Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1881 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

English dairymen say that higfc shorthorn cows when dried off fatten more rapidly with less food according to their size than eny other dairy breed, and their beef is of superior quality, bringing a top price in the market. ' There is no better soil in the world for potatoes than solid sward land. We find from our experience that the best seed is cut down to two eyes, thus producing few vines, but large vegetables. Our potatoes, Rose and Hebron, from such cuttings, were very large this year. They were, however, very crooked. This, perhaps, was caused uy the uneven distribution of the manure. When corn is planted in drills, the drills should run north and • south, it is reasonably said. In this case the eastern part of the corn receives the morning sun, the western the afternoon sun. Were the rows to run east and west, the north side of the rows would receive sunshine only at midday. To what extent the crop is affected by the direction of the rows is a fit subject for experiment We have been looking over a great number of experiments with different kinds of concentrated fertilizers upon corn. The conclusion that must be drawn is, that while bone has shown the best effects in a majority of instances, in many others it does not appear to have produced any appreciable effect. We can only repeat what we have already said many times, that this is a question which each farmer, by careful observation and experiment, must determine for himself.— Hural New Yorker. Ducks hatch their own eggs rather better than hens. The hen, says a good authority, is not calculated for a longer period than the usual three weeks (except that most inveterate of sitters, the Brahma). For the first day or two the young of any birds should be kept, quiet, and quietude encouraged throughout. If observed closely the hen that steals her nes,t and rears all her chicks will be found to possess quiet and regular habits and will not fatigue her young unnecessarily. Treatment of Stray Cattle., —The lawful method of treating stray’ trespassing animals is to take them into custody . and hold them for twenty-four hours, notifying the owners, if they are known, of the detention. If the animals are not claimed at the end of this time, they are to be driven to the public pound and placed in charge of the pound-keeper, who holds them for a reasonable time, and then advertises them for sale. The times of detention are fixed by statue or by by-laws of the townships or counties, and the pound-keepers are usually provided with copies of these laws for their guidance. The best time, says a writer in the Prairie Farmer, to remove evergreens is undoubtedly in the spring, just as the terminal buds are opening. They may be removed safely until they have grown three inches. The next best time is in the latter part of the summer, or just before the fall rains set in. It is true, however, theoretically, that they may be safely removed at any time of the year when the ground is not frozen, and practically true if extreme care is taken. . Our opinion is that they are removed with least loss in the spring, as we have stated. As to mulch, it makes really little difference what the material is, so it will not blow away or scatter noxious weeds. How to Keep Butter.—A correspondent says: “I learned one or two things about butter last spring. One of them is, that butter of all kinds should either be stiff and set away in a cool place, or, if not made so stiff, should be putin gallon or half-gallon jars, and either sealed up or thick paper (old letter paper will do) brushed over with the white of an egg fastened securely over the top. Before sealing them Up, however, it is well to put about half a teacup of' sugar over the top of each, but if made thick enough fifty will not need it. Tn canning fruit this should ulways be done, as it prevents them from moulding, provided they are not moved and jolted around.” Farmers’ Gardens.—As a general rule farmers do not provide themselves with good gardens, at least not as good as they should. The excuse for this neglect is generally the same with all of them—they have not the time to bestow on them, and yet it may safely be asserted that an acre of ground appropriated to a garden, will be more profitable to the farmer than any other ten acres on the farm. The interests of the farmer, the comforts of his family, the good condition and health of his whole household, require such a garden on every farm in the country, and it should be a garden, not a mere" excuse for one, a mere weed patch. It should be one so managed and arranged that every vegetable of a wholesome quality for human food, should be raised in it in plentifulness and at the earliest season. After a winter’s dieton generally solid food, the human constitution requires the deterging operations of free vegetable diet. Crib Biting.—Crib biting, says the Western Fural, is a habit resulting from many causes, restraint put on the horse, by way of strapping the neck, etc., are morq or less apt to produce other permanent injury; when the restraint is removed he will crib again. It has been suggested to cover the mangel 1 and woodwork within his reach with sheet-iron, or with fresh sheepskin, which may be smeared with aloes, but these means are of avail only while the horse stands in the stall. The process of rasping the teeth, as suggested to you, is simply preposterous. If the horse’s front teeth really were too long, how could he then get the teeth or molars' together to chew the food ? All the teeth of the mouth, when not deviating from their normal condition, are worn equally, and by rasping the surface of the front teeth, the consequence will be that the lower teeth will not meet with the upper teeth, which will interfere with his ability to properly grasp his food from the manger, and will make it impossible for him to bite off the grass, and withal he will continue his habit of cribbing. Corn Trial by Farmers. —In a series of seventeen corn crops raised in Saline County, Missouri, by farmers competing for a Grange premium of S2OO for the largest yield, it appears that twelve crops out of the seventeen gave an average vield of over 100 bushels per acre, and this not for one acre only but for an area of ten acres in each case. Nothing could more clearly show the progress of good farming than this fact. Wliaa one man gets a yield of 100 bushels or over from a single acre it is not very remarkable, because it is getting to be of frequent occurrence. But when a dozen men, each cultivating a field of ten acres, get a product of over 100 bushels per acre for the whole area it may well attract attention. If twelve fields, aggregating 120 acres, are made to produce 12,000 bushels of grain per annum, together with its 500 tons of clover, what would the yield of the country amount to at the same rate of production, and how much longer shall we remain satisfied with thirty bushels per acre as an average yield for the whole country? If the above competition is a fair sample of granger enterprise and success, then we say let the patrons of husbandry go ahead, and let the farmers’ clubs show the same spirit of progress. Then, indeed, the new decade and the croakers and doubters will pass away to join the bats and the owls of the buried epoch.— Experiment Record.