Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 March 1908 — HINTS FOR FARMERS [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR FARMERS

When to Breed Ewes. ' Ewes should never be bred under one year of age, and in buying a flock to begin with this is as good an age as any to get them. One may have trouble, however, in getting ewes of this age, as most men like to keep their young ewes and sell off their old ones. As with other classes of live stock, older sires and dams usually give stronger and more vigorous offspring than do those bred for the first time, but the difference is not great In fact females thoroughly matured, bred to good sires, give just as good results as their older mates. And this is as true with sheep as with other animals. Ewes from yearlings up to four years give the best results. When they get much over that it is a good plan to sell them and let the other fellow take the risk of having old, toothless ewes on his hands.—Fann Progress.

F**d For Young Pig*. The younger an animal the more mineral matter it requires in its food, says Farm Progress. •* When very young pigs are growing they are pro- . duciUg bone very rapidly in proportion to size and consequently require more phosphates in their food, especially of lime in a soluble condition. Milk contains all the necessary substances for pigs, but after awhile they become of such size as to be unable to consume enough milk to supply them, as they must drink about eight times as much water in the milk as there are solids. To supply this deficiency cornmeal is added, but cornmeal is deficient in mineral matter. Bran, ground oats, shipstuff and finely ground clover hay (scalded) in addition to the milk and cornmeal will prove advantageous. R****ding Meadow*. Permanent meadows and pastures often -are benefited by reseeding. Many vacant spots produce weeds because there is no grass plant to occupy the place. If there are any tiny bare spots, it pays to sow a mixture of clover, timothy, redtop, etc., on the land in the early spring. A sharp spike tooth harrow run over the ground before and after the seeding does a lot of good: A light dressing of manure—a few loads per acre put on with a spreader—gives greater returns than when .plowed down for as is the usual practice. A heavy sod is a sure foundation of profit in farming, and we pay too little attention to securing IL— Alva Agee in National Stockman. Wounded Tree*. The following mixture is recommended for wounds of any kind on trees: Melt resin and warm a little crude petroleum in separate vessels, pouring into a third vessel three parts resin to one of petroleum. This seals the wounds very effectively until grown over. It is said not to run in warm weather nor crack in cold, and cuts covered with it will not fail to heal satisfactorily. It is much cheaper than paint If a limb is broken it should be cut back smoothly to Its parent trunk or branch and the cut covered with this preparation. It is also good to apply to wounds of the bark or trunk of trees by rodents. Wh*y For Pig*. Results of experiments at Danish experiment stations show that twelve pounds of whey f fom separator skimmilk cheese are equal to one pound of grain for pig feeding or one pound of skimmilk equals two pounds of whey in feeding value. Experiments at the Wisconsin station sjiow a higher feed-. Ing value for whey, as it contains more fat and casein than that used abroad. A suitable feed may be made by mixing together equal parts of shorts, ground oats, bran and cornmeal made into a moist state just thick enough to pour well. Whey is then fed in the same way as skimmilk or may be freely mixed with other feed stuffs. Day’* Ration For Sheep. A day’s ration for a sheep is estimated at two pounds of hay, half a pound of bran and half a pound of ground oats when there is no pasture, but as large sheep consume more than smaller ones the estimated ration may not be strictly correct Sheep should also be supplied with succulent food, sliced carrots being highly relished. They should not be overfed, but should be kept in moderate condition. In summer good pasture is sufficient