The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-09-24
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.


AsHFs AS Foop FOR CATTLE-ne
Lire Stock journal has a correspondent
who found his cattle given to the habit
of eating wood, chewing bones, etc.
They became thin i'm flesh, refused to eat
hay, and presented sickly appearance.
He had no impression that their food
lacked the constituents for making bone
apd his neighbors used bone-meal, with
out noticing any good results whatever.
leached ashes in his barn-yard and threw
out to them about shovelful each day.
They all ate with evident relish After
turning them out to pasture, he put one
peck of dry ashes per week on the ground
in the pasture. They ate it all, and
gnawed off the grass where it had been
lying. The cattle began to improve,
gaining flesh and looking better than
they had done for several years. He
says this morbid appearance was unno-
ticed years ago, from the fact that the
ground was new and asby from the burn
ing of the woods and land clearings
Since this discovery he gives one quart
of ashes mixed with one qual of salt to
twelve head of cattle about once week.
PRESERVING GREEN FoDDER.-A par
agraph is circulating among the agricul-
tural papers giving European plan for
the preservation of green fodder, such as
turnip-tops, or other succulent vegeta-
bles. The original source of this para
graph has long been lost sight of or we
would gladly give credit A pit from
two to four feet deep is dug in some we'll
drained part of the field, and the tops of
the roots are thrown into it. They must
be gathered when entirely free from ex-
ternal moisture, and must be pressed
down as tightly as possible. When the
pit is full, little straw is laid over the
fodder, and the earth is heaped over the
whole. 1t is said that fodder thus put
away will keep in good condition for six
to twelve months. The writer OF the
paragraph i'm question bears witness that
he once saw pit of this kind opened
after having been closed all winter. In
this instance the leaves were those OF the
sugar-beet, and they were, to all appear
ance, as fresh as when first gathered. The
stock to which the fodder was given ate
it eagerly. 1t is well to sprinkle salt
upon the fodder while packing it, as this
tends to preserve it and renders it more
palatable when it is dealt out to the
cows. 1t would seem well worth the
trouble to adopt this simple method, if it
has all the virtues claimed for it. for
thus, with comparatively little trouble,
large amount of fodder can be pre-
lserved which usually goes to waste. The
only question is as to the possibility of
preserving fodder in this manner in our
colder climate. 1t is evident that the
exclusion of air is the principal condi-
ton of success. Frost will not often pen
citrate through four feet of dry, we'll
packed earth, and most of us know that
burying is an excellent preventative for
many vegetable products. One thing,
however, must be remembered, and that
is that it is not every soil which will an
swer the purpose. Nearly every good
soil will do; but the system must not be
condemned if the very first attempt does
not perfectly succeed
MANAGEMENT OF BULLs.-Every bull
should have ring put in his nose when
he is about ten months old, because it is
so easy to accustom him to be led at that
age; but the best way is to teach him to
lead, first of all, with a halter, which is
a nice job for any strong, good-tempered
boy, who will not play with or tease him.
OF course, good man would be better,
if he has time to do it. The ring can be
put in by throwing the animal down and
tying his legs; many breeders have straps
with buckles to put on above each foot,
and ring attached, through which a
rope runs, and this prevents any chance
of accident. With everything in readi-
ness, by tying the head to firm post, or
anything else strong enough not to give
way, a ring can be put in all right in
five minutes. There are three-edged
punches for making holes between the
nostrils, which can be purchased ut such
stores as Aliens, in New York city, but
common pocket-knife with a sharp
point will answer the purpose, if care
fully used.
When the ring has been in long
enough for the soreness to have left the
nose, the rope of the halter can be passed
through to accustom him to the use of
the ring i'm that way, before using the
bull staff, which is in such common
everyday use now as not to need a de-
scription. This has stiff stick. so
strong as not to give way, and thus when
the nose has become used to the feel of
the ring, it acts as easily as bit in a
horses mouth, but there is just the same
difference in bulls noses as in the horses
mouths-some are tender, others just as
they should be, while few will be so
very hard or tough as to make it more
difficult to guide them.
1t is an excellent plan to have every
heifer calf well and thoroughly broken
to lead with halter; it saves great
deal of running about, when, for in
stance, single cow, about to calve, or
for other cause, is wanted mt home, away
from the herd she has been pastured
with, for halter can be put on, and she
walks quietly along, the same as a horse
would do, and when horns become things
of the past, COWS and oxen will be led as
commonly as horses are. Doubtless all
the bovine race would have been handled
as conveniently about the head from the
earliest times, but for these superfluous
and most abominable nuisances. Man
kind is continually gored and injured by
them, and the best cows are often made
to abort, through damage from them.
Household Helps.
INDIAN CAKE.-One and half cups
of -four, the same of meal and milk, ODe-
half cup of sugar, butter the size of an
egg, melted, one egg, teaspoonful OF
soda, and two teaspoonsful of cream of
tartar.