The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-04-09
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
BARLEY FOB HOGS.

The raising Of duties upon barley by the Nc
Kinley bill has directed the attention Of farm
ers to this important crop, and it is probable
that there will DO much greater quantity OF
grain raised in the next few years All Sec
tions Of tho country are not adapted 10 il, az il
requires a somewhat cool temperature, and hot,
moist weather st RIPPING time is disastrous. In
other words, good corn climate is not a good
one for barley. There is q belt of country ex-
tending from Minnesota and Wisconsin east
ward to the Great Lakes where barley does
very we'll snd il q better crop than other
cereals. 1t seems 10 DO less hard on the ground
than wheat or oats and leaves it in a better con-
dition for succeeding crops. Mr.. W. A. Henry
has made extensive series OF experiments as TO
the value of barley for hog food He took two
punches Of hogs, as nearly alike as possible, and
fed one bunch cooked barley and the other I'M
cooked. His best result with the cooked
showed that it took sol pounds Of barley to
make 100 pounds of gain; his poorest result
showed $40 pounds of meal to 100 pounds gain.
With the uneooked barley the best result
showed AL pounds of meal for 100 pounds
gain. and the poorest result $50 pounds Of meal
for 100 pounds gain. The average was 62S
pounds Of cooked meal for 100 pounds Of gain
and $50 pounds of uncOoked meal, or 81 pounds
Of barley meal lost by the cooking in making
100 pounds Of meat. The same series Of ex-
pertments with another bunch of hogs extended
over eight weeks 10 compare the value of bar
ley meal and corn meal and showed the require
ment OF al pounds Of barley to make 100
pounds gain, whereas the same result was
reached by using 49, pounds of corn meal.
This showed that il required 80 pounds, or
afy h. - A.
duco 100 pounds Of meat. No examination
was made as TO the relative qualities Of the
meats produced by the foods bat Mr.. Henry
thinks that barley should make better bone and
muscle than corn. lie il supported in this
view by the fact that rolled barley Is the uni
yersal horse food in California, and has credit
for producing an extra fine class Of animals.
THE PEACH YELLOTs.
Prof. Erwin F. Smith. Special Agent Of the
Department Of Agriculture in the Division Of
Vegetable Pathology is conducting an interest
ing experiment bearing upon the propagation
Of the destructive disease Of the peach tree
known as the "yellows" He has already
found by experiment that buds affected by this
disease, when grated in healthy stocks, will
invariably produce 3tunted trees similarly af-
fected; and like result has been obtained
when buds apparently healthy were taken from
diseased branch. The object Of the expert
AHphk tb" III pIoSito5 - " ucbSIulluo WuelhtE
the disease is not communicable even under
conditions which would seem 10 DO much more
favorable TO the production Of sound trees.
The buds used in tho experiment have been
obtained partly from the hsalthiest portions Of
trees not largely affected by the disease and
partly from trees in which no indications of
disease had yet appeared. bat which are grow
ing in infected orchards. In order to eiimi-
nate as far As possible all occasion for doubt as
to the disease, in it shall appear in the
trees produced from these buds, having origin
ated in the buds and not in the stocks. the lat
ter were produced from seeds obtained from
districts in Tennessee Lower Maryland, and
Lower Delaware. which have so far been en-
tirey free from the yellows."
The practical object Of the experiment ia to
determine the degree Of care on the part OF
nuFseTynea and peach growers which it is
necessary 10 use in order TO guard against the
Transmission Of the disease In the process Of
budding.