Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-01-22
SALT, ASHES l. PLASTER A. MANURE.

SALT, ASHES & PLASTER As MANURE
Please inform me if salt, ashes and plaste,
are good topdress for wheat, and if so, in
what proportion should they be used, and how
much to the acre? H.w.
You could not select three manures better
adapted for top-dressing wheat than those you
have named. Salt and plaster combined form
a most excellent manure, the salt being solu-
BILE and assisting to decompose the plaster and
to help liberate the sulphuric acid which il
contains Salt supplies soda and chlorine
both OF which are Ingredients of the grain Of
wheat. Liebig says, common salt enables
the plant to extract the sulphur from the
ground, where it has existed as sulphate OF
lime. Wood ashes contain the salts of pot
ash as the phosphate of lime. substances
which form the most tertilizing Ingredients OF
bones. They contain all of the salts and
inorganic substances which trees extract from
the soil, and on this account are very useful
in supplying material for building up plants.
IOo parts of woods ashes afford 1887 parts
soluble, and Sc 43 parts insoluble. The lat
ter are left behind at the ashwOrks and are
called g leached ashes" They are nearly as
valuable for manure Us unleached. One hun
dred pounds of plaster contains the following
ingredients sulphuric acid, 40 lbs. lime,
80 lbs. water q lbs. On soil destitute of
sulphate of lime, plaster has very good effect,
especially when the soil is used for growing
crop of wheat. The straw and grain OF
wheat contains potash, soda, lime, magnesia,
alulnina, silica sulphuric acid, phosphoric
acid, chlorine, etc, 100 lbs of plaster, so
lbs OF salt and 200 lbs. of ashes will top-dress
an acre, but much larger quantities may be
applied with good effect, and smaller guam
titles may be useful Western Rural.
KEEPING MEAT UNDER BRINE Many a
serious loss occurs to good housewives by the
pork or beef coming to the surface of the
brine, and becoming exposed to the air, after
1t has been packed with much care. The
usual way of keeping it down is to lay bits of
boards upon the meat, and upon them bricks
or stones. This is very well so long moth
ing Is taken from the barrel but when that
is done, If the boards and stones are not put
back and ereniy balanced, some Of them cant
little and allow portion of the meat to
come to the air. If this remains exposed for
some days, the process of putretaction takes
place, and not only the piece exposed is
ruined, but if it remains long in this condi
ton the whole mass receives faint, and if
not rendered entirely unfit for the table,
loses its sweet and rich flavor. We have
known this to occur where it was supposed
the utmost pains had been taken to keep the
meat perfect.
1t is no small loss to the family to find
barrel of choice pork with disagreeable
faint upon it all, just as the succession of
vegetables is coming on in spring or early
summer. To avoid such an unpleasant cir
cumstance, we give below a very simple, and
what seems to us effective preventive of
such loss 1t was communicated to the IO,ra
Homestead, by one of its correspondents from
Clinton, in that State =
Make follower of inch board IAN old bar
rel head will dog just large enough to pass
through the head of the barrel with ease.
On the top of the follower, about four inches
from the edge, on opposite sides, fasten two
braces with Leaf her hinges. The braces should
be about six inches long, and one inch square,
having sharp spike in the upper end. This
done, press the follower upon the meat until
it is below the brine, then press tue top of
the brace against the barrel, and the spikes
will penetrate the side of the barrel, keeping
all in place. Few realize the Importance of
keeping meat under the brine If one piece
becomes tainted, it will in time convey that
faint to all in the barrel.
FEED Roors TO HoRsEs.-It il probable
that all our domestic animals in their origin
al condition, were located in climates that
would afford them food throughout the entire
year. and that they were endowed with the
power of collecting that food, as our cows
and horses do in the summer season. They
would not be able TO do this in a New Eng
land climate, as the moose and reindeer do
50 that they are in an artificial condition.
in some degree, and this condition ought to
be taken into consideration in our modes of
feeding them.
1t seems to US to be contrary to their nature,
for horses to be kept any great length of time
upon dry hay and grain, and without some
tender and juicy food to fill the place, as
nearly possible, Of green and succulent
grass.
This may be done, in some measure, by
the use of roots. These will serve, does
the grass, to keep the digestive organs in
healthful action. Every horse owner will
find it economical to himself to feed roots
of some kind literally to his horses, as under
and strength, last longer, and thus be able to
do him more service than when kept exclu-
sively on dry food.
Livery stable keepers understand this, and
they purchase a larger portion of the roots
which are raised, than the farmer ought to
spare though the farmer has the advantage
Of allowing his horses to feed upon green
food during a portion of the year Among
the roots, carrots are considered the best for
horses but they will eat potatoes, mangold
beets, parsnips. and turnips, by
with each in very small quanti
ties Their use will prove cheaper than to
confine horses to dry food entirely.
FLOUR AS 1T SHOULD BE EATEN.-U pom this
point the New York Times says
There is "a noteworthy practice in connec
ton with our way of feeding ourselves which
Prof Blot should speak of in some of his lee
lures, and that is the custom of sitting your
-four so as to remove from it all the bran-a :
substance which contains the best nOurish /
nent Of the grain. This bran has from IA to
Is per cent of gluten, while the -four gives
but 10 per cent of the same according to the
statement of Dr. Johnston in his Chemistry /
Of Common Life. The public should begin |
the wholesome custom of eating their bread |
with bran in it. more or less, since both |
health and economy strongly recommend such /
, change. But people in general look rather |
for what is palatablc than for what is whole
some and unless some baker of original /
genius shall make a household revolution in |
his matter of 81 bread-stuffs,' we shall go :
IN eating the fine sifted -four and missing the
gluten. We are too much /
addicted to the habit Of bplting- We first (
BOLT our fiour-we next bolt our food-and T
,hen we bolt, ourseves-in order to be up to .
time at the store or the office.