The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-11-05
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
cArr OF REEa

II
The laws Of nature are Of universal applIcA-
ton. Animals cannot live without certain
amount Of heat, which Is commonly called the
| vital heat. Aud this is derived from the food.
4 Hence, when IN animal is exposed to unusual
cold, it must use M a larger quantity of food.
| This applies all the same TO mankind, TO farm
animals OF all kinds and to insects. Those
animals, as fish, however. which have cold
| blood, do not come in this category. And this
| fact viz, that food is consumed to produce
warmth. and that warmth is necessary TO the
| life OF an animal, is TO be considered in the
| Winter management Of bees. Thus, when the
bees are kept warm they will consume the
least amount Of food, and az the food is a vslu-
able and saleable product, it follows that for the
most profit in bee keeping the bees must be
Kept as warm as may be consistent with health
| fulness.
There are many contrivances for this pur-
| pose There are the chat hives, sOmaie that q
| space around the hive is packed with cut straw,
| as protection against the cold or rather as
means Of retaining the heat OF the hive.
| Another means of protection is to pack the
space around the hives in the covered stand
with sheaves Of straw. But the best method ia
| to winter the bees in a cellar in which the
temperature may be- kept at such q point "a
will keep the bees comfortable without exciting
/ them 10 action. Every motion of any animal
Is accompanied by an expenditure of heat. and
| so much honey, used as food, and so much
money too the bees must be kept as nearly in
| a dormant state as may be- and perfectly quiet.
| This even low temperature is most easily main
tanned in q suitable cellar. 1t must DO dry,
and this is exceedingly important for the
health of the bees depend upon IT, And An-
| other essential is that there must be ample
ventilation. Small vermiu also must be eI-
cluded. The temperature should be not lsss
/ than 4O0, and not more than 500
THE VALUE OF SKINNED MILK FOR FEEDING.
Skinned milk Is valued by the German
| feeding tables IT % cents the hundred hounds
and ~ Il contains 10 per cent. OF solid matters,
this makes the solids worth 81 80 per hundred
pounds, which is twice as much AS cornmeDl is
worth. This high value is due TO the large
| quantity Of heterogeneous substances contained
| in IL. These are valued at two and a half times
as much as the starch Of the cOrumeal On ac-
count Of this excess Of heterogeneous matters the
milk IS best fed with some starchy food as
cornmeal, which is the best Of all this class of
| food to mix with the milk, as il has per cent
of fat in 10. For feeding 10 pigs IL has been
| found that the milk has better effect than is
due 10 its own value because it is wholly d.
gestible. aud thus assists in the digestion OF the
meal. On account Of this value It is worth
more for feeding than for selling and il Is q
cheap food 10 buy at the creameries at the cur
rent rate at which it is sold.-Ne0 York Times.
FRENCH BASKET WILLOWS.
or late have received several letters asking
me 10 give some Of my experience with basket
willows. ! had several places on my farm
where 10 was wet, 30 constructed rp-ponds;
these ponds enlarged several times. At the
present time ] have two ponds. each three
| fOurths Of an acre IN size; in one pond have
carp that weigh over Is pounds apiece. From
these large carp raised some of the finest and
largest young carp last Summer 4 year that
j ever saw before. In the Fall I sold 900 two
yearand- four month old carp, and received $50
for them. / think that is pretty good, TO make
that amount out Of the three-fourths Of an
acre in II months. 1 put the carp in the pond
when they were one year old. For a number
OF years had trouble with the bank breaking
aud washing away at one Of my ponds So
one day, while WIS travelling, / came TO a
place where 3 man lad seven carp-ponds and
on nearly all the banks the man had the French
basket willows, ard i soon learned that they
were very profitable. ] bought 1000 cuttings
and planted them on my carp pond hank.
Since that time had no trouble with the bank
washing away. and some years make nice
little sum Of money out OF my willows. Sew
eral years ago ] bad them worked up into
baskets; that way you can make the most out
OF them. II you can get five or six cents a
pound for them, you can make over 800 per
acre out Of them Last Summer / got the
| finest lot Of willow shoots that ! ever had
each stump produced about one dozen shOots
aud they were from FIVE 10 six feet long, and
rs straight and smooth AS n gun barrel. / ex-
pect 90 peel them about the middle Of next
April. aud have them made into baskets Many
farmers have from FIVE 70 10 acres Of land that
Is perhaps too wet 10 raise anything except
sour grass. IL such land were planted to these
willows they would soon learn that il would be
their best paying land. No fear Of livestock
ing the market with willow as long as they
| import so much Of the willows that are used in
| this country. j only wished ] had 10 acres Of
willows; am sure ! could sell them Just az
quick as j can sell wheat or corn and the profit
would be much greater. / know men for .
number Of years that are making more money
out Of their willows than with any other crop
they have on the farm. Why is il that so many
farmers stick to the old way Of farming and
raise things that do not pay, when they could
raise something else that would pay wellP
Studying and experimenting little sometimes
pays better than hard working does.-PTGetieGl
Farmer.
CROPS N OHIO.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: We have had
a long drouth here which was ended by rain.
fall on Oct. IL. We then had three days Of
rain, IL falling slowly, and giving life to the
wheat, which was striving TO grow in the dry
earth. There is not SO much wheat sOWn as
usual, as the ground could not be plOwed. At
this late date, Oct. %. the plow is going, and
wheat will be sOwn in November. The corn is
well matured, and good crop is expected
Apples are very scarce, but plentiful within a
hundred miles. Butter scarce at 30 cents per
pound.-H. w. PHELrs, Northern, Franklin
County, Ohio.
NOTES.
pound OF Persian insect powder costing
co or 70 cents. will afford much comfort ia the
stables by destroying the flies which torment
the horses through the nights. A peek Of
gypsum scattered on the floors, after they have
been drenehed with water, will sweeten the
air, and a sponge dipped in kerosene oil lightly
passed over the skin of the horses will drive
away flies.
When you are short Of funds don't try to
raise them by increase Of acreage, but by In
crease Of care bestowed in putting in crops
There is nothing gained by killing your teams
and your soil. Plow deeper harrow finer,
sort over your seed. better, cultivate better,
and your crops win bring more mOney.-Gsr-
niaHi0lrH Telegraph.
Iigbt Il a sar1,us f,;urv IN keep.ipg pot,too.