Year: 1879

CAhm AND UAhDLNs

 WICK S ADVICE ABOUT ASPARAGUS.

 A plea for starting asparagus beds in

 the fall IS made by James Vick. He

 says:-There can be no better time than

 the present to make asparagus beds.

 Deep spading or blowing and working

 in a good body of well-rotted manure upon piece of well-drained soil are the

 essential preparations for crop. Good,

 strong plants, one or two years old,

 should be procured, and of good vari-

 ety. Oonover's Colossal is the best,

 and we advise it in preference to any

 other now in the market. There is

 great difference in practice about the

 distance apart the plants are set. For

 culture on large scale by means of

 the horse-hoe or cultivator, three feet

 by two are not too great distances; but Ill the garden, where it is necessary to economize space, the plants may be set closer if the cultiVator is to be used the rows may be three feet apart and the plants set one foot from each other in the rows; if the hoe and the fork are only to be employed, they may be Set as closely as one foot each way. To set the plants trench about eight inches wide and six inches deep should be dug along the line and in this line tho plants should be carefully placed, so that the roots shall spread out freely in every direction; after this cover in the plants, being careful to work in soil that is tiue about the roots; this last caution is hardly necessary, for it is supposed that the preparation given the soil is so thorough that every spadeful is fine aud mellow. After planting give the ground dressing of old manure, but do not use fresh manure, as it always contains more or less of weed-seed ready to ger minate in the spring.

 PLUMP TURKEY,

 The season is drawing near when plump turkey with delicate, palatable flesh will command good price in all markets and furnish desir able dish for the home table. There exists wide diversity of opinion in regard to fatten- ing turkeys. A very common, but erro- neous practice, being to half starve them until about the time they are re- quired for market, and then cram them with food to fatten them. Experience has proven over and over again that this is mistake, and intelligent grow CTS of these fowls understand that the best way to obtain the greatest number of pounds of we'll favored, juicy flesh is to feed the birds iberaljy from the time they are matched until they are put on the market. The rations of corn and oatmeal which follow the primary food of recently matched turkeys should be continued as the staple food, with occa- sional changes, until it is time to lay on increased flesh, when whole corn ought to be plentifully given. Variety of food is, to @ certain extent, always bene- ficial and becomes positive necessity when the fowls are confined. Then | different kinds of green food as fresh grass and dandelions, chopped fine, should be iberally dispensed, the latter being very acceptable to them. Turkeys are also quite fond of milk, cheese curds and the like, which with bread crumbs, corn bread, chopped onion and in fact almost any clean, sweet food will insure health so far as feeding influences it, and gain an excellent quality of flesh for the table. While turkeys should be assisted to as much food as they will eat, care ought to be exercised that no more is given, as food lying about in reach of young birds, to become stale and sour, results in feeble, undersized fowls.

 Turkeys bear confinement least best of any class of poultry, hence the benefit of extended runs during the day. When they are regularly fed near or in their enclosures it has tendency to bring hem home to roost. This class of fowls require 8 higher roosting-place than 1ens, which fact should be remembered n the construction of their GOODS or louses.

 The several varieties of turkeys differ widely in size and in weight. Quanti- ies are in the market every year weigh ng not over eight pounds, and the aver Ige weight of common sorts may be put town at about twelve pounds. The economy of securing a good stock of the pest variety is apparent to every farmer vho stops to consider the matter at all, or by no other means do the returns justify the extra care demanded in rais- ng this class of poultry.

 It is generally conceded that the 'ronze variety is a superior one, and it hould be introduced as rapidly as pos ible in every poultry yard where tur- ;eys form an element. At eight months ( f age this variety pro luces birds, , 7eighing from twenty to thirty pounds. l