Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1879 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

.Fall and Spring Setting.— “l have repeatedly tried both fall and spring setting, but much prefer the latter. With the former I have sometimes been very successful, but with the latter have never had a failure.”— J. M. Smith, Wisconsin. Cayenne Pepper on Cabbages.— “ On the county farm we have cabbages entirely free from Worms. The exemption is attributed to the use of Cayenne pepper on the young plants after setting. We have a German gardener, who suggested the plan, and appearances indicate its efficiency.”— A. Strader, Elmira, N. Y. Cure for Canker. — 48 1 have tried the following for sore throat, canker of the mouth and tongue in fowls, and found it the best thing I ever came across. Take one ounce of Tilden’s bromo-chlozalum, and add four ounces of water; with a feather wash the bird’s mouth and throat twice a day. It will cure in six or eight days.”— Sarah J. Ridley, New Orleans. Hog Cholera.— Dr. D. N. Kinsman, Professor of the Practice of Medicine in the Columbus Medical College, has been making an elaborate study of this disease, by which, he states, 20,000,000 are lost annually in the United States. He concludes that the affection is a specific, contagious disease, peculiar to the species, and always accompanied with extensive peritonitis. It is not, as has been claimed, any form of anthrax or typhoid fever.— Medical and Surgical ttepofter. To Clean Brass.— lt the brass is very much tarnished, use a little oxalic acid solution. If spots are imbedded, rub them ogt with a little pumice-stone; then wash with water and dry. Mix rotten-stone with sweet oil to a paste, and rub it over the whole surface of the brass with a cork until it assumes a greenish-black color; then wipe off completely with an old cloth. Next rub over with lampblack until thoroughly polished, using a soft, smooth cork. This gives an excellent result, and repays all the extra trouble that it causes. Land Plowed Dry. — “l know by trial that plowing land when it is very dry is nearly as hurtful as when it is very wet. But my experience is with heavy clay, or land in which clay is an important constituent.' Such land, when plowed dry, breaks up lumpy, and subsequent rains do not dissolve the lumps. The same effect might not be noticed in the different soil of St. Lawrence county, yet it is my opinior that there is never a more suitable condition for plowing any soil than when it has enough moisture to cause the furrows to fall loosely from the plow with no appearance of packing, and no

lumps.”— WiUiam Armstrong, Elmira, n. r. How to Medicate a Pig.— At a recent meeting of an English farmers’ club, Prof. Mcßride spoke of the difficulty of administering medicine to a pig, which you are sure to choke if you attempt to make him drink while squealing; halter him as you would for execution, and tie the rope end to a stake. He will pull back until the rope is tightly strained. When he has ceased his uproar and begins to reflect, approach him, and between the back part of his jaws insert an old shoe, from which yon have cut the toe leather. This he will at once begin to suck and chew. Through it pour medicine, and he will swallow any quantity you please. Protecting Plants in Winter. —Pits dug in the ground and walled up, say to the depth of about four feet, are excellent as a means for preserving tea and Bengal roses, carnations, and other half-hardy things over winter. In the bottom, in a sou containing a good proportion of sand, the plants may be hilled in pretty thickly, or the pots plunged up to the rim. Here also plants such as cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, etc., for early use, may be heeled. They must be kept from hard frost by a covering of grass, and hay or mats, and have ventilation in fine weather, or when it is not freezing. A little care will thus enable you to winter successfully many plants, both for the vegetable and flower garden. Poultry Farming.—No other business connected with agricultural pursuits seems so attractive as poultry farming. Even those who fail in the business and retire from it aver that they are certain they could succeed in a new trial, their mistakes having taught them how to succeed in future. This may be true, but it is noteworthy that they do not try again. Still we have almost daily inquiries, especially from young men, as to tho possibility of making a living from poultry; to all of which we are forced to give Unsatisfactory replies. The profit in ponlt-y lies in keeping small flocks. From such it is easy to make an income of $ 1 from each hen annually, even after buying food. But no account must be taken of the waste and damage done to crops, nor of the value of the free foraging done by the fowls, and these amount to a considerable sum if figured up closely. Then accidents are to be taken account of. For instance, the writer once kept a flock of thirty light Brahma hens, which did well for three years and paid excellently; but the unfortunate introduction of a cockerel from a distant yard brought a prevalent disease, of which every bird died, leaving one brood of motherless chicks the sole survivors. This may be taken as an example of the uncertainties of the business, -which are increased in proportion as the flock is larger. A flock may be kept as an adjunct to a more important business and to take up spare time, and, in that case, barring accident, may be profitable. But it may be taken as a certainty that not more than one per son in a hundred who have tried it has ever succeeded in keeping a flock of several hundred fowls in profitable condition. If one thinks he is born to succeed? let him try; he may possibly become a shining example to show others the way to success.