Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

■ ’ REPLIES TO UIBJ Eg Information Furnished by the Agricultural Department. MAST QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED Bast Varlati** of Co* PeM For Hoy—Boot Bazar Cuttlvotloo—Tbo Propagation of Poach Tree*—Canao of Diwan In Chlok ona—Fartlllaere For Potatoes and Cab bage*, Kt*. Question. —Please give me some idea of the advantages of silage over other food for stock. Is it suited to horses and mules ? I have never had any expe rience tn making or using it, but if what I hear of it is true, I would like to try some another year. Please give tae some directions as to the best way of putting it up, and the best crops to plant for it Do you think it pays for the trouble and expense ? —Silage is eaten by all farm animals, but is peculiarly fitted for milk cowa. It pays, because it enables us to put up a green summer crop and keep it in condition for feeding all win ter, and it produces nearly equal results as if fed green. Animals fed on silage not only relish it, but it will produce as much milk and butter, or even more, than the same kind of fodder in the dry stage, because the stock will have bet ter appetites than if fed entirely on the dry food, and are cohsequently more thrifty. One acre in corn will produce as much nutritious food as several acres in hay. Thus it is cheaper than hay and has besides the following advant age: It is a. practically certain crop, while hay is uncertain. As the proper time to harvest any green crop for en silage is at maturity, before the leaves turn brown, just w en the water con tents of the plant i ’gift to dimin ish, it follows that there is ( very little loss of quantity in preserving it as silage, while the best part of our dried fodder is often destroyed by unfavorable weather before we can get it under* shelter. Any. of the following crops may be used: Corn, red clover, rye, oats, wheat, sorghum, the millets, soja beans and cow peas, indeed almost any green crop may be utilized, but all things con sidered corn pays the best. It should be planted very thick and out when the ears are well formed. The Whole plant is then cut up into short lengths and packed in the silo, tramping down evenly and firmly. Unless this precau tion is observed, that is, should the leaves and bits of stalk be unevenly dis tributed, the silage will become mouldy and unfit for use. If there should be lack of moisture when packing the whole mass will become dry and mouldy. This should be remedied by pouring water over the mass during the process of packing. Os course the silo must be absolutely water and air tight, and the contents, after being cured, bear some what the same relation to our dry hays and fodders, as canned fruit does to dried fruit. The daily ration is about 1 cubic foot of silage. An experienced dairyman says he gives his eowe all they will eat, from BOto 50 pounds to each cow, and has never experienced any bad results from it. A small, deep silo is to be pre ferred. Small because a greater depth of silage can be removed each day, which 18 an advantage in both warm and cold weather. In warm weather there is less loss from spoiling, and in cold weather less injury from freezing. The silo should be deep, because the greater depth gives more weight, and it is less liable to mould. At least ft inches . 7 should be removed for the daily feeding in order to keep the mass in* good con dition. On he whole we think the fol lowing directions cover the ground for building a well constructed silo, and they are the only kind that pay. A carelessly built silo is an extravagance; • well made one is an economy. - 1. The inside walls should be smooth and as nearly vertical as possible, there should be no uneven edges to prevent the uniform settling of the contents. We have already mentioned that the silo should be narrow and deep, rather than wide and shallow. 2. As the moisture from the silage is acid and tends to decay the jrpod, the inside of the silo should be well pro-_ tested by a coat of coal tar, applied hot. The inside of the silo should be two lay ers of boards, the first horizontal and placed against the studs. Over this place a layer of the tarred paper, whioh can be bought ready prepared, and last, a layer of smooth dressed boards placed vertically on close edges. 