The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-09-06
RCF1ARD and
aAz1,GARDEN
HOW HEN LICE BREED.
.SE.JE., ~

HOW HEN LICE BREED.
No bird or animal is tormenJed with
lice more than the domestic hen, yet
she takes greater care of herself than
any other living creature, as she
makes her toilet daily, arranging ev-
cry feather and resorting to every
method to rid herself of the pests,
which efforts would be successful II
she could control the conditions for
breeding lice. Those who build poul-
try-houses seek to save as much OF
the cost as possible, and by so doing
they are liable to leave so many hid
ing places for lice that it is almost
impossible to reach them except with
tedious and patient labor. If the walls
of poultry-houses were plastered, the
smooth surface presented would great
ly facilitate the keeping of the mouse
clear of lice, but plastered walls are
more expensive than rough boards,
and will not be generally adopted.
Lice breed in the hiding places that
can only be reached with liquids, so
that everything in the house must be
completely saturated in order to de-
stroy them; they also breed in the
nests and in the droppings. The red
mites go frosn the roosts to the hen.
and she clears them off with the dust
bath, only y, be supplied from the
house when she goes on the roost
again. The large gray lice breed on
the bodies of the hens, and are never
found in the poultry-house. They are
difficult for tire hen to remove, as they
cling tenaciolsly to the skin of the
head and neck. Any kind of grease,
however, will destroy them, lard oil
being excellent. Recently, the use Of
insecticides for spraying trees has
brought to notice the kerosene emul-
sion as remedy for lice, but there
is nothing that will serve SO well to
apply the emulsion as the sprayer.
which projects a spray as fine as dew,
and which can be made to spread ov-
er every square inch of surface. If
there are holes or crevIceS around
posts, where the boards are nailed on,
pure kerosene may be poured around
them out of an oil can, and for the
roosts use also the unadultered kero-
sene. Now is the season for lice, and
there is plenty to do to keep them
down.-Weekly Witness.
SEEDING APPLES OF MAINE.
Bulletin 143 of the Maine station,
"'The Seeding Apples of Maine is
just being sent out. The purpose OF
this bulletin is to call attention to
those varieties of Maine origin which
are worthy of wider dissemination;
and to record, as accurately as pos
sible, the history of such varieties.
While Baldwin, Greening, and other
standard varieties, mostly of New
England origin, will doubtless remain
for many years the leading market
sorts, new and valuable sorts are con-
tinually appearing, and these will be
most likely to excel near their native
home, or in their native State. The
wholesale injury to orchards by the
cold of the past few years is also an
incentive to search out. the merits of
native hardy varieties. Among the
most valuable of the thirty-eight ma
tive sorts mentioned in the bulletin,
are Deane, Dudley, King Sweet, Rolfe,
Starkey and Stowe. Some of those
described in genealogical manuals are
said to be wholly or practically eX-
tinct; though at one time of consid-
cradle Importance. An effort is being
made at the station to collect in
Maine Orchard such native seed
1ings as seen to merit attention, and
owners of valuable Seeding apples are
requested to forward specimens of the
fruit for examination.
CRUSHED OATS FOR HORSES.
Australian horsemen are divided as
to the propriety of crushing oats for
horses. The reason advanced in sup
porting crushed oats is that they are
more thoroughly digested than whole
oats. That, however, it is said, is
not the reason which mainly infiu-
ences the farmer. He finds that when
his horse-feed is crushed the germin-
ating power of the Wild oats which
may be mixed with it is destroyed,
and thus his padGocks are kept clean
longer than would be the case II the
oats were not crushed. As matter
of fact the crushing of oats does not
increase or promote their digestibility
The molar teeth of horses possess
great grinding or crushing powers and
a hcrse whose teeth are III
a normal condition is perfect
ly we'll able to chew or
masticate whole oats in a thorough
and complete manner. Crushed oats
require less grinding on the part of
the horse than whole oats, and the
former for feeding to animals that