518 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



names from the proportion of clay and sand which 

 they may contain. 



Vegetable mold is sometimes a prominent 

 characteristic of a soil. 



In PEATY SOILS, its proportion may be equal to 

 sixty and sometimes as much as seventy-five per 

 cent, of orsranic matter. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



MUCK— APPLE TREES. 



I have been digging muck, nearly half clay. I 

 wish to apply this to a gravelly loam, where I wish 

 to sow wheat in the spring. Will it do to apply 

 muck of that kind dug now, next spring, without 

 mixing with lime, or in other words, how shall I 

 apply it to make it pay ? 



Also, I should like to learn if anybody knows 

 how to make fruit trees bear the odd year, espe- 

 cially apple trees. Last year I had next to none, 

 this year an abundance, and next year I shall have 

 none again. Will you, or some of your experi- 

 enced correspondents, give me light on these sub- 

 jects ? Young Farmer. 



Deerfield Centre, Sept., 1862. 



Remarks. — If the muck is black and fine, and 

 has little or no acidity, cart it to your intended 

 wheat land this fall and drop it in cart load heaps, 

 or spread it, if you have opportunity. It would 

 be well to sow lime on this if you can ; if not, the 

 muck alone will be an excellent dressing. 



It is said that taking the blossoms from a tree 

 will cause it to bear the succeeding year. It 

 probably will. Did you ever take the blossoms 

 from a medium-sized tree that had a full blow ? 

 How long do you suppose it would occupy one 

 man to do the job? When you have completed 

 one tree, we think you will never begin another. 

 No other mode of changing the bearing year oc- 

 curs to us. We are all in the same condition 

 that you are. 



POULTRY AND POULTRY-HOUSE. 

 1. It is said that salt hay will keep fleas out of 

 a dog-house ; now wouldn't it keep lice out of 

 hens' nests ? 



No. Nor fleas out of a dog-house, in our opin- 

 ion. A great deal of labor is thrown away in at- 

 tempts to prevent the access of insects, or to de- 

 stroy them when they are in possession, by ex- 

 pedients similar to that suggested in the above in- 

 quiry. Insects are created to live and propagate 

 their kind exposed to the elements, and are capa- 

 ble of sustaining themselves against measiu-es 

 vastly more severe than scattering a little salt hay 

 about them. Perfect cleanliness in the hen-house, 

 with proper feeding, will usually be followed by 

 perfect health in the fowls who occupy it ; usu- 

 ally, but not always. With the best care, it is 

 surprising how a stock of poultry will sometimes 

 become infested with vermin all at once, and 

 seem to defy all the skill of the keeper to dislodge 

 them. Lideed, they are occasionally triumphant, 



and destroy the whole family. We have known 

 this result with some of the most skilful persons 

 — but not often. If you find a fowl in your col- 

 lection that is sick in the least, or that has lice 

 upon it, take it away at once and give it all neces- 

 sary attention by itself, so that it shall not com- 

 municate the vermin or the disease to others. 

 This will be found much more easy than to cure. 



2. The Country Gentleman says, "spread lime 

 dust on the hen-house floor." Does not this injure 

 the manure, and would not ashes do as well ? 



The effect of ashes spread upon the floor would 

 be similar to that of lime, only less in degree. 

 Neither, however, would be objectionable, used 

 judiciously for the purpose suggested by the 

 Country Gentleman. 



3. Why have any floor ? It seems to me that 

 a dry, smooth bed of sand or clay has several ad- 

 vantages over board flooring. 



There is no need of a floor if the apartment is 

 dry. Your own views of the matter we think are 

 correct. We use no floor but such as you de- 

 scribe. 



4. Would "tan bark" packed about the sides of 

 the house harbor lice ? 



It would be quite likely to, and yet we should 

 not hesitate to use it for the purpose of keeping 

 the building warm. 



5. I hear old farmers speak of getting their 

 pullets "too fat to lay." Is there any truth in 

 that? 



We think there is. Laying hens that are fed 

 principally upon corn and corn meal made into 

 dough, become extremely obese, and we have 

 thought ceased to lay as liberally as when not 

 burthened with such a mass of fat. Perhaps a 

 good way to feed them would be to feed once each 

 day with a small portion of corn, and leave barley 

 and oats constantly before them, giving the boiled 

 potatoes, scraps, sour milk, &c., occasionally, as 

 they can be spared. 



6. What is the proper way to scald poultry ? 



Have a vessel of scalding water at hand, and 

 immerse the fowl, lifting it up and down gently 

 two or three times. But the water must not be 

 too hot, nor the fowl kept in too long. A little 

 experience, coupled with careful observation, will 

 soon teach you what the right temperature and 

 the right time is. Poultry, however, that com- 

 mands the highest price in market, is rarely 

 scalded. But it requires "knack" and patience to 

 pick a fowl well without scalding. 



7. Is there any cheap machine suitable for cut- 

 ting livers, lights, &c., for hen feed ? 



Yes. A small meat-cuttei", such as is used in 

 preparing sausage meat, may be purchased for 

 about two dollars and fifty cents, and M'ould an- 



