Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-10-26
Agricultural Items.


head Of cattle stolen from his pasture
few nights ago.
Why is it that western farmers allow
those in New Jersey to stock this mar
ket with sweet potatoes?
If every acre intended for cultivation
in 1878 is plowed this fall it would equal
two plowings next spring.
A Peoria man has fish farm stocked
with eighty thousand California salmon,
and twenty thousand brook trout.
A new kind of barley sent from New
Zealand to the Centennial has been
tried in Canada, and has succeeded re-
markably well.
One of the novelties of the Kansas
City Exposition was three-legged calf.
1t managed to trot with as much ease as
the fat four-legged bullocks.
A Kansas man boasts Of a castor bean
stalk that will support thirteen boys in
its branches. The stalk must be unus-
ually large or the boys exceedingly
small
Mr.. P. L. Wise, of Plattsmouth, Neb.,
has succeeded in producing white seed
ling grape OF great promise. The vine
is as hardy as the Concord, and the fruit
is very delicious
The cranberry crop in the lower part
OF New Jersey is large one. One man
has picked between 1900 and 1900
bushels, another $4,000, while quite a
number have between 5000 and 1000
bushels.
A Necedah, Wis, cranberry firm has
about five hundred Indians employed in
picking berries. They are good berry
pickers, but farmers in that section
complain terribly about raids on their
potato and corn fields.
The atmosphere is never at rest; even
in the absence of breeze, it is in con-
tinual ascending and descending motion
The food which it gives up to plants
at one spot is Immediately replaced by
another from ever-fowing sources.
Salt is very important for animals
Large pieces of rock salt put into the
managers and feeding troughs are recon-
mended One-half the ash of animal
blood consists of salt; without the latter
the blood cannot be in natural or heal
thy state.
Improved agriculture means increased
employment for the people, enlarged
use Of capital instead of wasting the
same in worthless railroad bonds, addi-
ton to our fOrei gn commerce, accumu-
lation of wealth. comfort and prosperity
to the farmers of America
Threshing by water power is being
successfully done at the grist mill at
Mcclellan, Parry Sound district, Cana
da. Some of the farmers bring their
wheat to the mill, where it is threshed
by water power and then gristed, return
shortly afterward with their -four bags
well filled.
The French government, realizing that
national and individual prosperity are
dependent upon the development of ag-
riculture, have introduced bill in the
Senate, making it obligatory to teach
the elements of agriculture and horti-
culture in the 10000 primary schools of
the nation.
To utilize feathers of ducks, chickens
and turkeys, generally thrown aside as
refuse, trim the plumes from the stump,
inclose them in a tight bag, rub the
whole as if washing clothes, and you
will secure a perfectly uniform and
light down, excellent for quilting cover
lets and not few other purposes.
The executive committee of the ma
tional butter, cheese and eggs assembly
have arranged to hold grand exposi-
ton of products, implements, buildings,
ETC., at Chicago, Dec Is, 10 and 20
Three thousand dollars in gold premi-
ums will be awarded, and universal com
petition is invited, from Canada and the
United States especially.
The Hungarian OK is the best living
representative of one of the original
progenitors Of our domestic cattle. The
Hungarians are justly proud of their
oxen, which are used as working cattle
over the whole empire. 1t is no uncom-
mon sight to see team OF oxen yoked
to pillow and driven by the plowman
alone, and entirely by the voice.
A farmer woman in Canada has fall
plowed several acres of land This sea-
son she moved with scythe for six
days, raked ten acres of hay, and broke
tlIce- veal -Olu COlp W IdI HCSo. t)HC
hauled all the sand and lime for Il new
house, loaded and unloaded all the hay
and grain grown on the farm this year
and did her housework and MIXED sew
en- cows besides.
Hen manure is so rich that it should
be mixed with three or four times its
own bulk of swamp muck or some SINH
lar substance, for if applied undiluted it
will burn and kill plants and prevent
termination. 1t is estimated that sin
gle hens excrement during a year is
equivalent to fifteen pounds of guano;
and experience has shown that the drop
pings of twenty-five fowls, properly
composted, during the year will make
manure enough for an acre.
Intelligent agriculturists should try
reasonable comparative experiments for
themselves. AS business men, they are
bound to do this for self-protection, and
to determine what course is best adapt
ed to present crops and markets, with
out placing full reliance upon antigua
ted notions that were only adapted to
the times in which they were born. No
L.