Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1886 — HUSBANDRY AND HOUSEWIFERY. [ARTICLE]

HUSBANDRY AND HOUSEWIFERY.

Matters of Interest Relating to Farm and Household Management. - , ; Information for the Plowman, Stockman, Poulterer, Nurserymen, and Housewife. FARMING. » Oats and Peas. . A very good feed either for green forage or grain is made by sowing oats and peas together. Wuere field pjas are sown alone ths vines get down and become moldy. A few oats sown at the same time give them needed support, and what oats are grown are so much clear gam. Oats and peas cut green make an excellent ensilaging crop. Increasing Value of Stone. As the country grows older in localities where stones at first appeared to be in superabundance they gradually become used up in laying walls, underdrains, or for other purposes. In some places large quantities of stone, forni/rly buried to get rid of them, would have a considerable market value if above ground and easy of access. Underdrains on Clay. Complaint is often male that the water on clay soils will sometimes stand on the surface to the injury of crops, even when an underdrain is near. This i< sometimes the case the first year after the drain is dug, as ths stirring of wet clay pudd es it, making a mortar through which water cannot penetrate. The freezing which such land gets in winter is very beneficial Frost opens tins wet clay, and if there is a good outlet to the drain the water runs off, leaving it loose and friable. The growth of clover on clay land is, one of the greatest improvements that can be made to it, but clover will not succeed on clay unless the latter is drained.

Heating in the Moir. If hay is placed in the mow or the stack, it will heat and in time burn itself dry. The exclusion of air a 4 the mow or stack settles prevents the mass breaking out into flame. Hence a stack is often found moldy or fire-fanged, while the center of the mow may be partially charred. If wet from rain or dew, the damage is more serious than if wet from the undried juices of the grass. Hay, however dry, will sweat in the moworstack until the superfluous moisture is dried out, usuady requiring in well-cured grass about two months. If fed during this stage serious disorder to the digestive organs is the consequence. The same sweating occurs in the sheaves of grain when stacked, and hence it should remain there for about six weeks, when it becomes dry enough to thrash. During this time if the grain has been stacked in a thoroughly air-dnel state the grain is improved. If damp, the-grain is injured, and olten comes out moldy.— Chicago Tribune.

Clover Hay. It is almost a universal opinion among dairymen and farmers that clover hay is the best of all tne fodders or roughness for cows in milk, and yet we venture to say that there is no poorer food than the mass of clover and hay that is fed every year to cows throughout the country. As a rule it is dry, hard, and all stems and dust, 'ivith hafelly. a suspicion of the quahtiea-oftj'clover hay should possess. The larnier whodbes hot know how to make good clover hay should pqUhims df to school on this subject at once. In the first place, do not let the clover get too ripe before you cut it. The common rule is to cut when one-half the blossoms are brown. As a rule, it may be better to begin cutting whbn oue-third are brown. Curing red clover is like cooking a fine beefsteak; everything must be ready for work, and be quickly penormed. ..Let the dew get well off before tue mowing machine is put to work, then rush things, and get the clover into winrows after it gets well wilted, but not too dry, and the sooner it is got into the bam or stack tho better. There is not so much danger of its mildewing or firing, as most men suppose. If put-in a stack, do not make the stack too large, and top it with timothy or straw: Gnashing in particular about clover hay, do not handle it too much after it becomes dry, or ail the leaves—the only nourishing part of it—will get knocked off and leave only the dry, hard stems for the cows to make milk out of, and then disappointment is sure to follow. Many writers suggest layers of straw in the stack or mow when the clover is put in, to absorb the extra moisture. This experiment should be tried, for it is said to add a fine relish to the straw. Mr. Faville, a noted Western dairyman, says cut it after the dew is off, leave it in cocks over night, turn it over a little the next day, and the next afternoon put it into the mow. It will turn to a sort of reddish brown, but the cows will eat it as greedily as fresh clover. Like a great many other things in this world, unless well done, this method of saving clover had better not be done at all, and if it is too damp when put in the barn, there certainly is some danger of spontaneous combustion, which many farmers have found out to their cost At the same time, we say try the above plan, with as little risk as possible. —American Dairyman.

