The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-07-04
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
HoME-RArsED MEAT.

III ono mas q lew neDSJ Win Cxtra CnlckeHS W
sell, he has at his command many advantages
which he does not fully value. During the
warm season it is not convenient to kill steer
or hog as somo difficulty is experienced in
preserving tho meat; but choice fat fowl is
about sufficient for the average family. When
the chickens are raised at home they can be
inspected before killed. and only the whole
some, fresh meat consumed but in buying
beef, pork or mutton from the butcher, especi-
ally when it comes from the West, ignorance is
bliss in its truost sense. There is no reason
why farmer should sell his plump fat fowls for
10 cents pound, and buy the toughest kind of
beef for Is cents, as well as incur the risk Of
eating tuberculosis and hog victims.
With poultry to select from, the meat is always
fresh, and choicer and moro nutritious article
Of food is obtained Afarmer can just as cheaply
raise his fresh meat in the shape of poultry as
to raise steers, pigs or wethers, with the ad-
vantage of having the poultry always ready at
all seasons of the year. And, it may be added,
the more attention he gives to the selection of
choice breeds and to the quality of the meat so
produced, the more he will be satisfied, and the
lower the cost of the meat. Eggs are also TO be
IL
cooked in various ways, and also enter largely
into the many combinations Of other foods not
excepting the delcacies. The market prices
are of little interest to him who prefers TO use
his choice poultry instead of selling it for
others to enjoy.
TEST THE COWS.
One of the first questions asked by the average
country farmer when purchasing q COW is,
Z" How much milk does she give?" Even
though he is buying for the purpose of butter
making, the question: How much butter will
she make2" is far less likely to be asked.
learned some time ago that even YAM
kee cannot guess the amount of butter
COW will make by the number of pounds or
quarts Of milk she will give. l had for sale two
cows tha5 were sisters, one FIVE and the other
six years old. They both have rich-ooking
milk, which / supposed to be so near OF the
same quality as to render a separate test un-
necessary. / weighed the milk of EACH and
found that the younger COW gave los pounds
three ounces during the week. and the other
1914. | set this together and when churned /
had l2 pounds four ounces OF butter.
gave each COW credit for little more than
six pounds of butter per week and set the prices
on that basis
One day | set the milk Of each by itself, and
Noticing difference in the amount of cream,
decided TO make a test. i was surprised at the
result. The older one made five pounds one
oHnce of butter, while the other made seven
pounds Ave ounces.
Having obtained few facts, / dropped few
dollars on the price Of the older cow and sold
her for alrshe was worth. For the other re-
fused to take $40 more than the price had set,
deciding TO keep her for my own use. She
turned out to be a valuable COW.
There IL great difference in the butter value
of milk given by different cows aud those who
fail TO recognize that are apt 10 have fair milk
ers in their herd which do not more than pay
for keeping. They are also likely to under
value some giving a smaller amount of milk,
and to dispose Of them at n sum less than their
real worth as butter .cows.-Cointry Gentleman.
PRESERVING EGds
The practice of ng away eggs during the
Summer when they hre cheap and holding un.
Oil Fall for better prices Is Increasing. In
many casea there is no doubt but that IL has
been made highly profitable, yet the increase
in the business Is almost certain 10 gradually
lower prices, and consequently 10 diminish the
profits.
No plan will keep them or make them equal
10 fresh eggs 10 use, aud while this may not DO
a sufficient reason for not storing yet 10 is Ger.
tainly the fact that for home use, ut least,
freshly laid eggs arc the most satisfactory to
use. OF course many keep poultry for profit,
and II properly done there Is no question but
that good profit can be realized.
Eggs during the next two months are usually
very low, while as soon as cool weather sets in
In the Fall, prices get better and the difference
in the price with the cost of the work taken off
determines the profit.
There are several plans. Tho most impor.
tant item Is so far as possible To keep at cool
even temperature. Some follow the plan OF
putting In place prepared expressly for them
with ice stored In such n way as 10 keep cool ;
Others of covering with lime wash completely
30 as to exclude the air and packing in cool
place. Care must DO taken 20 keep the shells
all covered SO ms TO exclude tho air. Packing
In salt, II tho work is properly done, taking
care not 10 have them touch, and keeping in a
cool cellar will preserve them. Another plan
IN to put in trays, arrange so that they can DO
turned over readily about three times a week
Legs will keep better II the males are all taken
away two or three weeks before commencing to
pack. Care should also be taken 10 have only
fresh eggs They should he gathered carefully
every day, for letting them stand even three or
four days, and especially il the ROSTERS are kept
with lheni, they are almost certain 10 prove n
loss. Boxes convenient TO handle should be
used and considerable care be taken to do the
work carefully.-AHieTieaH Grange Bulletin.
NOTES.
Frequent churniug Is better than retain
Ing the cream from separate milkings, as mix
ture OF cream OF different ages is usually the
cause oil poor butter. The best butter is made
by chnrning the cream az soon as ii is ready.
- III has been demonstrated that horses can DO
fed on ensilage with advantage, and that where
they are not required to do service, us in VIM
ter, an allowance of 80 pounds of ensilage Dor
day viii keep horses in good condition.
- No farm will do its best unless the fertil-
ity expended in making the crop is returned to
IL in some way, aud the more the better.
Where ensliage is fed the proportion of manure
that Is saved Is much greater than under any
other system.
- A good appetite indicates good health. It
II no disadvantage TO have an animal that is n
heavy feeder Such animals usually produce
proport0nately to the quantity consumed.
The food Is simply the material to be convert.
ed into products.
Make frames Of some kind for the tomato
plants. One Of the difficulties with them Is
that the branches fall to the ground when load
ed with fruit. If supports are given, the air
aud sunlight will enter. tho fruit ripen better,
and cultivation can DO given more easily.
- Chickens withutO0 many heads legs or
wings are heard from with unusual frequency
this season. This Should warn people against
close in-breednG in pigs it goes the other
way, and has been cputlnued till they were
born with no eyes ahd only three legs.
- Before sending eWipotat0es To market Ii
will pay TO carefully asaort them. IL is not the
largest potatoes that always bring the highest
prices, but those OF uniform size. When large
and small potatoes ara mixed, the small ones
lessen the value of tho larger and affect the
| price Of the whole