Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1890 — OUR RURAL REVIEW. [ARTICLE]

OUR RURAL REVIEW.

AGRICULTURAL TOPICS PRACTICALLY DISCUSSED. Devon Cattle for Beef and .Hille—How to Feed Dairy Cows—A Productive Breed of Poultry—Clover a» an Egg Maker—The Latent W heat Blight—Take Care of the Trees—Household and Kitchen Recipes. THE FARM. Stock Suffering from Indigestion. It is not to be supposed that man alone suffers the horrors of indigestion. Domestic stock kept in pasture in summer and on coarse feed in winter may never be victims of dyspepsia, but the conditions of modern domestic animals are very different. Some of the improved breeds are as high fed as men, and when corn is the main diet it is often as indigestible as the average human diet. The evil of improper feeding is greatly aggravated if stock is young. If they are kept from overloading their stomachs until a year old, there is little danger after this of hurting them, as by this time the stomach has become so strengthened as to digest almost everything. Kill tlie Poorest Pig* First. It often happens on every farm that the pork barrel gives out early and the farmer is obliged to resort to his pigpen for a fresh supply. It is almost equally common for the inexperienced farmer to select the most thrifty pig in his lot for killing first. Tills is nearly always a mistake. The lack of thriftiness is not cured by age, and when one pig is eighty and the other a hundred-weight, the increase is likely to be 120 and 200, if both are kept long enough. The stunted pig should be killed as soon as it is in fairly good condition. A thrifty pig will pay for keeping until it rolls in its own fat, and will often pay better between 1(M) and 200 pounds than at any earlier period of its growth.

Wheat Scab. Clarence M. Weed of the Ohio Experimental Station describes a disease which is new to wheat in this country, though it has before appeared in England. It is a fungus attacking wheat heads in many parts of Ohio the present year, producing a whitish covering of the glumes, and entirely preventing the formation of the grain beneath. This disease is said, to have prevailed in many parts of the United States, and may account in a most unsatisfactory way for the present small wheat crop. In Madison County, Ohio, a field of one hundred acres which was estimated at thirty-live bushels per acre proved on threshing to yield only eight bushels. When the threshing began it was found that the grains beneath this fungus were wholly lacking. . Trees on the Farm. One sound piece of advice which Horace Greeley gave to all farmers was to take good care of the wood lots, and see that new plantations were set out when the old ones began to die out. The average farmer looks upon timber planting as something entirely out of his line of work, and yet if he would be a broad and liberal cultivator of his fields he would recognize the great importance which this work has upon the fertility and value of the place. A great many farmers as they grow old allow their places to run down, reasoning that since they cannot be here much longer it doesn't matter how the place is kept up. This is misuse of money and time, for when the estate comes to be settled up the farm will have to be sold, and if not properly kept in order it will not bring one-half its real value. Every fanner owes it to his family and posterity to keep his farm in the best condition possible, even if he thinks lie is to die tomorrow. Timber may not have much commercial value in certain localities, but it should be grown, nevertheless, and new plantations put out occasionally to keep young, vigorous trees near at hand all of the time. But unless one is far removed from towns and cities, groves of locust trees can invariably be made profitable. Where there is a good sale for locust posts they can be made to produce at tiie rate of several hundred dollars worth per acre. After the grove has once been started the young trees will constantly grow up to take the place of those cut down, and trees may be cut off nearly every year. Maple trees can also be grown profitably, and sold for shade trees when young and vigorous. I have s.een plantations of maple trees bring high prices simply grown and sold for shade trees. But the farmers should set out plantations with the idea also of protecting his crops, and the trees can then be made doubly profitable. On many of our hillsides in the East groves of maple, locusts and other trees could be planted profitably. In their present condition the hillside lots are not of much value, as the water leaches through the soil or washes down the sides in gullies, so that all plant crops are torn up and destroyed. Good groves of trees could be planted here successfully, if only thinlyplanted grass could be. sown between them and obtain a good start. The roots of the trees would retain the fertility of the soil, and prevent the water from washing it away. On level fields the plantations of trees would be of value as windbreaks, as well as timber producers, and no farmer can afford to neglect this. The amount of wheat, corn and various grains that is destroyed every year by heavy winds should be a sufficient warning to tempt every farmer to make some protection for the plants. The advice to plant trees on the farm cannot be given too often, and if only one farmer should heed the warning each time such advice appears in print, the article would not be written in vain.— S. IK. Chambers, in American Cultlvatar.

