The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-08-23
FARM NOTES.

and If of wood the surface either painf
cd or tho shingles dipped in imc water,
to make them. more durable. Straw
and dirt collect nndeg fat-roofed
shingles and cause rapid dcca.s.
IT is stated that by spreading salt on
the ground under plum trees rs far ont
as the branches extend, good crop Is
often secured, ms 1t interferan with the
operations Of the cnrcniio, The same
application is good for hark-lice.
THE granary should bc entirely
clean-ed at least once year, or it may
breed wccyil i'll the old grain. The
wheat needed for flour for family nsa
should be ground during some warm
day in spring and kept in barrels in q
cool place during summer. Chicago
Journal.
To KEEP grubs from tho head Of
sheep, procure trough and spread q
half inch Of tar on tho bottom Of it,
upon which scatter little salt. The
sheep will tar their noses in getting the
salt, and the fly which deposits the egg
that produces the grub will not enter
the nostyil. This is much easier
method Of applying the tar than to ut
tempt it by hand. The tar should be
renewed two or three times during the
season.
Few Americans buy small plats of
land for cultivation unless they have
other means Of earning living In
this country the farm must be large
one, or its owner will he something be-
side a farmer. In France the holdings
are nearly all small. and rs the family
increases these allotmcnts are still fur
ther decreased in size. A larger pro-
portion Of the poor people of France
are landed proprictors than Of any
other country in Europe.
French dairymen are adopting the
Danish system Of buttcr-making, which
consists in separating the cream by
means Of centrifugal force. No water
is used in the operation, and tho hand
never touches the butter. The product
is firm and free from all traces Of
buttermilk. Ice is not generally en-
ployed, the cream is heated to Is dc-
grees, and the butter is made in forty
five minutes. Cleanliness is strictly
observed in every particular.
The following method Of preserving
potatoes is said to be that used by
French hotel and restaurant-keepers
The tubers are first washed and then,
n few Mt time, by means of small bas-
kets, are plunged into boiling water
and held there for four seconds; they
are then dried and stored. This treat
ment DESTROYS the vitality Of the buds
or "cycs,' and there is no tendency to
spront. but the potatoes keep sound
and OF good flavor until the next crop
comes in.
The Farm and Fi,eside believes
that the boys on the farm would not bc
in such haste to abandon farming for
other occupations ii an effort were
made on the part Of parents to make
home and farm life more attractive. In
stead of complaining constantly, as too
many parents do, Of the hardships, real
and imaginary, of farm life. Such
complaints make every member of the
household discontentel. and the labors
Of daily life drndgery.
Mr.. JAMES L. WoopRrRN, of Ster-
ling, ILL.,, writes MS regarding the mum
ber of cubic feet in a ton of hay, in
stack or mow, as follows: Il should
say that good timothy hay, fresh
stacked tsay two weeks, would require
600 cubic feet to ton, clover TOO and
prairie $50. After thoroughly settling,
or in the spring, from stack, it would
take, Of the first, 500 cubic feet; see
ond, $50 feet, and third, 45O to 415 feet
owing somewhat to size of the stack,
and whether taken all from the top ol
! bottom. A NOW in the barn, il well
trampcd, would be more compact and
require less number Of feet. Chi,
] cago Journal.
! The Germantown Telegraph sug,
gests that competitive horse-shoeina
should be included in the premium lis,
OF agricultural fairs, inasmuch rs all
must know how many animals are in,
jured- sometimes permanently crippled
by untaught, ignorant or nnsklllfnl
shoers, who treat the hoof of horse
with as much roughness and reckless
ness as they do plow-share. 1t rec
ommends that good round premiums
be placed IN the list of the awards foi
horse-shoemg not for the most-rapid
1 shoers, as this has little or nothing I,
do with the aim-but for the skillful
ness, neatness, hghtness and solidity ol
/ the work; and that the committee hs
selected, not from blacksmiths or pro
fessional shoers, but from experienced
horsemcn.
l.. NJ. BRoUHAM, Mt n swine-hreeders
meeting. upon this topic remarked tha,
he would begin back ut the time th,
litter was weaned. and then prevent the
SOW from getting weak by too mncl
Juggling of big strong litter. Wher
he weaned the pigs, he took the SOW
out Of i,ht and hearing Of the pigs
and fed her grain on grass for two ol
three weeks, and when she got strong
and thriving. he put her in the Glove,
] field and gave no more grain till about
the first ef November. when he hegar
l to feed lightly With corn. He wou,,
haye the sows thriving hy the last o
November. when they were bred
From that on to farrowing time, Ii,
gave such a variety of feed, with rlent,
Of exercise i'll grass lots, stalk fields q
arti,hoke patch. rs to keep the sows il
vigorous health.
THERE seems To be growing con
viction On the part of many We,teri
farmers that winter fattening Of eattl,
I and hogs. with ordinary methods, does
not pay. An experienced farmer. VII,
las made money ia,tening hogs on a,
Hines farm, said 10 lis the either day
Il have made up my mind that vii
feed my spring pigs in tie fall, up I,
about Dee. /, aad then, fa. or not.
] will sell them" II was his opinion tina
winter feeding Of hogs Is general,
done ut loss" He often buys in tn,
spring, Young hogs which his neigahor
have Mint.red. he fastening them in th,
early summer. and making money from
the work. We recently saw some figure
showing the weight, If young steers
stabbed and well fed during the Miater
campsrel with thoss of like steers KEEP
cleapls. Int eomf, rtablv. through
] winter. with fnll feeding OF corn com