COM BIN A TION EGG-FARMING. 
Then I fill the hole nearly full of dirt and pack 
it as hard as possible with the foot; then put 
loose soil on top and leave perfectly loose. 
Peach, pear, apple, plum, cherry and quince 
trees have done splendidly for me with this 
treatment, but best of all the peach, and the 
plum next. 
In rich land that is light, sandy and well- 
drained, there is no other fruit tree that I have 
tried to cultivate that will make so strong a 
growth, with the same treatment, as the peach 
tree. The profit in fruit growing in this way 
is always greater because of the superior 
quality, especially of the variety known as the 
Crawford, which is always large and fine. 
Of course it might not seem practicable to 
treat all fruit trees with such care. At the 
same time, a fruit tree is like a child, the more 
carefully it is cared for and nourished the 
richer and finer is the fruit, (character). All 
the fruit trees I have named will be greatly 
benefited by being treated in the foregoing 
manner. They will do much better in chicken 
yards, as the poultry helps to keep the soil 
loose around the roots, which is very essential 
to the life of the tree. The chickens take all the 
insects away too. I have never heard of a 
tree being damaged by borers where chickens 
were allowed to run. It seems needless to add 
that in a very short space of time the grounds 
in chicken yards will do double duty and bring 
double profit in extremely fine products. 
Reliable Poultry Journal. 
Pruning to Improve the Trees. 
Do not be afraid to cut back your trees and 
vines, for herein lies the secret of success in the 
fruit business. Plant well and prune well. 
Cut your trees and vines back hard and let the 
strength go to the roots, and the third and 
fourth years they will grow right along and 
surprise you. When spring comes, what a 
beautiful sight are your yards full of peach, 
plum and quince trees in full bloom, with 
their pink, white, and pink and white blossoms 
and the air full of their fragrance; the chickens 
under them full of life, enjoying the first spring 
weather, the flies, bugs and insects buzzing 
around. Did you ever notice a place void of 
vegetation? How still at night, with not a 
sound. Then go among the trees, the grass 
and the shrubs, especially on a summer evening. 
What a constant buzzing! Why the difference? 
Insects want vegetation—so do chickens. 
Poultry must have shade, why not fruit trees? 
The cuts need no explanation. The idea is 
to show the fruit trees and vines among the 
poultry yards. Contrast the trees with the 
buildings and fences so as to judge their growth 
in the few years they have been planted. Let 
me say right here the Japan plum trees are 
wonderful growers, especially the Abundance. 
Why not help pay your feed bills and have 
plenty of fruit to eat? Why not enjoy the 
beautiful sight of the trees in blossom? Think 
of the returns from the fruit, especially in those 
years when chicks do not do well. Think of 
the comfort of your fowls. Compare a flock 
of Pekin ducks or White Wyandottespn a yard 
planted with plum trees, the fences covered 
with grape vine's, with another flock in a yard 
where there is only artificial shade. 
Allow me to leave my subject here and give 
the beginners in the poultry business a little 
advice. Plant fruit trees, vines and bushes. 
Even if you are on a rented place and have a 
fair number of years (five to ten) it will pay 
you to plant grape vines, or even peach trees. 
Reliable Poultry Journal. 
Poultry and Bees, an Ideal Combination, 
It is quite safe to say that nearly every person 
has some ideal which he is trying to attain. 
The question Avas asked a man in the city of 
New York the other day if he intended to 
folloAV up the busy, hustling, traveling city 
AAork all his life. “No,” said he, “after the 
children ha\ r e grown up, or after the mortgage 
has been paid, I intend to settle cIoaatl in the 
country, and keep poultry and bees.” Hence 
this article. Now I Avish to suggest right here 
that you do not wait until the mortgage is paid 
before you make a start, but begin at once, 
this very spring, and then from the earnings 
of your little side issue Avipe out the debt which 
enslaves you. That is just what I did. We 
should try to enjoy life as we go along, and try 
to keep young in spirit if not in years. 
It seems to me that poultry and bees make 
an ideal combination. The readers of Farm- 
Poultry are no doubt more or less familiar 
with the life and habits of the hen, so I will 
devote a little attention to bees, which work 
for nothing and board themselves, and at the 
close of the season divide with you their earnings 
Nearly every one who has a small open space 
has felt at one time or other a longing for the 
pleasant occupation of tending bees; but 
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