Connecticut western news., 1873-11-14
Farm, Garden and Household.
HOW to Bui.si a Nriilx-Iaouue.

How to Build . Miilx-House.
 For milk-honse for twentysfive COWS building 16 by 24 feet will be ample. It should be dug out five or six feet be- low the ground and stoned or, bricked up to three feet above it. On this foundation building at least eight feet high should be erected. If a frame building itssholld be built with studs six inches wide, and lathed aud plas- tered, leaving that space between the inner. and outside walls to retain reg. ular5 temperature within. The floor should be either of cement or brick, and if the earth is clay drain should be made that the floor may be dry. An upper floor should be laid upon the joists at the caves, to make as large m air space above as possible. A Yenti- lator should open into this space from the milk-room, and 8 finely grated ven- tilator should be placed in the lower part of the windows. The windows shouldabe only upon the north side. The milk shelves should be arranged at not less than four feet above the floor. If supply of spring water is at hand, we would recommend that zinc lined cistern tatles should be used, with cistern at least four inches deep, in which to set the pans of milk, around wLich the cool spring water should be always flowing. os A separate apartment should be made in which to do the churning. The best churn is, the up- right churn, with the common dash. There are many patent churns f8, 900 of them), some of which will bring tho butter in from five to twenty minutes. This haste, however, brings waste, for at least forty minutes should be ocsu- pied in churning butter, to have it first classs and in a,dairy of this size it will be found profitable to have pony-pow- CT or a windmill to do the churning thrice a week. In this case two of the ordinary schurns could be operated by contrivance similar to the walking beam of marine steam ngine, with great saving. of labor. If any patent churn is to be used, we prefer the Blanchard, which can be procured of any agricultu- ral implement dealer. Ta..t . n
 s sFan nTreatmsnt Of sheep.
 It is customary to give the sheep the run of the fields till the snow cuts off their support, and even after that we often see them paving up the snow to get at the grass. The result is almost invariably.that the sheep go into winter quarters in a reduced condition. It re- quires then extra feed to bring them up again-grain at that, and grain is not generally profitable feed for store sheep, or at least less profitable than other cheaper yet nutritious fodder. When the fall rain comes, cold and of ten soaking, and, still later the snows, damp and clnging still lworse-shelter should be prepared for sheep; indeed they should have access to shelter the entire summer to avoid the heat as we'll as the spring and fall rains-and if they do not readily take advantage of it they should be made to occupy 1t and feed there. Nothing is so good to feed as early-cut clover hay. If secured, as it should be, when just in blossom, quite tender, it will be relished; and if thrown to sheep often and little at time, they will eat it up clean; it will answer much the purpose of grass, so that it will be, in effect, no break from grass to hay. If the hay has been damaged in the har- vesting some additional feed will be re- quired, such as meal, roots, &c. The point is to avoid the. rains-which drench often>to the skin, causing the animal to shivsr and suffer, and take. cold and engender disease-and to get the flock to go into winter quarters in good strong condition. Especially should the young sheep (tegs) have this care given to them, as the severity of the fall and winter weather is new to them, and they are more tender than the old sheep. Aftermath is an excal- lent feed for them. and can yet be se- cured, the season growing it we'll.
 Keeping Eggs.
 H. Schneider, Cannelton, Indiana, writes Will yor inform me how long eggs can be kept fresh and good under the best treatment, and what is the best treatment as regards packing and temperature ? sg..o-
 Replg-The only requisites for pre- serving fresh eggs. are to protect them. from contact with the air, and to keep them in cool, moist place. Large dealers keep them for several weeks, while they are plentiful, so as to sell them when scarce, by process called lming.s Theeggs are immersed in very strong lime water, or milk of lime, and they are known as lined eggs, and are so sold in the market at a very small re- duotion in price from that of fresh eggs. A keg, barrel, or jar, would answer to keep them in. Eggs have. been kept for six months perfectly good, by sim ply smearing the shells with inseed oil and placing them upon their ends in sand so that three fourths of their sur face was exposed. At the end of the test they had lost only three per cent. of their weight and were equal in flavor to fresh eggs. For family use, eggs might be thus prepared, layer of them placed upon their ends in sand at the bottom of box, when fine sand might be poured upon them, and other layers put in in the same manner. We have kept eggs from this season until after the New Year by simply filling net, aaa tying them up and hanging them in cool cellar, changing the mesh upon which they were hung every day.
 How to Ascertain the Weight Of Cattle.
 Measure the girth close behind the shoulder, and the length from the fore part of the shoulder blade along the back to the bone at the tail, which is in vertical line with the bnttock, both in feet. Multiply the square of the girth, expressed Tn feet, by five times the length, and divide the product by 21 the quotient is the weight, nearly, of the four quarters, in imperial stones of IA pounds avoirdupois. For ex- ample, if the girth be 64 feet and the length 54 feet, we shall have 63 X 6} =424, and 5f X 5=26{ then 424 X 264=1109 1-16, and this, divided by 21, gives 52a stones nearly, or 52 stones Ii pounds. It is to be observed, however, that in very fat cattle the four quarters will be about one tWentiath mora while