Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-09-09
AGRICULTURAL.

TO poor farming is not generally understood,
though it is crowded with travellers, we throw
up the following landmarks, from the Spring
field Republican, for the common benefit:
l. Invest all your capital in land and run
in debt for more
>. Hire money to stock your farm.
3. Have no faith il your own business, and
be always ready to sell out
4 Buy MEAN COWS, spawned horses, poor
oxen and cheap tools
o Feed bog hay and mouIdy corn stalks
( exclusively, in order to keep your stock tame ;
! merry cattle are terribly hard on old, rickety
I wagons and plows
+ o. Use the oil of hickory freely whenever
/ your oxen need strength; it is cheaper than
hay or meal, keeps the air lively and pounds
/ all the grubs
T. Select such calves for stock as the butch
/ ers shun-beauties Of runts, thin in the hams,
! and pot-bellied but be sure and keep their
/ blood thin by scanty heritage; animals are
/ safest TO breed from that haven't strength to
| herd
5. Be cautious about manufacturing man
ure II makes the fields look black and mourn
/ iuI about planting time besides it is a deal
/ Of work to haul it
9. Never waste time by setting out fruit
an shade trees; fruit and leaves rotting
around place make it unhealthy.
| a writer in the Agricultural Review
| says: Deep cultivation Is inappHcable III, the
case OF sandy soils, except when they rest
upon a stiff subsoil, which, however, j. rarely
the case If there be simply a thin stratum
| OF stiff clay beneath the soil, it should not
| always be broken through, az it may prevent
/ the moisture passing away too rapidly as
| drainage W hen Iriable soil rests chalk,
/ gravel or sand, deep blowing should not be
/ performed. We have often known manure
| 70 be ploWed IN SO deeply that its decompo-
! sition took place only after the lapse OF seve-
raj years. Manure, to be efficient must be
| a. close to the surface as possible, in order
that the ncnrishment afforded by it may be
| within easy access Of the rootlets Of the
| plants"
To CURE SHEEP FROM JUMPNG.-A cores
pondcnt Of the Ohio fdln.er gives the follow
ing curious account of the method adoptedbv
him TO prevent his sheep from jumping the
fences OF his pasture Il want to tell you
about my jumping sheep, and how | broke
them. got them in pen built sufficiently
/ high 70 hold them; l then caught the ring
| leaders one at time, and made q small hole
IN each ear. l then took a cord OF string and
| run through tine holes in the ears, then drew
the ears together close enough to keep them
from working the cars. l then let them out
and they are a. quiet as any sheep"
Coop SUGGESTIONS IN REGARD TO THE OsIER
WmLow.-Mr. Breed suggests that every far
mer should have patch OF willows. He said
he used them for binding grain, for binding
corn or cornstalks in shock and as withes for
fence stakes for all which purposes he found
them better than anything else. The sug-
gestion Is we'll worthy of attention. small
patch of willows, which may IN many cases
occupy land that would not be valuable for
other purposes, would furnish all the bands
and wIthes farmer would want, and with
vastly less trouble than they could otherwise
have obtained.-Boston Clltgator.
How To SAVE MANURE.-In Franklin county,
Mass, the place of my nativity, most of the
tillable land has increased in value probably
one hundred per cent within the last twenty
five years, 10y means of a careful husbandry
and application of manures. Most Of the
barns are constructed with three stories, with
a view to this object, a part of the middle
story being devoted to stabiing, with light
floors, so that the droppings with the urine
may be precipitated below through convent
ent trap-doors, The lower story, or cellar,
opens generally To the east or south, con
yeujent for driving in a team loaded with al
luv.um, gathered from shallow holes or basins
made on the lower side OF the roads at the
openings of cross-bars which are so necessary
in shat hjlly country to prevent the water
from running In the road-or with muck, or
with dirt OF some kind or any kind to be
mixed with the droppings, and absorb the
urine and escaping gases. Sometimes old
brine and refuse salt are thrown into the heap;
sometimes suds from the wash-room some
times clear water, to prevent mould or fire
fang. | believe those who understand some
thing Of chemistry never add either ashes
or lime to the manure heap, as this would
set free the ammonia, and, as TO profit, would
be something like burning bank bills in order
10 get the ashes.
But how shall we who have none or only
part of these conveniences, save manure ;
Answer: Have small yard for the cows,
with shed ON one side, if convenient: with
plenty OF bedding of straw, or muck, or allu-
ylum, or dirt from the woods, or any other
place where it can be spared; throw the
droppiugs into heaps, uncovered if possible,
and add Is much or more dirt every day. On
TO this heap throw everything that can be
rakcd or scraped old leaves, chip manure,
horse droppiugs suds, salt, old or new, old
brine, &c, &c. Every farmer can do this and
make acres rich every year, which otherwise
might have TO grow poor.-Cor. R'l-aj NIe,r
Yorker
HUNGARIAN GRASS FOR HoEsEs-I am look
ing at what you say of a communication read
TT the meeting Of the Philadelphia Society
for the promotion Of Agriculture On this
subject, OF the Hungarian grass as a food for
animals, ! have received a great many com
lnulNC3lioHs from pfdCJlCdl farmers, ana talk
ed with many others. The following are the
results of my efforts to arrive at the truth:
/. Hungarian grass, if allowed TO mature
the seed before harvesting it, Is a very heavy
seed.
>. Fed in this condition, as one would feed
timothy hay, it Is dangerous food. 1t does
iniure stock in such cases.
3. If cut when in bloom and cured as hay,
it VIII not iuiure any kind of stock; it Is cx-
ceediugIy nutritious and valuable a forage
crop; 1t Is SO palatable. And if put ON rich
Soil 1t IS a profitable late crop to put in.
T. Experiments have demonstrated that
the grass with the seed thrashed ont, does not
iniure stock, and that if fed lightly with the
seed in, as one would feed grain, it is not IN
furious. but bad effects follow overlooking,
as in case of oats, corn, and other grain.
3 For forage crop il is found most profit
able, and less dangerous to cut gaass when in
blossom. | know farmers who grow large
crops of it, cut il at this stage of maturity,
and feed exclusively to team horses. They
feed no grain.
Now If anv of YOUR readers have auv facts