The National tribune., 1895-12-19
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Experiments with Pigs.

Of So series of trials with 500 pigs in all,
separated into f75 lots, conducted by the
Danish Agricultural Experiment Station:
Whey for pigs has higher feeding yalue.
pound for pound than turnips
Corn and skimmilk is great stuff 10 make
pigs grow fast and fat, but the pork is rather
soft; hence substitute barley for the corn
when the pigs weigh t25 pounds and the
quality of the flesh, If killed at IS5 pounds
weight, Will be improved, and the shrinkaoe
is no larger. Barley alone gave better re-
suits than when sunflOwer-seed oil cake was
substituted for part of it. One pound of
barley equalled in pork producing power six
pounds OF Skimmilk or II pounds OF whey.
Young pigs weighing So to 10 pounds re-
qulred three and three-fourths pounds of
grain or its equivalent in milk or whey to
make one pound increase; at $50 to 200
pounds, about five pounds was needed, and
OLD hogs weighing over 200 pounds consumed
SIX to six and half pounds of grain for each
pound OF Increase in weight The animals
ate but slightly more in Winter than in
Summer, but it required nearly half a
pound more grain feed for one pound of gain
IN Winter than in Summer
There was no marked difference between
the food required per pound of grain on
light and heavy feeding. Nor was there any
difference between the rate or cost of gain in
barrOTs or s0ws.
An Experiment. in Feeding.
To test the relative merit of crushed W..
whole oats in feeding horses, one of the great
London omnibus companies some years AGO
conducted an interesting experiment. OF the
5000 horses in the company's employ one
half were fed on crushed oats and cut hav
and straw, and the other half on whole oats
and hay.
The ration allowed per day to each horse.
according to the one system, was Crushed
oats, is pounds; cut hay, seven and oue-half
pounds; cut straw, two and one-half pounds.
The quantity allowed according to the old
system was: Whole oats, 10 pounds; uncut
hay, Is pounds. A daily saving of six
pounds of food was thus effected, and this
saving was not merely in the quantity, but
in the value of the materials employed. for
straw IN the former case was substituted for
hay in the latter.
The advantage of one kind of feeding over
the other was far more apparent when re-
dueed to money value. The saving by using
the crushed oats and cut hay was nearly two
and one-half pence per day for each horse.
which was equal to G62 10 shilliugs per day
for the 5000 horses.
Cork Culture.
bulletin on the subject of cork will soon
be issued by the Department of Agriculture.
The bulletin Will advocate the culture of cork
trees in this country. urging that forests of
this species of oak could be established with
great profit in the Southern States Statis-
ties show that 81, 000 900 worth of cork is inn
ported into the United States annually. If
is steadily increasing in value. fetching now
III times the price that was paid for it in 1890.
The soil of California is particularly well
adapted to the cork oak, which grows there
with greater rapidity than in Europe. Al
ready 200 OF the trees have been planted in
the San Gabrial Valley The University of
California has distributed several bushels of
the acOrns, which are said to be very GOOD to
eat, tasting like chestnuts.
Mushrooms in Barn Cellars.
Mushrooms are most readily grown in dark
ned rooms, and if under ground where the
temperature can be easily regulated, it will be
I'LL the better. When they are grown out of
iOors the mushrooms always spring I'D In the
night or on cloudy days. A bright sunlight
hecks their growth, and if it is warm enough
he mushrooms will soon be filled with worms.
N underground cellars there is less danger
# this. Barn easements are excellent for
growing mushrooms and if stove can be
tut IN to regulate the temperature in the
oldest weather the mushrooms can be grown
n Winter more prOfitably than at any other
eason. The heat from the manure pile over
which the bed must be made will be enough
When the temperature is mild. In most deep
barn easements very little fire heat will be
e1aI .
ugh in Winter, and a barn basement makes
better place to grow them than most of
he greenhouses above ground which market
ardeners commonly use for this purpose.
Look After the Berry Vines.
The barnyard is full of manure. where it ia
a the way, while the eurrant and gooseberrv
atches are hungry for it. Put it ON thick
ow all around the plants and all over the
round; indeed, thick enough so weeds will
ave hard work to get through next Spring.
nd cultivation will be unnecessary. Coarse
tier Will do well enough This is the way
D raise satisfactory crops Of these satisfactory
uits.
Here and There.
The Indiana Experiment Station finds that.
Their things being equal, steers fed on cut
lover hay will make better growth than
nose fed on the whole hay, and in their ex-
eriment of 100 days the gain was nearly
vo per cent A slight amount of exercise
as found beneficial during the fattening
recess.
The tuberculosis crusade in the East ia
kelly to bring about model dairy section
some respects at least. Clean, airy stables.
ure water, and regular and competent In
)ection of barns and cattle will be enforced
y law, and dairy products will likely be
noted higher than those produced in sections
ot protected by a thorough sanitary law
The pear crop in Georgia, estimated at 3OO,-
10 barrels, is the largest on record
The first State in faxseed is Minnesota.
le fields of that Commonwealth yielding
721 ,9S7 bushels of seed and $500 pounds
fiber; the second in rank is Iowa, with
2S2, 359 bushels; the third being South
akOta, with 1 ,S01, ia bushels of seed, and
2S7 pounds of fiber
Facts About Trees.
Several artificial processes have been resort
to i'll order to hasten the seasoning of wood,
me of which seem to be perfectly success
|.
The heart wood of a tree has ceased
take any part in the vegetable economy of
e tree Its only use is to strengthen the
INK.
Timber is seasoned by the eyapOratiOn