The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-10-10
Cement Floors for Hog Houses,


cold for sheep as long as they are dry.
Cement Floors for Hog Houses.
In reading the Farmer of July COZ
/ noticed some reader wishes to. Learns
more about cement floors for a hog
house. I believe from experience OF
three years, cement is the only floor
for hog houses. I have had better
success with winter pigs. Last sea-
son, wintered thirty-six head and new
er had them to do better. Our houseis
2Ox30 feet, long WY east to west, with
five SOW pens On the inside. Along
the south side with feed pens on the
out side The rest OF the floor / use
for the shoats to sleep and feed ONT
in bad weather. Upon the north side.
outside We have the boar's pen, also a
feed for 20x24 made of old bridge
lumber. I only wish it was of cement.
We intend to make it such as soon as
the lumber is gone, which will be
soon.
AS to cement for sleeping foorss
Such floors are easy to clean and UNI
less the hogs are confined in the houses
the floors are dry, and sometimes get
dusty; but as with all other floors they
will get dirty if stock is kept in the
house, know from experience ce-
ment floors are much better to clean
than a mud floor.
have just completed a cement floor
for a chicken house 1Ox13 feet and
think cement the only thing for floors
j. P. F., in the Indiana Farmer.
Sour Soils and Glover Sickness.
acter and until this defect is correct
ed it is useless to expect satisfactory
crops. Large sums may be spent In
the purchase and application of ma
nures, which, however useful on land
In suitable condition, gives but poor
returns on these acid soils. Some or
these manures, superphosphate for x
ample, actually increase the acidity
of these o u soils and its use on such
land not only produces no increase,
but actually lessons the yield. Among
crops which have a strong objection
to SOU soil, is clover and very often
what is termed clover sickness" is
not the disease at all. The. cause OF
true clover sickness, is a parasite
which, injecting the soil, gets inside
the clover plant, feeds on its juices
and Weakens it to such an extent that
it dies out. When the soil is sour,
clover refuses to grow satisfactorily,
because this condition is unfayorabIe
- 49, 0-S1&4-40 - H. -s@-~o.4- -akA
ering bacteria that grow on the roots
of the clover and to which are due the
little warty groWths thereon, which,
are characteristic of all members OF
the leguminous order, viz; peas, beans,
clover and alfalfa, etc. AS clover
cannot flourish in the absence of these
bacteria and as acidity in the soil is
fatal to their existence, the attempt to
grow clover on a sour soil is merely
a waste of time and money. It is sc
easy a matter to ascertain w~hetherfor
not the soil is acid that whenever Glow
er is growing unsatisfactory a test
should be made.
Should the test show that acidity I'M
doubtedly exists, this condition can be
remedied either by the application OF
a liberal dressing of mari, chalk, or
lime, or the use of seven or eight
hundred weight per acre of basic Stag.
For this last mentioned substance.
which is a fertilizer as well as a soil
improver, there is every indication
that the demand will be greater in
the future, as many are speaking in
its favor, who have just given it a
trial.-W. r. Gilbert in the Epitonist