94 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[June, 



saw him reap a wheat cropdoulile tlie averaee of the 

 State, raise cattle ami feed slieep at a profit, while 

 others reported only loss. He proceeded, with the 

 calm confidence of knowledge, to tile drain his :'.00 

 acres, at an expense much sreater than he paid for 

 his farm ; but for some years, in relief of his old ase, 

 he has been able to rent portions of it at $25 per 

 acre. He had faith in his business. 



There is no occupation of man that requires for its 

 successful prosecution, more careful study, more con- 

 fidence based upon knowledge, than asriculture. We 

 see the want of faith in the conduct of a large class 

 of farmers, who never seem to have hit upon tlie right 

 line of business. Now they are dairying, having gone 

 into it when dairy stock was high, costing a largfc 

 pum to start, but the product having been depressed 

 for a few months, all confidence is gone in the future 

 of the dairy industry, and their cows are sold at a 

 heavy loss. Next they take to sheep, but wool soon 

 has its turn of depression, and confidence is lost in 

 this industry, and its abandonment follows. Hops 

 now become their hobby. Fifty cents a pound is 

 quite too alluring ; but when their crop comes, a 

 saason of plenty has returned and down goes the price 

 to ten cents. Woe meets tliem here — they turn in 

 disgust from their thrifty vines and seek their neigh- 

 bors to whom they sold their cows. And now lieL'ins 

 the dairy again — this business of battledoor and 

 shuttlecock, " everything by turns and nothing long." 

 These are the farmers that talk loudest that farming 

 does not pay. They do not givelt tinfc to pay in any 

 one direction. They are to be pitied . They have no 

 faith in anything — they float with the current. 



How strange that they should not see that every 

 grteat agricultural industry is founded on the wants 

 of society, and that these needs continue ever the 

 same, the price of the product beiiiir governed entirely 

 by demand and sui)ply. Each branch must have its 

 fluctuation in price, and the only true way to deter- 

 mine the profit is to take the average of ten years. 

 This average will show fair prices for dairy products, 

 for wool, for beef or mutton, for grain, for hops, for 

 fruit and for every product of the farm. The mole- 

 eyed man who can only see one year's returns, and 

 tries to govern his actions by that, will always find 

 himself in the ebb of the tide. 



It matters but little what branch of farming you 

 follow, provided it be adapted to your location, but, 

 before you choose it, study all its details, and get the 

 experience of those of long practice, and be sure that 

 you comprehend the diflicultics to be encountered, 

 ground yourself in a faith based upon knowledge, 

 and when you undertake it, let no croaking, no de- 

 pression in price, swerve yoiu from its prosecution — 

 have faith in your business. 



Management of Horses. 



The following is the regimen employed by a Cin- 

 cinnati Express Company in the care of their horses : 



The urinary is a novelty and shows good manners 

 in the horse. The grooming is excellent, and the 

 quality ol' ration is not bad, but a good authority 

 suggests that the quantity is quite toosmall for 1,200 

 to 1,400 pound horses. Probably the peck and a 

 lialf of chopped and ground feed given at evening is 

 underestimated. Such horses should have at least 

 ten jxjunds of oats, either ground or unground, and 

 then the rest of the ration would answer. 



The number of horses kept at the stables is fifty- 

 four. Four hostlers attend to these. Promptly at i 

 o'clock A. M. the watchman of the stables gives to 

 each horse eight ears of corn. Then, about .5 o'clock, 

 the hostlers commence their duties. Of those under 

 the care of each, one by one is led to the watering 

 trough and then to the urinary. This consists of a 

 pit sunken ten or twelve inches Ijelow the level of the 

 basement ground floor, and kept compactly filled 

 with sawdust and short shavings. And it is a re- 

 markable fact that a horse in this stable scarcely 

 urinates excepting at this place, especially prepared 

 for him. When horses come in Irom their work, the 

 harnesses are removed, and they are at once led to 

 the urinary. When a fresh or green horse comes to 

 the stable, by befog driven with some old " stager" 

 that knows the rules of the stable, the new comer 

 soon learns to conform to the habits of the older in- 

 mates. 



From 5 to 7 o'clock, then each horse is taken in 

 liand and thoroughly curried, brushed aud cleaned ; 

 ten minutes beinir spent by a hostler upon each horse. 

 A damp woolen cloth is always rubbed over the coat 

 of each horse after being curried ami brushed. This 

 removes all loose dandruff, gives a fine, glossy, sleek 

 Appearance. 



"The horses are fed nothing in the morning, except- 

 ing the eight ears of corn. After being led back to 

 stalls when cleansed, they a(^ then ready for work. 

 The same process of currying, brushing and cleaning 

 is also gone through with at noon and at night, at 

 the close of their (orcnoon's and alternoon's work. 

 At noon each lnjrse is fed with half a peck of oats. 

