The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-07-13
OUR RURAL TOPICS
Soma Practical Suggestions for 0M
Agricultural Readers

I always place barrels and boxes along the
fences and hedges whore the turkeys will nos
be disturbed sad yet not be too far away FROM
the house. 1t Is well to cover the barrels and
boxes with little straw or brush, as turkey
hens like to lay in secluded places. They viii
often lay in with the chicken hens. and n nos
run of the nest they will set there when they
are through laying. Turkeys are very shS
about going to their nests and they should b
watched at distance. When the eggs ars 70.
moved there should be a nest egg placed in the
nest and covered over, as they cover their eggs
We have found the bronze variety q very
productive layer, some of our hens laying az
many rs four settings of Is to II eggs each time.
They begin laying in the Spring. according 70
season with US oftimes in February, and agaiR
not until April. Some persons have idea
that turkeys, Ike hens, lay during the whole
season. This is not the case. II allowed to
lay and hatch they will bring off two broods .
year. We have had them to lay and sit up to
Christmas, but this is seldom the case.
After a number Of years trial We find better
success in allowing the turkey hen to lay, sit,
hatch, and rear her own young. Of course, il
you have no turkeys of your own, and are Just
beginning, you cannot do this, and you muss
then place the eggs under the best common hea
you have. The turkey hen can succeed with
the young poults the best because first she
knows what is best for them to eat and hunts
| for this food 1.-THE young turks will live upon
bugs, worms, and weed seeds alone); second,
| they are not inclined TO wander very far with
| the turks while very young, and will not drag
| them through the wet grass Of a damp morning.
| We have had turkey hens to steal their pests
| away, and we would see more Of them until
| they would come home with nice little flock
of turks six weeks to two months old. We aim
| to drive our turkeys home and feed them, 50
! xvfn .wE~ Ii. 8
| home every night.
The chicken mother will be inclined to run
| them to death, will not hunt among the graa
for proper feed. and is inclined to trampIe them
| to death with her fuSsy ways. II you do rear
with hens, or even with turkey mothers and
want them well taken care of, they should Be
cooped for a week, or, better yet, two weeks, and
| fed upon Dutch cheese, bread and milk, rather
| dry, or cornbread. They are very tender wheE
! young. and require looking after. They should
| be busted with insect powder have little
| sweet oil or lard smeared upon the head and
| under the wings. single louise can kill .
turkey in short time. They are also inclined
TO get upon their backs, and if they once gsi
| into this position they likely to die as they
| seem not to be able TO turn back themselves.
| They may be said to belong to that class Of
| people who never turn back" After they are
two months old they are very hardy. and
| when grown prefer to roost on top Of buildings
| or in the trees to shed or hen-house-JoHz
| C.. SNYDER in American Farmer.
DR.. Holmes expressed great truth when he
said that the education Of boy should begin
| 100 years before he is born; and it is equally
true that the cultivation of the corn-plsnt
| should begin before the seed is planted. The
| ground be pulverized better and more
easily before the seed is planted in it than after.
| The cold, wet Spring in many places has 50 de.
/ layed corn planting that the temptation viii b.
10 fy-fn H. Nof~
the sesd bed is thoroughly prepared. To yield
to this temptation will be quite serious mis-.
/ take. If the seed-bed is first properly pre-
| pared termination will be better and in two
weeks the corn will be ahead Of that planted
two or three days earlier in ground not we'll
prepared.
1t is well to go over the field with sharp
| smoothing -harroW almost Immediately after 10
| is planted. No attention need be paid to the
hills or drills at this time. In fact, it is bess
to harrow across the rows or drills. This will
| root out the weeds that may have started in
| the hills. as well as elsewhere. It will also
close the furrow if the corn has been planted
| by hand, or the planter-track if the tWo-horss
| planter has been used thus often avoiding the
| washing out of the corn on hillsides. for if thu
| burrows or tracks not closed heavy rain
| will send rivulent along each of them. Fill
| ing up the furros also makes cultivation easier,
as the clods will not then roll down on to the
| corn.
| Early cultivation is the most effective A
| weed is most easily killed when il is smallestg
and the sooner it is killed the less damage 10
has done. The task is easy If Que keeps ahead
of the weeds; hard if one allows the weeds to
| get ahead of him. Then, the probably
| most needs the help from cultivation when 10
/ is small, and its feeding capacities are limited
and feeble.
For early cultivation the smoothing srrow
| is splendid implement. After the grains have
1 SDrOutad cultivation muSt until the
reaches the surface; but as soon as the rows
can be discerned the harrow should be again
brought into use. It will be necessary to knock
| out two or three teeth, forming vacant space,
| eight inches a foot wide, to pass over the
| row; and to bend hook over or nail two old
| plow handles to the rear of the harrow, that 10
may be guided along the row. This will GER
| taiDly be necessary on hillsides. The smooth
| ing harrow, sharp. is good implement to use
until the corn is six inches high.
| The disc harrow is the best implement TO use
| while the corn is quite small, on land so smooth
| that its use is permitted Bumpers are neees-
| sary, and the discs must be turned out. or
| course the harrow must not be wide that its
| ends will reach over on the other rows. The
| disc harrow can be used only with steady
| walking team that comes up well against the
| bits, and one must be very careful how be
| drives; for the only way to guide the disc har-
| row along the row is with the team. It does
| make splendid job, though; as il cuts over the
| middles twice, it thoroughly fines the ground.
and effectually disposes of grass and weeds.
But it should not be used when the corn has
made any considerable growth, for it goes %
| deep that it will cut the roots Of the corn
| something to be avoided.
In a recent bulletin of the Illinois Agrf-
| cultural Experiment Station it is said: As
| in each of several previous years trials in 1892
| show that shallow cultivation is better than
deep, and that more frequent cultivation than
is necessary to keep the soil free from weeds
and the surface fairly loose is not profitable.
| On the Station grounds weeds were the chief
| enemy to the compliant Fair yields of corn
| have been secured in each of several years
! without any cultivation after planting, other
| than scraping the surface with sharp hoe4
! Root pruning has uniformly decreased the
| yield" The recent bulletin from the Indiana
! Station, on its experiments for several years
with corn, says: "Shallow cultivation of corn
| has given better results than either medium
| or deep cultivation. Shallow running cora
| cultivators have produced higher averSge
| yields than those which deeply stir the soil"
| The evidence is practically unanimous and
! in agreement with that just stated. Public
and private experiments are almost uniformly
| in favor of shallow cultivation. To avoid root
| pruning is rule rarely to be departed from.
| have found the departure advisable when
| heavy, flooding rains followed Immediately