The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-05-18
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ABOUT THE FARM.
Hints of Practical Uso TO the Agri-
cuIturlst.

Il
Prof. A. J. Cook criticises some Of
the published formulate for kerosene
emulsion as unavailable in case of
hard" water.
Keep the poultry house clean and in
| good sanitary condition. Otherwise
| there is no profit in the business, for
loss by disease overbalances the In
| come.
1t is not the old tool or machine
| that deserves to be thrown away, but
, the wornout one; and 1t may not be
In the last state even IL old; 1t Gil de-
, pends on the care 1t has received.
Fences are q necessary evil, to be
dispensed with IL possible and to be
made as inconspicuous as possible IL
you must have them. No dooryarl
was ever inclosed with a paling fence
without marrinR It's beauty.
To be sure there are apple trees on
most farms, but apples are but one
kind of fruit, and there Is not one
bush of pears, cherries or plums--not
to mention grapes and berries-grown
where there ought to be one hundred,
could be too, with but little effort
Fowls that have some age on them
are made tenderer and the flesh more
juicy by being kept confined in close
clean quarters for two or three weeks
before being killed, and having moth
ing to eat but cors and pure water.
Chicks should be confined the same
way and with the same food, but q
week is sufficient, IL they are In good
order when shut up.
In addition to the use Of the bor-
deaux mixture In the vine yard and po-
tato fields 1t has been generally used
In the fruit garden and propagating
pit as fungicide. 1t has proved es-
pecially valuable in checking the
ravages of the red rust of the black
berry and the leaf blight of the cherry.
1t has also been successfully used In
preventing the leaf blight of violets.
One reason for the passing of the
pumpkin is the introduction of improv-
ed varieties of squashes, fine In grain,
choice in flavor and with long keeping
qualities. Another reason may be that
the vines of the pumpkin, which is a
rampant runner interfere considerably
with the late cultivation of any crop
with which it is planted.
Farmers frequently overstock them
selves with sheep, and then complain
that they do not pay. They will not
thrive If crowded, and this is prim-
ary cause of disease. The aim
should be to keep n small flock of good
blood, and give these good feed, good
shelter and wise care. This will in
sure more and better wool and mutton
than a larger flock kept under poorer
conditions.
Skim milk is too little valued as an
accessory for stock feeding Chemic-
ally considered, it contains all the ele-
ments necessary for the support of
life and rebuilding the tissue. Young
animals especially will use 1t to great
advantage In combination with other
foods, and there should be plenty of
such kept on every dairy farm, so that
this by product could be employed to
the fullest extent to supplement the
profit. |
The popular taste for yellow butter
comes from the fact that the butter
made when cows are pasturing ON clo- !
yer takes the color naturally, and usu- !
ally has no superior in quality, though !
1t may be equaled. Yellow butter has
become the standard and hence white .
or pale butter is regarded with dis |
favor. But, fortunately, the coloring
matter so much used to give fall or
winter butter the popular color is per-
fectly harmless, and something like
fad" can be gratified without a par
ticle of danger.
1t Is not uncommon for some of the
mutton breeds of sheep to produce and
rear twin lambs, and occasionally a
triplet The English Farmers Gazette ,
reports that a Nottinghamshire breeder
of Dorset horned sheep had one eve
that produced four lambs the second
of last January. Three of these she
reared, and the fourth was given to
another eve. The four lambs were
sold fat at ten dollars each. The same
eve has just dropped four more lambs
which will be fattened as the Others
were. The lambs We're sired by
ram.
1t is hard to get Flint corn to yield
bushel for bushel of shelled grain as it
comes In the ear. The eight-rowed
kinds will do 1t if the neck of the cob
is not too long and thick and the ear
is well filled to It's tips. But the
deeper grained Western Dent corn
ought always to yield bushel Of grain
for one Of ears. If II does not it is q
sign that the variety has thick cob
and is too late maturing TO be Of much
value. Some of the earlier Dent var
ieties have very deep grains, and cob
so small that a bushel of ears will
make considerably more than bushel
Of shelled grain.