The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-09-24
EFFECT OF FOOD on MILK,

If the quality of the food given COW
would materially change the quality of
the milk there would be little need of
trying to improve the breed of mich
cows by selection as now generally prac-
tised, and any common COW giving what
is termed "blue milk" could be made to
give Jersey cream by simply feeding on
oil cake and other rich and oily food. An
English author, in referring to the infu-
ence of food on milk, has very aptly said:
Gas respects the quantity and chemical
composition of milk, surprisingly little
influence is exerted by either the kind or
the physiological condition of the food,
or by any circumstances connected with
1t, except the proportion of its nutritive-
ness and degree of its digestibility. The
controlling power of particular sorts of
food over the milking properties of the
cow has been almost everywhere topic
of boastful defamation and pseudo-sci-
entifc discussion among the illiterate phi
losophers of the dairy; but the alleged
power has either been mistaken for some
overlooked and widely different control
ing cause, or has existed only in the
heated fancy and distorted observations
of its advocates" 1t is true, however,
that food will impart to the milk and
butter its flavor, but this is a. distinct
property from what is termed richness or
butter yielding quality.-Nea0 York Sun.
HOW TO INCREASE THE MANURE PILE.
= Farmers do not always give as much
attention to increasing the size of the
manure pile as they might. There are
the pig pens, and most of them are wet
and filthy, the pigs naturally being in the
same condition. There is always plenty
of chaff OF waste material Of one kind or
another around the barns or stables, and
this can be lberally supplied. When this
runs out leaves can be hauled from the
woods during off days, put into near
by-shed, and used as needed. If the farm
is near river, the rushes and dry grass
which come ashore in quantities in many
places can be hauled up, and make ex-
cellent bedding and manure. In this way
the writer has managed to keep his men
and teams busy when there was little else
to do. rhe pigs were always comforta-
bic and clean, and large quantities OF
manure were made, generally getting
from three or four large pig pens fifty to
sixty loads of fine manure. There was
at all times enough dry material to absorb
the liquid matter, and this prevent
much value from running down the
drains to be entirely lost and to make q
nuisance around the pens. The barn
yard sloped toward the center, making
quite a large and wide place for the
liquid manure from the stables and barn.
yard to collect in. Here were deposited
considerable quantities, from time to
time, of waste corn stalks, leaves from
the woods, rushes and dry grass from the
river, and any other waste, absorbent
materials. The leaves and dried rushes
were also used for bedding for the horses
and cattle; nothing was better or cheap
er; the stables were always clean and
free from wet, slush and dampness. On
the farm were neat, roomy, comfortable
hen-houses, in which the poultry was
housed every night and not permitted to
roost on trees, wagons, plows, and other
implements in the sheds. By cleaning
out the hen-houses every month, and
keeping the floors we'll sanded, several
barrels of good manure were secured,
which made the corn fairly jump when
applied to it in the spring. This manure
was kept in barrels, under cover, in the
best possible condition for applying to
corn, onions, or other ,crops.-Ameriean
Agif@turist. =