Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-04-15
FARM AND GARDEN.

IN selecting young Brahmas an indi-
cation of what the plumage will be is
given by the bills. When the bill
has dark stripe down the upper
mandible the hackle and, tail will be
dark.
A correspondent of the National
Stockman says: ITO prevent the dep
rotations of rabbits on young fruit
trees, take some lamp black or SCOT
from the chimney back, mix it up with
milk Slammed milk will do), and with
cloth or an old broom paint the body
of the tree from the ground to the
limbs. 1t will remain through the win
ter, and nothing will modest the trees.
In the spring take some strong soap
suds and wash the black from the tree,
and it will remove all tree lice or
any impurities from the bark and
give the tree green, healthy appear
ance."
Students of forestry have frequently
stated that cultivation of the soil has n
beneficial influence upon the distribu-
ton and amount of rainfall, fact well
illustrated by statement made by Mr..
Holstein at recent meeting of the
Philadelphia Academy of Natural
Sciences. Mr.. II. affirmed that the
streams in certain cultivated portions
of Northern Texas were found to con-
tinue running during the portion of the
year when they formerly dried up.
The change is supposed to be due to
the fact that the rainfall, which has not
changed in amount, is more evenly
absorbed over the cultivated areas.
The Maryland Farmer takes strong
ground in favor of feeding cattle in
yards and sheds instead of letting them
roam over large pastures, which must
be fenced at great expense. 1t is so
much cheaper 70: a farmer to fence in
his own stock than to fence out all the
stock of his nciChbors; and then an acre
will yield three or four times as much
cattle food if it is cultivated and the
crops cut instead of being gnawcd off
by tramping animals. The cost of
fences is usually more than the value
of the animals pasturcd, and some
times more than the land enclosed.
Cattle that are kept rather close. and
are handled often, are also tanner, and
less breachy than those which run at
large, and are often compelled to shirk
for their suspIy of food.
A Kansas farmer who has had con-
siderable experience in raising and
feeding sorghum, is quite enthusiastic
rs to its merits us fodder crop. He
grows the Early Amber sort, sows
broadcast one and fourth bushels OF
seed, or drills in one bushel. He cuts
when three or four feet high, and be-
ginning to show here and there head,
with u moving machine; cures thor
oughly. When cut thus early second
crop, nearly or quite as good as the first
can be harvested, or if preferred, the
field affords abundant pasturage at q
time when pastures are generally dried
in turning cattle into sorghum pas.
ture as into fresh clover, turning them
in for n short time only till they become
accustomed to it. The feed, whether
green or cured, is excellent to stimulate
milk production. 1t yields from five t.
six tons per acre.
Mr.. A. ii. Castor, Marshall county
Illinois, always found that when pump
kins or squashcs were fed with corn tn,
animals were more healthy and thrifty
than when receiving corn alone; it alsC
required less corn, and the hogs wer,
free from disease. He noticed that thu
hogs ate the pumpkin or squash seed
first, showing that they furnished some
thing particularly needed. Mr.. Castor
advises swine grOwers.tO try the ''frui
of the vine" He has grown what il
known as the Valparaiso squash, a yer,
prolific variety, said TO have sometime.
produced thirty tons per acre, al
amount he considered equal to S0C
bushels shellcd corn. He thinks tn,
seed may be had of some of the seeds
men. This squash grows well in al
early potato patch, planted about thu
middle of May. Put one seed in place
ten feet apart; they begin "vining'
about the time the potatoes are dug, ant
thus give profitable second crop.