8. The floor may be of stiff clay tramped hard, and to make it smooth, close and rat proof a layer of cement is highly recommended. Foa ven tills tfon there should be .anger holes bored be tween the studs and openings should be left at the top of the wait These should be covered with screen wire to keep out rats and mice. 4. The studs should be very strong to resist tlt great pressure to whioh they are subjected, the foundation should extend below the first line and should be 18 inches thick, the sills should be well tarred and should rest qn a,good foundation, bedded in cement or mortar. The roof should be dose and should have a dormer window through which to fill the sila 5. The silo should be so constructed and situated as that no water will fall or drain into it at any time, Theseare the main points; but we would advise that if you are not acquainted with the principles or practical workings of a sila you examine one which is prop erly constructed before attempting to build for your own use. —State Agricul tural Department OMiat of Dteeaa* In Cfctekeae. Question —For several years I have raised comparatively* few chickens, though I once prided myself on my suc cess in this line. I am careful as to food aud water, and my coops are kept clean, but from the several hundred chickens annually hatched out very few come to maturity, most of them dying in the first few weeks. My neigh bors are disposed to think that some disease germ has gained a foothold here, and that it is useless for me to attempt to raise poultry. Do you think such oan be the case, and it sp, is there any remedy whioh I oan use to eradicate it? Answer—Without a fall knowledge of-your surroundings and methods it is difficult to answer your question ex cept on general principles. It is true that disease germs may lurk in poultry houses from year to year and that thou sands ot chickens are carried off an nually by them unsuspected agents. In such cases the best plan is to tear dow; the fowlhouse and build in an entirely different location, as far removed from the first as/possible—then give the house a thorough whitewashing with lime, inside and out, in whioh a con siderable quantity of crude carbolic acid has been mixed—say a teacup of the acid to each gallon of limewash. Put in new roosts and nests, and arrange them so that they can be taken out and cleaned every few weeks. In cleaning them, a good plan is to carry them a safe distance from the house, brush them over with kerosene and then apply a lighted match. The fire will run over without injuring them,, and will destroy any lice or mites whioh may be in hiding. From an expe rience of several years we have come to the conclusion that these destructive pests carry off a < greater number of chickens than actual disease. By hav ing movable nests and roosts which oan be taken out in a few moments it is much easier to give the house a thor ough cleaning and one cannot be too careful to go into every crack and cor ner. A few of these vermin safely lodged in an unnoticed crack will lay the foundation for millions of others in a very short time. We have found kerosene a splendid agent for checking them, and a common watering pot for sprinkling into the otherwise inaccessi ble crevices answers every purpose. The droppings should not be allowed to accumulate and become a harbor for these myriads of insects, which, being almost invisible to the naked eye, will accumulate alarmingly before their presence is even suspected. The drop pings should be removed each day and the houses kept scrupulously clean, not only to prevent vermin, but as a sani tary measure. Where the droppings are allowed to accumulate from week to week, they give off unwholesome gases and odors, which, being inhaled, causes many of the diseases from which our chickens suffer. If a layer of plas ter or dry earth is spread on the floor of the coop all the fertilizing properties of the manure ate absorbed and fixed, and if care is taken to remove and store ft under shelter, we have a fertilizer ap proaching in composition to guano, though not so rich. Such manure com posted with eight or ten times its bulk of rich ear h, will make a fertilizer of great value for either field or garden crops. Another prolific cause of the fatality among young chickens is the wide spread custom of feeding them on raw cornmeal dough. It should always be cooked. Where milk is plentiful we have found it a good plan to scald the milk and stir into it sufficient meal to make a soft dough, letting it stand on the fire long enough for the meal to be come cooked, but not scorched. If wheat bran is convenient it adds very much to the nutriment of the mixture, and this makes a splendid warm feed for the cool spring mornings, when the little chicks often become chilled. Besides this they should be given any table scraps, meat, fruit or vegetable trim mings, and if sweet milk and clabber can be spared for them they are of in calculable worth in giving them a vig orous and early growth. A flock of well kept poultry can be