The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-01-01

pecially if the animal has persisted from any
malignant disease.
Farm Hints for January.
[American Agriculturalist.l
A supply of fuel sufficient for some weeks
use should always be kept at hand under
cover.
Keep Accounts.-Make beginning now.
For sundry directions, see articles In last
month (page 1861 and in the present num-
Der (page 49,
The daily work should be done according
to system. This will tighten labor and save
time; things will be done in order, and less
be forgotten.
Keep Diary or Daily Record.-This is
useful and interesting work, and the time
spent will be we'll repaid, in its value for
future reference.
See that sufficient insurance is placed on
the farm buildings and contents. This is a
duty every man owes to himself, his family,
and to his creditors If he has any.
Small matters make up the sum of our
comfort, and constant attention to them
will not only save trouble. but will confirm
a habit of looking after more important
things.
In stormy weather tae stock are better I'M
der cover than exposed to the wintry blasts.
1t is a mistake to suppose that exposure
makes them hardy: on the contrary they are
weakened by it.
The barns should be kept clean and tidy
The lots of useless rubbish, SO apt to gather
in buildings, should be disposed of at least
once year. Whatever is useful should be
stored and cared for.
The old fashioned method OF banking up
the house is not the best one. 1t is better to
have double windows in the cellar, and the
cellar wall properly pointed. If this h as not
been done, it may yet be. on warm day.
Work should be found for the horses and
cattle. They are all the better for exercise
and by looking around, useful work may al
make holiday, and take the children for
drive.
The wasteful practice of throwing hay and
fodder upon the ground to be fought over
and trampled upon, is far too frequent A
cheap foddering rack, covered and protected
from the weather, should be provided in
every yard.
A curry comb or card and brush freely
used will help to keep the COWS. calves and
other cattle, as well as horses. in good health
and comfort If there is doubt about this, a
trial will convince any one that the practice
is profitable one.
The cows should be cleaned before morn
ing milking, then fed-the feed having been
prepared, as far as possible, the previous af
ternoon. This. with the care of the horses,
and light feed to small stock, will occupy
the time before breakfast.
Milking COWS should be kept dry and clean
in the stalls, and extra feed be given to dairy
COWS that fall off in their milk. A few quarts
of ground oats, inseed oil cake, or bran,
stirred in the water in the drinking troughs,
will increase the milk flow.
Calves.-Warmth and cleanliness will keep
the young calves in good condition with
light feeding, while, without these, heavy
feeding will do more harm than good. 1t is
useless to overfeed young animals in an eff
fort to make up for the want of care,
A barrel of plaster should be kept in a
handy place in every stable and manure cell
lar. Where this is used constantly there will
be freedom from the usual strong odor of
stables and fermenting manure, and saving
of valuable material which would otherwise
escape.
Pens and Yards.-If plentiful litter is pro-
vIded the pens and yards need not necessar-
lily be cleaned out often; but enough litter
should be used to keep dry bed and to pre-
vent much heat in the manure. If there is
any smell apparent q light busting of ground
plaster will remove it.
Protection for stock should be provided
even in the southern states, where the win
tiers are relatively mild. Dry snow ia not 90
chilling as q cold rain; damp winds, even
some degrees above the freezing point often
prove disastrous. A shed open to the south,
however rough, will answer as shelter.
After breakfast the small stock should be
further looked to- fed and watered. The
same hours, as nearly as possible. should be
observed each day for these matters. Ami
mails are exacting as regards time, and are
uneasy under irregularity. After the SMALL
stock are cared for, horses and COWS should
be watered, and the latter turned into the
yard.
Ewes.@Sometimes a few lambs will come
in January. By good care these may be
made very profitable. A chilled larab may
be restored by warm bath aud q teaspoon
full of hot ginger tea. The lamb should be
thoroughly dried and wrapped around with
a strip of woollen cloth. The ewes should
be well nursed with warm Cruel for few
days. Provide warm pens for early Rambling
ewes.
Many fires occur through careless disposal
OF ashes. The ash house should be 1t safe
distance from any other buildings. A safe
way Is to keep the ashes in an iron, can or
holder until cool, and then throw them into
the box or receptacle provided for them.
Wood ashes are too valuable to waste, and
coal ashes make an excellent absorbent in
the earth closet, and are very good for maxi
ing hard foot paths.
what to DO win the Hogs
tFarmers' Rome Journals
Ordinarily the agricultural press is ready
10 advise farmers to sell their products when
ready for market. rather than to become
spectators and hold on. Such would be
the counsel given by the Farmers Home
Journal to its many farmer readers now in
regard to the hog product on hand, but for
the fact that present prices are below the
cost of production, and when this is the
case it is always we'll enough to at least in
vestigate.
What are the facts before us? The best
authorities say the crop of hogs is some
thing larger than that of last year. The
best reports place the corn crop at 96 as
compared with that of 1877. Now. taking
the two together, we can not predict q