The National tribune., 1884-08-28
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
fa8sIQ
Some praeticaaos4sS ts4SF Suggestions for Our
Agrieglttr5l Readers.
poUETRYa RAISING.


The suggestion canfiet be too frequently
offered to farmers as to the expediency and
proftableness of ijfaisib5g more poultry. The
business, if properly conducted, would be-
come one of the most lucrative branches upon
the farm, especialfyswhen within easy reach
ing distance of good markets. 1t ought to
be known to ali American farmers the extent
to which the business is prosecuted in France
where, from careful estimate, it is found that
the annual sales of poultry and eggs last year
amounted to between so and 90 millions of
dollars, which would, if equally divided among
the entire population, give to each between
two and three dollars. When it is considered
that this is a branch of farming industry that
can be managed entirely by women and child
rem, and requires very little capital, the wonder
is that it is not prosecuted to twice the extent
| it is. The chiclzen-house should be inexpen-
sive, but roomy. web ventilated and cleanly.
Every part of the food can be supplied by the
ofal of the farm, garden and house, and the
| time required need not be taken from the re-
quired working of the farm, and would really
not be felt as part of the farm labor 1t is
true that upon very large farms poultry raising
/ is looked upon as being in the way and not
| worth the trouble; but as a rule it is only upon
such farms, and but a snail portion of them,
/ where this really pleasant pastime is not en-
/ joyed and the products of it quietly and cheer
| fully put in the pockets of the mother and
| children, where it will be ever ready to meet
the many necessary and indispensable personal
outlays.
i STOCK ON FARMS.
! The growth of crops must be con current with
/ feeding cattle. Cattle make manure; manure
makes crops, and crops feed cattle. This is the
| inevitable sequence and round of a true agri-
| cultural system. Take away the live stock,
and the manure is wanting He is very
| foolish farmer who thinks he can continue to
/ grow crops without manure, even on the fertile
| lands of the West. And one who is not a
\ farmer, but who pretends to teach farmers any
different belief from this is quack and
| crank, Of whom farmers should beware. This
creed is orthodox eyerywhere-Nort and
| South and East and West-and Western farm
| ers have adopted it long ago, and no longer
| burn straw or dump the manure into the rivers,
i but carefully preserve everything that will
| fertiliZe their fields, and cherish their cattle
/ and sheep as the mainstay of the fertility of
their land. Nor do they ignore the usefulness
i of artificial fertilizers, but avail themselves
! shrewdly of the vast quantities of these that
/ are manufactured in the Western cities-St.
Louis. Cincinnati. Chicago, Kansas City, and
| even Denison and other cities in Texas. So
| that to make such remark as that uttered by
4 the aforesaid crank is piece of foolishness
| that must be apparent 40 every Western farmer
| as well as to every Eastern and Southern one.
/ M Y Times. g. G
/ FEEDING OATS.
/ correspondent of the Germantown Te1e-
i graph gives the following useful hints in regard
to the feeding of oats: Oats, when properly
prepared make one Of the best OF feeds espec-
tally for horses, although sheep, cattle and hogs
will be benefited by change to them. If they
| are thrashed out they are generally regarded as
a more expensive feed than corn If fed in the
sheaf without thTashihg there is considerable
waste, as stock are disposed to eat the heads
and leave the balance, and in this way consider
able that would otherwise be first-cass food
is wasted. I
/ The most economical plan of feeding with
oats is to run them through feed-cutter that
will cut head and straw all up fine. Mix
little bran with it and then dampen. When fed
| in this way stock will eat all up clean This is
troublesome, of course, and especially where
quite a number of horses are to be fed. To
avoid this take half day and cut supply
that will last awhile. Where large crop is
raised as feed by two or three neighboring
| farmers, it will pay to purchase power-cutter
and by working together and cutting large
quantity at one time the cost of preparing it
in this shape is small and when prepared in
this way make, an excellent feed, especially in
the Summer Cows and sheep will eat it with
a relish during the Winter, and it is one of the
cheapest feeds We have and also one of the
very healthiest we have"
GOOD AND POOR EGGS.
The Poultry World says that the difference
between an egg laid by a plump, healthy hen
fed with good, fresh food daily, and an egg
laid by thin, poorly-fed hen is as great as the
Ir1f A r.
fed on garbage and weak slops with very little
grain of any kind, may lay eggs, to be sure,
but when these eggs are broken to be used for
cakes, pies, etc, they will spread in weak
watery way over your dish, or look milky
white, instead of having rich, slightly yellow
tinge. "rich egg !" retains its shape, as far
as possible and yields to the beating OF knife
or spoon with more resistance, and gives you
the conviction that You really beating
something thicker than water or diluted milk.
THoRo TILLAGE.
An exchange states that "two fields lying
side by side, were sown in wheat. One was
plowed and narrowed the usual way while the
other was narrowed five times The result was
that the latter gave seven bushels more to the
acre than the other"
EoTELETs.
Sheep are very tender animals, subject to
many diseases; wool is pershahle article
subject to great destruction; and both require
to be most carefully handled to insure the
largest profits.
- Nothing pays so well in the long run, on
sheep farm, as suitable shedding Many farm
ers during single warm, wet Winter, which,
as is well known is harder on sheep than a
cold, dry one, have lost half their fiocks-1nore
than enough to erect all necessary buildings
The advantages of shedding are numerous
saving of food, storage room for hay, immunity
from dogs, etc.
"A correspondent of the Ohio Farmer SAYS
the best way to cure a COW of kicking is to
catch herleg when she ki>ks, and hold it up as
a smith does that of horse to shoe it, Do not
let her put the foot down until some one has
milked her. single application of this
remedy, he says, will surely cure.
II Prof. Dow, an English authority says that
boiled potatoes, mixed with cut straw or hay,
may be given to horses of every kind, even
when on the hardest work and this forms a
species of food both wholesome and economi-
cal. Tse
No time should be lost in plowing for
wheat, whether Summer-fallowed or stubble
ground. If possible, pl6w SO early as to have
a good, heavy rain between the plowing and
seeding. A good soaking rain, SO coming,
often doubles eiyieldiof wheat.
- fyou neglected to plant those strawberries
last Spring, you can put them out now. Give
them good care and raise very satisfactory
crop next Summer. o
- You can keep your eggs fresh by packing