The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-07-11
Farm and Home.
AND USEFUL INFORMATION.
Stock Raising on Small Farms.

Every farmer can easily manage
some stock profitably however
small his farm may be. All of us
must have teams TO cultivate and
haul to market our crops. Every
farmer should have a milk cow and
few hogs, enough at least to pro
duce meat enough for his own fam
ilv, beyond this in the hog raising
business we are clearly of opinion
there is no profit in hog when
prices fall below five cents per
pound for pork.
A small flock of sheep can be
profitably kept, for in no other
way can a farmer provide fresh
meat for his family during the sum-
mer months so cheaply and so con-
veniently. Besides the question of
economy and convenience VIC have
the more important one OF health,
for all medical men and writers on
hygiene, indeed actual experience
testify that mutton is the most
healthful meat diet of all our do
nestle animals. Many persons
however say they cannot eat NUT
ton, the SLEEPY taste is horrible
to the nose and palate and they can
not relish it. But right here we
will say that if q sheep or lamb is
disemboweled just as it is killed
tbefore it is skinned, this muttony or
disagreeable taste will not exist.
1t is the rapid formation of gas af-
ter death that takes place within
the abdominal cavity that causes
this bad taste. Properly butchered,
good fat mutton will not have this
taste. Even a slight incession made
with the knife to the cavity is bet
ter that to wait until the skin is ia
ken off.
Besides the consideration Of hav-
ing enough hogs to make our own
meat and COWS enough to furnish
our families with milk and butter,
and sheep to produce mutton and
wool, there's the consideration ofhav-
ing stock to make manure to keep up
the fertility of the farm. If the farm
is small, keep less stock, for then
there is less land to manure.
When a farmer has q small tract
of land he is driven to the necessity
of giving it the very best of cultiva-
ton. He can also have small grass
lots set with the choicest and best
of grasses, he can select the best
blooded and most profitable ami
mails to Craze upon his land, for 1t
has again and again been clearly
demonstrated by actual tests that
one good COW, well attended to, will
yield twice the amount of milk and
butter as an inferior one. 1t is true
also that one grade steer, well fed
and grazed, will net double the
profit. That sheep looked after
and judiciously crossed, give three
times the clip in wool and far
more and better mutton. Indeed,
on a little farm, well titled, every
kind of stock should correspond
with the neatness and order that is
sure to follow such diligence and
industry. With a large farm, gen.
orally there is less care and more
neglect, as much of the work ana
attention las to be trusted to hired
persons. The more we feed and
the more we Craze, if the products
are made on our large farms, the
greater will be the manure pile, the
larger the crops and the handsomeI
the profits, but often this large
farm has much poor land upon ii
and cannot at first be made to pro-
duce heavy yields, and when this is
the case the small farm has the
greatest advantage, for it is never
bad economy to purchase at fail
prices bran and other cheap forage
to reed to fattening stock. Every
thing is so concentrated that is I'M
der the special care and supervi
sion of the owner, and success is
far more certain.