Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-11-16
farm Notes.

For experimenting to determine trA
benefits of charcoal feeding, if an,
four turkeys were confined in pen
and fed on meal, boiled potatoes and
oats. and four others of the same brood
were at the same time confined In
another pen and fed daily on the same
articles. but with one pint Of very fine
ly pulveriZed charcoal mixed with their
food. These had also a plentiful sup
ply Of broken charcoal in their pen.
The eight were killed the same day.
and there was a difference of one and
a half pounds each in favor of those
supplied with charcoal. They were the
fattest, and the meat was superior in
point Of tenderness and flavor.
1t is astonishing how much better a
man knows how to do a thing after h
has learned the reason why he does it.
1t pays to get right down into the first
principles of agriculture, and to learn
how plants grow, what the soil Is
made of and how the animals are built.
A man who has some knowledge OF
this kind is not likely to get carried
away by hasty theories which look
ridiculous at once to one who has gone
below the surface OF things. Farmin g
is like a great building in that it ought
to rest on a rock foundation of facts
that are facts.
teen years there has been a decrease OF
fully 46 per cent. in the number of our
native birds. Surely this is appalling
when we consider the vast increase in
the number of injurious insects. Strin-
gent measures should be adopted to
prevent the wanton destruction Of our
feathered friends.
Bring your hogs to 200 pounds on
clover, and it is then an easy matter
to finish them off quickly on corn in
the fall. without the expense of feeding
long through the cold weather. Feed
ing corn in order to keep up the ami
NAL heat, while putting on fat. does not
pay. Although you may not have
quite such heavy weights in the
end as by other methods. there will be
more money in the purse
Nut growing is profitable, but 1t re-
Quires years to bring a nut tree to 4
stage Of growth where 1t will pay well.
hence only young farmers are induce
to devote land in that direction. Wal
nuts, chestnuts and butternuts would
improve with cultivation. In a few
years walnut trees will be so scarce
that the farmer who has a grove will
secure his own price therefor, the tim
ber being valuable.
When does the farmer make a proflt, ,
have become wealthy. yet they have
handled very little money and have
had difficulty in meeting their obli-
cations. There is one bank account
which they do not draw upon, and the
deposits accumulate for years, and
that is the soil. A farmer takes a poor
farm, works 1t, adds manure, and re-
ceives but little over expenses, but ev-
cry year his farm has become more
fertile and also increased in value. In
ten or more years the farm may be
worth five times the origina! cost. and
it represents just as much profit as
though the farmer had received money.
All farms are, to certain extent
banks of deposit, where the profits OF
the farm slowly accumulate.
inexperienced persons who un 1ertake
the management of bees will find much
to learn before they can succeed. The
winter care is important, for the bees
must not be kept too warm, and if ex
posed they may perish. A special
house should be provided. which should
be kept at a uniform temperature.
When foods are fed on the farm and
sold in some other form the valuable
elements of fertility are retained at
home. and as long as this is done the
farm may be cultivated to it's highest
limit Of capacity. and becomes more
valuable every year.
Long articles have been written on
the Importance of feeding literally, bat
farmers are progressive anf are dis
posed to go to extremes. 1t may be
safely claimed that at the present day
failing the supply, which accounts
largely for milk fever in cows, weak
ftters Of pigs and diseases Of the
bowels.