The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1880-01-21
AGRTCULTURE

add two teaspooDfuls of powdered
saltpetre and two tablespoonFuIs OF
graduated sugar to ten ponnds OF
good, well-worked butter, when we
put it away in the fall to keep all
winter. 1t will keep good and sweet
without these additions so long as
the weather remains cool, but it does
not keep after it gets warm IN The
Spring. We make it up in cakes all
ready for the table, and pack it away
in stone pots, set them in COOL dry
place, cover tightly, but without
brine or molasses over it.
Cows.-Incoming COWS should be
treated with great care. The dry
feed will have rendered them liable
to infammatory diseases. Garget,
milk fever, abortion and such trou-
bles, affect well fed COWS more than
others. The blood needs cooling by
laxative food. One quart of oil-cake
meal, mixed with bran, scalded, and
given as drink once day, will be
useful. No corn should be given for
several weeks before calying. Bran
or middlings will be more cooling
and healthful, but if good hay is
given very little grain of any kind
will be Leeded. Caution now will
prevent trouble hereafter. When the
calf is expected the cow should be
turned into o loose stall or into q
quiet stable alone.
How TO MILK.-This may seem
absurd advice to offer TO farmers,
but our experience has shown us
that every farmer does Dot know how
to milk properly, or, rather, that he
does not always carry out the knowl-
edge he may have. In the FIRST
place, never allow the hands or udder
to be wet with milk before milking.
When ready to milk take the pail on
che left arm, and with both hands
brush of every bit of dust and all
particles Of bedding from the cows
udder. If the udder Is not readily
cleaned in this way, use a sponge
and warm water. Milk quickly, and
allow no Impractical hand at the
cow unless you intend to dry the an
imal. Above all, milk clean. A
very little inattention here will soon
render valuable cow unremunera
&ive 10 the dairy.
To SAVE SWEET PoTAToEs.--They
should be dug when the ground is as
dry as possible and be allowed to dry
in tie hill before covering with earth.
Select q dry situation, from which
the water will easily run; drive down
a rough stake, to stand three and
half feet in height, in the centre of a
circle of about seven feet in diameter.
Raise the edge of this circle by
drawing up the earth from without.
Cover the entire bed thickly with
dry pine, straw or other dry material.
Heap the potatoes on this bed around
the stake, so that the sides may be
as steep as possible. Then cover
entirely over with dry corn stalks or
broom. sedge set upright or with
boards, in such manner as to prevent
the rain, which may soak through
the earth covering, from reaching
the interior. Then cover the whole
with several inches of earth, taken
from Immediately around the bill,
leaving the top of the hill open for
ventilation, but protected from rain.
On the approach of severe weather
gradually increase the covering of
earth to depth of one foot.
SELECTION OF GARDEN SEEDS
Great care should be used in the Sc
lection of seeds, both TO secure the
best varieties and to get seeds that
possess vitality. While it is true
that very great advance has been
made within the last few years, both
in the production of new varieties OF
vegetables and in the Improvement
of the old, yet farmers should exer.
else good degree of caution in
making their selections. A large
proportion of the so-called new vari
cites are worthless, being only sports
and In due time sure TO return to The
original stock. Some of the new
things are in reality old, and so use
less as to have been discarded long
ago. The same caution should also
be exercised by the farmer in deter
mining what varieties of strawberries
raspberries, grapes, ETC., he shal
plant in the fruit department Of hi
garden. He must consider the seve
raj questions of adaptation to hi
particular soil and locality, of hardi
ness, Of prodnctiyeness and of flavor
And the farmer who grows fruit TO
consumption in his own family, il
making out his list shoul, consul
quality rather than popular prefer
ences ia the markets.