Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-01-12
SEASONABLE FARM NOTES.

A FARMER who has sufficient in
genuity to fit handle to an ak can con-
struct an ice-house and fill it. The
work can be done when there is album
dant leisure on the farm. The building
with suitable care and adequate drain
age, will last for twenty years. Ice
adds exceedingly to thecomfort of fam
lily at time when the weather is very
uncomfortable. The cost of an ice
house will be saved every year, by add
ing to the price of butter made on the
farm, and preserving milk, meat, and
cooked food during very warm weather.
One of our Colorado exchanges re-
ports some interesting experiments
made in testing the efficacy of the appli-
cation of chemicals to prevent smut.
| Prof. Blount last spring wet half of his
seed in sulphate of copper, the other
half being sown dry. The Prussian,
White, Chill and Canada Club smutted
both wet and dry; eleven smutted dry
but not wet, while twenty varieties that
were wet did not smut at all, showing
conclusively that blue vitriol is a pretty
sure preventive of smut. Prof
Blount's experiments also show the adj
vantage of bearded wheat over smooth
wheat, in resisting the natural enemies
of the grain better.
ONCE a day is often enough to water
COWS. Ii turned out often they will loi-
| ter around the water, taste little, and
still loiter, but will drink little Drive
them to water once a day, at regular
| hour, and they will drink at once. In
the winter time there is great advan-
/ tage in this. They do not stay out long
enough to get chilled. and will drink as
much as though they were turned out
three times a day. In the summer
time, COWS generally drink less than in
the winter, though few that have not
made careful observation of the matter
will probably believe it.
THERE is now a great feeling of
rivalry and competition between the
breeders of Herefords and short horns,
which is being carried to extremes, and
almost to bitter feelings by few. We
hope that this may result in further i'm
provement (if possible) in both, and
while we are probably not capable of de
Gliding as to their relative merits, yet we
can find much to admire in both, and
think cross between them either and
our native Texans would be, and the
fact has already proven to be, a great
improvement. We hope our Texas
ranchmen will use more blooded bulls
IN future, and thereby continue TO i'm
prove stock until Texas beeves will be
second to no grass-raised cattle on the
continent. Live Stock Journal.
A PRACTICAL mechanic suggests
method of SO putting tires on wagons
that they will not get loose or require
resetting. He says he ironed wagon
some years ago for his own use, and,
before putting on the tires, he filled the
felloes with Gnseed oil, and the tires
have worn out and were never loose.
This method is as follows: He used
long cast-iron heater made for the pur-
pose; the oil is brought to boiling
heat, the wheel isplaced on the stick, so
as to hang in the oil, each felloe an
hour. The timber should be dry, as
green timber will not take oil. Care
should be taken that the oil is not
made hotter than a boiling heat, or the
timber will be burned. Timber filled
with oil is not susceptible of injury
by water, and is rendered much more
durable by this process.
To keep milk clean while in the act of
drawing it, the cow must be clean, her
bag and teats washed and wiped before
commencing to milk her, and the milk
mans hands be then washed. After
straining and setting, see that no foul
air can come from any quarter to faint
the milk, and for this we must be par
ticularly careful, for such is often borne
on a strong breeze fully a mile off or
more from the place where it originated.
Ii Is, OF course, pre-suppOsed that all
vessels used for holding the milk are
kept clean and entirely clear of every
sort of OdOrs. We have often seen the
dairy house placed close to the cattle
yard poultry house, and what is foulest
OF all, dirty pig pen. No wonder this
is the cause so much butter and cheese
sent to market are not fit to be eaten.
WESTERN pork is not New England
pork, but the flavor of the western arti-
Gle could be much improved. It is be-
yond doubt that cleanliness has much
to do with that. The filthy state in
which many fattening hogs are kept has
tendency not only to give rank taste
TO the meat, but to render it positively
unwholesome. By many it is claimed
that pork is unfit for use, anyway, but
when properly cooked it seems to be in
dispensable, especially in many in
stances on the farm. A very common
mode OF penning hogs at this season
in rail pen, without protection from
the weather. The consequence is that
such pens are not fit to keep living
animal in; wet filthy, cold and uncom-
Portable hogs will not take ON fat, and a
great proportion of the food fed them is
wasted, while the hogs will consume
a considerable amount of filth, which is
detrimental to their health and to the
health of those who consume the meat.
BLIGHT is the great enemy to fruit
growing everywhere, and it's effects are
particularly visible after hard winter.