The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-07-29
OUR RUR4L TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
WHAT AIS TIE HE1rER2

10 THE EDITOR: VIII some cOInraue tell me
what ails my heifer? She is two years old, and
is in reasonable good flesh and seems to eat
well, but when / attempt to drive her any dis
lance she can scarcely breathe; in fact, she ap-
pears like a person troubled with asthma.
There are small spots that look like warts on
her face and neck If any of the comrades viii
tell me what ails her and what to do for her l
will be exceedingly thankful.-A. II. ROBBINS,
Alexander, Kan.
KEEP HOGS WARM.
No farm animal chills sooner when exposed
TO the cold than hog, and no animal works
more industriously to protect itself against cold
than it. But we think hogs suffer more from
wet than cold. A cold rain chills the body,
drives the blood inward, opens the pores of the
skin, and makes an animal doubly liable to
contract disease. When the ground around the
pig pen is thoroughly drained, as it should be-
bare earth makes the best and certainly the
most desirable hO0r.-FdrMers RerietC.
SHIPPING CATTLE INTO OHIO.
The Ohio State Board of Live Stock Commits
sioners has issued a bulletin providing under
what condition cattle can be shipped into the
State from the quarantine districts. The
proclamation recites that the stock must be
accompanied by the certificate of the State
veterinary surgeon from the State from which
they come, the affidavit of two persons that the
stock has been exposed TO no contagious disease
for four months previous TO shipment, and the
affidavit of the owners of stock that they have
shipped direct in cleansed and disinfeeted cars,
and without unloading except for feed and
water. All railway companies doing business
in Ohio transporting cattle from the Gulf
States from May to November l, are prohib-
tied from unloading such cattle in the State
unless they provide separate yards for the same,
which yards are not to be used for other cattle
until they have been thoroughly cleansed and
disintected.
POULTRY NOTES.
The benefits that fowls derive from eating
charcoal is acknowledged. The method Of get
ting il before them, however is not well under
stood. Pounded charcoal is not in the shape in
which fowls usually find their food, and cOnse-
quently is not very enticing to them. Corn
burnt on the cob and the refuse which consists
almost entirely of the grains reduced to char
coal and still retaining their perfect shape, il
placed before them, is greedily eaten by them
Sometimes a brood OF the little chicks get tC
\ dropping and die of. seemingly without cause
/ If they are closely examined it will be found
/ that they have numbers of very large lice on
/ their heads and necks aud sometimes under
I their wings. The remedy is TO put drop o.
grease on their heads and gently rub il into tho
/ down and the same under their wings. If they
are running with hen the best plan is Il
/ grease under the wings and between the leg:
when she first comes or and the chicks will ge
! their heads CREASED by being lowered. Some
put sulphur in the grease, but il is useless and
/ to very young chicks it is dangerous. Th'
grease alone will do just as well and is per
4 fectly harmless. 81
There is probably no kind Of fruit bette
adapted to a hen yard than the plum. Ant
the difficulty Of growing this fruit because 0
curculio attacks is so far obviated by fiOcl
of hens that combining the two is an advan
tage to both. A farmer who had plum OF
chard from which the fruit regularly fell be
| fore il was ripe, never succeeded in getting
crop until he transferred bis hens 10 the orchari
and kept them there until the pums were ripe
liz is a mistake to place the IOosting poles a
different nights, rising from the front, beeaus
1 all will strive 10 get on the highest one, and tn
weaker ones are crowded off and frequently fal
TO the ground, only to repeat the process, or, !
injured, to remain on the ground all night
Place all the poles at the same elevation.
EoTELETs
A harmless solution for the cabbage Worr
is recommended by Peter Henderson. 1t is {
dissolve one pound Of alum well pounded) i
three gallons Of water and sprinkle over tn
plants. The great difficulty is not in destroy
ing the worm, for coal oil is effieacious, but tn
object is to destroy the worms without impree
mating the cabbage with the odor of the in
sectieides used for the purpose.
The american CgltiratOT makes the startlin
announcement that there are fewer cows in pro
portion TO population than there was 30 yearsagC
IL Is TO be hoped they average better. but thi
Is not certain. There were more good native
in the olden time than there are now. If W
could get rid Of butter limitations the legitimat
demand for butter would increase and wit
lessened supplies great boom would result I
our dairy interests.
Trees are plants, like all other farm crop
and If the soil containing the one should
cultivated and manured, what reason can ther
be for making an exception in the ease of til
otherp 1t takes exactly the same plant foo
TO build tree and form an apple as il does |
manufacture any other farm crop; and Y,
many farmers expect to keep on cropping tn
orchard and get the trees and fruit thrown
for nothing.
To never let one acre of ground lie an
longer than can possibly be helped without pr
ducing, and largely, too, is a good motto
adopt on the farm.
- DO not feed breeding sows very largely O
, grain. They may be kept in good condition
, but il should be done by more bulky or PARTIAL
green food.
An excellent homemade axle-grease
l e1aN W &c maui VI LhD parts NdllONy TWO par
csistOr-oii and one part of pulyerized black lea
. Cows like cabbage leaves, but it is bett,
6 to feed them just after milking, otherwise the
may flavor the milk.
D Every farmer should prevent the killiI
a OF birds on his place. Boys with cheap sho
: guns pepper away at everything with wing
/, aud when the birds are dead the insects eat 4
the farmers produce.
Young orchards OF all kinds should be fir
quently titled, and the soil about the trees ke
p mellow and free from weeds and grass. III
horses should be muzzled aud guided by car
ful hands when filling close to the trees. 1t
: matter of small concern to a sloyenly, car
; less workman If the tree be barked by d
l. single-tree, or the tender branches be torn al
split off by the horse; but such detestable trea
II ment tells severely upon the health of the tire
!, we'll as their growth.
DO not feed much corn TO young pigs
4 will do for fullgrown animals whose bone al
d, muscle are already develored, but it is inurio
to pigs, because IL is too Beating Give theI
i along with milk, wheat bran, middlings ct
!, aud let them have the run of a eloyor field
= possible They will thrive and grow on di
y which furnishes the elements of good bone al
= muscle.
2 - Regulate the feed OF, your horses to corr
r spond with the amount Of work they are
= quired to do. -
II - You should keep dfsused coal oil barr
:, half full Of the strongest I've. into which
q drop every bone that comes from your tab
/. or else pack them in alternate LAYERS with a
4 slacken lime. Theyiwilb become so brittle tn
le you may have them broken fine and spre
= = them broadcast; nd.theIye if you have us
'e that, can be diluted with many times its bu
b, OF water and be applied. wherever potash won
a. be seryiceable. ThisIiqhid, or sOapsuds is /