The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-02-19
TOPICS FOR THE FARM.

Over seven hundred acres of pop corn
were raised in the vicinity of Loda, Iro-
quois County, Ill.
The London Agricultural Gazette says
that Canadian butter is the worst class
of butter that is brought to the English
market.
Sheep that 60 into quarters in de-
clining state will demand extra feed and
care during winter, and produce light
clip of wool in the spring.
Give your hogs rubbing post in some
accessible part of their inclosure; it
facilitates their keeping clean, and seems
to afford them much satisfaction.
A Mississippi farmer dashes cold water
Into the ears Of choking cattle. This
causes the animal to shake its head vio-
lently, and the muscular action dislodges
the obstruction.
Proper management, feeding and
cleaning are necessary on promoting
health in horses He who administers
medicine TO his horses when in good
health, does injury instead Of good too
much medicine is given TO our domestic
animals under the false impression Of
benehtting their condition.
Thirty years ago the common sheep
Of Germany are said to have had only
5000 or 8, 500 wool fbres to the square
inch OF surface; through improvement
in breeds, the common grades of sheep
now have y, 900 to the square inch, and
the pure bred Merinos have from 40, 600
to az, 900 wool fiaments TO the square
Inch
A miller says, in the hdpendent
Farmer, that if wheat is ground in cold
day. the bread will soon become hard
and dry, and if ground in hot weather
the bread will 20 to the other extreme.
He says that October is good month
to grind in, and if properly done and
the flour kept in a cool, dry place, it
will keep sweet for year
A Louisiana journal says: " Our farm
ers tell lis that thousands Of blackbirds
are swarmiug in the fields Of cotton and
destroying the cottOn-wOrm as they go.
Very few worms can be found webbed
up and the planter feels good. The
destruction by the birds this year is ac-
couuted for by the effects Of the game
law, which are just being felt"
A correspondent of the Vermont
Chronicle, writing to that journal, says:
" ! saw in your paper that one man had
q bean stalk that had twcnty-three
pods and one hundred and twenty.
eight beans. have one-hOrse load
that will average more than that, and
some that have one hundred and ten
pods TO a single stalk, and will average
SIX beans TO The pod"
II will seem rather singular TO those
who are accustomed TO litter their horses
well, to hear that in Sweden it is very
common not to litter them at all In
that country the floors of the stables are
planked, and the planks are perforated
with holes, 50 that no wet will lodge on
them, these bare boards being the only
bedding allowed. To this strange
method the Swedes attribute the sound
ness of their horses feet, az it is quite
uncommon, says IN exchange, to meet
with lame or foundered horse in
Sweden which has been SO stabbed,
Remember that horses and cattle,
young and old, kept in stables and not
allowed full liberty during the day,
should be regularly cleaned. In this
the brush must be the principal cleans
Ing instrument. The currycomb is of
no value to loosen the scurf and dust.
In using, it should be laid fiat, and
worked lightly in circles rather than
forward and back. The scurf once
loosened, brush with quick stroke,
cleaning the brstles by passing them
lightly over the teeth Of the curryCOmb
between strokes. To clean an animal
quickly, perfectly and without giving it
pain is fine art that should be studied
more than it is.
Feeding trOughs for poultry, properly
constructed, ought to be generally sub
stituted for the wasteful practice of
feeding from the ground. The "reasons
why" are obvious Where there is .
scramble for the food that is thrown
heter-skelter, the weak are prevented
by the strong from getting their share
until the latter are satisfied and the food
is trampled in the dirt. 1t is no advan-
tage to fowls to eat sand, dirt or gravel
mixed with their food. The gravel and
other indigcstible substances necessary
TO the proper trturatiOn of their food
in the gizzard, can be given separately,
and should be. A simple trough can
be made, defended by Stats placed YER
tically or on convenient angle, with
spaces sufficient for the passage OF the
head, thus preventing the trampling
and soiling of the food, which will not
be wasted as in the case where it Is
thrown carclessly on the ground.
DR.. COllyer, the chemist of the Agri-
cultural Department, is enthusiastic on
the possibilities of sorghum cultivation.
He says: If they give me ten acres OF
ground TO experiment on next season,
will return twenty tons OF raw sorghum
sugar, fully equal to the best raw cane
sugar, or forfeit my reputation" lie
estimates, says the Utica Herati, that
the cost of production can not exceed
three cents per pound. This would
give a margin for profit far ahead of
corn or wheat raising, and put sugar
on the table al prices below the lowest
reached the past year. Illinois produces
corn crop worth $4,000 900 annually.
DIR. Collyer SAYS one-tenth the acreage
given to corn devoted to sorghum Of
the variety best suited to the Latitude,
would produce an amount of sugar
,oual to the importation Of the United
States-about Sl09,0O0,OO0 worth. DR..
CoIlyer is accounted man of careful
statements. The promise he holds out
l.. e 81, I. f., 6