made the source of a steady income, and should only enough be raised so home use the investment pays better than anything else which requires the same outlay of time and money. State Agricultural Depart ment. Treatment of Peaeh Orchard, Where Last Year's Crop Vailed. Question —I gave my peach orchard a moderate fertilising last year, but the crop was almost a complete failure. I have almq't determined to leave it alone, that is without anything further than keeping down the weeds, until I get some return from the fertilizer put on last year. Do you think this would be a good plan? , 1 Answer —The care of a peach orchard requires the exercise of a good deal of common sense, as well as the judgment gained from experience J and observa tion, and in answering a question like the foregoing much depends on the con dition of th land on which the trees stand, as well as on the .age and condi tion of the trees themselves. Il the trees are thrifty and the soil in good condition perhaps you may another year reap some return from your invest ment of fertilizer, bat the general mis take in fertilising an orchard is to make the allowance too small rather than too i Drge. And sometimes may make a i mistake in the kind of f< rtiliser used. ; For instance, old trees, w ich have been in bearing a number of years, do not i need the elements in the tame propor tions as a young orchard just coining into bearing. The latter will require a larger per cent of nitrogen, while an old orchard which has been well cared for will require little else than a liberal ap plication of potash, with, perhaps a small per cent of phosphoric acid. Your orchard should have been well plowed in the fall, turning udder all vegetable matter, aud it pays better to ize at the same time and With a generous hand. The heavier prun ing also should have been done in the fall. While careful pruning is ab , solutely necessary to healthful and profitable development of the trees, it is extremely hazardous to do any severe cutting after Jan. 1. It is too near the time for the sap to start, and although too much wood is the general mistake among our orchardlsts, it is too late now to remedy an error of this kind. Severe cutting at this season is not only fatal to the crop, but often to the trees also. On the whole we would say, if your orchard is on thin land and is rough and overrun with weeds and briars and bushes, we would certainly clean it off and plow it, if possible giv ing it a dressing of potash, and if the orchard is young a small application of nitrogen. Later on a crop of peas will do much in the way of humus and ni trogen to encourage a healthy growth, even if the pea crop is harvested, and thus you will not consider that your land is entirely idle, though the peach crop shouhp-f&il.— State Agricultural Department. Are Feachea Reproduce J From the Seed T Question. —I have had little experi ence in the propagation of peach trees, but I can remember when my grand ! mother always saved and planted every unusually fine peach which she came across during the summer. Her or chard was mostly from seedlings and I don’t think I ever saw a finer one. But I am told now that seedlings cannot be i depended Upon to reproduce themselves. Is this true and is there any assigned | reason for it ? Answer —Formerly in nearly every part of this state there were good varie ties, which were kept up from the seed, but from neglect and other causes they have deteriorated, and today if we wish ’ to propagate a particular variety we must depend on budding aud grafting to produce certainly what we wish. The seeds from all cultivated or chards have a strong tendency to revert to the original-wIM type, which was very inferior as to size and quality, being little more than a large seed cov ered with a thin layer of flesh. Besides, the blossoms from one tree may be fer tilized from those of another and per haps different variety and there are al ways these uncertainties attending the propagation of a peach from the seed. We have tried the experiment and suc ceeded in producing a thrifty yonhg or chard of seedlings from extra fine peaches, whose first crop of fruit proved them, without a single exception, to be , utterly worthless.