Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1905 — HINTS FOR FARMERS [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR FARMERS

latfrorlag Swine. No farm animal receives greater attention or improvement in the bands of breeders than the hog, yet many farmers are not keeping abreast of this progress in selecting their breeding stock for profitable pork production. As au Illustration, if a farmer with ten brood animals, instead of using an Inferior sire, would secure a good, Improved bred one at an outlay of S2O or a little more, the crop of pigs, an average of six to a litter, will number sixty bead. When marketed at eight months of age they will weigh from forty to fifty pounds per head more than the same number would sired by a scrub sire. At the average price of pork on foot for the past quarter of a century, $4.50 per hundredweight, the minimum gain of forty pounds per bead would amount to SI.BO apiece, or SIOB profit on the crop of hogs, which is a very good margin on the Investment. If he bus not reduced the cost of production of pork, he has Increased a marketable product without extra feed or care—lt. E. Roberts Before Wisconsin Institute. Calves Rained Without Mlllc. As a substitute Tor skim milk. In raising calves cocoa nut shell tea appears to have some merits. At the Ontario experiment station calves were fed, in addition to what corn and green feed they wanted, six to eight quarts of tea made by boiling one-fourth of a pound of cocoa shells In two gallons of water. They gained 135 pounds in eight weeks, while two other calves fed on two gallons of skim milk per day In addition to the other feeds gained 148 pounds in the same period. The conclusion was that shells made as good a substitute for skim milk as could be had, but that nothing could entirely take the place of milk for young stock.

Breed to the Rlfcht Stallion. Horses and mules of the right sort are bringing paying prices on the markets. The undersized, scrubby ones bring the bottom prices. Many farmers are disgusted with raising horses because they unfortunately pay little attention to breed or conformation of sire or dam, and the result is disappointment In nine cases out of ten. There never has been a much better demand for good shaped, active, fair sized horses and mules. Breed the right sort and then let the colts have all the grain and bright hay they will eat up clean. Do not stint them. There Is a great future for the judiclous horse and mule breeder. \ Hog Cholera Prevention. After long yeai*s of careful and expensive research by the experiment station scientists about the only fact they have clearly demonstrated with reference to hog cholera Is that the only way to cure It Is to prevent It. A little prevention in the way of clean quarters, feed and water, access to wood ashes, charcoal aud salt before the disease breaks out Is worth a whole drug store full of “remedies” after the disease begins to kill the hogs. Are you free from cholera now? If so. better take pains to stay free of It.—Farmers Advocate.

Raining; Turkey.. Always give the turkey hen a good feed of grain morning and uight until the chicks are at least six weeks old. This will prevent her from ranging too far for feed. The chicks will soon learn to eat broken or cracked corn, wheat or oats and when well feathered will eat whole grain of any sort. After ten weeks they will make their living on a good feeding ground, requiring only a little grain at night to induce them to come home to roost. They are worth the money In the market durlug the fall and winter months. Ralnlncr Colt*. It Is usually much easier to raise two or more colts together than It Is to raise one nlone, as they are company for eachrother and are not always tagging the other horses. It Is also much better to keep the young colt separate from older ones, as there Is a tendency toward viciousness on the part of the older ones, aud the young colts are likely to suffer, especially If they are all fed their grain lu the same inclosure.—Horse Breeder. In the Cornfield. It would pay any farmer to make a practice of going through that part of his corn from which he Intends to select his seed corn and cut the tassel off from every stalk that has not set an ear. The tassel should be cut off before they blossom. It Is the barren stalks that keep the average corn crop 25 per cent below what it should be. The Good Farjn Horae. For farm work we need good sized horses, and every farmer should start for the front and try to get Into the draft stock. There Is more pay In raising them for market and more work lu them when put before the plow.— National Stockman. Breed For Utility. Breed for egg and meat production and not for “points" that are only valuable In exhibition stock. Always keep pure breds, and keep them as close to the standard requirements as you can without sacrificing utility.—Farm Journal. Milk and Saver For Homes. An occasional feed of milk and sugar Is given show horses, but these produce soft flesh In genera] and are not satisfactory except In forcing young colts. The Groin For Homes. No grain Is better for horses than good oats. A little corn is all right in winter, but not an exclusive feed.