Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-11-01
THE FARM.

GENTLENESS IN MILKING. man
ner of milking exertS powerful in
1uence on the productiveness Of the
COW. \ slow and careless milker. or
one whose treatment Is harsh. will soon
dry up the best of COWS. The animal
must be approached gently, never struck
or abused, while the operation of milk
ing should begin gradually, steadily in
creaslng In rapidity, until all is drawn.
Ii the milking Is performed in the stall.
1t Is good plan to feed at the same time
with roots or hay.
PURE WATER FOR Cows. Our COWS
must be supplied with pure water if we
expect them to produce an abundance
OF pure milk. Eighty-eight per cent
of the milk Is water, and this must be
derived from the food and drink. There
must therefore be a good supply of run
ming water at all times in the pasture
and III the yard. The water in the pas
ture must be. conveniently located, as
our COWS are lazy and will not 90 out of
their way for drink as often as they need
1t. In the yard the water must be free
from the impurities of the location.
An EXCELLENT RECIPE FOR CURING
HAMs.-The Rural Ne1g Yorker gives the
following quantities for twelve hams 4:
Take three pounds of fine salt. one-half
pound of molasses. Mix the above well
together, and rub each ham with the
mixture. Then put them into cask
and allow them to stand five or six DAYS,
after which they should be reversed, the
top hams being put in the bottom,
sprlnkling fine salt between each layer
again let them stand five or six days.
when Il pickle should be prepared and
put on them, composed of salt and wa
ter, strong enough to hold an egg. Al
ways pickle hams with skin side down,
and so continue till cask is iull or pork
gives out. After remaining in pickle
SIX weeks, the hams should be taken
out, strings put through them, and hung
up to drain for four or five days, when
they should be marked and branded
and sent to the smOke-house. For
keeping them through the summer
months; when they are liable to be in
tested with worms, etc, wrap them we'll
in brown paper, and pack in a cask or
barrel, with liberal supply OF dry
wood ashes. | have used this recipe
for years and have always had fine
meat.
To DRIVE AWAY RATs.-A LADY writer,
in recent number of q New York Jour
nal, discourses in the following style
concerning her treatment of rats and
mice We cleaned our premises of
these detestable vermin by making q
white-wash yellow with copperas and
covering the stones and rafters of the
cellar with thick coating of it. In
every crevice where a rat might tread
we put crystals of the cOpperas, and
scattered the same in the corners of
the floor. The result was a perfect
stampede of rats and mice. Since that
time not a football of either rat or mouse
has been heard about the house. Every
spring q coat of the yellow wash is given
to the cellar, as purifier, as well as
rat eXterminator, and no typhoid, dys-
EMERY, or fever attacks the family
Many persons deliberately attract all
the rats in the neighborhood by leaving
fruits and vegetables uncovered in the
cellar; and sometimes even the scraps
are left open for their regalement. Gov
er up everything eatable in the cellar
and pantry, and you will soon drive
them out.
PROFITS OF GOOD FEEDING.-Last fall
[ had the offer of a COW on an old debt,
and hesitated some time as to whether
[ had better lose the debt or take the
COW, as she was old and very thin, but
finally concluded to try and make some
thing out of her, though the chances
looked very SMALL and the boys made
a good deal Of sport of her, and said [
would get nothing but her hide. She
was farrow, and was giving not more
than one quart of milk night and morn
ing. | took her to the farm, and told
my man to do the best he could for
her. He commenced feeding her APP
Piles, and though she gained steadily in
milk, it was some time before she i'm
proved much in appearance but after
awhile the feed and care began to tell
upon her, and in three months she
was in good condition, and gave twelve
quarts Of milk daily. One week |
brought from there nine pounds of nice
butter, Which the woman assured me
was the product of eight days milk, and
at the same time they had sold two
quarts of milk daily, and used what
they needed in the family, consisting of
herself and husband. [ expected to
feed her well, and turn her out to grass
to fatten, but she proved so good for
milk, [ concluded to keep her another
year. She has kept III good order all
summer, and given about as much milk
as any of the cows, but we shall soon
dry her off, as we expect to have her for
new mich COW this winter. / also
bought last fall flock of store sheep,
just as it was time to turn in for winter,
fed them till the 10th Of March on hay
and oat screenings, and sold them at an
advance of $3.50 per head e, Niagara
County, n. Y, Country Gentleman.