1875.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



Ui 



of four feet, set a smiill Inimlle of straw, nn its l)utt3, 

 on the turnips; so that the straw will reaeh into tlie 

 air thr()Ui;li tlie earth ami serve for ventilation, to 

 prevent the roots heatinir ami jrrowinfr. Ojien tlie 

 southerti enil, in a bright, warmish ilay, when you 

 wish a supply. 



All tuliers, such as beets, carrots, horse-radish, 

 parsnips and turnips, may he easily and elieaply kept 

 iu this way. I'otaloes do best in a ecllar. If the 

 root erops arc lar^e, and intended for market, the pit 

 should be dug from three to four I'eet deep and about 

 si.t I'eet wide. The roots are then packed in sections 

 of two feet wide across the pit. Between the sections 

 a spac*! of six inches is left, and this is tilled with soil 

 level to the top. The advantage of this arraiiiremcnt 

 Is tlnit four or live barrels of roots can l)c taken with- 

 out disturbing the next section, which is protected by 

 the six inches of soil. 



Sowing Flower Seeds in Autumn. 



Concerning this subject, .1. Vick, tlorist, Hochester, 

 N. Y., says : There are some seeds that will (hMiuieh 

 better if sown in the autumn than with spring sow- 

 ing. They require a moist, cool soil forgerniinaticm. 

 If sown in the s|iring, the warm dry weather sets in 

 before they have accjuircd much strength, and they 

 BUifer In eonsenvience. Tlit^ XeinojthiUiti and f'Utrfi-iax 

 are examples. They grow naturally in cool, shady 

 vales, or in mountain regions, and, if sown in autumn, 

 the plant will start early in the spring, so that iu 

 May, or early in June, they will be in ])crfcetion and 

 charming. If sown in the spring they arc apt to per- 

 ish or sutler with tlie drought and heat liefore they 

 reach pcrfectiou. There are several hardy annuals 

 tliat do well when sown in the spring, but will hear 

 autumn sowing, and reward us with early spring 

 flowers in consequence of this treatment. We have 

 now a bed of phlox drumniondii that wintered safely. 

 The seed was sown late in the autumn, and the bed 

 covered with manure after sowing, which was allowed 

 to remain until quite late in the spring. Sweet alys- 

 8um and white candytuft will give an abundance of 

 white for early cutting, if sown in the autumn. In a 

 sandy soil the jxirtulaca may be sown in the autumn 

 with good success. Seeds of biennials and perenni- 

 als, if sown early enough to produce strong little 

 plants before frost, will flower the next summer. 



Pansics and Chinese piuks, though they bloom the 

 first summer if the seed be sown in the spring, will 

 make much stronger plants and flower more freely 

 and earlier if young plants arc grown in the autumn. 

 The pansy sometimes sutlers in the winter, but if the 

 young plants are put in a frame and covered with a 

 few loose Ixiards, or a little matting, being always 

 sure to give air, they will pass the winter In safety. 

 ^ 



How to Gather Cider Apples. 



Get twenty-four yards of the best drilling, as it is 

 the cheapest in the long run. Cut into eight equal 

 pieces ; these will each be nine feet long. Cut each 

 piece obliquely from end to end, starting four inches 

 from one corner and coming out tiie same distance 

 from the opposite corner at the other end. You will 

 now have sixteen pieces, each thirty-two inches wide 

 atone and four inches wide at the other end. Put 

 the wide ends together, sew the strips together, hem 

 the edges around the small hole in the centre, bind 

 the outer edge well, and fasten small stout cords at 

 each of the sixteen corners. It is now ready for use. 

 With these small cords tic it to the lower branches of 

 an apple tree, wherever it is convenient. The tension 

 . you give in tying will determine the sag in the centre 

 so that you can accommodate it to the height of the 

 lower branches from the ground. Drive the wagon 

 under it, and shake all the branches immediately over 

 the canvas. As the apples roll into the wagon a boy 

 can casil}' pick out stems and leaves. When one side 

 of the tree is finished, the eanva.ss is moved to another. 

