Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-02-16
AGRICULTURAL,
STRAW AS A MATERIAL FOR SUB
STANTIAL STOCK SHELTERS.
z Good Idea for Hoist for a Barn-The
Treatment that Should be Given
to Fowls-Receipt for De-
stroying ths Weevil.


keep through the winter.
Economy is certainly wealth in the
feeding Of farm horses, and yet it does
not necessarily mean stinting or cut
ting off of rations. Give this matter
a thorough investigation, and see il
there is not more in it than a super-
fetal glance would indicate.
Corn meal in small quantities, lin
seed meal in small quantities, and a
liberal quantity of good bran meal
with the roughness, will make an ad-
mirable winter feed for milch COVE,
and if given literally, with good shell
ter, it is possible to secure a good flow
of milk during the winter; provided,
of course, that you have a good breed
OF COWS, that this feed can be given to
during the winter.
By pouring boiling water over any
kind OF grain, and allowing the grain
to remain twenty-four hours, it will
swell and prove an acceptable change
to the fowls. The soaked grain un-
dergoes a partial chemical change,
contains a slightly larger portion of
sugar, and is really more digestiole.
Nothing is added to the grain by soak
ing it, bat it will be more readily
eaten tor some time than dry grain,
though the birds will return to dry
grain as a preference if fed too long
on that which is soaked.
A correspondent of the New Eng
land Farmer gives the following direc-
tions for destroying the potato weevil !:
Take an ordinary manure hod, one
that is broad and light is to be pre-
ferred, aud grasping it by the hole
for the left hand near the mouth of
the hod, with a broad and timber
broom carried with the right hand,
proceed through the field, placing the
hod against vines infested with grubs
and gently beating or sweeping them
over the edge of the hod and into it
with the broom. In this way a great
majority of all the grubs in small
potato patch may be gathered in
short time and destroyed. This may
be of service, especially in cases where
there are objections to the use of pois-
ons offered in the markets. A little
practice will enable person to do ex-
ecution with the above implements
with considerable dispatch.
Straw as material for stock shell
ters have favorable qualities: 1t is q
very poor conductor of heat, hence it
makes a warm shelter. 1t costs little,
being produced in abundance on a
large majority of farms and its en-
ployment for this purpose does not
require special skill beyond the farm
er. But it is not as economical as
many suppose. 1t is as necessary
that the top OF the shelter be water
tight as that the sides be wind tight
even more important. A straw roof
can be kept lain and snow proof only
by frequent repairings. Straw is not
a durable material and a straw shelter
is not long-lived. In many cases
where straw shelters are now used,
proper computation would show lum-
Der to De more economical and as 1t
is usually cheaper to paint lumber
than not to do so, the cheapest shell
ter would be a neat, substantial paint
e one.
One of my neighbcrs had fine pen
of fowls; had had them confined in
small, dark house, with no run at
tached, and l suppose all the corn
they could eat, as they were very fat
when ] purchased them. My neigh
Dor said he was sick and tired CT them;
no demand for eggs and no eggs;
could never make a living raising IAN
cy fowls. l was not suitably fixed for
taking another breed, but as L got
them for 81 each, about one-tenth
their value, l bought them and took
them home, intending to do the best
possible by them. considering the con-
veniences at hand, Took two orders
for eggs before driving home. placed
them in a small house with l6xl6
foot run. As | said before they were
very fat. Ny first move was to see
that they had plenty of exercise, and
thereby reduce them in flesh. l dl.
vided portion of their run off and
put in about one foot of straw, and
they had to scratch for living. 1t
was not very long until they were
shelling out eggs to their Iull capacity.
Keeper.
A good idea for hoist for barn
is to erect two upright posts SIX inches
square and firmly fastened in the up
per part OF the building, one on either
side OF the hatchway. Strong iron or
wooden boxes attached to these posts
support the journal of round shaft
one foot in diameter, upon which is
wooden wheel four to six feet in diam
eter. The larger size gives increased
power, but for ordinary lifting four
feet is large enough. The wheel is
made of eight s9gments cut from two
inch plank, each one being quarter
of a circle. They are put together
with spikes or bolts in a manner to
"break Joints" Before being fastened
together the segments are nOtched to
receive the ends OF the four arms,
which are also made of two-inch
plank, halved together at the center
OF the wheel. The short end Of the
shaft, as far as the wheel goes on, is
shaped to fit the square hole in the
center of the wheel. Long iron
spikes are driven and groove turned
in the outer periphery Of the wheel to
keep the rope from slipping off The
hoist rope is firmly attached to the
shaft upon which it is coiled by the
revolution of the wheel.