1883.J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



181 



will breed and rear bogs witli both objects in 

 view. In founding a lierd for tlie production 

 of pure-bred stock, it is advisable for the 

 novice to buy only from some tliorouphly re- 

 liable and experienced breeder, and leave to 

 him tlie selection of the animals. If the man 

 of whom we buy is really a breeder of experi- 

 ence, his knowledge of the points to be con- 

 sidered in the mating of stock will be advis- 

 able, and if he be reliable, it will be money 

 well invested to pay him not only for good 

 animals, but for the selection of such as arc 

 best suited for breeding together. It will be 

 time and money saved to begin riglit, taking 

 as a foundation, so far as available, the best 

 stock and the ripest experience of those who 

 have gone before. There will be time enough 

 for experimenting and the testing of new- 

 born theories after we are fairly in the lield. 

 Having once learned something of the busi- 

 ness from observation and practice, we may, 

 in later purchases, trust more to ourselves ; 

 but at tlie start it is certainly best to rely 

 upon the judgment of a well-informed and 

 trustworthy breeder, and have him select for 

 us a good boar and one or more sows — both 

 sexes to be pure-bred animals. — Farm and 

 Home. 



HABITS OF THE STRA\WBERRY. 



The strawberry grows all summer to store 

 up food for the i)roduction of fruit for the 

 following season, like the onion or beet. In- 

 stead of storing up this food in the form of a 

 bulb or root it is stored up in the plant. If 

 the plant is allowed to waste its strength in 

 producing runners, or is deprived of the need- 

 ed food, the crop will be small in consequence. 

 If the roots are injured by cultivating late in 

 the fall, or wrenched and broken by freezing 

 and thawing, the plant will make an etibrt to 

 repaii' the damage at the expense of fruit. 

 For this reason it is advisable to give it every 

 opportunity to do its best and prevent it from 

 injury during the winter. 



Mulching keeps the ground cool and moist, 

 and allows the surface roots to work to the 

 best advantage. In no other way can these 

 advantages be secured so readily. Any coarse 

 material that will shade the ground will 

 answer— as straw, tan bark, saw dust, boards, 

 brick or tile. The strawberry is hardy and 

 needs no protection when growing wild in the 

 meadow or among the stumps in the clearing. 

 In such situations the ground is always shaded 

 and the surface roots remain uninjured. 

 AVhere the sun shines on the bare ground the 

 case is different. At night it may freeze and 

 be lifted up by the expansion of the water as 

 it turns to ice, lifting the plant with it. When 

 it thaws the soil returns to its place but the 

 plant does not. If tbis is repeated often 

 enough the roots will be drawn out entirely. 

 On dry soil this never occurs, as it is only the 

 water in the soil that expands. Any coarse 

 material that will shade the ground will pre- 

 vent the sun from thawing the surface evei'y 

 bright day. As long as it remains frozen no 

 great damage can be done. If the plant has 

 been allowed to form a thick mat of surface 

 roots they are lifted bodily and not broken, 

 but settle back in their places, thus protecting 

 each other. A mild, open winter is more in- 

 jurious than a steady, cold one, and frequent- 

 ly the damage is done in March. It will thus 



be seen that winter covering is especially 

 necessary where the soil is wet or clayey, and 

 where the plants are not so thick as to protect 

 each other. 



The ground among strawberry plants should 

 be kept well stirred all the spring and sum- 

 mer so as to let air to the roots and kill all 

 weeds. In stirring the soil avoid covering the 

 crowns of the plants. The best cultivator for 

 the work is the "Planet, Jr." When cool, 

 damp weather comes in the fall the strawberry 

 sends out new roots near the surface and 

 these should not be disturbed ; for tliis reason 

 all deep cultivation should be discontinued 

 until the fruit is gathered. 



If runners are transplanted about four 

 inches apart in mellow soil, where they can be 

 shaded and watered, if necessary, in about a 

 week they may be taken up after a thorough 

 watering, and set out with the soil adhering, 

 when they will nearly equal potted plants in 

 value. — Matthew Crawford, in Qreeii's Fruit 



Groxver. 



^ 



BRAHMA-DORKING FOWLS. 



