FARM AND FIELD

Lake County Press, Issue 2792, 3 July 1919, Page 7

FARM AND FIELD

(By F. 0.5.)

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

POULTRY.

The Broody Hen. And the Effects of Neglecting Her. J At this time of the year a «ood deal of the laying capacity of hens of the breeds that go broody is lost through neglect or through the haphazard way in which they arc treated. This loss is not limited to the time inevitably lost when a hen is visited by the fever. As a matter of fact many hens, perhaps otherwise potential good layers, are allowed to keep the nest too long and become confirmed to broodiness, j Neglect at this time often results In j the hens becoming broken in condition J to such an extent as to induce a premature moult, the effect of which, of course, is usually to check production for a considerable time. If birds thestarted to moult thus early came on to lay correspondingly early, there would ,be no loss, but as a rule that is not what happens, and the services of hens that otherwise would continue profitable for much longer are lost from the time they g r o into moult until the following July or even August.

Stave Off Broodiness. It is the bird that goes late into the moult that usually puts up the big score, although had she been badlv managed and been allowed to break up under the conditions mentioned, she would have failed to put up a big tally. The object of the poultry farmer should, therefore, be to stave off broodiness at this time of the year by every possible means, and to prolong the laying period. The way to do this is_ to have a proper system of dealing" with broody hens as they take to the nest. The best system is to make a practice of removing all broodies from the nest either at or soon after the eggs have been collected each afternoon. Some eggs will be laid bv the broodies after they arc removed, of course, but it is far better to put up with this than to allow birds to become too confirmed to the nest.

A Systematic Treatment. There arc more ways than one of dealing with broody hens, but probably the best way is to have crates with slatted bottoms in which to put them. It is well to have a series of crates, or compartments in one crate, so that the broodies gathered one day will not be put with those gathered on previous occasions. When all ages of broodies are put together it is difficult to avoid confusion as to which was the first and which the last to be put in, so that some method of identification is essential to systematic treatment.

Sonic hens, of course, take longer to J get off broodiness than others, but the j backward ones can always be relegated f to their proper position in the system. ; Another method of g'etting broodies | that works well enough under some I conditions, is to put them outside their | ordinary enclosures, or in a yard in which all nests or cosy places where they can make a nest have been removed. . • From time to time various panaceas have been advanced for curing hens of broodiness, but. so lar, with no success; nor should the idea of the evolution of a non-broodv strain of an Asiatic breed be entertained. THE FUMIGATION TENT. How to Erect it Easily. The problem how to get the tent covering over orange trees that have to be fumigated has puzzled many a grower, especially when the trees are becoming so large as to require poles clearance. 15 to iff feet high to ensure sufficient A recent publication by the I nited States Department of Agriculture describes the method adopted by a Californian grower, who instead of putting several men on the 10b makes a horse do the work. Two poles are used, and the different corners of one end are attached to each. One man drives the horse and guides the poles to which the horse is attached by a rope from the top of the pole to a ring on an iron breeching. A second man manipulates the other poles. I he method adopted is to raise both poles to an angle of, say, 15 or 20 degrees, so that the ground end sticks into the soil- then the horse starts pulling, from which stage the efforts of both men are engaged on directing the tent to the right position. With a little experience the tent covering can be drawn over the tree quite quickly and easily, though with 20-loot poles more than two men are necessary. A horse of quiet disposition is best for the business, but he soon learns the procedure and saves a heap ot j lime. FERTILISERS AND BACTERIA. The basis of manurial treatment, as | at present understood, is to apply 5 manures which supply to plants the requisite elements of nourishment not ‘ contained in sufficient quantity in the 5 io il. or at any rate not in adequate 1 assimilable quantities. Hie manuies - ire “plant foods.” Now, however, ro- | lent scientific researches appear to . lemonstrate the great fertilising effect | of certain “stimulants” applied to th< ;i vsoi 1 in extremely minute doses, stimu i Jants which do' not contain any ele--5 ments not already in the soil in far I greater quantities, but, strange to say, j these novel stimulants applied in such 1 tiny doses seem to exert a great effect on vegetation. W'hat is this novel kind I of stimulant, what its practical import- . a nee, and what the consequences which I may result in future from its use? ; As with many other practical improve- ' ments in industrial processes, the possibility of so-called stimulant fertilisers was first shown as the result of purely scientific discoveries; the researches of physiologists led to a change in the ideas, hitherto existing, as to the formation and nature of soil; it was proved that the soil instead of being an inert mass was alive with a wonder- \ ful activity, containing myriads of tiny creatures, called bacteria. Iheso erea- : tures wero in certain seasons of tho ■ year always at work, some decomposing ; vegetable tissue, converting it into food ! for plants; others attached to the root; j of plants sometimes injure them am J sometimes render them a great service j All these bacteria secrete “enzemes’ which, although present in minutt

quantities, possess very energetic properties, and are capable of destroying certain microbes, of acting injuriously on somo plants, or of fertilising the soil —thus the soil, far from being an inert mass, is the scene of a strange "struggle for life" among its millions uf tiny occupants.

SUMMER PRUNING.

Summer pruning in tho nature of opening up overcrowded young trees b„\ removing such surplus growth during the growing season is a matter of considerable importance. This work siiould bo carefully attended to from tho first season after planting onward until tho trees como into Bearing—that is, presuming tho trees are making tho normal healthy growth necessary and desirable in young trees. Tho operation consists of the total removal or all surplus wood growth arising from tho centre and framework of tho trees where such are calculated „ overcrowd or to divert the sap fr . otiose portions it is necessary to strengthen ;uid build up. When properly and carefully performed this work exerts a very valu. able influence on tho ultimate produc tion of a well-trained and evenlybalanced tree. The training of a fruittree into practically any shape desired is, under favourable circumstances, a comparatively easy matter. Intelligent treatment at the winter pruning combined with timely attention in the summer will ensure this. Unfortunately, the most favourable circumstances aro rare; outside influence in the shapo of weak growth, damage during cultivation, severe windstorms etc., intervene, and are to be more ot loss expected.

THE ART OF MANURINC. This branch of the producer's work consists in providing, by the application of manures suitably chosen, for the presence in the soil of all the principal foods of the plant is sufficient quantity and in a state in which tho Slant can make use of them. Plants , o not live on a single nourishing' substance, but on a food composed of various nourishing substances. This is a truth which has constantly to b( , borne in mind. Thus, if only one oi j the necessary ingredients of the foo< ! of the plant be wanting or be presen' in sufficient quantity the plant can not develop and thrive to perfection A plant can form no leaves, no stems i and no grain for nitrogen or phos | phoric acid or potash alone; the seve- j ral nourishing materials must act to-1 gether, and each must be available in proper quantity. For instance, oats are capable or producing a crop of 11,5001b. from 801b. of nitrogen, 1001b. of potash, and 50lb. of phosphoric acid; hut if besides the 100 lb. of potash and 501b. of phosphoric acid only 401b. of nitrogen be present in the soil in a form in which the plants can take it up, only the half of the crop can be produced. In practice, the question *-»r he farmer is, "How can I furnish potash in the best forms and at the least costP"