St. Landry democrat., 1878-02-09

on iron or steel rails handles freight by
the million tons every year at very
small cost per ton. Manure should be
handled with equal economy on every
farm.
A Pig-Fcetling Experiment.
G.. E. Morrow, professor at the Illinois
industrial university, has publis ed in
the Prairie Farmer short experience in
feeding pigs, as trial, between the
Berkshire and Poland China. According
to his tabulated figures, we get the
following results: A Poland China SOW
and boar, weighing respectively 99a
pounds and 81 pounds, ate 200 pounds of
earn corn the first two weeks and gained
344 pounds together. The second two
weeks ate 1913 pounds corn on the ear
and gained 23 pounds. The third two
weeks ate 1Gl pounds shelled corn, gain
18 pounds. The fourth two weeks ate
81 pounds shelled corn, gain 13 pounds.
Total gain for eight weeks 49, pounds,
or IL pounds per week. The Berkshire
SOW and barrow weighed respectively S8
and SS! at the end of eight weeks, being
fed two weeks on unshelled and two
weeks on shelled corn the total gain
was SSa pounds, or the same as the
Poland, China. Two pairs of cross bred
pigs fed in the same way did not do SO
we'll, one gaining 10 pounds per week and
the other hut 81 pounds per week per
pair. The pigs had all they would eat,
and water, with handful of clover each
day. Estimating the unshelled corn
at 80 pounds to the bushel of Sc pounds
shelled, the average gain per bushel was
II pounds for the lot.
Preparing and Seeding Ground feR
Pastures.
A correspondent of the Country Gen
tleman writes:
No one will, therefore, doubt that the
better plan is to prepare the land we'll.
both by 6ning the soil, bringing in the
aid CT the elements, and enriching it,
using plenty of good seed, and sowing it
early either in the fall or the spring. In
doing this, let it be remembered that
land cannot well be made too rich for
pasture. The more it is pushed, the
greater the feed and the fresher; only
let it be drained, for quality, and the
manure decomposed, SO that no foulness
or taint may be taken up by the plant:
aiming to get the sweet heritage of hills,
which drainage secures to them, and
which also is necessary to give firmness
to the land, so that in moist time there
is less i'll effect from the tramping Of
stock. What pasture lacks in its yield
in comparison with other crops, must be
ade up by liberal manuring before
seeding the land, and top'dressing after
Here We are greatly at fault. 1t makes
difference whether two head Of cattle
or one are supported on given area, and
much more than this may be realized.
We have the rich manures Of commerce
to do this, aided by plaster, lime and
ashes, which help to grow sound, sweet
grasses. A change to meadow for year
or two will give chance for heavy ma.
nuring in the fall to restore the land
again, should it fail from any cause to
retain its full yield as pasture.
AS barnyard manure is not used on
pasture it is all the more necessary to see
that the land is enriched we'll before it. is
seeded down. Manure is the thing
Any one grass, or mixture of grasses
can thus be grown with success, and one
grass, like timothy, Kentucky blue grass
or orchard grass, will realize more
profitable yield with manure than all the
other or the choicest selection of them
with ordinary culture. There lis how
ever, difference in the adaptation O
! grasses to the soil. Timothy, redtop, ths
toughish meadow grass, and meadow fox
tail, for instance, would not do on dry
sandy soil. On such land, therefore
they are not good pasture grasses, ane
would shrink and pretty nearly die ou
in dry season. They require soil more
or less moist, and can be made to do bet
ter on clays than on river land. On th'
other hand, dry soil will grow the ia
nous Kentucky blue grass, orchare
grass, the sweet-eented vernal grass, and
/ may add for abundance, the tall GA
grass. These will make the finest of up
land pastures. They require soil that j
drained, otherwise they will suffer; ant
some require high state of fertility
like the blue grass, but more PARTICULAR.
the orchard grass.
There will be seen the Importance OF
proper adaptation-just the thing thati
generally oyerlot ked, and the WronI
grasses sown. Thus in our popula
mixtures we find the sweet-scented yer
nal and red-top together, one requiring
| clay, and the other wet soil. So ais
the orchard grass is drouth defer, ant
also the hog loving fescue Fstusca pratea
ses. Is it wonder that our pasture
fail; that the grasses when sown do no