The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-11-20
Rotbeds for Poultry

utilizing these glass frames for the benefit
Of the poultry and the plan would be par.
tirularly useful where one had to dis,
panse with q scratching she'd. The idea
Is to erect a frame somewhat higher thar
that used for hot bed purposes and put or
the glass sashes just as if it We're ar
ranged for hot bed purposes. Erect this
frame against the side of the poultry
house and cut an opening between just
large enough for the hens to get through.
They will use this glass room during the
day and get the benefit of all the sunlight
there is. At night the opening into the
house may be covered so that the house
/ proper will not be made any colder at
night as is frequently the case with houses
having glass fronts. The plan offers OPP
portunities to materially increase the egg
supply by giving the laying hens sun
baths and without any cost beyond the
labor of putting up the frame, for the ma
terial used can be utilized in operations of
other sorts on the farm.
T~horoughness in Spraying Necessary.
If a thing is worth doing it is worth do
ing well, an adage that applies to orchard
operations as we'll as to other affairs of
life. A tour of five months through or
chard sections has convinced the writer
that not one orchardist in n dozen does the
work of spraying properly and thoroughly.
They seem to have an idea that the in
sectide used Is one which destroys the in
sect or scale with its fumes when, as q
matter of fact, it must come into direct
contact with the scale to be effective.
While most of'the recognized formulas for
scale are effective il properly used, the so
called cold application is preferable for
while more expensive in the matter of in
gradients, much time Is saved in its use.
Take 20 pounds of sulphur and thin to n
paste with water. Stake 40 pounds of lime
and when it is about half slaked stir in the
sulphur mixture using at the same time
caustic soda ground and In the proportion
of one pound to each pound of the sui
phur. Add water and mix thoroughly, US
ing 60 gallons of water In completing tho
mixture, Including that used in stalking the
lime and mixing the sulphur. Apply on
the trees thoroughly so that when the tree
has been sprayed it will look as If covered
with flour. This mixture leaves the bark
Of the tree clean and will destroy the
scale If done thoroughly and in time.
Working the Home Market.
Growers of farm products of all kinds
are too much given to shipping their prod
ucts to the markets of the great cities
and ignoring the better markets nearer
home. This is particularly the case with
growers of small fruits and vegetables so
located, in many cases, that the large
markets are a considerable distance, hence
llic llelll " dliopOllJllO Is d COlSlutT-
able one. In many places the farmers are
growers of stock or of heavy farm crops
on a large scale and really would not find
1t profitable to grow the fruit and Vege-
tables needed for their own family. Such
people would appreciate the fresh products
from the gardeners place and be glad to
pay a fair price for it. The towns near
such sections are usually small and the
fruit and vegetable supplies on the mar
kets coma frcnl other sections, so that
there is abundant opportunity for the
fruit and vegetable grower to work up a
good home trade here. Such conditions
are well worth looking into for with a
home trade Of this sort the profits are
much greater than from shipments to the
city.
The Culture of Ginseng.
So many inquiries regarding ginseng
have come to the editor of this depart
ment, by reason perhaps of several glow
ing advertisements Of the work, that 1t is
deemed wise to give some space again to a
common sense view of the industry for
which SO much Is claimed. In the first
place the market for the product Of a
ginseng plantation is exclusively among
the Chinese, who consider the weed a cure
all and use it extensively. The market
price has ruled high for several years, but
not so high as we are led to believe. To
grow a crop of ginseng requires from four
to six years, and in addition requires spe-
cial soil and some contrivance for control
ling the moisture and the sunshine. The
plants must be shaded, at least partially,
all the time and they must have a limited
amount of moisture. In other words they
must be surrounded, as nearly as possible,
by the same conditions that are found in
the native forest homes Of the plants, q
thing requiring some work and skill, as
may be imagined. That there is profit in
a good crop of ginseng is not denied, but
that anyone under ordinary conditions in
any section can make a success of the
work is not the truth If, after reading
some of the reliable books on the culture
of this plant one feels that he can grow
it successfully, well and good, but for the
average farmer to take up the work Is a
mistake. Better stick to the crops which
you understand and which have given good
profits in the past.
Corn for Fattenins Poultry.
1t is natural hat the poultryman-farmer
turns to corn for fattening purpose for
he has more of that han of other grains,
but the man who would make the most
from a select trade in poultry will feed
some variety during the fattening period;
not so long as when the fowls are fed for
eggs but still long enough SO that the in
creased weight is obtained at not too great
cost. A man who has long supplied an
exclusive trade works o n the following
plan: Six weeks before the fowls are in
tended for market they are fed oats, bar
ley and millet in connection with corn.
That is, in every feed of corn at least one
third Of the ration is some other grain
with a dash of oil meal. The claim of this
feeder is tina the grains used give flesh
ii good weight, while the corn supplies
just enough fat to make the fowl proper
for the table. He claims, and r%ightfuly,
that the corn fattened bird is too fat and
that the fat does not weigh as much as
the flesh formed by the use of other
grains. This plan is worth the attention
Of those who have fowls to repar for
market.