The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-12-23


we pour it out in troughS as we would
water and let them go to it during the
day as they will. This is Il nice prob
lem in farm economy which e;tch one
interested can work out for himself.
RETAINING STABLE AMMONIA.
All sorts of things are used in stables
under horses and COWS as absoroents
and many of them are OF niue Naiue.
Recent experiments have shown thal
land plaster. the common name ior
gypsum, which has been used for this |
purpose many Years has little value
as an absorbent of ammonia Where
dry terial of this character is pre-
ferre>. acid phosphate is the best thing
to use. In many sections farmers nave
used dried and powdered muck for
years probably because 1t was the
easiest thing to obtain. and there Is
nothing better than this; 1t is even
better than the acid phosphate. There
is considerable doubt about the value
of chaff and sawdust as absorbents;
to a certain extent they will absorb the
ammonia as almost anything like hu-
mus will do but in the case of the
sawdust little is added to the value of
the manure bulk beyond the ammonia
absorbed by it. If muck is available
by all means use it but If some alb
sorbent must be bought acid phosphate
is the thing to buy.
WINTER EXERCISE FOR POULTRY.
Those who care for poultry without
giving them much study scarcely real
| ize the effect of too much corn; 1t
not only make the fowls fat, but has IA
most distressing effect on the liver
which accounts for the number of
| deaths among fat poultry To offset
| this effect there is nothing but exer-
| else and this must be given indoors
| If 1t is not possible because of severe
| NNnD 6ny To, t,,yY no lie ant in, ha
open. If the birds are not inclined to
take exercise, and they may not feel
much like it after being stuffed with
corn, they will come to it if one Of the
meals is skipped and the next meal Is
| of wheat, given by scattering 1t through
| the cham on the floor of the house
or in protected shed, the latter pre-
ferred. I have found it a good plan,
when I was so situated that | could
| not have a scratching shed as a part
of the poultry house to improvise one.
This was done by using a portion of an
old wagon shed and covering the front
TO within a foot of the top of the OPEN
ing with oiled sheeting. This kept out
the cold and wind but let in the light
and shat sun there might be. Ii did
not require more than two or three
days of driving to make the fowls APP
prcciate this shed and they would run
for 1t at once on being let out of the
y
freedom, light clean place to scratch
and a fairly good meal when they We're
hungry.
WHAT THOROUGH SOIL PREPAR.
ALTON DOES,
During the session of a recent insti-
tute meeting the writer heard q good
story which illustrates well the point
of thorough preparation of the seed
bed. The farmer who told the story
told it well although he admitted the
joke was on him though he profted
greatly by it, He had occasion to take
IA son to task for his shiftless way OF
preparing Il field for crops one day III
directing him in the preparation of a
field for corn told the young man tc
work on that field until he, the. father
returned from a trip he was to take and
which he thought would occupy him
two days. At the end of two days the
father had not returned and the boy,
thinking to retaliate a little and yet
obey orders. continued to work the
field He plowed it and cross plowed
it; then as the father had not returned,
he cultivated it both ways with a long
bladed cultivator: then, the father be.
ing still away, he narrowed ii and har.
rowed 1t from every point of the com.
pass. Altogether he spent week Of
time in preparing the field which his
father thought could be well prepared
| III TWO DAYS. NHen tNe OiQ gentleman
returned he was mad, but as the reply
of the boy was that he had simply
obeyed orders there was nothing more
to be said. The corn was planted and
the crop was nearly double any pre-
Vious corn crop from the same field
Both father and son We're astoniShed
at the result and it opened their eyes
to the possibilities of thorough, soil
preparation. This was several lears
ago and up to that big crop yea the
struggle had been hard: so hard that
the boy was uneasy as he grew older
and frequently expressed a wish to
leave the farm. This big crop cha lge6
the whole condition of affairs and nth
err and son took new heart and the
farm was q success from then on
HOME MADE SNOW Pillow.
When there is such a quantit.r OF
ground to be cleaned of snow q 8 is
found around the average farm Dme
something more than the ordinary now
shovel is needed. If the snow is deer
and the space to be cleared consider.
able then one should bring into use .
Large plow with horses to pull it. For
a hand plow nothing is better than the
simple, one made in the following man
ner. Select two pieces of board free
from knots each three feet long and
six inches wide. Bevel the end of each
| board and nail then, tOpet her in tba