Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-02-01
AGRICULTURAL.
Every Day Thoughts About&eyery Da,
Work,
BY A YOUNG FARMER.
From thu Rostnn Iournal

|
the experimenting of putting large an,
high picket fence upon a farm where / wa
then employed. The posts for the fenc,
were engaged by another man, and be die
not contract for enough, and in consequenc,
was Obliged to get some that had but jus
peen cut, while others were only PARTIAL,
seasoned. 1 had an idea that green chestnut
posts would not last very long, and, with 6
view to make them more durable, | burned
each post so as to reduce about a half inch o.
the surface to charcoal, as far up as they were
to be set in the ground. The labor of doing
this was very small, as | simply plowed a
deep furrow and filed it with chips and small
wood, and lay the ends of the posts which
wish to burn or char across the ditch, then
set fire TO the material below, and theu as the
posts began to burn upon the under side
turned them over until each one was ''done
to turn" Being upon the farm this week
| examined some of those posts by digging
down by the side of them, far enough to see
that the charcoal was apparently unchanged.
and upon cutting il away the wood under
| meath appeared as sound as when set into the
| ground. As there was none set at the same
time which were not burned | had no means
of comparing them, but |, and the eman on
the farm, concluded that eight years would
| have been likely to have made considerable
| PAOeitos toNhiu htNhN III u Cucsll1ul ppSl
which had been only partially seasoned. The
same year that these were set / took out of
the same lots posts which had been in tine
| ground but about twelve years, and which
were SO badly decayed as to be worthless
as support to the fence. If so simple pro-
| cess as this will double the years of useful
ness of such posts (and think now that it
will exceed that it is worth knowing and
practicing, for it will greatly reduce the cost
of keeping in repair or wooden fences. The
annual cost of keepirg up such fence is one
| of the heaviest tayes that farmer has to
bear in many sections of New England ex-
| cept that of fighting weeds and insects-and
when once put up it is desirable to make
them durable as possible and as most of our
wooden posts are entirely decayed below the
surface of tbe ground while still entirely
sound above, any process which will prevent
decay there should be known. If any one
has or can give q better way, not too expen-
81 fe for common farmers, | would be glad 20
hear from them.
was reading few days ago an interest
ing account of an experiment which had
lately been made upon one of the poultry
farms in France. A certain number of fowls
were separated from the others and were fed
for some time upon putrefying flesh obtained
nun lut SAauBultI HOuStS anu NUMEROUS
dead horses af Paris. While so fed the fowl
appeared to be healthy and thrifty as usual,
and perhaps even more so than those which
were kept upon a grain diet. After a while
some were killed from both hocks, and little
or no difference could be discovered in the
appearance OF the flesh. They were then
hung up together, and in q few hours there
was evidence Of decay in the flesh of those
which bad been fed upon the decayed meat.
and there fowls decayed so rapidly as to be-
come not only unfit to eat, but too offensive
to be handled, while yet those which had
been fed upon grain were perfectly sweet
and fresh. Eggs from both lots of fowls
were also kept together, and it was found
that the tendency to rapid decay was nearly
as marked in the eggs from the hens, which
had been fed upon the putrid flesh, as it was
in the flesh. There was evidently proof that
the germs of decay while not strong
enough to appear TO injure the living animal
or fowl, were not destroyed by the passage
through the digestive organs (Which seem to
be stronger in their action in fowl than in
other domestic animals) but were absorbed
into the system, and retained enough of their
vitality to begin their work as soon as life
was extinct. Nor would any part of the sys-
tenn appear TO be beyond their reach if they
can penetrate even into the eggs. Whether
they could or would in time gain power
enough to affect the living body and produce
decay while yet living or toproduce any dis
ease, 1t is not necessary to consider now, or
whether the eating of food in which such
germs of decay were at work. although the
decay might not have manifested itself TO
or sight smell at the time of eating, or wheth-
er they would be destroyed by cooking. or
whether they are capable of being transferred
to the human system, do not intend to dis
cuss. Most of us would prefer not to try
any experiments upon our system with meat
or eggs produced upon that kind Of food if
we knew it. But ! thought it would furnish
another argument in favor of what / said in
late article upon the Importance of provid-
ing good, wholesome food to our cows if we
would have good wholesome milk and butter,
ard the folly of expecting to get such milk
and butter if we fed our cows upon decayed
or decaying vegetables, and fermenting IAN
other name for decaying) swill. The ele-
ments of decay are in such milk, and all the
products of the milk, from its beginning.
and no amount of care can make 1t SO that 1t
will keep well. And long keeping is the
surest test of the quality OF butter and cheese. |
No matter how nice Its grain, Its color, or |
even its flavor may be, if 1t cannot be relied |
upon TO retain them reasonable length Of |
time there has been a radical defect in its |
handling, or in the handling of the animil
from which 1t was produced.
1t is worth while also to consider how hr
the above named experiment may instructus
in the keeping and feeding of our swine.
Their food notoriously consists in many cases
of putrid flesh, the offal of the slaughter
houses or the garbage OF the streets. Can
meat produced upon such food be in aiheathy
condition, and may not its use be one cause
of tine many diseases which afflict Us Many
of these diseases seem of a nature similar to
the process of decay and putrefactiOn rs
near as they can be in living organization.
Perhaps physicians can point out differences
apparent to them, which would prove that
the use of putrid flesh, or flesh fattened 1pon
decayed substances, could not be hell ac-
countable for such disorders, but TO a casual
observer there appears, at least, to be Iami-
ly resemblance between such u caus, and
certain of our most dreaded diseases. Bat
the farmers will say they do not feed their
swine upon such substances. How much
better are the rotten potatoes which they
cook up! What are the contents ID that
filthy swill barrel which is a receptacle of all
the sour milk and waste food OF the house,
and which stands there giving of odOrs
which are not suggestive OF mince pies, but
are more powerful than the fragrance of the
pig-yard itself? That barrel is not enptied,
perhaps, from Spring until Fall and that
some part of It's contents are far on the road
to decay is proved by the smell as veil as by
the new life that is creeping and crawling
about within it. | say nothing about allow
ing the fattening porKers to CLEAN a part OF
their living in the manure heap under the
stables, although | do not think it is condu-
Give to the healtbfulness of the animal, the
sweetness of the pork or the profit of the
owner | think it would be cheaper to fur
nlsb grain to the hogs enough to lead them
to lie quiet between meals, and employ men
to give the manure heap all the mncing it
needs with forks and shovels, OF, at the most
TO keep only store and breeding hogs at work
But when ! see the priyy yault "a feeding
place Tor hogs or chickens, and Wien | see
the food that farmers expect to feed hogs aud |
poultry upon, | cannot take hold Of their
pork or poultry at the dinner table with any |
better relish because they assure me it is
"some we raised ourselves" The slaughter |
house or the city swill cart cannot offer any
thing much worse
Breeding Dairy Cattle.
From a paper read before the California Darymen's |
Association. by Robert hshburne ksq, san Ma |
teO County, Cal.
POINTS on CHOOSING DAIRY CATTLE
In choosing breed of cattle Cor dairy pur- |
poses it will lie first of al necessary TO |
know the quality OF the land and the stua-
tion in which they are to be kept and what |
a Nl.sl I L 4 1