The National tribune., 1885-10-01
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
RATIONs FOE DAIRY COWS.

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darymen in the country, who keeps large
| herd of mich cows, adheres to the following
rules in feeding his stock, and says the result
is most satisfactory in every particular: One
quart Indian meal, two quarts each of oatmeal
and wheat bran and one pint of oil meal. This
should be mixed with about half bushcl of
cut hay and well moistened with water before
feeding. He gives this ration night and morn
ing-to cows Of medium size-in addition to
what hay they may eat, of which clover is
best, If cut Just as it is coming into blossom,
cured so that all the leaves adhere to the stems
when transported to the barn and moved away.
Larger or smaller cows require cOrrespondingly
less or more. OF course when in good pasture,
or abundantly soiled, neither meal nor bran is
necessary; but if scant, then they should be fed
whatever they may need of these to keep up
flow of milk. 1t would bo better to grind the
corn and oats together, at the rate of one
bushel of the former to two of the latter and
then mix three quarts of this provender to two
| quarts of wheat bran and one pint of oil meal
for tho ration. Instead of oil meal some sub
stitute cotton-seed meal, but the latter does
not agree well with all cows; and being richer
and heartier than the former, it might be safer
| to begin with gill or half pint night and
morning, and watch its effects before increasing
| the dose. All grass for hay for cows should be
cut not later than when Just coming into bios
som; some dairymen say it is better to cut be-
fore this, and then it will make yellow butter
all Winter, the same as grass pasture in Sum-
mcr.
SUCCESSFUL FARMING.
The best and most profitable system of farm
| ing that can be followed, is to raise grain and
grass and keep sufficient quantity of stock of
all kinds to consume it. Don't sell hay, straw,
corn, oats, etc, and thus impoverish your
farm and yourself, but sell all your products
in the shape of mutton, beef. cheese or butter.
If you can raise good crops of grain that will
return you a profit, and you can feed it out
again to stock and SO realize another profit,
you are not only realizing double profit, but,
| if properly managed, you securing good
| supply Of manure to aid in keeping up the fer
tility of the farm.
GATHERING FRUIT.
While some sections of the country are not
overstocked with fruit, there are others that
have large supply, SO large i'll fact as to give
disappearance of oyer-supply and poor markets.
This will depend very much upon the putting
up of the fruit packages Farmers should learn
| that there is nothing gained by attempting to
save too much in the line of fruit or vcgetab bles
y
few poor or imperfect specimens will destroy
the general appearance of the whole lot, and
either entirely prevent sale or occasion a con-
siderably diminished price. There is always
demand for irst-class articles, whether in the
line OF vegetables, fruits or manufactured pro-
ducts. Therefore. tho fruit grower in n season
of plenty, instead of attempting to see how
large the quantity of fruit that he can put up
| should see how good tho quality can be. For
general market purposes none but the very best
should be selected, and these handled with
great care. The great class of consumers of
market fruit are the dwellers in cities. and rs
a general rule they are willing TO pay fair
price for good article. The next lower grade
| can be used for evaporating and drying, for
which product ther, is Usually fairly active
demand. Those OF a still lower grade may be
made e-into cider, for W. ich there is call for
making vinegar or apple } My, which is steadily
gaining an Importance IS a market article
But rather than attempt to save apples too
closely put the poorer grades in bins for feed
ing to stock. Even that is more profitable
| use than mixing them with the best, thinking
to get them upon the market. OF course farm
ers should save all that they can, but in doing
so they should not adopt any penny wise and
pound foolish policy Germant0wa Telegraph.
NOTELETs.
"A Georgia dairyman has figured out the
cost of good butter i'll that State at III cents
easy terms for 10 months in the year, and the
butter sells ut % cents pound.
NO one can have perfect pasture, says the
Spirit of the Farm, without the use of mower
Weeds will take pastures in certain seasons and
thus smoother out the grass and they must he
kept down by some means, and of all tried the
mower has precedence. This implement should
be run over all grass lands in July while the
grass is out from heat OF stock, and again about
the first of September. By so doing, all pas
lures can be kept in perfect state, having
smooth turf, and even a lawn.
1t is poor economy to work hard in raising
good crops OF hay grain and fodder and then
neglect TO provide shelter for them. The Fall
rains and Winter storms will greatly in ure all
such crops that are not under shelter, and our
farmers cannot think of this matter moment
too soon. If it is not possible to build q barn
this season, put up shed, OF cover the stacks
with tarpaulin. So says sensible exchange.
The farmer who attemps to raise hogs and
begins by keeping them until a year or more
old before attempting to feed them out for mar
kct makes mistake and will find the business,
rs a rule Improbable. The cheapest pork is
made from pigs that come III the earl y Spring
and are fed out III the late Fall, at about eight
or nine months of age; for market though, it
may be better to have the pigs come in tho late
Fall aud then feed them out and put them on
the market in the Summer months, as it is
generally true that better average prices can be
obtained III these months than at any other
time.
- The Farm and Garden gives this excellent
piece of advice, and our farmers would do well
to give heed to it: Insurance companies are
ever ready to assume the farmers risks of loss
by fire, for small consideration. These risks
are comparatively few, and the business pays.
The man with money i'll the bank, or safely
invested, will not generally be a loser in the
end, if he goes his own insurance" but no
hard working farmer who depends the
revenues derived from his crops for the pay
ment of his debts and of current expenses and
who has other financial backing, should run
any risk whatever To him the security which
the insurance of his buildings and all their
contents can give is worth every cent it costs.
- Statistics show that the wheat trade of
California, Oregon and Washington Territory
with Europe gives employment annually to
more than 400 sailing vessels going around
Cape Horn The average passage for each YES
sci is about 10000 miles, in AN average time of
a little over four months.
A good remedy for bee stings is tineture
of plantain, made by pouring alcohol over the
freshly gathered leavcs, and allowing it to
remain until it turns black when it is poured
off and bottled. If the person Is severely
stung, few drops of thetincture can be taken
internally.
1t is estimated that there are 100,000,000
acres Of.land on the Pacific coast Of the United
States that are especially adapted to wheat
culture. OF this California has 20 900 600 or