Connecticut western news., 1889-12-04
ABOUT THE FARM.

ABOUT THE FARM.
 Hints for Farmers and Busy
 Housewives to Appreciate.
 With the average dairyman there are sef4gfeat leaks to be stopped and better business methods to be adopted. He must know that there are no cows in his herd which he is keeping at a positive loss year after year. He must know that he is feeding an economic ration. He must know that there IS no per cent. of the butter fat left in his skim milk, or 10 per cent. carried away in the buttermilk.
 The successful farmer of to-day is the one who combines the teaching of science with the teachings of practical vie'v. Science is of little use unless it is employed in making our practical operations more successful and remun- erative. Science says to. the farmer, put in for use as ensilage, good, whole some folders we'll advanced to matur- ity, and then keep down the changes within the silo as far as possible.
 This years experience increases faith in early varieties of potatoes planted early for the main crop. A great many persons believe that potatoes for winter use must be late variety, or grown late in the season, and that early varieties dug early cannot safely be put in the cellar. No greater mis- take could be made, and yet when potatoes are harvested early a little care is required that they may be handled with care and put in the cellar in good condition. To all enquirers concerning lucerne or alfalfa as forage plant I have no hesitation in advising New England farmers to let it alone. Several years ago I sowed trial plot of alfalfa seed and spent considerable time trying 10 give it 8 successful start, but with no satisfactory result. After weeding and hoeing it several times to keep other clovers and grasses from smothering it, had stand of tired, sickly look ing plants which were soon over shadowed by plants of the common red clover that had escaped destruction by the earlier cultivation. The plants lived several years but made no growth con- pared with that of red clover.
 In some places farmers are returning to an old-fashioned practice of sowing winter grain very late. Rye especially can thus be sown up to the time of freezing up. It is very hardy, and will endure more cold weather than will wheat. If only small growth is got above the surface, there is little leaf to evaporate moisture, and the crop is perhaps as safe from harm as with more luxuriant growth. It is better to have the surface covered, even though but slightly, during the winter. It is better, therefore, to SOW rye after corn or potato stubble, even if the growth is to be plowed under in the spring for sowing or planting.
 How to give the fowls salt in their food would be problem for those who feed grain wholly or "corn mostly" and here is where the morn ing feed of ''mash'' is benefit. My mash of boiled vegetables and mixed meal is always salted about the same as if for our own table, hcaping tea. spoonful of salt being put in bucket full, which is enough for breakfas l xO1 O 4OWl5 duu l1ll6 U1Ou1Culu O@ condiment is valuable aid to egg pro. duction by stimulating digestion, as. sisting the secretions and promoting the general good health of the flock Yes, most cmphatically do say salt is 8 necessity for poultry and all farm stock.
 Any one who walks through tn, woods at this season will note the deer velvety carpet of fallen leaves whicl covers the ground. Few realize how much protection this affords agains frost. So long as land is sheltered enough to prevent winds from blow ing away the leaves it is not apt tt freeze very deeply. The leaves act a mulch in the Summer time, and thi encourages growth of roots near th' surface. When the woods becom thinned out so that winds sweep then bare, the soil often freezes down S, deeply as to kill the trees. No matte how hardy tree may be, it canno live when the soil freezes down to tn depth of the roots.
 The price of oats is now very low but in most cases they bring propor tionately all they are worth as com pared with other feed. Never befor were there so many poor light oats, o