The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1886-01-27
Farm and Live Stock Notes.
Corn is a warming feed.

NOEll is Wal llllS ittu.
Cold air is not always pure.
Offer little clover hay to the pigs.
Cruelty to animals; driving hors
es with smooth shoes on icy roads.
This inactive season on the farm
is IA good time to plan improvements
The women have no business
with milking in the winter time.
The health of animals, as well as
human beings, is easier retained by
good care than regained when lost
1t costs nothing to strew the icy
walks lightly with ashes; the act
NAV save doctors bill for setting
broken limbs.
There is but little doubt that full
w one-quarter of the corn fed to
fatting hogs is wasted 10y feeding II
in muddy yards or lots or open pens.
The Water Supply.-This is al
ways an important matter every
where. and no less on farms than i'll
cities. No doubt the very best way
of securing pure water on the aver
age farm is to gather it from the
house roofs into capaclous clsterns'
first filtering it to remove impurities.
In some parts of the west the prac-
tice of storing rain water for gener-
al use in cisterns is quite common.
and deep to insure cold water i'll
summer.
A Great Waste One cannot but
wonder at the stupidity of some
men who, while lamenting the small.
ness of the manure yield. will yet
allow streams of liquid manure-to
pass from the stables into the
streams and waste. The loss through
this kind of management must he
equivalent to millions of dollars
every year. No system of stables
is complete without an arrangement
of cutters and manure cisterns to
save all liquids voided The only
fair substitute is absorption by the
use of dry earth in connection with
9th er bedding.
Fowls in Winter-When the
ground is frozen or covered with ice
and snow chickens do not like the
prospect of quitting their sheltered
quarters. 1t is very important,
therefore, that these be sufficiently
ventilated in the day time in mild
weather, and closely secured alright
and in stormy days Over crowd
ing is often fault also; fowls can
stand more of this now than at some
other seasons, but we should never
so limit them that they will be
obliged to huddle together too close
ly either by day or by night. Keep
the house clean. Supply one warm
meal at least once day, with some
green food as often Have good
dust bath, if it's nothing more than
coal ashes, adding little powdered
sulphur. Snch treatment will re-
ward you with eggs, when there
are eggs.
To the Men Folks.-Now that the
trying winter season is Oh, and
with an increase of labor, to the
housekeeper, usually, while your
work may be less, will you not help
along some in their department
See to it that the heating is well
furnished in fuel and kindling right
along let the wife be relieved of
any cares in this matter. Provide
good utensils, and if need be, mus
Gle, sometimes. for keeping draughs
clear of clinkers, and the pipes and
: chimneys in order. Free burning
fires are wonderfully cheering to
home life in winter, and promotive
of happines all around. Then the
snow shovel is out of place in a
woman's hands if there be man
about who has the time to handle
it, as there usually is; few men are
{ 80 situated but tina: they can keep
the walks and steps clean of snow
every day in the winter. This sug-
gestion might be uncalled for were
il not that the writer knows cases
where women clean the walks and
the men are idle. One man in par
ticular we knew of, keeps his lazy
bones to bed mornings now a-dayS,
; while his wife rOusts about tending
the fires. carrying fuel, and shovel
ing off walks. Such men we how
ever believe are, as they ought to
be scarce in this civilized land.