St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-11
FARM NOTES.
Points and Facts That May Be of
Value to the TiHers of the Soil.


a correspondent of the st. Paul
Farmer tells of method of feeding
hogs during she summer and fall that
proved very successful. A piece of
ground was seeded with oats early in
the spring. When the oats were in the
milk the hogs were turned Oh with rings
in their noses so that they could not root
the ground up. The oats that ripened
and fell on the ground started second
crop and kept the pasture good until
middle of October, up to which time
the hogs received no other feed, but
were very fat and only required to be
hardened up with corn to lit them for
market. In the case referred to, the
hogs were turned on the land at the rate
of fifteen per acre.
The Moody County Enterprise, in Da-
kOta, says that sheep that are well cared
for seem very free from disease in this
climate, whereas cattle that have been
well cared for seem to be as subject to
disease as any, excepting, of course,
those that have been half-starved. Sheep
eat more weeds in the pasture than any
cattle or horses, and their manure is
very rich. They are frequently referred
10 by the expression Golden Hoof,"
from the Spanish proyerb, ''Whereon
the foot of sheep touches, the land is
turned into gold" This proverb, of
course, arose from the observation of the
fact that land pastured with sheep in
creased in fertility.
In speaking of the recent shipment of
car of fat weathers from Flandrau to
st. Paul, the Enterprise says: This is
the first shipment of this kind in Moody
county, but it is to be hoped that before
many years such shipments will be fire.
quent. Before shipping, Mr.. Chamber
lain SHARED the sheep, and from the
ninety sheared he got 97S pounds OF
wool, only lacking twelve pounds of
averaging eleven pounds per sheep.
The lightest fleece in the lot weighed a
little over ten pounds, and the heaviest
a little less than thirteen pounds.
Improved stock is the order of the
day. 1t has come to be the practical
ething for the practical farmer. 1t has
overcome the prejudice, and gives to
the farmer early maturity with superior
quality that sells in the market for the
highest price. The man who is yet OPP
posed to fine stock has gone to Mexico
and taken his scrub stock with him.
There are, however, some who have
nl0re scrub stock than they want. Grade
up with full blood sires of some of the
improved breeds.
A plant has been discovered in India
which possesses the singular property
of destroying the taste of sweetness.
After chewing the leaves, sugar placed
Oh the tongue conveys no more sense of
sweetness than grains of sand. 1t also
has the property of destroying the power
of enjoying a cigar. and even masks the
bitter taste of quinine.
A standard French commercial paper,
the kconomiSte Franchise, estimates
that the wine growers of France have
suffered loss amounting to about S.
00,000,000 since the insect known as
phylloXera appeared. 1t attributes the
French agricultural and commercial
crisis to this. -...
Baled silage must be the next product.
In the powerful hay presses of the
present day green grass could be
pressed into such a compact mass that
it would keep well. Chopped corn
stalks can be pressed and packed into
cakes and shipped, much as dates
are now shipped. This green fodder
would find fine market in the cities.
Something of the kind is now done in
England. Edward Atkinson. some years
since, shipped two sacks of silage safely
to England. There is good chance
here for some enterpriSing man.
The past few years have about DEM
onstrated that tarred paper ranks next
to wood as valuable material for build
ing chicken-houSes. The silo experience
of late years has proved that for wooden
SilO buildings, tarred paper is practi-
cally indispensable. The use of tarred
paper is becoming SO universal that
there is hardly good farm in the cOun-
try where a roll of it cannot be found.
Its use lessons the lumber bills materi-
ally. 1t appears that many thicknesses
OF boards are used simply TO keep out
the air. The tarred paper will do this
work equally well. -'-.. ....'...
Only one quart of milk per COW for
each day may be the turning point be-
tween profit and loss in the dairy. AS
some cows will yield twice as much as
others, it becomes the duty of the dairy
man to raise his COWS, and use only
those from gOOd milking families. No
dairy can succeed who buys fresh cows
to replace those that dry off, as the
chances are against him. No COW can
be depended upon as a mixer until she
shall have been tested. .-......
Within the past five years many flock
masters have abandoned wool as
source of profit from sheep and given
more attention to mutton, the result be-
ing that sheep have paid large profits.
Ii is being demonstrated that farmers
have placed too much Importance on
wool, which IS a mistaken policy The
sheep will give larger profit than any
other animal on tile farm, but not only
the wool, but the mutton, lamb and
manure must contribute.
Cultivated in groves, the average
growth in twelve years of several va
rietieS of hardwood has been ascer-
tanned to be about as follows: White
maple reaches foot in diameter and 80
feet in height; ashieaf maple or box
elder, foot in diameter and 20 feet in
height; white willow, Is inches and 40
feet; yellow willow, Is inches and So
feet; Lombardy poplar. 10 inches and 40
feet; blue and white ash, 10 inches and
25 feet; black walnut and butternut, 10
inches and 20 feet.
In the West. where the ensilage sys-
TEN is being extensively pushed. the
| system of hiring cutters as threshing
machines are hired is very popular
| The cutter and engine go about from
! house to house with men enough to take
care OF the fodder as fast as 1t is pre-
Sented. Thus many smaller farmers
who could not afford to own a cutter
and power are enabled to fill their silos
at reasonable cost.
/ Scatter ashes along the rows of the
| young strawberry plants as soon as
| they shall be large enough to work
| Stir the earth, take out all grass and
then apply the ashes on the surface.
and the rains will carry them down to
the roots. Fertilizers for Strawberries
give the best results when applied near
the surface and not worked into the
soil, as the roots feed near the surface
| instead of Denetratinp deeDlv