Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1883 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

The Cause of Bitter Milk. —Bitter ynilk is a matter of frequent occurrence every fall aDd winter, or soon after the cows are off from grazing. It is caused first by bitter herbs in the hay, such as mayweed, johnsworth, etc., and also by the use of too much over-ripe food, such as straw, corn, stover, or late-cut hay. It never ooours when cows are fed on good food and are thriving, or even holding their own, and are kept comfortably warm. Storing Honey.— Let all remember to keep their honey, whether extracted or comb, in a dry, warm room. It is best to keep extracted honey in open vessels, and, if to be shipped, in barrels or kegs; these latter should be ooated inside with paraffine or beeswax. Let. no one be in a hurry to sell bis honey. It should be thoroughly graded before it is sent to market. No pains should be spared to have the honey look neat, which will largely inorease the price it will bring. Important to Pork Makers. —Too little attention is paid to supplying hogs with plenty of water. We all know that they are pretty nasty, and eat and drink a good many nasty things; hut I am persuaded that they like a drink of cool, clean water as well as any person, and better than a great many c do, for they would be glad to have it oftentimes when many a man would not he satisfied without somethin considerably stronger and a good deal less wholesome. — Exchange. A Bad Investment. —In the opinion of the Grange Visitor a hadly-wom or broken-down farm implement of any kind is a bad investment. The loss of time from stoppage when work should be hurried is usually more expensive than the money cost of repairs. Too much repairing can not he afforded for an old implement, wagon or-other vehicle. The story is told of a man who said the worst luck that ever befoll him was finding a lynch pin. It was of no use until he had first a wheel and then a wagon, which being made in pieces proved twice as costly as the purchase of a new one.. Odds and Ends. —See that good insurance is on the farm buildings. Keep out the cold from all the barns, stables and house by banking with e rth, manure or even snow. Double windows are a great saving in food and fuel. It is a mistake to think that severe exposure makes animals hardy; they are far better off under cover during a storm. Plaster sprinkled on the stable floor will aid in keeping the air free from bad odors, and save valuable materials that would otherwise escape. Use the curry-comb and brush freely. Growing animals need comparatively more food than those fully grown. Water at the freezing point is not so healthful as warmer water, and it requires extra food consumed to heat it in the animal system. A shivering calf appeals to the pocket as well as the sympathy of the owner. The hen with warm food and a comfortable house will pay for her keeping, while one with no home and eat will be wintered —if she lives through, at. a loss. Small matt rs make up the sum of all comforts, and constant attention to them brings a great reward. The above is the sensible advice of the American Agriculturist.

Effects of Potato Culture on Soils. A correspondent of the Country Gentlemen speaks disparage ingly of the ultimate effect of the potato crop upon the fertility of the soil. He says: “Potato culture has nearly ruined many of our farms, and, while it has made many a father rich, it will and has made sons poor. The very reasons which make the potato crop such an excellent one for subduing the land also cause it to ruin the land in time. The crop demands our driest, best soils, and everything is removed from the ground. The tops amount to little or nothing toward maintaining the fertility or texture of the soil. Digging the soil up so loosely late in the fall, just before or during the fall rains, causes it to wash away much fertility, and, above all, changes the texture of the soil. Any one who has careiully watched will be compelled to admit that soils long devotod to potato cultui-e become incapable of enduring drought. The soil bakes into a crusty condition, much worse on old potato fields and farms even where a judicious system of rotation is pursued. Where no rotation is practiced the crop is ruined by adrought Avliicli barely injures the crop on new land adjoining. This I can see every year in my garden. I am a firm believer in the doctrine that land should always have a crop growing upon it, if possible, and that no fertile soil should ever be broken up or disturbed except for the purpose of growing a crop, and that a crop should | be planted or sown immediately after I pulverization, in order to benefit and preserve the soil, a 3 Avell as for the Brelfare of the crop. P tatoes mike a good preparation for a winter crop cf grain, if they are heavily manured, but in the long run they injure the land very much.

Largs Loss in Using Damp Fuel.— Burning wet or damp wood or coal, instead of dry, is much more wasteful and expensive than most people imagine, and the subject is worthy of attention now, when we are using much fuel, and are —or ought to be—providing a supply of wood for the rest of the year, where wood is used. An extensive series of experiments recently made at Bochum, Germany, shows that six toils of finely broken dry coal gives as much heat as about seven tons burned as it would be if water were dashed upon it and drained off fora short time. And this is the condition of much coal kept in dump vau ts, leaky sheds, or out of doors. The lesson is obvious—keep the coal in a dry place and condition, and sto 14 per cent, less, according to its fineness, will be needed to obtain the same heat. There is a good scientific explanation of this. Water, in changing to steam, or cold vapor even—that is, in drying off-con- | ceals, or makes latent, about 1,000 I degrees of heat. If - heated to 212 dej grees, the boiling point, the steam ! really contains about 1,200 degrees of i heat, although only 212 degrees are ] sensible, or are shown by the tlier ; mometer. The waste' of heat is still greater in burning green or wet wood. The sap or water uses up—that is, carries off in a latent state —a very large proportion of the heat produced by its carbon or its dry material. As mne i man and team power is required to haul three or four cords of g-een wood ns for six or eight cords of dry wood. The lesson is, ut the fuel and split rt as finely as it in to bo used, in the gr ve; haul it home when well dried, and keep it in a dry place for use. It will be

worth far more for heating purposes than if burned green or wet, or damp even. The only exception to this advice is, when by reason of easier hauling on the snow, and on account of the leisure of men and teams in winter, it' may be expedient to haul the green wood home then; but in all cases let it he well dried before it is used.— Orang* Judd, in American Agriculturist.