The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-21
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD


Corn for Horses.
Is it or is it not economy to feed
horses corn in the ear? We have prac-
ticed it for a number of years, believing
that the portion which was not masti-
Gated, and so passed out of the horses
without being digested, was not equal
to the miller's toll. The toll is every
tenth, and this with the waste and time
spent in going to the mill will make it
fully equal to every eighth. Another
thing farmers do not think enough
about. Suppose every tenth is not
masticatea and assimilated by the horse,
it is kept on the farm. whereas If it is
left at the mill the farm is so much de-
pleted of plant-food. We throw the
whole ears into the manager, and let the
work-horses bite the kernels OFT as they
like. AS soon as the horses get used to
eating corr there is no danger of its pro-
ducinp any collie or other arrangement
| of the bowels, but care must be taken
not to begin too strong at first: Three
or four ears of flint corn are all a horse
should have to begin a diet of this food.
The Southern and Western corn IS
lighter, and is not so apt to produce
collie. In the South, corn is almost
always fed in the ear, and so it is IN the
West, when fed at all. Corn is excel
lent food for horses to work on. but not
good for fast driving. They are more
quiet and tractable on corr than with
any other grain, and will do more hard
pulling and drudgery with less loss in
condition. Oats make a horse sprightly
and active, and hence should be ted
sparincly to q colt. Oats have helped to
make a great many balky, spawned and
runaway horses. Corn makes them DULL
and slow, but strong. Corn is the best
for colts while being broken. 1t may
be made lighter and not SO heating by
having wheat bran mixed with it.
Rural MeW Yorker.
Good and Easily Made Soups
The growing interest and sven enthu-
siasm Of the housekeepers in all parts
| of the country in acquiring the secrets
of foreign cooks and learning their q
ner of preparing the economical. whole
some and appetizing dishes of which
Americans have been so curiously lgno-
rant, promises well for the health and
happiness of the family. A dinner
should begin with soup, and there IS no
more wholesome and delicious soup,
nor at any time so easyto make, asthat
of black bean. The large fat black
bean should not be used, but its more
unpretentious relative, the small COM
mon bean. 1t is much richer and makes
a better soup. This soup is especially
good made one day in advance OF using
it. All soups that are made without
milk are better when this rule is tol-
lowed. In bean and pea soup it is
especially necessary, as they should be
thoroughly cooked before straining. A
quarter of a pound Of salt pork should
be boiled with a pint of beans. When
they are boiled to q mash--water being
added when necessary-they should be
strained first through q colander, water
being added il necessary to facilitate
the operation, and then pressed through
a wire sieve; add salt to taste. Unjust
be perfectly smooth, about the consist
ency Of good rich chocolate; in color it.
will be beautiful brown. AlwaYsi
serve soup hot, and not warm.
The green pea soup. SO much llkedsln
France, and there called St. Germaine.
is made in the same manner of dried
green peas. The water should he
changed frequently when they first be-
gin to cook, and o little soda added
this, in order to retain the desirable
pea-green color.-New York Tribune.
Mulching Trees.
A correspondent of the Boston Cult
Gator writes: Knowing that you are in
terested in whatever tends to the success
of the farmer I give you herein n fact
that came under my own observation
some years ago. | hav:c never seen it
repeated in any instance, which is a
source Of wonder, rs it proved to be SO
successful. Upon a dry and rocky hill
side, in the town osShrewsbury, Mass,
stood an orchard. The trees were old
and had not given p good crop Of apples
for several years. The owner having a
large quantity of swale hay drew it from
the field and placed it around the trees
to the depth Of twelve inches, covering
the whole ground occupied by the trees.
emitting every alternate row. This was
done in the month of July. The next
year, proving to be the corn bearing
year, I was led by curiosity to examine
this orchard to see the result, and to my
surprise, every tree. where the mulch
was applied, was loaded with large and
fair apples, while the trees had made q
great growth of wood, and the leaves
had q beautiful green and spring-ike ap-
p%earance, while those withoutthe mulch
bore no fruit at all. The varieties were
the same. Can any one else show a like
result from the use ofmulch?