The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-01-10
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
BEDpING FOR STOCK.

BEDDING. FOR STOCK.
It is perhaps impossible that animals con-
fined in stables, sheds or other close quarters
should not be more or less affected by or con-
taminated with excrement and foul air, con-
dition of things that greatly affects their well
being as well as diminishes the value of
their products. This is matter that every
farmer should duly consider and strive to pre-
vent or remedy for The sake of interestand tidi-
ness, if net for that of humanity. He that
keeps his stock well above a floor of filth by a
liberal use of straw or other bedding, win
kindly add to their comfort and greatly en-
nance his profits arising from them. If the
reasonableness Of a thing can teach one any
thing, then one should learn that animals
would thrive most when comfortable We have
seen pigs making slow growth so long as they
were kept in filthy, miry pens, take a new
start in life, as it were, SO soon as their dirty
quarters were exchanged for comfortable ones,
and this with no Improvement in their rations.
Indeed good bedding is the prime help to good
feeding.
Good wheat or rye straw, perhaps makes the
hest bedding as the large hollow stalks will
absorb large amounts of liquid; but straw is
not the only substance that will make com
Portable bedding for cattle or other stock. For
est leaves are by no means a bad substitute.
They are not so good an absorbent, but they
make better manure, aud as they are for the
most part plentiful and cheap, every farmer
would do well to secure in the Fall large guam
! titles of them for this purpose.
| Another substitute for straw is saWdust.
! This is a good absorbent and makes q dry soft
bed In itself it does not amount to much as
/ n fertilizer, but when saturated with urine it
| ferments quickly and serves to make land more
! porous and open, as does sand, to the influence
| of light aud air In Winter, however, it does
not make so warm bed as straw, but this de-
| feet may be obviated by using it as an under
| bed with an upper one of straw or leaves. The
straw or leaves so used last much longer, and
the air of the stable is kept puTerby the greater
| absorbent qualities of the sawdust beneath.
Straw and sawdust may not be found in all
localities. but something like alluvial soil or
sod can be; and as these are very good substi-
tutes, they should be used when other sub
stances are not available. This alluvial, housed
in dry time, is a good absorbent and adds
| greatly to the virtues of the manure, being
| itself rich with saline material. Another ad-
| vantage in using soil for bedding is that 1t
makes compost daily and the manure keeps in
| better conditen-d0es not +" frefang."
! Dry muck is sometimes used for bedding but
it is rather dirty 1t is good absorbent of
liquids and gases but when wet it soils the cat
tie and gives them anything but clean, tidy
appearance. Neither is it so good fertilizer
as good alluvia soil
But, after all that can be said of other sub
stances for bedding, most farmers will continue
to rely on straw, and as this is usually cheap
and abundant it should be used literally And
finally, aside from the comfort it furnishes the
animal and the addition it makes to the store
of manure, the increased purity of the air of
the stables is alone sufficient reason for keep
ctn cd nod
1. Baird IN the Rural Home.
POULTRY HINTS.
If the hens have finished melting they may
not lay for awhile as it is sometimes the case
that hen is debilitated and requires little
additional time to reGuperate and gain strength.
If the hens that have fnolted do not lay after a
reasonable period, feed them raw lean meat
once day for awhile giving mashed potatoes
thicHened with ground oats, with head of
cabbage to pick over during the day. A little
ground ginger once day VIII invgorate them.
There is no real benefit derived from feeding
red pepper regularly. The reason that hens
sometimes begin to lay after pepper is given
them is because it acts as a temporary stimu-
liant and promotes the appetite, the hens eating
more food, and are thus better able to lay; but
the pepper soon ceases to be of benefit II it is
fed continually. Sometimes by adding salt to
the food the hens will be benefited, and even
tincture of iron in the drinking water promotes
the appetite. laying hen should have good
appetite, but must not be overfed.
Litter, if the hens can find no grass or coarse
food, is sometimes eaten by them and the re-
suit is crop bound Sawdust is material that
hens will often pick at until they fill their
crops with it, and the dried hay or grass of the
nests will be picked over for the same purpose
Straw cut about three inches long is a suitable
material for a scratching litter, but nothing
equals leaves. 4 stock of leaves will give the
hens plenty of work to do hunting for the
grains scattered therein, and as no time should
be lost we advise all TO get in as large supply
as possible.-Mirr0r.
TESTING CONDITION OF FRUIT TREES.
The New York Tribune shows how to test the
condition of a fruit tree 1t says a reliable tes
for determining the condition of fruit tree il
SO simple that it should be universally known
1t consists in merely looking at the euds OF the
shoots over the top Of the tree. If the seasons
new growth is less than six inches in bearing
tree, or less than foot in a young tree not ye
fruiting, it needs better cultivation to enable i
to yield fair fruit. If tail grass rank plants
have been growing within the sweep of III
branches and two or three feet beyond, thei
entire suppression will be sufficient. If M
growth, or only very low growth, so interferes
the soil may need manure Over vigorous
} growth, or growth continued so late as not K
have fully ripened before frost comes, is danger
Cultivation should begin with growth aad clos
IN August, aud manure should be applied IL
Fall or Winter, with preference for mineral ant
simple carbonaceous manures rather than nitro
! genous.
NOTES
, - Mushrooms are always salable and can b.
, grown in any dark room or cellar that is KEEP
! at temperature of from so TO so degrees
- Ground gypsum or farmers plaster spreat
upon the stable floor will add to the value o
the manure, while it prevents the waste ant
nuisance OF escaping ammonia.
- Clean out the seeds of beans, beets, ant
peas and put them IN WOODEN bags with small
/, piece of gum camphor in each bag. Hang tin
; bags in dry place, and occasionally shak
them up during the Winter.
10 break young horses from chewing har
ness or anything that happens to be near them
soak some old straps with strong tea made @
Cayenne pepper and hang them within cas-
reach of the youngsters. This is gonerall
effective.
Wood ashes, where available, are the cheap
est fertilizer for fruit trees In their absence
bone manure three parts and muriate of potas
German salts) of high grade one part, hav
the strong Endorsement of the Massachusetts
Agricultural College
When the ground gets well frozen is tn
time to mulch the strawberries Where tn
snow stays all Winter that is the best mulch
next comes coarse litter of any kind. Leave