1875.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



i09 



proatly iK'iieflti'd liy a slit'lit mulili of (>lil lii>t-l)iil 

 inanuri'. Ami coiilfirs, too, sliow llic cllVct i>r IliiK 

 liTtilizini; coviriiiir liy an iiuriiisiil cnlur ami a iiinri' 

 vii,'i>ioiis LTMWIli. lirV'lit Btraw is alli-r all Ihr IhhI 

 rovcriii!; I'lir winter viiri'taMi'S, sucli as pplniiili, 

 hducr, i'alilitt>,'f, ell-. Leavi'i* are exeelUiit fur imisl, 

 tliiiiirs, tiwt not anmiul vouiiir everijreeiin. I have 

 (hell whole tieils of these entirely deslroyed l.y the 

 coiii|>aet. mat whieli leaves I'oriii hy sprin;:, ami this 

 preventing a tree eireulation of air, kills llie plants in 

 many iiiKtanees. The sul>.ieet may he sumnieii np in 

 a lew wonis. AlU'r plantiiii;, mi>st I'ormsof vecetalile 

 growth are lieiielited liy innlcliiiiu'; iliiriii;; ilry sea- 

 Bons evervthinir enjoys it to a inoilerate extent. The 

 inimluToV trees and plants that liave lieen saved by 

 this proeess is Ix'yond our ealeuialion. Tlieii why 

 not apply the remedy more extensively (—Josiu'.v 

 IIi>ol-E!4, ChcKter Co., I'a., in .V. 1'. Tribimc. 



" The Way to Cultivate Flowers." 

 Undi^r this eaptlon Mr. S. E. Todd tlins writes to 

 e VtMlieal h'tinnvr : 



" Flowers of all sorts like a rieli and mellow soil. 

 If the urouiid is heavy, adhesive, and inelini'd to lie 

 wot, the surplus water must he drawn away tlirou!;li 

 drains. Then tine ehip-manure, old sawdust, half- 

 deeaved tan-hark or line mold from the forest, must 

 lie worked into the soil. At the same tinii', line sera|>- 

 Ini^s from the harn-yard, or even street dirt will Ije 

 found I'Xi'elleiit in ]irepariiii;llower beds. Sifted eoal 

 aslies in {generous ahundanee will render the soil liijlil, 

 and w ill also improve the fertility. It is an exi-eileut 

 praetiee, also, to eolleet a few bushels of line eoal dust 

 — the liiierihe better — also, ironturniiins, iron lilint-s, 

 and tlio sweepinfTB of blaeksinith shops and iron foun- 

 dries. By snpplyiiiir erowini; plants with iron tiiinirs, 

 sand and |i<itasli, or soap suds — w liieh will subserve 

 the same puriiose as luitash — blossoms will be de- 

 veloped III a more velvety appearanec and of deeper 

 hues than ean ever lie protiueed if tlie substanees al- 

 luded to are searee iu the soil. Where the jfrouml is 

 naturally heavy, like the i;eoloi;ieal formations along- 

 the slopes of many of our northern lakes, agreatdeal 

 of eoarso manures, leaves, ohip dirt lUid such like, 

 needs to \w worked into the llower beds until one can 

 dig up the surface with a small hand fork or trans- 

 jilauter. There is no secret in the siiceessful cultiva- 

 tion of tlowers of any sort. Success will ilepcnd mainly 

 on the judicious exercise of more common sense than 

 scientitic knowledge. Still in the scientific and liter- 

 ary world, the person who ean pronounce the longest 

 and most unintelligible botanical names, and tell over 

 the origin, the habitat, and proniim-nt features of a 

 worthless plant, is usually accounted a more eminent 

 florist than he or she who is ixjssesscd of suffi<-ient 

 skill to prepare a congenial seed-bed, put in the seed 

 jmiin-rly, and rear fully develoiiediilants having many 

 eoloreil iietals in all the gorgeous beauty of the rain- 

 Kiw." 



