The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-05-05
farm Aotes.
GUINEA HENS.


There is one advantage in keeping
guinea fowls with other poultry, as
their loud noise frightens away
hawks and other enemies. Guinea
fowl meat is dark, but has a gamey
flavor liked by those who have a
fancy for game. AS egg-producers
guinea-fowls are excellent, though
their habit of roaming causes many
of the eggs to be lost.
CARBoLIC ACID AS A REMEDY.
A farmer recommends from expe-
rience diluted carbolic acid as a rem
edy for chicken cholera, for hog
cholera and for pinkeye in horses:
He gives two drops of carbolic acid
in drink for his hens, four drops for
each one of his hogs and ten drops
diluted with water as a dose for a
horse. In this small quantity r.
bolic acid will do no harm, and the
remedy is worth remembering.
WASTAGE IN DRESSING.
Every farmer before killing hogs
or other animals should have them
weighed, so that it may be known
how great is the loss in killing and
dressing. In selling by live weight
buyers require farmers to deduct a
larger percentage for wastage than
is generally experienced. In we'll
fattened, compactly built porkers
the waste is often not more than
twenty per cent. Of the whole, and
sometimes less even than this.
THE SHAPE OF POTATOES.
The form and smoothness of pOta-
toes are important in determining
their marketable value. One with
a few eyes and those on the surface
will be salable, though much smaller
than n which is rough and has
deeply-sunken eyes. The early Ohio
and Snowflake varieties seldom grow
to the largest size, but their smooth
ness makes them desirable when not
larger than a hens egg, and thus
very few I unmarketable.
SWEET APPLEs FOR HORSES.
No stock is more fond of apples
than horses. A few given every day
at this season with or after their
grain will improve their appearance.
Sour apples should not be given
horses when fed whole oats, as the
two may cause sore mouth, especial
ly if the oats have a tough skin.
Sore mouth from eating whole oats
is the reason why many well-fed
horses cannot be kept in good CON
dition. Such horses will do better
on meal mixed with moistened hay.
FALL FEEDING WORSE.
Few farmers would think of turn
ing stock on their timothy meadows
in the Spring. But they should re-
member that Fall feeding is ever
worse, as it destroys the growth
needed to protect the roots during
the Winter, when protection is most
needed. Every pound Of feed thus
stolen from a timothy or clover
meadow is offset by the loss in next
seasons hay crop, besides the chance
it gives for noxious weeds to fill va
cancies where the grass is killed.
MAST FOR HOGS.
In the old times the nuts of the
beech and other trees, called mast,
were a great help for farmers in
growing and fattening hogs. These
nuts, from their oily character, made
soft pork, which needed consider
able corn to harden it. Probably a
feed of peas, barley or even oats
would be even better for hogs fed on
mast than corn would be. Our best
bred hogs, are not however, adapted
hunting their living in the forests,
and almost certainly would lose rath-
.r than gain flesh by such an exper-
lment.
FIGHTING RAMS.
Sheep do better not to be kept in
Large focks, and at any rate the
number should not be so large as to
require the use of two rams. In the
eason rams fight ~fiercely,
and often infict bruises on each 9th
er in which the fly lays it's eggs from
which maggots in the head are pro-
iuced: These maggots can be des-
;royed by making frequent applica-
ions of a solution of carbolic acid.
Of turpentine will also kill
hem, but the carbolic acid makes a
dressing for the wounds than
he latter.