The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-09-03
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

GRAPES FOR HoGs.--The Ohio Farmer
mentions r. A. Hunt of Euclid, Ohio,
as having fed his hogs on culled and rot
ten grapes from his vineyard, and that
they did as well as if fed on corn, and
that they ate the grapes with relish
truly wonderful; indeed, so passionately
fond of the fruit did they become, that
corn would be left when grapes could be
reached. The swine grew fat very rap
idly, and made most excellent pork.
Cows will also eat grapes, he says, either
rotten or sound, and appear to do well
upon them.
BREEDING SwINE.---In breeding swine
the following principle should be OBJ
served: Every individual has its excel
lencies and its defects; near relations
are likely to have the same excellencies
and the same defects. BY coupling such
relations, both excellencies and defects
are aggravated and intensified, and the
defects may be so intensified as to destroy
the utility of the produce. Breed to-
gether animals of like character. The
produce will be like the parents; they
will be even and sure. For this reason,
keep within the breed.
RAISING CALvEs.--The New England
Farmer, while confessing that more
money can be made by slaughtering
calves and purchasing cows or heifers to
replenish the dairy, contends that the
practice is, nevertheless, a reprehensible
one, because the cows purchased are not
so good as those which can be secured by
raising calves from the best mixers. In
4 n 90 4 taI hot
not more than one out of four are good
mixers and even less proportion first
class mixers; while from calves raised
from the best mixers in selected herd,
as many as two or three out of four can
be depended upon for good results at the
pail.
EXPERIMENT IN PLOwING.--A cores
pOndent writes to the Country Gentleman !:
/ wish to tell you of an experiment l
tried last winter. In field where the
lands were half mile long, and through
various kinds of soil, gravel, adobe and
loan, we plowed land as deep as pos
sible, without doubling teams, from seven
to nine inches deep. BY the side of that
possible, from two to three inches deep !;
the remainder of the field was plowed
the usual depth, from five to six inches.
The whole of it was sown with wheat
and narrowed at the same time, or with
in two or three days. There is no per-
ceptible difference in the crop, except as
owing to quality of soil.
WIDE-RIMMED WHEELs.--The Rural
Home says: awe have used wagon with
wide-rim wheels, and found it very con-
venient on the farm, diminishing the
draft over mellow fields, and in fact over
all fields for a narrow wheel will cut into
quite firm sod deep enough to add con-
siderable to the draft. The principal OBJ
lection we found against it on the high
way was the fact that, differing so much
in width from those in general use, it
could not run in the bottom of the rut
formed by them, but would have to make
its own rut upon the sides of the others,
thus increasing the draft. If all wagons,
or the majority of them, were of this
character, this difficulty would, of course,
be obviated, and wider and shallower
ruts formed
PROTECTING HORSES FROM FLIES
A French pharmaceutical chemist has
discovered way to protect horses from
the attacks of flies, according to a Lon
don medical paper. His invention con-
sists in rubbing the horses, especially on
the parts most subject to attack, with q
little concentrated oil of laurel. There
is not the slightest danger in its use, and
the cost is said to be very small. An
other repellant suggested by the same
person, is solution of sixty grammes
nd Eve Isl, ~
of asafGtida in two glasses of water and
one of vinegar. If horses be wellwashed
with this not n fly will settle upon them
as the strong odor of the asafGtida drives
the flies away. This drug has no dele
FERROUS qualities as an external applica-
ton, and may be used unhesitatingly by
horsemen.
PIG-PENs.---Of the greatest importance
is good and well-constructed pig-pen,
something which is often neglected, or
not thought of; for almost every one
seems to think that porker is ever a
hog" and may wallow in the mud, or
be exposed with impunity to frost and
heat, to snow and storm, to the burning
rays of the sun and to rain, to foul air,
and the influence Of mud, dirt and every
kind of nastiness. 1t is true pig, as
such, has very good and robust consti-
tuition, and can stand many injurious in
fluences apparently with impunity, to
which any other animal would succumb;
but, Notwithstanding, pig, although
only a pig, is just as thankful as any other
animal, and in some respects more so, for
a good, comfortable, clean, dry, warm,
well-ventilated, and well. Uttered stable !;
and should have it,
SOAP WASH FOR FRUIT TREES. -
Many persons for no well-defined reason,
give their fruit trees an annual spring
washing with lime-wash. 1t is not only
unsightly, but of no benefit. The only
possible benefit it can be to the tree is
the destruction of such Larvae as it may
come in contact with, which is but few,
since they are concealed under the rough
scales of the bark which the whitewash
does not reach. A better plan is to wash
the trunk with strong soap-suds, in which
a little carbolic acid has been dissolved.
This destroys all insect life with which
it comes in contact, and the soap opens
the pores of the bark, and induces CLOS
sy green appearance. When the trees
are of such an age to form much rough
bark, this should first be scraped away,
but not to such an extent as to expose
the inner layer; only just so as to remove
the dead scales which form from year to
year.
HINTS ABOUT MILKING. - Always
manage to have the COW eating when she
is being MIXED, and when thus occupied
she lets down her milk freer, and is less
liable to kick or move about than when
she can give her whole attention to the
mixer. 1t is best to milk diagonal teats
ut the same time, but always take hold
of the off teat first, for if the cow is
going to kick at all, she will kick first
from the side you commence to milk. In
milking diagonal teats the left hand milks
a third teat, and thus the left hand serves
as a fender in case she kicks or steps
about. The best stool is made by nail
ing foot square piece of pine board on