STOCK-BREEDING. Potatoes for Horses. A recent writer says it is not, perhaps, generally known that one of the best kinds of food for horses is raw potatoes. For a horse thin, in flesh, nothing, he declares, will better recuperate and fatten him. Cut the potatoes and roll them in a mixture of bran and corn meal, aud the effect will be almost magical The comb and brush will speedily bring on a glossy coat, and the horse»will improve in spirit and life as well as iu flesh. About a peck of potatoes can be fe i each day in this way to great advantage, and with no evil effect They surpass every other root in their good influence upon horses.— lndependent. Determining the Age of Cattle. There are two ways of determining th@. age of cattle. In cows, rings appear upon the horns which serve as a guide, though not always reliable.—if a heifer calves when she is two years old the ring will come then, in which case add. one to the number. If she calves at three years old, add two. No rings are found upon bulls, and if oxen have them they are very rarely seen under five years of age; hence add five to the number. The teeth are neither always to be depended upon, as the manner of treatment and kind of feed will affect them. At birth two teeth are to be seen, and in eighteen months there is a set of broad, well-grown teeth. But from this they begin to grow narrow, and about six months later the two middle ones will drop out, when others take their places. Each following year two more will drop out until the first teeth are shed, and in this way one can generally tell the age of the animal until he is five years old, when a new set has been formed. As has been intimated, there will be some variation from this, and from six years you cannot tell absolutely by the teeth.— Germantown Telegraph. _____

Pasture and Hogs. It is not generally known that naturally the hog is a delieate feeder—that is, naturally he feeds only on clean substances. He is an omnivorous feeder. He eats unclean food only when he is refused better. Throw a hog several sorts of potatoes, inferior and superior in quality, and the best will be eaten first Place several varieties of corn before a hog-not severely pressed by hunger, and the best will be selected. It is the same with pasturage. The hog eats fewer plants . than any other of the farm animals. Grass is not his natural food. The legumes, of which clover is a familiar example, are. They are rich in flesh-forming elements. Thus clover and other leguminous plants are the natural pasture for hogs. The deep red purslain is eagerly t ought by them; so is red root, a species of amaranth. The artichoke is greedily eaten. It contains more nutriment than the potato, and is cooling in its nature. In preparing pasture for hogs it is fully as necessary to know what plants to produce as in preparing pasture for other animals. As a single plant red clover is the most valuable, because it is easily and generally grown. A variety of pasture plants and liberals eeiing also of grain, together with absolute c'.eanli-

neM in the resting places, and perfectly purs water to drink, would go farther to banish hog cholera and other contagious diseases to which hogs are subject than all the nostrums with which they are sought to be dosed.

DAIRYING. on Washing Hutter. Tl butter is to be washed at all after salting and working it should be washed with pickle or brine, and not with ice water or fresh wafer. Fresh water will at once whiten the butter with which jt comes in contact, take tfie salt out, and cause it to become strong in taste almost immediately. .1. For this purpose the pickle should be made several days before needed for use. It must be of good strength, that is, the water must be thoroughly saturated with the salt, "the result of surriug and dissolving. Washing in cold brine does not spf te i the butter. Salt maintains the water at a low temperature. Ice water in contact with butter has an injurious effect Even slight droppings of ice water upon a parcel of butter for twenty-four hours wdl whiten it, and spoil it by rendering it -strong and unmerchantable as a choice product Take a tub of butter and place upon the top of Hie butter a cloth saturated with fresh waterSnd in less than a day the tipper layer will m, whitened, the salt removed, and the first stages of rancidity induced. Many otherwise choics parcels of butter have been spoiled by the use of fresh water, and even by the use of water in which salt has been stirred about for a short time. Unless the pickle is made very strong, a work of time, it is but little better than fresh water for this purpose. The best creamery butter is salted at the rate of one ounce to the pound of butter, and if washed at all, pickle only is used.— American Cultivator.

