262 



Nest Eggs— Hints for ^pril— Planting Potatoes. Vol. 111. 



in quantities to supply the demand at a rea 

 sonable price. 



Fill an earthen or stone pot with fresh eggs ; 

 mix a quantity of fresh lime with water to 

 the consistence of white- wash, and when cold, 

 pour it upon them, so as to fill the pot; cover 

 closely, and the eggs will keep sound and 

 good for a year or more, without the lime- 

 water being changed or renewed. Eggs put 

 up in this way have been taken to Canton and 

 brought back again in as sound a slate as when 

 they were first put up. 



This is another, among the many instances 

 of the wonderful preservative tendency of lime 

 or lime water. C. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Nest Eggs. 



Since the suggestion in a former number 

 of the Cabinet, of the advantages of artificial 

 nest-eggs, a number of trials of them have 

 been made, with complete success, the hens 

 not appearing to regard the difference. Those 

 that have been used, were turned out of some 

 white wood, and a turner has succeeded so 

 well in imitating the real thing out of white 

 holly, that it would require a very sagacious 

 hen todetect the diflference. Some who have 

 i.ispected them, think that R. M. Johnson, 

 turner. No. 63 Walnut St. Philad., makes as 

 fine, large, handsome eggs as can be produced 

 by any biddy in the country. Ova. 



Hints for April. 



During the present month, farmers should 

 endeavor as much as possible to get their land 

 into the best condition for planting, for on this 

 will depend in a great measure the success 

 of the crop. 



No pains should be spared to apply manure 

 copiou.sly to corn and potatoe crops — the pro- 

 duct will abundantly lepay ihe labor. To the 

 smaller grain crops, as for instance, oats and 

 barley, manure should not commonly be ap- 

 plied, as the benefits in such cases may not 

 overbalance the injury. 



Wheat, which has been injured by the 

 heaving of the frost, has in some cases been 

 greatly benefitted by passing a roller over it, 

 thus pressing the roots again into the earth. 



New meadows should be rolled in the 

 spring, to render the surfUce smooth for mow- 

 ing 



Plaster, to be beneficial to the greatest ex- 

 tent, should be sown on meadows early in 

 spring. 



Green sward, in order to be turned over 

 neatly, should have the furrow slices one half 

 wider than thick. 



Seed barley, by being limed and rolled in 

 pla.ster, has produced crops freer from smut 



in consequence of this operation, and yielded 

 larger products. 



The planting of locust trees for timber 

 should be more attended to. The seeds when 

 sown, should be previously scalded by pouring 

 hot water on them and suffering it to stana 

 several hours — the swollen ones should then 

 be planted, and the others re-scalded. 



Stocks of peach and other fruit trees, should 

 now be cut and trimmed. Every bud should 

 be removed except the one intended to grow. 



The soil round fruit trees which do not stand 

 in cultivated ground should be spaded for two 

 or three feet on each side. This is absolutely 

 necessary for young trees. 



The roots of peach trees should be exam- 

 ined for the purpose of removing all the 

 worms which may have eaten in the bark, 

 and all the holes which appear should be 

 searched to their termination, that the worm 

 may not escape. 



We wish again to urge upon farmers the 

 great benefit to be derived from the culture 

 of root crops — the amount of cattle food thus 

 obtained is too much overlooked. By good 

 culture, many hundred bushels may be safely 

 calculated on, exceeding many limes in value 

 a good crop of hay from the same quantity 

 of land. Drill ing. instead of sowing the seed, 

 greatly lessens the labor of hoeing.— Gen. Far. 



Planting large and small Potatoes* 



Considerable diversity of opinion exists 

 among farmers in regard to planting potatoes, 

 whether the seed, which is put into the 

 ground, should be large or small, cut or un- 

 cut. Some are of opinion, that, in order to 

 prevent the seed or variety from " running 

 out," large potatoes should be used ; others 

 will contend that small pieces and smail po- 

 tatoes will afford as good a yield as the large 

 ones, and that being the case, it is much more 

 economical to use them. The late Dr. Par- 

 ker, of Gardiner, once informed us, that he 

 never had but one variety of potatoes in his 

 life, and that he invariably planted one large 

 sized tuber in the hill, and thereby prevented 

 any deterioration of the crop. It would seem 

 from theory that this would be the result, be- 

 cause the potato which is planted must of ne- 

 cessity afl^rd nutriment to the young plant 

 until its roots have become sufficiently large 

 and extended to draw its support from the 

 earth. The more nourishment there is on 

 hand the greater the crop. 



Accurate and careful experiment, however, 

 does not establish this as an invariable result. 

 The following statement from a friend in a 

 private letter, — Mr. D. who is an excellent 

 farmer in the captern part of the siMtc, and a 

 close observer, does not seem to warrant the 

 plan of using only the larjre potatoes for seed. 

 •' I have been," says he, " trying for five yeara 



