The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-11-19
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
APPLES AS FOOD FOR STOCK.

APPLES AS FOOD FOR STOCK.
Every farmer having on hand a quantity Of
unsaleable apples, by reason of their smallness
or blemishes should carefully peruse the fol-
lowing from the Lire Stock Journal:
A few questions received on this subject,
show that opinions are not yet settled on the
value of apples as food for stock. One asks if
apples will produce good favored milk. Another,
if sour apples will fatten pigs another, if ap-
pies will be safef.or four or fve-months calves
First Apples have been feed to cows, with
good results both in increasing the yield and
improving the quality of milk. We have eaten
butter from milk of cows fed on apples and early
cut hay, and found the quality excellent. But
it must be remembered that too large quantity
of apples will decrease the yield of milk. This
may result from the fact that apples are COM
posed almost wholly of carbohydrates; nutri-
tive ratio is to 49, OF course apples do not
contain all the elements in due proportion to
make milk. No more than one-half bushel per
day should be fed to COW, and from that to
one peck. Apples contain an acid which assists
in the digestion of other foods, and thus, when
fed in moderate quantity, they appear to be
more nutritious than they are. Apples, also,
promote health by being slightly laxative and
keeping the secretions of the stomach healthy.
Second. Apples have proved very beneficial
to pigs, especially when on clover. The clover
being nitrogenous and the apples just the OPP
pOslte, these foods seem to complement each
other. In such cases pigs will fatten fast even
upon sour apples. We have known pigs grown
to 400 pounds, live weight, on apples and clo-
yer. The pork is found to be peculiarly sweet
in flavor. We never knew pig to be i'll when
fed moderately upon apples. But it is well
to feed corn or meal for q few weeks
before killing, as this will ripen I'D and harden
the pork. Sweet apples will fatten pigs faster
than sour if apples are principally depended
upon, but if grain is fed with the apples then
sour will do even better than sweet, as the acid
will assist in the digestion of the grain.
Third. Apples are also beneficial in growing
calves. Calves apt to be fed almost wholly
upon dry food, and this sometimes produces a
feverish state of the system, and they become
what is called hide bound" The apples will
cleanse the stomach and give them good APP
petite. We have seen six quarts of apples to a
calf produce remarkably thrifty growth, when
the other food was good. The English feed
turnips largely to all young stock, and these
promote a healthy growth, but we think apples
quite as good as turnips They give them such
a vigorous appetite, causing them to eat and
digest more other food with keen relish, and
thus to make a rapid growth.
In feeding apples to cattle, it is safest to run
them through rOOt-cutter so as to prevent all
danger of choking; with early-cut and nicely
cured clover hay, two quarts of oats and six
quarts of apples we have known calves to gain
80 pounds per month.
Apples are also an excellent relish for horses.
We have found them protection against dis
ease in work horses. They are very fond of
them, and will digest their other food better
with few quarts of apples, and for this fact
we have come to regard them almost as valu-
able as oats for the work horse, when fed in
place of four quarts of Oats.-Natio1al Lire Stock
Journal
wINTERING STOCK.
The condition in which an animal begins the
Winter has very much to do with it's thrift
during this rigorous season. "Well Summered
is half Wintered" is an old adage among stock
men, and the force of the remark may be real
lied from the fact that woOdchuck, when it
goes into its Winter quarters for its long sleep
and rest. has no less than 20 per cent. of fat in
its body. This stored up fat affords subsistence
for the animal and furnishes the material which
supplies the vital processes during the four or
five months of its Information When it comes
out in the Spring only bare trace of fat is
found, and even the thymus and adjacent fat
glands which supply the blood are entirely
exhausted. The fact that an animal can thus be
supported on its storedup fat during the Win
ter and totally exhausts the supply by the
Spring shows ~ how necessary it is for stock
to go into Winter quarters in high condition;
(2) that it can In great measure support itself
upon this stOred-up reserve, and 90 that by
good feeding this reserve may not be drawn
upon, but form the basis for next years thrifty
growth.-N. Y Times
BEST WOOD FOR FENCES.
In some tests made with small squares of
various woods buried one inch in the ground,
the following results, says the Garden, were
noted: Birch and aspen decayed in three years,
willow and horse-chestnut in four years, maple
and red beach in five years, elm, ash. horn
beam and Lombardy poplar In seven years;
oak Scotch fir, Weymouth pine and silver fir
decayed to depth of one-half inch in seven
years; larch, juniper and arbor-vit;e were un-
injured at the expiration of the seven years.
NEW USE FOR OLD FRUIT CANS.
A correspondent of an exchange suggests
new use for old fruit cans, as follows: Last
Spring found under one of my apple trees in
the orchard some 20 of these cans-probably
thrown there by some of the females of the
family. To put them out of the way of the
scythe when moving my orchard placed them
open end down on spurs of the apple tree. A
few days since l thought would remove them
to permanent resting place, and on taking
them down found every can partially filled with
the cocoons of the codling moth With piece
of shingle l scraped them into the fire-setting
the old cans again on the trees for another crop
of cocoons. l probably trapped with these old
cans at least 300 cocoons of the codling moth.
CONCERNING CANADA THIsTLEs.
1t would be well if the Legislatures of every
State in the Union would follow the example
of that of Indiana in dealing with that pest
the Canada thistle We refer to the following
enactment which recently passed that body:
" Any person knowingly allowing Canada this
ties to grow and mature upon his land, or land
under his charge, shall be fined not less than So
nor more than 800 and for the second and each
subsequent offense double the amount of the
first fine. Supervisors of the highways of the
State who allow thistles to grow on any road in
their districts are subject to like penalties, as
are also road masters of railway lines who al
low the pests to grow about stations or along
the right of way under their supervision"
DETERMINING THE VALUE OF MICH COWS.
There is no safe method of determining the
butter qualities of herd except by churning
the milk of each cow separately. The bulk of
the milk is not sure indication. Very often
the COW that gives but a moderate quantity of
milk may yield the largest amount of butter.
In breeding up herd a knowledge of the char
acteristic of each COW will enable the dairyman
to breed for the best results, as the superior
cows may be used for breeding to thoroughbred