davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
GARDENINa AND POULTRY.

Mrs. ]. Gillard, an excellent poultry au-
thority often quoted in these columns,
writes to the Practical Farmer that
great many poultry raisers send eggs out
among farmers every spring to be set I'M
der hens, paying a certain amount dozen
for all that hatch, when three days old, and
where the eggs prove fertile it is a profit
able enterprise for both parties; but often
eggs sent out by poultrymen and fanciers
viii not be fertile, especially where fowls
are kept in confinement any length of time,
as must be the case where more than one
breed is kept by the fancier. AS several
hundred eggs are sent in to her every
spring to be Matched for different parties,
she has been looking into the matter to see
why eggs from poultrymen would not
hatch, and from others nearly all the eggs
would prove fertile. In nearly every in
stance she found it to be a lack of green
food; therefore she has arrived at
the conclusion that every man or
woman who expects to make a profit out of
eggs for Matching should combine the
poultry business with gardening, especially
ii their fowls cannot have free range of q
farm at least part of the time. Last
spring, while she was shipping eggs, she
was compelled to keep the Silver Spangled
Hamburgs in confinement, and all eggs sent
out gave the best of satisfaction, but she
never neglected this one article of their diet
ali the time they were ihclosed. The first
green stuff was the lettuce, and next the
o,,I
must always be thinned, and her way would
be to collect large armful and tie them to-
gether in a bundle and crowd the roots
tightly in a pail, so they will be stationary,
for their green food must be fixed this way
or they cannot eat it; if thrown loose on the
ground they will eat but little of it and will
trample 1t under foot. All outside leaves
from early cabbage, when dressed for mar
ket, are treated the same way for them, and
later, when the lettuce forms into
large heads they would .devour a
bushel of them in an incredibly short time,
and the grain fed was less than half that
it would be if they could not:have access to
green food of some kind; and they laid very
hard-shelled eggs, and the yolll was of a
dark orange color; that is lacking when
green food is withheld, and it will break
and intermingle with the white by the
turning of the eggs by the hen in a few
days.
Every one who raises poultry for profit
should keep them yarded during May, June
and July, and if gardening is combined
with it, it will not only prove a continued
source of profit, but much pleasure can be
derived from the business.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
ENGLISH WALNITS-

viii you please tell US through TIE GA
ZETTE whether or not the English walnut
would do well and be profitable in this sec
ton and latitude! Should it be planted as
you recommend for planting of the pecan
that is, where the trees are to standl Does
1t, like the pecan, transplant badlys How
far apart should the trees be planted
Where can the best seed be hadl VIII such
as we find in our nut stores answer for
planting. ". A. SELLERS.
Starkville, Miss
There are some nice English walnut
trees growing in Butler county, Ala, and
your soil conditions and climatic condition
are almost precisely the same as there,
hence we can see no good reason for why
it could not be made to succeed at Stark
vile. OF course ali is mere theory in the
absence of test, but should you get it to
succeed it would certainly be profitable
1t does not transplant well, therefore the
nuts should be planted where the trees are
to stand. The same rule holds good with
reference to all nut-bearing trees. In Cali
fornia they usually plant the trees thirty
i've feet apart. Good fresh nuts on sale in
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
j. P. STEELE, EDITOR.
THE NEW COTTON CROP.

DR.. w. l.. Jones. agricultural editor OF
the Atlanta ga Constitution, says every
thing calculated 10 lower the grade of cot
ton should be carefully guarded against in
season like the present, when the price
paid for the staple is promising TO range
low. Every precaution possible should be
taken this year TO have cotton sample well.
Rapid picking in the sense o. keeping up
with it as it opens, careful picking in the
sense of keeping out trash, and careful
handling at every step until the packing Is
completed, are called for with unusual en-
phasis the present season.
In this connection attention is called
TO the objection to picking cotton with
baskets. That picked early in the
morning, when the cotton is wet
with dew, is packed down in the
baskets and has no chance 10 dry When
cotton is open and needs picking, one can
lot afford to wait for the dew to dry-too
much of the day would be lost-and yet dry
cotton is essential to good ginning. One
must therefore have scafOlds or other ar
engagements for summing the cotton picked
AL TIC iiIOi I4LiE' VI nave oOii4C obDotl
tute for the basket which viii allow the
cotton to dry in the field. The best substi-
tutes DR.. Jones knows of are cloths, say size
of quilt, upon which the cotton can be
spread as it is picked. This meets the
case quite fully, and the cloths when filled
and tied UP are quite as easily handled as
baskets. He earnestly recommends them
to use in the proper handling Of cotton.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
ON SEEDING WHEAT.

