The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-11-20
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
THE ApvANsAiM OF srocK-nArsrsa.

ing as compared with grain raising viii be
found well worthy of careful consideration:
A farmer who for a. long term of years has
good paying cr6ptfoaf seasons out of five may
consider himself in Average luck, and this fact
has induced many to turn their attention from
grain-growng to. dairy farming. Though the
prices of butter and cheese are subject to very
wide fluctuations, il is not often that farmer,
having once embarked in dairy farming, ever
goes back to the growing of grain for the
market. In view of the present demand for
beef-cattlc, however, it seems somewhat sur
prising that greater number of farmers donot
turn their attention to stock breeding. Beef is
commodity with which it would seem impos-
sible to glut the market. As the quality i'm
proves the consumption increases and If the
price declines pereeptibly, it straightway be-
gins to take the place Of some other staple arti-
Gle of food, so that its constituency is immedi-
ately and in most cases permanently rendered
| broader.
| Why it is that farmers will, year after year,
! 90 on cropping theiF farms to death, and reap
ing very meager returns, till they or their
children are driven.into other lines of business,
| while the old homef.ead is reduced to all but a
| desert, is difficult tGdetermine. The establish
ment of cheese factories has done much to cor
rect or rather Lessen the tendency to over
cropping, but even dairy-farming is not so well
| calculated to restore land to state OF fertility
| as is stock rasing.l The manure from a herd
of cattle amply compensates the land for all
| that the cattle can by any possible means take
| from it, while experience has always shown
| that those farms WHOSE only marketed product
is livestock steadily increase in fertility.
| The results of grain farming and stock-farm-
| ing may be summed up as follows: The grain
| g.
can out of his land during the short space in
| tervening between the beginning of Springs
work and the end of harvest; or perhaps he
may have few acres OF wheat, which he sows
! in the Fail, and after sprouting waits till the
advent of Spring torcnew its growth. In any
event. his farm lies reproductive during the
greater portion of The year, while his taxes,
the interest on his Investment, and his family
and household expenses are going on all the
time. And with all this his farm is every day
becoming less productive
The stock breeder has his work at his hand
the whole year round. Some fields must be
cropped with coarse grains for Winterfeed, and
these are more than refertilzed by the product
of manure every year. These fields have to be
cultivated by the farmer, but his pasture lands
only require cultivation at long intervals,
| WHILE as for the rest of the work, the herd
manures the land. reaps the crop, and carries
it to market The crop of the intelligent and
thrifty stock farmer is growing from the LIST of
january to the 3lst of December night and
day, hour by hour increasing in value, while
every year sees his farm more productive and
| his breeding herd more richly bred and valu-
able.
| IL is not necessaiNsfo for the farmer of small
means, who would tslrn his attention to dairy
ing, to have herd of Jerseys, Holsteins, or
Friesians to start with, nor for him who would
breed beef cattle, to make his commencement
with pnl! aJ A forfs
| He can make beginaing with what he hap
pens to have, and improve his herd just rs rap
idly as his means will allow him to do. In the
far Northwestern Territories some full -blooded
and pretty thoroughly unciviized Indians are
wealthy stock-owners, and there are certain
few Canadian farmets who are not in position
to make as extensive beginnings as they did.
FALL FLOWING.
"Fall plowing," says the New York Times.
"i is required to produce particular effect, and
should, therefore, BID performed in particular
manner and one calculated to effect the desired
purpose the most completely. What is required
chiefly is to expose the largest surface to the
influence of the atmosphere, to the changes
from moisture TO Sryness, to the frosts and
| thaws. This is dope by throwing the soil into
ridges, so that it reriaius i'll a succession of
miniature hills and valleys, exposing twice as
much surface as il the iurrow slices were laid
| fiat. In this case only the same quantity of
| soil as laid previously upon the surface would
| be turned up. In the other case the furrow
| slice would be exposed on two sides, and, more
| over, in blowing in this manner the bottoms of
| the burrows are leitopen and loose, and air can
| CT rculate there. 1t Is at this season that the
ground may be plowed a little deeper than
before to bring up all inch or two of the subsoil
! TO mix with the surface, and so add to the
arabic and fertile layer The new soil is ex-
| posed TO the atmosphere and mellowed and
| changed i'll character and this course, contin-
ued at every Fall blowing, gradually deepens
| the soil and enriches it with fresh materials
| for plant food This could not be done safely
at any other season than the present, for rea-
| sons that are obvious when the principle in
volved and above explained is understood.
When the soil is very heavy and inclined to be
| wet the method shend be somewhat different.
| In this case larger ridges may be thrown up,
| either by breaking the surface with wide fur
rows or by blowing it into back furrows or
double ridges, and leaving these exposed as
| they are thrown up, in Jumps and clods, which
will be broken down and mcllowed by the
| frosts during the Winter. This method, how
ever, is suitable only for heavy clay soil, which
is most improved By Fall blowing"
NoTELETs
- Hurry up the Fall work; cold fingers will
| be the result of delay.
- Eggs packed id well dried ashes, and so as
1
fectly sweet for twelve months.
! - Early lambs. to those who have the facl-
tiles for raising them, are always profitable.
Plan now for lambs to come i'll March.
| - One of the hardest of all crops to "raise,"
in the financial sense, is Il mortgage; but it is
easy to plant. The less one plants of mort
cages the better.
| - The advantages of soiling consist of a saw
| ing of land a saving of fences, a saving of food,
a saving of manure and better care given the
stock, as well as increased production from the
| land.
- No matter how sloppy the food is given TO
| pigs, they should have daily good supply of
clean, fresh water This is especially needed
i'll Summer for pigs kept in pens and with little
! green food.
! - Dogs troubled with mango should be
| washed with warIa water and CASTLE soap.
Twice week sprinkle on the parts affected
teaspooniul of dry sulphur and rub it thor
oughly i'll through the hair. 1t kills iieas.
- Kansas has 2s23S.1S5 cattle, S00,51
more than in fSoe. . The estimated value of
these cattle is $67, 100000. In Montana there
are 663,300 cattle, representing increase
since 1880 of 19l,slg. Montana's cattle are
worth near $4,000 COO
- One of the most annoying things pOul-
try keeper has t6'contend with is the destruc-
| ton of eggs by the hens: but it is an annoyance
| that little care. will prevent in the first in
stance, aud if tho habit has formed it is not
| difficult to find a remedy. If hens have album
| dance of lime given them or plenty of egg
| shells broken M finely and nut within their