Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-08
FARM AND Stock NOTES.

a. ~ tUe gas companies, CIy Engineer
Blgelow Is quoted as saying, costs them
nothing, "a the prodt made by them from
the coke, tar and other products of gas
making fully pays the expenses Of pro-
duclng 1t. he thinks they ought 10 fur
nlsn better quality, but the demand is
so great they are compelled 10 introduce
natural gas, not 10 make it cheap, but be-
cause they can't produce enough to sup
ply the demand.
Orchard grass inchnes to grow in tufts,
single plant sometimes covering over a
large space, but it never spreads, like
June grass or like quack grass, by under
ground stems. Grasses tnat grow in tufts,
SO far as we have observed, are frequently
dcnclOnt IN stem growth, but excel in the
production of leaves below or around the
stems. The chief value of orchard grass,
taking the season through, is in It's IN
dersr0wth Of leaves, and those who look
for the crop in its. stems and heads are
oiten disappointed.
To hang grindstone on its axle TO keep
1t from wabbiBg from side to side requires
great skill. The hole should be at least
threeeighths or Cne-half inch larger than
the axle, and both axle and hole square;
then make double wedges for eacn OF the
four sides of the square, all alike and thin
enough, so that one wedge from each side
Will reach clear through the hole. Drive
the wedges from each side. If the hole
through the stone is true, tue wedges will
tighten the stone true; If the hole IS not
at right angles to the plane Of the stone
it must be made 50, or the wedge CORE
spending must he altered in the taper 10
meet the lrregularlty in the hole.
An exchange says chat apple trees set
out in long single row by themselves
bear larger and much brighter-colOred
fruit than when set in orchards, because
t1ey get more sunlight on all sidesO The
getting of sunlight on all sides is one adj
vantage, but it is not the main reason Of
tae greater healthfulness and productive
ness of trees thus comparatively isolated.
IL is a common observation that the outer
rows Of trees in established orchards are
finer and more productive than the trees
IN the interior Of the plantation. This su-
perl0lity is all the more evident if the or
chard j. bordered 10y cultivated fields,
where the roots have liberty to extend
themst Ives AID 10 ramify in soil unOccu-
pied with roots Of their KIND.
A writer in the National Lire Stock
J0uf11Qt says: "GrasS is cheap food tor
pigs and most healthy and profitable
diet. Much Of the profit on pigs must
come from proper use Of grass as sum-
mer i0oj. some have expressed very grave
DOUBTS whether pigs c2I be tud at Il profit
ID pen all their lives. bus = @ do not think
there j. any doubt about it. FOR, if the
best feeding viii not pa tor the food given
pigs, then they Must De CO.'S dored uG-
profitable amin ils-a position wholly I'M
tenable, as 1t mas been abundantIy proved
that the pig is the best utlizcr of food on
the farm. We fully believe in the use Of
grass for pigs; and, If obliged TO keep pigs
constantly in pen, would. carry the grass
to them purely as a matter of healthy
The country at large cannot be pros
Porous if the farmers are not. The repre-
sentatives Of other great industries are
now recognizing the Importance of our
agricultural interests. Nine-tenths OF the
agricultural products of the United States
are consumed in our own country; hence
the abundant hargests Of the past year
must soon produce their legitimate effect
in starting up the mills ana factories and
in furnishing bread and meat at less prices
than have prevailed in the past. 1t is
difficult to conceive Of any over. pr0duc-
ton Of farm products. On the law Of aV-
erage the surplus Of ore yeGr is counter
acted by the shortage Of another. Agri-
culture, unlike manufactures, is subj ct
10 many natural conditions beyond the
control of man, and it is rare that crops
are universally good, and if we have q
surplus some other country is deficient.
Set rice over the fire with skim milk.
only as rich as viii serve one day. Let it
boil till the rice is quite sWelled out. and
add a teasp0Onful or two Of sugar, but il
will do we'll without. Feed the fowls
three times a day in common pans, giving
them only as much as will ill them at
once. Then you put if fre sh. let the pans
be set in later that no sOurness NAV be
conveyed to the fowls, as that prevents
them from tattenin2. Give them clear
water or the milk of the rice to drink, but
the less wet the rice is when perfectly
soaked the better. By this method the
flesh Will have clear Wilderness which
no other food gives, and when ii is to be
considered how far pound of rice will
go, and how much time it saves by this
mode, it will be found cheaper than bar
ley meal. The pen should be daily cleaned
and no food be given Tor sixteen hours
before the poultry be killed.
There axe many little reproductions, or
what are generally so considered in rela-
ton to larger interests, that often bring to
those engaged therein very substantial
proceeds. A correspondent OF the Prdi-
RE Farmer classes the growing OF basket
willow as at present furnishing an eX-
ample of this kind The prices have been
such as to afford good profit, and the cul-
tivatl0n is very simple. The cuttings,
about Q inches long, are stuck down In
soft earth in slantIng position, leaving
about inches above ground. There is no
danger Of their failing to grow. After
this the cultivation is no more than T
corn. They will grow on any land. They
are grown on land so wet that it could not
be plOwed or cultivated, but dry ground
is better. At present there is not enough
grown in this country for consumption,
and $500, 900 worth is imported each year.
Peeled willow is now worth 800 per ton.
Sheep growers are often troubled by
disease among their sheep which causes
the wool to drop off. In most cases the
wool first peels from the hind legs and
back, leaving the skin bare. There are
generally no scabs or ulcers, and the only
abnormal feature noticed is n redness Of
the skin in the woOlless parts. In some
cases there are sores. The sheep are
nearly always in good condition while
suffering from this affection. The disease
is called 'pelt rot" in some localities, and
it can be cured easily by the application
OF Il stimulating antiseptic, like a weak
solution of saltpetre, in the proportion of
two tablespOonfuls Of saltpetre to a gal
lon Of water. Apply the solution to the
shows them. Ii the first cases are not
promptly treated, the whole flock is liable
TO infection and to serious damage in the
end. Tue cause Of this trouble is not
definitely known. Some Of the best con-
ditioned and most carefully fed and housed
fiOcks are attacked by it.
The Necessary amount OF labor for a
flock Of 30 hens can all be done in 30 min
utes at three times, averaging 10 minutes
each. If there is snow to clear away, or
anything unusual happens, of course 1t
will take longer, but if one is keeping
hens for eggs in winter he must be will
ling TO eXpend some thought and some
labor. such labor can be hired for IS
cents an hour. That is the value Of five
eggs at cents each. If we allow I5cents
a day for food, which is all it ought to
cost, we make over so hens cost us / cent
each per day, and to repay it they must
lay 10 eggs a day on an average. Any one
who has kept fowls knows that this is
doing very fairly, taking the season
through. How, then, does it pay? 1t
paws, in the first place, because there is
no such direct outlay for labor, the work
beng done does not interfere essentially
with other work; and, in the second place,
kitchen scraps, small potatoes and infe.
rior or damaged grain may considerably
reduce the cost of ration.