The Ohio experiment station has been
making careful tests Of the different
methods resorted tc in seeding wheat, and
as a result now comes out with bulletin.
the substance of which We cut down 10
samll compass, as follows:
The tests were made through four success
ceSsive years. 1t was found chat wheat
covered one inch deep gave an average
gield of thirty-foUr bushels per acre; that
covered two inches it produced thirty-fve
bushels, and that covered three inches il
produced thirty-four bushels. Judging
from these experiments it was not con-
sidered advisable u recommend sowing
deeper shan three inches
1t IS furthermore stated that wheat sown
with u roller-rress drill has yielded about s
per cent more than that sown with an ordi-
nary drill. More or less increase has fol-
lowed the roller-press in Almost every sea-
son. but 4 single trial has given results I'M
favorable to the use Of tie. common roller
after seeding, compared to those Sc
cured with the roller-pres5 drill. OF course
the common roller is bette than no roller
- ill - NiS'ie SALpNsNt III WI iduiS Dt iOllSN,
but the roller-press packing the soil over
the grain only has been found the best.
Tests were made on drilling and broad
casting in seeding wheat In the four
years of experimentation the drill-seeding
was found to give IN average yield consid-
erably above that o. the broadcasting.
A single experiment was MADE by cross
drilling, but this showed no advantage over
drilling one way the same quantity Of seed
being used in both c; seS.
No larger crop has been produced this
year from mixed seed of two varieties than
from pure seed Of the zane varieties sown
separately.
The land upon which. these experiments
were made lies in the ;alley of the Olen-
tanea, one of the largest branches of the
Scioto. The soil is yellow loan, part first
and part second bottom. It Is either natur-
ally underdrained with gravel or artifciaIy
drained with tiles, and its average yield of
wheat for thirteen years has been over
t,yenty-six bushels per acre, Oh an annual
acreage of about thirty acres.
These experiments, though made for
Ohio, would seem TO be applicable 10 Texas
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01

to keep their secret from outsiders when
they have discovered some paying crop,
fearing that if their neighbors engage
in growing the same crops the markets will
be glutted. This country is too wide, con-
tinues our contemporary, and contains too
many inhabitants to be swamped so easily.
On the contrary, it is generally the wisest
policy for a grower to encourage others to
settle about him in the same pursuit, there
by improving his shipping facilities by
securing carload rates, etc. But if the
grower finds the whole state is preparing
to plant cabbage or potatoes or tomatoes or
any other of the great vegetable staples, that
crop will generally be good one for him
to let alone that year These vegetable
waves that roll over the country about
every year are very apt to bring shipwreck
to number of people
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
OUR LEADING CROP.

In many of the so-called agricultural
papers of the South there is kept up a con-
slant TRADE against cotton culture They
say we are growing too much cotton, and
that we should cut down our acreage to
that crop and devote our lands to a greater
diversity OF crops, so that should one crop
not command good price another might
We are rather in favor of greater diversity
than commonly prevails. but our notion of
diversity does not exactly agree with the
notions usually advanced. We cannot
think it would be best for every Southern
farmer 10 raise half-a-dozen crops at the
same time. bl; we do think It would be best
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
SHEEP HUSBANDRY.

