The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-13
THE SCRAP BOOK.
GIeanings From Here and There.


Onions as Food for Chickens.-Fowls of
all varieties are extremely fond of onions.
and derive great benefit from eating them.
They not only serve all the purposes of
food. but aid digestion and tend to ward
off disease. They may be given in a raw
or cooked state. Chickens will eat not
only the bulbs, but the leaves. when chop
ped up and mixed with the soft food.
Chickens that are allowed onions prepared
in this way rarely. If ever, have cholera,
and are not likely 10 be infested with YER
min. \ very good food for laying mems
during the winter months consists OF COOK
ed meat, potatoes and chopped onions.
The last ingredient answers the same 2ur-
pose as pepper. A. c.
Soil for Grape Vines.-In setting out a
vineyard a deep and well-irained soil IS
more Important than great fertility. The
locations where some OF the nnest Ameri-
can grapes, such as the Catawba, Will
thrive and ripen their fruit TO perfection
are limited and land in such localities
suitable for vineyards brings high prices
even before 1t Is set with vines. BUT there
are scores of good early varieties of grapes
that can be grown on Land where good
corn crops can be produced. There is no
excuse for a farmer to deny himself and
family such. grapes as the Brlghton, Della
ware Niagara, Worden and the Rogers
hybrids, If he Is able to grow good corn
crops. And, after all, the bulk of the
grapes sold In market are OF these easily
grown varieties, including the concord,
which succeeds everywhere. A. G.
The Small Farm.-The small farm offers
better inducements for engaging in diversi-
fed cropping. When man settles down
upon a small area, he realizes that he must
make two blades of grass grow where
but one has grown before. Every avenue
of ingenuity must be brought into requi-
sition to make the firm pay. A few acres
are devoted to orchards, the garden Is
not neglected, pasturage must be account
ed for and the acreage under cereal cul-
tivation must be kept up.-Exchange.
Observation-Disclosures of agriculture who
know what they are talking about, says
the Examiner are not advising farmers
to plow very deep as they were fifty
years ago. Then farmers were informed
that every farmer had two farms. one ly-
ing one above the other, and that they
were cultivating one only and not always
the most fertile. But long observation and
experience have taught that most OF the
available plant food Of the soil lies within
eight inches Of the surface, and that there
all the most favorable conditions of
growth, air, heat, and moisture, are pres
ent, and that there the roots of plants
should be encouraged to feed. Soils vary
much in depth, from four to ten inches.
and there is but little use in blowing much
deeper than the soil: and it is the upper
eight inches that must be mainly relied
upon to supply plants with their proper
food.
The Up-to-Date Farmer.-The farmer
who farms as his father did is mot in it,
with his more progressive brother. The
Meat buying, observes the Texas Stock
man and Farmer, must give way to meat
growing. More grass, more forage crops
and more stock and greatly reduced
acreage to cotton is the newer and better
way The true idea is to diversity, grow
all home supplies that you can and have
as many things to sell and as few things
to buy as possible.
Hen Manure-Very few farmers realize
the value of hen manure for corn and 9TH
or crops; many put it with stable manure
and spread ii on the land, then blow il
under thereby losing much of its value
Hen manure when placed in the hill, will
grow better crop of corn and ripen it
two weeks earlier than any phosphate /
have ever used. 1t Is better for beans than
phosphate and is good for forcing most all
vegetables. / find it is better for forcing
than any plant food which / have used
/ have not had success in it's use for ipn-
1t in the hill and put it on the top just be-
fore hoeing. taking care to cover 1t deep
enough to keep it from drying. Farmers
might save many dollars by using what
hen manure they have.
Peach Tree Ferhlizlng. -Our peach
trees, says Hale OF Hartford, Conn,
are planted on good corn or wheat
land IN a fair state of fertility. The holes
for the trees are dug about twice as large
as necessary to receive the roots and a
good big handf'-' If fine ground bone is
Scattered in the bottom Of he hole and
two or three more on the dirt and that Is
worked in around the roots at the time the
tree is planted. Then we put on muriate
of potash The next spring we broadcast
from ,0G0 to 1,500 pounds per acre of fine
ground bone and 400 to 800 pounds muriate
of potash or its equivalent, and keep II
up every year whether the trees bear or
not. Some years, we can get cotton hull
ashes. 1t is pretty liberal feeding but il
pays to bel LIBERAL with the trees.
Potatoes in Hills or Drilis.-We do not
doubt the fact that the practice of grow
ing potatoes in drills rather than in hills
is becoming more common. 1t Is the nat
ural result of having seed of doubtful
vigor which has been the rule ever since
11pRan re- va
twenty-five or twenty three years ago We
still like possibly from Old habit the
practice of hill planting. If the potatoes
are Of vigorous habit or growth, three
feet apart each way will leave no va
cant ground when the plants are full
grown, and the spaces between the rows
win be equally well filled with roots If
an attempt Is made to crowd the plants
the vigor is diminished and also the yield
Some of the best new varieties grow their
roots very compactly, and viii bear TO
be planted in drills. But we think they
are more likely to suffer in dry weather
than are potatoes that are planted in
hills so that the soil can be cultivated
between them both ways This cultiva-
tion should never be deep. When moist
soil is turned up from below 1t exposes
a new surface to the afr. and this dries
out more rapidly. Continued shallow Gull
tivation will keep the dry soil on top to
act as mulch, and II the strata be-
meath is left undisturDed except early
before the potato roots have filed the
soil the lower soil where the roots are
II from below even in a dry time There
IS a possibility of injuring potatoes BY
very deep cultivation after they have
attained large growth. Not only are too
many roots cut off but the soil is ex-
posed too much to the air by being con-
tinually turned.
Women and the Garden.-Woman's first
happiness was found in a garden, and |
ever since Eden woman has been fore
most IN her interest in horticultural af- |
fairs Most men would do well 10 take |
the advice Of their wives about making |
the garden. though II Is not fair 70 compel |
the women folks to do the hard work /
about the garden, as q the habit Of many |
farmers. who think they cannot take time |
20 pufter about such trivial affairs. The /
western competition ~ growing OF grain |
u0rk cattle and sheep las turned the az /
fenl0u Of many eastern farmers 10 rar~