Connecticut western news., 1873-05-23
Farm, Garden and Household.
The COw.HOuae,

The COyv.House.
 The following article delivered in the Farmers Club, by c. F. Raddatz, on the cow-house, will be read with interest by all who keep COWS for profit or for family use:
 Strict attention should be paid to all parts of the cow-house sound feed, cleanliness in the stalls, punctual feed Ing likewise place the COWS according to their temper, not two evil-disposed animals together,-also as the ore or the other loves a warmer or 8 cooler spot. The cow-house should be airy, but not exposed to draft The strewing Of straw should be attended to-the more the better for the COWS, particu- larly ln winter, when cold. The stalls must be cleaned three times a week, and the feeding floors or troughs swept twice day. In fact, everything in the cow-house should be calculated to make the animal feel comfortable in it. Per feet cleanliness throughout the cow house, to keep out the stench, should be the rule, else the milk will suffer from t, even during the milking. And here l would call attention to an unpardon- able neglect so often met with at cow houses. l mean the perfect disregard of the valuable manuring fluid which is produced in cow-houses and from dung hills, and which is so often left to run into ditch or creek near by, instead of being caught in some vat or vessel, and used as most valuable manure. Yet every farmer knows that without manure worn land cannot be cultivated. One must have seen European farms, where they cannot afford to waste anything, to make this great error in some American farms right glaring. Currying COWS as an act of cleanliness I would recom- mend, and the daily washing of the udder must be attended to by all means All this has considerable influence on the health of, the COW, as we'll as on the productiveness of milk. It now and then happens that a COW, heretofore good, suddenly shows decrease in her milk. This never should be reason of neglecting her. On the contrary, she should have very comfortable, clean, airy, but warm place, and the best of feed. She will soon recover, provided an actual disease has not set in. In the tending of calves in the cow-house. special regard should be paid to those which show the marks of future great milk productiveness, and as such are intended to be added to the stock of the dairy farm.
 F. D. Curtis-The only fault with this article is it does not go fare noueh, The stables should be cleaned not only once week, but once day, and then the windows should be opened to let in little fresh air and sunshine. In short, man should treat his cow-stable just as he would his bedroom. I go further; l take pleasure in giving my COWS a good currying. Cows kept in a stable, especially, need this treatment is as necessary to them as washing is to a human being. I have especially noticed this treatment at Beacon Stock farm. on my late visit there.
 Dr. Wheeler-I thought all farmers practiced this with all stall-fed animals. l am certain it is greatly to their benefit.
 Points ot the Best Swine.
 The National Swine-breeders' Con- vention adopted report of acommittee. defining as follows the standard of ex- cellence in swine as relates to the in- terests of both farmer and consumer:
 The hog must have 8 small, short head, heavy jowl, and thick, short neck :: ear small, thin, and tolerably erect. but 1t IS not objectionable if it droops slight ly forward. He must be straight on the bottom, from the neck back to flank. let well down to the knees in the bris- ket, and possess good length from head to tail back broad and slightly curved or arched from the shoulder to the set ting on of the tail ribs rather barrelled- shaped tail small. The ham should be long from the hook to the letting off at the loin, and be broad and full :: shoulder not too large, and vet suffi- ciently to give symmetry to the animal: hair smooth and evenly set on skin soft and elastic to the touch legs short and small, well set under the body, and the space between them wide: good depth between the bottom and top of carcass. He must possess a good, quiet disposition, and as general rule should not weigh more than 300 or 400 pounds gross at twelve to eighteen months, Color may be black or white, or a mix ture of the two. Such a hog will measure as many feet from the top of the head to the setting on of the tail as he does around the body, and as many inches around the leg below the knee as he does feet in length or around the body, and the depth of the body will be ur-ffths of the height.
 ExpelHng Flies from Rooms.
 It is stated that if two and a half pounds of powdered laurel leaves are macerated or boiled in two gallons of water, until their poisonous quality is extracted, and with the solution a white wash is made, by adding as much quick lime as can be slacked in it, and if a room be whitewashed with this prepa- ration, flies will not settle on the walls for six months.
 It is also asserted that if paste, made by stirring together one pint of the powdered laurel leaves with a quarter pint of glycerine, be applied to windows and door castings, room so prepared will soon be emptied of flies. Two ap- pli@tions of this paste are said to be enough to keep even kitchen clear of insects for fortnight.
 There is nothing disagreeable or dele terlous to human beings in the odor of the wash or paste, though laurel leaves. or laurel water, taken into the stomach. acts as violent poison.