The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-09-05

were removed. The next thing was to
put the soil in proper condition. In this
particular case it was badly run Town
and a fertilizer rich in nitrogen was
used, although in a soil that contained a
fair amount of nitrogen additions could
be cheaply made by the use of leguminous
plants. The orchard was then plowed and
Kept cultivated during the summer until
time to sow a cover crop of clover. The
trees were thoroughly sprayed each sum-
mer and the second season more pruning
was done. The third season a fair crop
or fruit was obtained and although the
orchard is more than twenty years old the
treatment mentioned has put 1t in such
shape that 1t will bear a number Of profit
aple crops. There is no reason why the
same plan cannot be carried out by one
having an old orchard provided, of course,
the trees are in 4 fairly healthy condition
and likely to thrive il cared for. An or
chard or half decayed or badly broken
trees would not be worth the treatment
indicated and the sooner 1t is turned into
fire wood and the ground utilized for
some profitable crop, the better.
Grazing the Meadows.
While 1t is admitted that in the south
and In the warmer sections OF the north
1t Is possible to turn the stock on to the
meadows after cutting without apparent
injury the practice is not a good one,
while in the colder sections of the coun-
try 1t means, sooner or later, the ruin OF
the meadow for hay. The only argument
in favor of the plan which the writer
ever heard was that the stock left suf-
ficient manure on the fields to offset any
damage they might do. Possibly this
might be the case if the grazing was
stopped In times OF drought or If not con-
tinued later than early September, but
when 1t Is kept UP until frost it is obvious
| hnf fhn | " t- trs ~ ~,,r -,,lr
son that the close cropped blades do not
afford n protection to the roots and in
the event of a severe winter without
much snoW the grass roots caEno pass
through without more or less injury. In
some sections OF the country this grazing
OF meadows is carried on to the point that
stock Is placed on them in large numbers
and kept there until heavy frosts. 1t is
good evidence of the fallacy of the plan
that the most numerous complaints. of
tatl1ng meadows come from these very
localities. 1t may be set down as a fact
that a meadow cannot be made to yield
a good hay crop and serve as a pasture
as we'll. Rather a follow this plan
seek TO increase the hay yield by a sys-
tematlo plan of light eSeeding In the early
spring and an annual top dressing of ma
nure.
Preparing the Stables for Winter.
$3.50 $500 $4,000 w Az oA1lAo ~ SCo 1lko "So"o
from the products Of the farm and who
counts the manure made by the animals
as so much clear gain$is not getting all
that he might from them If he is neg
Letting the saving of the liquid excre-
rnent. The writer knows well that this
subject is n that has been written on
for many years, but SO long as thousands
upon thousands of dollars are wasted
each year by the loss of liquid manure it
IS necessary to urge a change Of methods.
Stables that are built after modern plans
are arranged with cutters back Of the
cows, these cutters being built so that
the liquid portion Of the manure will flow
to one end into watts located for its re-
ception. In the majority of cases this
LIQUID manure is simply thrown over the
pile of solid manure, but this solid ma
nure Is kept in shed on a concrete floor
so that there Is no waste Of the liquid
portion. Some of 1t is absorbed by the
%coarser manure. The old fashioned barn
with it's heavy plank floor with wide
cracks between the boards Is not easy to
repair, SO that the liquid manure will be
saved; but where ten or more COWS are
kept in such a barn it Will pay to build a
gutter back OF the COWS in order to save
1.-The liquid manure The cost will not be
very great for such a gutter may be made
OF wood and made water-tight, although
a concrete gutter Is to be preferred. If
$1,000 49, EPSoaho 80 u R5S
portion of his profits are under the barn
floor In the form2of wasted liquid manure
there would not be a barn In the country
without some appliance to save this ma
nure. Look into the question and find
some way Of saving the liquid
this winter.
coops for Growing Chickens.
The Illustration shows aportion OF. q
range, o9acooDs that were constructed at
small expense for growing chicks and
which would answer for their use all win
country. These pen are SO constructed
that they may be divided by wire parti-
ittors with a board Stwog;feet wide at the
bottom and In this a. the desired num-
Der of chicks may be kept irIEeach pen,
yet all receive th~ss55beneft Of the venttla-
the combined pens. Each pen
is eight feet wide and thirty Inches high
iFonsthe sides. In he front a window sash
~ placed, the opening covered with wire