Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-03-06
FARM AND GARDEN.
Fattening Cattle in Illinois.

ing cattle all the corn they will eat,
whether ground, husked, scraped, or on
the stalk0shock corn. The grain is the
main article of diet, hay or corn fodder
=" roughness "a relish, instead of the
reversed order, that makes the grain a
sort of dessert.
John A. Alexander's plan is said to
have been to bed the cattle down with
corn. This otherwise vasteful method
cattle are followed by hogs-from one to
two to the steer-where it is practicable.
By properly regulating the number of
hogs, they will clean up the waste al
most entirely !; and all agree, believe,
that the hogs do better with this system
than any other. We grind corn for cat
tie and steam it for hogs this plan re-
moves the necessity for either.
We grind corn for cattle that they may
assimilate it better-get out of it more
of the fat there is in it. But SO
long as we catch in one where the other
misses, what is the loss? The thing is
to get the corn into fat !; whether beef or
pork is immaterial, for, on food, they
are usually about the same price. Cattle
fed on corn do gain rapidly, and the
grain they void is ready cooked for the
pigs that feed themselves. A great saving
of labor is thus effected shelling corn,
hauling to and from the mill, to say
nothing of toll, cooking for hogs, and
feeding them. Every man can estimate
the cost for himself but "many
little makes muckle," and the economy
is important in proportion to the extent
of business done.
In conversation with alargefarmer and
feeder of Pike county, Ill, the other
evening, I asked if they had never tried
grinding for themselves with the iron
crushers. Certainly, he replied, there
is one of them Laid up on nearly every
farm in our section of country. don't
know of anybody who is using them, it
costs so much, with labor at twenty to
twenty-five dollars per month, to grind
for a large lot of stock and, besides, as
we feed, the cattle grind for nothing,
and we get all out of the corn the1e is
in it-if little less beef, little more
pork, usually worth about the same, SO
we lose nothing after all, you see.-
Michigan Farmer.
Meteorology i'm Agriculture.
The value of the barometer to the
farmer in hay and grain harvest has fire.
quently been demonstrated. Now we
public service employed in aid of agri-
Office have been enlarged by the act of
Congress of June 10, 1873, and extended
to the more Immediate ifterests-of agri-
culture. appropriation is made by that
act for the expenses of storm signals, by
telegraph, announcing the probable ap-
proach and force of storms throughout
| the United States, for the benefit of
agriculture as will as commence. To aid
in the accomplishment of the object,
the Chief Signal Officer has issued cir
cular to agricultural and horticultural
societies, inviting any suggestions or
recommendations to perfect the system
now established, and to render it more
directly useful to the agricultural inter-
ests, and suggesting that the best mode
in which such societies can operate with
the Signal Officer in the matter is by
the appointment of permanent commit
! tees to confer occasionally with the Chief
| Signal Officer, and to take in conjunc-
tion with him, such steps as may be de-
sirable. A large number of societies
have already responded to the request of
the Signal Officer, and appointed the
committees as proposed 1t is not to be
understood that these committees are to
take meteorological observations or make
reports for the signal service, their only
object being to obtain their practical CO.
operation through correspondence and
conference.
Relative Profits of Wheat, Oats, and
| Barley.
In the States east of Ohio and north
of Maryland, the growing of wheat has in
most localities given way to the raising
of other crops, the sale of which will buy
more flour than the land will produce.
This is of course less the case toward
the western edge of the section men
toned, and very notably increases TO-
ward the coast, where, as in Massachu-
setts, the annual yield of breadstufs is
only fraction of the quantity consumed
by the population. But it is somewhat
surprising to find that California, with
its vaunted advantages for wheat-grow-
ing, should show decided tendency in
the same direction.
From published statements before us
it appears the area in wheat in that
State yields only an average of nineteer
bushels to the acre, while barley give:
thirty-five bushels, and oats forty-fvt
bushels per acre. The cash value of tn,
yield per acre for each Of the three crop
is set down respectivelyat $18.24, $21. g.
and $26. 80, from which it will be see1
that barley yields in dollars nearly one
fifth, and oats nearly one-half NOR
than wheat Tor given average.
Six-sevenths of the export of barle,
from California is to Peru, the Orient
British Columbia, Chill, and Japan
The export of oats is chiefly to Aus
tralia, British Columbia, Japan, China
Mexico, and New Zealand. These fact
are suggestive not only with referenc
to the future of agriculture on the Pacif
coast, but with regard to the probabl
direction of that commercial enterpris
J which sooner or later must dot tn
l South Sea with the ships and steamer
of great and varied traffic.
. How to Make the Crops More Profitable
But how are we to So utilize the pro
l ducts of our farms as to render thel
, profitable and aid in their fertilization
l To sell corn at 25 cents a bushel, an
e haul it to market, will not pay very lare
3 profits. We must then adopt SON
3 economical and easy transforming pr
: cess, by which we may realize hight
[ prices for our corn. The cheapest an
i the easiest managed farm manufactol
f that I can suggest is first-class cattl
f horses, mules and hogs. With these fl
- our machinery, corn and grain for OIL
fuel, and industry and intelligence fl
K our engineers, we will convert our col
e and grass into more profitable and ma
', | l,a4o61a ,oroduots that will friye us M