Southern world : journal of industry for the farm, home and workshop. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1882-18??, June 15, 1882, Image 5
MS SOtmERN WORLD, JUNE 15, 1882.
6
a sharp knife, not with shears, though they
are better than none. The large limbs
of trees should never be cut off at all, nor
the tops cut below the last year's growth.
All cuttings should be made just above
another branch and cut closely at the sur
face, parallel with the direction of the limb
left. Thus the sap in entering the limb left,
at once covers up the cut surface with new
wood, and secures it against rot and the
weather. If the limb is too large to be cov
ered in one year with wood, the cut should
be coated with varnish or common lead paint;
if very large, the lead is best.
Disregard these principles and what is the
result? The limb cut a foot more or less from
the trunk, and especially the top, not being
soon cured by the sap, even when small
sprouts put out, rots, and the water of the
rains enter past the albumen, when no cure
is possible—the very trunk decays and the
tree is dead. I never was in favor of the
whipping post, but I feel very much like
founding it for those who thus trim trees—
cutting the very arteries of their bodies.
RE8BTTINO.
All tilings being ready, one person should
set the tree in the center of the hole and an
other spread out the roots carefully in equal
radii as near as possible; then the rich earth
thrown out, and more prepared if needed,
should be thrown equally over the whole ex
cavation, the person holding the tree shak
ing it up slightly so as
to settle the earth
around the center of
the roots; and after
the top-most roots are
covered, agentle tread
ing with the feetsliould
be used till the hole is
about filled two or
three Inches above the
general level. The tree,
ns a general rule,
should be set a few in
ches lower than it grew,
and where that can not
be done, a good mulch
of leaves or short straw,
add such like should
be given. When the
earth is detached from
the roots, a good water
ing should be given
before the last filling
up of the holes, the last
dry dirt thrown on act
ing as a mulch. I add,
that wet soil should
in no branch of agri
culture be stirred with
the hoe or otherwise;
for soil thus packed is
unfit for the roots of
plants till w i n t e r’s
freeze disintegrates
them. The poor soil
thrown out may be
scattered far around,
or moved tosomeother
place. Some years ago,
a nurseryman sent me
two flowering peach
trees which he said
never bore fruit; be
ing double blossomed.
I set one in a well pul
verized rose-bed, and
the other in the lawn sod. The one in
the rose-lied is yet a vigorous tree, bear
ing double peaches, and the other being
dwarfed and fuiling In beauty, was years ago
cut away. So much for culture.
TUB OROUriNU OF TRKE8
is absolutely necessary if long trunks are
needed for timber, because the stems re
quire, ns in nature, protection against sun
and the winds of winter. But single trees
will grow well only when the branches are
allowed to the very ground, for then these
limbs protect the tree against the sun, winds
and under grass. And I am decidedly in fa
vor of all fruit trees approximating this as
near as convenience will allow. Some of
my apple trees have limbs resting on the
ground, and in an orchard where all meth
ods were tried, they have proved the health
iest and most productive. For a more elab
orate statement of tree-culture, I refer my
readers to my last paper before the Cincin
nati Forestry Congress.
White Hall, Ky.
Miss Mattie A. Collins, of Clarksville,
Tonn., has very flue “scrub” cattle, equal
ing in popularity, blooded stock.
A Texas lady in describing her appetite
said it was so poor that a flea would be a bar
becue for her.
|m MM gtyarimmi
Breaking A Colt.
This hra very important part of the educa
tion of a horse. Indeed, the future useful
ness of the animal will depend in a very
large degree upon the skill and judgment
exercised in what is generally, and too cor
rectly termed, “breaking” the colt. The
practice of allowing the colt to run at large
without handling or training until it is nearly
grown is about os rational as it would be to
leave a child without attention, except to
supply the necessary food and clothing, until
it approaches manhood. The training of
both, to be effectual, must commence at a
tender age when it is easily and permanently
impressible. The colt should be educated
to the bridle while at its mother’s side, and
handled at short intervals until ready for the
saddle.
It should be taught to submit to control,
and to feel that nothing but kindness is in
tended. It should never be roughly handled,
but treated with the utmost kindness and
rewarded with food at the close of each lesson.
After it becomes well accustomed to the
bridle a broad surcingle should be placed
upon the little student, the hand frequently
passed over and pressed gently upon its back
and rubbed down the legs. When two years
old add a saddle to the surcingle and bridle,
and when accustomed to wearing the saddle,
Improvise a straw figure and fasten it to the
saddle, repeating the lessons with this and
gradually increasing the weight until the
colt becomes familiar with the “ man on his
back." A light rider may now be substituted
for the straw man, and the student is edu
cated for the saddle.
Prepare him by similar gradual approaches
for the buggy, by first adding a light collar to
the bridle and surcingle, then the hames and
traces, and finally the full set of harness, teach
ing him in the meantime to drive in harness
and finally in shafts—always treating with
gentleness and kindness. If the training is
begun at the proper time and continued at
short intervals during colthood, no " break
ing" will be required, and the animal will
be much more valuable than if treated in
the usual rough manner, by which the spirit
of the animal is so broken as to injure its
usefulness.
