Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-09-28
Agricultural Department.

Agricultural Department.
~ t!s o.
Hay for Stock.
Let it be said " it'll emphasis to every
farmer: ''Place more importance on
feeding good hay and less grain in the
winter" Good hay Is secured by cut
ting grass u little green, and by all
means securing it before the seed ma.
lures. DO not sun cure grass let it
wilt in good sun from three to five
hours aud then "uro in cocks. AL
classes of stock should have good bed
ding In the winter.
| The Annatto Plant.
Annatto, used so extensively by
dairy men. in col0rlng their produ.lcts.
Is q substance taken from the SEED pod
Ut the ann;sttO plant, bexa Orellana, of
Brazil. The plant Is an evergreen, and
IS grown in some greenhouses rs u
curiosity.
The coloring matter is wholly upon
the outside of the seeds, which are
about the size of common raisin seeds,
which they much resemble. They arc
contained to the number of forty or
6fty in the pods.
The c"loring natter is about rs thick
as common writing paper, and may he
scraped off from the seeds, leaving the
latter as clean and bright az buck.
wheat grain, and of about the same
color. This outer covering from
which tho coloring Is extracted, is Il
portion Of the dried pulp of the fruit
adhering to the seeds like the mncil;,.
genious matter Of unwashed pumpkin
Or squash seeds. 1t is entirely free
from taste or odor, and appears to be
pure color and nothing else.
AnnattO. rs it is received in paste
form, from Brazil. has i peculiar III.
matte or nutty od0r, which is derived
from the flour and meat of the seeds.
This flour is as white as the flour Of
wheat or oth:r grain. but is not az dry
and starchy, resembling in consistency
more the meat Of fresh siagbark or
butternut.
Experimenting Win Grades.
S. W. Hart, of Lapeor county, Mich.
has been experimenting witt grades,
and the following is report OF the re.
suits rs given by the Michigan Farmer.
1t shows conclusively that hay is not
a sine qua non with stock, and that it
can be successfully bred, in seasons
when the hay crop is short, by the use
Of auxiliary crops. These cattle were
bred from fair native COWS, and the
bull thoroughbred Short.horn, 80
that we may consider them half.breeds.
The cattle were sold as follows:
One pair oxen ...... 1896 lbs.
Oue COW l45O -
The 3.year old steers bred anu fed by
Hart are as follows:
pair 3.year old steers ...... ...... .30,5 lbs
pair 3.year old steers ...... ...... ..2764 "
pair 3-year old steers ...... ...... .2G32 /"
pair 3-year olds twins, steer and
Hart raised these 3.year oils on Skin:
milk when calves they never ate !,
ton of hay, and no hay at all, for the
reason that he did not have the hay.
All the past season he fed them corll-
stalks, turnips and & ain. The drovtr
who purchased them took the whole
lot with an allowance for shrinkage OF
81 lbs. for their delivery in Detroit.
below their weight at Milton. W.
have a lesson here about feeding.
Hart, by the use Of 4 good bull has good
stock to work with, and taking into
consideration that he was short Of hay.
fed a splendid lot of cattle, making ul
in attention to his stock for his want
IF hay. In this he has set US an exam.
pie, and we are much pleased to pre-.
sent his report to our readers. for it
shows that ''blo0d will tell" Weask
then, can any farmer that takes hi>
chance CT the bills met with, show
anything like this record!
On souring Of MIX During Thunder Storms
It Is fact, to the truth of which al.
housewives will testify, that immedi.
ately after brilliant display of at.
mospheric electricity, milk which was
sweet before will be found to be sour.
The souring Of milk is undoubtedly
caused by the sugar Of milk being
changed into Tactic acid. But what
produces this change in So short time!
Under natural conditions, milk will
remain sweet for at least 4 day, while
during thunder storm the change
will take place IN an hours time.
4 great number of reasons have
been given for this rapid souring OF
milk, as tho Earring Of thunder, etc
But the simple explanation was the re-
suit of an experiment tried by al
Englishman named Andrew Crosse
about fifty years ago. The gentleman
was endeav0ring to produces crystals
by decomposinX silicious solution by
; means Of the electric current. After
he had passed electricity through tllt
solution several hours, he was aston
ished to find some oval bodies covered
with bristles moving through the So
luton, end kicking out in every direc
ton. At first it seemed rs if electric
ity produced life, but further expert.
ments showed that it simply Matched
the germs alreadyin the liquid, for il
precautions were taken to exclude
them, no animal life was produced by
electricity.
These wonderful experiments set
the scientific world to experimenting
aud, as the result, HALTER. Pasteur and
4 host of investigators, have shown
that the souring of milk is Caused by
the presence of large number of mi.
mite plants called fungi. The presence
of negative electricity is essential to
the rapid development Of these minute
plants. BY charging milk with posi-
tive electricity, it may he kept sweet
for several weeks. This fact may
prove to be of practical utility in the
arts.
Now, during thunde, storms every
thing Is favorable to the growth ut
fungi. The air is=warm, moist and
charged with negative electricity. III
u short space of time whole, forests
spring up in every pan of milk, and
succeed in s0uring the milk and the
temper of the housewife.
| You can save ten per cent. ny order.
ing your winter overcoat from the Boston One
Price Clothing Store, Minneapolis. Send tos
the size you usually buy, and fit is warran-
TED.
We would not recommend the fire.
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