The National tribune., 1885-03-19
OUR RU..R'|AL ..'|A TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
wAsTETUL ,wINTERINe.


Much feed is thrown away every Winter in
the common management of stock. / do not
mean the fodder actually wasted in the farm
yard or stable, but that which is fed, especially
to younger animals. For instance, suppose /
feed four calves and six yearlings all Winter,
and in Spring they arc no larger than in the
previous FALL how much of the fodder they
consumed is wasted? 1 will have pile of
manure proportionate to the fodder eaten, but
it will be worth no more than the cost of the
labor in taking care Of the stock In order to
realize any gain on these animals must wait
for the extra growth they may make in the
Summer pasture. This, undoubtedly, is the
actual result of wintcring large proportion of
the young cattle in this country. They are fed
enough to keep themsalivc, or it may be better
than this, to enable them to about held their
own-that is, not TO fall away much Brethren,
there is no profit in that kind of management,
as you can all see.
When an animal is fed enough to maintain
life and locomotion,-and this, of conf is
necessary,-suc additional food as it may ave
will naturally, if it isn't required to keep it
from freezing (which is not often the casel,
make growth, if young one and more flesh if
it is matured or full grown. This growth or
increase will be according to the kind of food
given. If the food is coarse or weak, such as
straw or poor hay the animal cannot consume
more than enough to maintain vitality; hence
stronger or richer food is essential to profit. L
! should expect TO obtain this with calves by
giving them each quart day of bran and oil
meal They would be kept in {. roomy stable,
with rack of hay on one side and feed boxes
| for the meal on the other, and trough in the
| stable for water, to be carried to them. would
| not let these calves out of the stable once dur
ing the Winter. 1t would be cleaned out every
day, and little fresh litter scattered on the
! floor.
If these calves had feeding of roots with
their meal, l should consider the management
| about perfect, but all the roots | had might be
needed for the fattenlng cattle. But the calves
would get all the hay they would eat The
yearlings, on the contrary, would be tied in
stable with haIters This treatment would get
them accustomed to being handled, making
| them gentle.
| They would be fed double the quantity of the
same mixture, bran and meal, with change
| from hay to cornstalks. They would be turned
| into the yard in the middle of the day for
| drink. This two quarts of meal would make
| growth. and in the Spring / would expect them
to be larger than they were in the Fall, and in
| equal if not better condition. This would more
than pay for the meal, because they would go
| into pasture strong and vigorous, and begin to
| grow at once, which would not be the case if
| they had nothing in Winter but the coarse
| fodder for then il woald take month perhaps
to get them started SO that they would thrive
-Neg York Tribune.
PUTTING THE SOIL IN GOOD CONDITION FOR
| SEEDING.
| It is always good economy to take pains to
! see that the soil is in hrstclass condition before
j .,..Isx
| cultivated.
| Much of this kind of work can be done
during the Fall or Winter, and in this way con-
| siderable time can be saved when Spring work
| is to be done.
| While it, of COURSE is more desirable to have
| corn, cane or potato land Somewhat cleaner
| perhaps than oats, barley, rye or buckWheat
| yet, if you can spare the time, it will pay to
clean up all tho fields thoroughly. Stalks
weeds aud grass not only interfere more or less
| with the plowing and cultivating of crops, but
| large amount of weeds or foul seed can be
destroyed, as well as o goodly supply of injuri-
| GUS insects of various kinds thai harbor during
! the Winter in the trails left on the fields.
| In cleaning up theifield5 il is well enough to
| remember that fence corners, aud with them
| those spots ia the field that have been neg
lected, yield heavy growth of weeds or
sprouts, rendering cultivation either very diff
| cult or impossible.
clean field in all parts is very essential to
| clean cultivation, and by taking considerable
pains in cleaning up and burning all the trash
| in the fields large number of weed seeds will
| be destroyed as we'll as the trash.
| good sulky rake is q frst-class implement
to rake them up into piles SO that they can be
| burned. OF course, in many places, they will
| need breaking down or cutting Off, especially if
| there are vines or briars among them.
There are always days when the ground is
bare of SHOW, but frozen hard, when this kind
! of work can be done, and at times when this
| kind of work is not too pressing. and it will
pay in the saving of labor in the future. We
all know how difficult it is to clean fields,
and yet this is very important not only as re-
| CARDS the appearance of the farm, but also in
| securing profitable crops, making the cultiva-
| tioB not only easier but less expensive.
| And often days time spent III cleaning up
the trash in the fields will save two or three
| times the labor in work in reseeding and cul-
tivating the crops.
ENCOURAGING FOR FARMERS.
Mr.. W. Il. Brown. of Macon Co.. Ga, has
| about 600 acres under cultivation, and gives
| proof Of what Intelligent farming will accou-
| plish. He runs eight mules, and made last
year l73 bushels of corn to the mule. II tell
| you," ne said recently, "any farmer who will
! take care of his stock and watch expenses can
| do n great deal of fasming With the mules |
! made my corn and raised l38 bales of cotton,
from which / got a total OF %0,64O.96 making
| an average of over $4092 bale. My guano
cost me about $500. l calculate it 1878 to the
mule. | use compost, with plenty of cotton
| seed. Besides this crop l made $500 pounds
| of meat and other products. There is nothing
| better on the broad green earth than for man
| TO get at farming and stick to it. 1t will make
him rich before he knows il"
WINDOWS IN BARNS.
barn or stable in which stock ere kept
should have plenty ;of windows for they are
not only useful for ventilation, but also to ad-
| init plenty Of light. The eyes of ali animals
are likely to be impaired by keeping them in a
building that is poorly lighted. The change
between a dark barn and the free sunlight out
OF doors IS too great and severe to admit of the
eye retaining its healthy condition. The win
dows should all be ofglsss, for while admitting
the light freely il keeps out what ncemencies
OF weather there might be. Currents of cold
air or damp atmosphere must surely result in
injury to all animals exposed to them.
NoFELETs.
A New England farmer, who probably
speaks from experience, says the white daisy
| aud wild carrot eau be eradcated from the pas
lures by keeping sleep on them for a few
eecutive years.
The Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station
calls attention TO tho fact that in its expert
mehts potatoes raised from large, whole seed
rlpeued nine days earlier than those from seed