Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-03-12


Much strife twixt struggling wrongs and rights,
Much good to do to aid your kind.
Pray, curb the dreamy thoughts that rise
Above life's real aud stubborn facts;
Frrsake void realms and vacant skies,
And 40 some good Ivy human acts.
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Milk and Nlilk.Roon,s.
In your last number 1 notice some
observations on tho treatment of milk
and the manufacture Of butter, in which
You state that the principal benefit Of
the sprlng-house is tho low degree of
temperature which it secures. And if
it were possible to secure the tempera-
ture without the water it would be bet
ter to dispense with it, as the milk-room
would be considerably dryer. 1 will
not pretend to set up my opinion
against yours, but it appears to me- that
right here some questions are raised
which it will be profitable for us to con-
slider, and of which shall not attempt
the discussion myself. I trust you will
accord me sufficient space to outline
them for the examination of your more
experienced correspondents. Now, it
may be said in favor of a dry milk
room, that the atmosphere contains the
minute germs Of myriad forms of tho
lower order Of vegetable life known as
fungi, which, by their introduction and
termination in the milk, greatly has
tens various chemical changes, and,
finally, its decomposition; and it is
highly probable that in these various
stages some effect is impaired to the
quality Of the product which may be
made from the milk. One of the con-
ditions necessary to the termination,
and in many cases essential to the pres
ervation for any great length of time of
their vitality, is naoisture. AS means
OF guarding the milk from their in
tluence, the dryer the milk-room the
better.
Critical Time for Colts.
1t very often happens that in the
third year of colts life it falls off in
condition, stops growing, and becomes
mysteriously poor and emaciated.
Disease is suspected, various nostrums
and absurd specifics for imaginary COM
plants are administered, which fail of
effect, and it is only after a lapse of
time that measure of improvement
takes place, which, however, leaves the
colt permanently injured and with an
impaired constitution.
At this period of the colts existence
an important dental change is going on.
The central temporary milk nippers, or
cutting teeth, in the front of its mouth
are shed, and the permanent teeth. take
their place. If the colt is at grass it is
almost impossible for it to Craze, and
it suffers partial starvation. This is
the whole secret of many colts suffer-
ings. The trouble in such cases would
be avoided by occasionally examining
the mouth, and when the temporary
absence Of the nippers is observed, to
supply cut feed of tender hay, with
ground oats, orsoft mashes, or cut green
fodder. This provision would tide over
the necessarily occurring period of dis
ability, and prevent the otherwise in
evitable falling way and poverty of
condition, with its disastrous results.
-Nc,v York Tribune.
Reducing Bones for Gardens.
It is not often that bones can be COL
lected on the farm in sufficient quantity
for field crops, but every man who has
garden can make little excellent
manure by saving those within his reach.
It is useless to recommend converting
by using sulphuric acid; the difficulty
and trouble Of procuring the acid away
from cities, and the care and experience
required to use it, are sufficient objec-
tons. There are, however, two modes
of reducing the bones, which every gar
dener may easily adopt. One is to
place them in thin layers in ferment-
ing heap Of manure, which, if they are
previously broken, will soften them
enough to cause crumbling after the
lapse of weeks, when the heap is worked
over. Even common hot-bed will do,
if the bones are first broken into frag-
ments. The other mode is to boil them,
as follows: Mix them in large kettle
with wood ashes, and to make the ashes
caustic add about peck of fresh lime
to each barrel of bones. Saturate and
apply heat for twenty-four hours, or
during the day for two successive days.
All the bones by this time, except the
very hardest parts, will be SO reduced
as to be easily pulverized, being in a
pasty condition, suitable for placing in
layers in making the compost heap.
Another days boiling will reduce the
remainder of the hard bones.
How to Exterminate Pigeon Weed.
Pigeon weed, red root or Cromwell
(Lithospern,u,n arvense), often called
pigeon weed from the supposition that
migrating pigeons have dropped the
seeds in their flights, has of late years
nearly ruined innumerable wheat fields.
When the numbers are few they are
very readily destroyed by pulling them
up early in the season. Some careful
farmers, by a few days. annual labor
have succeeded in keeping their fields
nearly clear of them. But they often
increase two or three hundred-fold an.
nually; so that one plant will produce
say 200 the second year, 10000 the
third, 5000, 600 the fourth, 1000, OOO,.
600 the fifth, and so on i'll this interest.
ing ratio.
The hard and stony seed will remain
inert for years in the soil, and each sub
sequent blowing brings it up to the
surface, and produces successive CROPS
After it has once obtained large posses.
sion of field it is folly to think OF
wedding it by hand. The only remedy
is to discontinue the culture Of wheat,
and resort for several years to fall and
spring blowing, in connection with an
nual crops and hoed ones, as frequently
introduced in the rotation as practica-
bic. AS this weed is a biennial, requir-
ing two seasons for maturity, it is east
ly exterminated. The seeds terminate
during the summer or autumn, remain
over winter, like bull thistles, as small
plants, and the next season they mature
their seed.-NeW York Herald,
lRs.lievinp 6,6,0k sI G,orr1n