Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-10-13
Apples as Food for Stock.

peck ration fed each day to COW will in-
crease her milk and flesh. The same amount
fed to horse will put fresh gloss to his
hair, and new life into his stomach. The
only trouble in feeding apples to stock is
that too large an allowance is usually given
at the outset. Cows are 80 fond of apples
that if allowed, they will gil themselves al
most to bursting. Boys, and even men,
have been known to damage themselves in
the same way, aud then lay the blame to
the apples instead of their own gluttony.
Commence feeding apples moderately, and
increase the allowance as the stomach be-
comes accustomed to their digestion, aud we
will warrant no drying up Of milk, but n
steadily increasing flow. There is much
less danger of choking, also, il COW is fed
regularly and moderately. Let into an or
chard, after long abstinence, she is as vora-
cious as a boarding-school boy, and tries to
gulp down two or three at time. No won-
der they clog up her gullet, as our soldiers
clogged the woods at Bull Run.
One of the best modes to dispose of wind
fall apples is to give the hogs the free run
of the orchard. They will fnd there mix
ed meat and vegetable diet, for windfalls
are very apt to be infested with worms
Hogs fed in this way do double service
first TO themselves, and secondly, to the Or
charj, which they rid of insects. Not only
are the worms in the apples eaten, but those
that have burrowed in the ground are dug
out by. that best of grubbers, the snout
| Never obstruct the operation of this by
ringing it with wire. Thou shalt not muz.
Ele the mouth of the OK that treadeth out
the corn" The orchard may look little
the worse for the wear and tear Of the hogs
snout, but it is better cultivation than that
of the plow, and the fruit will be all the
more abundant and fair, for the ventilation
which the soil receives, and for the destruc.
ton Of the insects,
All kinds OF poultry are partial to apples
aud thrive upon them. If hens are al.
lowed free access to the orchard, they are
almost as good scavengers of the insects as
are the hogs, but they are very discrimina
ting as to the kind of apples they eat. A
hog eats everything, asking no questions for
conscience sake; but hen is sure to pick
out and peck the incest fruit. We some
times feel vexed with her for so doing, buI
we can't help admiring her taste, and admir-
ing, also, the quality of the eggs and meat
which are the result Of her taste, for ther,
is no ucier aud higher favored meat, wheth
er beef, pork, or chicken-ixlugs, thal tina
fattened on apples.
The value Of apples for feeding purposes
we are confident, has never been fully ap
preciated by farmers as q class. The i'm
preston is quite prevalent that fruit is pret
ty much all water, with little favoring
to make it pleasant, whereas the averag,
percentage Of water ATTAINED from four va
rioties Of fresh apples is S2.6; dry matter
Ia As compared with potatoes the ad
vantage is not largely with the latter, a
the fresh potato gives 79.4 per cent. water
The potato furnishes the neat starch, but il
compensation the apple gives much more su
gar, which, chemically considered, is identi
cal with starch, and fattens equally we'll
The TOlman Sweet is nearly ten per cent
sugar. When we come to the inorganic an
alysis of the apple, we see why young folk
andyoung animals are so fond of them, asid
from the flavor of the juice, which tho Gre
ator doubtless put in to make them palata
BILE. Omitting some Of the inorganic consti
tuents aud all decimals, we give the princi
pal with the integral figures: Phosphate o
iron,2 per cent. phospboric acid, ii pc
cent. lime, 5 per cent. maguesia, 2 pc
cent potash, AZ per cent. soda, 10 pc
cent. chlorine, 2 per cent. sulphuric acid
per cent.
1t will be seen by glance at the abov
that apples are we'll calculated TO build u
the frame work of all young animals, aud Il
strengthen this frame in the old; while thu
malc acid, which is small in amount, anC
the phosphate OF iron, give tone to tho sys
TEN. La this year of abundant fruit, W
hope our farmers will be induced to try max
ing beef and pork of apples. They are Ger
tainly moro cheaply raised than corn an
potatoes, and fed in conjunction with cor
will keep the animals in good health, an
make the beef tender, juicy and well-havoI
ed, equal to the wild game from which ia
cob made his pottage. BY all means fee
the apples to tho stock uncooked.
WORKING BUTrER-Mr. Cheever of III
New England Farmer says: Butter au
milk butter and water, and butter and brir
cannot be as hard as clear butter. w
must, therefore, seek to so churn as to ol
tain the most thorough separation possible
and after churning, so handle and work III
butter as to have II free from both milk an
water, for neither are any addition to goo
butter. In this connection, we are remind
ed of conversation with Mr.. Jackson, {
, Quincy Hall Market, one Of the best Judge
Of butter VIC ever met. Speaking of worI
ing butter, and of the fears many dairyme
have of OUer-working. and thereby injurin
the grain, he said that although be woul
9 not have butter overworked, If he could hel
it, yet it was better to overwork little tina
TO leave the buttermilk or water in, f
butter viii not keep we'll unless the huiC
, are separated from it. "SomOtimes," sa
he, III see fine looking tub of butter, tina
l think will will suit good customer, bu
when, on entering the trier, it goes to tn
, bottom Of the tub at the first push, tax
, it out and wipe the trier boiore using
, again. l never taste of such butter, bl
, when have to push hard to crowd the II
er into it, then examine it further"
--.S.--- -
EFFECTS OF DRAINING AN 0RCHARD.-Tl
t Gardeners Chronicle tells Of an orchard
: apples and pears, plums and cherries, whiC
l was planted in heavy clay, trenched dow
: to an iron pan on which it rested. For
b few years the trees grew very we'll, that
=, to say, as long as their roots were near Il
Q surface and got the warmth Of the summer
= sun, but as they advanced downward h
d growth became small, and by degrees le
: aud less, till at last the trees ceased to gro
y aud nothing aOurished except gray licheu
It with which the branches soon became co
l cred. The owner was advised to drain i
4 field three feet below the pan. In the fl
,, year atterward vitality was reused so effe'
It ually that the lichens began to dsappeI
d cast off by the swelling bark, and decree
is tudo in its last stages, was by the end Of s
D, months put off for youthful vigor In Z
g second and third seasons after drainage t