,
see lust the variety that will suit his To-
Cality, and that will also be a pleasure for
him to breed. My advice to a beginner,
one who desires to become true fancier,
who has limited capital and wishes to
be successful, would be, get pen OF any
one variety that suits your taste and To-
cality, prepare warm and comfortable
house, if you should even use poles and
straw, give them the run of the farm,
keep no other than the one kind, and you
cannot help but succeed if you give them
the attention you would naturally give
any other stock. If you intend selling
eggs, prepare no yards, but have only the
one Rock, and price your eggs III proper
tiOn to quality Of stock. | have tried the
single-yard system and the many yards
and prices of eggs, with single variety
and also many varieties and prices, and
find that what / have stated Will be found
claw and gospel" and will make repu-
tation quicker and one that will last
longer and, give better satisfaction all
around than any other way of engaging
in the poultry business, even for pleas
ure as well as proft.-JOh7a c. Snyder an
Prairie Farmer.
AN ORCHARD ON POOR LAND.
In planting, the first thing to do is to
get straight line on one side of the field
TO be planted, then make a light square
frame the length and width you wish
your trees to stand in the orchard. Lay
one side of the frame on the straight line
already made and stick at each corner a
small peg. Move the frame on to another
section on the same line, letting it down
so as to rest the hind end against the pegs
set in the forward end of the first setting,
and set two more pegs in the forward end
of the frame at each corner, as at first.
Now you have two places for the diggers
TO commence at.
Now have another small frame, as large
square as you wish your holes. l make
my holes four feet square and twenty
inches deep. Lay this down so that the
pegs will be exactly in the center, mark
around the outside with spade, and you
a
rows straight Dig the holes on the in
side or straight line first made, and let
the pegs remain on the outside, for a
guide by which TO set your frame on the
return row. Thus continue until the or
chard is finished.
In preparing the holes already dug, fill
up the bottom, say half way up, with
good. rich soil mixed with one gallon OF
air-slaked lime and one-half bushel OF
well rotted stable manure, all thoroughly
mixed together. Now set your tree eX-
Rctly in the center of the hole and fill in
the best virgin soil around and among
the roots of the tree, until your hole where
the tree sets is a little higher than the
surrounding surface of the land. This top
filling will absorb the ammonia freed by
the lime acting on the manure, and will
be just where the young rootlets will take
il up and greatly assist in starting the
new growth of the young trees.
The cultivation consists simply in plow-
ing the ground to keep down the weeds.
Nothing should be taken from the land.
When the orchard comes into bearing an
application of one bushel of compost for
each tree should be made, sown broadcast
in the spring and ploweG in with a small
turning plow. For the compost / use one
peck of lime and muck, or vegetable
gnold from the woods-well rotted ma
nure would answer, provided the land is
well provided with potash. | mound up
my trees the same as do in cultivating
on rich bottom land. l plant on poor
land sixteen feet apart, and in pruning
head in all the peach trees, cutting off one
half of the previous years growth on all
leading branches, thinning out the fruit
SO the trees Will not be oyerburdened. 1t
VIII repay the trouble and time thus
spent. The remaining fruit will be much
larger, Will ripen more uniformly and be
11uch higher colored and bring better
price when sent to market Wm p. IT1t-
at ta Pr0srie Farmer.
NIrICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES.
The statistics Of viticulture in the
United States, according to the recent
census, present some figures that Will be
OF interest not only TO southern Europe
but also 10 Americans themselves as
showing surprising and gratifying
growth III this time-honored branch of
agriculture. The total number of acres
under cultivation in 1889 was 4Ol .26I.
affording employment to POO, $50 persons,
and the estimated value of the industry
in land, improvements, machinery. etc.
was 1856, ,66l, $50. The five great divisions
I'm which this industry is found are first,
the Eastern division, comprising about
Il 200 acres in cultivation in the States of
New York and Pennsylvania: second.
<he Middle division, with 4, ,633 acres in
TIC states Of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio,
She latter including the islands of Lake
go. -.-.1 tI,L E1rclid district tIni,..l a.