Dairy Notos. The working of butter in creameries is by rolling out. Wiping with a soft sponge, cout.nuing until the larger part of the moisture is pressed 01V, and then carefudy salting and lightly working in the salt Germany has contributed to the world artificial cheese made of one part oleomargarine and two parts skimmed milk, mixed to the consistency of cream and subjected to the usual processes of manufacturing the genuine article. The Yankee manufacturer of spurious products is not alone bad. Lord Vernon, who visited the best dairy establishments iu this country last season, has established a creamery on his estate for the benefit of tho‘O of his tenants who desire to keep large numbers of cows but have not the facilities for making first-class butter and cheese. It is thought that other extensive land-owners will follow his example. Fraudulent dairy products must go for what they are in order that honest dairy products may meet their full reward. This is generally held to be 40 cents a pound for summer butter and 18 cents a pound for summer cheese at retail. How much the “honest dairyman” gets depends upon the supply of artificials in the hands of “dishonest dairymen” and the conscience of the agent. Statistics show that the peiple of this country consume about four and one-half pounds of cheese per capita, while the people of England consume about fourteen pounds per capita annually. The argument that cheese is not a wholesome article of food, it would seem, would not hold good in the light of this fact, as the agricultural classes of England, who are large consumers of cheese, are among the most robust and healthy people of the world. ,

POULTRY-RAISIN G. Care of Fowls. If birds are molting and you wish to hurry the process, separate them and feed well on stimulating food. Begin with a moderate allowance and gradually increase it, and then the birds will not suffer from overfeeding. Give meat or milk to supply material to counteract the waste that goes on while the feathers are coming out The drain on the system is excessive at that time, and generous living will do the birds more good than condition powders. Good food in plenty, and warm, agreeable, clean quarters must be provided to insure quick and successful molting. By hastening the process the fowls are more vigorous, and will give a better result in eggs iu winter and be in prime condition by the exhibition season. Hempseed is a great help in feather formation, also a little sulphur. However, sulphur, after the month of August, must be used with great caution, as the evenings and mornings are often cold with heavy dews, and sulphur, by its action on the skin, predisposes the birds to feel keenly such changes of weather.

Good oats, peas, and wheat are a better food for fowls during molting than corn, as they contain more of the elements fioeded for the production of feathers. Again, oats are a splendid food for keeping up the animal vigor. Do not neglect the growing chickens, for the pullets of the early maturing class will soon be laying. Those that have liberty need but two or three full meals a day, as they can pick up myriads of insects and seeds for some time to coma Ripe vegetables and fallen fruits are also good for them. The approved breeding house has its nest boxes made with closed fronts, only a small opening being left at each end for fowls to get in and out, thus making the nests quite dark, which prevents egg-eating. The twenty-inch space from nest to floor is of open slat work, s ats three inches apart Along this slat work in the hall is a galvanized iron water-trough eight inches from the floor, extending entire length of hall, from which fowls drink by reaching through slat work. The buildings are ceiled on the ontoide with siding, under which is a lining of tarred felt They are also ceiled inside with matched ceiling. The roofs are laid of matched lumber, which is covered with tarred felt and then shingled, thus making them warm and proof against vermin. The floors of the pens are always kept covered with several inches of dry straw and chaff, into which grain is thrown, thus making the hens scratch for a living. Each flock has a dust tub, also a trough divided into three compartments, in which is kept a constant supply of crushed oyster shells, bone meal, and charcoal —Poultry Monthly.

FORESTRY. Value of Cypress Lumber. Cypress lumber is slowly but steadily making a place for itself in Northern markets, says the Lumberman, and it may be expected that its sale and use for 'various purposes will grow with unceasing rapidity. This lumber has been called the white pine of the South, and it certainly merits the title in a good manyimportant respects. It is adapted to a number of purposes for which only the best white pine was considered suitable a few years ago; and there is hardly a question that it will be found available hereafter for many more. In Southern and Southwestern districts—and especially on the Texas prairies—it is bound to cut a conspicuous figure, and is likely to furnish in a few years the bulk of the finishing stock used in that section, as it does now a good part of the shingles. For the manufacture of the latter it unquestionably surpasses in peculiar fitness any variety of lumber that has served as food for the shinglemaker’s saw. It is reported to offer a resistance to the deteriorating effects of weather exposure that admits of no comparison with other woods available for like purposes, which alone gives it a special value that it is hard to overrate. The stock of good cypress timber, moreover, is not large by any means, and as the production and consumption increase the value of the stumpage is certain to enhance rapidly. It is good stuff to buy and better stuff to hold—for those who are lucky enough to have any iu their possession.

