The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-02-16
Hints About Work.


Animals must receive constant and
regular attention. They cannot be
neglected for single day. Be care
full to give them abundance of fresh
water, and avoid as much as possible
compelling them to drink water full
of melting snow or ice. Provide
some kind Of shelter for all animals.
Horses that are doing nothing can
be wiLtered on good, bright straw,
with four or five pounds of corn per
day, cheaper than on hay. If they
worked regularly, they require higher
feeding; say ten pounds grain, ten
pounds hay, and ten pounds straw
per day. On a grain farm, where
straw or cOrn-stslks are abundant
and hay is scarce, one-third hay, and
one-third straw and stalk, cut up to-
gether, with one-third the weight of
corn-meal mixed with it, make a
cheaper and more nutritious food
than more hay and less grain.
Cows do far better on stalks than
on straw. They do not like the lat
ter. Our stalks were so well cured
last fall that, after the cows were ia
ken from the pasture and fed in the
stables on stalks, they increased in
their milk and the quality of the but.
ter improved. Cows that are giving
milk win pay for little corn-meal-
say two quarts per day, in addition
to the stalks or hay. Keep the sta
bles clean and well ventilated. In
stormy weather it is best to keep
them in the stable all the time, except
TO turn them out twice day to wa
ter. Many farmers only water once,
and this will do when they run in the
yard for two or three hours, but
| otherwise it is far better to water
| twice. Give them time enough to
| drink. Cows are not like horses in
this respect. A horse will drink at
once all he wants, but herd of COWS
need longer time and more humOring.
Sheep will eat straw better than
any other stock. With good, bright
straw and half pound of corn per
day, MerinO sheep can be kept in
good, thriving condition, and with a
pound of corn per day the right kind
of sheep will get fat. Towards the
/ spring sheep should have little hay
Say one foddering per day. Meri-
no ewes in lamb to q large long
/ wooded or South-Down ram should
have good keep, in order that they
may have nourishment enough for
the large lamb. Nothing is better
for them than bran and clover hay
Corn is cheaper food, and half q
pound day will not hurt them, IN
less the ewes are unusually fat
Where roots are scarce it is better to
reserve them until March and April
than to feed them now. Bran is the
best substitute for them. Cattle
horses and pigs should be fed in the
morning, the first thing before break
fast, but sheep need not be fed until
after breakfast. 1t is better to lei
them lie undisturbed until sunrise.
/ Littering the sheep-yards is point
of great Importance, and requires
good Judgment and experience. They
will lie down and rest as soon as they
have a little fresh straw spread in
the yard or under the shed, and this
should be attended to every day but
it is exceedingly important not to
get so much straw and manure under
the sheep as to cause fermentation
Avoid the mud and dirty straw on
the one hand, and fermenting manure
on the other. Both are injurious
A little straw and often is the rule
Be careful to throw the straw pulled
out from the racks about the yards
every day and not let it accumulate
] A little attention to this matter will
be amply rewarded.
Young growing pigs should have
| abundance of nutritious food, and
warm, dry, comfortable quarters
Feed three times a day, aud as much
as and more than they will eat up
clean. Our own plan is to cook the
| food, half cOrn-meal and half bran
and feed warm. Our breeding soWs,
at this season, get nothing but bran
soaked in water, aud we do not give
them quite all they will eat, fed twice
day. We soak the bran in warm
water about twelve hours, and get
some of the milky water out of the
bran to mix with the cooked food foI
the little pigs. The bran is still nu-
tritiOus enough for old soWs who
have nothing to do but live, while
young, growing pigs need as much
easily digested, nutritious food az
they can assimilate.
Pigs we'll Uttered make a great
| quantity of manure. We clean out
the wet and soiled part of the bed
| every day, and put in a little fresh
] straw. The butts of corn-stalks left
by the sheep and cattle, we put into
the pig-pens at the bottom of the pei
and cover them with straw. They
serve to keep the pen dry and save
much straw. When pigs are shut u[
it is exceedingly important to have
the pens well ventilated.
MANURE.-Either draw manure out
to the field as it is made, and spread
it, or make it into large heap in the
barn-yard. On the whole, we prefer
the latter course. If properly atten.
ruary, the manure will be in good
condition for spring crops. 1t is moi
uncommon to sec heap of smoking
horse manure by the stable door, an.
other heap near the cow-house
while that from the pigs lies frozen
by itself, half mud and half corn-cobs
The whole should be wheeled OF
drawn in a cart to a central heap and
mixed together. They will improve
each other. The warm horse manure
, will induce fermentation in the cold
cOw-dnng and the still colder and
more sluggish pig manure. Let the
: whole be carefully shaken to pieces
) and thrown into loose heap. During
, our cold winters there is no danger
of the heap fermenting too rapidly
In fact, where there is an abundance
of straw it would be desirable t.
sprinkle little dried blood, bone
dust, hen manure, etc, over the hear
occasionally, TO induce more activl
fermentation. A heap so managed
and turned once or twice, will be il
admirable condition for root crops il
the spring. Any that is too raw 70
this purpose can be used for corn, o
, kept over for wheat, or top-dressins