The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-01-26
LAMBS FOR EARLY MARKET.

Many farmers attracted by inc A.sAA
price paid for lambs in the early spring
are tempted to try their hands at the work
without having much previous knowledge;
there is scarcely any animal with which
man has to do so troublesome to handle
as the lamb that is being prepared Tor
early market; troublesome in the sense
that great care is needed in feeding and
that they must be properly sheltered and
kept in clean quarters. During the very
cold lays of winter the lambs will make
their most profitable growth If properly
cared for; profitable in the sense that all
the food they consume will go to add 10
their weight; the cool weather makes
them feed well and if they are comfort
ably housed and given all the food they
will eat up clean, but no more, the gain
will be steady. Look out for the mild days,
however, for the breath of warmer wealth.
err seems to affect the appetite OF the
lamb and the ration should be scaled down
in proportion to that falling off of Ape
tite. 1t may be necessary to hold out the
grain from the ration entirely during one
Of these spells; by the way, this is one OF
the best of ways to handle the clcyed ap-
petite in human or animal, that is, cut
down the ration decidedly and cut out en-
tirely the concentrated portion. {; When
the appetite begins to look up again feed
small portions of root crops as an appe-
tier and the lamb will soon be back on
full rations. Handled in this manner, as
regards feeding, spring lambs can certain
ly be made profitable.
THE POULTRY HOUSE FLOOR.
After one has used a poultry house for
a number of years. one that was built
originally with the floor butt little high
er thai the ground outside. one finds that
the floor is getting wet and the BIRDS suf-
fering in consequence. One of our houses
was found in this condition a few weeks
ago although we aim to look them over
carefully before winter sets in. 1t was
found that to properly fill in would cover
the stills and the soil would come up sev-
eral inches on the side walls, but as it was
q question OF possibly rotted stills or fowls
with colds we didn't hesitate long. For1u-
nately we had accumulated a lot of coal
ashes from the furnace which had been
placed under cover until they could be
carted away these were just the thing to
fill in with and in they went and were
tamped down hard. We had a few loads
of soil which had been put under cover for
another purpose is the fall, but 1t had to
go into the poultry house SO we soon had a
floor six or eight inchVs higher than the
soil on the outside; high enough in this
case to keep out moisture. This floor is
kept covered with chaff at all times, sew
eral inches deep when the weather is very
cold, with always just a little grain scat
tered through 1t; just enough to make the
birds think there is another grain some
where else after they find one. The cost
Of putting this floor in shape wa small
indeed compared with the possible loss of
g few Of the birds n the falling of of
the egg production which would have
surely resulted II the wet os damp floor
had been allowed to remain.
LOOK OUT FOR THIS scHEMER.
It IL really wonderful how closely
schemers follow conditions and how
quickly their fertile brains will evolve
some plan Of releasing the dollar from
the pockets of the unwary. Should an epi-
demic OF any kind settle over the country
the following. year. If not before, there
would be a hundred remedies on the mar
ket az Q preventive against the disease.
Some OF them would be good but by far
the greater per cent. would be worthless.
For a number Of years fruit growers have
been afflicted with the ravages Of the
San Jose scale and now we nave several,
at work throughout the coun-
try Offering to inoculate the tree SO as to
make It immune. Others apply a coating
Of what they call mercury mixed with
something they call by a high-sounding
name, but which is probably, some harm
d less fluid. The plan is to.apply the treat
ment collecting a certain per cent. of the
price Casually ali they can GET and the
balance they will call for after the next
frufttng season. Suffice 1t to. say they
never call and never intended to-. These
scnemers are also working in the towns
ana c'des applying their secret mixture to
shade and other trees affected by the San
Jose scale.
SEEKING A RATION FOR MEX.
While It is admitted that the ideal ration
10 that which will give the largest return
Tor the smallest outlay how many dairy
men seek to find this ideal plan through
@eir own experimenting? The majority
OF. them will look at the figures comnos,ng
z balanced ration and complain that *
would cost them too much for one or more
ingredients. 10 they reduce the peF, csnt