660 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



two o])jects in view: First, to produce a bed' 

 of light soil for the roots to ramble in search 

 of food; and, secondly, to admit the air amonfj 

 the particles of soil to prepare the food for the 

 plants. As the tendency of soil is to compact 

 top;ether by the action of water, and the mutual 

 attraction of its particles, it is desirable to have 

 it f tirred as deep as possible as late in the s^ea- 

 son as the case will admit of; hence the practice 

 is a good one of deep plowing as near the young 

 corn as possible, Avithont too much mutilation 

 of the roots, and for this purpose it maybe 

 best to throw the earth from tlie plants with a 

 turn idg plow and then throw it back again; 

 thus fresh aerated soil is thrown within the 

 reach of the young roots. As the season ad- 

 vances and the droughts of midsummer are to 

 be expected, it is bad policy to endanger the 

 roots by deep plowing, nor is it the best way to 

 avert the effects of this drought. For this pur- 

 pose the best method is to reduce the surface 

 to fine dust as soon as possible. This ma}^ be 

 done with a small roller, narrow enough to run 

 l^etween the rows of corn alternately Avith the 

 cuirivator. By stirring the soil deep, particu- 

 larly if done Avith a turning ploAV, the evapora- 

 ti<in is increased, while a coating of fine dry 

 du.it acts as a mulch and tends greatly to pre- 

 vent it. Every time a crust is formed, either 

 by rain or dew, it shouM be broken Avith the 

 cui li', atnr or c/'ushed Avith the roller. 



The plownmn should observe the condition of 

 the soil and the effects of ploAving improperly, 

 and l<e able to judge correctly when it is in tiie | 

 proper condition for that operation. If plowed i 

 when too wet its fertility may be injured for the 

 Avhole season or longer. Rich clay soils may 

 be rendered incapable of producing half a crop 

 by breaking of Avhen too Avet. No plow should 

 bo put into :i soil when it is so Avet as to receive 

 a pi'lish frf)m. the niould-ljoard, especially in the 

 spring. All these points and manj^ others must 

 be inntters of study and attention to him Avho 

 intends to becjme a thorough plown^.an. 



From the Country Gentleman. 



Winter Care of Poultry. 



We do not Avish the reader of this article to 

 infer from the heading, that the suggestions 

 contained in it do not also apply to summer as 

 Avell as Avinter, but only that in almo'^t all 

 latitudes, poultry require, in many important 

 respects, much more attention in Avinter than 

 at other seasons of the year. And perhaps 

 the most important of all these, next to pro- 

 viding them Avith a suitable house, as mentioned 

 in our last article, (page 45,) is a regular sup- 

 ply of animal matter. That it is indispensa- 

 ble to their health, and to their constant pro- 

 duction of eggs, no one of much experience in 

 this matter Avill den3^ Every one Avill tell you 

 that your fowls nmst have access to substances 

 containing lime, from Avhich to elaborate shells 

 for their eggs, but hardly any one seems to 



think Avhence the elements of Avhich the eggs 

 themselves are composed, are to come. These 

 must be furnished in the food, and therefore 

 we must inquire Avhat kind of food is suited to 

 this purpose. The chief constituent of both 

 the Avhite and the yolk of the egg, is an organ- 

 ized substance called albumen ; and nitrogen 

 is one of the chief constituents of albumen. 

 Therefore, it is plain, that if you Avant your 

 hens to lay, you must feed them on substances 

 containing nitrogen. The flesh and blood of 

 animals are almost identical Avith albumen, and 

 contain a considerable amount of nitrogen. 

 But corn, and such other grains as can be eco- 

 nomically fed to poultry, do not contain much 

 nitrogen, though they contain the elements 

 necessary for the production of fat. Oats have 

 a much larger proportion of nitrogen than corn, 

 and at the ordinary relative proportion of 

 prices, are the more economical of the two. 

 Poultry may be fattened on substances which 

 do not contain a particle of nitrogen, as starch, 

 sugar, and the fat itself of other animals, but 

 they will not continue to lay. It is not, there- 

 fore, the fat, but the mvsde and the blood, liver, 

 the scraps Avhich remain after trying lard, and 

 tallow, &c., Avhich are best adapted for food for 

 hens ; and of Avhich a little given every day or 

 two, when they cannot pick up insects and 

 Avorms for themselves, Avill abundantly repay 

 you in their increased production of eggs. 

 Th(^se scraps f)-ora the table Avhich are often 

 given to prolong the existence of some ugly 

 I raAv-boried, snarling, sheep-stealing cur, Avould 

 i suffice for as many hens as ought to take the 

 place of the aforesaid dog. 



As to providing shells for your hen's eggs; 

 old mortar, burned bones and oyster shells will 

 furnish it — of course unslacked lime must not 

 be given them. They are particularly partial 

 to ovster-shell lime, probably because it may 

 have a little flavor of the salt Avater; and avo 

 Avould hero observe that AAdiile the salt itself is 

 injurious to poultj-y, scraps of salt meat and 

 fish are much relished ]>y them, and after some 

 observation and inquiry, Ave venture to say, 

 prtiductive of no bad results. Bones partly 

 converted into charcoal and pounded fine, fur- 

 nish lioth lime and nutriment. Such bones as 

 cavi 1)0 easily mashed Avith a hammer as they 

 com.e from the talde, furnish a larger amount 

 of oilv matter than one Avho has never tried 

 the experiment Avould suppose, while the frag- 

 ments themselves, which the fowls aahII eagerly 

 devour, contain ph.osphate of lime, the very 

 thing that they need. Red peppers, onions, 

 cabbage and celery leaves, chopped up, are all 

 excellent articles of vegetable diet which fowls 

 greatly need in v*nnter as a change from their 

 dry food. We do not advocate r«uch feeding of 

 warm and soft food, except an occasional change 

 of boiled potatoes, (at something under a dol- 

 lar a Inishel,) liecause the digestive organs of 

 fowls are not adapted to soft food. Corn may 

 bo parched, and its nutritive qualities thus 



