THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



13 



(Clippings. 



is our desire to make these so full and varied that every 

 ■reader of The Farm and Garden, even Ihonnh he takes 

 no other paper can feel in a measure acquainted loith all 

 4he leading publicalians. 



Ih-om "Our Country Home," Oreenjield, 3fass. 

 MANURE FOR NOTHING. 



We will not discusa tUe merits or demerits of the so- 

 called phosphates. They have a place in agriculture. 

 We want to point out how manure may be had for 

 nothing, and the substances almost entirely those which 

 are purchased under the different brands as phosphates, 

 superphosphates, and guanos. Our special manure is 

 known in the market as " middlings," some people call 

 It '■ ship stuffs." It can be bought now for about $22 per 

 ton. It will not only promote life when fed to animals, 

 but it will make growth, and recent experiments by 

 Prof. Sanborn have shown that it will make growth 

 «qual to, if not better than corn. It is first class to make 

 milk when fed to cows, and it is superior to make pigs 

 grow; in fact, it is one of the very best of foods for 

 them. It is the general purpose food more than any 

 other, unless it is oats. After being fed, and doing its 

 part to increase the income of the farmer in promoting 

 growth— as excrement, manure— it Is worth all it cost. 

 It pays for itself as food, and then again as a fertilizer. 

 Plenty of cows and lots of middlings for them, means 

 free manure and better crops. 



A. O. Lewis, in '• Gardeners' Monthlii" Fhilad'a. 

 CULTURE OP AMARTLLIS. 



I have been very successful in the culture of Amaryllis, 

 and offer my experience for the benefit of the readers 

 of the aardeners' Montlily. I have some almost in bloom 

 through the whole summer months. 



In October I put the pots on a hanging shelf in the 

 cellar, and water about once a month until February, 

 when I shake out of the pots, and reset in the same pots 

 with fresh earth. It rarely requires a large pot to get a 

 good blooming bulb. Four inches is large enough for 

 most kinds. After repotting I put them on the shelf 

 again, and water once a week until about the 20th of 

 May, when I place the pots out of doors in sun or shade 

 as most convenient. In a few days they begin to bloom, 

 and some of them throw up flowers several times during 

 the season. I have a number of varieties, and they give 

 me as much pleasure as any flower I grow. As the 

 flowers open I take the pots into the house, where the 

 flowers are always admired. For day or night decora- 

 tion nothing can be grander, and they always excite 

 admiration. For those who have no greenhouses they 

 are just the thing. 



throwing over each hill or plant a fork full of manure, 

 or drawing up a bank of earth over them, and drawing 

 it away in the spring. 



We, like all other fruit growers, are not particularly 

 driveu in the fall, while in the spring we are badly 

 worked, hardly knowing which job to do first, and 

 hence the more we can do in the fall the better shape 

 our work is in In the spring, and lastly, fall set plants 

 will make a much better growth than those set in the 

 spring, and yield a much better crop the first bearing 

 year. We do not, however, recommend setting in the 

 fall on naturally wet ground. 



From "American," Watfrbury, CbmL 



THE DEADLY TEAPOT. 

 " While good temperance people are decrying liquor," 

 said one of the leading physicians of the city, as he came 

 into his office, erased the information of his previous 

 whereabouts from his slate, and tipped back in his easy 

 chair, " they seldom stop to think how much harm is 

 being done by the abuse of a beverage to which many of 

 them are devoted. I just came from attending the case 

 of a nve-year-old babe who is ruined for life by the pa- 

 rents indulging it in tea-drinking. The child became 

 very nervous and dyspeptic, and they sent for me. I 

 asked them how much tea the child drank. "About two 

 cups at each meal and several between meals," was the 

 repl.v. " You see," the doctor continued, "they let the 

 teapot stand on the stove all day. Thus the tannic acid 

 is extracted, which serves to turn the linings of the 

 stomach into leather, and brings on dyspepsia and kin- 

 dred diseases. Yes, there are hundreds of women, 

 young girls and aged women, and occasionally a man, 

 who have completely ruined their nervous systems by 

 the excessive use of common tea. It will be a blessing 

 to mankind when a temperance crusade can spare wind 

 from its attack on alcohol to assail tea. Prominent 

 Christian people and all classes of people are addicted 

 to the habit, and thousands are languishing to-day in 

 consequence. Very excessive use of tobacco acts some- 

 what in the same way. But I believe the greater gene- 

 ral evil lurks in the tea, because it happens to be in favor 

 with the best of people— best as regards popular opinion, 

 but among the worst from a medical point of view." 



from thirty to sixty cows, and they may select a like 

 number and bi eed them to Short-horn bulls and we will 

 breed ours to Hereford bulls. 



A given quantity of land shall be set aside for each 

 herd, and they may state the quantity of land to be so 

 used, and the herds shall be kept from such product aa 

 shall be taken from or grazed upon the land so selected. 

