The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-25

% I u
to what extent the recent Improvement In
prices can be maintained In the face of
this utter non-fulhllment of his prophe-
cies, MIR. Davis now repeats them in the
North American Review. He shows that
population Of the bread eating nations is
now 81 per cent. greater than In 1871, while
the area OF wheat, rye and buckwheat has
increased less than s per cent, while he
says the yield per acre has not meanwhile
been enlarged. Such theories are very
pretty food for mental speculation, but
every practical man knows that the area
of these grains could be enormously en-
larged and the yield per acre increased
by intensive culture, provided prices ad-
vanced to "a point that would make 1t pro-
fitable to do So The increase in the world
potato crop which in an average year ex-
ceeds the production OF all the bread
grains cited put together TO say nothing
of corn and oats and the immense increase
In commercial fruit and vegetable cul-
ture, disproves the otherwise alarming
quite as effectually as his earlier predic-
lions have since been exploded.
Cereals are the foods best adapted for
fowls. They give a large amount of nu-
triton in small bulk, and are easily pre-
served.
Wheat contains the largest amount of
heterogeneous substances, 12i2 per cent. Rye
contains the greatest amount of carbon
ates, 6S per cent; oats the greatest amount
of fat, l6 per cent, and cellulose IL per
cent. tMr. Meersch is clearly an anti
corn" man.-Ed)
The legumes, beans, peas, etc, surpass
all seeds in the quantity of albumen they
contain. They contain also much sulphur
phosphorus and other salts, and hence
constitute a highly nourishing food. but
not so easily digested as other grain.
Various roots are valuable for chickens
particularly so for the amount of starch
they furnish. The most common is the
potato, which, when cooked, makes an
easily digested food Owing to the Vege-
table acid in the potato ii is valuable as
a preventive of scurvy and other blood dis
eases.
Green vegetables are valuable as food
not so much for the per cent, of nourish-
ment they contain, for it is small, but for
their important organic salts. They sup
ply especially the salts of potash
Fruits are valuable for the same rea-
sons. They contain but q small quantity
of nutritive food, but promote intestinal
action. When given to excess, unripe
fruit sets up an intestinal irritation,
which must be avoided.
< man writes the following to the Smith
vile News: / want 10 pay for my sub
scription, but Pm little short of money;
so l send you half dozen eggs. If you'll
put 'em under a settin' hen they'll hatch
out enough chickens to pay for year 8
subscription.
Spencer Wilbur of Howleyton near this
city, has hit upon a novel method of get
ting rid of a neighbours chickens, which
had done much mischief in his garden.
He wrote a number of cards: Il am like
ly to be shot. Keep me at home" I've
been scratching up my neighbours gar
den," etc. To each of the cards he at
tached a thread, and at the other end a
kernel of corn. The hens swallowed the
corn and returned home labeled with the
cards, every one having a sign hanging
out of it's mouth.
Close Quarters for Fowls.-The question
as to how many fowls can be kept in a
certain space is one that has continued to
recur ever since poultry keaping became
important, and a, matter of study. The
general affirmation among the experts Is
that twenty-five fowls viii do beker than
fifty in the same space; fifteen WIZ do bet
ter than twenty-five; ten better than fif-
teen, and so on, perhaps, to nfinity. The
fact as 1T stands is not disputed, but an
other question hinges upon the first:
/ namely how small may be the focks
housed without increasing too much the
interest on investment, cost of labor and
so on? Perhaps the best-known raiser of
utility poultry in the east places the prof.
table number at fifty which is at least
Twelve to fifteen seems to be the right
number, on paper, but we believe the man
who makes a business of poultry keeping
usually finds twenty-five suit all circum-
stances better though the average NUM-
Der of eggs may not be so high.-Ameri-
can Gardening.
Road Reform-The organization of a
good roads association in any city Is a
movement toward an important reforma-
uylo hat he ait
limits have more interest In this matter
than the town people, but nearly all do
more or less driving or wheeling, while
every family is interested in the trans
portation of farm produce.
The farmers have more to gain by the
Improvement of highways than any other
large class of people. Preachers, doctors,
mail drivers and travelling agents are
small classes who individually have a
large concern in the state Of the roads,
but collectively do not suffer privations
at all comparable to that which the farm
ers endure by reason of bad roads. The
produce which the farmer sends to mar
ket Is hauled to town or taken to the rail-
road station ever the country highway.
The goods he purchases for his own use
must be conveyed part of the distance to
his home over this route. He drives his
family 20 church, or 10 town, or visits the
neighbors over such roads that are provid-
ed in his district. If the road is a bad
one he can only take half load when he
is carting produce, and can only travel at
a slow pace when he drives. His toll Is in
creased when he works his pleasure di-
minished when he takes his pleasure; his
horses suffer; his wagons and carriages
have a shorter lifetime than if his district
were provided with firm and smooth
highway. 1t might be possible to compute
the aggregate loss to the country IN time
and property through the bad condition of
the roads of the country 1t would not be
easy to estimate the loss Of comfort and
pleasure or to appraise the consequences
of loss of temper and Of health.-Wiscon-
sin Agriculturist
Mineral Fertilizer for Fruit-It requires
about the the same elements of plant food
TO make an apple tree that 1t does pear
or peach, but when the fruits are anal
wed we find quite a difference in their
composition. For example, 100 bushels OF
apples contain pound phosphoric acid 10
pounds potash, pounds nitrogen; 100 BUSH
els pears contain about III pounds phos-
phoric acid pounds potash, pounds
nitrogen: 100 bushels peaches contain
about 2h pounds phosphoric acid, 1S
pounds potash, 6 pounds nitrogen.
&c nra