Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-11-23
HOME, FARM AND GARDEN.

A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Times says One acre of sorghum seed
will winter twenty head of sheep. The
sorghum heads should be cut up with
feed cutter. After it is cut up add one
fourth its quantity of bran 1t can be fed
to other stock with equal advantage. Six
or seven heads, twice day, will make
very good feed for "A COW. Ii makes a
wholesome food for hogs. As for horses,
have not tested it.
To Get Rid of Fleas.-Mr Ely said,
at a late meeting of the New York Farm
ers' Club that there are two or three sub
stances that are obnoxious to the tiea--he
does not like the smell of them, or they
remind him of something he does not like
to think about-these are carbolic acid
and sulphur. If you want barn thorough
ly purged of weevil, or lice, or fleas, the
best way is to fumigate it with sulphur.
But if YOU whitewash all around the
stables and posts of the yard with wash
made by adding carbolic acid to the lime,
it will drive most of these pests away.
Washing an animal thus infested with
carbolic soapsuds will give relief.
Autumn and winter bring a great
amount Of work to the industrious farmer.
Flowing, draining, removing stones,
grubbing fcnce-rows, and repairing
buildings keep him busy from morn
ing till night. The accumulation OF
manure, also, is an item that needs con
slant thought and hard work. And these
things must be done if the farm is TO be
improved. Unless it is under constant
improvement it will dcteriorate and fall
into bad order, The farmer can never
say, "Soul, take thine ease: eat, drink
and be merry he has to fight against the
general tendency of things to go to the
bad, and he only wins who fights con
stantly.
The Western Farmer says: eve
have at different times reported favorable
results in growing potatoes where the
ground was covered with straw. Mr. +.
NJ Cooper. of Leicester, Wis, informs
MS that he had fine success this year with
the following plan: Having his ground
in good condition he dropped the potatoes
in burrows. as usual, and covered them by
narrowing the ground. just as the pota.
toes were coming up, he cross-harrowed
the ground. and then covered it with from
six inches to a foot of straw. Nothing
further was done to them until they were
duo About a quarter of an acre was left
uncovered with straw, but although much
labor was expended in picking the Colora-
do potato beetles, they nearly ruined the
crop.
Following to Kill Weeds.-On this
subiect the Rural Home has the following
The fallow is the cheapest and quickest
means of Kidding the land of weeds where
thew have gained considerable foothold.
Hence on most farms it is good policy to
cultivate each field in this way, occasion
aIlv Rut if killing weeds be the prime
object the following should begin early,
and everything subordinated TO the clean
mo of the land. Two things must be kept
! in yiew-thc termination of weed seeds
and killing the plants before they nave
attained any strong roots. Thisties, quach
grass and other perennials should not De
Showed to appear in sight, for If the tops
are prevented from seeing the sun ana
Gaelinp the air for one season, the roofs
will perish
Few farmers realize the beneht
derived from mulching Although prac-
tice more common among gardeners IMAM
farmers. the farm can not 90 pe'ler III
general way than borrow from the eA-
annie of the garden, and the nearer APP
nroach the one makes to the complete Ter,
ttility of the other, SO much greater VIII
he the profits of the cultlvator. SURFACE
manuring is. mulching. mellow son 10
q oreat desideratum, and mulch pro
duces this. In winter the surface rs KEPT
warmer by mulching, in summer it is kept
cooler. and what is more important, suu
den variations of temperature are
nr Grass lands and winter grain
especially are benefited by, it, and sne
damage resulting from dry time a .ae
sowing is in a great measure prevented.
Dc g,eat advantage OF the pea, buck
Wheat and clover crops is the mulching
effects Effects Of their abundant stalks and leaves
s and these are 80 marked that many farm m
er r actually believe and maintain that these i%ss
crons leave the ground richer than they
found it.-(Hearth and Home.
y, ~. ohaan ClrlSJUlas