The record-union., 1896-05-18
less for the milker and the milk before

veyed in the milk coming from a dirty
stable and from cows that know moth
ing of a curry-comb or a brush; but
that rattle with every movement with
the hardened filth of the whole winter
sticking upon them. The careless
dairymen who keeps such cows, and
there are some, bring suspicion on their
whole craft, and should be ferreted out
of the business.
The health of their innocent custom
ers, and often, it may be, the health Of
a whole city, is brought in jeopardy by
their filthy carelessness. This should
be stopped, SO that honest and cleanly
milkmen may get due credit for their
care and cleanliness, and that the filthy
milkman be either forced to reform, or
driven out of the business. Let US have
clean, healthy milk and the profit of
producing it will come to the cleanly
dairyman.-H. r. G., in Farm News.
THINNING FRUIT.
Fruit thinning is not done yet in all
parts of the State, though both frost
ana men have been at it for some weeks
back Therefore the following state
ment of thinning doctrine by l.. A.
Goodman, Secretary of the Missouri
horticultural Society, may be helpful
to some readers even at this late day
of the year:
Flrst-No tree should have more fruit
On 1t than it can hold up we'll and ma
ture to perfection; that is to say, that
the trees should not be SO loaded as to
require their being propped or so much
that the branches bend very severely.
Thls checks the growth of the fruit to
such an extent as to injure the quality.
Second-Every time a tree has too
much fruit it weakens it's vitality to
such an extent as to require two or
three years to recover, or so checks it's
growth that it begins to decline and is
permanently injured.
Third-In the production of an over
crop it costs the tree more to ripen the
seeds than to make the fruit
Fourth-If from tree heavily loaded
there is taken one-half or even three
fourths of the fruit, there will be more
bushels of fruit than there would be
if all were left on the tree.
Fifth-By this practice there will be
less poor fruit upon the market, and
the good will bring better prices and
give infinitely better satisfaction.
Sixth-Thinning makes the fruit of
much better quality makes 1t keep
longer, and produces finer, handsomer,
more attractive and much more desira-
Bile and salable fruit.
Seventh-When orchardists shall look
upon thinning as important as cultiva-
ton, pruning, care and attention, they
will succeed in supplying our markets
with perfect fruit and of the very best
tNr nd i'm c nd
enhance the value and give vastly
more satisfaction to both the producer
and consumer.
THE POULTRY YARD.
Now, while this nice weather lasts,
give the hen-house a cleaning; do it
thoroughly, for lice will soon start their
annual Cor shall I say weekly?) brood.
When you have cleaned the house and
nests, and raked all droppings off the
gravel dust the whole place with air.
Stacked lime (if you can not whitewash
it); then get your brush and can of pc
troleum Oil, and give the roosts a good
coat all over. Oil the places where the
roosts rest at ends; a little in the nest
boxes will help, and some about the
edges of the drop platform under roosts,
or any such places where lice can get.
I find petroleum better than kerosene; !;
it goes further, is cheaper, and, best of
all, it does not evapOrate SO quickly
and when fowls warm up the roosts at
night the fumes of the oil go all through
the fowls and help drive off any lice.
believe the roosts when kept we'll oiled
with petroleum are as good lice ex-
terminators as one can have in a poultry
house.
Next month you will wish to set a
few hens. Therefore, look we'll to the
little things that will insure fertile eggs
from healthy stock.
Have for the hens a good supply of
broken bones, shells, gravel and some
sort of green food. Lacking this last,
the sweepings of the haymow will help
wonderfully
1t will cause some trouble, but be sure
your hens are all clean on the legs Gree
of scab). If at all rough, oil them well
with petroleum, and in a few days they
will be bright and smooth; but, perhaps
a few may need a second oiling.
You ask, why this work? The scab is
a disease, and will go through the flock
and on down to the chicks as soon as
hatched, and only healthy fowls can do
their best.
Sort out all hens that are not active
and perfectly healthy-tWenty good hens
are worth forty fair ones. Now, see to
the cocks. Are they vigorous and
sturdy, broad-breasted, and the right
sort to mate your hens to insure a
healthy, hearty lot of chicks? Remem-
Der, the cock is half the flock, and an
extra dollar spent on him in getting
good one may mean 100 per cent. profit
next fall.
No need of fancy nests houses or
fowls, but do your best with what you
now have; keep things clean, keep down
lice and keep the fowls perfectly fed
and they will keep you in eggs and make
you sure there is money in hens, even
the common kinds.
1t is the little things done at the right
time that mean success, or if left undone
will be a great hindrance and cause loss
all through the season.-Country Cen
tleman.
STRAWBERRY HISTORY.
Professor Bailey of Cornell Univer-
sity gives the following historical sketch
Of the strawberry, which will be new
to many and interesting to all: There
was no commercial strawberry culture
in America worthy the name until the
introduction of the Hovey late in the
thirties. This and the Boston Pine
were seedlings of c. NJ. Hovey's. Cam
bridge, Mass. They first fruited in 1896
and 1851, and from them have descend
ed most of the garden strawberries of
the present day. These were seedlings
of the old Pine type of strawberry
which is a direct descendant of the
wild strawberry Of Chile. The Wilson
or Wilson's Albany, which originated
with John Wilson of Albany, N. Y, be-
gan to attract attention about 1856 or