 Messrs. Gaines & Son may use the land and handle the 

 cattle in such manner or lor such crops as they deem 

 best, and we will do the same. Believing that these 

 breeds are of value as they are able to transmit their 

 quality and cliaracter upon their produce when crossed 

 upon the common or native cattle of the country, we 

 should be glad to have the Messrs. Gaines join with us 

 in selecting a given immber of cows that shall be two 

 years old next spring, of any grade or quality they may 

 choose, within the following limits, say; One-third of 

 the number shall be a good claso of Texas cows, one- 

 third good common cows without any known breeding, 

 and one-third good grade Short-horns; and these to be 

 divided equally, Messrs. Gaines selecting the first and 

 we the second, drawing alternately until the division 

 shall be made. 



Starting with such herds, the cows shall have service 

 commencing with the 1st of June in each year, and the 

 entire bullock produce shall be shown at the Fat-Stock 

 Show in the fall of each year after they are two years 

 old, and sold at that time. The draft cows shall be mar- 

 keted at the same time, and these shall be from the 

 original herd or from their produce, as each party may 

 select, and as the land improves and becomes capable of 

 carrying a greater number of cattle, the cows may be 

 increased, if either party shall so elect. 



The expenses of working the land and handling the 

 cattle shall be kept correctly, and a report shall be made 

 under oath. And Messrs. Gaines and ourselves shall 

 enter into an engagement that the experiment shall be 

 carried on for ten years from next spring, to wit.: from 

 April, 1885. 



Should the manner of selecting the cows seem ob- 

 jectionable to the Messrs. Gaines, we will endeavor to 

 accommodate ourselves to their views, though we would 

 like the experiment to be made for each breed to be aa 

 like as possible. T. L. Miller Company. 



Fi-om "American Cidtivator," Boston, Mass. 



Farmers are often deceived in regard to the values of 

 crops, foods, and other articles, by the tabulated state- 

 ments of their chemical constituents. These statements 

 may be correct, but the prevalence of a great quantity 

 of one element or another does not prove that the arti- 

 cle is superior, although that clement may be of all 

 others the most valuable. There are other matters re- 

 lating to foods and fertilizers of more importance than 

 the mere superabundance of certain valuable elements. 



The mechanical nature of the material which affects 

 cost of transportation and of handling on the farm, 

 adaptability to certain soils and exposures, the readiness 

 with which foods are eaten and digested by man or ani- 

 mals, and numerous other accessory conditions, have 

 usually more to do with the real value than simple 

 chemical composition. We have heard the potato de- 

 cried as an article of food because a large percentage of 

 It is made up of water, and in its stead was recom- 

 mended the starch and other valuable elements which 

 It contains in a condensed and isolated form. This ad- 

 vice overlooks the fact that water is essential to human 

 food, and the more important fact that the stomach 

 must contain a certain amount of bulk before it can di- 

 gest well. ' 



From " Fruit Recorder," Pcdmyra, N. Y, 



ALL SETTING OP RASPBERRIES, ETC. 



There are many things that lavor fall setting of 

 raspberries and blackberries. 



First.— Ther.e has been and will be for two or three 

 years to come an immense demand for plants, and the 

 planters at the north not getting ready to plant before 

 the latter part of April and first of May, have found it 

 Impossible to find plants, while if such had set In the 

 fall they would have had a fine plantation growing, and 

 not been disappointed in getting plants. 



Second.— Tliere is more time to do it and do it well in 

 the fall than spring, and by being done then the work is 

 oft from one's hands. 



Third.— By being set in the fall they are more apt to 

 all grow, and make uniform rows, than if set In the 

 spring, and to make a much larger growth the first 

 season. 



Fourth.— The sprout starts early in the spring, and by 

 being handled Is easily broken ofl, while if set in the fall 

 this is not done. 



We are most decided in doing our setting hereafter In 

 the fall, and when set at that season we advise either 



Fi-mn "Evening Post," New York, 



LETTERS THAT GO WRONG. 



Four million letters fail to be delivered every year 

 because of defects in the superscription-no less than 

 ten thousand being annually mailed without any address 

 whatever! 



From 50 to 60 per cent, of all letters forwarded to the 

 Dead-Letter Office find their way to the pei son for whom 

 they are intended, or are sent back to the sender. The 

 others, if of no value, are destroyed. That so many let- 

 ters, which to the ordinary observer would seem totally 

 unintelligible, find their way to the addresses is due to 

 the care which Is taken to exhaust every means before 

 giving up the chase. There are received an average of 

 about 1000 letters daily, which have been forwarded from 

 postmasters who were unable to read the writing on the 

 envelope, or because some part of the addre.'is was miss- 

 ing. Sometimes a writer will forget to put tlie name of 

 the town on the letter he sends; again he fails to desig- 

 nate the State. Then the system of phonetic spelling 

 adopted by letter writers Is extraordinary. Virginia was 

 spelled by one anxious swain "Furgeniar," while an En- 

 glish writer having a friend in Oswego, Oswego County, 

 N. Y'., addressed the letter "Horse Wiggar Springs, 

 Horse Wiggar County." 



