The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-06-16
Agricultural Notes.

The American Agriculturist says that the
blind devotion to the pedigree only, that
prevailed a few years ago. has ia great
measure passed away, and Intelligent breed
ers have come to understand that something
more than a long line of recorded names is
necessary TO make an animal of value. A
good pedigree is one that has the animals
making it, of the very best quality, and that
quality uniform and identical. Aside from
the high standard of the ancestry, breeders
look more to the animal itself--in other
words, more to its own record of what 1t has
done and can do, than TO the fact that its
parents, through long line, have their
names in the herd-booF.
Hens often have habit of biting and pull
ing at their feathers and greedily eating
them until their bodies are almost bare.
This practice, it is believed, Is oceasioned by
a want OF salt, as when salted food is given
them they make no attempt to continue the
habit. Salt pork chopped fine and fed twice
q week has been adopted with success, while
others put tablespoonful of salt with two
quarts of meal or shorts moistened, well
mixed, and eed it about twice every week.
Fowls like human beings, to be healthy,
must have certain allowance of salt
Few persons realize the extent of the beef
business of the United States. Our people
consume on an average one fourth Of an OK
q year each, the annual slaughter amounting
70 J.
meat of which weighs over 1000, 100000 OF
pounds q .0SS. 500, O00) with total value for
food of over $500, 100000 ($60S 200 600. J
This is the largest annual product of the
country, the dairy product amounting to
! $3.50. 000, 600, and the corn crop to $780,
600 600.
The American Agriculturist says the sizs
of the cows dairymsn may desire for his
| herd is somewhat matter of fancy; but,
other things being equal, when the cost of
| feeding, etc, is taken into consideration, the
medium sized COWS are the most profitable.
/ Cows are machines for making coarse food
4 into that OF a more concentrated and
valuable form, and, like other machines,
/ there is a size that does this work with the
greatest ease, with the least waste, and there
fore greatest profit.
We can not reasonably look for large in
crease of our export trade to Spain, for, with
the rapid development of the peculiar natu-
! raj capabilities of Florida and California, we
\ shall every year, as 1t now seems prob
able, have less and less need of Spanish
oranges raisins and wine, products of ready
| sale In England, whence Spain purchases SO
| largely of manufactured goods.
There is nothing in which farmers and
/ dairymen should exercise more care than in
the work of milking young COWS. Gentle
ness is the first essential. Unless gently
handled when first MIXED, heifer is pretty
| sure to hold her milk, and II this is contin-
Hed to any considerable extent, her milking
capacity is seriously and permanently di-
| nliDished.
/ Be sure that your milch cows have an
abundant of good ieed-that is to say do not
overstock the pastures in which they are
kept If pasture Will produce just liberal
amount of feed for six cows it is folly to keep
seven or eight therein. They will give less
milk, altogether, than would be obtained
from the SIX, with necessarily more work In
| milking whilo the condition of the cows
! themselves will be seriously af scted. They
/ will gain no flesh, and when winter comes
will require good deal more hay each than
/ would have been tbs case had they been well
fed through the summer.
The New England Farmer gives the expe-
| rience OF a correspondent in mixing the milk
of blooded COWS, who undertakes to show
that when the milk of the respective breeds
is kept separate the yield OF butter Is greater.
| He also gives the experience of other dairy
men in support OF this theory. 0ne of these
obtained tnirty-eight pounds of butter from
the mixed cream of Jerseys and Short Horns,
but by keeping the milk of each breed sepa
rate he obtained from the same quantity OF
cream eighty three and one-third pounds of
butter. This is a little too steep for as to
pin our faith to all at once. Well wait.
Don't give the boys poor tools. II you
/ WISH 10 MAKE d DOy Oesplso lhuoI WueIueI On
a farm or anywhere else give him worthless
WORKOUT to)ls to work with. IL you would
have him love his work give him the best
attainable tools. Many farmers seem to
think that old WORKOUT hoes and shovels
which they would not themselves use for an
hour, are good enough to put In the hands
OF young boys just learning
/ to work. This Is terrible
mistake. There is no surer way to discour-
age q boy than to give him dull worn out
hoe and set him at work with others in the
field or garden. That you do not expect
much work from him at first is no reason
why he should be thus put off with worth
lees tools. Give him the best you have. and
you will make him feel that something is
expected, and feeling thus his pride and
ambition will be stimulated, and the results