The National tribune., 1888-03-08
OUR RUR4L TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
ADVICE no gMALL FARMEaa.

ADVICE TO SMALL FARMERS.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: No doubt
there are many readers of the agricultural coll
umn of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE who are
small farmers, owning from two to 80 acres of
land, and it is great study with them how to
make both ends meet by growing corn, pota-
toes, wheat, and the like.
Now to this class [ will say that there is q
way of making as much money from 10 acres
as many farmers realize from 100 acres.
mean by growing vegetables or small-fruits.
1t is true that in some localities this business
is overdone, but there are hundreds Of places
where fortunes await the first ones who embark
in this business. The men who go at this must
not only work with their hands, but with their
heads. To convince the skeptical, / will figure
on one acre of strawberries Any ground that
will produce good corn will serve we'll for the
strawberry TO set the plants, one by three,
viii take about $4,000 plants to the acre. These
plants can be bought for s. per thousand, and
of choice varieties This would amount to $50
for plants sufficient for one acre. The cost of
preparing the ground, setting out the plants
and cultiyating them the first year would be
about $25 making the total expense the first
year $64.
The next Spring there would be full crop.
Some claim to raise one quart to the plant. We
Will figure on one pint to the plant; 1900
plants, 203 bushels, and at SO per busheI whole
sale here, 5000. Deduct cost of picking haul
ing and boxes, $3.50, which is more than
enough, especially if you have your own help,
so the whole cost would be 1914, and this de-
Il I'D rny Il a.
1895. Besides this money you have the acre in
good condition for two good crops, and you may
sell plants enough to pay for part or all the ex
penses. This can be easily done by advertising
and talking the matter up in your neighbor-
! hood. In some parts of the country you can
get s. per bushel, wholesale, which would be
so much more clear profit. Learn the prices in
your neighborhood, and if good set out still
| larger amount the ensuing year. would ad-
wise those who are going into the business to
| set out Strawberries, raspbeFries and blaekber-
ries, so as to have money coming in during most
Of the Summer. The above is written by a
man who practices what he writes, and am
proud to say that he has made success Of it.
FRANK MURPHY, DonnelsyilIe, 0.
CALvIEG COWS.
As the season of calying approaches some
careful study should be given to two prevalent
! and troublesome disorders Of cows, viz, milk
fever and garget. The first of these attacks
cows that are in good condition suddenly and
often fatally within two or three days after the
calf appears The COW is found down in her
stall, helpless. and sometimes frenzied by the
acute congestion Of the brain. The causes OF
the disease are imIDaterial; the point TO be con-
sidersd is how it can be prevented. There lie
a most effective means for securing exemption,
which is to feed the COW lightly and withhold
grain food altogether for six weeks or a month
before calving and when this period approach
es to remove the cow from tho stable to q sepa-
rate roomy stall, apart by herself, where she is
kept in quietude until completely recovered
from the change In her condition, which il
when the milk has come to its normal charac-
ter and is fit for use in the dairy. The other
disorder, garget, is so closely allied to the milk
fever that the same means of prevention are
equally effective for it, but If an attack should
occur from any unavoidable cause, it is quick
ly overcome by the copious use of hot water
lamentations, and the application Of camphor,
ated soap liHiment with much gentle rubbing
But excessive grain feeding is to be carefully
avoided.
EEsILAGE
The successful practice of ensilage during the
past few years win no doubt lead to its still
further extension. Its economy of labor and
material are such as to recommend it to every
farmer who has horned stock to feed during
the Winter. But we have not as yet nearly
exhausted the possibilities of this practice
English farmers have gone further than We
have in its application. They have got so fsl
as TO do without silo, and preserve the fodder
in stacks covered with tight roof, and either
weighted down drawn down by means o.
chains aud screw bolts so as to compress the
mass after it has heated sufficiently, to prevent
injurious fermentation and acidity. Another
very useful modification of the practice is Il
mix the cut fodder with dry straw, cut fine
| am mas tn emf nv tyh
straw absorbes some of the aroma of the fodder
and becomes softened and more digestibls
This, however is not new discovery, as /
was first used by DR.. Voelcker several year
ago, and described by him in an article pub
lished in the Journal Of the Royal Agriculture
Society of England long before ensilage wa
first used in America in England.
NOTES.
"A correspondent at AcademyyilIe, Pa
writes, as regards the value of green manure
:" have farmed tWo-acIe field for the last fiv
years, raising on the upper and lower half pota
toes and field-corn alternately, and the Summe
Of 1886 | obtained Sc bushels of ceb-corn, AM
that Fall got the cornfeld i'll wheat, and tn
. following SPRING the wheat proving unsatisfac
tory, plowed it down, planted corn and raise
| 106 bushels of cob-corn. The gain was direcEl
due to the green manure, although it receive
less cultivation than the previous crop."-E1
change.
= Coal ashes are of some value as fertilize
! especially to mix with clayey soil. But th
best use to make of the ashes is for roads an
paths. good covering, over which q littl
soil IS thrown, will soon form a hard, solid roaC
To make better walk, prepare and level th
bed, excavating it few inches below the ger
eral surface. Pour on a coating Of coal-tar an
cover it thickIy with coal-ashes; when this
dry, repeat with another coat of tar and ashe
and so on until there are four coats of tar an
- as many Of ashes. In q short time this wi
harden and make walk as hard as stone.
= A number of experiments made at Mi
souri, Agricultural College farm showed that o
a moist dirt road it required a force equal
z 487 pounds to move load of 1865 pounds,
q 81 per cent. more force than was needed
move same load over a gravel road having
grade of one foot in %; and that on lev
- gravel or macadamized road for the for'
v needed was only one-fourth as much as needle
q On the dirt road. On plank floor the fort
needed was but one-seventh as much as tn
required on the dirt road. This made no ALLOW
ance for the energy wasted by the horse
pulling his feet from the mud, or in liftir
% them over the little elevations which are a
"a ways to be found in muddy roads.
- An excellent and certainly the cheape
way fer a farmer to raise as many Swedish tn
nips (rutabagas) as he may want is to select
acre or two or the richest part Of his cornfiel
and after blowing it up in the Spring and a
plying thereon, broadcast, coat of well-rott,
mo MIRA +ba emma i'm IN Iar