The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-12-18
STOCK FARM AND GARDEN.

j
from affecting the rest.
Time is never poorly spent that is
applied to the study of the two funda- |
mental principles OF agriculture-how |
to prevent deterioration of the soil, |
and how to get the best return from
the expenditure of given amount OF
labor. All success in agriculture de-
ponds practically upon the proper
solution of these problems.
The farmer who will reason upon
the matter candidly just now is bound
to admit that it pays to keep poultry.
What is more appreciated upon the
table at this season than fried chlck.
en-, roasted turkey, duck or goose?
The poultry keeping farmer can dine
every day off the best the land affords,
and he must not forget it next spring
when his wife wants him to help her
little with the fowls.
The development Of agriculture is
progressing upon more lines than
most of US are aware of. For instance
an eminent authority has recently
stated that in q few years linen cloth
will be as common and as cheap as
cotton, on account Of the new pro-
cesses of rotting fax. The cultIva-
ton of bacteria for this purpose,
which will do In q few hours what is
now the work of weeks and months,
Is one of the ways In which science
comes to the aid of agriculture
Many large establishments that
own and work great numbers OF
horses now divide the days ration
into four feeds, instead of three.
They claim that by diminishing the
period of fasting the animals never
become ravenOus, but merely appe-
tized They get 4 suificiency at each
meal, but not SO much that 1t can not
be properly masticated, digested and
assimilated. The plan might be fol-
lowed to good advantage by some
farmers who make long hours in
seeding aud harvest time.
This is not exactly an agricultural
item, but 1t is too good to let slip.
An exchange, in reciting the benefits
that may rise from belonging to the
Alliance, -recites the following in
stance: A young Alliance farmer
was sick during the busy season, be-
ing confined to his bed for more than
a month. Eight young women,
daughters of Alliance men, procured
another Alliance man to direct the
work, and theI turned in and fur
nished the muscle to work the sick
brothers. crop. They made a good
crop for him, doing the work
thoroughly and well and, as the sick
man was single and has fully re-
covered we may look some day for
a yer pretty sequel to the story. Long
live such an Alliance.
The cost OF pound of milk is one
of the things that every dairyman
should know; that is, the cost to him
not to some body else working under
different conditions. The New Jer-
Rey Experiment Station has just
figured it out at three-fourths of one
cent for them; but the cost depends
upon so many considerations that no
man can safely take the figures made
by some one else. The cost depends
upon the COW, the feed, the season
and the man. The first and the last
are the greatest considerations. The
poorer the COW the more the milk
will cost; and II the man lacks the
right sort of ability for the dairy bust
ness the best COWS in the world can
not produce milk cheaply enough to
enable him to get profit from it.
We have before advised farmers to
read carefully the reports and bulle-
tins from the Department of Agricul-
ture, and we now want to repeat 1T.
a careful parusal of the volumes
now issuing will show that the De-
partment is wide awake on every
topic that is of interest to any branch
of agriculture. The horticulturist il
advised and assisted in every direc-
tion-in methods of culture, choice of
varieties, insect pests and insect
allies. Every economic plant is
studied and its culture and qualities
plainly set forth. The diseases of
both plants and animals are iDvesti-
gated and the proper treatment and
remedies shown. Besides its publ
cation, the Department will answer
letters upon any subject of impor-
lance connected with agriculture and
give personal advice whenever it can.
Farmers should come into more inti-
mate relation with it, and they would
then better appreciate its value.
For the benefit of farmers who de-
sire to prepare their own artificial
fertilizers, the Connecticut Expert.
'ment Station has published certain
formulas that ii recommends, together
with itemized statements of their G )st
For potatoes the following would
doubtless be found very valuable
500 pound tanksge, cost $4 A
100 bounds bone. b II
$50 pounds dissolved bone black. 7 Il
80 pounds snlphate of ammonia. y
100 pounds nitrate of soda ...... 2 81
so pounds double sulphate potash z.
so pounds Inuriate OF potash 800. l o.
Total. ............ ...s-.-. sS0f "
The foregoing would be q special
fertilizer for this crop, and by obtain
ing the materials and compromising
at home q large percentage of the cost
could be saved II farmers would
Join together and buy the materials
in quantity they could still further
economics.
The best method for keeping butter
for any length OF time is to store Il
in barrels, under brine, in the granu
lated form. New, clean whisky OIL
pork barrels should be used, filled Il
within Is inches of the top will
brine strong enough to float an egg
aud the butter then put in and covered
so as to keep it at least four inches
beneath the surface OF the brine
Butter packed in this way has kept
perfectly sweet for Is months or more
Under our present conditions oi
manufacturing and market it, OF
course, rarely occurs that there is any
need of keeping butter for such 9
long time, Lut in putting up butter fol
export, especially for shipment tC
countries south OF us, this or similar
plan might be adopted for keeping il
in good condition. We have q good
chance Just now for building up 8
trade with our Southern neighbours
and It would pay to take some extra
pains to procure it by getting our but
ter to them In better shape than any
other that they receive.
1t is wholly within bounds to say
that our pork product costs us on an
average at least 25 per cent. more
than It ought tn, and the reason for
this is that il Is made 80 largely on
grain. The farmers who have made
the most profit from hogs during the
last few years, and who have conse-
quentIy stuck to the business right
through, will invariably be found to
be men who have depended very
largely upon their pasture. The clo-
yer field Is the basis of cheap and
good pork, and if q man having plenty
OF clover will feed slightly in addition
skim milk, slOp, or even little corn,
he will not only make pork cheaply,
but more rapidly than by any other
method. It may be thought wasteful
to give additional feed on full clover
pasture, but If any look at it in that
way we would only say that they
might stock the pasture little more
heavily than they otherwise would
have done, and then by the use of the
extra feed thn clover will 90 further
and onx hhkfnR- than ever. HorA fed