This cross is a very favorite one, and gen- 

 erally produces most hardy and prolific birds 

 both for table and as frequent layers of large 

 eggs. The best Brahma-Dorkings are bred 

 by mating a colored Dorking cock of large 

 size and low on leg with large dark Brahma 

 hens Fancy points may be disregarded, but 

 good size is indispensable, and if the hens are 

 free from, or at least with only very slight leg 

 feathering, so much the better. The chickens 

 will prove very hardy and quick growing, 

 provided they are hatched early, and are well 

 looked after. February and March are the 

 best months for hatching, the pullets com- 

 mencing to lay about September and the 

 cockerels with a little extra feeding, prove ex- 

 cellent table fowl. For laying choose pullets 

 with grey hackles in preference to those with 

 gold or brassy colored, as the former are gen- 

 erally more prolific and do not get broody so 

 frequently as the latter. If plumage be a 

 consideration, then substitute a silver-grey 

 Dorking cock with the Brahma hens, al- 

 though this variety of Dorking is inclined to 

 be small. A very handsome bird may be pro- 

 duced by crossing a white Dorking cock with 

 light Brahma hens, and in a park or orchard, 

 this breed looks very attractive, being nearly 

 whits. Whichever of these crosses be decided 

 on, choose as parents, large healthy specimens 

 of pure blood, and hatch early. Brahma- 

 Dorkings require no special feeding other 

 than that advised for other varieties gener- 

 ally, good sound grain and meal being the 

 staple loods. It is not an easy matter to lay 

 down any rule as to the quantity of food re- 

 quired by a given number of fowls, so much 

 depends on the conditions under which they 

 are kept. If they have a wide range, they are 

 enabled to pick up a certain amount of food 

 especially in the summer time when insects 

 abound. In that case two meals a day will 

 be sufficient, one morning and evening, ex- 

 cept in very severe weather when the supply 

 of natural food fails ; then they must be al- 

 lowed a feed at mid-day. On the other hand 

 if the birds are in constant confinement three 

 meals a day must always be allowed them, al- 

 though the mid-day one may be of a light 

 character, such as house scraps. As regards 



(piantity the birds should have as much at 

 each meal as they will eat eagerly and no more. 

 Food on no account should be allowed to re- 

 main on the run after they have fini.'*hed, 

 and if they are observed to be dainty and 

 picking the corn and meal over and rejecting 

 what does not please their fancy, it is a sure 

 sign that they are over-fed, and if the state of 

 affairs be not rectified, a falling oil' in the 

 number of eggs and disease of numerous 

 types will soon make their appearance. In 

 short, it is better to rather under-feed than 

 over-feed jioultry, and their owner nmst u.so 

 his judgment as to the quantity to be given. 

 By carefully watching the birds at feeding 

 time it is very easy in a few days to deter- 

 mine how much they should have thrown to 

 them, the right quantity being what they will 

 eat with relish, ami no more. Again fowls' 

 appetites vary, and are influenced by the 

 weather and other causes, as also by the 

 health of the bird. A hen when laying, will 

 and ought to, eat more than when not laying, 

 and growing stock require most of all. The 

 first feed in the morning, which should al- 

 ways consist of soft food, must be given as 

 soon as possible after the birds have got off 

 the roost, and the evening meal, which should 

 always be hard grain, immediately before 

 they retire to roost. — Farm and Home. 



POUND FOR POUND. 



When we were told, some years ago, by a 

 breeder of Jersey cows, that he could make a 

 pound of butter as cheaply as the best of 

 feeders could make a pound of beef, we con- 

 fess to have received the statement with some 

 grains of hesitation, and the more we thought 

 of it the more incredulous we became ; but it 

 was made by an experienced and truthful 

 man, and we were anxious to see it in that 

 light if it was true, and to prove the contrary 

 to him if not. We therefore sought informa- 

 tion elsewhere, and the further we looked and 

 the more we investigated, the more clearly 

 did we realize the correctness of this point. 

 But what astounded us was the fact that his 

 butter was being sold by contract, the year 

 round, at an average of thirty-live cents a 

 pound, whilst the best beef was worth only 

 from six to seven, and that farmers were de- 

 voting so much of their time and their means 

 to the production of the cheaper instead of 

 the higher-priced article. And, even now, 

 we question if the problem is a clear one to 

 the majority of farmers, or even of business 

 men who are notoriously close at calculating 

 all the little details that enter into the cost of 

 an article, and comparing the result with the 

 price they can get for it. Let us do a little 

 figuring, to show how it can be done. 



From the report of the last fat stock show, 

 we learn that the heaviest animal weighed 

 3,0.55 pounds ; the heaviest two-year-old steer, 

 ■2,-220 pounds : and the prize yearling, 1,000 

 pounds. The champion four-year-old steer, Mc- 

 MuUen, weighed 2,565 pounds, and had made 

 again, during the year, of 470 pounds; 535 

 pounds was the heaviest gain made in the 

 year by any animal sliowm last year, while 

 sevt^al made not over ."iOO pounds. Four 

 yearlings made daily gains of 2.97, 2.51, 2.31, 

 and 2.23 pounds. Young stock always make 

 larger gains on the food consumed than older 

 ones. These results were obtained upon beef 



