The record-union., 1891-04-16
FARM And ORCHARD.
As the Food is, so is the Animal
---Reyise the Signs.
Early and Late Weeds, and How to
Destroy Them = Milk for Cheese
Factories-Butter at One Dollar Per
Pound-GeneraI Farm Notes,

Notwithstanding the fact, for such it is,
that as the food is so is the animal, the
living body has no power of forming ele-
ments, or of converting one elementary
substance into another. Hence, 1t tol-
lows that all the elements Of which the
body of animals is composed must be
present in the food eaten, and as the num-
Der of these elements is not more than
thirteen at most, it follows that many
elements found in ordinary ailment IS
lost as food for the animal eating the
same.
The applied sciences illustrate many
astonishing facts in this connection.
Take, for instance, the skeleton of
chicken Immediately after or just before
emerging from the shell. We find, as
with all other body,structures, the pres
ence of lime, Now we may make the
closest analysis of the eggs contents be-
fore incubation and no lime whatever
will be found. Even the SpectrOScope,
that most delicate of all known tests,
fails TO disclose the presence OF lime IN
the egg, especially i'll the form found IN
the skeleton of the chick. 1t follows,
then, that the only possible sources from
whence it could be derived are the shell
and the tranSmutatiOn from the other
substances cIassed by chemists as ele-
mentary substances.
What makes the subject still more COM
pick as well as interesting to the lnqulr-
Ing mind is the examination Of the mem
brane in contact with the shell, and
separating it from the aibumen, or white
of the egg. This, we find, is never vas
Cular, and as both the albumen and yoIk
contain at the end of incubation d con-
siderably quantity Of earthly matter,
which it is to be supposed would have
been appropriated to the bone in prefer
enCe to that derived from a remote source,
it is a matter of grave doubt If the source
Of lime is to be traced to the shell. In
deed it is tolerably clear to all lnVestlgat-
Ors that it is within the capabilities OF the
vital energies to effect the transmutation
of some of the so-called elements.
Again, many imagine that the mineral
incidental principles OF all animal LIE are
generated during some OF the vital pro
cesses. The general belief is, however,
that under certain extraordinary circum-
stances the vital agents can and do form
what we now consider as primary ele-
ments, but that in ordinary cases such
elements are chiefly derived alb eXterrlo
in conjunction with the alimentary prin-
ciples Of animal life, the assimilating Or
gans being able, under such eXtraordi-
nary circumstances, to decOmpose prin-
cipleS which are still considered as ele-
mentary, even forming agate or carbon.
Those DEPRESSING Investigations, how
ever, do not in anyway whatever affect
the original proposition at the top Of this
article. No organic event has the power
either of creating material elements or of
changing one such element into another
Such Investigations merely show some of
the maTvelS of animal life merely affect
ing the question Of the elementary nature
Of some of the substances which the
chemist has as yet been unable TO decom-
pose by any method known to his pro-
1esSion. While il is thus denied that
organic life animal life possesses the
power either to create or TO change chem
zeal elements, in the strict acceptance OF
those terms, it is now admitted to be eX-
ceedingly probable that the organic agent
is. within certain prescribed limits, quail
iHed TO compose and dccOmpOSe many
substances which are generally cOnsid-
cred as elements; also, that the organic
agent does thus apparently form and
transmute those imagined elements.
In the list Of animal foods, which have
appeared many times in the columns of
the Prairie Farmer, mention is never
made Of silica or magnesia. No one
would think Of giving these as foods;
nevertheless, | have often, in laboratory
practice. found traces of manganese in
the blood Of animals. Some time ago,
while making some investigations with
reference to Texas fever / found both
silica and albumen in the blood of ami
mails which had not been dOsed at all for
any purpose whatever. We are led to
conclude, therefore, that animals of all
kinds eat many things not considered as
food but il is possible that the digestive
functions being in depraved condition,
caused by disease the animal may crave
what il would reject even to starvation,
rs do the clay-eating negroes Of Guinea,
during the periodic feverS which are often
prevalent in that cOuntry.-PrOf. j. +,
lItSOD in Prairie FdTlney
FAIRLY WEEDS AND LATE WEEDS.
Many of the most valuable crops on the
farm are sometimes destroyed before the
plants are an inch high, by weeds, the diff
ficulty being that the weeds can only bt
removed between the plants, in the rows
by hand labor, which is too expensive
The beet, carrot and parsnip are crowded
OFT some farms simply because the seed,
of weeds terminate sooner than the seeds
of the root crops, and take possession O.
the ground, Later on, the turnip meets
with the same misfortune, and where il
could be made an important crop the cos
of labor IS too great, owing to the rapiC
a growth Of weeds, which cannot he pre-
vented as long as the seeds Of weeds re
main in the ground. Some weeds come
early and some appear late, but at no sea
son of the year is the farmer safe. The
extra cultivation required to prevent
weeds from growing III among small anC
tender plants is sometimes an expense
greater than the value Of the crop wheI
Il is matured, and the only mode of less,
ening this expense is to destroy the weed,
rs p special work of the whole season il
order TO reduce the labor next year
AS it is not always safe TO have tender
plants appear before the middle of Nav
the early preparation Of the soil viii b.
found eflicacious in destroying large
proportion of the weeds. BY blowing
early, and narrowing the soil, the weed:
Will put in an appearance as soon as thu
soil becomes warm. They can then bl
destroyed with the harrow or cultivator
and as fast as they appear can be ken
down until the ground will be fairly
cleared OF them 10y the time the crop i
10 be planted. Though all the weeds may
not be destroyed the first year by this
method yet the labor of caring for tn
crop viii be greatly reduced, and fewe
weeds appear next season If the crop il
well and carefully cultivated. An essen
tial point is 10 destroy the weeds as sool
as they appear. Induce the weed seed
10 SprOut and then destroy them, as tn
work can be done then at the lowest cost
An important point is to have TIL
manure well rotted, so as 10 destroy am
seeds that may be in the heap. The ma
nure heap is the source from which
large snare Of the weeds come, and SOM
attention should be given the heap, witt
view of lessening the danger therefrom
During the year all harboring-placeS O
weeds, such as the fence corners. etc.
should be kept clean. If these precau
tions are observed the labor of destroy
ing weeds viii be reduced each year.
paiiddelphiu Record
REVISE THE SIGNS.
Mr.. John Boyd of Chicago. a prominen
Jersey breeder and high-caste butter
maker. at has Elmhurst farm, dispute