The National tribune., 1896-08-20
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural ReaierS
How to Feed Young Pigeons.

small, or cracked corn. with now and then
some bread-crumbs or a few haudfu's Of
canary and millet seed. Hemp seed is very
ben fetal during the moulting period, as il
Is very stimulating. Only as much feed
should be given at one time as will DO
eaten. An abundance of fresh water must
always be on hand and a shallow vessel for
bathing, TO be used except in very severe
cold weather. A lump of rock-salt, which
must be wet every morning, for them to
pick. plenty of grit, some old plaster FOR the
egs-shells, and tobacco-stems left on the
floor for the pigeons to build their nests Of,
which will keep out all vermiu, should be
provided. The aoor should be kept COW
cred with sand or gravel, and everything
kept As c-ean as possible There are minor
details connected with the business which
in this limited spscs it would be impossible
to give. Anyone contemplating going into
tine business should obtain good, practical
paper that treats on the subject, and, after
finding out all one can III that line, 90 ahead
slowly but surely.
Raising Squads.
The first thing in a business of this kind
- to have good, warm quarters, although
artificial heat should not be used. On almost
every firm there is some small loft OF build
ing which might be used for a pigeoa-eots
if properly sheathed with paper or other
wise. An idea of space required may be
had from the following: A room 10x12 feet,
and feet high at the caves, will aceommo-
date 80 Or 40 pairs very nicely, which will
be enough to keep together in one place, as
too many birds kept together compiicate
matters. This number would be all be-
ginner should start with, until some kn0wl-
edge of the business IS gained
A Cheap Paint.
A method of painting farm buildings and
country houses, while by no means new, is
yet so little known and so deserving of wider
application as to warrant a description. TBe
paint has but two parts, both cheap maieri-
ais, being water lime or hydraulic cement
ami skimmilk. The cement is placed in a
bucket, and the skimmilk, sweet, is gradu-
ally added, stirring constantly until just
about the consistency of good cream. The
stirring must be thoroughly done 10 have an
even flow, and if too thin the mixture viii
RIM on the building and look streaked-
The proportions cannot be exactly stated,
but gallon of milk requires full quart Of
cement, and sometimes a little more. This
is a convenient quantity to mix at a time
for one person to use. If too much is pre-
pared, the cement will settle and harden be-
fore all is used
A fiat paint brush about four inches wide
is the best implement to use with this mix
ture. Lay it on exactly as with oil paint.
1t can be applied to wood work. old or new,
and TO brick and stone. When dry. the
color is n light creamy b.own, or what some
would call yellowish stone color. This
skimmilk cement paint, well mixed, with
out adding color, has good body, gives
smooth, satisfactory finish on either wood
or stone, and wears admirably.
Storing Manure.
The ideal way of storing manure tempo
rarily, till time and opportunity are secured
for applying it to the fields, is to put it
under cover. Unmixed horse manure tends
to heat quickly and violently. IF spread
out evenly, sprinkled with some dry earth
or gypsum, and wet and moderately solidi-
fed, it will be in an ideal condition. III
thrown into the open yard, the wind tends
to suck mp what little moisture there is IL
it, and the rains to distribute and waste it,
as in some portions of the pile the manure
will get too much water and in others not
enough. In other words, the conditions
should be controlled, and this it is impossi-
bic to do when the manure is thrown IN the
open yard.
The manure that is properly cared for
and controlled as TO the rapidity of fermen-
tation, is so much more desirable than that
which is left to take its chances in the open
that one wonders why we are so 10th to get
dominion over so common a thing as the
manure pile Natures method is to
spread the refuse material thinly on the sur-
face in late Fall and early Winter, where
plants are growing. During the Winter and
early Spring large percentage of the avail
able plant food in manures is washed into
the soil Some farmers, knowing this, have
adopted the practice of spreading their
strawy manures on the meadows in the Fall
and early Winter. In April, during dry
time, the coarse parts are raked together,
carted to the barns and used a second time
for bedding. When manures are spread in
the Winter or early Fall, they may be plOwed
under in the Spring with shallow furrow.
Eggs Pay in Summer.
Every farmer should have a large flock Of
fowls, because during the warm season they
give almost clear profit, the farm afording
ample room for foraging and enabling the
hens to secure a variety. 1t is not advisable
for the farmer to have large flOcks, however,
unless he is willing to bestow some attention
on them, rs even in the busy season it may
be necessary to keep their quarters clean
and prevent the spread of lice. Food viii
cost little or nothing In Summer if the hens
have range, and if they produce eggs they
will give almost clear profit, owing to the
reduction in expenses. 1t is better to have
only a small flock if the farmer is too busy
to look after the fowls.
Dairy Items.
English travelling dairy schools seem to
thrive and increase.
You may overdrive milk production and
unfit your cows for producing good calves.
Maine has ordered new pasteurizing ap
paratus which its Experiment Station will
test.
In shipping pasteurized cream long dis
tances a very important thing is to see that
the can or jar is free from germs to start
with.
Do not use washing-soda for cleansing
dairy utensila Boiling water, scrubbing
with salt, and rinsing with cold water 10
better.
Farm Notes.
The ground for wheat should be plowed
now and left until the weeds begin to shoot
out, when the cultiyatOr should work it fine
again. Keep the ground worked and the
weeds will be destroyed, as well as giving
the seed wheat fine seedbed. 1t will also