The National tribune., 1886-02-11
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
THE TIME TO CUT TIMBER.


As there has always been more or less dis
cu5sion as to the best time to cut timber lin re-
gard to the lasting quality of the woody we
give the following ideas from correspondent
of the Germantown Telegraph:
My fathers lot when Ia years old was cast
in the woods, his father having bought 200
acres of woodland to turn it into farm. When
driving his team through the woods at times
the cattle would go right through a tree-top
with IMMUNITY, making it fly in all directions;
at other times they would have to back out, the
branches would be so strong. 1t set him to
thinking why it was SO. Upon investigation
he found that timber cut after the leaves were
ont the oxen could go through the easiest. His
experience was that timber cut from the mid
die of August until the first or middle of the
next April would last longest. When timber is
cut the last of August the bark adheres to the
wood as a part of it, whereas cut in April, III
the course of the year the bark will slip, leav-
| ing the wood hard and sound
"When | was III years old my father felled
| large locust tree that stood i'll a corner OF the
yard to make posts for yard fence; it was In
| the forepart of April Thirty-five years after
new fence was necessary; while some of the
posts were useless, others were little the worse
for wear. The posts were sawed 5x6 at bottom
| and 2x6 at top, and different from any other
| timber | ever saw !; it was rusted away at the
| bottom instead of rotting Off at the top and
| leaving chunk in the ground. have thought
| it would be satisfaction to know the part OF
the tree the sound parts came from, they all be-
| ing from the same tree and so much difference
| at the end of so many years in the same kind
| of soil. / have always observed my fathers
rules (only that he would take into account the
old of the NOON, unless it was absolutely
necessary to do otherwise"
RAISE SHEEP.
The raising of sheep presents an excellent
means of improving aud making profitable the
poor and rough lands in different sections of
this country. Such lands are abundant, and
are unsuitcd for pasturing heavy cattle and for
tillage, and many poor owners of rough and
thin lands could be relieved from distressing
circumstances if they would stop blowing and
stock up with good sheep. In this way these
| lands may be turned to profitable account,
when under ordinary treatment they would be
almost worthless.
NECESSITY OF CARE IN HITCHING.
Not a few valuable horses have been injured
and even killed outright by careless hitching.
Colts especially require to be htched with the
greatest care, as they are but too prone to be-
como very FESTIVE in confinement, and if not
properly hitched there is no knowing into what
shapes they may worm themselves during the
night, by getting one or both foreegs over the
hitching strap. To obviate all such difficulty,
the neither end of the hitching strap after pass
ing through q ring attached to the front of the
manager. should have weight attached to it
sufficiently heavy to prevent any Stacking of
the strap not heavier, however, than necessary
to give it free play and answer the purpose
PYRETHRUM RosEUM.
To THE EDITOR: After furnishing several
seedsmen with this seed | still have n few
thousand packets left, and as do not want to
keep it over for another year, will distribute
it among the readers of THE NATIONAL TRIB-
UNE who will send me their address aud three
cents in stamps, which will Just cover cost, or
will send 10 packets to one address for Is cents.
1t is put up in neat packages with plain di-
rectOns given each for cultivation and
making the powder. The powder is harmless
to mankind and animals, but sure death to
insects. The plant is easy of cultivation,
hardy perenniel, native of Russia, and will
bloom for years 1t is a beautiful flower, an
ornament to any garden, and grows to the
hight of about three feet, with single and double
blossoms Of varicgated colors.-FRANK MUIR
PLY, Donnelsvile, p. o. Box So, Clark Co., o.
HOG NOTES.
Avoid getting the boar fat. Feed him no
corn at all, and allow him plenty of room for
exercise. If too fat he will be of but little
service, and as it will be less expensive 10 keep
him in moderate condition it is matter of
economy not to feed him heavily.
The popular idea that hog cannot hurt
itself by overlooking is erroneous Even if
eaten up lean at one time and at regular in
tervals. If the feeding occurs at stated times
each day the hog will lie down and sleep in
the intervals, and this will fatten him faster
and be more healthful than keeping food be-
fore the animal all the time. A mess of par
ially-eaten food left III his trough is distaste-
full even to hog and makes him eat less i'll
quantity and with less relish than he otherwise
would.
On the small farm hog-rasing pays as we'll
or perhaps better than on the larger one. For
the farmer of moderate means hog raising is
one Of the surest and quickest ways of making
money in the average season.
NOTELETs.
The South has its large farms as we'll as
the West. There is farm in Georgia, owned
by Mr.. Dickson, which annually produces
5000 bales of cotton. The Richardson farm in
Louisiana, however, is much larger, covering
more than % 900 acres, Of which II, 900 are i'll
cotton every year, and the balance devoted to
feeding crops. This plantation raises an aver
age of 70 600 bales of cotton year.
- Rotten corncobs are valuable fertilizer
on any soil that is deficient in potash, and
worth saving for this purpose alone, while if
rotted with manure they are considerably more
valuable, and in cleaning up the hog pen con-
siderable pains should be taken to gather up
| and mix them with the manure
- The missing trees in the orchard should
| be replaced by thrifty young trees of some
choice variety. 1t pays to keep all the space
within the boundaries of the orchard fully
| occupied.
- Vegetable matter in the soil is absolutely
| essential to the growth of the higher order Of
vegetation. Where this is wanting commercial
manures may be added in any quantity with
no appreciable result in bencfting crops But
| supply the needed organic matter, and the
| growth and luXuriance of the crops will sur
| prise you. The object of fertilization is to in
| sure an abundance of elements going to form
I vegetation.
| - A Georgia farmer thinks mistake is made
| in not raising more goats. He says that they
| cost absolutely nothing to raise, are not as
| troublesome as may be supposed, are much more
| profitable than sheep, and when fat the goat
| meat rivals mutton. He states that he has
| Spring lamb the year round as goats usually
| bear young twice year.
| - 1t is said, and well proved, that the more
quiet sheep are kept the more quickly they will
| fatten.
! Tall Story,
| But a true one, is a story of what has been
| done for our fellow townsman, John Armstrong
| A little over a year ago, when we came to
| / Il moi ny cd IN 1ix,n