Mr.. o. j. Vine, an extensive Sheep-raiser,
writes to the Ohio Farmer that he would
| advise all beginners to buy either grade or
| full-blooded Southdowns or Shropshires as
| the best general-purpose sheep. 1t will not
| be profitable to raise sheep for wool alone
He will find there is more money in mutton
| than in wool The Southdown or Shrop-
shire will produce a good heavy fleece Of
| medium to fine long wool, the kind that is
| most in demand and which brings the high
est price in market at present. Either
breed will raise large hardy and profitable
| lambs, that will bring good prices in market
at any age, if properly fattened.
For the beginner, continues Mr. Vine, it
will be best to buy ewes this fall and breed
them for March, unless he desires to raise
spring lambs for the early market. For
that purpose they should be bred from Aug
ust l to ID. Then he can expect to have
lambs averaging fifty to sixty pounds by
April l following. There is more money in
that particular branch of the sheep indus
try than any other, but it requires great
care and thorough knowledge of the bust
ness to insure success. Spring lambs
bring from S to u cents per pound in the
city markets. He has frequently sold
lambs weighing over fifty pounds at 9 cents
at home, the first week in April.
Three or four years is the best age at
which To buy sheep for stock purposes.
Never buy two-year-olds for feeding or
raising lambs. Older sheep will raise a
larger percentage of lambs, because they
take better care of their lambs and furnish
a larger quantity of milk. Never use any
but a thoroughbred male, of whatever
breed you desire TO keep. Unless one is en-
tirely familiar with the sheep business, he
had better start with 100 instead of 500; he
will have a far better chance for success
There are great many difficulties to con-
tend with in keeping so large flock, and
unless he learns by experience to overcome
them he will be likely TO fail
Five hundred head will require a very
large range of pasture TO do Well and large
sheds for housing in winter, even in a very
mild climate One should calculate ten
square feet of stable room for each sheep
and lamb Sheep will not bear crowding,
especially W LilC idIS SOaiSC DlCt..S IliC
sheep usually do better in such large fiocks
than coarse, but they are not so profitable
Sheep require frequent change of pas
ture, and should be divided into small
focks; if they are all kept together they
must have very extended range, or they
will not DO well. If one keeps sheep ex-
clusively, he viii find 400 to 500 acres none
too many to sustain 500 head the year
round, and if he is engaged in diversified
farming he will be obliged to have much
more land. The pleasure and profit de-
rived from sheep husbandry are in proper
ton to the amount of time and attention
given to it. Care and diligence are daily
necessities with the successful shepherd.
Of course all this refers to sheep farm
ing, and not to raising sheep on the wild
range after the methods extensively prac-
ticed in Texas.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
THE BEST LAWN GRASS.

VIII you please tell me and other readers
of The GAZETTE what grass would he best
as lawn grass for the Panhandle country!
Clifford Tex. "
We are scarcely familiar enough with
the Panhandle rs vet, to feel entirely sure
what grass would do best with you. You
may have some native grass that would
give better satisfaction than any of the old
and generally-known species. We propose
to come up and study such things in the
Panhandle ere much more time has elapsed.
OF the old grasses it probable that Bermuda
would give you fair satisfaction through
most of the summer, and that Texas blue
grass would give you nice green lawn
through winter
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
TO sICCEEp WITH HENS.

