Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-01-13
FARM NOTES.

after he has been driven. is a quart Of
oatmeal stirred in a pail OF water. 1t
refreshes and strengthens him, relieves
his immediate thirst, and prepares his
stomach for more solid food. So says
Joseph Harris, after twenty years trial
Of it.
Mn. HYDE remarks in the New York
Times. that ii one wishes to cultivate
his farm like o market garden, 1t may
pay to pillow III the coarse manure and
harrow in the fine, but as rule he would
recommend the application Of the ma
nure TO the surface of the soil. This is
natures method, and il the most sue
cessful for common practice.
CRowpISa Fowls. Poultry require
~ .ty of house room, for crowdinY them
ON their roosts, or having lily built, di-
Iapidated or damp houses is conducive to
disease. IT, on account of breeding more
than one variety, because you have linn
tied ground, or because you have fruits
and vegetables you wish TO keep the
birds from, you have to keep the fowls
in restricted quarters, by all means give
them all the exercise room you possibly
can, and there is far more danger OF
giving them too little than too much.
Mr.. j. s. WOODWARD dlseourses IN a
late New York Tribune upon the care OF
stock during winter He thinks that
any man who lets his cattle stand SILVER
ing in the lee of straw stack, or old
fence, or under an open shed, should be
tied in the same place and be compelled
to stay one night with the thermometer
at zero and the snow flying thick and
fast about him; if this does not convince
him Of the necessity of good warm
stables, he is not fit to be called by the
noble name Of farmer, and the quicker
lie gets OFT Of the business the better for
it and himself.
TnE DIFFERENCE. From actual ex-
petiments made, it is demonstrated be-
You'd doubt, that the grinding Of grain
adds one-thid to its value for feeding
purposes. This is matter Of good
deal of importance to the agricultural
community, aud in fact to all classes who
have animals to feed. As far as dollars
are concerned, perhaps it Is not OF so
much moment in the Northwest, where
grain is so cheap and so plenty, as it is
in other portions OF the country, where
less grain is raised, but it is worthy Of
the consideration of those who have not
full bins of oats and corn. Since the in
PRODUCTION of cheap feed-mills, it is the
province Of every farmer to own one,
with which all grain intended for the
stock on the farm could be ground
MEASURING CoRS.--A number of rules
for measuring corn have been published.
AS a multiplicity of rules tend to con-
fuse, the question arises, why can we not
have one good rule? The reason is OBJ
yious New corn will not measure as
many bushels to the foot or inches as
old corn, ON account of shrinkage. A
crib of corn measured in the fall will not
yield as many bushels 10 the cubic foot
as when measured in the spring or sum-
mer. Corn IL wagon, when first put III,
will not measure as much to the foot as
when hauled several miles Hence the
necessity Of working by different rules
under different circumstances. All rules
are based upon the number of cubic
inches in a bushel of shelled corn, which
is 2l50.4. If all corn shelled out the
same, under al circumstances, it would
be very easy to have one rule AS near
right as any rule / have tried is twelve
cubic feet to the barrel for corn ia CRIB
in the fall Of the year. eleven and half
feet III spring time, and about eleven feet
in summer; twelve feet as thrown in
wagon in the field and eleven and a
quarter hauled four or five miles.
SMALL FARMS The French people
have more ready cash in individual pos
session than any other nation III the
world. 1t is not the wealth of nation
that makes the people rich, but the gem
eral diffusion of wealth This is the
case in France. The French are a ma
} ton of small farmers. There are more
landowners in that country than III
America. The farms are small; the
majority sre under twenty acres, and 4
very large number under ten. 1t may
not be that is the only reason for the
money wealth cf these people; they are
notably economical and thrifty. But the
! small farms have something to do with
it. The farmers in some of the eastern
coanties Of Pennsylvania, where the
farms are comparatively small, could
well compete with the French in THEN
possession of money wealth. Almost
every farmer has his hoard invested
These men have habit of feeding few
head of beef cattle or flock Of sheep
every winter They sell little grain bui
wheat, and feed their fodder and coarse
grain to purchased stock. They make
more profit to the head Of stock than is
made upon large grazing farms, and
their land is rich and high-priced, be
! cause of the large quantity Of manure
that is made in feeding stock The con-
sumption of meat is continually increas-
ing, and with the extension Of manufac-
lures there are more mouths to fill every
} year, SO that it is not probable the sup
ply can ever become excessive.
: SOME ITEMS IN FARM ECONOMY. The
arrangements of the buildings and the
division of the farm into fields depends
so much upon the character of the farm,
the kindof farming, individual taste, ETC.,
that 1t Is out of the question to have a
fixed plan that is the best one for all
+, rms Of any given size. There are GER
tam general principles which should
serve as n foundation for the arrange
ment, but the details must necessarily
! vary greatly. For example, if possible
the barns should be upon a rise d
ground where cellar can be built open
ing to the lower ground at the rear. The
fields should be SO arranged that there
should be MS little fencing MS possible.
and so located that all fields can be easily
reached from the lane A long field has
considerable advantage over one of the
same aren that is sauare--in the longer
bouts, and therefore less time spent III
turning, blowing. narrowing, sowing,
harvesting, etc. A pasture close to the
stable is always h indy, and other things
being equal, the orchard should not be
put at the rear of the farm. where the
wood lot had best be located. There is
much labor to be saved in having every
thing so placed this applies to the
various details that seem trivial at first
sight-that there will be no extra steps
or turns IN doing the everyday work oi
the farm. For example, many days
work can be saved by having the pump
in handy corner of the barn-yard,
where the stock from number OF yards
may come TO the troughs II the mat
ters of the farm are not already econom-
ically arranged, it would be well to make
such changes of fences, buildings, etc.
as to finally secure the desired end. BY
degrees the thoughtful farmer will inn
prove his farm until it approximates to a
model and therefore an economical farm.
The Thief Divides the Pork.
The Louisville Gouvier-,Jousnal, in
giving some "reminiscences OF an old blind
negro man in that city, makes him relate