 In this way the apples are all in the wagon when the 

 shaking is done, except a few that drop outside of the 

 canvas. If preferred, the apples can be delivered in 

 a basket, ami then emptied into the wagon. Such a 

 device saves half the labor of gathering apples, and 

 if well made of good material will last for years. — 

 OI{io farmer. 



♦ 



Making Lawns in Autumn, 



It is an excellent practice to prepare the ground 

 thoroughly and sow the seed in September, a few 

 diiys prior to the autumnal equinox. Then the seed 

 will irerminate readily, and the grass will get a 

 strong foothfild in the seed bed. If lawns are pre- 

 pared and seevi sown in this month, by the lirst of 

 June the following spring the grass will need mow- 

 ing, akd by the middle of June the lawn will be per- 

 fect. If the lawn is prepareii in the spring, the work 

 should be done very early, for it is of the utmost im- 

 portance to give grass seed the benefit of autumn 

 and spring rains. Many persons neglect to make 

 lawns until late in the spring, and then resort to sod- 

 ding, while, if they would have sown seed in the 

 autumn, or even early in the spring, they would have 

 secured a better lawn almost or quite as early and at 

 less than quarter the expense. As a lawn will last a 

 lifetime, if properly made, let the work lie done 

 thoroughly. The ground must be well pulverized to 



a good depth, and care must be had in leveling, so 

 that the surface will be entirely even and remain so. 

 Sometiines, when the surface is raised by usiiu; heavy 

 material in one phiec and light in another, in a yi'ar 

 or two it is much disllgnred by unequal settling. 

 When the surface of lawns is uneven, let the ilepres- 

 sion be tilled with mellow soil of any sort or with 

 sandy loam. If done now, the grass will come up 



through it. 



« 



Early Peaches from Mr. Engle. 



Mr. Mahan, in the (tiirdrjwr'n Monthly^ acknowl- 

 edges the receipt, on the 17tli of .Inly, from Henry M. 

 Kngle, of Marietta, "Englc's Uowning I'caeh,'' which, 

 he says, " for a peach ripened inthco|H'n air in Penn- 

 sylvania, we believe to be as early as any — to say the 

 least, and we doubt very much whether if tried fairly, 

 side by side — not by the usual plan for ' allowing for 

 latitude,' and then ' calculating dillerence,' liy which 

 so many things are reckoned up to be ' twenty days 

 earlier ' than sonicthing else — this would not beat the 

 lieatrice, Amsdcii, or any of the candidates for the 

 early prize. Like all early peaches, this one of Mr. 

 Englc's is not large — it is about equal to a large black 

 walnut in this respect — and, again, like all these ex- 

 tra early peaches, the eating qualiti<'S are not the very 

 best of which a peach is capable. It is, however, 

 superior to any of the early ones in being remarkably 

 juicy, and this in the early and hot season of the year 

 will bean advantage; on the other hand it is a cling 

 stone, and will not cut up well. On the whole, we 

 regard it as a valuable addition." A few days after 

 the Uowning, he received -from Mr. Engle another 

 excellent early peach — the Wihhr, and says, " Wc 

 do not know whether the Ilalc is ' playing possum ' 

 or what is the matter with it — but there seems to be 

 no doubt that there are several good kinds cousidera 

 bly ahead of it this year." 



Floral Novelties. 



The JTortieuUurUt gives an account of two novelties 

 amimg' flowers which it is almost tempted to treat as 

 fables until their veracity is cstalilished by personal 

 verification. The following is the description of them : 

 "One is a black lily in Santa Clara, Calilbrnia, with 

 three large blossoms, each nine inches long, and per- 

 fectly black outside of the green petals. The other is 

 to be seen at Constantinople, and is described by an 

 eye witness as belonging to the narcissus genus of 

 bulbs. The flower represents a perfect humming- 

 bird. The breast, of a perfect emerald green, is a 

 complete copy of this bird, and the throat, head, beak 

 and eyes are a perleet imitation. The hinder part of 

 the body and the two outstretched wings are of a 

 bright rose color — one might almost say flesh-colored. 

