National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-04-21
Farm, Garden aud Household.

lT ~ ALWAYS well to brush cows before
milking, especially at the season of the
year when they are changing their coats.
Some dairymen always provide mixers
with little broom, TO dust off any loose
hairs or dirt that would be liable to fall
into the milk pail while milking. II is
a clearly practice, and one to he recon-
mended.
II il is desired TO cxtinguish the fire
in the fireplace, shut all the doors of the
apartment SO as to prevent nny current
OF mir up the chimney, then throw n few
handfuls of common fine salt upon the
fire, which will Immediately extinguish
the same. The philosophy Of this is,
that in the process Of burning the salt,
muriatlc acid gas is evolved, which is n
prompt cxtinguisher of fire.
simple way to wash potatoes for
feeding stock, or in large quantities., for
hotels, etc, is, take good, light salt
barrel, fill half or two thirds full of pota-
toes, pour on water until it reaches the
top OF them. Set The barrel on fork
handle or some stick, and shake back
and forth few times. Turn the whole
on a loose floor or into box with Slated
or perforated bottom, turn on one more
pail of water To rinse them. and they ARE
clean.
SALT BRINE ON SHINGLES. L. S. Winch
OF Gnadenhatten, Ohio, said in the Farm
crs' Club that he had heard that saturat-
ing pine shingles in strong salt brine
previous to putting them on roofs, would
make them proof against fire from sparks.
Ia xyn,tll lilo tho of thn luh
Mr.. Whitney said it was no practical adj
vantage and wouldn't pay for the trouble
Mr.. Sylvester said the plan was tried on
bank built in Lyons 1t was found
that the salt acted on the nails, which
soon rusted, and left the roof in a leaky
condition. Mr.. Cotton has known a
wash of lime to be applied after the shin
giles were laid, and with advantage 1t
prevents the accumulation of moss, TO
say the least.
b, writes to the Coantry Gentleman,
describing some very nice poultry which
he had seen in market, and, having
questioned the farmer who raised it,
learned that the fowls we're fed and
treated in this way: He said they were
fattened on pumpkins, but, on question
lub lui bilut ht kuNt
them half and-half mixture of corn meal
and boiled pumpkin, and the latter feed
impaired the golden tinge to the flesh
which made them take" so well in the
market. This may be a hint worth re-
Numbering. Another thing about this
batch Of poultry is worth noticing They
were dressed clean and nicely, and this
adds te their market value The heads
were removed, and the skin tied down
over the stump of the neck, the wing
feathers pulled out, the entrails carefully
removed, and they were dry picked
The latter spoke volumes in their favor.
EARLY ROSE POTATOES This is how
raised fifty bushels of Early Rose potatoes
on one-eighth of an acre, without cultiva-
ton Il MANFRED the ground in Novem-
Der with good compost, broadcast then
plowed to good depth, and left it, for
the winter, well drained. March LIST fol-
lowing, l put on five bushels lime, ten
bushels ashes and one peck of salt; plowed
and narrowed thoroughly ; run out rows
two and a-half feet apart, three inches
deep, dropped the potatoes fifteen inches
apart covered with three inches fine
earth rolled the ground. As soon rs
the potatoes began coming up, covered
the entire ground with straw about one
foot deep, and so they remained until
they were taken up. The Goth of Mar
we had them on the table they were then
u fine size. A little gas tar will keep out
all mice, moles, &c
BEANS FOR GARGET IN Cows-A cor
respondent of the New England Farmer
says : Some six or seven years ago, |
saw beans recommended for garget in
cows, by gentleman who had COW so
badly affected that she was nearly spoiled
but she got to stack of beans and ate
what she wanted. The result was, she
was cured. Since then l have used
nothing else and it has never failed to
cure as yet. Beans, we all know. will do
no harm, and it is medicine that all
farmers have on hand, or ought to have.
AT first l soaked pint to feed, and
mixed them with meal to make the COW
eat them but now / keep ground beans,
as l think the meal is the best. This fall
| had very promising two year old
heifer become so bad in one teat that
could scarcely milk it, and the milk was
very chunky and muddy. l gave her
one pint of the meal mixed with other
meal, for four days, when she was as wei
as ever, and has remained so. think
If COWS were TO be fed with bean meal
two or three times year, they would
not be troubled with garget."