Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-05-20
Setting Hens.

change them with others that are not SO
| strong.
| Setting Hens.
1t is an old saying that there is right
and a wrong way of doing everything
This is as true Of setting hen as of
anything else.
A hen should not be set in the gen
| eral chicken house, as she will breed
vermin much faster than one who is
free, hence the building will soon be-
come infested. The LAYING hens are
apt to fight with the settlers, and thus
break eggs, or kill the Matching chicks
and if the nests are not closely watched
while the settlers are off, are apt to lay
in the nests.
When you are sure a hen has the set
ting fever, prepare the nest, which
should be fourteen inches square and
six inches deep for small hens, and
eighteen inches square for large ones,
by placing about four inches of cut
straw and few tobacco leaves in it, and
shaping it low in the middle, higher at
the sides; but be sure the bottom is
large enough to hold thirteen eggs with
out one rolling on another.
Dust we'll with insect powder ard add
a nest egg or two. After dark carefully
remove The hen SO as not to frighten
her, and place her in her new quarters.
In the morning if she takes kindly to
her new nest-and they rarely do
acknowledgements the nest eggs, and
give full clutch, putting in q few at a
time and letting her fix them to suit.
If many hens are in the same build
ing, they shonld be marked, so as to be
readily told apart, and care taken that
each one goes to her own nest, as the
body of a hen setting but a few days,
has much more heat than one that has
set nearly three weeks; hence eggs are
often in ured by change of hens. If
the settlers show disposition to leave
their own and invade another nest,
secure them by placing over them an
open frame; this should be removed
regularly each day to allow the hens to
come off for food and water. Whole
corn is perhaps the best diet, as it takes
| longer to digest, and helps maintain an
even temperature. Keep either gravel
or broken crockery within reach all the
time.
Experience has taught that hens set
in separate building are much easier
cared for, and will bring out larger per
cent. of chicks than otherwise. We
have used the barn for early settlers,
afterward an empty corn crib, till a
building was provided on purpose.
Plant Fertilizers.
ga successful florist" writes to the
Rural Home little advice about ma
nuring flowers. He says that the sue
cessful florist has more faith in giving
stimulants when the plants really need
them than in keeping the roots buried
in soil made rich and almost offensive
by strong manure. When roots are few
and the plants are almost at rest, the
purer the soil and the less stimulant
the plants receive, the better will they
thrive when their roots come to draw
up larger supplies of nourishment.
Moisture is needed to soften the soil
and to allow the roots to extract nour-
ishment from it, but when all the virtue
is out of the earth and the plants begin
to show signs of distress, all the water
in the world would not give vigOr to
the exhausted functions; but let a por-
ton of guanO, or any Well-prepared
manure, be mixed with the water suffi-
cient to color it, and let this be repeat
ed at every watering, instead Of giving
a much stronger dose at longer inter
walls; the result will be more satisfac-
tory. The beneficial results obtained
from manure water when judiciously ap-
piled to towering and fruiting plants
have long been recognized by cult
vators, and it's useis now becoming more
general.
A valuable liquid is made by using
ammonia, putting about one teaspoon
full to two quarts of water when water
ing the plants.
Plants require about the same treat
ment except in the matter of food.
Iyies may be given plenty of warm
water, but should not be stimulated
with liquid manure.
Callas will bear stimulating to almost
any degree. Give them an abundance
fstable manure and warm water Com
mercial fertilizers are of no value in
creating blossom stocks
Give your pinks a little lime water,
but never stimulate them with guanO Or
anything of the sort. Give roses q little
powdered charcoal or weak SCOT tea.
If flowers do not mature we'll, they may
be made to by placing layer of pow
dered charcoal half an inch deep on the
earth in the pot.
Commercial fertilizers or plant food
should not be be applied oftener than
once in two weeks. Stir UP the soil
around the edge of the pot, and
fertilizer, watering the soil slightly after.
All stimulants should be applied with
care. Begonias are particularly sensi-
tive to them, and they should be used
but seldom on geranfums; but to roses,
fuchsias, carnations, heliotrope, and
others they may be given with more
safety.
Spring in the Garden.
Messrs Hale, the noted Connecticut
fruit growers, give the following good
advice III recent circular:
Cut out all old wood from the cur
rants raspberries and blackberries and
If they grew very rank last year head
them in little, to increase the size of
the fruit Manure them literally and
look out for the currant worm after the
leaves start. Put the grape vines on
the trellis securely. and do not leave