St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-07-28
FACTS FOR FARMERS.

While the general use of poisons
would undoubtedly soon exterminate
certain classes of injurious insects, un-
fortunately poisons also destroy the
insects which benefit the crops by liv-
ing upon the injurious ones.
The value Of any kind of farm
stock is very largely determined by its
feeding the first year of it's life. Breed
ing counts for much, though every
successful breeder knows how gre atty
the character of young animal is
changed by innutritious or improper
food.
Gradually more attention is being
paid to grass for the reason that by
growing it and taking pains in the
management, the fertility of the soil
can be gradually improved more SO
than with almost any other crop. And
as the yield of other crops begins to
fall below the line of profitable yields
more attention is paid to grass
Western Ploaonaoaa.
Carrots and parsnips for stock feed
ing or any other purpose are more
tender if sown as late as June. The
soil being warm they grow quicker
than the early sown. The objections
to late sowing are a liability to suffer
from drought and the sharp competition
with weeds when the plants are young
and feeble.
The boy that would rather stay
about the stable on rainy days, when it
is not fit to work in the fields or out of
doors, and look after the comfort OF
the horses, fixing up the hangers,
stalls, etc., and cleaning cob-webs out
of the corners, than to skip off to some
corner grocery and loaf, is the boy
that is going to make a successful
horseman and farmer.
-Beets or mangels can be raised in
great abundance and at low cost.
With our best lands and in all seasons
it is possible to raise ten bushels OF
beets to the same ground space that
will produce one of corn. The cost OF
raising is only about three times that
of corn per acre, and the feeding value
of an acre of beets as a supplemental
feed to corn is equal to five or more
acres of corn.
After setting the dog on the tramp,
feeding the potato beetles with paris
green, and enticing the book agent
into the bull pasture, Western PlosCman
asks, 'what is to be done with that
greatest enemy of thrifty farm-the
man who knows too much to learn OF
othersp" Let him alone. He will die
some day, though perhaps before that
time the wise money lender will fore
close the mortgage on his farm.
- 1t will be sign OF progressive
farming when the owner of swine saves
cloverfor his hogs in winter or goes
further and preserves in "a silo sweet
corn with which to winter and help
fatten his hogs. The possibilities of
hog rearing with the right kind OF
silage are beyond reckoning. We must
have more hogs on the farm to make
more fertility. The cost of wintering
is the present drawback but with
clover, silage, apples and roots there
may be an immense increase with
corresponding profit. A good breed
ing sow is a good investment, with
little more faith in the natural foods
for swine.
Oats are made up of 66 per cent
of kernel and 81 per cent. of husk.
The husk is almost wholly woody fiber.
Hence when 50 cents is paid for
bushel of oats, the valuable food sub.
stance contained in the grain costs
nearly Il cents per pound, or $35 per
ton. Against corn at 56 cents a bushel,
Or bran at $40 per ton, oats are thus
seen to be rs per cent. dearer than
either. Oats, however, are useful for
feeding horses on account of the guam
ity of husk they contain, and their
peculiar heterogeneous character, as the
gluten of the oats is worth about three
lines as much as the starch of the
corn.