Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-02-21
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD,


the town OF bennington, in England, for
farming purposes has not proved profit.
able. The sewage farm has been carried
on eleven years, and the books show a
loss.
A valuable COW, owned by Benjamin
Kirk, the village blacksmith of Locust
Valley, L. J., died suddenly. A post
mortem examination revealed The fact
that the animal had quantity of
horseshoe nails in her stomach. One
Of the nails had forced its way to the
heart ard imbeddod the point about
half an inch in that organ.
1t will pay to screen ashes. 1t can be
done better with fine gravel screen,
and be done very rapidly, too. 1fthere
is not large quantity, it can be done
by the usual hand sieve in barrel with
n cover. Use the fine ashes as an alb
sorbent for liquid manure, to mix in
manure heaps to prevent heating, to put
around peach trees, to plow into light
lands to change their texture, and other
uses. The coarse part or clinkers can
be used for road-making, for walks, to
fill holes, etc. The coal should be
picked out and burned.
A movement is on foot in Texas to
accomplish what far-geeing men have
long urged rs an agricultural necessity
of the future. 1t is to put an end to tho
absorption of small farms into large
ones. Smaller falms within the work.
ing ability of the average farmer and
more Of them il the reform desired.
The farmers of Harrison county, Texas,
propose to divide their large planta-
tons into small farms, and to offer
them to actual sett ors on the install
ment plan, believing such action will
soon convert idle lands into profitable
farms and fill up The country with
thrifty tax payers.
II is well when one has to buy seeds
to order them early before the seedsmen
get busy, and especially so if they are to
come from considerable distance.
Nearly al the seedsmen publish cata-
logUes which they are very willing to
sepl to such as will make a good use OF
them, and from these one may make
such a selection as he needs for farm or
garden. It is better always to deal only
with reliable mon, those who mean to
be honest and deal fairly. Mistakes will
often oCcur and di,apHointments como
with the best OF men, but they are re-
duccd to a minimum whom only reliable
men are sought after. Try new things
rather sparing'y. Hold fast the good
old ones. Every man who can, should
raise his own seeds and then he knows
what he has got and will be reasonably
sure of a good crop,
1t is said to be almost impossible for
persons who are not experts to detect
the difference between oleomargarine
and dairy butter. O!com9rearine j.
harder and firmer than butter usually,
will not melt in hot wafer with equal
readiness. 1t looks and tastes like but.
ter, however, ard is undoubtedly eat n
as such 10y Thousands OF fagtidious peo-
pie. That it is often vile in compost.
ton we are assured by those who have
enjoyed opportunities OF testing it. A
quantity was recently sent to the Office
OF the Wo&orn Rura', aud the manager
o Nv ,r, nn '' ~ '"i'Troo 5 ~ n
on,d ~ o Gi,1 ~ a. I - ul'eo'
v" ~ W. . Wv ,.o 90 T 1r
r",i;nt ror "i, ,nlo thap ~ ,r,s uio
so enlot ron"o,uu Wa v~a" y va, Il'
;un Gov ', oo,o Ynu, ior '+''0 D-"u "
~ = W. 'ol'"i' ''l0"'
Two facts concerning sorghum, which
were made known by Prof. Siliiman in
addressing recent meeting Of the So
ciety known as the "New York Farm
ers," will surprise those readers who
are conversant only with the modern
American record Of the plant. One is,
that its antiquity is greater than that of
almost any other plant, its history hay
ing been traced farther back than that
of either wheat or barley. Prof. Slliman
also stated, on the authority OF the gov
crnor general OF the presidency of Ben
gal, that sorghum is the staple food of
the inhabitants Of India instead of rice,
which las been commonly supposed to
hold that place. ltappears that whereas
only 100000 Of Hipdoos along the
coast live on rice, 800 100000 in the
interior subsist mainly Oh sorghum. The
increasing value OF sorghum in this
country was shown by the fact that it