Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-11-17
COUNTRYLIErEl AND WORK

The tall clock from its corner dim
The mighty silence broke, 5ss:$5
In tolling of the passing hours 81. Isl
With slo and measured stroke.
The apple quartered and festooned
On 3strings were hanging high, 75Es
And ears Of golden corn were hung
Around the fire to dry. s.$
Twas there the busy mother made
Her doughnuts, pies, and cake; 55@5
Twas there she put the bread to rise,
And watched it brown and bake IS:
Twas there the spinning wheel was heard
From early morn till night; 3 = +.
For there dear grandma spun ana Yeeled
The feecy wool so white. l. %&<.
A pretty picture grandma msde, =.
With snow-white hair and cap,
w hen weary with her work at times, -@..
Her hands lay in her lap. f.
She dreamed, no doubt, of bygone days,
When life was new and sweet;
She doubtless heard the pstter, too,
OF many little feet. iii -.,-
And now, as then. the children came
To her with griefs and joys;
And now, as then, she kissed and rocked
The baby CIR and boys. q
-s To-.
The sunbeams played upon the wall
4 And danced upon the floor =
And lay in threads of golden light
From cracks around the door.
No longer swing those hinges now,
j. No merry children play,
No buzz of spinning wheel is heard
Throughout the livelong day.
For restless time has closed the door
Has locked and barred it fast
And only to the memory comes
These visions of the past.
For as the winter snow falls soft,
1t brings to mind at times e..
The pleasant scenes Of long ago,
Like sweet low. whispered rhymes.
Ye feathery fakes that drift around
That dear beloved place,
Tell tot hat kitchen changing time
Can ne'er it's joys effaCe.
Josephine Canning in Kansas Magazine.
USES OF AMMONIA.
Ammonia is a powerful alkali, and dissolves
crease and dirt with great ease. For domestic
purposes we can highly recommend it, and feel
hat we cannot keep house without it. For
Washing paint, put tablespoonful in a quart Of
warm water, dip in flannel cloth and then wipe
IF the woodwork. For washing finger marks
from looking glasses or windows, put a few
1rOps of ammonia on a moist rag and make
quick work of it. For cleaning hair bruhes,
simply shake the brush up and down in mix
ture Of one tablespoonful of ammonia in one
pint of hot water; when cleansed rinse in cold
water and dry. If you wish your house plants
TO flourish. put few drops in every pint Of
water used in watering them For taking
grease spots from any fabric, use the ammonia
nearly pnre, then lay blotting paper over the
spot and iron it lightly. For washing lace, put
a few drops in pint of warm suds. tea
spoonful will add much refreshing effects to the
bath. For washing clothes, teaspoonful or
two in the boil will remove any soiled spots that
may have been overlooked, and will also whiten
the clothes.-Nat;onal Stockaan.
TREATMENT OF THE FARM HORSE.
Beginning in the morning with the daily treat
ment of the farm horse, the first thing to be sug-
gested is that the horse should never be cleaned
or harnessed while it is eating Breakfast. Let
horses eat their food in peace, for many, from
sanguiue temperament or greed, bolt their oats
when handled during the time of feeding. Har-
ness can be quickly enough put on after the
feed is eaten, and time should then be taken to
comb the name and tail and wisp of straw
on the body and legs When the horses come
in at dinner time they should at once be unhar-
messed. This is by no means general, yet com.
mon sense will tell any man thai his team will
enjoy better health if this is attended to. The
feed is then to be given, and before the harness
is again put on the horse should be thoroughly
rubbed down with Wisp Of straw or hay. II
the horses are very warm on coming in, they
should be rubbed down Immediately after the
removal of the harness. In this case, too, it is
as we'll to let the horses cool down before Civ
ing them full drink. They should, however,
always be given sufficient water to wash Out
the mouth before cooling off.
FEEDING WITHOUT SHELTER.
cause of waste is in feeding stock through the
winter without shelter. Walter F. Brown,
in the National Stockman relates an experience
that is at least reasonable. He says:
1t is az plain as one and one are two, that food
used to keep up animal heat makes neither flesh,
fat nor milk; and yet large per centof our cat
tie are stall wintered without shelter. think 1
have proved by actual experiment that the same
amount of food required to keep COW or steer
from losing flesh if fed out-of-doors in all
weather through the winter, will add 1OC
pounds to it if warmly sheltered. We notice
warm basement stable which described recent
ly my cows have not decreased particle in milk
during the last three days, though we have had
the worst blizzard I ever remember, mercury
ranging for sixty hours from zero to IS degrees
below, the wind blowing gale, and the all
filled with snow, 50 that one could scarcely
see fifty feet for over half that time. Any
the storm and cold they would have shrunk
one-half or more in their milk; and the same is
true to the loss of flesh, but it cannot be SC
quickly detected as that of milk. Some years
ago bought an agricultural boiler "a 60 gallon
Kettle on a stove) with a large surface ex posed
to the AIR. l set it mp out of doors, but soon
found hat il cold, windy day could scarcely
make fire hot enough to bring the water to q
boil in it. l then moved it into a building
where it was protected, and found that saved
half the fuel. This is good illustration OF
feeding stock exposed to the wind and storms
of winter. Both for the sake of humanity and
profit would have warm shelter for every head
of stock wintered, or I would sell in the fall
any stock which could not SO shelter.
STRAW WASTE.
The light esteem which seems far too gener
ally put up, the farmers straw is something
bordering up the incomprehensible. What
ever may be the value of straw az a partial food
for stock, its true economy on the farm lies in
its comfort to stock as bedding. Why it is not
more largely used in this way it is difficult to
say when we see the vast quantities yearly 60
ing to waste through the winter to be burned il
the spring.
Why not, when stock is put into the yards TO,
winte ring, cover the ground thickly with straw
and esp. cialiy under the sheds3 Thus liquids
the most valuable portion of the manure, in
stead of going 70 waste, would be soaked up by
the straw, ard at length become thoroughly
moistened. In the spring the whole may be
piled to be rntted into manure. The straw
should be added to from time to time, especial.
ly after snow-storms, so there may be plenty
for cattle to lie on. Thus while serving theil
comfort at the same time it is increasing in
value, for the ultimate value of straw is in pro.
portion to its saturaton with the liquid waste OF
the yards and stables.
Straw is of little value az food, except t.
properly disten1 the stomachs Of animals that
are fed grain. Rotted down by itself, many
good farmers claim that its true economy lies
in it's ashes, There is good ground for his be.
lief, unless in the case of tough soils that re-
quire to be lightened up mechanically. 1t may
pay in such cases to pillow it under while dry.
Yet it's value such soils is as much en-
HANGED by being first used as bedding az upon
any other soil; for before serving its ultimate