The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-11-04
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
How THE CALIFORNIA FIELDS ARE
PLowED.-The fields are plowed with
what are called gang plows, which are
simply four, six or eight pl0wshares
fastened to stout frame of wood. On
the lighter soil, eight horses draw a
seven gang pillow, and one such team is
counted on to put six hundred and forty
acres of wheat in the sowing season or
Gray, near MERGED, has put in this sea-
son four thousand acres with five such
teams-his own land and his own teams.
A seed sower is fastened in front of the
pillow. The pillow has no handles, and the
plOwman is, in fact, only driver; he
guides the team; the plOws do their own
work. 1t is easy work, and a smart boy,
if his legs are equal to the walk, is as
good a plowman as anybody-for the
team turn the corners, and the pillow is
not handled at all. On the heavier
soil, the process is somewhat different.
An eight horse team moves four gang
pillow, and gets over about six acres day.
The seed is then sOwn by machine
which scatters it forty feet, and sows
from seventy-five to one hundred acres a
day, and the ground is then narrowed
and cross narrowed.
FORAGE IN HoGs.-The necessity of
providing pasture for hogs, even in the
best corn-growing districts, is becoming
daily more apparent. Good pasturage is
an important point to be taken into con-
sideratiOn in connection with the eco
nomical production Ofpork. One of the
most profitable ways of raising hogs is
to inclose field of say ten or twenty
acres, in proportion to the size of the
farm; SOW it to red clover; ring the
hogs so as to prevent their roofing, and
see that there is an abundant supply of
good water in the field. This will be
found to be a good paying investment.
We are confident that this method will
pay much better than to allow the hogs
to run in the woods, for they will be less
liable to disease, and will always be in
better condition for fall feeding.
Another plan, which will be likely to
suit most farmers the best, is this: Sup
posing you to have fifty or more hogs; it
requires first, three lots, adjacent and of
nearly equal size, with water running
through each, if possible; have your
lots in proportion to the size of the drove.
The first should be well-set field of
clover. When this is we'll in bloom,
turn on the stock hogs you propose to
fatten and let them remain there; give
them slOps from the kitchen, or sour
milk, whey, etc, until the second lot,
which was sown to oats very early in the
season, having crop early, is ready to
receive them. About the time they
have finished the oats, there ought to be
a like number of acres of corn ready to
be harvested in the same way.
1t is perhaps, well to remark, that dur
ing this whole time the hogs should have
access to salt, sulphur and charcoal. A
hurdle of movable fence will be of great
value, especially if, when they have con-
sumed one lot of corn, they are not
ready for market and need more corn,
which may be given by fencing off
another lot, or it may be pulled and fed
to them in close pen.
ROoT.PITs FOR WINTER VEGETABLES.
Choose warm protected corner in a
well-drained field. One of the first re-
quisites of pit is perfect drainage.
Water would make it foul and disagree
able, and cause the roots to decay.
Therefore do not attempt making pit
unless you are perfectly sure that water
will never enter it. Make furrow
about three feet deep by running your
ditch pillow several times in the same line,
north and south. Lay the roots in the
furrow in neatly built triangular stack.
Throw back the earth over the roots ia
the depth of foot or more, rounding
the top so as to throw off water; and
cover the whole with straw. At inter
walls of four feet set small bundle OF
straw, on its butts, on the turnips, SO
that the straw will reach into the air
through the earth and serve for ventila-
ton, to prevent the roots heating and
growing. Open the southern end, in a
bright, warmish day, when you wish a
supply.
All tubers, such as beets, carrots, horse
radish, parsnips and turnips, may be
easily and cheaply kept in this way.
Potatoes do best in cellar. If the root
crops are large and intended for market,
the pit should be dug from three to four
feet deep and about six feet wide. The
roots are then packed in sections of two
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sections space of six inches is left, and
this is filled with soil, level to the top.
The advantage of this arrangement is
that four or five barrels Of roots can be
taken out without disturbing the next
section, which is protected by the six
inches of soil.
Do THOROUGHLY BREEDS REvERT?-The
saying is a common one that domestic
ated animals tend continually to revert
to the original or wild type, and do 80
revert il demonstrating influences are
of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, w. III. Brewer,
Profess of Agriculture in Yale Scien-
tific School called attention to this sub.
ject. He cites remarks made by an
eminent scientist at previous meeting,
as follows:
The hog has been greatly changed by
dOmestication, and yet when left to him.
self he soon returns to the original type
During the late war some of the most
improved breeds were turned loose and
left to shift for themselves. Three years
after, / found them possessing all the
physical characters of the wild boar of
Europe. He also stated that similar
fact had been observed with Durham
cattle.
This statement, and all similar ones,
Prof Brewer sharply challenges. He
refers to the confidence which owners
and breeders of thoroughbred" have
in the pcrmanence oil, acquired qualities,
and says he has failed to find single in
stance of reversion. nor has he found any
one who knows ofits having taken place.
He suggests that the dogma (reversion)
is used as an argument to sustain GER
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