The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1882-07-29

HOUSE, FARM AND EIRESTDE.

PREvENTABLE Losses ON THE FARM.
Waldo +. Brown writes, among
other good suggestions, the following
in the american Agriculturtst for
August:
The keeping of old cows long past
their prime is another thing which
largely reduces the profits Of the far
mer. We have found quite large
per cent. of COWS, whose wrinkled
horns and generally run down con
dition, show that they have long since
passed the point of profit. A few
years ago, these COWS would haze
sold at full prices for beef, now they
will sell only for bologna at 2 cents
per pound Thus cows have, in q
majority of cases, been kept, not be-
cause they were favorites or even
because they were profitable, but
from sheer carelessness and want of
torethought. Another fruitful cause
of loss to the farmer, is attempting
to winter more stock than he has
feed for. Instead Of estimating his
resources in the fall, and knowing
that he has enough feed even for a
hard winter, he gives the matter no
thought, and March finds him with
the choice Of two evils, either to sell
stock or buy feed If he chooses
the former, he will often sell for much
less than the animals would have
brought four months earlier, and if
the latter, will usually pay much
higher price for feed than if it had
been bought in autumn. Too often
he scrimps the feed, hoping for an
early Spring, and so soon as he can
see the grass showing a shade of
green around the fence rows, or in
some sheltered rayine, turns his
stock out to make their own living.
This brings one Of the most potent
causes of Improbable cattle raising;
namely, short pastures. The farmer
who is over-stocked in winter, is al
most sure to turn his cattle on his
pastures too early in the Spring, and
this generally results in short pas
lures all Summer, and consequently
the stock do not thrive as they ought,
and in addition, the land which
should be greatly benefited and en-
riched, is injured, for the develop
ment of the roots in the soil, must
correspond to that of the tops, and
if the latter are constantly cropped
short, the roots must be small. The
benefit of shade is lost, and the land
is trampled by the cattle in their
wanderings to fill themselves, so that
it is in a worse condition than if a
crop Of grain had been grown on it.
From all these causes combined,
there is q large aggregate of loss,
and it is the exception to find a farm
on which one or more of them does
not exist, and yet, without excep-
tion, they may be classed as "pre-
ventable," if thought and practical
common sense are brought to bear
in the management.
LAW For FARMERs-PRoMssoRY
NOTES AND PATENT RIGHT RoGUEs.-
A Western lawyer, H. A. Haigh-
points out the nature Of promissory
notes,in the american grtculturist,
for August, and gives valuable in
formation to all who may be the
prey of patent right and other rogues:
A promissory note is written
agreement to pay certain sum of
money at a certain time. 1t must
be definite and unconditional. 1t is
therefore in the nature of money;
being negotiable, and where payable
to bearer, the property in it passes
by mere delivery of the paper on
which it is written. 1t is not sub
ject to all the defences that are good
as against other contracts. For ex-
ample: 1t is generally good in the
hands of an innocent holder, no mat
ter though the maker of it had lost
it, Or it had been stolen or obtained
from him by fraud. This may be
the case, even though it has been
altered or raised" as where | give
my note signed in blank to a person,
authorizing him to fill in certain
amount, as $40, and he fills in a lar
ger amount, as $780, and sells it to.
an innocent purchaser l must pay
the larger amount, for | it was who
enabled the fraud to be committed
and an old maxim of the law holds
that where one Of two innocent per-
sons must suffer from the wrongful
acts of third, the loss must be
borne by the one who enabled such
third person to occasion it. The
justice of this is obvious, and every
farmer will appreciate the necessity
Of protecting, in the largest degree,
the rights of bona tide holders of
negotiable instruments, which form
part Of the currency of the country,
and if subject to all the defences of
other written contracts, would be de-
prive9 of their main value.
LIVE STocK IN MIDsUMMER.-The
latter part Of summer is often very
trying to live stock. Pastures are
short, old grain is high, the new not
yet fit to feed. Milk may be in great
demand and the farmer loath to cut
in upon his corn fodder, intended for
curing, to feed off the aftermath; he
is lucky who can turn his young
stock Of cattle and horses into noun