Porests in Italy. Italian forests have for many years been ruthlessly destroyed. In the immediate neighborhood of Home there existed, within the memory of those now Jiving, sixty thousand acres of forest, scarcely a vestige of wh ch now remains. Firewood is, as a necessary consequence, scarce and dear, having id be brought from a considerable d stance. There are large tracts of forests in northern and southern Italy, as .well as in the central districts. The total are* of the Italian forests is estimated at about 8,500,000 acres, and of this acreage Sardinia alone has about one-fifth. The principal forest trees are oak. ilex, beech, elm, ash, c'letnut, cork, etc. Oak, formerly the most valuable, is now almost vaju dess as an article of commerce, owing to the fact that the remaining oik forests are situated in almost inaccessible places, at great distances from the railways. '1 he demand for beech, elm, ash,and chestnut is limited to local con-

Burners. The wood of the ilex, or evergreen oak, is converted into charcoal, and its bark is largely used in tanning leather. The inner bark of the cork tree is manufactured into cork, and forma a valuable article of commerce. The intimate relations between trees and rainfalls, and the influence of the latter on health and fertility of soil, are now universally ac inowledged. Dm Italian Parliament has recently passed most stringent laws for the protection and preservation of the forests still existing, and the Government is encouraging the replanting of forests by the gratuitous distribution of young trees aud the granting of land on easy terms for conversion into woodlands. Eucalyptus and. other trees of the Maccie species, which are believed largely to absorb malarious exhalations, are being extensively plantpd at railway stations and along the railway lines; also in the Campagna and various other parts of Italy. They are fastgrowing trees, and their effect on the health of the districts where they are planted has already been perceptibly and beneficially demonstrated.

HOUSEKEEPING. Lamp Shade. k shade for a round lamp-globe is made of ribbon three or four inches wide, A piece is needed just long enough to lit easily around the giobe after it is joined. The upper edge of the ribbon is gathered slightly, to make it conform in shape to the globe. The lower edge is finished off with a border of antique lace. Repairing Chairs. If you have any cane-bottomed chairs which want recaning, you may make the seats useful with thick, colored wool twine. Cut away the old cane first, and thread a long, stout darning needle with the twine. Knot the ends, loop it through the holes backwards and forwards, crosswise from side to side, right and left, and, every hole being filled, work them back again, weaving as you would for cloth, so you must be careful not to draw the threads very tight the first time over, or it is more difficult to weave. Finally, press the pair of threads together. Household Perils. There are two or three volatile liquids used in families which are particularly dangerous, and must be employed, if at all,'w.th special care. Benzine, ether, and strong ammonia constitute this class of agents. The two first-named liquids are employed in cleaning gloves and other wearing apparel, and in removing oil stains from carpets, curtains, etc. The liquids are highly volatile, and flash into vapor as soon as the cork of the phial containing them is removed. Their vapors, are Very combustible, and will inflame at long distances from ignited cawdles or gas flames, and consequently they should never be used iu the evening, when the house is lighted. Explosions of a very dangerous nature will occur if the vapor of these liquids is pennit- ' ted to escape into the room in considerable quantity. In view of the great hazard in handling these liquids, cautious housekeepers will not allow them to be brought into their dwellings, and this course is commendable.

As regards ammonia, or water of ammonia, it is a very powers ul agent, especially the stronger kinds sold by druggists. An accdent in its use has recently come under our notice, in which a young lady lost her. life from taking a few drops through mistake. Breathing the gas, under certain circumstances, causes serious harm to the lungs aud membranes of the mouth and nose.- It is an agent much used at this time for cleansing purposes, and it is unobjectionable if proper care is used in its employment The phials holding it should be kept apart from others containing medicines, etc., aud rubber stoppers to the phials should be used. Oxalic acid is considerably employed in families for cleaning brass and copper utensils. This substance is highly poisonous and must.be kept and used with great caution. In crystalline structure it closely resembles sulphate of magnesia or Ep-om salts, and, therefore,. frequent mistakes are made and lives lost. Every agent that goes into famil'ei among inexperienced persons, should' be kept in a safe place, labeled properly and used with great care.