While the speeiflc directions which Mr. Todd gives 

 are in the main correct, from his standpoint, they 

 would get the amateur llower-eulturist into trouble, 

 and lead from one failure to anothi-r if followed in- 

 diseriminalely. What he says about iminoving heavy 

 adhesive soils, inclined to be wet, is (iractical common 

 sense, anil when followed in such .soils will lead to 

 Biieeess; but the amateur who follows this advice in 

 light alluvial soils may get himself into trouble. The 

 writer of tliis has had such experience in a garden of 

 exceedingly lii;ht soil, being from two to three feet 

 dei-p, and as mellow as an asli-hea;i. Plants once 

 started grew luxuriantly, our castor oil plants (7^i- 

 ciiiMx) and other strong feeders growing to a pro- 

 dii:ious size. liut the greatest dilliculty was experi- 

 enced in getting seedlings and other young plants 

 established. Two years ago we acted on the reverse 

 of .Mr. Todd's advice, and added several loads of 

 tenacious c((i;/ to the loose soil, wlii<-li being thoroughly 

 mixed, greatly improved its quality lor growing secd- 

 liiisis. It is still too light for siu-i-essful llorieulture, 

 and ought lo have as much more clay incorporated 

 with it. In this, as in all other matters relating to 

 fanning and gardening, the more one exercises his 

 judgment and observation, in aiiplying rules, the 

 more sueeessful he will be. And we are surprised 

 that a man of .Mr. Todd's experience and ability as a 

 writer, should lay down general rules w itliout guard- 

 ing his n-aders against such an imjiortant exception 

 to their application as we have pointed out. 



THE POULTRY YARD. 



The American Poultry Association. 



At a recent meeting of the .\grleultural and Ilortl- 

 (ultiiral Society, some of the nienihers suggested the 

 ixiliey of iiri;aiii/.ing a local I'oultry .Association, for 

 the dissi-mination of correct information in regard to 

 breeds and culture. We have no doubt that such a 

 society could be iiivestcil with much Inten-st and be 

 pioductive of mutual advantage. In view of this 

 suirgi-slion, the following circular may be of Interest 

 t4i some of our readers : 



'/'<> Ihi- Hfi'eral I'oullnj Aftmcialionn of Amn-{ca,and 

 to fiiiliridual Faiicurs : The Kxcc-iitive Coinmillce of 

 the American I'oultry .\ssoclalioii will hold a meet- 

 ing during the month of the ensuing .\iigust, and will 

 doubtless take steps to put into practical oiM-ratioii 

 the plan which was adopted at the recent Convention 

 of tiie American I'oultry Association, of aji/>oiiilinii 

 iltiiUiflijd jirmuiis to act hk JmlijfK of the dill'ercnt varie- 

 ties of doinestie fowls that arc now recognized in the 

 American Standani of Kxcellcnce. 



As this is a (incstioii of genuine interest to breeders 

 and fanciers, the Executive ('ommittce particularly 

 desire the hearty co-operation id all |ioiiltry societies, 

 as well as of individual fanciers throughout the con- 

 tinent, and especially invite ail oiganlzed societies to 

 (-all spei-ial meeliuirs without delay, to take prompt 

 action ill the selection of such ]K-r.soiis as they may 

 conndently believe to be fully competent to act as 

 judgi-s of the several varieties of fowls that may be 

 submitted to their judgment, and to forward sucli 

 names at once to .Mr. E. S. Italph, Secretary of the 

 American I'oultry Assoeiation, liutfalo, N. Y., after 

 learning that parties, so chosen, an- willing to accept 

 the responsibilities of such jirefcrment. 



It is proper to add that the A. P. A. will feel con- 

 strained, through a sense of deference and rCB|XinHl- 

 bility lo breeders and fanciers, to ai-t with great cau- 

 tion in the matter of apiKiinting judges, so as to 

 avoid mistakes that might prove fatal to the system 

 which they are solicitous to sec successfully inaugu- 

 rated ; and they believe they will be sustained in 

 critically scrutinizing the merits of all nominations 

 for juilgeships before deciding upon their acceptance. 



One of the prerequisites that will be particularly 

 insisted upon, will be that judyet munt put axidi: all 

 perttonal prejudices and considerationti, and render 

 their deeixioHK in compliance with the impartial de- 

 tnandu of the American Standard of Excellence. And 

 it will be deemed essential also that any person ap- 

 plying to the Executive Committee for the position of 

 a judgeship, and who may not be personally known 

 to the said Committee to possess the necessary quali- 

 tications, shall have his merits so well authenticated, 

 by acceptable recommendations, as to satisfy the 

 Committee that the applicant is worthy of the place 

 which he aspires to lill. 



