The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-03-02
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

STABLIEG CATTLE.-A letter from
Fuller, of Grand Rapids, the
day sent the editor of the
Detroit Free Press on a tour of investi-
This was the essence of the COM
munication:
clam a banker, but have been a farmer,
and a pretty good one. / have visited
some of the best farmersin this country
and New England, and have taken a
particular interest in the management of
cattle in stables. / have not seen SO
satisfactory an arrangement as has been
shown me to-day il beats everything, in
Guiding the Agricultural College, and
yet it is the simplest thing in the world.
Come and see it. 1t is worth your
while"
While in Grand Rapids the other day
the Free Press correspondent called upon
Mr.. Fuller and visited the stables of 0.
Van Buren,, near the western limits of
the city.
Nh. Van Buren, has sixty fine COWS,
which he cares for in basement stable
of good height and ventilation. he
hitcnes them in rows by ropes, which
gives them some freedom of movement.
There are no stalls, but each animal
is allowed about four feet and a half of
space.
The animals are allowed to run out in
yardsfor a time each forenoon, the length
varying with the severity of the weather.
While out they are fed with a few corn
stalks scattered evenly over a considera-
BILE surface of ground. AT. one o'clock
they come in to.feed upon straw, which
is deliberately provided for them in the
boxes, and a portion of bran and meal
mixed, or sweet malt. The straw they
pick over, and what is left goes under
them for bedding.
While milking, each COW is fed sepa-
rately so as to eat while the milk is being
drawn from the udder. We were assured
that the amount of this feed was gagged
according to the demand for milk. Mr..
Van Buren, claimed that he could by
judicious feeding any time increase his
daily supply sixty quarts. His COWS all
knew their places perfectly well, and un-
of two men to milk and perform all the
work necessary in connection with this
herd of sixty cows.
This was very well, but nothing ex-
tr~aordinary. The thing TO elicit remarks
and wonderment was, that in this large
stable of cattle there was no odor of ma
nure, everything was neat and clean.
There was noexcrementious matter upon
the launches and sides of the cattle, and
the "smell of the barn." as it is often
called which almost universally accom-
panies the milk of winter, was not to be
detected in the milk from this dairy.
And this was all due to his method Of
managing the manure, which to many
nice farmers would seem the height Of
shiftlessness. ALI the manure from this
herd of cattle for the entire winter lies
under them. Abundance ofstraw is fur.
nished and the manure is covered and
packed down by the cattle into a hard
mass. Then there is no chance for "fre
fang" from over fermentation, but every
bit is perfectly preserved for future u.s.
in the best possible condition. Mr.. Var
Buren, said he should clean his stables
once this winter, then they would las
till spring. He should draw it di
rectly upon the land where it wasneeded
thus saving the cost of handling SO many
times.
This method commended itself 70.
many reasons-its cheapness, ~neatness
preservation of manure and healthfulnes
to the stock.
There may be some drawbacks
Scientific men may not think this tn,
best way to handle the manure, but con
sidering the value of labor we. wisl
the system might be more generally fol
lowed.
POSSIBILITIES OF WHEAT CULTURE
Although the average yield of this cerea
for the last few years has not probabl
exceeded fifteen bushels per acre, Their
is really no valid excuse for a rate of pre-
duction SO ridiculously low. While som
farmers in nearly every section of th
country seem to find a difficulty in get
ting ever as high as fifteen bushels pc
acre, it is a well known fact that others
even in the same localities, succeed i
getting from twenty to thirty bushels
and a few as high as forty or fifty bush
els. These facts clearly prove that Their
lisa possibility in wheat culture that som
farmers know how to reach, and othel
do not. 1t is stated by II. S. B., in til
Country Gentleman, that fifty bushels
wheat per acre is a crop possible for a
farmers. This is unquestionably claim
ing too much. But there is no reason t
doubt, and it would not be difficult t
show, that a yield of thirty bushels
; fairly within reach of th
l average farmer. The writer aboy
: cited informs us that a neighbor {
: his recently obtained ffty-fYe bushel
!. 1t is his opinion that it pays well to Gu
j tivate wheatin drills, at an extra cost {
r four to six dollars per acre. The othe
1 items of cost he estimates at eightee
dollars and fifty cents, which, with th
: extra cultivation charged at six dollar
: makes twenty-four dollarsand fifty cent
The manure is not included in this est
mate, but is Offset by the value of tt
straw. This, or a yield of fifty bushel
brings the cost per bushel down to fit
cents, which. at a market price of OF
dollar and twenty-five cents, leaves
margin of seventy-iye cents per bushe
The WAY TO CAPTURE HAWKS AN
OwLs.-Most hawks, especially such
prey upon fowls of any sort, usually ligl
on the top of some bare pole, post, or d
i tree. A farmer writes that he has su
ceededin taking about twenty hen hawl
5 in a steel trap, by setting the trap on Il
upper end of a square pole some tweni
n feet high, with the butt end firm,
planted in the ground. Edward Ga