The National tribune., 1884-07-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
COOKED FOOD FOR SWINE.

heat must be applied to burst them. 1t has
been maintained by high authority that to
render starchy substances digestible they must
be cooked to break or crack the grain 1t is
well known that starch will not dissolve In
cold water, and it is evident that the grains
containing the largest proportion of starch
will be in better condition by cooking; grains
of this description are those most used for fat
tening pigs. Cornmeal which contains about
"a per cent. of starch, is liable to be more than
doubled in bulk when cooked, on account of
the bursting Of the grains. which cause it to
liable, bulk for bulk, as it was before the cook
ing. Actual tests have conclusively shown
that pigs fattcn more quickly on cooked meal
than that fed in its raw state. According to
Stewart, the general feeder may reach, with
raw corn, eight pounds; with raw meal, 10
pounds; with boiled corn IL pounds, and with
boiled meal 10 pounds of live weight of pork
per bushel. Much of the difference between
boiled corn and meal is accounted for by the
fact that the corn is not boiled long enough to
burst the kernel and break all the starch
grains. Heat acts more rapidly and effectually
upon the starch grains after the tough skin Of
corn IS broken and ground to powder.-Farm-
ers' Reriep.
DRAINING LANDS CAUSING FREsHETs
There is certain useful class of people who
are constantly cudgcling their brains for new
and startling ideas; We call them useful be-
cause they oftentimes set other people to think
ing, and that is, so far, useful. But they are
also dangerous in so far that they are as likely
TO promulgate error as truth, and thus their
assertions require consideration before they
are accepted as facts. One of the latest of these
discoveries IS, that the understanding OF farm
Ing lands Is cause of destructive freshets
owing to the water absorbed by the land pass
ing so quickly to the drains, aud from them 10
the streams. lit seems strange that the same
operation has been recommended as prevent
i've of heavy freshets, and certainly drained
lands retain more water than those that are
not drained. 1t is well known that the cutting
down OF forests and woodlands increases the
probability of damage from sudden rush Of
rainfall to the lowest point. The trees retard
the water TO very considerable degree and it
finds its way slowly 10 the streams; but remove
the vegetation and the rains rush at once from
the surface, very little of it being absorbed by
the soil. Next to reforesting the fields, the
best plan of preventing washing of lands and
the sudden accumulation Of destructive bodies
of water is to undeTdrain. The effect will
then follow that the rains, instead Of rushing
quickly from the surface, will penetrate the
soil, saturate it, and the surplus water-that
not held In suspension by the soil-wiu gradu-
ally find outlet by the drains No better
evidence of poverty of imagination could be
given than that which accuses draining of lands
to cause floods.
ASPARAGUS BEDS.
It Is not at all too early 10 begin thinking
about good asparagus bed, and there is moth
ing about farai that is more productive of
comforts and cash than weil-made we'll
cared for asparagus bed. correspondent tells
how he made one: Early in October, 1871. I
plowed open long wide furrow about Is inches
deep, in my garden. Into this / put welI-lit-
far< 49, Ii =
cred it SIX inches or with the poor soil turned
out from the furrow, then planted in the aspa-
ragns roots one foot apart, covered them well
with soil, trod down hard, aud early in Deem
Der gave the row a dressing of manure of the
same kind as that used when planting. This
was spread about three feet wide over the row,
and at the rate OF not more than IL cords per
acre. Early in Spring this manure was forked
IN over the asparagus and on each side of It.
spreading Is inches wide from directly over the
short stalks OF the roots. Late in November,
ever since, the same quantity of stable manure
Of the same quality, has been spread over this
row and forked-in the following Spring as soon
as frost was out of the ground, which, in my
climate, is usually early in March,
The third Springfield is, p years after
planting-we began a moderate cutting of the
asparagus, and ever since then have cut it
closely into the middle of June, and sometimes
later. The yield has been abundant, the spears
tender. sweet. and as thick as the fingers of a
stout mans hand. Stalks are left to grow up TO
seed about one foot apart in the row; nearly all
the other spears are for eating"
The criticism that we have to make on this
is that it is an enormous amount of manure to
use for the purpose. He should use much less
at the outset, and but very little each year after
Asparagus does not make anything like the
drain on the soil that this dosing OF manure
would represent.
MANURING FRUIT TREES.
From all reports we infer that fruit crops
promise to be excellent this season in some
parts of the country, and, as is usual when the
weather proves favorable dnring the period OF
poisoning, fruit has set very thiekly, aud
thinning by hand appears so formidable an un-
taking that it is generally summed. Under
these circumstances it would be well TO con-
slider and act upon the question of applying
manures at once so as TO impart vigor to the
trees and enable them the better to perfect
heavy crop. Where the orchard is in cultiva-
ton dressing of some good fertilizer should |
De applied and narrowed into the soil. Nothing
would be better than barnyard manure and
for rapid results good article of guano would
have marked effect upon the size of the
fruits as we have repeatedly proved in the case
of heavily-laden pear trees. In all cases, and
with all kinds of manurial applications much
of their value will depend upon the rainfall
Repeated showers, which will dissolve and con-
yey the feTtiliZing matters to the roots are
necessity to the best results from Summer ma
nuring. The benefits of irrigation would in
sure success; few persons, however, can avail
themselves of this controlling element in plant
growth, which is much to be regretted. In
applying manure to bearing trees it is of but
little use to throw it around the stem of the
tree; the whole ground occupied by roots should
be embraced.
DIGGING WELLS.
The Massachusetts Plouqhman gives a hint
about constructing well so as to have the
water free from impurities: After digging as
low as desired, cement pipe, some two feet in
diameter and two or three feet long is sunk at
the bottom aud worked down as low as possible |
by digging out the inside. The pipe should be
covered over with fat stone. through the mid |
die of which a two-inch hole has been drilled; |
directly over this hole stand in drain pipe, then
begin TO fill up the hole, and add drain pipe as I
the filing proceeds till it comes near the sur /
face when pump can be attached. well of I
this kind is reliable and permanent, requiring /
no repairs; the water is cool and free from i'm 1
purities that open wells are subject to no in !
sects or animals can find their way into it. and /
the cost is not more than one-half that of a /
well that is stoned. If dug, as it should be.
when the springs are low constant supply of /
water that is as pure as the underground spring +
is secured. As the well is always full there is /
no chance for bsd air to injure the water, and. I
IN fact but little danger of being polluted by /
surrounding cesspools, compared to that of I
open wells.