28 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



FATTENING CATTLE IN WINTER. 



Fattexing cuttle is carried on to some extent in 

 this section. Nearly every farmer feeds some cattle 

 for the markets, besides his stock which he generally 

 keeps; they are mostly bought in autumn from 

 drovers trom the Western States. It should be 

 done by every fanner to the extent that he is able 

 to provide for them. Barn-yard manure is tlie only 

 material with which we can enrich our fields, or it 

 is at least the cheapest and the best ; for without it 

 we could not long obtain bread from our land. — 

 One that has had any experience in fattening cattle, 

 knows that to feed them well, gi\ing them the best, 

 and as much as they want, is the only way of 

 making good fat beef Feeding should commence 

 as soon as the grass falls short. They should be 

 fed with bran and sliorts mixed, by the middle of 

 October at the latest, twice a day, till the new 

 corn is harvested. Then corn on the cob, cut up 

 in small pieces, may be given till it gets dry enough 

 to be sheUed ; then mix with miU feed, at the rate 

 of two bushels of corn to one of mill feed, and 

 give it to them evening and morning, as much as 

 they can eat well — never more. A little wheat 

 chatf is also of much benefit for feeding to cattle. 

 Put a Uttle in the trough and then the other feed 

 on top, with a little salt every time you feed them. 

 Hay should be given to them as much as they want 

 to eat. They should be kept in the open air four or 

 five hours during the day, and have plenty of 

 water. Fresh lime proves to be very heaftliy, 

 and can be given once a week about a table spoonful 

 mixed in the feed, and some should be kept always 

 under their feet. This prevents them from getting 

 lame, and keeps their hoofs sound and healthy. — 

 Bed Avell with straw and keep them clean and neat. 

 A curry-comb should be used freely on them every 

 morning. It will make them tamer, and they will 

 also fatten better and look neater. ^ 



Siiierprise, Lancaster Co., Pa. 



STONE FENCES, 



A properly constructed stone fence is, perhaps, on 

 the whole the best that can readily be built, for 

 general farm purposes, being efficient and durable. 

 But on most land, and particularly that which is 

 wet, ten to fifteen years suffices to tumble them down 

 so badly that they require relaying. Whereas on 

 dry land not subject to be upheaved by frost a good 

 wall will stand fifty and perhaps one hundred 

 years without relaying. The water in the earth 

 under and around the wall freezes and elevates it, 

 but thaws out unevenly and lets the wall jostle 

 around and in a few years throws it down. 'Now 

 if the water can be kept away from the bottom of 

 the wall, the upheaval will be prevented and the 

 wall remain solid. Several in my neighborhood 

 Iiave tried banking earth on each side of the 

 wall, but it seems to do little good, while it les- 

 sens the value of the wall as a fence by decreasing 

 its relative height. 



Observation has led me to the conclusion that the 

 best way io make a wall is to dig a trench from 

 two to three feet deep, immediately where the wall 

 is to stand, taking qatq that there are proper outlets 

 at all the lowest points. Let the ditch be as wide 

 sts the bottom of the wall is to be. Fill it with small 

 stones even with the surface of the earth. Upon 



these, place the largest stones that are to go into the 

 wall, if rocks as big as two teams can haul, so much 

 the better. !f they project a little on each side, no 

 Iiarm done. Then if the stones that are to go into 

 the wall are generally large, lay the bottom two 

 feet six inches ; if small, two feet in width, narrow- 

 ing it gradually to one foot in width at tlie top. — 

 Lay the stones horizontally or level, and you have 

 got a wall that won't fall down in your life time. — 

 I know a wall so laid thirty years ago and it is as 

 plump and true to-day as when laid. Besides the 

 land in the immediate neighborhood of the drain is 

 dryer and better for it. 



A four feet wall will usually stop horses, cattle 

 and hogs, but it takes about as good a wall to stop 

 sheep as it does horse thieves. Some lay broad cap 

 stones on the top of the wall letting them project 

 six inches on each side, others set stones on end on 

 the top of the wall, but neither will stop a sheep 

 that has learned the art of jumping. Otliers put 

 square timbers on the wall and nail short pickets 

 on the timber. This makes a neat fence but is too 

 costly for general use. Perhaps as good a way as 

 any, is to take pieces of wood about four feet in 

 length with two inch auger holes in each end, put 

 these across the wall about half way up, and within 

 sixteen inches of the length of a rail apart. Set 

 stakes in the holes and put on one or two riders as 

 may be found necessary. Often a little timely pre- 

 caution of this kind will keep a flock of sheep fnim 

 getting so intolerably unruly that nothing but the 

 butcher's knife will stop them. g. c. l. 



Lynn^ Sii»q. Co., Pa., 1S57. 



CTJLTIVATIGN OF SWEET POTATOES. 



In a warm climate where the winters are mild 

 there is but little difficulty either in cultivating or 

 preserving sweet potatoes, but in our northern lat- 

 itudes the case is different, and though the cultiva- 

 tion may not be very difficult, it is not so easy to 

 preserve them through the winter. I have found 

 the most economical and in fact the bet^t way to pre- 

 pare the seed for planting is to prepare a hot bed in 

 which to sprout them. The better way, I think to 

 make the hot bed is to build a pen of logs or plank 

 about a foot each way larger than you want the bed 

 and about three feet high ; if possible have it shel- 

 tered from the north winds by a building or a board 

 fence. Fill the pen with good fresh stable manure, 

 packing it down so that there will at least be six 

 inches to be filled with good rich well pulverized 

 mould. The potatoes should be planted tolerably 

 close, but not touching each other and should be 

 covered with earth or, what is better, earth and 

 sand, in equal quantities, two inches in depth; the bed 

 should be covered with boards at night while there is 

 any danger of frost and watered every few days. 1 gen- 

 erally putmy seed inthebed aboutthe first of April, 



The land intended for this crop should be plowed 

 and harrowed early, and when the s])routs are large 

 enough to transplant, being from two to tliree inches 

 high, it should be cross-plowed and harrowed well, 

 and then thrown into ridges by turning four fur- 

 rows together; with a hoe make the ridge smooth 

 and it is ready for planting. The sprouts should be 

 carefully drawn from the bed and immediately plan- 

 ted in the ridges, two together, every two feet apart, 

 pressing tiie earth firmly to the roots. If tlie ground 

 is a little wet there will be no difficulty about their 