THE STOCK RANCH. Devons for Beef and MI Ik. The largest Devons in this country and England, and many of the best milkers, are seldom seen at prize exhibitions and show yards, for at such places it is symmetry and compactness that attracts the attention of the judges. The journey to and from the exhibition and other incidental exciting causes always tends to reduce the flow of milk, so that while in the show yard the animals never yield the same quantity that they do at home. The purest bred Devons are, after all, better for the show yard than for practical purposes, and this is recognized even in England, for many of the best bcef-oroducing and milk yieldcrs never see the inside of exhibitions. The purest breeds are smaller in size, and while they contain many excellent qualities, they cannot surpass some of the heavier

weights which inevitably arrive at maturity earlier in their life. The pure Devons are better fitted for districts where the pasturage is not of the richest, and they are not sought after by those possessing rich pasturage. In Devonshire and Somersetshire the North Devons are not found on the richest districts, but on the light and varied soils, which are in places hilly and uneven. The North Devons are raised for prize shows, beef and milk, and the greatest care is taken to see that symmetry and compactness are perfect On the rich alluvial plains near the coast a larger and heavier class of Devons is raised, which furnish good beef to the London market, but less attention is paid to pedigree and breed. The Devons can be made - to attain great weight, but It is not characteristic of the breed. The beauty of the breed is that it can be adapted to a light soil, and excellent beef and milk produced therefrom. In England the size and general appearance of the Devons will be seen to change in different districts, which is due to the fact that certain classes of Devons have been adapted to certain grazing districts, where less attention is paid to pedigree, and more to general practical good points. The same breed could thus be raised successfully in many parts of this country where larger breeds cannot live off the scanty vegetation. Rich, luxuriant pasturage has a tendency to increase the Devons in size and to make them coarser and unsymmetricai in appearance. They are a breed especially adapted to a light soil, and at North Devon, the great breeding and grazing district of the animals, the pasturage is not the richest part of the two counties celebrated for raising this breed. The fact is, farmers in this country could improve their stock by using this breed in the light soil districts of the country both for feed and milk.—E. P. Smith, In American Cultl-. valor.

THE DAJUtI, Feeding Dairy Cows. The milk of a cow contains all the elements that form the animal body. We must therefore, select her food accordingly. We must also remember that two-thirds of the food consumed by a fair cow, says H. D. Thatcher & Co. in Ohio Farmer, is required to keep her body in repair, while the remaining one-third is converted into milk. It is an extra cow whose digestive organswill properly prespare for the lacteals double the food required to repair her own system, so that one-half of the daily ration is converted into milk. We would consider the following a fair daily ration for a heifer, fresh for first time: ha y 18 pounds Wheat bran 4 Groundouts 77.7 1 “ Cornmeal 7.7.7' 1 “ Carrots 7777..777777 6 “ or Early -cut hay 18 • Wheat bran 3 “ Cornmeal 777.777 1 • Middlings... . 7777.777 1 “ Oilmeal 77777 1 “ Beets .7 77 77'7 "" 10 • or Early-cut hay 18 • Oat straw g « Cotton-seed meal *" 1 “ Pea meal .77.77777 1 “ Ground oats ’............771 “ Wheat bran 77. 1 “ Cabbage 77777777 8 “ Other similar kinds of food that the dairyman finds more convenient to obtain can always be substituted. Good ensilage from corn, rye or other substance, will take place of the hay, carrots. beets and cabbages. When the cow is on good grass it will answer without other food, but the moment it is insufficient to entirely satisfy her, something must be provided to keep up the full flow of milk, for when once she is allowed to shrink she cannot be brought up again. e would consider the following a fair daily ration ior a cow weighing 1,000 pounds: hay 20 pounds Wheat bran 4 Cornmeal 77.777 4 “ Oilmeal 7.77777 4 “ Beets 777.710 “ or Early. cut hay 15 Straw 77 7 5 “ Wheat bran 777.. .7.7.77 7 8 “ Oilmeal ’’ ’ * 3 « C0rnmea1.777....77777777777 5 “ Carrots 77.77 8 “ or Corn ensilage 60 “ Wheat bran 7.7.7 6 “ Cornmeal 7 7.7. 6 " We are thoroughly convinced, by careful experiments made by ourselves at different times, that a cow will yield enough more milk from the same quantity of foyd, when, grain and dry hav are fed, to pay for cutting the hay with a straw-cutter and mixing the grain with it. When the grain is fed separately it passes directly into the second stomach, while, if mixed with the hav, it is all remasticated by the chewing of the cud, to the satisfaction of the cow and and the profit of the owner. We know very well that the average dairyman will not do this. He does, however a great many things that do not pay half as much profit for the labor.

