Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-11-03
AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

Half-hardy roses should now be
protected for winter.
Pits or frames should be ready to
receive half-hardy plants.
Onions, lettuce, cabbage seed, ETC.,
can be sown late in the fall profita-
bly,.
Improve the fine weather, and fin
lsh visiting about Christmas.
The St. Louis agricultural and
Mechanical Association offers $780,
900 in premiums aud no fees for en-
trance of articles.
Nearly all corn is now ready to crib
two weeks earlier than usual
And yet December will see much of
it in the fields.
The Iowa City Republican says
Col. Ed. Lucas has a calf six months
old which weighs GAL pounds.
The premium at the Marshall Co.
Fair offered for the bestfemale eques-
trian was won by Miss G. Snider,
who rode without saddle.
Great destruction of property has
occurred every fall by prairie fires,
and the penalty for setting fires is
heavy, and should be more strictly
enforced.
The Marshall County Fair which
was postponed a month on account IF
rain, finally resulted in a complete
success, satisfactory to Its most san
guine friends and workers.
Dynamite is used with great sue
cess in clearing land Of stumps and
boulders. In the latter case it is
simply placed on top of the stone,
covered with wet sand and exploded.
The agricultural editor acknowl-
edges the receipt OF an official British
catalogue of the Centennial EXPOSE
ton from and containing the auto
graph OF his Grace the Duke of
Richmond and Gordon.
A writer in the Farm Journal,
without much foundation, graphical
ly says: "Our government, in one of
its spasms of idiocy, tried to represent
us in an Agricultural Bureau, a
toad stool set up to represent the
cedars of Lebanon"
How soon do some animals and
insects retire to winter quarters?-
By the middle Of October the toad,
land turtle, woodchuck, skunk, mole,
ETC., bury themselves in the earth,
and the black bear will soon follow
their example.
The Hampton, Qowa), Chronicle
reports that J. B. Hughes, of Mar
shalltown, shipped 100 head of steers
from that place said to be the straight
est, incest lot that ever left those
parts. They were bought of Barry
Brothers, Jacob Wire and J. Il.
Richards.
A correspondent is informed that
cattle, horses or hogs will never eat
too much salt if it is given to them
often enough. They are all better
for being sailed, or salt being placed
where they can get it every day
Probably hogs are more neglected
in sailing than other stock, hence
there are cases of hogs being killed
with salt, and especially with brine.
From the best information we can
get we believe that Iowa has but
seven head of short horns at Phila-
delphla. These are the bull Baron
French and two females belonging
to E. Elliott, of West Liberty, two
females of S. w. Jacobs, and two of
D. Wilson & Son, Durant.
Several premiums were offered at
Marshalltown-one tor the best per-
former on piano-tor the best deli
cate cake-for the best patchwork,
&c.-but the farmer boys are most
interested in the girl who won the
premium for the best loaf of bread,
which was Miss Jennie Wagner.
Concerning the condition of the
farmers of the Northwest, the Mil
waukee Wisconsin thinks the gener-
al condition of the farmer in these
States at the close of the season of
1876 is as good as it was in 1870
1t admits the wheat crop is short, not
more than half a crop, bat holds that
they have far more corn than last
year.
The Chicago National Live Stock
Journal pays the following deserved
compliment to an Iowa stock breeder
to-wit: Mr.. A. c. Williams, of Vim
ton, Benton county, Iowa, had on
exhibition at the Iowa State Fair,
held at Cedar Rapids, one of the lar
gest displays of Poland Chinas we
have ever seen on any fair ground
from single individual.
The Farm Journal truthfully re-
marks: "However fair and large the
fruits of California, it is well known
that they lack flavor. This knowledge
is gaining from year to year, and
buyers in our markets largely take
Michigan fruit in preference when
they can get it. In relation to Cali
fornia wines the Sacramento Record
says: whatever the cause, it is GER
tain that our grapes produce very
crude and heavy and earthly flavors,
as unlike the light wines of southern
France as shark meat is unlike hal
hut"
Mr.. Landreth, chief of the Agri-
cultural Bureau of the Centennial
Commission foreshadows our defeat
in one department as follows: Gun
less the breeders of the Union make
strong effort they will be eclips d
by the British section, England hav-
ing entered 100 sheep and 80 swine,
and Canada $50 sheep and $50 swine,
a total Of 4sO, or more than the en-
tries of the entire Union. Can we
afford forest satisfied with occupying
OH our own ground, secondary po-
sition to our Canadian neighbors, or
our cousins 5000 miles away?"
1t used to be thrown in our face by
eastern butter and cheese makers
that "the corn-growing West could
not grow the grass and had not the
water to make good market butter,