 At night chopped feed is given. This is composeil of 

 sheaf oats or rye straw passed thningh a straw cut- 

 ter, aud then, when wet, groiuid oats and corn ami 

 bran is mixed up with it. A peck and a half of this 

 is iiiven to each horse. In adilition to the cljopped 

 iced the ra<'k is supplied with eight or nine poundsof 

 bright timothy hay, this being the total amount of 



bay that is fed. And, perhaps, of this supply, the 

 horse will not eat more than five iwiutids during the 

 night, finishing up the balance during the next day. 

 About once a week a peck of oil-cake meal is mixed 

 up with the chopped feed, being equal to about a 

 third of a pint to a horse. This promotes the uniform 

 gooti condition of the animals. And if at any time 

 the urine is cloudy and thickened, a tahlcspoonful of 

 pulverized resin mixed up with chopped feed is given 

 him. This acts upon the kidneys, aud the difficulty 

 is at once removed. 



The horses are freely given what water they want 

 as they come in from their work, unless they are 

 "green," and then water and feed until they are 

 thoroughly cool. 



A very marked feature connected with the stables 

 is that the air is so sweet and fresh. And probably 

 this is owing to the fact that scarcely ever any urinat- 

 ing takes place in the several stahios, and that the 

 saturated sawdust and shavings are removed from 

 the stables every third day. 



Potatoes and Potato Growing. 



A corres])ondent of the Prairie Fanner says : As I 

 have been raising several acres of potatoes each year 

 for several years, I thought a few facts which have 

 been gained might be of interest to some of your 

 readers. 



As I did not like the Peachblow on account of 

 taking so long a season in which to mature, often 

 being killed by the frost before being ripe, and also 

 being so hard to dig, besides not yielding as well as 

 usual, rotting in places, I commenced three years 

 ago to experiment with several of the new kinds sent 

 out by Eastern seed firms. After testing many of 

 them, I have selected the following varieties, one of 

 which at least, is far better than our old favorite, the 

 Peachblow. 



Five years ago I received one-half peck of Excelsior 

 potatoes and have raised them ever since, believing it 

 to be the very best potato grown. It is round and 

 smooth, growing to a good size, ripening early in 

 September, growing compactly in the hill, making it 

 easy to dig. It is a great cropper, yielding nearly 

 double as much as the Peachblow on the same ground; 

 it is the best of a shipper, always getting to market in 

 the best of shape, and will keep, with a little care, 

 for fully ten months, retaining its excellent eating 

 qualities until the last. The most promising potato 

 is the Brownell's Beauty, a round, red potato, good 

 cropper and keeper, and excellent for the table. 



Breese's Peerless is also worthy of a place, although 

 not first-class; but will give a good crop, in spile of 

 bugs and drought, when others fail. The Early Kose 

 is still king among the early sorts. 



HOW TO GROW THEM. 



Select a rich, sandy loam ; if not so naturally, make 

 it so by good well rotted manure and an application 

 of lime. Select a northern exposure, and run the rows 

 east and west. By so doing, the tops of one shade 

 the roots of the next. Cut yoor seed, one eye to a 

 piece, commencing at the stem end and cutting alter- 

 nate eyes until you finish at the seed end. Plant in 

 drills three feet apart and sixteen to eighteen inches 

 in row, one eye in a place. In this way it takes from 

 three to five bushels to an acre, according to size and 

 number of eyes to the potato. Open the drills with a 

 stirring plow or single shovel, and cover with a two 

 horse ct)rn cultivator, and soon as they get well 

 through the gound, harrow, ami again when about 

 four inches high. This keeps the weeds out of the 

 row, and also keeps the gro".ud level, which is highly 

 important in the West. Cultivate at least twice after 

 with any cultivator that will kill the weeds and leave 

 the ground nearly level. 



In this way they get what rain falls, will not sun 

 scald, and will give a good crop almost any year. 



Milk from Holstein Cows. 



It is often remarked that the milk of cows giving 

 so much as the Holsteins do, nmstbe lacking in qual- 

 ity. That this is an incorrect conclusion we have an 

 abundance of proof. Holland is a dairy country ex- 

 clusively — not for the sale of milk, but "for the manu- 

 facture of butter and cheese, the quality of which 

 has a world-wide reputation. I have had but little 

 o))porlunity to test the milk for butter-making, but 

 for general purposes I know it is excelled by none, 

 and rarely equaled. For nearly two years I furnished 

 one of the largest retailers in Boston, and he ex- 

 pressed much regret when I found a better market. 

 He assured me that he never sold milk that gave such 

 general satisfaction. He said it was particularly 

 even in quality, and that it surpassed all other milk 

 iu keeping — two qualities quite esseutial in the manu- 

 facture of butter. 



Holstein milk has more body than Jersey; conse- 

 quently requires more time for the cream to sepa- 

 rate. It is not claimed that Holstein milk will pro- 

 duce a larger percentage of cream than the Jersey, 

 but the advantage is in the greater yield of milk. I 

 have unfortunately mislaid some valuable statistics 

 and records of butter produced by Holsteins, but rc- 

 IKjrts arc numerous of cows making from 12 to IS 

 pounds per week. .Mr. Chcnery's Texelaar made 17 

 lbs. 14 oz. in six days. Mr. Miller's Crown Prince 



made from 12 to IB lbs. per week. The Shaker fam- 

 ily, Pittsfleld, Mass., report 14 lbs. per week. 



