The Opelousas courier., 1893-01-21
FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.

mails with food.-American Cultivator.
FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.
The perfect apple is of medium size.
Turkeys, ducks, geese and guineas may
he Matched in the incubator.
Get the flower borders ready for SOW.
ing ANNALS of the hardy class.
Geese are great foragers and will eat
almost as much grass as a growing calf.
Worden's Seckel pear is considered a
very promising fruit by excellent author
tiles.
Growers are regarding with much
favor the Frederick Clap pear, which
Tipens in October.
The best fertilizer for an orchard is
stall manure mixed with wood ashes OF
some phosphate mixture.
Every care should be taken that the
roots of transplanted trees are not ex-
posed to either sun or wind.
The "Boardman' is a new apple,
named in honor of the Secretary of the
Maine Pathological Society.
If not already done, cover over your
strawberry bed with straw to remain and
protect the fruit from the ground.
Oae of the best plans of management
with the chickens and turkeys is to
change the males at least once a year.
Early maturity is securing a Large
growth at an early age; but to receive
the best results quality must go with it.
One of the most important items in
the management of young turkeys is to
keep them dry, at least until the feathers
are well started.
Some hens never make good ~sitters,
and hence should never be allowed to
sit; a good mother is necessary to raise
the young fowls.
March and April are the best for hatch
ing, and all reasonable care should be
taken to secure as large a number as Pos-
sible during this time.
See that the sitting hens have ready
access to plenty of food and water, so
that they will not be obliged to leave
their nests too long at any n time.
If the incubator chickens are a little
late, better sell them when they will
average one and a half pound in weight
rather than risk lower prices a little
later.
There is no advantage in putting too
large q number of eggs under the setting
hens; fifteen is as many as a good large
hen can covea and a smaller hen should
be given a less number.
In setting out trees, shrubs, berry
plants, berry bushes or flowers, be sure
you leave no open interstices under the
roots; make sure that the soil touches
the roots at every point.
Low-lying lands should, as a rule, he
avoided Tor fruit trees. In general the
best results are obtained on high ground,
when the soil may be too rough for other
tillage, yet reasonably fertile.
When spring planting is in order sc
the strawberry plants as early as the sea-
son will allow. If profit only is the OBJ
iect, select well tested varieties that are
favorites in your nearest market.
When you set a broody hen, give her
a green sod for the bottom tf her nest ;
it tends to keep moisture for the eggs.
Mark the date of setting on each egg, and
see to it that no hens lay to her or break
her eggs.
Fifty fowls may be kept in n house,
provided the place is kept clean and
sweet and furnished with a good run.
The fowls should have wholesome food,
varied with green stuff, ground bone
meal, and coarsely ground oyster-shelt'
Fowls should become used to their
quarters.
Book keeping is just as necessary in
poultry keeping as IT, ordinary mercan-
| tile business. Debit the hens with all
food, buildings and general labor in theiE
behalf, and credit the with all eggs,
poultry and stock sold. Their, at the
end of the year, or in fact any time, YOU
financial standing will be readily discov-
cred.
Absorbents are of great value to tn
poultry house. Dry loan, smuck, Goa
ashes, etc, are splendid for ''taking in
not only moisture and dampness, but also
the various n~oxious gases, such as am
monia and carbonic acid gas, which are
ALWAYS present in greater or lesser guam
titles. A pure dry atmosphere is essen
tial to health.
Among the anomalies of nomenclature
noticed in our market reports are tn
words esIrish potatoes" applied to gu
common potato. The potato is purel,
an American. Ireland never saw on
until it was sent there from this cont
1ant. The same is true of the tomato
Owing to the very large use of this veg
etable in Southern Europe many person
are oil the opinion that the tomato was
native Of that section.
from the Ieealng or the men IN Wlnbel
fo. eggs, all the way through the line 0
doY,esticated animals until we reach th
hich st bred and most valuable %trotter,
the matter of selected feeds, properi.
balanced feeds, and feeds adapted to th
end desired and essential to the accom-
plishments of the highest results is VIII
the American farmer and feeder has t
direct his most earnest attention to
First feed the soil, then the animal, an
do both scientifically.
egnning Of Gu'is.