The National tribune., 1886-02-04
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for OR
Agricultural Readers.
CARE or HOGS.

CARE or HOGS.
The great mistake the average farmer seems
to make is in surprising that it is altogether
immaterial what kind of food and shelter is
provided for his hogs. A greater error than
this cannot possibly be made as TO animal is
more susceptible TO Entertainment than the hog
In the first place. few animals on the farm are so
subject to disease of all kinds and it is no won
der,whcn we takcinto consideration the wretch
ed accommodations these creatures have In the
second place, the food is frequently uncean, or
Of nature that is not fit to be given to animals
intended for human food; and in the third place,
when the food is good it is given to them in
| such filthy pens that they, in eating it, always
swallow more or less of the filth in which
it lies. Then, again, their pens are of the
most wretched description, frequently being
exposed to the burning sun in Summer and
to the snow and cold in Winter. more
penny-wise and pouud-foolish policy than this
could not well he imagined, as no animal
thrives when it is either suffering pain or in
convenience, and to keep hog alive in Win
| ter while exposed to all kinds of weather,
requires almost as much food as it would to
mako him rolling fat if properly housed and
| CdICi lOr. IL IS singular JndG TINS SUOuIu DO
| the case especially as most men farm to make
money; but we have frequently noticed that
| the farmer viii provide comfortable and snug
| quarters for Il worthless dog when he will
| leave one of the best-paying animals on his
| farm cold, wet and shiyering throughout
| Winters night.
| The construction of pens should be
matter of great care to the thoughtful and
| thrifty farmer. In the first place. arrangements
should always be made for keeping them thor
| Oughly clean. The trough should be construct
| ed in such manner as to prevent the animals
| from wasting their food, and the sides and roof
should be SO built as to be a complete protection
from the weather. If these plans are attended
| to, not only will the hog grow more rapidly
and need less food to keep him in order, but he
| will not be victim to the numerous COM
| plants which seem lying in wait for him at all
| times
| SCRATCHES IN HORSES
To THE EDITOR: Horses that are properly
! cared for Il will not say never are but seldom
| troubled with the scratches. 1t is oftener the
| result of carelessness than otherwise. A
man (oftener the hired man than the
owner will work a horse all day in mud and
slush, or perhaps drive him long distance
through snow and frost, and put him in his stall
at night with his legs wet, ankles begrimed, or
! perhaps with his hair matted about the ankles
| with ice, allowing him to suffer in consequence
| the whole night. Next day, with but little
cleaning, very likely none at all, the poor brute
| is obliged TO suffer the same treatment Treated
| in such a careless manner his skin about the
ankles and legs becomes very dirty, the seams of
the skin. wrinkles, become hard and stiff, the
! cold making it still worse He cannot complain,
| but in this condition works on until finally the
skin, with his ankles constantly bending and
| working like piece Of dry leather, breaks or
| cracks. It requires much care and attention to
| hu oil
| horse owners. if they do not take care of their
| horses themselves should see that their hired
| help take proper care of them. In muddy or
| frosty weather see that, your horses legs are
rubbed dry before he is stabbed. Wash his an
kles at least once week with warm water and
CASTLE soap. Horses cared for in this manner
are seldom troubled with scratches.
The following remedy has been tried with
considerable success l discovered it while
with my regiment though others may have
used it often. 1t became almost generally used
through division, and with the desired
effect: Grease tried from salt pork and applied
as warm as the animal can bear it, Another
and an excellent one: Two ounces lard warm
it and add one ounce of basam fir and one
ounce balsam copaiba. This is an excellent
ointment for man or beaSt.-E. z. GOLDEN, Co.
G, I'd n. Y. Cav.
NoTELETs.
The fruit farm of R. McKinstry, near
Hudson, n. Y, contains 80 600 trees, his entire
farm of 300 acres being planted with fruit trees.
He has 1000 trees of the Rhode Island Green
ing, and the same number of Baldwin apple
trees, the whole number of his apple trees
amounting to 5000. He has also 4,500 cherry
trees, 800 of which are the BLACK Tartarian; :"
1900 pear trees, among which ere 700 Bartletts,
and 200 each of Scckel, Sheldon and Duchess
dAniou. There are also 1000 grape vines, 1000
peach trees and 200 crab-apple trees. His crop
of w
nearly all of which were shipped to Europe.
Nothing will purify and keep stable free
| from odors as the free use of dry earth, and
every one keeping horses or cattle will find it
| pays to keep heap of it at hand, to be used
| daily. A few shovelfuls of earth scattered
over the floor after cleaning will render the air
of the apartments pure and wholesome The
value of the seasons manure pile may be largely
| increased by the free use of such absorbents
| The strength of the gases and liquids absorbed
| is retained, and is the very essence of good
! manure.
1t is a singular fact which experience has
| demonstrated, that the milk and butter quail
| ties of cows are more often derived from the
male than from the dam. A good bull will thus
| cbeaply work revolution in the value of cows
| bred for the dairy.
If manure is to be used in the orchard it
| should never be fresh, or such as will quickly
| ferment. That which has been thoroughly
|
mold mixed with lime and ashes has been
| found excellent, and the better the manure in
| fineness of condition and freedom from decom-
posing matter the less liability of the trees to
| disease.
"A mans farm is volume every acre of
which is a page bearing the marks of his
character. indicating the degree of mental
and moral culture to which he has attained.
Agriculture has by no means reached its
limit, and every tiller of the soil owes it to
himself, at least to experiment and seek by
every available means to improve his methods
of procedure, his crops and his stock, so as to
obtain the best returns for his labor.
Names potato crop this year is worth S.
100000. The potato crop of the State is worth
six times as much as its apple crop.
| THE QUESTION SQUAD