The National tribune., 1889-06-27
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
THE pIe-pRN.

r-~
THE PIa-PEN.
Taking IL for granted that the pigs are In
pen that is dry, with absorbents enough at hand
to keep them SO, how about the food' About
creameries and large dsiries there Is food
enough provided, but even there the conve-
nient habit of feeding them from the same
barrel at every meal to get the work out of the
way and save time is apt to cause too much
samenoss.
Skim milk, buttermilk, or whey, with little
meal will make pigs grow and apparently
thrive; but to be perfectly healthy any animal,
especially growing animal, must have vari-
ETY. of food, and on any farm this variety can
be supplied almost without cost from things
that are usually wasted or worse. Weeds from
the field, garden, or roadside, vines from
which the early peas have been picked, stalks
OF sweet corn which are left to waste after the
ears have been pluoked, the plants that are
pulled out while thinning vegetables, and
many other things which are worse than use-
less anywhere else, can be proftably disposed
of in the pig-pen.
These things are looked out for by many
there are many farms whore pigs are fed on
whey and sour milk all Summer and suffer
for some green food, while weeds grow by
the doorstep, overrun the garden, and ripen
their seeds in every fence-corner. And the
reason for all this is habit of negligence. 1t
will take no longer to pull up q few weeds once
day and throw them into the pig-pen than it
will to hunt for implements which are dropped
aud lost among them. 1t is no more bother to
make use of the refuse of the garden while it
Is good for something than it Is to try to plow
in dry cOrnstalks aud peavines. 1t takes no
longer TO clear the weeds out of the fence-cor-
ners than it does to wait for your dinner while
your wife is hunting for hens nests among the
thistles.
MANAGEMENT OF BEES.
The beekeoper who has large number Of
colonies is interested in learning how TO pre-
vent or control increase Under such Coudi-
tions surplus is more desirable than increase
By using large hives and raising extracted
honey swarming can be practically prevented
but in the production of comb-honey swarm
ing Is the rule as soon as colonies become popu-
lous and work in tho sections we'll under way
| In localities not overstocked, and blessed with
| harvest from white clover, Eastwood and Fall
| flowers, better results are secured by allowing
| one swarm from each stock. After swarming
can be practically prevented by the Heddon
| method, that OF hiving the swarm upon the
| old stand transferring tho supers TO the new
hive. setting the old hive by the side of the
new one for week. then moving 1t To a now
| location. This throws all the working force
| into the new hive where the sections are, and
| leaves the parent coiohy so weak in numbers,
| just as the young queens are Matching, that
| few colonies cast second swRrms. Did the
| young queens always begin Matching on the
| eighth day this method would be infalible,
huf lr Ahev nfl
| however. an after-swarm Is the result of theif
not Matching until or twelfth day,
| when enough bees have hatchcd 10 make
small swarm. An a rule, however, after
swarming is preveated hy this method f. A.
| Mannm prevents aftEr-swarming entirely by
cutting out all queen cells except one. on tho
| fourth day aud again upon the eigth day.
There's too much labor about this; we would
| rather have an occasional afteT-swarm. Mr..
! hanum, however, does not wish To weaken
! the old colony, willie we have no objection, so
long as tho now swarm Ia eorrespondngly
strengthened. Ccftain IL Is that after-swRrm-
| ing can be, and il, practically prevented. but
! the prevention Of irst swarms Is more diff.
/ cult ,Iroblem.-- Beekeepers Repiep.
PREPAMATIos ron HAYISa.
| 1t has become an accepted fact by almost
| every farmer who Is up with tho times that
early cutting of hay is the best. and that IL is
better to commence few days early than 90 be
| late In finishing. II it was possible We should
cut all grass Just a tho bloom il fallen II
| wanted FOR bay aud not for seed. As on many
/ farms there is so large an acreage rs to take q
/ full month Of haying, much OF IL Will neees'
sarily bo over.ripe II commencement is left
until just the right time. SO TO hasten the
/ making of hay AS much as possible all other
work should bc SO arranged that &c may not
/ interfere, all machinery put in thorough repair,
| aud any worn parts that are likely to give way
should bo replaced or duplicates at hand in
/ case Of brnakage.
How often Il is the custom to wait until the
! day that haying II 70 commence, aud as the
machine Is brought out IL is found that repairs
/ arc needed and "A trip to the shop is necessary,
| and then only 70 find halfdOzen there a.
| ready In similar condition, perhaps neoessitst-
| ing several days waiting. The smith Is hur
ried and inferior work is DONE valuable time
| ia lost, and in the end hay damaged by being
over. ripe before haying is finished. Now let
everything be put in readiness at least the day
| before time for commencing.
As u text for this we have taken the first
haliday'a cutting OF clover here. The ma
| chine was standing beside the fence with sickle
| in place just where 1t had been left last hay.
ing, sickle, OF course, badly rusteG, half dozen
new sections needed, swathers both broken,
sickle 10 be ground so IL was o'clock when
machine was started; everything being rusty,
did not run smoothly; cut till o'clock, too late
| to put IN the barn that day Tained that night,
aud as a result 10 has lain in the swath three
days of showery but fortunately not sunny
weather until the rain was over, bat of course
considerably damaged hay. The application
Is, be ready in time.-1merican Rural Home.
NOTES.
- Gather up the weeds and tho plants that
have matured and need to be removed To make
room for others, and add them TO the compost
heap or manure pile In this way an increased
quantity OF valuable fertilizer can be- made
~ Early cut clover with little timothy in
IL makes the best hay on earth for young cattle,
cows and work horses If cut at the right time
and nicely cured. Ten days delay in cutting
may lose you from s. TO % ton in hard cash.
"A poultry keeper states that all the bone
and oyster shells in the world will not prevent
fowls from laying soft-shelled eggs. The remedy
il 10 give less grain aud more bulky food and
compel them to work and take exercise.
"A few sods and little COW manure made
into heap now, where you can throw kitchen
slops, will make an exdrllont compost for your
flower pots next Summer.
Anything in the nature Of lye will destroy
tho appletree borar or the young b0rers before
they penetrate tho bark very far; but after
the borer is once under the bark following il
up with wire is tbe oply way to destroy il.
- Some insects may, be trapped by placing
slices OF raw potato or some sweeteued sub
stance on the soil around tho plants. When
collected on these they can be taken up and
dipped in hot water.
Hogs give tho quickest return for the
apo Lost nt -