The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-08-23
FARM ITEMS
Interesting Paragraphs for Farmers
and Gardeners.
The uonsekeepcr and Dalryman no
Forgotten.
A few Bits of Good Common Sense.

rot, says IL is q well-known Iact lhas the po
tato disease Is most abundant in warm,
damp seasons. If this Is true the same
NAV doubtless be said of the blight which
affects many other plants, the bean among
the rest. Whether stirring the ground
among beans, or handling them while the
leaves are wet with rain or Que, is q direct
cause of blight, may be an open question,
but the opinion IS almost universal among
farmers and gardeners that there IS FISK IN
hoeing or handling Deans while they are
wet, and what is universally oelieveu mas
usually some foundation in fact.
A western farmer in Iowa estimates that
the profit OF raising one two-year-old Short
horn steer for market is equal to that OF
eighteen scrub steers, which have to be
kept three wears or more before they are
salable. Grade up with thoroughbred
bulls and let scrub stock grow where they
can afford to keep them as relics. =,
The loot and mouth disease prevails 10
an alarming extent in Great Britain, ana
steps are about TO be taken by the authorl-
ties TO forbid all general sales of stock and
all importations from countries where 1t is
known to prevail. lG is a notorious iact
not only that this disease but pneumonia
also has had widespread existence IN
England for years, but we have gone on i'm,
porting her cattle nevertheless, and Will
have occasion some day to regret IL we
fear.
move large branches, after the first warm
day of spring, and before the foliage is OF
full size. Large branches, if cut away at
that period, will be sure to 'bleed more or
less during the summer, causing an nnsight-
ly blackening below the wound, and occa-
sioning the decay of the heart'wood from
the incision downward, sometimes even
causing the premature decrepitude ana
death of the tree.
Mr., A. M. Purdy has whitewashed his
fruit trees for thirty years and closely OBJ
served the results, which have invariably
been to make smoother bodies and health
Ter trees. He therefore designates the artl-
cles in some of his exchanges which oppose
whitewashing as injurious to the trees as
mere bosh.'
nave seen salt fed to hogs for more than
so wears, and in the last 20 years have 1ed
many heavy hogs, ranging from 5VO 10 oVo
pounds net. | fed them all literally with
salt: have never lost one, nor has one been
sick an hour. These hogs have been tat,
tened in a close pen, and their prlnclpal
iood was corn meal made into dough.
This dough | have sailed at least once
day. Sometimes my hogs would fall 10
clean out their trough; in that case "oula
put a handful of salt into my bucket win
some water, pour it into their trough, and
Thew would lick it up with much relish. Ia
addition to the salt, l fed Goals from the
stove. | make it regular custom TO 1eeo
coal and it is astonishing what quantity
a hog will eat, and how healthy and robust
it will make him. Let the hogs have plenty
of lalt and charcoal, and We shall hear less
of the cholera.
Concerning COWS and steers, the form OF
the feet is an indication of the nature OF the
place in which the animal has been reared;
In stony regions the hoof grows round ana
wears away; on the contrary, in soft, moist
and marshy districts the hoofs lengthen
and flatten out, and the same effect is pro-
duced by confinement to the stable. Inc
roupd hoot is very desirable quaiity'
Continued stall feeding renders the feet SO
tender that after some years the animal can
take no exercise, nor even comfortably
travel ova the pastures. The foot grows
long and thick, and the creature is entirely
untitled for work or for driving to any dis
lance.
The best butter sometimes fails. Some
COWS gives bad tasting milk at some per-
iods OF the year and not at others. Inc
milk of COWS that are drying up will have
an unpleasant taste. Cows changing from
grass TO hay will give very inferior milk, II
not even nauseating. Milk that is'set part
of the time in very cold room ana then
ON The fire or over a kettle of hot water, and
finally finished off by freezing, Will after
waid raise very bad tasting cream cream
that has been churned great lepgth oil
lime before coming, frequently produces
hitter butter. All bad tastes and especially
hitter ones arc not the lack OF cleanliness
only. ,,;,,
Tnere are many minor details in breeding
poud fowls that will suggest themselves In
the process to the ordinary mind, but the
chief objects TO be observed are hrst 10 stir,
with pure.bred stock OF prime quallty OF
auy variety desired secondly. the ot 81 sea-
son of the year is TO be selecteu III Wn WIZ
your operations are to commeDcei thirdly,
the mating of your birds should be care
iuliv seen to, for the production OF true
color and points, If we breed Tor fancy puT
noses. foarthly, the proper number OF
hens to male bird should be provided, not
too few, nor too many, in order that the
eggs they lay in early spring may, surely be
fertiized: filthy, the sexes shouIu pe
placed in intercourse at an early time III
the wear SO that. as the egg litters are iorm-
ing. the process OF impregnatiJn may De
more certuin than IL otherwise can be.
Tn feeding lambs for the early market II
IL less important that they come early than
that they are kept growing Wllhout chech
from lack Of food. After the lamb IS tep
days are two weeks old, il VIII usually De
DIN 10 eat something besides its mothers
nilk- No grain is better than whole oats,
placed in shallow troughs where the lambs
can run and the old sheep cannot. A very
little grain fed In this way Will otng great,
or proiit than IL led 10 any other kiud ol
stock. The best lambs are always saiaole
al fancy prices, while stunted specimens
are often drug and do not pay expenses
81 ironed a wagon some years ago ior my
own use and before putting on ths tires
| flied the ielloes with linseed OIL ana tnS
| tire have worn out and we're never loose.
also ironed buggy for my own use seven
| years ago and the tires are as ught a.
| n hen nut on. Ny method OF filling the TEL
| ;oes Is as follows: | use long cast-iron
heater made for the purpose. Inc on y
brought to a boiling heat and the wheel ~
placed on a stick so as to hang II IN the on.
An hour Is sufficient for common lzen
| ielIoe. of which the timber should be dry
/ a. green wood will not take oil. Care should
| ne taken that the oil does not get hotter
| than the boiling heat, else the wood fnlghi
/ ne set on fire and burned. Timber hlled
With oil Is not susceptible TO water asd Il
much more durable" ..,,r -.
A. B. Allen, Of New York says: Il nave
lately made a careful trial with one COW,
and find that adding two pounds pei
/ dav Of cgttOn-seed meal to her ratlons tone
nonnd ia the morning and one pound 81
| rightl Increased the yield Of Der butter Z
traction over one pound per week. ne
cost of the cottOn-sesd meal, delivered q
nv barn is cents per pound, when Wonlo
amount to g cents per week. Ibe Duttei
vas sold ct the village store for - cents pc
| r,ound. making the profit in feeding IDS
above meal cents per week on ID
/ butter alone. But this does not tel th'
Il vrboie story, for the COW is kept IN much
bettsr condition by the c0tton-seed mes
than She would be without II, tOr she u ~
most fat enough for the butcher. IN -
difign 70 this, her manure is consioersbi
he richer for the meal. And then mere =
tbe pleasure Of seeing the snimal IN ~
rrte health, and carrying thick warm
soft, smooth coat Of hair through tbe COZ
weather"
the duck IL peculiarly the poor mhn
ts-d fts hardness renders 10 - entirely m
I - 49, - fh.f ra~r whfrn fowls ueruef