Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1904 — FARM FIELD AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM FIELD AND GARDEN

FEEDING THE HOGS. Rude Table Manners and the Waste of Pood Prevented. One of the greatest troubles with the hog Is that he Is so irrepressibly hoggish. When you feed him he apparently feels It his Inherent duty to crowd every other hog as far and forcefully away from the feed as possible. When fed grain on the open floor he takes It upon himself to cover ns much as be can, to keep nosing and pushing his fellows, often to his own loss of food, since more or less is wasted by his rude “table manners.” When fed slop In the trough the biggest hog will invariably work his way through or over the Jam and get his carcass into the trough, where he complacently stands lengthwise and if not satisfied wifjh that lays himself down, gulping in his own and the smaller ones’ share until too full even to grunt, when he will stretch out for a snooze if the trough is big enough. To avoid the waste of feed and to give all an equal chance to secure their share I have a number of schemes and devices, but I consider the one shown In the illustration to be as good as if not better than any, says a writer in Farm and Fireside. The first requisite is a good sized, well constructed trough built preferably in V shape, as shown by A. The width of the side boards will depend

upon the size of the hogs to be fed. A small trough, with six Inch side boards, may be used for the wee pigs and twelve or sixteen inch stuff for the' large shotes and breeding sows. The size of pieces C and D should depend upon the weight of the animals and the strain likely to come on the frame. For hogs of ordinary weight a piece 2 by 4 inches should be used for the ridgepole, C, and pieces 1 by 3 or 2 by 2 Inches for the guard bars, D. These should be securely uailed to the side of the trough and, if a permanent trough in the hog house, spiked to the floor to prevent breaking off. The upright, E, firmly spiked to B, should be amply stout to secure endwise rigidity. For delivering slop to the trough a spout or small trough should be arranged to enter at the end of the feed trough. Pall Seeding of Alfalfa. The ground for alfalfa should be well settled before seeding and only the surface made loose. Alfalfa will usually fail if seeded in the fall on freshly plowed ground, according to H. M. Cottrell of Kansas, who says: Well cultivated cornfields, with the stalks cut and drawn off, give ideal conditions. Such fields should not be plowed, but harrowed only before seeding. Wheat, oats; flax and millet stubble ground plowed shallow, harrowed thoroughly and allowed to settle before seeding furnishes good conditions for alfalfa. If such ground is mellow plowing may not be necessary, as the land will only need to be disked and cross disked. The best time to sow is in the last half of August. It is safe to sow as late as Sept. 15 if conditions are good. The ground must be well settled, with a loose mulch on top, and well saturated with moisture so as to bring up the seed quickly and force the fall growth. If either of these conditions is lacking it will not pay to sow.

A Catch Crop of Tnrnlpa. “Do not leave your laud bare” seems to be the motto of farmers in Flanders. As soon as the first wheat, barley and rye are cut the sheaves are left in the middle of the field, and a very superficial plowing is given, with applications of chemical manures, and the land is then immediately sown to turnips. It is not rare to see some fields cut, plowed and sown on the same day. While the turnips are growing two or three hoeings are given, and liquid manure is applied. At the end of a few weeks the farmer lias a crop of turnips which are consumed on the land or siloed. Datch Cattle 1m Belgium. A great many Dutch cattle are imported into Belgium, as a number of farmers find it advantageous to buy certain classes of these Dutch animals rather than to breed them at home. Belgian farmers have given up breeding the Shorthorn race for twenty years past. Home Grown Crops For the Dairy. At the New Jersey experiment station home grown crops—alfalfa, crimson clover, oats and peas, cowpeas and soy beans—which are rich in protein have been utilized in the dairy at a greater profit than could have been realized by selling them at the market price. Agricultural Schools For Girls. In Belgium high schools of agriculture are established for young girls who want an education in agriculture complete enough to enable them to undertake the management of large farms or to teach in agricultural schools. ~ s

A GOOD TROUGH GUARD.