 These wondrous bulbs should have been sent to the 

 Vienna Exhibition. They will be iu abundance by the 

 time of our Centennial celebration in 1876. And yet 

 they can hardly be greater curiosities than the strange 

 and mysterious * t^ancta 'Spiritu ' flower from South 

 America, with its life-like representation of doves." 



THE POULTRY YARD. 



Poultry and Eggs for the Centennial. 



A visit In the Centennial buildings and grounds a 

 few days since, while it delighted us vastly with the 

 fine appearance of the structures and the very beau- 

 tiful and aiipropriiite nature of the location, also im- 

 pressed us with the vastness of the concourse that 

 will, without doubt, assemble there during the ex- 

 hibition. 



In a conversation with one of the gentlemen con- 

 nected with the Centennial Commission, we were in- 

 formed that the estimated number of visitors will not 

 be less than nine millions. Of course, this number 

 of people will not be present in anyoncdaj", but upon 

 this number they base their calculations for the con- 

 tinuance of tlic exhibition, and during this jicriod the 

 tcmiiorary increase of population of the city will not 

 average less than one hundred thousand dally, who 

 must be fed and otherwise cared for from sources be- 

 yond the usual place of supply. Thousands who live in 

 the near-by towns will be here for one or more meals 

 each day, breakfasting ami lodging at home, thus 

 contributing to the demand for edililcs. Now it oc- 

 curs to us that, in this condition of alfairs, there ex- 

 ists an opportunity for someof our many experienced 

 fant-iers, possessed of the necessary energy, with a 

 few hundred dollars ready money, to secure a very 

 handsome sum iu connection with our favorite pur- 

 suit. The demand for poultry and eggs during the 

 spring and summer of 1-S70 will be enormous and 

 continual, as they enter largely into both the neces- 

 sities and luxuries of life ; and while the increased 

 supplies demanded by the exigencies of thcoccasion, 

 of almost every description, have been iiiseusscil and 

 provided for, the supply of chickens and eggs will re- 

 main mainly depentli-nt ujiou the ordinary channels, 

 and wc opine that they \\ ill be found entirely inaile- 

 quate. To rent, near the city, a few acres of suitable 

 land, and erect the necessary buildings thereon to 

 properly house a few hundred fowls, would not run 

 largely into money, even were the houses, or a |Kir- 

 tion of them, so arranged as to permit the bringing 



out of broods as early as January, (by heating the 

 premises in some economical way) and we have no 

 doubt of the great iirolit that would result therefrom. 

 While standard fowls need not be purehased for this 

 piu'pose, yet it would lie wisdom to select the variety 

 bi'st adapte<l to attain the end sought, viz., eggs and 

 fowls that early acquire size for table use, not forget- 

 ting that the chief ilemand for both will be during 

 the months of June, July, .\ui;ust and September. 

 During the last three of these nnjnths eggs arc rarely 

 plenty, and bring goiMl prices at onlinary times ; and 

 we may reasonably anticipate they will command 

 betttr when the consumption is so materially iu- 

 ercascd. 



Anil although we fail as yet to hear what progress 

 has been made by our Centennial Committee, still so 

 good is the opixirtnnity for a grand exhibition of 

 jKinltry, that we feel assured that our fanciers will 

 yet rally Ihclr forces and i'oiiie lorwanl with some of 

 the really fine stock that wc know is in the country, 

 and thus aflbrd a chance for a large aihlitlonal profit 

 in the sale id' pure bred fowls; and this Is another 

 reason for adhering to purity of brce<l in an under- 

 taking of the nature suL'ge.^ted. The money is in It, 

 gentlemen, and we await the coming man whose en- 

 ergy and exiierienec shall guide the dollars Into Ills 

 own jiosscssion — his by right of foresight and decisloD 

 — enjoyably his, being won in the jiractice of the 

 fancy we all enjoy. Now is the acccpte<l time, and 

 while these very days ought to bear their projMirt ion- 

 ate burden of preparation, yet there Is lime enough 

 to secure the stock uecdeil for the hatch of '7.5, time 

 enough to erect the buildings and get everythinjf 

 ('« traiit for winter, and room enough, too, for all who 

 dare to win. — Fmiciert' Juurtial. 



