The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-09-21
Home and Farm.

Home and Farm.
Regularity in milking cows aud feeding
them has great deal to do with the Quaii-
~ of milk-gentleness and puuctuality they
appreciate. We cannot impress these prac-
tices too strongly upon the attention OF
those harding milk cows. The fact is, no
profit can be expected il any other course
is pursued. The use of card or curry
comb, occasionally, is also very grateful to
the cattle. In short, anything tending to
increase the Comfort OF cattle is profta-
BILE. Try it.
WASH THE TREES: wash our hands
and faces daily. II we would wash our
young orchard trees weekly or monthly,
they would feel better, look better, grow
better aud be healthier. Strong soapsuds
Is as good rs anything for the purpose.
After going to the trouble of preparing the
ground, buying and planting the trees, we
ought to be willing to go to little more
trouble to keep them clean and healthy.
After washing couple of times, a coat of
whitewash will help them.
SORE FEET IN smREP.-Get some calomel,
have a little sack made of thin flannel, say
three inches long by half an inch wide,
place some of the calomel in this aud tie
shut. Clean out the sleeps feet thoroughly
with'a soft cloth, and then spread open the
cleft as far as possible, without injuring the
foot and dust the affected parts by gently
striking them with the sack containing the
cslomel. / presume it would be better to
haveA dry time to perform the cure, or TO
keep the sheep under cover for some hours
after the application. / do no pairing, un-
less the case is a very bad one. Il is very
convenient of application, and is much less
painful than the application of blue vitriol.
Fhe cure Is much speedier and more certain.
! have kept merino sheep for many years,
and, after trying many things have never
found anything equal to this for the above,
and also for collar and saddle gals on
horses, while there is not a particle of
danger in its application in my experience.
Country Gentleman.
PRINCrpLEs OF GOOD FARMING. The bet
ter to retain important facts in the memory,
am ever fond of reducing the principles
of good farming to brief maxims and rules,
comprising into single short sentence the
gist OF many page. Thus, carry about
the mental pabulum to be digested at the
handle of the plow. The following are
some of these principles;
l. The farmer who would succeed well,
and derive pleasure as we'll as profit from,
his calling, must manifest an active and
abiding interest in his vocation. Ii takes
heart-work to make hand-work pleasant.
,. The farmer must study how best TO in
crease aud maintain fertility TO his soil.
There is no inertia in agriculture. There
must be progress, either forward or retro
grade. p rof st
3. The farmer must strive to increase the
quality as well as the quantity of his crop.
it is the quality that dctol IN ines the price.
In this, excelsior" should be his unvary-
ing motto.
4. The farmer must seek with watchful
eyes to improve his market facilities. IL is
transportation that eats up all the profits.
8. The art of raising better stock is not
as well known as it should be. Keep no
more animals than you have tine facilities
TO feed and care for well.
6. The farmer must seek to improve his
social, intellectual and financial condition.
A VARIETY OF CRoPs.-No farming couu-
try can be permanently prosperous where
the farmers and planters depend upon rais-
ing one or two particular prod sections alone.
To make efsrming successful in this or indeed
IN any country, each farmer should raise as
great variety OF crops rs possible There
Is no country in the world, we suppose, that
affords greater facilities for this kind OF
farming than this part Of Texas. A soil OF
wonderful fertility, and the land situated SO
that it can be cultivated with as little
manual labor as the most favored spot in
the United States, nature Is here so bountil
ful to us thatwe can raise with EQUAL case the
products OF the temperate and semi,tropical
regions. Cotton, corn, wheat, aud, indeed,
all the small grains OF the Northern States,
grow and flourish here side by SIDE We
frequently hear farmers say they can get no
money for anything but cotton, and there
fore many of them neglect every other crop
aud go in for a large crop Of cotton. This
generally ends by bringing them In debt to
their merchant and keeping them in that
condition, The reason is obvious. Cotton
IS very uncertain crop, and requires con.
siderable capital to cultivate very frequent
ly there Is total failure OF the crop and Z
then there is nothing else to fall back upon.
But we find that most of our prosperous
farmers do not depend upon cotton solely.
They raise everything the soil will bring
hogs, beeves, cotton, corn, wheat, oats,
vegetables and fruits OF all kinds. the
fruit business is only in its infancy in this
country. II will be one OF the greatest fTuit-
growing regions In the United States.
Tickle the earth in Texas with hoe and
she laughs with harvest;p but there
should be variety in the laughter.
FERTILzERs. P. Jones, Esq, com
missioner of agriculture Of the State OF
Georgia. says, in late report, that 6rst-
class fertilizer may be made OF Ingredients
put together as follows: Stable manure.
seven hundred and fifty pounds; raw cot
ton seed, seven hundred and fifty pounds,
and acid phosphate, five hundred pounds.
This makes q ton Of matter. His plan for
composing Is to spread under shelter layer
Of stable manure four inches thick; on this
sprinkle q portion Of Ibe phospate; next
spread layer Of cotton seed three inches
thick, wet these thoroughly with water aud
sprinkle with phosphate; next spread an
other layer OF stable manure three inches
thick. Continue TO repest these layers in
the above order until the material IL con-
sumed. Cover the whole mass with stable
manure. or ecrapines from the lot. one or
two inches thick. Allow the heap 70 stand.
10 this condition until thorough termen-
tation takes place, which will require from
three to six weeks, according 70 cifcum-
stances, dependent upon moisture aud the
strength Of the materials used. When the
cotton seed are thoroughly killed, with =
sharp hoe or mattock. cut down vertically
through the layers; pulverize and shove in
heap, whore the fermentation will be re-
newed, and the compost will be gtiII further
improved After this second fermentation
has subsided the fertilizer will be ready for
use.
For cotton he recommends applying IN
the open furrow two hundred pounds per
acre and with the planting ssventy-6ys or
one hundred pounds per acre, making in all :
two hundred and seventy five or three hun
dred pounds per acre. II it il desired 70
apply large quantity per acre, open fur
rows the desiFed distance. and over them
SON broadcast four hundred pounds per
acse, bed the land. and then apply one hum
dred pounds per sore with the seed.
For corn be would apply bali pint %
the bill, placed 20 one side Of the set1-@-
not in contact with IL. An sdditionaI Ap-
plicaiIon ss a top dressing around the bill
might be made before the first plowiRe.
Jones L suing for divorce from his wife,
Who has deceived him. He could not help.