Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-08-01
Farm Items.

! Chickens are good manure spsead-
crs, and coop of them placed i'm a
pasture will have their delegates in
constant attendance upon the cows, 10
feed themselves and perform the
above useful labor. Don't forget the
chickens in the orchard. We have
had them exterminate large army
of canker worms, and one flock is a
most efficient ally in fighting the in
sects of the entire farm.
The New York dairyme1l figure the
value of skinned milk at $40 per
year If fed to cows, as ii increases the
yield of milk to that extent Nine
per cent of skinned milk il sugar
and casin, and these substances supply
to young and growing animals the
flesh and fat which they require.
Some pork raisers estimate that ten
quarts of skinned milk will make q
pound of pork, while others can only
make half as good showing.
The grateful aroma of superior
butter is attributable to the presence
of certain fragrant herbs in the pas
turage. A European farmer, living
where this desired pasturage could
not be obtained, has adopted the plan
of suspending in his churns, when
not in use, large calico bags filed
with dry and aromatic herbs. On
churning days small bags are substi-
tuted, and attached to the heaters of
the churn, thus imparting the delicate
fragrance. 9a-la.
Great 81 itain imported last year of
live stock l63, l06 oxen and bulls, &c.
2l7 cows, 1884 calves, 1912, S92 sheep
and lambs. OF the 1880 cargoes
landed one cargo was affected by cat
tie plague, thirteen affected with
pleuro-pneumonia, 1881 by foot and
mouth disease, two by sheep-pox and
81 by sheep scabs, making total of
l45S cargoes having diseased animals
on board. 1t is no wonder that it is
proposed to prohibit the importation
of live stock. En .d
SPRING OR FALL SowING.-Haber-
landt continues his researches as to
the value the late sowing of grain.
| His conclusions for the past two
years are decidedly unfavorable to
spring sowing; he finds that in pro-
portion to the lateness so does the
quality and quantity of the grain di-
minish, that the stems roots and husks
alone are benefited, that the plant is
more liable to be attacked by rust,
and in case Of rye by crgot, and that
grain thus raised will, if employed
for seed, be remarkable for its slow
terminating powers. ..
A flock of young chickens, placed
in the garden, with the hen mother
secured beneath light coop to keep
the younglings in leading strings,
will wage hard war upon cabbage
butterflies, turnip flies, and many 9TH
er troublesome insects. Young chicks
will not scratch enough to do any
considerable damage. We have tried
it, and know. Farmers should make
their poultry efficient helpers in fight
ing the innumerable insects. The
fowls are willing, but need a little
guidance to do the best work.
Tent caterpillers are nuisance
| which it is the fault of the farmers
that ii continues to plague them year
after years. Their natural breeding
place is the wild cherry tree, particu-
larly the black cherry so common in
neglected fence rows. A general de-
struction of these, and careful atten-
ton TO the fruit trees in summer,
would soon result in radiance of
the pests. The web caterpillar comes
under the same restrictions, and may
be cured by the same remedies. I'm
mediate destruction of them on the
trees is best done by pulling off with
the hand (gloved) or burning by
means of wisps of straw or Chinese
cracker on pole.