| According to Annie C. Webster, writer
well-known to the readers OF poultry litera-
ture, one of the greatest drawback is
cramped room. The hen that is cramped
| up in 4 smallssspace with others Will nearly
double her number of eggs when given more
| freedom. Too many over-sotck their
| grounds. Starting out with limited
amount of land they continue to increase
their stock until the hens become uncom-
| dom and ROOM and less number will lay
just as many eggs. Kill off the poorest lay
ers, and others will increase their products
| proportionately.
| One must be an enthusiastic lover of
| birds to make a success in poultry. The
| hens are only domesticated up to a certain
! point, and they still hold close affinities to
their original wild state. They love to get
| out into tie wild country, and roam about
in the fields and woods, and work for their
living. One must study the habits and
| needs of the hens if ne or she would make
them do their best in laying. If the hens
are uncomfortable they cannot do their
best.
Light and room are essential-more SO in
the summer than in the winter. Heat,
closeuess and darkness breed disease in hot
weather. They reduce the vitality of the
hens, and consequently their laying ca
pacity. Let them have plenty of both if
they are expected to lay more eggs. Com
paratively few people seem to realize that
suffer from cold and rheumatism, and that
all through the summer they will be sneez-
ing with colds, while they suffer from the
heat at the same time.
Proper food and water according to the
season must be given to them. During hot
weather they do not need heating food so
much as insects, seeds, berries, green
leaves and grass. They also need cool,
fresh water in abundance,
Too many have the same diet for their fowls
in summer and winter, never taking the
trouble to change it. The hens return this
treatment by giving the same number of
eggs in the two seasons, taking of course the
low winter number as standard to go by
Give them more of the green leaves and
ripe fruits and they will do better in laying
eggs than if stuffed with heating food
Another point is cleanness. The hens
surroundings must be clean or she can not
be clean. Uncleanliness means discomfort
and disease. Unclean nests and roosts re-
duce her strength, and consequently a less
number of eggs is laid. See that the poul-
try-yard and house are cleaned out not &C.
casionally, but often and regularly.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
orr DIsCorRAGFRs.

The following appears III Farm and
Ranch of the 18th inst:
notice in last issue of your journal that
you say You are informed by Mr.. J. j. Dol
lard of Chicota, Lamar county, that the
crop-of that county this year viii average
bale of cotton and fifty bushels of corn per
acre. This will certainly be news to every
other man in the county. ] would like very
much TO give $1,000 TO some one who will
guarantee three-fourths of this amount 10
me on my farms. We have 4 very fair
corn crop. but 20 fifty bushels per acre
No county has ever averaged fifty bushels
per acre. ! do not suppose. Lamar has not
The cotton crop will rot average oue-half
bale per acre. The boil worm mas been
putting in effective work for = long time
In many places on our rich black lands and
river bottoms. where the cotton is late, 1t
will take from eight to twelve acres 10
make bale, and there are thousands of
such acres in Lamar. All such reports as
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
MORE On DRAFT HORS Is.

II is asserted by the California Breeder,
that willie scrub horses are raised to q
large extent by farmers. no farmer breeds
scrub Of his own choice. In most cases
the scrub breeding results from lack of CON
tidencc IN self to make the right start in
modern improvements. 1t calls for some
business tact for an old-style farmer to see
gain to himself in patronizing the best and
so-called improved breeds; but if he could
oaly see ahead clearly. he ought TO be con-
WINGED that there is no risk, especially in
the good draft breeds. Erst-class draft
horse are ever in demand; they are as sale
able usually as fat stock. And with tact,
the skill TO handle and dispose of driving
teams, and the peculiar fitness for training,
Dne may achieve more than ordinary benefit
IN breeding coach horses. More capital,
however, is required: but, if able to make
q specially of buying and mating fancy car
riage teams for city use one can do better
in this line of breeding. Ye., remember,
that in this case hall and often threc-fourths
of the selling price is for exercised
skill, from start 10 finish. in prepar
Ing the team for market. To do this re
quires months of careful handling, backed
b. pears of judicious treatment, thus max
ing the perfect family horse almost human
in his acquain- ance with mankind, and the
affairs and ways of the world. Unto many
wealthy men family horse is worth at
least one-fourth his weight in silver"
Certain profit always follows the right
start in breeding the service of choice sire
upon as good dams As one can afford. The
majority OF farmers will find surer gain in
growing draft horses. as this requires less
special knowledge and fitness for the work
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
TO CATCH RATS.

