Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-05-16
AGRICULTURE.
LINES TO THE CUCUMBER.

anu pOilslltO up Z SlOuc.
The undertaken mournfuily asks
What VIII his measure be ~
And the sexton marketh a spot preserved"
All under the willow tree.
lis hard the times end It's scarce the cash
| And so. with ] Zestful joy,
We welcome watt to the titful fruit
/ That giyeth the poor employ.
Look for the early potato-bugs. YOU
can't " thin OUT the bugs too early, o.
too closely.
WHATEVER crops your land may pro
duce, see that it does not grow thai
most fatal of all productions mort
gage.
ONE great error in all gardens, OF
even in winter culture, is the attempt
to do too much. 1t is better to grow q
few plants in perfection than many
badly. gs sis
A LIGHT, warm soil is best to secure
early warm tomatoes, but they will bear
longer and heavier in a strong, rich
soil. In a garden, they should have a
trellis, or some kind of support; brush,
to keep the fruit from the ground, is
better than nothing.
| PEAS and beans, corresponding more
with the elements of fat than the varl-
Gus grains, are better adapted to the
production of wool than either wheat,
corn, rye, barley, oats or buckwheat.
These latter, together with the ruta-
baga turnip, being peculiarly adapted
to the production of fat, should be used
mostly for the feed of sheep, when I'M
dergoing the process of fattening.
ATTEND to your horses shoulders.
They have been idle for some months,
and their shoulders are soft. Wash
their shoulders frequently with salt and
water, and if they become infamed or
swollen, battle with kerosene Keep
the collar clean, and at noon AMI night
take off the collar, and battle freely the
shoulders with salt and water, or with
carbOllc soap and water.
DIARIES Cleanliness and ventilation
are important requirements in dairy
and cannot receive too careful atten-
ton. Some of the largest and most
profitable German diaries are construct
half under ground. are dry and always
kept at a temperature of about sixty
degrees. The floors are made of hard
brick cementsd, and small channels of
perfectly pure water are conducted
through the apartments. The air cir
culates through them, and the vapOr
from the milk passes off unobstructed-
ly. The smooth walls are whitewashed,
and nowhere can there be seen a trace
of dust or even semblance of dirt.
The pans are placed low on the floors.
never on shelves, while the atmosphere
within is perfectly free from a musty or
any other disagreeable Odor that might
have the effect of impairing the sweet
ness and purity of the exposed milk
and cream.-Erchange.
BRoAD-CHEsTED HoRsEs.-" old
horseman" is credited in an exchange
change with the following logical re-
marks about broad-chested horses:
Wind is the grand secret of fast horse.
Good lungs will cover q multitude of
faults; while on the other hand, per-
fiction of shape and form are useless
therefore, in all cases, should be large
and capacious. In shape it may vary
somewhat, according to the service to
which the horse is put. If he is to be
kept for slow work and heavy drawing,
the chest may be nearly circular in
form, because this shape is the one for
strength and bulk, to receive and bear
up against the pressure of the collar;
while at the same time sufficient room
is secured for that expansion of the
lung caused by slow and regular work.
But if the chest is circular, let it be at
the same time deep, or else the lungs
may be cramDed. A horse with a
shallow chest is worthless for any pur-
pose. The rnle then is this: For a
draught horse, a circular, but deep
chest; but as you pass through the
different degrees of speed, up to the
racer and trotter, the chest will increase
depth, compared to its roundness, until
for the highest of speed, you must have
a chest as deep as greyhound, and at
the same time not lacking in breath.
WATER FOR SHEEP. is a great mis-
take. and the cause Of much suffering
and loss. not to supply sheep with water,
especially milk-giving ewes During
the drought of 1868 many focks were
ruined by want Of water. / know of
striking instance where the animals
wasted and We're sent to Chelmsford
market in evil condition, the owner be-
ing ignorant Of the cause. The dealer
who bought them "for song" first
examined the whites of their eyes,
thinking they must have the rot or iaun-
dice; but, seeing all right so far, he
found that water was the only restora-
tive required Grass in a succulent
state contains seventy per cent. of mois-
ture, but, when dry, very much less.
The same remark holds good for clover,
etc. When we give cake, corn. malt
combs, bran, ETC., which We always do,
1t becomes absolutely necessary to pro-
vide water, or the animals will not thrive.
Give the opportunity of judging for
themselves by an always available sup
ply, and they will exercise a proper dis
erection In the matter. An iron water
cart is on most farms an indispensable
requisite. When food is too wet and
sloppy, dry cotton cake or grain is
good profitable regulator. Turnips and
mangels are disproportionately watery
as food for animals; hence the losses
occasioned by them, especially with
breeding sheep. They contain fully
nine pints of water to one pint of dry
food. Ninety per cent. of water is too
much; sixty-fve to seyenty-six per cent.
in pasture grass is the more natural and
proper proportion. The human animal
frame has seventy-fve per cent. of wa
ter, just as good grass hold. Meat is
dear as food, because it contains, in the
lean portions, seventy-fve per cent. of
water. No wonder that bread and
cheese are found far more economical.
-Nark Lane Express.
ORIGIN OF. THE New POTATOES
grains are renewed every year from
the seed, but not SO with the potato,
for this plant is propagated year after