The record-union., 1892-04-09
FARM AND ORCHARD.
Poultry Raisers Are Farmers
Wives and Daughters.

Plant Small Trees-Their Cultivation
/ The Trench Method for Planting
Potatoes-Egyptian Corn for Pork
Ashes for Rose Insects-Beans and
Peas for PouItry-Farm NOTES.-THE.
VINO are the actual poultry raisers of the
| country? One-fourth of our whole pop
ula1lon congregates in the cities, we are
told; IL follows, then, that the other
hree-fourths are to be found outside the
clties-that is, mainly on the farms. On
every farm we see poultry-at least hens
and the real practical poultry raisers''
on the larger proportions of these farms
are the farmers wives and daughters.
w ny not admit the truth, then, that
poultry Keeping is already Il business for
women by virtue Of present occupation?
W hat other business can our country
snow, aside from housekeeping, that
counts so many women in its ranks?-
women, too, who follow 1t all their lives,
though marriage even does not cut them
Oh from 1t, as is the case with mos occu-
pauons; nay, 1t rather enlarges their OPP
portunities
Is 1t to be supposed for a moment that
all these women would do all this work
lof scores OF years in succession if it did
not pay? "A paying business for the
women" has come to be a catch-word for
all the women writer's of the country,
WhereWlth to gain the favor of the editors
| OF the household publications; yet how
lew OF them have thought of this occupa-
tlon as an exponent of the taking topic
but the masculine element say that
women do not make a business OF rear
ing poultry. To be sure they fuss around,
ralse few chicks each year, and perhaps
get eggs enough to buy the family gro
| ceres, with possibly a mere trifle over
Tor spending money, but no one is foolish
enough to suppose that it pays 1t amuses
! the women no doubt, and furnishes the
luxury OF strictly fresh eggs and tender
chickens for the home table; but it is
! Sheef nonsense to suppose that it pays as
a cash investment.
because the Hook of hens may have
paid but few dollars money in hand
above the cost OF keeping the farmer con-
| slders ltsof little profit. He forgets, too,
the multiplying power of the Titles; he
does not consider that when nearly every
1arm IN the country can show the few
| dollars OF profit, the aggregate is enor-
nous. AS a result, he almost refuses to
oelleve that nearly the farm products OF
/ poultry In the United States amount to
500, OO0, 600 year, making no mention OF
the value Of fancy stock.-C. s. VaIen-
tine, in Farm Journal.
PLANT SMALL TREES.
Whether for market or for the use OF
| the family, the best varieties of fruit
! should be selected, and every farm should
have, if possible, not only apples. but
| oil dc
of small fruits. Once an orchard of trees
is established, but little labor of cultiva-
| ton is required compared with other
crops, while the profit is much greater in
| proportion to the area of land occupied
and the labor bestowed. Fruit is really a
luxury, and on the farm crop is very
useful, as large portion may be pre-
| served for winter use.
| 1t Is a mistake to buy 2-year-old trees
instead of those that are younger. Young
| trees Will start off better, and make more
roots than will large ones. If a young
tree and a tree two Or three years old are
planted side by SIDE, the younger one
will oyertake the other, and thrive better.
| In the method of planting is one of the
secrets of success. Remove the top soil
and place 1t to one side. Then make a
hole two feet square, and deep enough to
allow of firmly planting the tree. Cut
off the ends of all bruised roots. and
spread the roots out well in the hole,
/ throwing the top soil in on the roots
pressing 1t firmly and pouring water in
plentifully.
Fill up with the soil removed last, max
ing mound at the base of the tree. Nc
manure TO be used, but old bones may be
we'll pounded and put into the hole, mixed
with the soil. Cover with light mulch.
which should be removed after the trees
! begin to shoot. Do not be afraid to chi
| hack 60 nc to HOY no., e,t,>
and do not leave on too many new shoots
and rub off all that may appear afterward.
Apple and pear trees should be kept
clear the first year. A grass crop NAV
then be grown in the orchard, provided q
second growth is turned under, the OBJ
! ject being not to force such trees too rap.
idly, especially the pear as it may blight
| Peach trees should be cut back severely
every year, and should be kept well cul-
| tivated and clean, as a grass crop Is fatal
| to peach orchard. After the trees have
! been on the ground a year the land should
receive an application of wood ashes and
/ ground bone, and for peaches the ground
should be cultivated two or three times q
year, or as often as the grass begins to
take possession. Wben buying new trees
always carefully examine for signs OF the
| borer, and aim to procure trees from
! some section that is free from diseases OF
trees.-Philadelphia Record.
THE TRENCH METHOD.
Quite revolution was effected by the
! system OF growing potatoes by the trench
method, for when experiments showed
! that grower could produce over lbs
bushels of potatoes on one-eighth of an
acre, or at the rate of more than I,00C
! bushels on an acre, as was done by A.
Rose of Pen Van, n. Y, the new system
at once attracted attention, for Mr.. Rose
also secured over 500 bushels of potatoes
on full acre OF ground. 1t is
not yet conceded that the trench system
is superior TO the usual plot culture, but
| as the potato season is nearly here it is not
| out of place to state what the trench sys-
tenn is, in order that those who prefer
may make experiments in that direction
the coming season on plot or two. The
| land is plowed a foot deep and opened
eight inches. The seed is then planted
and the trenches left open, the dirt being
filled in as the plant grows, the claim be-
/ ing that by thus gradually filling as the
growth is made, the potatoes produce more
tubers, as well as larger size and better
! quality, on account OF having more room
| and better soil; but when the trench is
filled to the top the rows are level, and the
usual level cultivation is given, though
some prefer to hill up the rows, believing
that by so doing more moisture is re-
tanned in the soil
The usual mode of growing potatoes is
to plant the seed from four to six inches
deep, but as the trench system calls for
nine inches of depth. and OF the width OF
a heavy pillow furrow to as much as three
feet, if preferred, tuber-bearing stems
issue from different planes, making sew
eral tiers of tubers, fairly separated from
each other, instead of being crowded.
The use of choice varieties, and the cut
! ting of the seed judiciously, is well I'M
derstood by all potato growers, and as the
trench system is very simple, there is but