—State Agricultural i Department. Dlfiereut Varietlee of Co* Feas For Dif ferent Purposes. Question. —Please tell me what you consider the best variety of cow peas for hay, also for turning under, an d for I the other u m to which this cron is put. > Os the 50 odd varieties raised, I suppose a good many posses the same cnaracter istics. Wh it I . wish to know is the principal n -ieties and their uses. Answer—The selection of the va riety for planting should be determined by the use for which the crop is de- • signed. If a heavy yield of hay is the ' principal object, the more vigorous and > late maturing upright varieties, such as 1 clay, unknown and whipporwill, should i be used. Os these the unknown is cer tainly one o' the best, but if to be cut 1 for hay should not be planted too early, > as it finally becomes so trailing as to be • difficult to out with a machine, and it i produces less seed when it has too long > a season for growth. i If the crop is to be pastured, or is to • be left to decay through the winter on the surface of the ground, trailing va- ' rietiea should be used; the unknown, ■ black and red ripper being among the ■ best For this purpose they should be I planted as early as possible. ! For stock peas, black, clay, speckled i crowder and unknown have given us S the heaviest yields; but if peas are i wanted for table use the large and small I lady, sugar and buckeye will be among ‘,he best One of the common methods of grow ing peavines is to plant them between the rows of corn at the time of giving ■ the last cultivation. In this way a crop • is secured which costs absolutely noth ■ ing except for. the seed and sowing, and • which may be relied upon for a oonsid ; erable amount of seed and grazing, and J at the same time will make a cheap and effective fertilizer for the succeeding [ crop. In some cases the peas and corn have been planted at the same time, in alternate hills, but we have rarely found the practice economical If running va i rieties are used they tie cornstalks to gether so as to materially reduce the i yield of the grain, while if dwarf varie ties are used they are so shaded by the , corn as to make but little growth. When granted between the rows in ■ June or 1 July they begin their rapid growth after the-corn begins to ripen, - and the corn crop is gathered before the > vines are large enoughto be trouble ij some. When a crop of peas ta grown in - , . -■ 1..' u" eess this way it cinnot well be cut for hay, but will usually make a good yield at seed, and Wil 1 afford a largo amount at most excellei t grazing for either cattle or hogs. F r such Late grazing the black and the red ripper are among the beet varieties, as the peas will He on the ground a long time without injury.-* State Agricultural Department, Uaet Sugar. ' Question.—l notice a good deal in the daily papers about the feasibility of our farmers being successful in the cul tivation of beets for sugar. What is your opinion on thia subject, and would you advise a man who has suitable laqd to go into the business of cultivating beets for maiket? Answer—As suitable land is onlj one of the many requisites for success ful beet culture, we would not advise the venture, if that is the only advan tage possessed by the owner. latest aud foremost is a suitable and accessible market, then a knowledge of how to prepare for, plant, cultivate and sell the crop, is absolutely iadispenslbh. Granted those essentials we should bo able to produce our own supply of sugar, but, as with every other new enterprise, it is a mistake to rush in and undertake to cany it through before we are thor oughly prepared for the work. The signs of the times point to this as a now American industry, and as the Louisiana Planter pertinently says, wo could reach an immense development of the sugar Industry before we should be compelled by the magnitude of our home produc tion to accept the price of the world at largu At any rate tbe < American people seem determined to try the experiment of the beet sugar industry. The closeness of the margins in manufacturing in almost every district loads to the concentration of much attention in this one Inductor, Which seems to promise a profit tothteu. who engage in it; or at least to promise a profit after the first losses due to bad management shall have been made. The industry is one suited to our soils and climate, is legitimate in every re spoct, and we trust that it will be so en couraged that in time we will be able to fully Supply our home market.