DAIRY— POULTRY— FRUIT. 323 



end. The spaces at the side might be wide enough to receive 

 a barrel of salt, or other dairy fixtures. Access to them would 

 then be by way of doors. This building will keep milk cooler 

 in Summer than any other arrangement, without it is in some 

 way connected with an ice house. 



DAIRY. 



With butter we have the best results from tame grass pas- 

 ture. Our milkers are grades (Durham cross) and natives; 

 they give satisfaction. As tliere are two cheese factories in 

 this county, at times the supply of butter is inadequate to the 

 home demand. 



POULTRY. 



I succeed best with a mixed breed of fowls. The White 

 Brahmas and Black Spanish suit me best. They are hardy^ 

 good layers, and their flesli is good for table use. I am not 

 troubled with cholera among my chickens. I part with the 

 old hens in the Fall, and change the roosters. By so doing 

 we keep the stock healthy. The fowls have free access to the 

 corn crib, and occasionally my wife feeds them sulphur and 

 black pepper mixed in ground feed. They have well-sheltered 

 roosts. 



FRUIT. 



I have three hundred apple trees ; also a number of peachy 

 cherry, and pear trees, with grape and other small fruits. My 

 orchard was planted in 1862, and has been attended with much 

 care and labor. Notwithstanding the amount of care I have 

 given it, the borer has been very destructive to many of the 

 trees. There is no remedy as effectual as the knife and wire. I 

 cultivated the orchard in small grains and potatoes till the trees 

 were too large to plow among, and then seeded down to clover, 

 upon which I pastured my hogs, a course which I found very bene- 

 ficial to the trees. I have also followed the plan of mulching 

 the trees every two or three years, with good results. It adds 

 size and beauty to the fruit. I do most of my pruning in Feb- 

 ruary. The fruit finds a home market. Varieties that have 

 proved worthless, I top graft in the Spring as soon as the sap 



