Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-01-17
AGRICULTURE.

AGRtCtLItRE.
IL Spain they are beginning TO feed
cattle with forage intermingled with
ground bones, in order to increase the
dose of phosphate of lime in the food.
II Is estimated that the amount of
butter and cheese produced for the
year past is 52S, $4,000 pounds, valued
at 1924 100000. The amount of butter
exported for the year 1877 was 12,7S9,-
952 pounds; cheese, 1885, OPS
pounds.
IHE Governor of Guatemala has re-
Gently coded TO two American gentle
men large tract of arabic land at
nominal price, on condition that they
shall cultivate it in the highest style of
American agricultural art, as regards
methods, utensils and crops, in order
to give the natives a model for the
better industrial developments of the
country.
The Hereford cattle are going up to
the head Of the class in England. They
are commanding higher prices at the
public sales i'll that country. The
friends of the Herefords claim that
they are better beef cattle and better
milk cattle. Of course, the Short-horn
men deny this. There will be sharp
competition hereafter between the
breeders Of these two classes of cattle.
A SINGLE steamer sailing from New
York last week took cargo of 81 80
bushels of corn, SO, 919 of wheat, Is, $50
of peas, 1000 barrels of flour, LOO
bales of cotton, and other merchandise
being the largest cargo ever taken from
this port by one vessel. This enormous
total of produce can best be realized
when it is considered that itrepresented
a years crop Of at least $500 acres of
farming land.
THE farmers of California are now
that farmers in Colorado little realize.
The rainy season has set in, but as yet
the fall has not been as cOpious as ex-
pected or desired Thus far it has not
| been equitable in distribution, but it is
to be hoped that in due season. the rain
fall, on which so much depends, will
cover the valleys and the hills with
verdure and fill the hearts of the farm
ers there with exceeding great Joy.
Another year like the past, in the
Golden State, will wreck thousands of
fortunes and devastate thousands of
happy homes.
SOME interesting experiments on the
Colorado potato bug were lately re-
ported at meeting of the Toronto
chronological society. They were con-
Quoted with view to determine what
| they would eat and what they would
re,
Quoted, varying in time from twenty
four hours to twenty days. After being
kept for certain lengths Of time without
food, leaves Of vegetables generally and
afterwards red root, Canada thistle,
golden rod, cat mint, plantain, were
! given them but none were eaten. When
supplied with potato leaves all ate
! freely
EFFECT OF SUNLIGHT ON FLoUR-It is
maintained says the MiLLstone, that the
inferior quality of certain kinds of
wheat ana rye flour is frequently due
to the action of sunlight on the flour;
even when in bags or barrels the gluten
| experience change similar to that oc-
casioned by heating in the mill The
tendency thus impaired to it, to become
lumpy, and to form dough without
! toughness, is similar to that Of moist
grain, or Of -four when it is too fresh,
or made from grain ground too early,
or when adulterated with cheap bar
! ley meal. Such flour can be improved
! by keeping some weeks.
! WHITE CLOvER.-Every pasture
should contain some white clover. 1t
will afford more feed at certain times
of the year than any kind of grass or
clover 1t will not flourish on damp
soils or those that are very poor. 1t
will do very we'll in a partial shade, as
a grove or orchard, but to make the
highest excellence, it should be sown
where it will have the advantage of full
sunlight. 1t is easy to secure patches
OF white clover in pasture by scat
tering seed III early spring on bare
| places and brushing it in. One pound
| of seed is sufficient to start white clover
in a hundred places in pasture. The
/ disposition of this clover is to spread by
means Of the branches that run along
the surface of the ground and take root.
| Having secured a sod foot square, it
will soon extend so as to cover first a
yard then q rod.
row pit from twelve to eighteen inches
deep, throwing the earth all out on one
side. From near the bottom of this
pit dig trench Of sufficient length to
hold one OF two joints of stove-pipe, at
such an angle as will bring the end
away from the pit to the sur
face of the ground. Over the end
Of this pipe set common flour barrel
or large cask, as may be needed, and,
having removed both heads, bank up
around it with loose earth so that no
smoke can escape at the bottom. Hang
the hams, etc, in it, using some round
sticks to run through the strings. Put
ting cover on the sticks will leave
space enough for draught to let the
smoke pass freely. Build a smoke fire
of corn cobs, damp hard wood, or saw
dust, in the pit, and you will have a
cheap, safe, and efficient smoke-house
with very little trouble.
PROFITS IN GOOD FEEDING.-One of |
the first requisites to success in breed |
judiciou8 breeding perpetuates good
qualities, but that only good feeding in
creases them. To improve a dairy
breed, we must by good feeding. stimu
late the animals to production above
the average, accomplishing which we
raise the standard. By a careful sys
tenn of feeding, a heard of cows may
brought to hold out in their milk near
ly Or quite the whole period from calv-
ing to calving again. In the early his
tory of our agriculture such instances
were rare, of cow giving milk year