The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-03-11
AGRICULTURAL NOTES

so large an amount OF food and wifi so
little labor as Indian corn.
FARMERS in New Jersey and Penrs,.1.
vania are giving considerable attenf;onJ.o
the culture of jute plants.
DEcAYED grain of any kind is b;ol,lv
injurious to stock. 1t has a paraI+to;,,gs,
effect upon the animals fed with II of ,tl-ro
times causing death
SPENT tan-bark has been plowed ito
a compact clay soil with the best resnlts
rs 1t rendered the soil mellow and IN,
creased its warmth
EWES IN lamb are very liable to tol,e
cold, and when exposed to wet and cold
weather, on allowed to lie on the ground
are likely to suffer abortion.
PASTURES that have been fed faD
seasons will generally produce more
milk, or make more fat, than those
which have been newly seeded down
ASHES are. for many soils, standard
fertilizer. Places where a tree or brush
heap has been burned off show the effects
Of the manuring for years 1t is an old
saying, The land never forgets ashes. "
a WISCONSIN farmer, twentv-tbree
years ago, planted a piece of land unfit
for cultivation with black walnut trees.
The trees are now from sixteen to twenty
inches through, and have been sold for
S27 900.
SNOW melts away from drained lands
sooner than on those undrained, hence
the drained soils are ready for blowing
much sooner. In Scotland it is claimed
that the harvest is from ten to fifteen
days earlier ON drained than on I'M
drained lands.
The moisture in which one kind pi
seed would flourish would be destructive
to another class, causing them to rot IN
stead of forcing growth. The heat neces-
sary 10 start one class of seeds would dry
up and utterly destroy the gum OF an
other class. The application of rules
requires a mixture of common sense and
observation.
= LADY VINO mas raised a large number
IF hens says that after vaiuly trying the
recommended remedies for lice, she has
init upon the plan of giving them once or
twice a week a large loaf made of Ora
ham -four, in which handful Of sulphur
has been mixed The hens like IT, and
are freed from lice and kept healthy
through the season.
WE have noted, from time to time,
the constantly decreasing area IN Great
Britain devoted to cereal crops. The
agriculture of the country Is gradually
changing from grain growing to stock
feeding and dairying. From the inval-
liable agricultural returns of Great Brit
ian, published by Mr. Gi1en, 1t APP
pears that since 1870 there has been an
increase OF 300, 600 Of acres in perma-
aent grass.
No BRANCH of husbaudry furnishes
more agreeable occupation than forest
culture Ii affords pleasant diversion
from the protracted labors of the field,
and employment for long winters that
without it might prove monotonous. In
diligently and systematically managed,
our forests will yield profitable returns,
not only to our own, but to all succeed
ing generations.
F'ARMEIs should be careful not to be
in too close competition with each other,
and above all things not to compete with
themselves. We once knew a farmer
who, not wishing to trust too much to
one man. consigned three lots of par
ticular product to each of three different
commission houses in the same city. 1t
happened to be the only consignment of
the kind offered. Unfortunately for
him he proved to be his own competitor
n the market.
PROPORTION OF CREAM IN MILK. The
first fifth portion Of milk from the COW
contains about one-twentieth part Of
cream; the second fifth, one-twelfth; the
last fifth, one-sixth. How important
then to get the last and richest drop,
even if 1t were not true that COWS are
quickly dried mp by a slSvenly practice
..f l,,,~rv,r- a, III "a fhn indoor
Cows viii continue to give a flow of milk
Mt much longer period when milked
dry. Farmers, it will-be seen. receive Z
double benefit by such a course. First
there Is moro cream in the milk, and
second, the flow viii continue longer
two requisites in all dairy countries.
LIVES IN lamb should. as far as practl-
able. be fed and sheltered separately
rom the non-hreediug animals, as the
rowdine and more rapid movements Of
he latter are apt to result luJuuously,
While such separation makes more con-
.enieut certain little attentions to which
reedInC ewes are entitled rs the vearn-
mig season approaches, and which may
le pru:itahlv accorded to them. Adj
autage viii be found In subdivision of
he several ages and sexes into as many
mailer lots as circumstances viii admit
#. as such course lessons the liability to
Rowling and overlooking of the
.trongcr animals at the expense of the
weaker ones. Italso brings each animal
more directly under the eve of the at
endant. who viii the more readily de
Get the first symptoms of deviatlne
from the desired thrift.
SELECTING SEED CoRS.- Professor A.
6 ~. 10,
'ollepe nc Fort Collins. gives these views
N selecting seed corn: "If the stock be
healthy one and free from injury by
Insects or weather, the topmost ear Is al
Savs the largest. aud best formed, anc
mas the best filed grain, provided the
parents from which 1t came were perfect
Every variety OF standard corn produces
| Is best ear nearest the tassel for reason!
| nat are quite evident Being nearest d
receives the pollen first and in create
| quantity than those below it: auothe
| reason Is that 1t Is the natural distance
| from the soil, etc. etc. A careful exam
| ination Of the stalks in every stage o
their growth always shows that tn
lowest ear has the longest shank, tn
| next has n shorter one and so on to tin
| JOpmost one, which sets close upon tie
| talk 1T shows also that the lowest eas
IS the smallest and the top ear the larg
est, as above stated.
BEDDINa FOR CATTLE There is M
farm work, considering the outlay. tha
pays so large dividends as the procurin.
of some sort of bedding for the cattle
for it not only keeps them clean-a prea
point IN itself-but also promotes thei
growth and thriftness, and the additional
accumulation for the manure pile vii
more than pay for the labor. There
usually n large amount of litter tina
goes to waste that if thus utilized woul
be of great service. Straw, oats en-
corn butts. etc, are valuable. and fin
sand Is not objectionable, for In itself
IS one OF the most clearly of beds. an
as it Is large absorber OF LIQUIDS. and
of zeal benefit to clay land, there is n
solid reason why few loads of it ma
not he iudiciously used. A farmer I
our acquaintance late in the fall take