Hints for the Home. Plain wood frames are the rule in the framing of small etchings. - - Cocoanut-itber brooms are novelties for sweeping the hearth. They have-a rich brown tint, and are “so odd.” A small spirit-lamp will enable one to get, with very little trouble, a cup of hot tea, coffee, or chocolate at picnics. 5 A liniment of equal parts of oil of wintergreen and olive oil, or soap liniment, is said to afford almost instant relief from pain in acute rheumatism. , Lemon juice for lemonade should be extracted at home and carried to the picnic grounds in bottles. The sugar may be put with it, or added with tne water when the lemonade is wanted. Wax beans make a delicious salad. Choose young beans, remove the strings, break in inch-long nieces, and cook in salt and water. While still warm cover them with a dressing of oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. It is not known to every woman, but it is a ‘fact that matting can be sewed together; a stout thread is needed, ,and the edges must not be drawn too closely together, as of course there must be no seam, but simply a joining of the edges. A pretty all-over design for a cushion or foot-rest is “love-in a-mist,” or as the Germans call it, “Gretchen im grun,” embroidered in Kensington stitch on stout ecru linen. The delicate blue of the blossom and the misty green of the foliage have a charming effect Convenient work-baskets may be made of the wooden baskets with handles that are sold for ten cents at wood and willow-ware stores. Cover and line the basket neatly with some pretty cretonne, trim it with cotton lace, and make a cover of the cretonne, edged with lace, to lay over it

GOOD COOKERY. A Disinfecting Mixture. Make a solution of parts of nitric acid in 30 parts of water; mix with it 10 parts of oil of rosemary, 2% parts of oil of thyme, and 2% parts of oil ot lavender/ Bottle the mixture, and before using shake thoroughly. Nut Cake. One'cujfof sugar, one-half cup of butter, whites of three egge.'one-half cup of milk ana cups of flour, one-half teaspoonful of soda in the milk, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar m the flour, one cup of chopped walnuts. Also a recipe for citron cake: One cup of butter beaten to a cream, one cup of white sugar, one cup of milk, three cuns of flour, three eggs, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one-half pound of citron cut up fine. Paper a dish and bake one hour.

Ohio Apple Pie. Line a dish with good puff , paste, use the be’st ripe greening apples, , pare and slice thin, fill the dish three inches deep with apples. Then add one tablespoonful of water,'and nothing more. Put on the upper crust and bake well. When done take from the oven and remove the upper crust, taking care not to break it. With a knife mash the apples, and season to taste with sugar, a little grated nutmeg, and a small piece of butter. Return the upper crust and sift powdered sugar over the top.

Grandma Telfer’s Peppermints. One cup of sugar, crushed fine, and just moistened with boiling water, then boiled' five minutes; then take from the fire and add cream of tartar the size of a pea; mix well, and add four or five drops bf oil of peppermint Beat briskly until the mixture whitens, then drop quickly upon white paper.'- Have the cream of tartar and off of peppermint measured while tho sugar is boiling. If it sugars before it is all dropped, add a little water and boil-a minute or two.

i'- Good Cup of Coffee. Good Housekeeping gives this rule for making coffees ‘•Have coffee finely ground, but gr.nd only the quantity you wish to use; one part Ji ocha to two or Java is a good mix lure. Add, for each cup of coffee, one tablespoon of coffee and one cup coll water; stir well together, place upon the fire and let coffee come to a boil, then fill up with boiling water,' pour out a cup of coffee, then pour back into the coffee pot. Serve with good cream and sugar. This coffee will lie clear, fragrant, and enjoyable. The use of cold water in making coffee is mt fully underetixid, tut its superiority will be at once acknow.edge.L”