The Columbus journal., 1881-03-23
OUR STOCK INTERESTS.
A few Thoughts and Suggestions
from an Old Settler, with 20
Years Experience Hand
ling Stock.
Mr.. David Anderson, Our Energetic
. Live Stock Dealer, has Something
Of Value to Offer for the
BENEFIT of Farmers and
Stock Raisers.

EDITOR JOURNAL: By request l
submit q few points of information
gained by observation and expe-
rience, which may be of some benefit
to the husbandry of this section.
In the first place, every farmer
should set out a few acres of cotton
wood and box elder timber, on the
north, east and west OF his build
ings. These trees are natives of the
soil and climate, and are of cure
growth, if set out properly as soon
as frost is out of the ground in the
spring. They will form a perfect
wind-bresk, and lodge the great
banks of snow away from the build
ings and yards during q rough
winter like the present, and will
also furnish fuel in distant years to
come.
All cereals should be planted early
and deep, except on low, wet soil.
Don't let the false idea that your
soil is fertile enough prevent you
from hauling all the manure and
waste stuff of the stables and cor
rails on to the land during February
and March, when there is but little
else to do on the farm. Nature has
ordained the use of manure, and rest
assured every load of it is worth
two bushels of corn.
Raise more corn and oats, calves,
cattle and hogs; if your means are
limited, buy calves, yearlings and
brood sOws TO begin with. Hogs
increase and multiply fast, and al
ways command a good price. You
can't have too many Of them, with
sufficient food to sustain them.
What would Nebraska have done
this year without the hog crop?
They constitute, in great measure,
the wealth of the State.
Brood sews should, during preg-
nancy, be kept lean, aud in a warm,
clean place, with but little litter near
them. until the young make their
appearance, when both SOW and little
pigs should be crowded with various
sorts of soft food. Salt and ashes
fed regularly to hogs aud shoats are
conducive to good health. Young
hogs pile badly in cold and wet
weather, and should not be allowed
to bed in manure piles, as they be-
come overheated, and the ammonia
penetrating the pores of the skin
causes them to catch cold very
quickly; too many should not be
allowed together. When hogs loose
their appetite, lie around and be-
come dropping, they are unwell,
and shOnld be fed epsom salts or
Maxan's hog medicine which | have
used extensively and successfully
for years. Hogs, like the human
family, are liable to disc ase, incl
dent to sudden changes from heat
to cold.
There is no profit in raising stock,
unless it is properly handled; ev-
cry farmer should be well provided
with comfortable quarters for oil bis
animals. Good water facilities are
indispensable; cold, ice-wster once
day, or probably once in two or
three days, won't answer. More an
finals in Nebraska became lousy and
feyerish, dying of thirst, for want of
good water and plenty of it, during
the winter, than from all other
causes. / have pumped water for
hours on q bitter cold night, and was
well repaid in seeing my cattle drink
and fill themselves.
The black leg, a prevalent disease
among the thrifty young cattle, can
be prevented feeding salt petre, (pul-
verized) with salt, two or three
times month during fall, winter
and spring. never lost calf with
that disease since | began the use Of
salt petre years ago. don't believe
there exists an effectual cure, after
the animal is severely attac ked.
Another matter, and | am done
for the present. Let farmers cut
and cure all the hay ome-atsble,
every season, cure well, top out the
stacks safely, then, If the following
winter proves open and favorable,
you may have surplus for the next
winter, which may prove the re-
verse; utilize the corn fodder and
straw-there is value in it all, the
little details of farm count, and are
always looked after carefully by the
sagacious, industrious and frugal
farmer.