Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1881 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

Pock butter or cheese is always the first to feel the effects of a (lull marlwt The best products are always inquired for, even on the poorest market. To prepare night soil for use on land, mix it thoroughly with any dry absorbent, as powdered charcoal, dry muck, road dust, Or Bifted coal ashes, so that all lumps may lie broken fine, and then apply it as any other manure. Cabbage 'is best given to poultry whole, hong up by the stalk- At first it may not be touched, but when one fowl begins to peck at it, the rest will be tempted to keep on until little remains. Being suspended, it does not waste or become polluted, and it will remain in good condition to be eaten at will The Native Cow. —Occ%sionally the agricultural press puts in a good word for the native cow. Too long she has been neglected, and the fancy or highbred cows, with long names aud pedigrees running back into the dark ages, are Euffed and praised, and as carefully an died as if they were so much gold, while the poor native is often allowed to shift for herself; is kicked and cuffed about; put upon a short allowance of feed at times, and then because she does not yield a large amount of milk, she is denounced as a scrub or a scalawag. If she had the care of her more fortunate high-bred sisters, she would as often do as well as they do; give the native a chance, and she will repay your kindness, with less trouble than the other kind. Cultivation of Strawberries Under Glass. —Mis» H. B. Trimble, of West Chester, Penn., who has been very successful in the production of hot house grapes for a number of years, met with the loss of her vines last summer from the ravages of the phylloxera. With extensive green house and forcing facilities at hand, she decided to engage in the raising of strawberries and tomatoes during the period necessary to grow new grape vines, and has the past winter been remarkably successful in her new venture. The varieties of strawberries selected were the Sharpless, Charles Downing and . Cumberland, the plants being placed in boxes, five or six inches in depth, which were arranged on the shelving of the hot houses. The tomato vines were planted on the floor and carefully trained up the sides of the building. New York furnished the best market, tie strawberries bringing an average of $6 per quart, while the womatoes realized fifty cents per pound The prices were well maintained throughout the winter, the severity of the winter preventing Southern fruit from getting into the market as early as usual. Sheep Husbandry. —Sheep husbandry is one of the most remunerative branches of farming there is, for, as a rule, there is but little expense attached, and besides the profit which they bring in their increase, the land upon which they have been running has been very much enriched thereby. Many of our run-down pastures could, in a few years, be brought up to their original fertility by turning upon them flocks of sheep. As the droppings of sheep are distributed more evenly than any other of animals, increased fertilization would be more general. Milch cows remove considerable amounts of phosphoric acid from the soil in their milk, while sheep would return a large percentage of this valuable material in the droppings, even should they have no other food than that obtained from the pasture alone. Large areas of light sandy soil could be made quite fertile by first sowing a crop of winter red, say as early as September, and turning sheep on it, say in November. You are thus saving land, of which no use could otherwise be made, and at the same time raising flocks of sheep for market at little or no expense. Some varieties of sheep require heavier and richer soil than others, for instance, the Cotswold, Leicester or Lincoln, their carcasses being larger than any of the Down breeds. The Merino require little care in the pasture, and yet it pays well to take good care of them, as it increases the length of staple and the weight of fleece; they form the best stock for crossing upon ooarse breeds. There is, in fact, no species of live-stock that will not thrive better from being well cared for than if allowed to look out for themselves, and sheep is an animal that will return a laiger percentage of reward than most any other for receiving attention at the hands of its owner. Ensilage. —The short time which has elapsed since the first silo was built in this State renders it very difficult to gather up many well-established facts; but there are some which we think of sufficient importance to place before our readers, and also some points worthy of attention. First—lt is a well-demon-strated fact that the walls of a silo should not be built with brick unless faced with cement. The brick absorbs the moisture from the ensilage, which leaves it in a state to rapidly decay. For the same reason wood is an unfit material. And above all things the farmer should avoid building with wood and covering it with zinc or lead to keep the moisture in, as the act of the . ensilage coming in contact with these metals will form a deadly poison. Brick may be faced with cement, but where rocks are plenty they are the cheapest and make the best wall. The walls should be perpendicular and straight, and made smooth with cement. Second—lt will be demonstrated that the more compact the ensilage is, if the water is not pressed out, the better it will keep. For this reason it should be cut fine, not less than a half inch in length. It sliould also be well tramped down as fast as put into the silo. This is important. The whole mass should be made compact, and kept so with heavy weights, or other means of pressure. Third—There is no longer any doubt bnt that cattle, horses, sheep, and swine will readily eat ensilage made of corn, rye, and other green crops. Fourth—There is bnt little doubt that ensilage well kept produces good sweet milk. Fifth—lt is a well settled fact that twenty-four tons of green corn fodder can be grown on an acre of land. Sixth—lt is the testimony of several that have tried it that a daily ration of from fifty to seventy pounds of ensilage, and one or two quarts of grain, will keep* a good-sized milch cow in a thriving condition. On this point our observation teaches us that we* need more time, more exact measurements, and more care to keep the cows from the haymow, before we settle down to jnst how much each cow needs, for Ol*»iry t-. enty-fonr hours, to keep her in good condition. Every one who has examined cattle that have been fed on ensilage must acknowledge that they took well.— Philadelphia Record.