Occasionally, of course, a letter reaches the Dead-Let- 

 ter Office owing to the incapacity or the stupidity of the 

 postmaster. These are readily forwarded to the proper 

 address, and the careless official is reprimanded. Dr. 

 Gregory, of the Civil Service Commission, who is con- 

 stantly on the lookout for Intormation that would be 

 useful to him in his duties, yesterday visited the ofllce, 

 and was shown its workings. 



One of these errors on the part of a country postmas- 

 ter was pointed out to him. "That man," said Dr. Greg- 

 ory, "should have been compelled to pass a civil-service 

 examination, and he would not have made such a mis- 

 take." "That postmaster," replied the official conduct- 

 ing the Commissioner, " has an average salary of 53 per 

 quarter, and would probably make some very forceful. 

 If inelegant, remarks if notified that he would be re- 

 moved if not more careful." Dr. Gregory thought it 

 would be difficult to find a successor among the applica- 

 tions on file with the Commission. 



Letters having contents of any character whatever 

 are carefully recorded, and can be referred to at any 

 time. Money found in these letters, which cannot be de- 

 livered to the proper persons, is turned into the Treas- 

 ury, where It can be obtained by the owner within four 

 years, after which time It is covered into the Treasury, 

 and can only be secured by act of Congeess. 



From *^ Breeders Gazette," Chicago, III, 



THE HEREFORD PROPOSITION. 



■Si,-e notice In your Journ.^l of the nth a proposition 

 from James Gaines & Son, of Ridge Farm, Vermillion 

 County, 111., to test the merits of the two breeds of cat- 

 tle, the Shorthorns and Herefords. 



We win accept the challenge II the conditions on which 

 such test shall be made can be arranged. We will select 



Fr&m "American Agriculturist," New York, 

 OUB SLEEPING BOOMS. 



A physician of note says, "We hear a great talk about 

 malaria now-a-days, but there is more malaria to be 

 found In most modern bedchambers than anywhere 

 else." Persons who are moderately intelligent on other 

 topics, appear to have small thought, or that very per- 

 verted, on the subject of hygiene in their sleeping rooms, 

 and especially those occupied by children. The ventila- 

 tion of a bedchamber cannot be too carefully attended 

 to; and, as says Horace Mann, "seeing the atmosphere 

 is forty miles deep all around the globe, It Is a useless 

 piece of economy to breathe it more than once." Y'et 

 nine mothers out of ten will carefully close all the win- 

 dows. " for fear of colds and night air " and leave two 

 or three children to sleep in a stifling atmosphere, and 

 see no connection between the colds and throat troubles 

 they have, and the vitiated air she compels them to 

 breathe night after night. Let the morning air and 

 sunshine into the bedroom as soon as possible after the 

 occupants have risen ; and if there is no sunshine, and 

 it is not raining, let in the air. Do not make up beds too 

 soon after they are vacated. Y'ou may get your house 

 tidied sooner, but it Is neither cleanly nor healthful to 

 snugly pack up bed clothing until the exhalations of the 

 sleepers' bodies have been removed by exposure to the 

 air. 



Look carefully after the washstand and the various 

 utensils belonging thereto. The soap dishes and tooth- 

 brush mugs cannot be kept too scrupulously clean. All 

 slops and foul water should be emptied very promptly. 

 Wash out and sun all pitchers, glasses, and whatever 

 vessels are used in the sleeping room. Never allow 

 water or stale bouquets of flowers to stand for days in 

 the spare chamber after the departure of a guest. Tow- 

 els that have been used should be promptly removed, 

 and no soiled clothing allowed to hang or accumulate 

 about the room. Closets opening into a sleeping apart- 

 ment are often the receptacles of soiled clothes, shoes, 

 etc., and become fruitful sources of bad air, particularly 

 where there are sm.ill children. After .such places the 

 housewife should look with a keen eye for objectionable 

 articles, and remove them with an unsparing hand. I 

 have encountered such closets, in which one might find 

 all the odors traditionally belonging to the city of Co- 

 logne—any one of which was enough to suggest ideas of 

 disease germs. 



Even so innocent a piece of furniture as the bureau 

 may by carelessness become the recipient of articles 

 which may taint the air of your bedchamber. Damp 

 and soiled combs and brushes are not only unsightly 

 and disgusting, but lying soiled and unalred from day to 

 day, will certainly contribute to evil air and odors, as 

 will also greasy and and highly-scented hair ribbons, 

 etc. Never lay freshly laundried clothesjupon the bed, 

 nor air the same in your bedroom. If possible to do so 

 elsewhere. Do not hesitate to light a fire on cool morn- 

 ings and evenings; and if so fortunate as to have an 

 open fireplace, yon possess a grand means of comfort 

 and ventilation in the bedchamber. 