A correspondent writes US that Trinity,s
letter in The GAZETTE of last week detail
ing his experience with the agent of pat
ent rat trap made him laugh all over
Trinity is a regular brick he says Ac-
companying all these remarks is inclosed
clipping from Farm, Field and Stockman
which, at his request, we print for what it
is worth:
First, hunt up all the old horseshoes on
the farm: if there are not enough of them,
60 to the junk shop and buy about fifty Of
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
KNIGHTS OF HONOR,

Can you tell me whether or not there is a
lodge of the Knights of Honor in this part
of the state! l heard that there was 4
lodge in Childress. and under date of June
IL addressed the Reporter but received no
response. Under date of July l wrote to
William p. Cole of Dallas, having heard
that he was grand secretary of the order,
but up to September Ii have not heard
from him. ! have but recently moved 10
this state, and desire to connect myself
with all its interests.
Clifford, Tex. O. T. RUSSELL.
Will some member of the order kindly
write the brother, giving him the informa-
ton he desires2
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.

such ~ M " ID, niio
scriberS, which may De of general information.
Inquiries of personal character that require an
swer by mail should always have stamp in
closed. Please give full name and poStofice
address in addition to any such signature as
Subscriber, or A. G. D. not for publication,
if against the Will Of the writer but 10 admit of
direct communication should such thing be
deemed necessary. Address as directed ii head
of This page
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01

the poorest horseshoes you can pick out.
Place them at the rat holes and runways,
so that the rats cannot avoid going over
them. After they have laid around two or
three days get dozen. or two of good steel
traps and set them in place Of the horse
shoes, and whenever you catch rat move
the trap to another place. The rats will
soon become disguised and leave. A week
or so will clean them all out, and then you
can hang up your traps till they come dgain.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01

the nut stores have alvafs germinated very
for procuring seed-nuts at present. Your
other questions, not printed above, will be
referred to our political editor.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01

| send you some tWigS taken by me from
q shrub growing beside the railroad near
Houston, where our train stopped some
days ago on the way up from Galveston
The twigs are full of small berries, as YOU
will see. 1t looks somewhat like u haw, but
the leaves are smaller than any that | ever
saw on u haw tree, and their thickness leads
me to suspect that it is an evergreen. am
new in Texas, and on this account may be
interesting myself in one of your most COM
mon growths. But certainly, as it grew
near the railroad track, it was an extremely
pretty little shrub. Can You tell me,
through The GAZETTE, what shrub ii is?
Mrs. NJ. G.
Fort Worth, Texas.
1t is the yaupon, species of holly, COM
mon enough in some portions of the South,
but not common in Northern Texas. Its
botanical name is lex casslne Is an ever
green, and grows TO the height of from
fifteen to twenty feet under favorable con-
ditions. Fruit about the size of small gar
den peas, and when fully ripe, is of bright
scarlet color. Hangs on throughout the
winter and in such profusion as to almost
hide the small leaves and impart TO the en-
tire shrub a scarlet color. Berries not ed
ible.
Than the yaupon we know of no finer lit
tie evergreen for ornamental purposes. it
transplants well, and bears trimming down
into any shape desired. On this last ac-
count it makes an extremely fine ornamen-
tai hedge. Many Of the coast cities east of
the Mississippi river employ it extensively
for this purpose, considering it entirely
superior to privet. Has no thorns, but its
fine, stiff and crooked branches cause it to
so interlock in growth as to make fence
equal to English hawthorne for turning
stock.
The early Indians made from the leaves
OF this shrub their celebrated ''black
drink" which they largely used as a bever-
age, especially before engaging In any i'm
portant transaction. According to Elliott
the Greeks invariably employed it at the
opening of their councils, sending often
long distance for the yaupon leaves. They
considered it one of their most important
agents in preparing them for clear-sighted-
ness and long endurance.
Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
HOW TO MAKE MEAD

Your instructions given correspondents
on the subject of making cider leads me to
think that you might be able to tell me how
to make mead, good and wholesome drink
extensively used in some of the Northern
states. l have long tried to get IA recipe for
making it, without success. Can you ac-
commodate me through The GAZETTEER
WILLIS r. SANDS.
Dallas, Tex.
Mead is a liquor prepared mainly from
honey. 1t is the celebrated ''hydromeI' of
the Romans, Pliny and Virgil both speak
in high praise of it. The modern method
of making mead is as follows:
Strained honey. 100 pounds
Hot water. gallons
Stir thoroughly in an open vessel and
then let stand one hour, at the end Of
which time remove any scum that may
have appeared on the surface. Put into
good syrup barrel and add