Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1902 — FARMS AND FARMERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARMS AND FARMERS

Water Trough of Plank f Where one has need for a. water trough of considerable dimensions the one illustrated can be readily made, and if well constructed will last for years. Each of the sides and each end should be made of one piece of plank. If it Is necessary to use more than one piece of plank, the edges should be jointed, and then fastened together with wooden pins. In making the trough the end pieces should be let into the sides about one-half inch, and both the sides and the ends should be slightly sloping. In putting the pieces of the trough together use white lead at the joints, using no nails, but drawing the parts together with heavy Iron rods havlhg large heads on one end and screw threads on the other. When this is done make the bottom edge true, coat with white lead and fasten on with large wood Bcrews. The trough, when completed, should be giv-

en two coats of paint, and when dry is ready for use. The lower part of the Illustration shows the angle at which the ends should slope. _

Kin 1 of tattle to Feed. The kind of cattle to feed depends on circumstances. As a rule the good, well-bred steer will make the most money because he makes the most of his feed—that is, he puts it where it ought to go, into the high priced cuts of beef. But sometimes it pays best to feed common cattle and very common oues when they can be bought at a correspondingly low price. They usually make good gains, and, having been bought very low, they may sell at a big advance over their cost to the feeder, though still away below the top of the market Common light feeders are selling in Chicago at $2.50 to $3 aud good ones at $4.75 to $5.25. There may be more money in the stuff costing $2.50 than in the fivedollar stuff, because when fat a bigger advance may be secured for it. This Is a year when good feeders are hard to secure at a reasonable figure, and hence attention is called to the cheaper and commoner kials. But the feeder should remember that the common cattle must be bought very low. There is no pleasure in their company, and it is only justifiable when they make good money, to do which they must be laid in cheap.—National Stockman. For a Kicking Horse. Many horses have an ugly habit of kicking when their stalls, and apparently no method has yet been found by which they can be effectually cured of this habit. Here, however, is a plan which was recently tested in Germany and which is said to have proven effective in every case. All that is necessary is to hang a bag of sand or gravel from the ceiling of the'stable In such a manner that the bag will

be a little distance behind where the refractory horse is standing. Whenever he kicks he will strike the bag, and in retprn will receive a smart blow from it, which he will remember. It may take a few days to impress upon his mind that he will always be rewarded for his unmannerly conduct In this manner, but unless he is exceedingly stupid he will quickly learn the lesson, and then the bag may be removed. It is asserted that a horse once cured in this manner will never again think of kicking, but whether this is true or not time alone can tell. An Expensive Food. Potatoes are the most expensive of all the staple foods. They contain from 700 to 800 pounds of water in every 1,000 pounds, the solid matter being mostly starch. The farmer also finds the potato crop one of the most exacting in Its requirements of labor, one of the greatest obstacles being warfare against beetles and diseases. At present prices potatoes are more expensive than beef, considering the actual proportion of nutritions matter contained, but it Is only when prices are high that the potato crop Is very profitable, owing to the expenses necessary for Its cultivation. C rn Fodder and Hay. It is difficult to make a proper comparison between com fodder and hay, because the quality of either largely depends upon the curing. Bright, green com fodder; shredded or cut

fine, is superior td improperly cured hay, while good hay Is far superior to corn fodder that was not cut down until the leaves turned yellow. If fodder is tender and juicy the animals will prefer the stalks to the leaves, as the stalks are rich in sugar, but much depends upon the stage of growth at which the stalks were harvested. Feeding Lambs. The large feeders generally prefer lamb feeding, rather than the older sheep, as they get quicker returns and generally secure higher prices in proportion to the investment. Good feeders can make light-weight feeding lambs often double in weight in a fqurmonths’ liberal feed. It would not do for the average feeder to figure on such returns, however. Older muttons, on the other hand, do not gain flesh so rapidly as lambs, nor do they bring so much on the market, the margin between the two ranging from $1.50 to $2. From this must be deducted the difference in the cost of feeders, as lambs sell higher than do thin muttons, the difference sometimes amounting to $1 per hundred weight. All other things being equal, it is a generally accepted statement that there is more money in lamb feeding than mutton feeding. The big exception to this, and one that ought to be taken advantage of by all feeders, is that feeding muttons can often be bought at bargains. A bunch or two of well-bought thin sheep from one to two years old, whether ewes or wethers, will often make a feeder far more money than his remunerative bunch of lambs. In this country it is a good rule that if one should see a cheap bunch of thin sheep not to miss the opportunity to buy it, as it will surely net a profit.—Field and Farm.

To Keep Cabbage. The burying of cabbage beads down and roots up is a mistake, although the custom is an old one. When the heads are buried and the ground becomes frozen the cabbages are completely sealed up and cannot be used. Later, as the ground thaws, the heads begin to rot, aud a large proportion of them are lost from that cause. The proper plan Is to select a high location, open a row with a one-horse plow, put the cabbages in, roots down and heads out, placing them close together, the heads slanting so as to turn water. Next make another row, throwing the dirt on the roots of the cabbages in the first row. When all the cabbages are put in they will be in a compact mass. Place straw on the heads and boards on the straw, to shed rain. If preferred, the cabbages may be thus placed under a shed and covered with straw. If the roots are put in the ground and the heads out the cabbages will be alive, the stalks will give crops of sprouts for early greens in the spring and not a head will rot, while they may be cut off from the stalks at any time when wanted, whether the ground is frozen or not, by simply lifting the straw. In fact, they will keep In such good condition as to begin growing in the spring, if not disturbed, in the effort to produce seed.— Philadelphia Itecord. Profitable Fattening Feed. A of 400 steers fed at Clarendon, Texas, last winter netted the feeder $lO per head profit. The cattle were fed on kafiir corn and sorghum, with a small percentage of cottonseed cake. Nearly every farmer In the county could raise plenty of Kaffir corn and sorghum to finish a few head of cattle, and cottonseed cake can be secured from the mills without great expense.— Exchange.

Corn for the Silo. Coru should be put into the silo when it is almost ready to cut and can be put In at the time It is ripe enough to cut with good results. Formerly It was thought best to cut corn when rather green for silage, but later practice leans toward the stage of ripeness—Just before It begins to dry out and the stalks become woody.—Dairy and Creamery. Farm Notes. Experiments In lowa go to show that grass is the most economical sheep feed. Beef production In the Eastern States Is becoming an interesting proposition. Darkness and low temperature are the primary requisites In the successful storing of potatoes. Leaves should be thrown on the poultry bouse floor, not only because they afford scratching material In which the fowls can exercise, but also because they prevent draughts of air on the floor and assist in keeping the house w4rm. A clean soil In the fail, and the weeds destroyed before they seed, will save one-half the labor In the spring. Seeds of weeds start off In growth very early, and the farmer cannot keep them out of the way. The time to destroy weeds Is when they, are Just coming np through the groudq, in spring, and by burning the refuse* In the fall. Grinding the corn and cob does not odd much to the ration, but the ground cob serves to dilute the grain and Increase the bulk, which makes the combination better than ground grain alone. When used with ground oats and bran it Is excellent food, and it may be used with cat straw or hay. All grain foods, when ground, will give better results If fed with bulky materials, and the condition of the animals will be improved when both kinds are fed together.

WATER-TIGHT TROUGH.

CUBE FOR KICKING HORSE.