Blank applications will lie forwarded to sueh per- 

 sons as may desire to become judges, on application to 

 Mr. E. S. KalplL, Secretary of the American Poultry 

 Association, Bullalo, N. Y. — Ciiaki.es A. Sweet, 

 rrcsiiUut A. l: A. Buffalo, N. Y., June 19, 187.5. 



wise, but I think iH'ttcr results may be obtained by 

 the alKive jilaii. — W. E. Kloweu, fihocmakertown, 

 I'a., in I'oultry K/chamje. 



Hatching Eggs. 



A eorresiiondent of the Canada /•'(irm«)- has the fol- 

 lowing to say in regard to the hatching of eggs : 



Tlie number of days required to hatch the eu'gs of 

 jioiiltry Is tw-eiily-<inc, but this tinu- may Ih- coiisiiler- 

 ably Increased in cold weather by an inattentive sitter, 

 hoinething, too, de|M'nds on the slate of the eggs 

 when set ; stale eggs will require longer lime to halcli 

 than fresh ones. Ilamburgs not uiifreqiieiitly hatch 

 out on the twcnticlh day. Turkey i-irgs require from 

 twenty-six lolwenty-nlnedays ; (iulnea fowl, twenty- 

 live to twenty-six, and sea-gull tweiity-tdght lo thirty 

 days. Pheasants hatch on the twenty-fourth or 

 tweiity-lifth day, and partridges the same. Ducks 

 hatch on the twenty-eiL'hlli, and gi-cse oji the thirtieth 

 day. In warm weather, and if the hen be a close sit- 

 ter, a day or two in some eases may be gainisl on this 

 time. We have had hens that wouhl never leave the 

 nest until removed, and even then scarcely take sulll- 

 cii-iit time lo eat enough to satisfy nature; but we 

 have not found sueh very close silling priKluee chick- 

 ens any quicker than did the hen w liii-h took a rea- 

 sonable time oir the eggs once in every twenty-four 

 hours. 



Another, writing lo the W'cttcrn Itural outbe same 

 subject, says : 



I am an old clilcken breeder, having forty years' 

 experience, and I know that olten cbii-kciiH never sec 

 daylight until the shell is broken, and very often not 

 then. Who Ihat has raised many chieki-ns does not 

 reiiieniber lindlng chicks with all the outer shell 

 chipiH'd away by the mother, while the chick was still 

 envclo|>ed in the inner membrane of the egg, often 

 alive, often dead i This thing often haii|Hrus in very 

 drv seasons. Last summer, for instance, I saved 

 many chicks by breaking the egg myself, knowing 

 the iK-riod of incubation was past, from the fact of 

 most of the other eggs lieing hatched, and by strict 

 care observed .in setting the hen, every egg being 

 dated when laid, etc. I had iiiore than twenty eiiieks 

 skiu-smothered last summer. I think, from observa- 

 tion, the ehiiiplng belongs to the chick, the shell 

 breaking to the hen. 



The Care of Lawns. 

 In hie atldress before the .\lnnini of Rutger's Col- 

 lege, Key. Dr. Appleton, in speaking of the antiquity 

 of Oxfonl College, said, it is slated that a visitor to 

 Oxford was once greatly charnicd with the remarka- 

 ble richness and verdure of the turf. Inquiry was 

 made of the college porter as to the cause of this rich- 

 ness and beauty. The reply was that this result s\>\? 

 obtained by giving to the lurfclii.se personal attention 

 three timesawcck for eight humlreil years. Whether 

 this was literally true or not, it illustrates the imi">rt- 

 anec of frequent mowing of lawns to give them aclo.se 

 velvety turf. 



^ 



TiiK Lancaster Faumek is Uie cheupest 

 agriciillural piiper publishwl in this country. 



Management of Sitting Hens in Hot Weather. 



In order to obtain the best results in hatching 

 chickens at this season of the year, it is advisable to 

 follow nature as much as possible in the construction 

 of nests intended for sitting hens. It has transpired 

 that the natural place for a hen to select for her nest 

 in which to deposit her eggs (from which, after 

 weeks of patient brooding, she brings forth her 

 downy little ones), is upon the bare earth. By that 

 wonderful gift called instinct she is impclleil to 

 choose a secluded spot, often beneath a brush heap, 

 hay barrack, or some such place where the ground is 

 always shaded, hence always moist. Where is the 

 fancier who cannot rei-all instances of this kind, of 

 hens that were annually in tin- habit of stealing their 

 nests under the barn, or soniiw here out of the reach 

 of meddlesome urcliins, and w lio rarely, if ever, 

 failed to bring forth from a dozen lo llfleen stronj, 

 heaitliy chicks? Then grandmother would say, 

 " Hens alius do best when they steal their nests and 

 sit themselves." Somehow we never i-ould airrce 

 with the " Old Lady "on I his point, but we often had 

 to acknowledge our defeat, when, aflcr an absence of 

 three weeks, a hen would come proudly man-hing up 

 to thcdixir surrounded by her numerous progeny. 



