Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-12-29
THE FARM.

THE FARM.
| PRACTICALLY, the many articles show
| isig how the bad Qualities of O horse NAV
be dfscerned by those investing in horse
flesh are entirely worthless, as every one
familiar with this noble beast can attest,
| 1t is true that horses countenance
sometimes indicates vioiousness, but this
| thing of examining his eyes, head. tail.
etc, ETC., to find whether he has intelli-
gence, temper, courage, honesty, ETC., is
worse than the sickliest popycock. The
only way to secure good-natured and
serieeatle horse without danger of being
swindled, is to make your selection and
then take him on trial. A common plan
in horse-trading is to take every man for
a villain until he proves himself gentle.
man. Turning World.
MICE are very prolific. single pair
will often multiply to fly or more dur
| ing single season, as the earlier broods
| reproduce one or more generations.
Usually large proportior of each sum-
mer's growth is killed off in winter. if
autumn rains saturate the soil. IL at any
| point the soil freezes solid before eopious
rains, extra caution should be taken to
| protect fruit trees and shrubs against
| MICE The methods, such as banking
| earth around the trees tramping the
| snow hard about the trunks as it falls
| putting tarred paper, four to six inches
above ground and little below, ETC.,
should be adopted.
POTATOES is estin ated that New
York City alone daily consumes 1000
| bushels of potatoes; or one bushel to
| rs or so of the resident and transient
population or four and half bushels
| each per annum. Potatoes always
is an expensive food. That is to
say comparatively. A bushel of
potatoes go lbs. contains nearly
80 lbs. of water and only about
10 lbs. of solid nutriment, which is
mainly starch. Taking the country al
together, and the prices of potatoes,
corn, wheat, ETC., high and low, from
year to year, the average nutritious food
obtained in the form of potatoes costs
four to Ave times as much as it does in
the consumption OF corn or beans, and
two and y half to four times as much
as in the form Of wheat fol-, q oatmeal,
beans. rice. etc.
IMPLEMENTS. - Wagons, plows, har-
rows, rakes, in short any implement that
with good usage and protection will last
eight years, will become weak and de-
fective, and generally useless if exposed
during four years of dews, rain, and sun.
1t can not be otherwise Dew is very
destructive to all wood and sun-cracks
admit rain and moisture to the interior
fibers, to work injury there. 10 have
implements thus exposed is direct loss
of fifty per cent, heavy tax. But, to
state it mildly, an implement which, left
unprotected, would last say five years.
will undoubtedly last six years if always
kept dry and in the shade, when not in
actual use. This will save one fifth o!
its efficiency, or twenty per cent. A few
boards, or straw cover, and attention to
having the implements always put under
1t, is far more profitable than to work
out" the twenty per CEN. to buy new
ones. Woodwork that a2atst be left ex-
posed, will be greatly benefited by
frequent application OF paint. or simply
a coat of painting oil, and filling up all
sun cracks as soon as fos ged, with such
oil. The use Of eru3e se<iI oieur4 tend
to the preservation of wood, may be ap.
piled to all unpainted woodwork Of i'm
PIGMENTS. Metal surfaces are saved
from rust by thin coat of lard which
has been melted with resin (rosin)-the
size Of blackwalnut to pint Of lard.
more or less. This forms sort of var.
nish that sheds water or dew. Table
knives and forks, and other steel articles
to be laid away, if rubbed with the
slightest film of this lard-resin mixture.
will keep bright for long time. 1t il
easily removed when desired.
SHELTER SAVES FooD. Every keeper
of animals would actually profit by a lit
tie study of chemistry and physiology.
Here is short lesson All kinds of food
as hay, grain, bread, meat, ETC., are like
wood, mainly composed of charcoal (car.
bon) and water. with considerable nitro.
gen IN some of them. To prove this,
strongly heat any of the above food ma
terialy in coal pit, or better, under
glass. Water with some nitrogen gas,
will be driven off and can be found in
the glass receiver, while only charcoal
will remain. Let in more air and the
charcoal itself will unite with the oxygen
OF the atmosphere, and also go off as
transparent, invisible carbonic acid gas.
This chemical action sets at liberty heat
that was before concealed or insensible.
the same as when coal is burned rapidly
IN stove, producing an active fire OF
as when wood decays, but gives off heat
so slow as not to be observed. Exactly
the same thing occurs when any food is
dissolved (digested9 in the stomach of
ANIMALS or men, and is taken into the
blood and carried to all parts OF the body.
The blood gets oxygen also from the air
n the lungs, and carries it all through
| the body. The atoms of oxygen meet
the atoms Of digested food. here, there,
and everywhere in the blood vessels.
The two unite just as they do in stove;
| heat is produced, only a minute quantity
1t any one point, but great deal of 1t,
| taking the whole blood circulation to-
| yether, and so the whole body is kept
warm, though heat is constantly escap-
ing from the whole outside surface. Ma
ture provides that the body shall always
ne kept warm, otherwiseit woui: quickly
| perish and so if the oxygen In the
blood don't find food enough to keep up
he internal heat, it viii attack and con
sumo any fat or flesh stored in the BODY
h1u lituS Hidhe bile HulLlG poor. W.
must have an ever-burning fire in both
| the animal and human system. II tn,
surrounding atmosphere is cold. and car
les off heat rapidly from the surface o.
| be 1o.'v wa nluat inc~aes che inferno
production of heat by putting in more
| food, or by surrounding the body with a
| covering that will prevent the escape Of
much heat. Is it not plain then, that by
keeping animals warm, by means Of close
buildings, or shelter against heat. steal
ing winds, less food will be needed, and
there viii be less waste of flesh in max
ing heat? Any arrangement of shelter,
cover, stable, shed, blankets-anything
| that will prevent the natural warmth
from passing away from the surface Of
any animal-will be a great saving of
/ food required to keep up the absolutely
necessary internal life warmth; will pre-
vent loss of flesh; Will allow the food to
| go more TO adding TO weight of flesh, or
| the yield Of milk, or OF wood. Shelter
and external warmth in cold weather are
| most economical and therefore profitable
/ in the Ike oping of farm stock.-Ameri-
can AgricuLturiSt.