The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-08
Farm, Garden and Household.

WIRE CLOTH FOR Corn CRrBs.-We
read OF a man who lined the entire lat
tice work of his corn crib with wire
cloth, costing ten or eleven cents per
square foot, which protected his corn
from rats and mice perfectly.
FLEAs IN BARN-YARp.-A cores
pondent OF the Cincinnati Gazette turns
his sheep into his barn-yard if he wants
to get rid OF feas. The wool soon gath.
ers them, they do the sheep no harm,
get well creased and fall out Of it, and
instead of hopping about they fall to the
ground.
WHEN THE MILK is churned, the usual
plan practiced by good butter makers is
to allow the milk to become slightly acid,
while some hold that it should stand IN
til it thickens or becomes loppered.
The milk should be kept at tempera-
ture of about 60o and this is also about
the right temperature for churning it
Good butter makers think that from for
ty-fve minutes to IN hour is, on an av-
erage, the proper time for churning. II
the cows are good, and are well fed and
cared for, twenty pounds of milk ought
to give one pound of butter. The milk
OF some cows makes more and some less.
A GOOD WAY TO COOK MEAT is to seal it
in vessel Theoretically tight. Cooked
thus long time in its own juices, it is
rendered very tender, and has peculiar
appetizing flavor. Take an earthen jar
that will stand heat, with tight-fitting
cover. II beef is to be the dish for din
ner, cut in convenient pieces, lay them
in the jar, rub each piece with salt and
pepper and little sugar, put in a little
water lay on piece OF thick, buttered
paper and press down the cover. II you
think it will allow any steam to escape,
press strips OF this all around the edge
Of the cover. Bake in moderate oven
four or five hours, according to the ten
derness OF meat. Turkeys and chickens
are excellent cooked in this way. The
toughest old hen can be rendered tooth
some by this process.
How TO MANAGE A FARM OF SEVEN
AcREs.-A subscriber to the Agricuturist,
in Pennsylvania, who has hitherto been
a mechanic, has bought seven acres OF
land that have been in grass and not
plowed for twenty years. He wants to
raise fruits, to keep two COWS, and pro-
poses to raise cabbages, ETC., to feed
them on. He has had "no experience
in working in the soil, and has to depend
on books and papers for information. "
We would not discourage him, but he
must not expect to raise large crops the
first season. His first aim should be to
get the land under-drained, clean and
rich. Buy clover hay and bran for the
COWS. This will make good milk and
rich manure. Compost this manure and
any other material that can be obtained,
with bone-dust. In the meantime break
up portion of the grass land, and pillow
it and work it two or three times, and
next spring put on the manure at the rate
OF twenty tons per acre, and pillow it in
and harrow thoroughly. The land will
then be ready for anything. For cab
bages use about 300 lbs. Of superphos-
pbate to the acre. Keep the land con-
stantly stirred, and good crop may be
expected. The probabilities are, how
ever, that the cabbage will be worth more
to sell than to feed out If so, sell them
and buy clover hay, bran, oil-cake, etc,
for the cows. 1t must be your constant
aim to make rich manure. You can do
nothing on a small farm without it. With
1t, and clean culture, you can do every
thing.