The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-09-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers

Food Tests In Iowa.
An Iowa Station bulletin gives some inter-
esting facts about different foods, as brought
ont by a series of ex periments in feeding the
Station cows, which include Holsteins, Jer-
seys and Short-horns. They are mainly in
accord with results obtained by similar ex-
periments at other Stations, but one, al least,
where beets caused Jerseys to lay on fat, is
exceptional. 1t was found that turnips in
| jurethe flavor of both milk and butter. This
| injury is due to volatile acids which can be
driven off by heating the milk TO loo for
short time. Beets increased the milk and
butter product and caused all the cows even
Jerseys, to lay on fat quite rapidly. When
the roots were discontinued butter fat de-
creased and the cows ceased to gain weight,
and it took more pounds of feed Calculated
to dry matter) to produce pound of butter.
When turned on pasture there was immedi-
ate increase of milk, butter and live weight.
Feeding bran during part of the grazing
period produced sufficient gain to yield .
small profit
Late Work in the Garden.
| The most important work to be done in
the garden at this season is to prepare for
| next Sprlng-to get in readiness the soil for
| the seeds and plants that are to be put into
| 1T. Ii the soil is heavy clay, or clayey
loan, put on q liberal quantity OF eompOsted
| manure, throw the land up IN high, narrow
| ridges and let these be in such a position
| that the surface water will run off freely,
The soil thrown up in this manner will.
when the planting time comes round again,
be as friable as light loan. Then all that
needs TO done is to level down, and it will
be ready for the seeds.
November should find all root crops, a.
| we'll as cabbage and caulifower, properly
cared for, SO that there will be nothing in
the way to prevent the proposed work for
the coming year. The first thing to be done
is to adopt some plan of operation that will
make the vegetable garden ornamental as
well as useful; and there is no reason why
it should not be so. There is no shrub more
ornamental than eurrSnt bush in full
bearing. and no annual Towering plant more
pleasing than the tomato, with its large
clusters of crimson fruit
The garden as commonly seen, oyerrun
with weeds and planted without regard to
order or taste, is not pleasing. But that is
not a garden, but rather the neglected spot
where the garden should be. The lines in
the vegetable garden must Of necessity be
rectangular, but straight line can be as
beautiful as a curved line; all depends upon
how it is kept. Vegetable plants would not
look well other than in straight lines, and
these can be arranged so that perfect har-
mony can be preserved. and beauty as we'll
How to Burn Charcoal for Hogs
Begin by laying two stout logs parallel to
each other, each about four feet long Lay
the cordwood sticks across these go as to make
a sort Of CRATE to start the fire on. From ono
side of this CRATE lay large sticks parallel to
each other, and about foot apart, to make
the main draft-hole, and cover with short
pieces of wood. This draft must extend to
4 the outside of the pile. Now set the wood
on end, beginning on the middle of the crate
first made and leaning together at the top, so
as to make a rounded conical pile as large as
you want. Now cover the whole with sods,
except the draft opening and some smaller
openings around the sides of the base, leav-
ing the chimney open. Now, by stuffing
straw and infammable matter down the
chimney and dropping Goals on it, you can
start it to burning. Keep the sides well
covered with earth, and watch it day and
night. So long as the smoke comes thick
and white it is burning all right, but if it
gets clear and blue the wood is burning too
fast, and some of the draft-holes must be
stopped. When the combustion is complete
cover the whole tightly with earth and let
it stand for a day or so. Then pull it to
pieces and wet the hot mass to prevent it
taking fire again.-W r. Massey, IN the
Practical Farmer.
Destroying Weeds.
In some States there are laws requiring
the Supervisor of Highways in each town
to see to it that all weeds are cut at least
twice year, once in June and again in Sep
TENDER, to prevent them from seeding.
They are not generally enforced as they
should be. Either the work is wholly I'M
attended to, or it Is done so carelessly as to
do little good. 1t is in vain that farmers
try to keep their own fields free from weeds
while weed seeds are produced in neighbor-
ing highways to be borne by winds to their
fields, and perhaps increase largely before
they are discovered.
Farm Notes.
In a test to see how much of any one kind
of feed COW would eat in day. the dairy
herd at the Texas Station were given all
they would consume Of a single food. The
largest quantity of cotton-seed meal eaten
by any one cow was IA pounds; of corn
meal, % pounds; of cornmeal and cotton
seed meal mixed half and half, % pounds
Celery and asparagus are the two vege.
tables most rarely seen in either the farmers
or the village garden, yet there are none
which will better repay the trouble of culti-
vation. Then, one is the first vegetable to
come in the Spring, while the other is the
last in the Fall. They help to leDgthen the
season.
I Flowers and snrubbery add much to the
value of home, but it is true that not every
farmer can spare the time needed for their
proper cultivation, and it is better not to
plant at all than to neglect them after
wards but there yet remain trees and
grass, the commouest things which can be
used for characterization, and the most eff
3 fective.
Glad and Proud.