The National tribune., 1885-07-09
OUR RURAk TOPICS.
EOI-
uo7i9
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
AgricultqltlAa, i Readers
FLIES IN THEbsTABLEs.


= 41er
FLIES IN THEbsTABLEs.
The N. Y. Times printsothe following timely
words in regard to Che fy pest, which every
farmer who cares for the Welfare and comfort
of his stock should peruse; with care:
1.-THE warm weatherSwith its accompanying
pest of flies, is exceedingly troublesome to cows
and horses The latter especially are tormented
all night long by persistent and savage blood
sucker, which is supposed to be the common
house fly from its similar appearance, but is a
very different insect 1t is related to the fierce
tsetse' fly of Africa, which destroys horses,
SO that oxen are used for the saddle; also to the
buffalo gnat of the Southern Mississippi region,
which worries to death even the hardy mules
of that region. Its name is StomoTyS, and it
very much resembles the common MNsca 40
mestica excepting in its bite, which is as sharp
as the prick of needle and draws blood as
quickly. The mixer who feels his ankles
punctured by these insects realizes in small
way what his horses and cows suffer from the
hundreds of them which attack the legs chiefly
of these animals and cause them to lie down to
protect themselves from the bites. An abun-
dance of clean, loose litter is great help to the
horses and cows to protect them from the stable
flies. Another great help is to keep the stables
clean and free from the usual pungent Odor
which attracts these pests. The writer has
found fresh sawdust to be the best litter. Oak
and chestnut are better than pine, which not
only makes poor, dry manure, but gives an odor
to the milk. This sawdust is cool, clean and an
excellent absorbent and slight brushing of
the cows or the horses, soon frees the skin from
p.f7 n 1hor rprf frnu ont hon II he
are busted over with Persian insect powder,
puffed all over the stanchions and stalls and the
backs and legs Of the okttle in the evening, all
of which may cost 50 cents week for six or
eight weeks, the animals will rest in peace.
Each COW in the herd will pay back the whole
cost in increased product, made possible by the
freedom from suffering"
uNsHoD HORSES.
The belief is gaining prevalence among intel
ligent horsemen that if horses and particularly
farm horses, were allowed to 60 unshOd more, it
would be a gain for them Indeed there
not wanting advocates of the plan of not shoe
ing at all. 1t is maintained by such that when
the hoOf is allowed to be in its natural condition
and unshod, it becomes hard enough to stand
road wear as well as when shod, and be at the
same time perfectly sound, with much the ap-
pearance of a colts foot. But a mean may be
struck between the practice of constant shOeing
a measure, the advantages of both. After the
frost and ice of Winter are gone, let the shoes
be removed, not to be put on again during the
Spring season of soft roads During the Winter
the hoofs usually grow long and then need
good deal of trimming back in the Spring. Take
off the shoes and let this wear back naturally.
Many ailments to hoofs ana legs may be saved
by this course.
POULTRY NOTES.
When cholera is known to be in a neigh
borhood, poultry keepersla should watch their
stock closely, and remove Sick birds when first
discovered. The feeding grounds and houses
should then be sprinkled with disinfectant.
made by putting eight ounces of sulphuric acid
in eight gallons of water. In old infected
houses the liquid must be Used so as to saturate
all the woodwork and ths ground where the
fowls run. The remedy is comparatively in
expensive. 40 Il
A Maryland poultry raiser thinks that a
pint of EPSON salts toa halt peck of meal fed to
chicks, is the best remedy flor gapes.
- If the poultry have vermin. use kerosene
upon the roosts and walls Sf the henhonss.
NoTEIETs. .--
A Pennsylvania farmer last year sold over
$4,000 worth of potatoes from IL acres. He fer
tilized with compost of hardwood ashes and
oyster-shell lime, plowed deep. planted medium
sized, well formed, uncut potatoes, three feet
apart gave level cultivation and cultivated
often. From one hill he took 81 fine, large
tubers
- Cucumbers intended for picking purposes
need not be planted till July. The land for
them should be such as has been we'll cultivated
| the year previous, and the manure should be
| fine and well rotted. In order to guard against
| the attacks of birds and insects all excess OF
seed should be used, thinning out the extra
| plants after they are up.
- Some farmers are beginning to realize that
few acres devoted to small fruits, such AS rasp-
| berries, blackberries and strawberries, will
| yield more profit than so or 100 acres devoted
to grain.
| = For beets the ground should be we'll pre-
pared, plowed deeply, and thoroughly pulver-
| lied. The roots require deep soil, and the
portion that grows under ground contains the
most saccharine matter, but none of the beet
| will grow above ground if the soil is mellow
| enough to permit it to penetrate it.
| - 1t is said that cotton nseed meal. when fed
to cows in Summer. increases the frmness Of
| butter.
- Swine need run, and may do much good
| in the orchard.
- Few farmers seem to understand the value
| of stanchiOns in feeding calves. They can be
made very cheaply out of any old boards lying
around a farm, and save a world Of time. Give
each calf 20 inches space. Put trough in
front, spaced OFT so that each calf gets its share
and no more. They will soon learn to have
their heads in position at feeding time and
| you can fasten and feed dozen in few min
utes After they are done with the milk give
| a little ground feed or corn and turn the whole
| lot into yard where you have some nice hay
| in stack.
= Horses troubled with heaves should be fed
little dry food. Clover hay is especially objec-
tonabe, not only from the dust with which it
is filled from imperfect curing, but also because
horses like this hay so much that they gorge
| themselves with it, Cut straw, well moistened
and sprinkled with meal, will make feed that
will restore horse not too far gone with heayes
to activity and usefulness.
- The time spent in securing plows, or run
ming to the shop for repairs when the soil is in
condition for working is criminal waste. The
time to put implements in repair is before their
use is required. All bright surfaces should have
been covered with mixture of lampblack and
kerosene and carefully preserved from abrasion
| when last put away.
In order to guard against difficulties of
drOuths and depressed markets. a farmer should
endeavOr to grow "a variety OF crops. and not
cOnfine himself to single one. He should
always have something to sell, and, by so doing,
the rotation of different crops on the same soil
will be the result, therAby preventing, to a cer-
tain extent, loss of fertility.
There is strong feeling in various por-
tions of the United States in favor of the total
abolition of fences. It is stated that the cost of
the maintenance of fences annually in this
country is not far short of $S0,00000O, a pretty
snug sum if it might be sayed to the farmers.
1t is estimated that thsge are 6OO0,O 900 miles of