THE POULTRY-YARD. Clover for Poultry. Clover is an excellent poultry food, not to be fed alone, but with grain. It takes the place, to a great degree, of the green food which poultry get for themselves when allowed to run on the farm in summer. Pack a few barrels of it away and see if it doesn’t pay,, in the increased number of eggs and better general health of your fowls. Green second crop clover should be used—the younger and tenderer the better. Pack it in a heavy iron-bound barrel, such as a vinegar or cider barrel. “Tramp'’ the clover in little by little, pressing it tightly as possible ■with a heavy piece of wood—a piece of cordwood, for Instance. Pound and jam it down till every bit of space in the barrel is full, then put on a cover, and on top of that a heavy stone, and let your “cheese'’ stand for a month. The stone ought to weigh 200 pounds, and then your clover will come out a solid block, that can bo. cut in slices. When you want to feed it. take the barrel apart," and put your clover cake on a box or in some dry place. Shave off thin slices with a sharp knife, and feed to the hens at noon instead of grain. Pack enough of the clover to last until you can let your hens out again in the spring, and after feeding it sec if your receipts in eggs don’t fully pay for all your trouble. The hens areas glad to get filling food as horses are to have hay.— Farm, Field and Stockman.

SlclllaiiH. Though not a particularly new breed of fowl, the Sicilians are not old standbys, having been imported some few years ago from , Sicily. The Sicilians belong to the Mediterranean type of fowls, says the Poultry Review, and are classed with what are known under the general term of Spanish fowls. They

! are confined to the yards of only a few breeders, and with them they are very ’ popular, and from the good reports we I continue to have from them, they are ! justly great favorites. I In shape, carriage, style and size they l resemble the Brown Leghorns; their ’ plumage resembles that of the Golden I Penciled Hamburgs. The comb is round and somewhat ’ shaped like a saucer, and nicely spiked ; round on the outside, and measures from I three-fourths to one and one-fourth of ■ an inch in diameter on hens, and still larger on cocks; and a small crest the size of a pea right behind the comb. The comb makes the birds look very nice. The face is red and they have yellow legs. Their great economic claim is based upon their laying. Their eggs are white in color, large in size; and produced in great numbers. They lay more eggs in winter when prices are high, than any of the small breeds. They are veritable egg machines, like all other varieties of the Spanish family they are nou-setters. As chicks and fowls they bear confinement well, are of a gentle disposition and small eaters. If given their liberty, they require little food, being good foragers. They are the fowls when eggs are wanted in large numbers and during the whole year. Possessing such laying qualities, we would bespeak for them the attention and consideration of farmers and poultrymen who breed for profit.

