West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-09-27
AGRICUL TURE.

AGRICULTURE.
A PENNsYLvANIA IcE-Prr. - Few
farmers of any pretensions in Chester
county, PV., but have an ice-house, and,
with few EXCEPTIONS, they are pits dug
I'm the earth on some knoll for the sake
of the natural drainage afforded by the
more porous nature of the ground on
elevations. Their capacity ranges from
twelve to thirty-siN two-horse loads,
according 10 the supposed need of the
consumer. Building above ground,
except for storing large quantities, fails
to give satisfaction owing to the diff
Guilty of excluding air from the ice
around the sides, which is the chief
cause OF ice not keeping. As an exam
pie, an ice-ptt we made some years ago
will answer as well as any. A square
chamber, dug I'm "A sandy subsoil, and
walled with fifteen inch wall, well
mortared for six or eight inches, thick
next to the ice, ten feet square at the
bottom, eleven feet at the top and ten
feet deep. On the wall six inch hewn
joice were laid, and on these floor,
with trap door on one side to admit the
ice. On this a room, weather boarded
and shingled, serves for churning with
power churn; but usually a frame Is
laid on the wall, rafters put up with
sharp pitch, board roof nailed on,
ends boarded up, leaving door TO slide
the ice through, and the job is done.
In GUS pit we left the space at two
stiles, between the floor and wall, open
to admit air to carry OF m, isture from
the melting ice, it matterlug little about
air passing over the surface of ice, so il
is kept from the sides. The work of
digging, walling and building the
house was done by farm laborers dur
Ing lull in the press of other work,
and Is good substantial job, We fill
IL in two days usually, with from twelve
to fourteen three-horse loads Of ice,
hauled from IL mill pond one-third of Il
mile distant, the ice thrown in with
little care for arrangement, except TO
level IL every two or three loads. Gov
er with Oat-straw well packed down,
and we never fail To have sufiiciency
of ice, till late in October, for all pur-
poses about the house and dairy.
MILK RAPIDLY.-Ihe faster and more
gentle cow is MIXED, the greater will
be the amount given. Slow mixers
always gradually dry up COW, and for
the reason that if the milk be not
drawn about as fast as it is given down
| it Will subsequently be withheld, and
! That withheld, is, as matter of course,
what is known az the strippings, i'm
fact, the upper surface of milk in the
udder. Many mixers draw the milk
! with "A strong downward pull. in fac.,
with Jerk. This should never be al
! lowed; it irritates the cow, and often
Injuries the bag. Fill the teat and with
a firm pressure of the last three fingers
empty 1T; drawing slightly on the teat
and udder at the same time; so proceed
alternately with each hand until the
milk supply is exhausted. Many milk
ers get the habit OF slow milking be-
cause steady, firm, quick milking tires
the fingers and wrists. until by practice
the muscles get used to the work. I'm
til this use comes naturally the indivi-
dual should only milk such number as
they can without severe cramping OF
the hands; what are MIXED fast, i'm
creasing the number until at last there
Is no firing whatever. Five minutes is
about the limit that should be allowed
for milkinga COW. There is another
thing well worthy of being remember
ed. Cows should be MIXED as nearly
at given hour morning and evening
as possible, since undue distentIon OF
the udder is always Injurious.
MEADOWS THAT HAVE BEEN Run
DowN.-MeadOws that have been run
with moss, sorrel or other weeds, NAV
be renovated without blowing. The
old sod needs to be disturbed but a
thorough narrowing or a chOpping OF
the surface with Il disk harrow will
disturb IL sufficiently without blowing
Fresh seed is needed, and dressing of
lime may in many cases be all that is re-
quired In the way of fertilizer. Ifit
can be afforded. moderate quantity OF
fine manure used as a tOp-dressing, and
narrowed in just before sowing, will be
of great benefit. The work NAV be
done at any time before September. &C
that the grass and clover, the latter
more particularly, should be well set
before severe frOsts occur. Orchard
grass will thrive upon soils that are
not rich enough for timothy. but it /.
better to have the ground good enough
for the latter, even if the former is ia
be sOwn. Grass is a crop for which tho
soil cannot be too rich, for If the growth
is excessive it can be cut at any tim,
and made into hay or fed green.
HARDNESS OF THE QUINCE.-A cor
respondent TO test the comparative har
diness of the peach and the ounce
planted them side by side some year.
ago, since which the ounce has receiv.
WIllIt
the shoots of the peach have been fro.
zen back nearly 20 the trunk every win.
ter. The winter killing of the peach
the writer unintentiOnally explains
himself The tree makes from three &c
seven feet of growth each year. and il
evidently stands in very rich soil and
probably In a low situation, where the
frost settles. A late succulent growth
Of seven feet cannot be expected TO en-.
dure the intense cold weather. and we
meLtion this matter merely to show
Ihow easy 1t Is to draw erroneous con.
illusions when all the circumstances are
not taken into account. The ounce
will bear different soil from the neach
The necessary steps toward an i'm
proved husbandry are: 70 cultivate
less land. To make that which is eul.
tiyated rich Ia plant-fOod, so that il
may produce large crops. The practice
Of rigid system of rotation Of crops
and mixed farming The cultivation
OF the grasses and less of hoed crou,
and feeding upon the farm the most of
us products. Enriching the land by
turning under green crops.
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Flour.
Here are few good rules worth re-.
memoering when one has occasion Ia