The record-union., 1893-03-31

continually.
When dead we can strip the feathers
rom the center stem for filling pillows
Tor nome use. But never take them from
tne geese while living. l remember
shuddering slightly as | walked out with
a friend III neighboring goose run to see
the almost naked, bewildered appear
ahce OF the geese, breasts and thighs bare
ana sunburned, wings dropping, almost
no plumage save little head gear and
strip down the back. At my horrified
exclamation my friend laughed. oh"
SAID he, this woman gets them ready for
the oven while she is at it." And, of
course, she waited just SO much longer
for her next crop of feathers than the
nelghbor who picked in moderation.
AND as to the goslings. Cease at once
TO run after them; the old goose will lead
Lhem to pastures new, select tiny stones
Tor their digestive organs, turn them over
when they wobble on to their backs, or
shrek so loudly that you will divine
their anguish, rush out and aid them
once in a while.
fyou feel as if you must coddle them a
little, portable pasture fence made of
four panels OF fence, two long and two
snort ones nailed together and moved
whenever the pasture is needed, will
answer. But geese are geese, so don't be
surprised II you go out and find gosllng
hanging with broken neck through the
panels. Better after the first day or two
TO turn them loose with the old goose.
If more than one goose is setting keep
the one first Matched out of sight of the
remaining sitters, or every setting goose
Will leave her nest and run after the yell
low goslings at the risk of losing her own
eggs.-Farm journal.
WOOD ASHES IN SWINE RAISING.
An agricultural authority of high re-
pute forlnulates three rules for the guild
ance of those who would secure the maxi
mum of profit from the feeding of
swine-tirst, clean, dry, warm quar-, ers,
protected from winds and draughts; sec
ond, as much wholesome food-if grain,
preferably ground tine-as they Will eat
clean, three times day; and third, free
access TO mixture of salt and ashes to
sods or soil. Another writer speaks
specifically of the great value of wood
ashes as q medicine for all kinds of farm
animals, and especially for pigs. He has
raised swine extensively for more than
twenty years without cholera or swine
plague, and has not lost l per cent. of
his hogs by disease. He keeps wood
ashes and charcoal, mixed with salt,
constantly before his swine in a large
covered box, with holes two by six inches
near the bottom. The hogs will work
the mixture out through these holes as
far as they want it. He selects ashes rich
i'll charcoal, and mixes three parts OF
ashes to one of salt. There is no danger
OF the swine eating too much of this mix
ture, or OF pure salt, if it is kept coll
stantly before them and they are pro-
vided with water.
The beneficial effects OF the combina-
ton are quite marked, especially when
the hogs are tattened on fresh maize
Wood ashes when given to horses are
found TO have most salutary effect. The
writer last mentioned says that i'll thirty
seven years. experience upon the farm he
has lost but one horse, and this was over
heated in the horsepower of threshing
machine during his absence. and the only
condition POWDER he has ever used has
been clean wood ashes. The ashes may
be given by putting an even teaSpoonful
on the oats twice week; but he prefers to
keep the ashes-andsalt mixture con-
stantly before tho horse, and has made for
this purpose a little compartment in the
feed box. His experience is that the best
condition powder is mixture of three
parts wood ashes to one of salt; and when
it is given regularly, and reasonable care
and intelligence is used III handling
horses, no other medicines are necessary
Apart from the medicinal qualities OF
wood ashes, their efficacy as fertilizer is
we'll known.-LoulSyille .Courier-J our
nal.
THE PEACH ORCHARD.
In planting peach trees, care should be
taken to give the orchard every advan-
tage to secure a crop and to make the
fruit of the best quality and appearance,
for the peach is a paying crop when it
hits the market Just right, says Thomas
D. Baird of kentucky, in the Farm and
FIreSide. The best situation is an ele-
waited one, as there is less danger of frost
The best soil is one of warm, quick ma
ture; it should be naturally rich, or made
so by manure. The peach tree requires
richer soil than the apple, l think; soil
with large share of potash in it is one of
the best. l notice orchards on hillsides
do best, even though the soil may not be
so good. The land should slope to the
north rather than south, the brow of the
hill being better location than a steep
northern or southern slope. When on a
southern exposure, a few warm days may
bring out the fruit buds, and they be
killed by cold snap. L have observed
that orchards on high northern slopes
seldom fail. Some may claim to have a
richer fruit from southern aspects, but
the orchards on the north do not fail to
have fruit of good quality also.
The culture of the peach is quite simple
but it must be thorough and constant;
neither grass nor grains should be al
lowed to grow among them. Garden
crops, l find, may be grown in the
orchard even with a benefit, as they are
heavily manured and well work ed. The
finest peach orchard and the finest fruit [
ever saw was planted on a rich, warm
soil, cultivated and manured every year
the same as the corn crop, and kept we'll
pruned. In selecting trees, l much pre-
fer a small tree TO large one. | have
known some growers to select the largest,
thinking thereby to get fruit earlier; but
l believe such persons make a serious
mistake in so doing. A tree should be
kept headed IN, thinned and we'll balanced
over the trunk.
TOMATOES FOR HOME USE.
My method of raising tomatoes for
family use | have found quite successful.
The first requisite is good, strong,
potted plants, so far advanced as to be
ready to blossom. Last year some of
them at planting time had fruit set.
have the ground prepared beforehand,
making the hills about four feet apart,
and working up the soil to tie depth OF
eight inches where the plants are
to 90. L find good soil works as well for
tomatoes as for other crops. After the
middle of May, or as soon as warm
weather has fairly come, the plants are
transferred from the pots, the earth and
roots adhering in such Il way that trans
planting does not in the least check their
growth.
AS soon as the young plants attain suf-
ficient size to need it, strong stakes about
five feet in length are driven into the
ground, to which they are tied. This
was suggested to me by a correspondent
of the Country Gentleman some years ago,
and l find it very satisfactory. 1t keeps
them Off the ground, thus preventing
rotting, and gives free scope to sunshine
and air. If the growth of the plants is
too strong, the ends are clipped OFF from
time to time, as well as superfluous