—State Agricultural-Department. Deberalag. Question. Does dehorning Injure Ue animal very seriously and is it very ihdnfiil? Would you advise that, where a large number of cows are kept, they should be dehorned? Answer—lt has been conclusively demonstrated that if dehorning is prop erly done, and proper attention given to the animal afterwards, they experience little inconvenience and feel very little pain. We have known whole herds of grown animals dehorned, where scarcely an animal misted a feed, and the flow of milk was not perceptibly diminished. But every precaution was used to give as little pain as possible and the most approved instruments were used. On the other hand, we have seen cattle die from the effects of cruelty and after neglect The best time for such work is in the mild weather of spring or fait During hot weather the flies are trou blesome and should bo guarded against by smearing tar over tbe wounded part. In cold weather the cows should be well protected and cared for until they en tirely recover from the operation. The best plan of dehorning is to apply a chemical dehorner to the "button” as soon as it appears on the calves, which is easily and cheaply done. On no ac count. should one attempt to dehorn a grown animal, until ho has previously seen the work properly done, and has the necessary and suitable tools and appliances at hand for taking off the horns thoroughly and quickly.—State Agricultural Department. Fartlllaar FOr Potato**. Question.—Please give m® » gopd fertilizer for my potatoes, and will the same formula do for my early cabbages ? Answer—A good fertilizer foe pota toes should contain about IB per cent of potash, 8 per cent of phoephorio add, and 8 per cent of nitrogen. For cab bages, 8 per cent of potash, 8 per cent of phosphoric Mid and 9 per cent of ni trogen. We have here illustrated the principle that different crops, while they require the same elements, need these in different proportions. Were you to use the cabbage formula for your potatoes you would perhaps have vig orous plan i with luxuriant foliage and but few tubers. The large amount of ammonia would stimulate a vigorous growth at> ve ground, while the propor tion of po ash and phoephorio add is not sufficient to form considerable number of potatoes. Oh the contrary cabbages are gross feeders and require heavy appMaiitions of nitrogen with smaller doses of potash and phosphoric add.—State Agricultural Department. Wlzm t* Apgly X4*m. Qumtioi —ls it too late to apply lime to my land? How shall I phi it on. and how much to the acre? Answer—As a general thing it is best to apply limo In the fall. It should be applied evenly to the surface of the fall plowed land. It will gradually sink into the soil and perform a wonderful work there. To aid in its even distri bution, on which much of its benefldal effect depends, a harrow should bo run lightly over the land. There are ex ceptional oases in which the application may be made later. For instance, if the soil is very sour, or if fertilisers without nitrogen are to be used. If ni trogenous fertilizers are to be used the be applied in the tall The usual rate is from one to two tons to the acre. On very dry, sandy soils smaller applications must be made than upon moist ones. Other things being equal, the productiveness of the soil is, in a measure, dependent on a certain per centage of lime.—State Agricultural Department, _ i ■ ...JI ■ ■>, • ; ~ MB® I SEE THAT THE > V A** ■ U "w||i|FAC-SIMILE SIGNATURE stonfidting UffiToodandßetf Ufa.- IM iijgiimStamm±saiMiltoWMsaff M OF ness and Rest. Contains neither M ■ to Qjq- TTTfrl NOT NARCOTIC. I WRAPPER | I OT EVEBY , - ■ BOTTLE OF / M ,K» r D a. in ■ nTfih ift Worms .Convulsions .Feverish- Ml II % H ■■■£■£« ness and Loss OF SLEEP. Mllll|M ■ Tac Simile Signature of M WlB V I HIIBfiH NEW YOHK. M O***® l * h u hrttlw osly. I( SSB**MMaaMWsmennMßH Bls tot sold in bulk. Don’t sib* anyone to VW|MIUMHM4*9M|MHMy o '> snytoing eke on the ple» or promke ■ Is “juat as good” cad "will anaver erery pnr- ■ poM.” S»- Gee that you get O-A-8-T-fi-B-I-A EXACT COPY UF WRAPP6B. M —GET YOUH — J JOB PRINTING DONE JLT - ■ ' The Morning Call Office. fIMHHMMHMHMHHMHHHMMBMMHBHBBMBHMMMBHHMHMMI We have just supplied our Job Office with a complete line of BUtumen kinds and can get up, on short notice, anything wanted in the way or * LETTERHEADS, BILLHEADS STATEMENTS, . IRCULARB, ENVELOPES, NOTES, / - ■■ MORTGAGES, PROGRAMS, CARDS, POSTERS DODGERS, ETC., ETL ; • '■ We c*ny ue beet ineof FNVBI/OFEfI vw jfsced ; this trade. An ailracdyt POSTER U any size can be issued on short notice- , Our prices for work of all kinds will compare fhvorably with those obtained rat ||H , - -7 any office in the state. When you want job* printing oijany dcscripticn five us call Satisfaction guaranteed. L == F . ALL WORK DONE With Neatness and Dispatch. Out of town orders will receive prompt attention a J. P. &S B. SawtelL “mill of georbu muiwFco7| ♦♦♦♦♦ Schedule In Effect Dec. 12, 1897. “No. 4 «o. ri No.l ' Daily ftSi/ Daily- Dally. Dally.statkhw. Daily, 74pm 4 06ptn 760 am Lv Atlanta.. -....Ari 7»pm USlam SSSR 838 pm 446 pm 8 28am Lt. J0ne5b0r0....... Ar 6ttpm »»«■ agJSrOI 10 Is pm « ffi pm 10 12am Ar flaS sSam 4«6am BSS s “ B JsE ,o “ 815 am 8 2s pm Ar - Millen. T TI JJnJS 840 pm and Ce^rto—D MAHBo **