W^p^'.^"55ri'^^ 



THE ILLIZSrOIS F^RMEI^. 



375 



well to "lighten the load" as far as may 

 be by foiethougbt and precaution. 



3. Stiff, heavy soils, plowed in au- 

 tumn, besides being in good condition 

 for the work, undergo by the action of 

 water anl frost, a more thorough disin- 

 tegration — clays, with proper provision 

 for surface drainage, are pulverized and 

 crumbled; heavy loams and hardpan 

 lands are acted upon in like manner, and 

 with like beneficial results to the soil 

 and succeeding crop. 



4. Heavy and coarse sward land is 

 better mellowed and subdued when the 

 inverted sod is exposed to the action of 

 the winter weather. Turned over late 

 in the season, all vegetation ceases, the 

 grass roots are frozen out, and many 

 Weeds share the sa-nie fate, in spring we 

 find the land bare. and mellow, ready 

 with a thorough harrowing for any ap- 

 propriate crop. The surviving weeds 

 are less likely to sprout than if tamed 

 under in spring, and the turf is better 

 prepared by its more advanced state of 

 decay, for feeding the products which 

 follow. 



5. Though late fall plowing may 

 have littl? time for fermentation or the 

 decomposition of the vegetable matter 

 buried by the plow; this decay still goes 

 on to some extent, and by the time the 

 growing crop needs it, usually arrives at 

 the proper stage to supply its necessi- 

 ties. But the frost works with a will, 

 and under proper conditions produces a 

 mechanical amelioration of the soil 

 scarcely possible under any other pro- 

 cess. 



6. Fall plowing disturb the quarters 

 arranged by various insects for passing 

 the winter in the soil, thus destroying 

 large numbers of these pests with their 

 eggs and lara?, Tliis is a minor ad- 

 vantage, but one worthy of considera- 

 tion, especially on lands infested with 

 the larse of the May-bug or the wire 

 worm. 



The principal objections to fall plow- 

 ing are the following: 



1. Tlie loss of ihat fresh, friable 

 condition of soil, readily permeable to 

 air and moisture, and the consolidation 

 of the soil by long exposure to changing 

 and stormy weather. This on light 

 lands is a serious objection to autumn 

 plowing. The same is true of any soil 

 not provided with sufficient drainage to 

 prevent water from standing for any 

 time on or near the surface. 



2. Another disadvantage is the loss 

 of vegetable matter, and of its gases 

 while decaying. The latter is but a 

 small loss if the plowing is done late in 

 the fall, but often on hill-sides, a large 

 part of the soluble and floating organic 

 matter is washed away by the heavy 

 rains of winter and early spring-time. 

 The soil is also consolidated by the 

 same influences. Heavy swards thus 



situated would sustain less injury than 

 light swards or stubble lands. 



And lastly, a few hints on the manner 

 of performing the work: 



1. Do it thoroughly and in a work- 

 manlike manner. 



2. If the soil is at all liable to 

 standing water in the winter, it should 

 be plowed in narrow lands, and the water- 

 furrows carefully cleared and free out- 

 lets provided, so that all surface mois- 

 ture may at once drain away. Unless 

 this is attended to, it is of little use to 

 plow low lands in the fall. If covered 

 with^water until spring, the frost has no 

 mellowing effect, and very little decom- 

 position takes place — the soil is only 

 hardened by its exposure. 



3. In fall plowing, the furrows 

 should be deep and narrow, so as to ex- 

 pose as much surface as possible to the 

 action of the frost, and it matters little 

 how rough the work may be, provided 

 the whole surface be inverted by the 

 plow. :'.;■■■■ ;■ 



In conclusion, we would ao;ain uro;e 

 the importance of preparing before win- 

 ter sets in, as far as may be, for another 

 year. We hear the complaint very fre- 

 quently that the late seeding has injured 

 one or more of our spring crops, and 

 that the most successful growth has been 

 made upon lands plowed in the fall. 