Aft(-r many failures, w"e at last learned twothings: 

 first, that the hen was a "breeder." By this we 

 mean that all hens are not suitabU^ for breeding, and 

 their eggs are often sterile, hut a hen that is inclined 

 to steal her nest is in a healthy breeding condition, 

 and will court the attention of" the cock, and evi-ry 

 egg will as a rule be louml fertile, and if they could 

 be found and set under another hen, would hatch 

 just as well under favoraiile circum.stanees. The 

 second thing that we learned was, that the hen in- 

 variably elio.se a rather moist , damp, or shadi-d place, 

 on the iiare ground ; thcrelore, in making your nesis 

 for Kitting hens at this season of the year, make tlicm 

 on the hare earth, it possible ; if not, till a l«)Xofthc 

 liroper diinensioiis t»o-tliinls full of damp earth, 

 make a sliiiht depression or hollow therein, then cut 

 a sol to lit, and set your hen uiwin that. I do not 

 I pretend to say that eggs cannot be hatched other- 



How to Fatten Fowls. 



I have not so much experience with [loullry as with 

 some other things, but I will give my way of fatten- 

 ing fowls : The lirsteare should be to allow them as 

 little room as may he— just enough for the number 

 to stand up, but not enough for anything like exer- 

 cise. If six are allowed the same space that would 

 serve for a dozen they will not fatten as scsin or aa 

 readilv ; therefore, a space for the fattening coop 

 should be divided off, and thus allow them only nniiu 

 enough to stand. The food for the fowls liilendLtl to 

 Ix- fattened should la- ground oals mixed with 

 skimmed milk. This feed should be given three times 

 a day, and mixed lo such a consistency that when it 

 is spread upon a hoard it will not run oH'. I have fed 

 coru and oats with gcxxl results. If fowls are fed 

 with regularity, no cramming is needeiL They will 

 fatten in several weeks time. When fed on corn 

 alone they will not fatten as well as on the fcxxl I 

 have reeommendi^. — Practical p'anaer. 



Sit and Set, Lay and Lie. 



The two weirds " sit " and " set " are tcM) much mis- 

 taken for each other. When a grammar class is asked 

 for the llrst time if it is ri^dit lo say " hens set," 

 "court sets," one-half of theiii perhaps will vole one 

 way and the other half the other. The court means 

 the judge or judges; the judge sits, the- court sits, 

 the jury sits, hens sit, birds sit. "Setting hen" Is 

 wronir; hens are not " setters" or iminters. .Sc-t re- 

 quires an objective ciuce ; we set a chair, but we sit in 

 it. There is a similar dilliculty in the use of " lie" 

 and "lav." In families whose hens "sel,"every- 

 thim; " lays," and all •' lay alie.1." Thequolcd words 

 are w roiig. Lay means to place, and requires an ob- 

 jective, as the '"• hen lays eggs," " Now I lay me." 

 We should say the IkKik lies on the table; he lies 

 abed ; lies low"; everybody lies, if you please, but no- 

 iKxly lays unless he has something to lay. 



^ 



Bone Meal for Poultry. 



I never knew the value of Is me meal for jioultry un- 

 til R-ecntly. I purchased a sack, and I was surprised 

 to find how well they liked it, ami the eireet It had on 

 the c;.'crs. I have no doubt that it makes strong Ikiiic 

 inthcfowl. They must have somethlii'.,' to make Ismc 

 and shell, and I believe that coan-i^gniiiiid Ikmu- is 

 just what they need. It Is iH-st to keep It U-fore them 

 in a narrow trough or box, nearihe wall, soltu-y can- 

 not scratch it out, and can helii themselvCB when It is 

 wanted. — I'oultry Salion. 



The Pdui-tuy INTKKKST lias lif'como ono 

 of ixrcat iiii|Kirt;iiii:i', iind wi- .sluill lit- pli-u-si-d 

 to Fiiive prac-tic-al suggc-stinii.s cm the siilijccl 

 from any of ciuf feadei-s wlui are [lostetl iii \\\a 

 details of Gallinoculture. 



