Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1907 — HINTS FOR FARMERS [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR FARMERS

To Obtain Fertile Eggs. The number of hens to be allowed wlth*nch male bird to obtain fertile eggs differs, of course, according to the nature of the bird, but, as a rule, , breeders—especially amateurs—are not so careful as they might be In this matter. Some put only four hens with a cock, and the result Is a number of infertile eggs, whereas if seven to ten I hens were the number nearly every egg would prove fertile. There are : naturally exceptions, but this Is cerjtainly the rule. A Cochin cock will {take from four to six hens and a ißrahma from six to nine, while lu a ; number of the other breeds one cock {With eight hens or even a dozen would .not be too many. When fowls have a large range, half as many more hens may be allotted to one male bird and the eggs will prove more fertile. As a rule, however, from six to ten hens Is the most successful number. This subject of mating is not so well understood as it should be, and breeders should give more attention to the matter and by means of experiments easily discover the best number of hens to one male bird suited to the particular breed they keep.—London Illustrated Mail.

The Dry Cows. ' There are men so generous that they will actually feed a cow on straw all winter and then swear at her because she does not give more milk. The winter time, when most of the cows are dry, is the time to prepare for next year’s milk production. There Is nothing surer than this fact: If a cow runs down In flesh in the winter time, she will not be a profitable milker during the next summer. That Is one of the fundamental mistakes which a great many of our dairymen are making with reference to the feeding of cows. A great many farmers’ cows are so thin in the spring that It takes them half of the summer to recover from the bad effects of the winter. There Is another reason, and a very Important one, that cows should l>e fed well during the winter time when they are dry. It has been demonstrated that the effect of poor feeding upon the progeny Is very marked, and one of the reasons why so many cows are unprofitable milkers is because they were not properly fed when they should have been. —Professor H. H. Dean, Ontario, Canada.

Worms In Horses. The following is a standard remedy for worms in horses, says the Atlanta Constitution: One dram of tartar emetic, one dram of copperas, two drams of cottonseed meal. Mix the above and give as one dose night and morning for a week. Then give a purge of one ounce of spirits of turpentine and one pint of raw linseed oil. After three weeks repeat the entire treatment in order to destroy any worms that may have hatched from eggs during that time, because the medicine will not destroy the eggs. During the interval

between the two courses and for two >or three weeks after the last course the following tonic: Four ounces of powdered saltpeter and four ounces of powdered copperas. Mix together and divide into twenty-four powders and give one every night in a small bran mash.

Keep the Hogpen Clean. Filth breeds disease in the hogpen the same as in the poultry lot. If dirt and trash are allowed to accumulate? disease is sure to be the result. When there Is an outbreak of disease one of the very first things to do is to clean things in general. The small hogpen should be cleaned out every week. The pigs cannot remain healthy if they have to eat their feed in their own filth. When the weather Is dry scrape the trash together with a scoop and throw it out of the pen. Nothing Is lost by occasionally giving the pen a sweeping with* a coarse broom. This should especially be done if the pigs ar expensive full bloods.—Chicago Inter Ocean.

Pigs Need Warm Shatter. A fall litter of pigs cannot be raised In quarters where the temperature Is liable to make extreme changes. It is as essential to avoid an extreme change from the proper to the improlfier temperature as It is from a proper to Improper ration. As a rule, sheds which are open at one side and both ends are far from satisfactory. They should be so constructed that they can be closed if necessary during cold periods.

' Killing Poultry. The best method of killing poultry Is to dislocate the necks, and once the knack is acquired it is a simple method. The legs are held in one hand and the bird’s neck is taken in the other, and by a quick movement this is elongated so that it is quite dislocated. After this a sharp penknife is inserted through the roof of the mouth to allow the blood to pass away freely. It is best to pluck immediately.

< Value of the Separator. Professor Eckles. the well known dairy expert connected with the Missouri experiment station, says: “By using the separator froui one-fourth to one-third more butter can be made than when the cream is raised by gravity in ths common crock or pah. That is to say. four cows with a separator are equal to five similar ones without one.” Read The Democrat for news