The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-12-04
FARM NOTES.

1t Is never amiss to compare the
management CT your farm with that
OF your most enterprising %neighbors.
The question of selling or holding
grain is one that each farmer must de-
eide for himself. The ~sagacious far.
mer is he who keeps posted in the
markets of the world, as well as those
of his particular locality.
The time to shape the heads of trees
is while they are young. Then the top
can easily be trained in almost any
shape, and with very little attention.
but, after the tree has attained some
size and age,it is very difficult to change
its form, and pruning them may only
injure.
Two valuable colts were lately pois-
oned in Ohio by white snake root. The
disease known formerly as ''the trem-
bles," an affection of cattle, was caused
by the weed. When eaten by milch
cows, the poison, to some extent, pass
es of with the milk, even when the
cows have not been noticeably ill, and
persons drinking it. have sickened and
sometimes died. The weed ought to
be more generally known, so that it
could be summed or ex~terminated.
There is no reason why oleomarga-
rine and other fictitious buffers should
not be as healthful as that made from
milk. 1t is really much better than the
nastiness usually sold as lowgrade but
ter, with its various smells. The ami
mus OF any law regulating the sale
should be a penalty for selling fictitious
for real butter. Fine creamery and dairy
butter will always be in demand, and
sell at a price far beyond that of butter
compounds. These really become a
necessity as against a market flooded
with mean butter unfit for human
food.
California is fast developing as a
State for manufacturing canned and
dried fruits. Orchardists are reported
as receiving from II cents to Al cents
per pound for green fruits that sell in
the Chicago market ut ~ 10 30 cents
per pound, the difference being o
sumed in packing, commissions, and
freights. From 10 to Is cents was re-
ported this season for dried a%pricotS,
rs againt % TO - cents last year. With
the largest yield ever known in the
State, and hundreds of new orchards
coming into bearing, Il net yield of 500
on apricot culture.
In no way can land be improved
faster than by judicious pasturing, re-
marks the Louisville COurier-JOurndi.
This does not consist in allowing stock
TO eat the grass of until the sod is bare
and brown, and e~xhausting the grass
plants, or in extracting all the sub
stance from the soil. Enough growth
should always be left OF the sod to pro-
tcct the roots from the action of frost
or the screening sun rays. This slight
growth will keep the ground moist and
mellow, and the grass will really make
a larger growth and more pasture than
when cropped too closely. In fact, to
pasture sod 50 closely as to expose the
grass roots to the action of sun and
frost Is poor management.
1t is said that n new method of wash
ing butter has been patented in Germa-
ny. AS soon as gathered in the churn
in particles of about 4 tenth of an inch
in size, il is transferred to q centrifugal
machine, whose drum is pierced with
holes and lined with a linen sack that
is finally taken out with The butter.
As soon rs the machine is put in rapid
motion the buttermilk begins to escape,
and Il spray of water thrown into the
churn washes put all foreign matters
adhering to the butter. This wash is
kept up till the wash-water comes away
clean. and the revolution is then con
tinued till the last drop of water is re-
moved as clothes are dried in a Gen.
trifugal wringer. The dry butter is
then taken out, nodded and packed.
1t is claimed the product thus SO quick
ly freed from all impurities without any
working or kncaiins, has a liner fla
vor, aroma aud grain, and far better
keeping qualities than when prepared
for marSet in the ordinary way.