THE HOUSEHOLD. “Darned” Needlework, Embroidered mirror frames are the latest device of needlewomen, and are very beautiful in effect, as well as puzzling as to origin, when completed. When reproduced in cheap material and inferior work they will doubtless become as undesirable as are the painted frames once so much admired. The material employed for the frames is something rich and firm in weave, and the embroider}" is wrought in harmonious coloring of soft blue and pale rose shades for the conventionalized flowers, shades of bronze green for the foliage, and light gold filoselle darned work for the entire background. The embroidery when completed is laid on a flat or curved surface; at the inner edge a mount of white enamelled wood finishes it, and a carved scroll of the enamelled wood surrounds it. The background is almost invariably darned, as its effect is richer than any materia], no matter how costly and handsome, and the work recommends itself to the ladies to whom line needlework 13 a delight, because it requires much less time in completion than the large pieces frequently undertaken, but left unfinished for want of opportunity until the fancy for them has passed in the light of some fresh novelty.— New York Sun.

Bits of Information. Freckles, pimples, blackheads, eyebrows that meet and superfluous hair are defects easily and cheaply remedied. There are many ways of removing freckles. One is: To a quart of buttermilk add two-thirds of a cunful of cornmeal and a teaspoonful of salt; bathe the face every night, allowing the mixture to dry in. Lemon-juicd. in water will remove them, but it leaves the skin so tender that they are apt to be increased by it. Moistening the face and putting on powdered saltpetre is highly recommended. Tincture of benzoin one ounce, water, one pint, makes a delightful application, if a tablespoonful is added to a bowlful of water. Freckles, tan and pimples may be removed (and will stay removed as long as the remedy is used) by the corrosive sublimate lotion. The formula is; Five grains of corrosive sublimate, two ounces of alcohol and four ounces 0 water. For freckles, moisten a cloth with the lotion, wipe the face two or three times daily, and at night apply some kind t»f ointment, cold cream or camphor ice. A very nice ointment is made from one-third, white wax and twothirds lard; melt the wax first, and add the lard; pour into small tin moulds which have been dipped in cold water. The freckles and tan will disappear in about two weeks, Pimples should be bathed several times a day. Blackheads require flour of sulphur, used after the lotion treatment. The face should be washed with good soap. Do not use the high scented soaps; the white castile, made from olive oil and bicarbonate of soda, is always safe to use. Wipe the face thoroughly and dip a soft flannel in the flour of sulphur, and rub all over the face, taking care not to get any in the eyes. In a few minutes, wash off with the soap and water and bath with the lotion. The sulphur may be used twice or three times a week, until the blackheads are removed; afterwards once a week will be sufficient to keep them off, using the lotion once a day. Where the skin is coarse and red, a thin gruel should be made from oatmeal and strained. To a pint of gruel, add a very small pinch of salt, an ounce of alcohol and a teaspoonful of tincture of" benzoin. Moisten the face with this and wipe with a soft cloth. When the complexion is thick and oily, wash with Italian medicated soap, use the sulphur j once a week and the lotion daily. Out-of-door exercise should betaken every day, and frequent warm baths with a little ammonia in the water. Fresh fruit should be eaten judiciously. A dish of raw tomatoes, with shivered ice over them, if eaten for breakfast, will bo found not only apetizing, but as beneficial as a liver pill. Bad breath, if it comes from sore throat, may be cured by making a solution of chlorate of potash, a teaspoonful of crystal to a pint of water. Dose, a teaspoonful every hour until relieved. Where the teeth are decayed, they should be taken care of by a competent dentist; in the mean time, the mouth may be rinsed with a very weak solution of permanganate of potash. Dissolve some of the crystals, say a teaspoonful, in a pint of water; put enough of this in the water in which the mouth is to be rinsed to make it a rose pink. Wash the teeth and rinse the mouth well. This is a poison and should he kept in a safe place, as should the corrosive sublimate lotion, which is a violent poison if swallowed. When the gums are diseased, the myrrh and chalk dentifice is excellent. Eyebrows that meet are not becoming, but may be easily removed with small tweezers. The shape of the eyebrows may be improved by judicious thinning. When the eyebrows are too thin, frequent brushing with a small brush will increases them.— Good Housekeeping.

Van illu, Cream Sauce. Two beaten eggs, four tablespoonfuls granulated sugar, two cups sweet milk (or one each of milk or water), butter size of hickory nut; stir over the fire in double boiler, until as thick as very rich cream. Do not boil. When cold add a very little vanilla. Use sauce cold.