Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-04-03
AGRICULTURAL,

AGRICULTURAL.
A FARMER says he succeeded in catch
ing rats by means of alcohol mixed with
cheap molasses. Rats love sweets and
will indulge in molasses, despite the
alcohol, until they are so drunk that
they cannot move, and are easily caught.
By eating old straw of barley or wheat
grown over with bunt and green clover
with rust, apeculiar disease in cattle was
developed recently in Bavaria. The
affected animals were, however, entirely
cured by taking from them the above
named substances.
AN old farmer living near Elliota
recommends farmers to SOW about one
pint OF winter rye to each bushel of
wheat this spring. The rye will not ma
ture but will keep green, and the
chinch-bugs will leave the wheat en-
tirely alone and eat the rye.
Few things are so important as firm
ing the soil around newly.planted trees;
neglect here is principal cause of SO
many vacant spaces in young orchards.
If pressed down as tight as possible, the
soil will refrain moisture a far greater
length of time than if merely thrown
loosely into the hole, promote an early
start Of the rootlets and small fbers,
and prevent loss which would follow a
cessation Of growth.
For scours in sheep give pulverized
alum in wheat bran. Prevent by taking
great care in changing dry for green
food. If lame examine feet, clean out
hoofs; pare hoof, il unsound, and ap-
ply tobacco boiled with blue vitriol, in
IA little water. If the weather is not
too cold, shear at once, sheep beginning
to shed, and carefully save pelts of those
that die. Have some good book on sheep
to refer to. 1t will put money in thy
purse.
We ferment manure for the same
reason that we decompose bone.dust or
mineral phosphotoe with sulp hurio acid
and convert them into superphosphate,
or for the same reason that we grind
our corn and cook our meal. These
processes add nothing to the amount of
plant-food in the bones or the nutri-
ment in the corn. They only increase
its availability. So in Terminating ma
nure. This process lenders the plant
food in the manure more imme diatelv
available.
CHICKEN cholera was very bad here
last spring, and / will tell you readers
how we cured it. For every forty fowls
We took piece of assafetida the size of
a hickory nut, broke it in small pieces
and mixed it in about pint of corn
meal, wet it thoroughly with boiling
water and placed it near the roosting
place, SO that the chickens could eat of
it the first thing in the morning. If
they were not too near dead to eat, a
cure was certain.-Letter to Ohio Farmer.
4 MILLER of Halliday, ILL.,, writes
the Prairie Former that, having lost
severely from hog cholera for years, in
feeding hogs on swill Of bran and shorts,
he finally adopted the plan of starving
sick hogs until they would eat dry bran
slightly salted. Since that time, he
says, he has not bees troubled with fatal
diseases among his hogs. Another cor
claims to have succeeded
equally we'll by giving the swine access
to what salt they wished, in clean pas
ture.
TEE farmer who is habitually care
full with his seed-grain, so as to get only
the best, is doing much toward advanc-
ing the products of his fields, not only
in starting his crop--in which it is so
impostant-but Throughout its entire
growth, including the berry which is to
form the seed for the succeeding year.
This is apt to be plumper and sounder,
aud much the better calculated for the
lext sowing and an improvement upon
;he last. l include with the grains the
seed also for the forage plants.
Always the best growth should be select
ID, the greatest difficulty being to OBJ
lain clean seed and keep it clean, on &C.
count of the foul condition OF the land.
ONE leak on nearly every farm may
'e found in the neglect of the agricul-
ural implements. In travelling over
he country it is no unusual light to
zee plows, harrows, wagons, sleds reap
2rs, mowers, ETC., piled in the fence
corners, in the fields, lanes, barnyards
public highways. Whenever you see
hings piled around in this way, says
he american RuraL Home, you can set
t down that there is at least one leak
IN that farm. An. excuse might be
ound for some farmers of limited
means, that they are. not able to build
helters for their implements; but we
ind the same leak on farms where they
count their acres by the hundreds and
heir dollars by the thousand, and, of
course, the larger the farm the greater
he leak, We believe careful estimate
# the annual shrinkage thus incurred
0y some farmers would astonish them.
md show why farming does not pay.
Collie is one of the most fatal dis.
Eases horse flesh is heir to. The symp-
;oms of collie are readily detected. The
lnimal scrapes with his fore feet, kicks
It the belly, and shifts about, turns
!round, smells the floor, crouches, puts
he nose to the TANKS, lies down, rolls,
emains for time on the back, and
'reathes heavily throughout. But there
3 ready and safe means of relief and
ure in every homestead in the land-a
means and method recently brought for
yard at a meeting of the London
Farmers Club, by Mr.. Frederick Street,
gentleman of great skill and expert
nee in the training and management
# horses. When the horse shows the
ymptoms Of An attack of collie, apply
It once, says Mr.. Street, horse cloth or |
Toolen rag, wrung out of boiling water,
0 the belly and up the sides, and cover
With another couple of cloths, to retain
he heat. As they cool renew the cloths
S often as needful. A large bran
'oultice, as hot as can be borne, is
qually effective, and retains the heat
onger.
CORN slower cut earlier and properly
ured is quite an aid in preserving the
ay NOV; but there as wide difference
the estimate of farmers as to its value.
ike many other questions of the farm,
ach person thinks out conclusion for
imself as to whether it will pay him to
o SO and SO, and doesno bring the ques-
ion to the proof Of experiment, 50 as to
i've answer in precise terms, because to
o so is both costly in time and money.
ONE farmers express ;.e opinion that
hat the cows eat of the stover will pro-