The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-02-01

Some Farm Economies. z
In business life the difference between
success and failure is personal attention
to details. The men who build up and
successfully conduct great financial in
tercsts are they who keep in touch with
the minor, everyday details as well as d.
rect the general course of business. 1t
is the little expenses or the little Sings
that make success or bankruptcy. No
great business enterprises the thousand
and one little economies, each in itself
insignificant, unite to pour in golden
stream of profit.
On the farm the opportunities for prac-
ticing little economies are almost unlim-
tied, but in no other business are they
so generally overlooked. The waste both
the average farm, if allowed in any other
business. would bring ruin. Generally
it is carelessness, occasionally lack of in
clinatiOn to look after little things, but
i'll either case the result is the same.
Individual failings can only be found
and corrected by those interested, but
there are some sins of omission and com
mission that unfortunately are only too
general.-Prjrie Farmer.
Liquid Manure.
AHc Illuu HIUuUlt IVpItStu(S TIT DtSL
portion of the fertilizers made at home,
and on the majority Of farms the great
er part of it is wasted. What the cheap,
Scanty bedding can soak UP is saved, but
no more. Cemented stables of course re-.
tain the liquid and pass it into hollow
places where it can be saved, but not
NOR ethan one farm has cemented floor
stables. 1t is estimated that one animal
in the course of Il lifetime will yield about
TO md
amount is We'll worth saving. If one cam
not 20 to tho expense of cement or wood
on flooring for the stable. the liquid can
be largely saved in other ways. Level
the floor off, pack it hard, and cover with
about one or two feet of fine ground
straw. leaves or other bedding. This alb
sorbent will take up most of the liquid.
On top Of this put the bedding proper,
and remove it every day to dry. The alb
sorbent material should be handled once
a week, and that part of it thoroughly
should be thrown out upon the
manure heap. In this way nearly or quite
all of the liquid fluid will be saved, and
the margin of profit be increased another
way. These are but few of many meth
DDS prevailing on our farms where direct
waste prevents the farmers from ircreas-
ing their profits: While we cannot IN
crease our markets at present, or the
prices paid for produce, we can study new
ways Of decreasing the cost of production.
Asparagus Seed. -
Asparagus seed may be sown either in
the fall or spring. The ground of the
scedbed should be we'll drained, but fairly
rctentivc of moisture. 1t should he made
rich by incorporating with it !. liberal
amount of well-rOttcd stable manure. and
it should be well and deeply pulverized.
A spade is the best implement for prepar,
ing soil for nursery rows of asparagus
plants. Straight lines should be marked
and an opening made about an inch deep.
In this the seed should be dropped three
or four inches apart. The covering may
be done with hoe. but the soil should be
pressed down with the foot. The cultiva,
ton of the young plants consists i'll keep
ing the soil about them light and free
from grass and weeds. Most of this work
some hand wedding is generally neces'
sary. The roots can be transplanted t.
the places where they are to stand per-
manently when they are one year old, but
many allow them to remain in the nursery
rows till they are two years old. The
directions given for raising asparagus
plants also apply to raising rhubarb plants.
Warning About Wecvils.
In recent report from the depart
mcnt Of agriculture farmers are warned
not to feed their wheat either to man
or beast until the dead weevils are TAX
en- out. The bisulphide simply kills the
insects, but does not remove their dead
bodies. BY feeding wheat or any other
grain with dead weevils in it we would
run the risk of injuring tho farm ami
mails permanently. 1t is reported that
after feeding weevil corn to horse for
I, 1,n<. md loco
and had no appetite for bran, oats or
other feed. 1t is an easy, but very inn
portant matter to remove the Weevlls
before feeding or granting.
Burying Hive Ieees in Winter.
Many Of the wild species of bees and
wasl,s live through the winter i'll the un-
foreground burrows they have tunneled
and stored with food Nearly. all the
ants hibernate in the earth, especially
the honey ants of the Rocky mountains.
The sheltcring of tame honey bees from
the storms of winter by burying the
hives in earth has recently been tried in
France by E. Llplae. The hives contain
ing bees and honey were lowered into
pits dug in the ground and the soil re-
placed, being packed closely around and
above the hives. The air in the soil
proved sufficient for the bees, and the
temperature remained nearly UNIFORM
throughout the winter.
Warming the Water.
1t may not be necessary to suggest to
some the propriety of giving the hens
warm water in the morning, as no doubt
it is practiccd, yet there are cases in
which the hens find only ice and water
and become thoroughly chilled. Where
they find water only with difficulty. and
become very thirsty, they will drink a
large quantity, which, if very cold, will
warm water to drink as soon as they
come off the rOOst. at which time the sun
is seldom risen, they will be invigorated
and the effects will he marked. We ven
ture to claim that so simple Il matter as
giving warm water early in the morning
will add to the production of eggs and
thus pay for the trouble.
No artificial heat is wanted for laying
hens. Make the pens close and comfort
able, that is all that is required; the hens
will do the rest. Artificial heat always
wpakens. and activity is always ut the
bottom of good health, whether with man
or beast.
Mode of Feeding.
If whole grains are given. scatter them
not crowd the hens W lille eating, and
also to prevent the greedy ones from tax
ing an advantage. The soft food is best
given on boards one foot square, using
a number for that purpose, so as to place