The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-21

1
from the eggs, and less warmth is afforded
them at tie time they require most.
| A correspondent states that he has an ex-
/ cellent flock of fowls. which are well shell
| tered, nicely cared for and highly fed in
every respect. bat they fail in egg produc'
| ton. As this is very common in all we'll
| regulated poultry yards, the remedy is TO
place them on q simple diet. as the cause is
that the fowls are too fat. Place some loose
| hay or leaves on the floor of the fowl-house
i and throw oats among the loose material for
tho hens to hunt and pick out which exer-
cises them. Give the oats only once day
for a week, screenings the next week, re-
turning to oats, until they are reduced in
| flesh. Twice a week a few scraps may be
given at night. AS soon as they begin to
lay we'll feed all they will eat, as the pro-
duction of eggs will prevent further excess
of fat.
A spring rolling on a field of winter grain
will often, BY fining the soil about its roots,
save the crop; and it is equally beneficial in
| q similar way on grass lands. On light soils
the loosening effects OF frequent freezing
and thawing or more or less avoided by an
autumn rolling. Grass land can not be too
heavily rolled. On all light lands under
tillage the use of the roller is indispensable
for closing the pores and preventing the
evaporation of moisture. Rolling is injuri-
Gus on wet clays, excepting very dry weather,
when they are lumpy after blowing. Roll
ing q stiff soil when wet renders IT more
difficult of cultivation, by pressing the par
ucles still more closely together and pre-
venting the admission OF air.
Grain is subject to loss in storage, but an
ingenious Freedman has hit upon a method
which appears to be practical, cnesp aod
effective. It is to store it in sheet-iron cylen-
ders of about 300 bushels capacity, so made
that they can be Theoretically sealed, and
| with an air-pump arrangement by which a
vacuum can be produced. Wheat, flour
and bread thus stored for seven months
were found to be in a superior state
of preservation. The cylinders can be
placed anywhere, and the cost is SAID to be
less than that of ordinary storage in gran
airy. The contents are safe from fire and
water, as also from insects or rats. The
vacuum, it is claimed, kill parasite insects,
prevents fermentation and dries the grain.
G. L. Washburn, of North Perry Me-, re.
ports the dressed weight of his porkers
slaughtered last week at $50 pounds. These
6gsres added to the weight of the two hogs
fattened on his place in 1880, make an aggre-
gate of 2.34O pounds. Average weight 700
pounds. Average age, tyenty-one months.
Best hog of the three, $50 pounds ct twenty
months. Breed, Chester w hites. General Oh ar
acteristics of form, great thickness of body,
but no great length, comparatively. A very
| careful Omputat1Om from estimate and
from records kept of actual expenses (exclu-
siye OF skim milk shows the total cost OF
feeding these hogs to be Sill, their total
market value being S2l6; average prics 81
cents per pound. In 1880 the pork cost 471
, cents per pound, this season il cost 6 cents
per pound.
The question is frequently asked il TO-
bacco does not impover sh the soil. and none
can be more easily answered In Virgins
thousands of acres are barren, but careless
farming did it. The farms of Lancaster
! County produce better crops to-day than
they did twenty years ago. The land is
richer and more productive. Not an acre
lies waste. From 3 10 per cent. of his
land is thought as much as a farmer
should put into tobacco. 1t Is very heavily
manured, and the crop of wheat which
nearly always follows tobacco, is better on
ground than elsewhere on the farm. The
manure makes the two crops. The farmers
understand the situation. Should they OBJ
serve deterioration in their lands this crop
would at once be given up; but under the
present system deterioration seems impossi-
BILE. Thirty years of tobacco farming has
steadily improved theirfarms
ence Lancaster New Era
!, Professor Beal, of Michigan relates that
i'm order to test the belief in the necessity
of bumble-beeS for fe tilzing red clover he
made several experiments. The first year a
few clover leads, covered with light sashes
of muslin. yielded about twc-thirds as
many seeds IS those left uncovered. In the
second year four heads covered before low
erIng, yielded Is. 80, 80 and Al seeds re-
! spectively, while four heads that were un-
covered yielded 46 81 43 and 81 seeds each.
In the third year of the covered heads
only one among thirty-one heads yielded
seed. For the second crop of the third year
| LII loal 10, 1l,I L.
the uncovered head, yielded an average OF
thirty-seven end one-half each. Other ex-
periments showed that with the aid of the
bumble-bees, four times as many seeds were
produced compared with those from which
they were excluded. The Professor thinks
, it fair to conclude that the bees are of con.
siderable value in fertilizing the flowers oil
red clover.
r When butter is properly churned, both
as to the time and temperature, it becomes
, firm with very little working, and it is ten
: acious; but its most desirable state is waxy
when it is easily nodded into any shape
: and may be drawn out a considerable
2 length without breaking 1t is then styled
| gilt-e edged. 1t is only in this state that
butter possesses that rich golden yellow color
which imparts so high degree of pleasure
value manifold. 1t is not always necessary,
when it smells sweet, to taste butter in
! judging it. The smooth, unctuous feeling
in rubbing little between the finger and
thumb expresses at once its rich quality;
, the putty smell and rich aroma indicates q
similar taste, and the bright golden glisteu-
ing cream-colored surface shows its heigh;
of cleanliness. 1t may be necessary al
times to use the trier, or even use it until
!. you become an expert in testing by taste
smell and rubbing -Dairymsn.
Red clover stands in Western agriculture
! and, in fact. throughout the Northern sec
ton of the United States and Canada, as
the peer of grasses from its value alone as q
hay and grazing plant If to this we sdd
s its value in the rotation, as ameliora ine
3 and invigorating the SOIL then, next to the
8 cereal grains, it may almost be termed the
most valuable plant known in agriculture
$ Adapted to every variety of naturally
] dry or drained Soils, il has made The
l cultivation of cereal grains printable in
many places where else it would have been
| impossible. Its natural home is claey OIL
$ loamy soil. In light or sandy soils it is apt
e 10 get thin an bare During its early growth
e it is liable TO be frozen or heaved out. and
{ for this reason it should always be sown in
' the early spring, and if with any crop
{ preferably with wheat and it is better thai
it have the shelter of some plant as a nurs,
A l. Z