Breeding Poultry for Profit. 



[Concluded from thu .\ugUHt FAUMEn.] 



Variety is so essential to the highest welfare of 

 fbwis, that it must be constantly studied by the suc- 

 cessful breeder. It is to be regarded in feeding grain, 

 meat and vegetables ; ami besides these, a constant 

 supply of bone meal and broken oyster shells is neces- 

 sary, with pure water, of course. 



We are often asked in reganl to the best breed for 

 certain purposes. For eggs, we should say Leghorns, 

 Brown or White; also, Itandiurgs and Spanish, in 

 warm climates. For ajl purjioses, Plymouth Kocks 

 Asiatics, Domiiiiquesand (iamcs. For eggs and meati 

 Iloudans, Brahmas, Creves and Dorkings, in the or, 

 der named. For meat and eggs, iuconflned quarters- 

 Asiatics. 



There is profit in eggs, but not at ten to fifteen cents 

 a dozen. When eggs come down to that it is time to 

 put them down (in a pickle,) and hold for better 

 Iirices. The best time to market eggs is from Novem- 

 ber to February or -March. The bi'st time to market 

 ohl fowls is in October, or iu the spring; the greatest 

 scarcity is in May and June. Where fowls are bred 

 for market, early chicks, or broilers, pay the best. 

 They must be hatched in the spring — the earlier the 

 better — and, if well fed, are marketable at six toeight 

 weeks old. At this age they sell for ?l .. '50 a pair, in 

 the iirineipal eastern cities, till about July, when the 

 supply is larger. With a light scald they arc easily 

 plucked, and by packing in ice can be sliippi'd hun- 

 dreds of miles in warm weather. There is no reason 

 why this is not a profitable liranch for the enterpris- 

 ing breeder who wishes to try |Hiultry on a largescale, 

 wliere a good market is not too remote. 



To bring hundreds and even thousands of chicks to 

 the reiiuired age, plain, cheap structures could he 

 used ; extensive grounds, with large range, arc not 

 necessary. A little ingenuity would ilevisc arrange- 

 ments, etc. Forthcbest thrift of the growing bi-oods, 

 we would advise the class of buildings heretofore 

 mentioned for cheapness and utility ; for the comfort 

 of early hromls, they can be cheaply warmcil by the 

 " Non-Fre(^ziiig Fountain," without danger of fire. 

 If the buildings are movable, fresh runs arc easily 

 secured, and health more certain. The iK'st incuba- 

 tors, to our notion, are Cochins and Brahmas ; these 

 can he had to set almost any time when wanted, and 

 being large, are warm as setiters and mothers. For 

 "broilers," a vigorous, rapiil-growing chick is Ik'sI, 

 for which a iiurc Leglioru ami Brahma or Coohln 

 cross would be t:(MXl. Of the pure breeds, Plymouth 

 Kocks would " fill the bill," (K-r-haps the iH'st of any. 



Where breedini.' for |iroHl,or on a large scale, is 

 connected with ganleiiing, <ir a farm, the manure 

 would be found highly valuable, and could lie utilized 

 as quite an item towani defrayini: cximmiscs. 



Finally, to any one contemplating breeding on any 

 scale, lor profit, wc would say, " Count the cost,'* and 

 "go slow " at first. — The J'outtry Nation. 



Chicks in the Garden. 



Wc love to see them there, or alKiut the lawn, or 

 around the door; ever busy, ranging hither and 

 thither, dolling the grccnswanl with their bright- 

 colored, sofl-feathered round boilies ; seizing the 

 grasshoppers, chasing the winged moths and liuttcr- 

 Hics, swallowing the currant worms, huntinc the 

 beetle-bugs, and doing no harm during the first two 

 or three months of their existence, toanjthing useful 



