Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-12-31
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
THE OLD BARN.

THE OLD BARN
l see it yet, in fancy, with Its old and wheel
worn floor
The wooden LATCH the hired mans name carved
deeply in the door.
The spactous NOW upon the left, the manger on
the right,
Where stood the old straw cutter - now used to
dread lite sight.
For there were cripples it had made OF these
heard few
! Are drawing army pensions now-sharp agente
put EN- through.
| Again hear the sound Of hails upon the muf-
fed floor:
The chickens scramble for the grains that reach
| the open door:
| Up in the loft a LAYING hen sings Of deed sub
lime.
| Unmindful though her daughters bones were
picked at dinner time:
While near patient sister ''eits," resolved to
incubate,
How very huge the old barn looked, when viewed
through boysh eyee,
Even Rome's big Colosseum seemed inferior in
size;
And 1 also thought when near the roof, waist
deep in ecorching hay,
! That for weeks to come that NOW would roast
all eggs the hens might lay.
| I see the iron grain-sco0p on which erode
down hill''-
It leans .nddingly against the cd red flaming
mill
And the worn half-bushel measure which we
! boys oft tried to walk
| Like circus men, by plastering our stocking
feet with chalk;
1t is strange how boys Of eighty pounds and
even smaller ones
Can cave their bones and fall at times with the
| weight of eighty tons.
| Last week the old barn vanished and a new one
took its place,
The staunch old structure ran with time Z long
! and noble race,
For in spite Of rain and hail storms, and light
ming reds and wind,
| They found the timbers sound as when together
While the youth whose father. hen boy oft
wondered at It's age,
Now feebly plays an ''old mans part" on lfe's
| uncertain stage.
| CROP REVIEW.
| The Chicago Farmers Review for the current
! week rays: The tenor of the reports from the
| winter wheat belt continues to be generally fav-
| orable, though the presence Of the fly in various
! counties of OHIO and Indiana is reported but 10
| serious injury is a. yet indicated. The reports
! from Kansas are not as encouraging one
month ago and number Of southern Illinois and
northern Ohio and Indiana counties report the
plant az looking feeble. Nine-tenths of the
counties report, however, throughout the entire
belt that the crop is in good to ane condition.
The movement OF corn Is reported to be moder-
| :tely free in Missouri but slow in Kansas, Ne
braska I va and lllinois. Five Illinois and 10
| Iowa counties report, this week, that the corn
supply is 20 short IA to prevent any shipment or
] IL entirely exhausted.
| SENDING HENS BY NAIL.
nhn~ lo<tn
etc., received at the Returned-Letter Office In
London, for year endind March 81, 1886, was IL,
622, 067, or An increase Of ~ per cent over the
previous year. OF this number AL, 765 were
unreturnable, 175,246 contained enclosures Ut
value and 26, OPS were posted without any ad.
dress. Amtng the letters bearing address
were 500 which contained 81, 1873 It's Sd in cash
and checks. In the year ending March 81, 1885,
there were &c, Az letters posted without any ad
dress, 1855 of which contained value to the
amount Of ga, 1898. Among the contents Of par
cels received in the Returned-letter Office At
Dublin, and which had been stopped az contrary
to regulations, were two hens, eight mice, and
two hedgehogs. One Of the hens, which
was addressed to veterinary surgeon in Lon
don, was in bad health, and although carefully
attended to itdied iu the office. The remain
ing hen as we'll as the mice and hedgehogs,
were given up alive to their owners.
|
Keep bits Of old iron in the water given to
chickens to drink.
Chickens must have access to bare ground
Dust is absolutely necessary to them.
Utilize the hen manure. Combined with road
dust it is the best possible fertilizer.
When mixing meal for chicks use skim.mk
instead of water. The effect will be wonderful
The United States imports millions Of eggs
| m m I'M
this.
To avoid gapes remove coops to a fresh loca
ton daily. Feed tie chickens on clean boards,
| never on the ground.
! Divide the sour milk between the pigs anu
chickens: the latter love 1t and it il q most ben
edcial diet in every respect.
Petroleum will often cure chicken cholera il
given in time. A tablespoonful in q pint Of
meal, fed to the hens, is sufficient.
T. THE SUNS HEAT.
The heat Of the sun is not increasing. Tit
researches of the botanist and geologist show
that the solar radiation OF heat cannot have
varied but in very trinng degree since the
| most remote geological ages-that is, for mil
lions of years. 1t is estimated that the measure
Of the heat Of the sun at its surface is 1,60t
degrees Fahrenheit, which is FIVE times the
highest temperature man can produce srtifcially
burning each second mass OF coal (of the bes
quality 200 miles broad 200 miles long,; and 2O(
, miles high-that is, 5000, 900 cubic miles o
coal. This would be about 12,OO millions o.
millions Of tons per second. 1t will help ~ to
imagine what this means il we consider that thu
whole output of our exceptionally coal-pro
ducing country is but about 15O, OO0, 600 of toni
Der annum 1t is calculated that one z, 1881 600,
OOOth part Of the suns heat reaches ne, and
therefore, the whole amount really passes eithe
AL -1.A1~ "a t. On.
question with astronomers as to what become
Of the heat that toes off into space.
CONCERNING CORN.
The corn crop Of this country this year il
said 10 be 1850 OOO,( 90 bushels. The SAM
authority gives the consumption as more thai
this, namely: $4,000, OO) bushels used in huma'
food, ga, 90 900 for working animals, 2 100,
U)O for seed, lOO,0O.UOO for the production o.
spirits and glucose. g.. 0JO,OOO for export, an'
eO,OOO,OO for the food OF meat-producn
animals.
. DAKOTA CORN.
} The Commissioner OF immigration for Dakota
Lauren Dunlap, Bismarck sends the following
in relation to Indian corn as showing the avail
ability Of the Territory in the cultivation OF thi
important cereal:
Inc average yleiu per acre " eotu III Jaw
for the year 1886 is estimated by the Depart
ment OF Agriculture NJ 25.5 bushels. and tn
. average quality IS points. This is agood show
. ing for the older counties in the southeaster
section, where the Yellow Dent corn is cult
waited with about the same success as In Illinois
! It will be interesting to note how the Dakot
, averages compare with the following: Illinoi
; 24.7 bushels per acre, aud quality 81 points
Wisconsin. 25.S bushels and sc points: lows
A,5 bushels and 81 points: Minnesota, 80 and 9
points; Nebraska, 27,5 bushels and % points
Kansae, 2l.3 bushels and 81 points The yiel
! in DakotA il higher than Ill the other State
! named except Minnesota, and the average quail
ty lees than any of the others with the exceE
, ton OF Kansas, which is something Of eurprise