If it is neglected until the animal is nearly
or quite grown the task is much more diffi
cult and attended with more or less danger
to both the animal and those who attempt to
break it In such case tho sooner the horse
is completely subdued the better; and the
best plan wo know of is to arrange to safely
throw him at will. To do this •“ place a
rope or rein around the horse's body, form
ing a surcingle; pass the other end under
the tail and bring it bock, tying it to the
part under the body, thus forming a surcin-
glcand crupper. Put a ring an inch in .diam
eter in the surcingle on the back; then strap
up the right foreleg as follows: take a quarter-
strap, pass it two or three times around be
low the fetlock, then through the crupper;
bring the leg up and buckle close to the
belly; place around the neck a quarter inch
strong rope, loosely fixing the knot so it will
not slip; bring the end down the near side of
the head through the mouth and back on
the off side through the ring in the surcingle;
now take n position on the near side of the
horse, commencing to pull gently, allowing
him to strugglo a short time, after which he
will lie down quite easily, without sustaining
any injury. By adhering strictly to the
instructions given, every person will readily
see that the object in laying the horse down
is to give him to understand that you are
roaster; and after repeating this two or three
times, lie will be perfectly satisfied of the
fact. While down, place a small pole be
tween his legs, moving it about; if he shows
fear or resists, give him a sharp pull on the
cord in his mouth by way of correction. In
other words,'punish him for doing wrong
and caress him for doing right, thus making
him understand the difference between right
and wrong." J. S. N.
•Professor Pratt’s Horse Fricml.
Live Stock.
A little three-page bulletin from the cen
sus office is very full of information that is
at least interesting to all who are not vege
tarians. The table of the report shows that
in 1880 the aggregate number of horses in the
United States was 10,357,081, that being 45
per cent increase since 1870; mules and asses,
1,812,032, increase 01 percent; workingoxen,
093,070, decrease 25 per cent; milch cows,
12,443,503, lucrease 30 percent; other cattle,
22,488,500, increase 00 per cent; sheep, 85,-
101,056, increase 24 percent; swine 47,083,-
051, increase 90 per cent; Indian corn, in
crease 131 per cent; population, increase, 30
percent. Ranch stock is not Included in
these figures, nor are horses, mules, cows
and swine (in cities or elsewhere) belonging
to persons not owning or occupying farms.
It will be seen that all classes of live stock
except working oxen, show a rate of increase
considerably larger than that of population,
the exception In the case of sheep being
probably only apparent, as in 1870, in spite
of the instructions from the census office, a
considerable number of spring lambs were
included in the report of sheep. Tho num
ber of sheep given is exclusive of spring
lambs, being in fact those shorn at the spring
clip of 1880.
It should be borne in mind that the corn
crop returned in 1880 (the production of
1870) was an exceedingly poor one, so that
the percentage of gain indicated by these
figures is greater than would have been
shown had the crop of that year com]>ared
favorably with the production of cither the
preceding or succeeding year.
The number of workingoxen has increased
iu only fifteen of the forty-seven states and
territories, and. with the exception of Mich
igan, this increase is confined to the south
and far west.
In Georgia there were 08,520 horses, an in
crease in ten years of 20 per cent.; 132,078
mules, increase 51 per cent.; working oxen,
50,020, increase 8 per cent. Georgia is not a
horse-owning state, her people holding 20
per cent, less than the people of Alabama,
and on!y about one-third the number owned
in Tennessee. Georgia and Tennessee arc al-
mostly alike in population, and yet Georgia
lias only 89,520 horses against 200,119 in Ten
nessee. We have 132,078 mules, but Ton-
ncssce holds 173,488. Ot working oxen wa
have 00,020, while Tennessee has 27,340. Our
excess of working oxen offsets Tennessee’s
excess in mules, leaving Tennessee nearly
200,000 horses ahead of us in the matter of
draught animals. The
difference In popula
tion is less than 1,000.
Of milch cows Geor
gia owns 315,078, an in
crease of 36 per cent.;
Tennessee owns 308,-
382, an increase of 25
percent. Of other cat
tle Georgia is credited
with 544,812, an in
crease of 32 per cent.;
Tennessee with 452,-
402, an increase of 34
per cent. Of sheep
Georgia has 527,589, an
increase of 20 per conb
Of swine we had in
1880, 1,471,003, an in
crease in ten years of
49 percent.; but Ten
nessee had 2,158,100,
an increase of 18 per
cent. The rate of in
crease in the produc
tion of Indian corn in
Georgia during the de
cade preceeding 1880
was 31 per cent., while
the population increas
ed 30 per cent. The
gain of Indian corn in
Tennessee was 52 per
cent, and of popula
tion 23 per cent.
We have compared
Georgia with Tennes
see because they are
neighboring States of
almost equal popula
tion ; and the figures
are against us. Tennes
see is far richer in
horses, mules, sheep
and swine. We have
more cattle, but the
aggregate of animals is against us.
And the figures are still less flattering
when northern states of nearly popula
tion are brought in. Wisconsin has
four horses where we have one, twice as
many cattle, three times as many sheep, and
about the like number of swine. Michigan
has 2,180,380 sheep against 627,588 in Geor
gia. Kansas has more swine, and twice the
number of cattle.
We desire to call the attention of our read
ers to the advertisement of W. G. Smith &
Co., of Mansfield, Ohio, who are breeding
and shipping a new and most valuable breed
of swine, known as the Cheshire. We know
of none of this stock in Georgia, but notice
from a number of testimonials from Mobile,
Indiana, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, that the
stock is spoken of in the highest possible
terms by breeders who have bought of this
firm. We learn that the stock is perfectly
white, pure bred, and that its fine grazing
and early fattening qualities, and improve
ment of other pure bred or common stock
when crossed upon the same.—Adv.
Col. Lamar, of Scooba, Miss., has a Jersey
cow from which ho obtains 14 pounds of
butter per week. This at 60 cents per pound
(Atlanta price), would net $242 per annum.
CJLY8DESDALE STALLION, IMPORTED BY POWELL BROS., SPRINGBORO, PENN.