Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1892 — HOME AND THE FARM. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME AND THE FARM.

A DEPARTMENT MADE UP FOR OUR RURAL FRIENDS. The American Farmer Overlooks the Value of Manure—a One-Ox Yoke—The Beet Button tor Hogs —Household and Kltohsn Notea Value of Mannra

THE American farmer as a rule has very poor no- _ tions about the value of the manure that ao- » \\J cumulates on his I y farm. Proof of f this is seen in G the little effort that, is put forth —"gr to care for it, to save it from loss ff in various ways, ' But few farmers read and study jfpr pn this question wi i h a right-

dead-in-earnest idea of acquiring the best judgment possible in lUwe matter. Yet a man ought to know ;all he can how to save ttoe fertility <of his farm. Fertility is like money 'in the bank. If you don’t keep the (deposit good you wIH soon have to-stop checking out. Some valualile, facts are brought out in Bnlleitim-27 of the Cornell University iEKperiment Station. Prof. Roberts .proposed to find out the amount of lossln manure exposed as the farmer 'usually exposes it. Here is the ’result: In the-expariments of 1890 'horse manure was saved (from day to day until a pile of two tons>had been accumulated. This was done from April 18 to 25. Cut wheat straw was usediplentlfully as bedding, the relative amount of-Straw and manure being 3,819 pounds excrement and 681 pounds of straw. Chemical anaylsis showed that one ton of this fresh manure contained nearly ten pounds bf nitrogen, seven and one-balf pounds 6f acid, and eighteen pounds Of potash, making its value about about $2,110. if these constituents be valued at the same rate as in commercial fertilisers.

The pile of manure thus made was put iia a place oxposed to the weather, and where the drainage was so good that all the water not absorbed by the manure ran through and oil at once. It remained exposed from April 25 to Sept. 22. at which time it was carefully scraped up and weighed antd * sample taken for anaylsis. it was found that the 4,000 had shrunk to 1,730 pounds during the six months, and analysis showed that this 1.730 was spss valuable, pound for pound, thau the orkciiia'l lot of inanpre. It had not only lost by leeching, but- by heating or “lire Tanging” during- periods of warm weather, .and tilie value of the pile of 4,000 pounds had shrank from $5.60 to $2.25 —a loss of 62 per oent. In summing up the result of this .experiment. Director Roberts says: “It seems safe to say that under the ordiwory 'Conditions of piling and exposure the iloss-Of' fertilizing materials during the course -Of the summer is not likely to he much below 50 per cent, of the original value <ot “he manure. Further experiments showed -that ithe, liquid manure from a cow is worth-asmudh per day as the solid manure, and that the combined value of the two Is montly .10 cents per day. if valued at the snune irate os commercial fertilizers; that from a .horse-at 7 cents, that from a sheep at -cants, -and' that from a hog at % cent for liberally 'fed,! thrifty shoats of medium size. Director Roberts is careful to -explain that; those values will have to Ibe modified to suit individual circumstances. What ,hei means is that if farmers eaniafford toibuy 1 commercial fertilizers at enirrent .prices, then the manures of the farm .are .worth the prices given. , • The bulletin closes with plans illustrating a cheap manure shed, under 'Whtehimttnure may be saved with practically ino-loss. The bulletin is published by ’Oornell University, Ithuca, N. Y.

A One-Ox Yoke. A good yoke for a single .ox, -says; a correspondent, may be made as follows: Take a piece of natra rail ©rooked

•wood ;am d hew it 'out ae«hown in ■the -engrav“img. 'Then' b-oir.e :hole6 for (the ‘bar; A, -aibout 9 in. a;p.ar t. Tib© iholes tmay Ibe 1J 1 in. in diam-

eter. 17ow bore a hole at each end of the yoke, B, through which a nope is passed and made fast to the .end of; the yoke, while the other end as made fast to the singletree. The bow is made of hazel or hickory. Take ai green hazel of suitable size and steam, it. To do this make a small fire .and hold the middle part of the bow .over the fire about dive minutes. Thenj take and bend to the proper shape and tie C, and let it stay till dry.