The National tribune., 1889-06-20
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
PIGS THAT ARE ovER-FED.

judiciously. They should never have all they
will eat. Only fattening swine should be so
fed, aud they would soon die from overlooking
If they were not killed. When young pig
chokes at the trough, squeals and falls over in
fit, it is over-fed; when it goes to the side of
the stall, champs its jaws. foams at the mouth,
and does nothing else than this, it has been
over-fed; and in both cases it is suffering from
congestion of the brain, due to indigestion and
disturbed circulation. It is in state of apo
plexy, and will probably die anyhow, but the
others may be saved by at once reducing their
feed to about one fourth of what they have
been getting.
The prevalent paralysis of the hind limbs is
caused by over feeding, by which the kidneys
have been over-taxed and the nervous system
of the lumba region (the loins) is disturbed.
Thus the power of motion of the hind legs is
lost. Recent experiments in feeding young pigs
go to show that pig of forty pounds needs no
more food per day than two quarts of milk and
four ounces of solid food, such as bran or oats
and cornmeal. On this allowance, gradually
increased, pigs made a steady and healthful
growth, while two others kept in pen by
themselves and suffered to gorge themselves,
became stunted, stopped growing, and in the
third week one was attacked by congestion of
the brain, and had to be starved out oft, losing
fully two months growth.
When young pigs are weaned they should be
fed in shallow trough from which they can
take their food only slowly. And pint of
milk and two ounces of boiled eornmeal mixed
with the milk will be enough for daily ration
the first week, and a gradual increase may be
made. substituting raw meal of the best kind,
not exceeding the limit aforementioned, for
six-weeks' or eight-weeks'- old pig, and less in
ratio with a less weight. Overlooking is the
common bane of the pig.-AmericdR Agrtc.a-
tarist.
REGARDING THE DESTRUCTION OF WIRE
WORMS.
There are insects which, because of their
wide distribution and the great variety of
plants which they attack, are especially OBJ
noxious to farmers. Prominent among these
are wire-wofms They occur in all parts of the
country, and infest all cultivated fields; they
are difficult to reach and destroy, because they
work beneath the surface of the ground. They
are liable to attack plants when they are most
susceptible to injury-when they are quite
young and unable to withstand any attacks.
Sometimes seeds are destroyed before germina-
ton, and the injury to cornfelds is very great.
Wire-worms are the Larvae of beetles, upon
which the war of determination must be waged.
Prof j. H. Comstock, of the Cornell University
Agricultural Experiment Station, has been
making study of the prevention of the raw
ages of the wire-worm. and progress is reported
in the third bulletin of the station.
1t is believed to be a difficult matter to treat
the worms themselves, because of being buried
beneath the soil and inaccessible to direct treat
ment; but experiments that are to be still
further pursued go to show that the beetles can
be operated upon by trapping. It is found
that several substances will attract them, clover
being most successful; sweetened meal dough
comes next IN order, then unsweetened dough
and potatoes. The beetles fly both night and
day, but are more active by night than by day,
and seek their food principally by running
over the surface of the ground; so if clover is
dipped IN Paris-green water, or wet with a So
luton of arsenical poison and covered over
with board to prevent drying, it is believed
that the beetles may be destroyed German
tOgn Telegraph.
FERTILIzING FOR FRUIT.
The chemical composition of fruits can be
changed by the fertilizers applied to the trees
and vines producing them. It has been found
that the quality of fruits can be greatly i'm
proved by the judicious application of fertiI-
izers, and that the per cent. of sugar contained
in them can be largely increased. The increase
obtained is most remarkable in the case of the
wild fruits. Prof Geossmann performed some
very interesting experiments in this direction.
Several Concord grape vines and several wild
purple grape vines were set in posts and fer
tilted at the rate per acre of 450 pounds of
dissolved bone-back containing II per cent. of
soluble phosphoric acid, and $50 pounds of
nitrate of potash containing 40 per cent. of
potassium oxide and Ii per cent. of nitrogen,
% pounds of soluble phOsphoric oxide and %
pounds of nitrogen One-half of the fertilizers
were applied in the Fall and the other half in
the Spring. Three years after the application
of the fertilizer an examination of the fruit
was made and compared with that of fruit
from the same kind of vines on land which had
not been fertilized. 1t was found that the
sugar in the Concord grape from vines infer
tilted was 1888 per cent, while that in grapes
whose vines had been fertiliZed was 15.43 per
cent. The sugar in the wild purple grapes
from vines unfertilzed amounted to 1922 per
cent, while that in grapes from fertilized vines
Of the same kind was 1867 per cent.-a very
remarkable increase. The most notable changes
of the mineral elements noticed in the grapes
was an increase of potassium oxide and de-
crease in the calcium oxide. These expert
ments indicate that there is q wider field for
experimentation for the improvement of the
quality of fruits by the skillful application of
fertilizers. The quality of apples grown upon
trees that are well fed with all the fertilizing
elements needed is decidedly superior to apples
raised upon trees which have not been fertilized.
NOTES
Cultivate the corn early and often.
What is good feed will make good manure.
The best time to kill weeds is before there
are any.
DO not wait for weeds to grow before start
ing the cultivator.
1t is good thing to have crop of pump
kins with which to brace up the Fall pasture.
"A single visit of the gobbler to a turkey
hen is sufficient to fertilize the eggs for an
entire season.
Clean the stables every day and put soil or
some other absorbent on the floor to take up
the foul odors Cover up or destroy or make
compost of everything about which flies collect
on warm day. If you neglect these things
do not find fault with your wife because there
are dies in the house and on the table, nor at
tempt to excuse yourself Ii she finds fault with
you.
-on recent trip to Niagara Falls the editor
of Orchard and Garden noticed, about three
miles below the falls, on a bank of the river, a
pecan tree, nearly or quite so feet high, laden
with fruit.
An extraordinary case of prolific lambing
has just occurred in Somerset, England, where a
Dorset Horn eve has given birth to 40 less
than Eve lambs, four'of which were born alive
and still survive. a.
1t must be borne i'll mind that dry or whole
grain an exclusive diet does not fill the bill
of food for fowls in Winter. They must have
cabbage, turnips, onions, and vegetables in
| general to do we'll 81
! Now is the time to make hives for your
next years increase,eto buy your sections and