Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-01-16
FARM NOTES

MNUN a INriOeft saws lNt NUTLnM eHlefl
AgrcuturaIist, is daily enviously complain
iug because he has not money enough to
buy lot oi pure bred COWS To improve
what he has by better feeding aud care, the
use of green fodder crops when the pas
lures fail and good winter keeping and so
on, would be better for him in the end than
herd of COWS costing $1,000
The quality of vegetables in winter de
ponds much upon their freshness If they
are permitted 20 wither 10y exposure 10 a
dry air much Of their crispness and flavor
is lost The two essentials are to keep
them from freezing aud from drying
Fierce competition makes all men hustle
IL they Woum succeed There is just as
much competition IN tarminga as IN any other
business. and it is the hustler who reads
aud studies and works who makes a success
of his farming or his stock raising The
old-iashiuhed methods are PLAYED out. They
were good in their day and generation, but
/ they can compete with the fast-time meth.
! DDS of today.
MANY stables are poorly lighted or not
/ lighted at all. A horse kept In a dark stable
/ when taken out is dazed hy the light as he
/ Is accustomed TO the darkness Constant
repetition of this leads to blindness The
| light should come from behind the horse or
at the side, never from the front
The southern counties Of England are
suffering from plague of mice which seems
% be a. bad as the rat plague of the north
eru parts On a farm IN East Kent two
stacks of wheat when opened for thrash
ing were found full of mice 5000 in one
and 1000 ~ the other of course they had
made havoc M the grain, taking fully one
third
l.
IN the United States OF this number 10
distinct varieties are found in Alabama
alone
Half "a million of dollars Is estimated as
the sum derived IN New York CITY and ITS
suburbs from the sale Of Towering plants
for the adornmeut of windows
lt literally makes ones blood run cold to
step into some stables and pens these cold
days and see how little attention is given TO
the warmth of animals And vet they are
expected to thrive and fatten Just the same
W Gather strips over crevices and straw for
beds saves feed
Remember that every time YOU add to the
comfort of the COW YOU increase the flow of
milk. not only theoretically but practically
The quality of the milk Obtain ed not only
through ludIcous feeding but Through clean
by bedding from first to last Is everything
IN the quality of the butter obtained
1t Is not a time for dependency or cruak-
ing. rather one of hope caution and in
creased attention to the legitimate demands
of regular business To make fortune IN
"a year ls a brilliant. but perilous and disap-
pointing dream To win respect, esteem
and competence combined with the full
development of the man Is the highest
work of lifetime.
When breaking the colt, bows, think more
about teaching him u good fast walking gait
than about getting trotting pace on him
Lack Of water is one of the things which
keep hens from laying in the winter In
very cold weather hens will stick to their
perches nearly all day. and not come down
to either eat Or drink until half starved
Then, probably they ind the water frozen
over and eat snow instead No wonder
under such circumstances, hens grow light
IN weight and their egg production Is post
poued indefinitely Let 1t ALWAYS be re
membered that when a hen suffers lack of
food or drink, the eggs which she contains
are absorbed To- sustain life and as they are
at tins stage very small they ara dearer
feed than eggs fully grown cooked and pre-
pared for their use
The tanciers journal says that good
egg food for feeding hens once or twice a
week Is To holi a quart of beans TO a thick
soup. Then thicken with ground oats,
wheat bran and fine meal. with "A little salt
and pepper. Feed warm these cold morn
Ings the foW is will eat 1t greediy. and the
beans furnish quite a large proportion of
nitrogen for the albumen of the eggs
Never feed bran To hens raw 4 mixture
of equal parts of bran corn meal and
ground oats. scalded and allowed TO remain
until the mess Is cool is the best grain food
that can be fed
AT Curry. Ind last spring James II
shaw planted an acre aud three-quarters
with potatoes. which grew finely until the
potato bug stripped every leaf from the
stems. Mr. Shaw continued to cultivate
the patches new leaves made their appear
ance and Just before winter he dug 26O
bushels OF as hue potatoes As were ever
harvested
A Smithsonian institution ottcial who mas
studied crows closely had "A pet CROW that
was a marvel Ii was given food III the
round tin cover OF baking powder can
and It's tavorte game was to take this GOV er
mp 90 the top OF Il steepy inchn,d plank
put both feet iu It and coast dow to the
bottom This it would do over and over
again with loud squawks of delight
A western cattle king says The cattle
business a, now carried on on great ranges
Is doomed. ann It is only "a question OF time
when ranges viii disappear Slowly but
surely the shepherd aud rancher are taking
unto themselves the water and available
range, and the room left for the steer Is
contracting m am equal ratio