The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-18
Rural Dreviucs From Here and
There.


The Texas station made an extensive
test OF the effect OF cotton seed meal on
the health of pigs. Death usually oc-
CURED in from six to eight weeks after
cotton seed meal was introduced int the
ration. Eighty-seven per cent OF the
pigs fed on this meal died The bulletin
also states that in previous years the
swine on the farm have died soon after
a very small quantity Of cotton seed meal
was added 10 the slop. ! have no &C
count at hand of the effect of this meal
on horses but believe that the Rural is
justified In giving the advice Il did. Cot
ton seed meal has been fed TO dairy COWS
and fattening steers without any appar-
ent 81 effects in most cases, but has
caused the death Of yourfg calves.
Feeding Charcoal TO Fowls.-Charcoal
is a great aid to digestion and should
always be placed within the reach Of
fowls. An excellent form in which TO give
Il is as charred corn. Throw a dry cob
of corn into the fire until the grains are
we'll blackened. then throw n, without
Smelling in 10 the fowls and watch how
they will pick at It. Another way Is to
shell the corn and put 1t In the oven OF
tho kitchen stove In baking pan. Stir
Il occasionally and leave II IN until thor
cold feed Il as warm as you can bear your
hand In it. The fowls like II wonderfully
well
Stable Manure With Ashes.-''Wood
ashes are too caustic 10 use on stable ma
nure In the open air as they will cause
loss OF ammonia. But If the manure Is
buried In the soil then caustic potash may
be applied to it, not only without injury
but with positive benefit. There is the
same loss OF ammonia from the manure
pile, but instead Of being dssipated into
the air Il is absorbed by the soil The
ashes also help to keep the manure In
moist condition. for they attract mois-
ture from the air In the soil, and very
possibly aid in decomposing the air. Pot
ash left in caverns underground, where
darkness always prevails. turns in time
10 saltpetre, and IL Is possible that the
nitrogen for this comes from the decom-
position OF the atmosphere when
in darkness, and where there is little
or no movement of the air.
Fertilizers for Cabbages.-'I am often
asked what fertilizers to apply to cab
hayes and caulnowers. / have never had
any difficulty in raising cabbages of i'm
mense size and good caulifiower under
favorable conditions of season, whenever
1 plowed under a heavy coat OF rotted
barnyard manure. Sometimes we don't
have it, or the soil is already in a good
manure applications. In that case / find
nothing superior or more quickly effective
than a light dressing of nitrate Of soda
! prefer to put 1t on after the plants are
set. and scatter about a tablespoonful
around each plant. A few weeks later /
may repeat this dose. In my experience
this treatment has seldom failed to give
me the most happy results. Greiner.
Mulching Potatoes-We occasionally see
recommendations OF the plan of growing
potatoes by mulch 80 as to save the
labor of cultivating and hoeing." This
plan Is only practicable on very small
scale, and costs more than 1t comes to
even for that. It's utter impracticability
must be apparent to any one who has had
any experience in potato growing. The
amount of straw or other material re-
quired to cover a potato field, or even
one acre of this crop, is something enor-
nous. There Is no place where straw
can be got for nothing and the cost Of
purchasing the straw and applying it
must make the crop far more expensive
than is the most thorough system of
cultivation. Nor Will crop thus mulched
be any more exempt from injury by
drought than is one that Is cultivated
in the usual way. The idea of Saving
labor" in this as in many other cases in
wolves a greater amount of labor than the
old-time plan 1t would supersede.
Absorptive Power of Solls.-The greater
prevalence of 6roughts as the country
grows older is partly owing 10 the fact
that soils long cultivated do not hold water
as they do when full of vegetable matter.
This Is especially true where the soil is
heavy and has at some time been worked
while wet 1t oftens requires years Of
cultivation with winter freezing and
thawing to fully break up the clods made
by blowing when the ground is saturated
with water. The pillow presses particles
OF clay soil together instead Of pulveriz-
ing them. If they arc narrowed while
wet. the clay sticks to the harrow ana
but little good Is done II the soil Is un-
drained these clods remain for years. as
the saturated soil freezes solid at the sur