Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-06-16
AGRICULTURAL.
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
InIE-CURED HAY,

1t has been affirmed by eminent agri-
culturists that hay could be safely de-
posted in the In a semi-green state,
and come out green, fragrant, and ex-
ceedingly palatable to stock, by sitting
upon each load from four to six quarts
of air-slacked lime. The philosophy OF
it hes ia the chemical fact that lime is a
powerful absorbent. A gentleman test
ed this process last season. 1t will be
remembered that the weather was most
unpropitious for making hay. Finding
that 1t would be impossible to save his
hay by outdoor exposure, he carted it
into his barn IN a heavy, green condi-
ton. He sifted the lime upon it, and
it cured handsomely. His horses and
stock devOur it greedily, and prefer it
to the best cured hay. This is a
valuable tchip" of knowledge for farm
ers. Necessity often compels nay max
ers TO choose between the alternatives
of leaving out in drenching rain few
loads of half cured hay, thereby spoil
ing it, or huIrying IT INTO the barn with
fright smart chance" of its heating
and moulding. Lime will absorb all
the vegetable moisture and save the
hay; while salt gathers moisture, and
fails in many cases to preserve 1t.
FATTENNG CATTLE.
The following is an extract of letter
from the venerable John Jonston OF
Geneva, New York, to The Country
Gentleman:
/ raise abundant crops of excellent
hay, and l feed my cattle as IDuch OF
this as they will eat, and about the
average OF Jour quarts of corn meal, OF
the same of oil meal, each day-some-
times increasing to SIN quarts each the
third month. In three months l could
generally make them prime, if not extra
beef. Then / raised large crops OF
wheat, had abundance of straw to lit
ter my yards, and / never stabbed
longer than they eat their meal, and L
found they did much better than when
| kept them tied up, and they went
away as clean as when 1 brought them
from their pastures.
When L bought cattle that had been
fed grain before 1 got them, l fed more
meal to those, but seldom got such,
only when / bought a second lot, which
I often did iii January or February.
There is one thing very important.
In fatting cattle, If kept stabbed, give
them plenty of air-they cannot have
too much, if it comes in in front OF
them. Another thing, which Is very
| important, is to have the right kind to
start with. The Durhams and their
grades, and the Herefords and THEN
grades, are the best, yet there are many
very good steers to be got among what
is called the common cattle, deep at the
TANKS and wide across at the loins, and
every other point about them is general
ly what it ought to be. pnrhams and
Herefords may be profitably fatted al
any age-the common stock should not
be fattened until they are at least three
years, rising four in the winter they are
fatted, except the very best class. 1 have
fatted them rising three years; they gain
more in weight than the older, but il
takes much longer to fatten unless they
are high grade DuFhams. There are %
few Heretords in the country that they
are not worth writing about, but they
are an excellent breed Sc fatten.
DESTROYING cATERPILLARs.
In the Boston CultivatOr, a CORE
spondent gives the plan by which ht
has kept his orchard free from caterpil
lars. He uses a swsb, made of fine rag
or tow, This is attached to a hgh
pole and kept saturated with thin tar
Early in the morning, when the cater
pillars are all in their nests, he rubs on
the nests with the swab, giving the up
per sides of the branches on which tin
nests are light touch with the swab
Any caterpillars that are not at once de
stroyed will be stuck in the tar and due
Going through an orchard In this wa,
two or three times is sufficient to rid i
of these troublesome pests. This cor
respondent does not fiud the tar injuri
Gus to the trees, as very slight coatin
is all that is necessary.
/ sUMMERING PIGS.
A clover lot is the best pasturage 70
pigs through the early part of the sum
mer. 1t is good, indeed, the whole sea
son, but after harvest the pigs shout
CLEAN the grain fields, and as soon a
the corn is glazed it may be fed profita
bly,. Give stalks and all, for the hog
will relish the JUICY leaves and husks
But if you have a clover lot near til
house-in the orchard it may be-so a
to feed the milk and slops of the kitcI
en- conveniently, you have as good
chance for the pigs as may be desired
Pigs will thrive on clover alone, espec
! ally when it affords blossoms, but