 Spring 2>lowed land can also be given 

 more attention, with the lessened de- 

 mand upon the team and time, and all 

 branches of farming feel the influence of 

 the workmen who so cheaply and faith- 

 fully assist in forwarding the labors of 

 the farm. 



-JO- 



Fowls— food, &c. 



When fowls are confined to a narrow 

 space they require much care and atten- 

 tion to supply them with all kinds of 

 food which they collect when running at 

 large; and without care to Supply their 

 Avants, they will not be profitable. 

 When running at large, as they please, 

 they devour many insects, eat gravel, 

 lime and various kinds of herbage, seeds 

 of various kinds, and many other things 

 which we cannot discriminate, though 

 we look on while they select their food. 



In winter, when fowls have less ac- 

 cess to the ground, or when they are 

 confined in small enclosures, they have 

 less opportunity to select the mineral 

 substances which they require. Hence 

 an artificial supply becomes necessary. 

 How shall this be given? By placing 

 the articles within their reach, so that 

 they may take voluntarily just the 

 quantity to which they are prompted 

 by nature. Place old lime-mortar, 

 bones, oyster or clam shells, broken 

 fine, where the fowls can readilv pick 

 them up. It has been ascertained ihat 

 if you mix with their food a sufficient 

 quantity of egg shells, broken bone.?, 



oyster shells, and effete lime, which 

 they eat greedily when so mixed, thoy 

 will lay twice or thrice as many eggs as 

 before. A well fed fowl is disposed to 

 lay a vast number of eggs, but cannot 

 do so without the materials for the shells, 

 however nourishing in other respects her 

 food may be; indeed, a fowl fed on food 

 and water, free from carbonate of lime, 

 and not finding any in the soil, or in 

 the shape of mortar, which they often 

 eat on the walls, would lay no eggs at 

 all, with the best will in the world. 



A letter was read a few years ago be- 

 fore the British Association, from M. 

 Sace, of Neufchattel, Switzerland, on 

 account of some experiments in the 

 feeding of fowls. He states, first, that 

 fowls to which a portion of chalk is 

 given with their food, lay eggs the shells 

 of which are remarkable for their por- 

 celain whiteness. By substituting for 

 chalk a calcareous earth, rich in oxide 

 of iron, the shells- become of an orange 

 red color. Secondly, he informs us that 

 some hens fed upon barley alone would 

 not lay well, and they will tear off each 

 other's feathers. He then mixed with 

 the barley some feathers chopped, which 

 they eat eagerly and digested freely. 

 By adding milk to their food they began 

 to lay, and ceased plucking out each 

 other's feathers. He concludes that 

 this proceeding arose from the desire of 

 the hens for azote food. 



An idea prevails with many, that 

 any sort of grain, even if a little dam- 

 aged, will do for poultry, but this is a 

 grand mistake. A friend of the writer 

 once came very near losing his whole 

 flock of valuable fowls from feeding 

 them with damaged corn, which has been 

 heated. Those who feed largely know 

 bettor, and invariably make it a rule to 

 feed none but the best. 



Eggs, if at any time are a luxury, 

 it is in winter, and whatever promotes 

 their production is of interest to the 

 majority of our readers. — C.N. JBement, 

 Sjrringside. 



Hot Cross Buns. — Rub four ounces 

 of butter into two pounds of flour, four 

 ounces of sugar, and one ounce and a 

 half of spice, consisting of ground all- 

 spice, cinnamon and mace, mixed toge- 

 ther; put a spoonful or two of cream 

 into a cup of yeast, add as much milk as 

 will make the above into a light paste, 

 and set it by the fire to rise. They 

 will bake quick on tins. When half 

 done press the form of a cross with a 

 tin mould in the center. 



Heaves in Horses. — It is said in a re- 

 cent number of an agricultural paper, that 

 a quart of a decoction of smart-weed, given 

 ever}' day to a heavey horse will cure hi in. 

 We doubt it, but there caa be no harm in 

 trying it. : ■^.; . . ;, ,, ., 



