The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-08-26
FARM NOTES.


ence few years since, that it would not
answer to keep sheep in large fiocks.
Out of flock of q little less than l, 100
head, that he was interested in he lost in
one winter 54S head, while his loss when
his flock was from 800 to 500 head did
not average per cent. per year. When
sheep run in large hocks, every sheep
must travel over more ground to obtain
his food, than where small hocks are
kept in pastures, and as that ground
is usually travelled over daily, the
less the numbers are the better it
will be for tho sheep, even if the
pastures are ever so good. Were we
to embark again in wool-growing, we
would not, from our previous export
ence, keep over two hundred head
In a flock. That is to say, if we had
a thousand head, we should keep them
IN five separate hocks.
HINTS ON MILKING Cows.-A man
who had done his own milking employed
a boy to do it; he shrunk the milk one
third in two weeks. The owner resumed
the milking and in two weeks got the
same as before. Afterward he set q
hired man to milk, and he shrunk the
milk ten per cent. In two weeks; and in
two weeks more, the owner milking
again, got as much as before. This
man does the work quickly and milks
very clean. He closes the fore finger
and thumb around the teat high up, and
makes downward motion, Tightening
the grip and forcing out the milk then
let's go his hold, keeping the thumb and
finger In circle, carries up the hand and
presses 1t smartly against the udder, and
closes and pulls down as before, and SO
repeats until done. The philosophy, II
any, is to give as near as may be the
same motion that the calf does in suck
ing. Many a good COW is partially de-
spoiled of her good qualities in conse-
quence of being improperly MIXED.
FARMERS, KEEP ACCOUNTS. Farmers
are prone to neglect this important mat
ter, and by such negligence are liable to
a great many disappointments, in the
shape of store and other bills, which
when presented are surprise to them,
and has a tendency to create suspicion
on their part that the merchants are not
honest, while on the other hand their
families are berated for extravaganza.
Receipts and expenditures are never
noted; the profits and losses in any
branch of farming are unknown; uncon-
sciously debts MULTIPLY; for it requires
much less time and ability to dispose of
money than to acquire it. Accounts
properly kept would admonish them
when they could afford to spend and
when to check up. Carelessness in one
particular Is apt to foster and beget
carelessness in others. The fact is,
every farmer should have his journal
and ledger, and keep his accounts as
promptly and correctly as the merchant.
EXTRA FooD FOR HoGs.-Coal ashes
and clay are beneficial for hogs when
shut up to fatten. Hogs are fond of
cinders, coal ashes and clay, and improve
in condition IN eating certain portion
of them every day. Some persons are
unable to account for this singular pro-
pensity in swine. Poultry are very fond
of egg shells, lime, sand, and it is well
known these substances are necessary in
order to form the shells of eggs, and to
furnish material SGr bones for fowls
Now, it is reasonable to suppose that
swine eat ashes for the purpose of sup
plying the material for their bones, and
this singular instinct In animals so low
in the scale of intelligence is truly won
derful, for ashes contain ingredients
which are necessary to form bones clay,
SILICA, coal, soft lime, stone and rotten
wood with their food, which contain the
necessary ingredients; but when they
are penned up they endeavor to supply
the material necessary for keeping up
their frames by devouring ashes and Gin
ders. Let them have plenty of them.
MEAT FROM DOMESTIC ANNALS
The amount of meat obtained from a
domestic animal sold by its live weight
is variable, and from experiments made
1t appears that the race and condition of
the animal, besides many other circum-
stances, affect the result, and that GER
tain animals yield as much as 10 per
cent. of meat, while others give so per
cent. The mean weight produced, now
ever. is calculated at 80 per cent. of the
live weight in beef cattle. In the case
of sheep the proportion is from 40 to so
per cent. From these experiments it
appears that the different products OBJ
tanned from oxen and sheep are as fol-
lows: An OK of the live weight of 1892
pounds yields meat, TIA pounds skin,
1902; grease. 81 blood, 55.1; feet and
hoofs, %; head, IL; tongue, Sc; lungs
and heart, 1913 liver and spleen, 2O.05 /;
&c. Is; loss and evaporation,
154.352, making the total ], 1882 pounds.
The product from sheep weighing
1902 pounds are: Meat, 80. IL pounds;
oniu, no BIStSe, O.O1 DlCOi, f.tcO
feet and hoofs, 2. 204 !; head, 4.40S in
testines, 6.613 loss and evaporation,
Is. S36, making the total of no. 2 pounds.
SAVE THE SORGHUM SEED.-A few
years ago the value of sorghum seed was
not generally known nor appreciated.
Farmers, when harvesting the sorghum,
would leave the seed lying on the
ground if the chickens or hogs ate it,
all right, or if nothing got it it was all
right. In agricultural papers of to-day,
sorghum seed is highly recommended as
food for horses, hogs, chickens, etc.
This is step in the right direction.
cakes made of sorghum flour are
similar in taste and appearances to
buckwheat cakes, and of milder and
better flavor. A person might easily be
deceived, thinking he was eating buck
wheat cakes, when in reality they were
made of sorghum -four. Some of the "su-
perior brands of buckwheat flour" we
see advertised, are made from
sorghum seed. One way of curing the
seed is, take it when the sorghum is har-
vested and scatter it on the grass where
it can not be disturbed. leave it there a
couple of weeks or so. A few showers
or frosts will not hurt it, but if it is
scattered too thick, it should be turned
to prevent molding. When
it is thoroughly dry haul it onto the barn
floor, and when 1T has cured en- ough,
thrash the seed out and run it through
the windmill. It is then ready to be
ground to flour. Cook it the same as
buckwheat flour. A crop of sorghum
will yield from twenty TO forty bushels
of seed to the acre.
GRASS AND A POUND OF MEAr.- 1t is .
stated on good authority that an acre of
the best Lincolnshire grazing land-and
it is country famous for its grass-will
carry an OK and sheep from New
Mayday till Old Michaelmas," and that
while grazing during this period the
former will gain $50 pounds and the lat
ter 40 pounds in net weight of meat
when slaughtered. The acre will thus
yield 800 pounds of meat. Its produce
of grass may be sixteen tons, perhaps
more. This is one pound of meat for
r Il