The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-04-14
FARM NOTES.

The value of clover for manure is the re-
turn to the soil of all plant food, such "a
ammonia, nitrogen, carbon, and the con-
stituents of water absorbed during growth.
The gradual decomposition of this vegetable
matter gives constant and steady supply of
manure to the soil, which renders the effect
more lasting than such as is obtained from
the barnyard The clover is better for this
purpose after it has produced one heavy crop
of hay and has been allowed to stand for
seed.
A paper ON ensilage was read at the Oar
liDgton, England, Chamber of Agriculture
meeting, by Mr.. T. Easdale, agent to Mr..
Stobart, of Pepper Arden. He said that
their experience on the estate he managed
had now extended over four years, and that
Mr.. Stobart continued to hold the same IA
vorable opinion of the system as at the first.
Since the enlargement of his Silos he had
made 200 tons of silage in 1884 and the same
quantity in 1885. In the two past winters he
had fed forty fattening beasts from sixteen
to twenty milking cows and upward of sixty
store cattle, all of them receiving a share of
ensllage, but not entirely fed on it. He spe-
cially alluded to the advantage Of feeding
mich cows on silage in winter, and main
tanned that of about 600 persons whose opin-
ions had been obtained SO per cent were ia
vorable to silage as food for cattle.
The herse is more dainty about his food
than any other farm animal excepting a
sheep. No uneaten refuse should be left in
the feeding boxes to sour under the animals
nose. In warm weather the danger of this
is greater especially when meal with wet,
cut hay is given. This is the best possible
feed for working horse, but if left to many
hired men, it will be unsatisfactory from
overlooking. Some people seem to think that
all there is in feeding horse is to stuff his
manger full with hay all the time, and give
him large amounts of grain or meal. Under
such management a horse will grow poor
and his appetite will fail, and with no appe-
tite he can not do efficient work.
Old mixers frequently give milk which has
bitter taste. Tie milk glands of such cows
are gradually losing their activity and it is
quite natural that they should fail to pro-
duce normal milk. Bitter milk gives rise to
serious troubles, for it imparts its taste to all
its products, as cream, cheese and. butter.
Immediately after milking nothing suspi-
cious can be noticed, but after standing a
short time the abnormal taste is developed,
fat separates out and bubbles of gas are no.
ticed TO rise in the milk. Nothing definite
is known about this difficulty, though it
never occurs in diaries where cleanliness is
strictly practiced. The presence of bubbles
of gas indicates decomposition and 1t may
be that this abnormal milk is only variety
of milk which decomposes rapidly.
The history OF sorghum with US. says an
exchange, dates back only to 1885. Before
that time sorghum was entirely unknown.
In the above year a little seed was brought
over from Paris which had been sent from
China by some Frenchmen visiting there.
From this little bundle of seed has sprung
what bids fair to be one OF the greatest in
dustries of this country, and Kansas is
especially adapted to its successful growth.
AT first it was only regarded as good fodder
for stock, but later years have proven its
merits as sugar producing plant, and it is
now an established fact that good sugar can
be made from sorghum cheaper than from
any other variety of sugar plant. The diff
ferent departments of agriculture have made
it a careful study and have always regarded
it with favor.