'Texelaar's milk afforded 22.72 per cent, cream. 



Col. Hoflman writes : " I made a careful test every 

 month of each of my cows, separate, together with 

 the milk of about I'iO other dairies, and find in al- 

 most every case the Holsteins run ahead in percent- 

 age of cream, and the lactometer standard also." 



F. W. Wright, of this place, made careful experi- 

 ments with his Holstein milk, and found he made 

 one pound of butter from fourteen pounds of mjlk . 

 It is a remarkable record, but no one who knows 

 this gentleman will doubt it. He tells me that he is 

 satisfied he can, under favorable circumstances, 

 make 21 lbs., per week from one of his cows. This 

 cow has recently dropped a calf, and h.as made a 

 winter record (without forcing) of 5'i lbs. of milk 

 per day. 



As a cheese oow, the Holstein stands at the head of 

 the list, but after all, her great advantage is in her 

 wonderful combination of qualities. I acknowledge 

 my inability to do her justice, and will lie pleased to 

 have some one qualified to i^o on with the subject — 

 what I have said was merely to provoke some one 

 else to do so. — Xatioual Life Stock Journal. 



Culture of the Yam. 



A correspondent of the Inter-Ocean writes as fol- 

 lows about the cultivation of the Chinese Yam. He 

 says : " Get the grouud properly prepared, plant the 

 tubers, and the greatest portion of the work is done. 

 The first year the ground should be kept loose and 

 free of weeds ; afterwards keep weeds from going to 

 seed. They then have a start that the weeds don't 

 hurt them much if they do grow, but it is not advis- 

 able to let any do so if one has the time to keep them 

 out. Once planted they will grow for years, each 

 year bringing larger yams, aud are as good as one- 

 year-old roots. And this is why they are so valuable. 

 A man can plant enough at one time to do his family 

 for years, aud the ground that is occupied with them 

 is so small, being so very productive. No insect as 

 yet discovered ever injures them, and drought aflfects 

 their growth only while it lasts. They require no 

 winter protection, and could, in my opinion, be profit- 

 ably cultivated anywhere in tlie United States. 



I have now been acquainted with their growth 

 about twelve or fifteen years, and I have during that 

 time found them very profitable. At times, when 

 I>otatoes were scarce and high-priced, we always had 

 our yams to help us through. In taste and appear- 

 ance, after being cooked, they resemble the Irish po- 

 tato, and should be cooked the same way. Planted 

 near the window or door, the vine may be trained 

 about it, and presents a beautiful appearance, as the 

 leaves are heart-shaped, trimmed with scarlet. It 

 grows rapidly, and could be used upon screens and 

 arbors to good advantage. When grown for the ta- 

 ble only, the vines may run on the ground, and do 

 not require stakes. The soil for best results should 

 be deep ; if it is not, dig out a trench two or two and 

 a half feet deep, and fill up with good soil and well- 

 rotted manure. In the bottom of the ditch a plank 

 or flat stones may be laid 'o prevent their going any 

 deeper, which will cause them to increase their 

 diameter. Commence to dig at one end of the row, 

 digging only what is wanted for present use, as they 

 are suitable for the table any time in the year. Put 

 the soil back, leaving a hole to commence at where 

 you wish to dig again. In the spring plant tubers 

 where you dug the year before, thereby leaving no 

 ground idle. They should be more generally culti- 

 vated, and will be when more thoroughly introduced 

 and their many good qualities are known. 



Convenient Barns. 



A correspondent of the Stanstead (P. Q.) Juurual 

 gives that [laper a minute description of the barn 

 lately erected by Mr. A. P. Ball, whose name is 

 familiar to our readers as a breeder of flue horses 

 and cattle. The barn is 100 feet by .50; two stories 

 high, with a basement. The basement has six pens 

 for mares and colts, a root cellar, 42 by 17 feet, and 

 a manure cellar 42 by 8:1 feet. It is 8 feet high, di- 

 vided lengthwise into three rows for cattle and horses, 

 first row consisting of stabling for 8 horses and 12 

 head of large cattle ; the centre row has tying up 

 room for '28 head ; the third row is divided into pens 

 for calves, with room for -'3, the whole giving a ca- 

 pacity for 72 head of cattle, large and small, and 8 

 horses. Above is the storage for hay and grain, 1.5 

 feet high, having a floor through the centre 16 feet 

 wide, with bays on each side 17 feet wide, access to 

 which is had by au approach on the east end CO feet 

 long for entrance ; on the wesc end to be 40 feet long 

 for exit. Ventilation is obtained through 4 ventila- 

 tors from the cellar to the cupola ; also by windows 

 on the cattle floor, one being in each bent, not only 

 on the sides but also in the ends. The hay loft h.as 

 four large windows in the gables, with windows over 

 the liani doors. The barn is very light and well ven- 

 tilateil, and is so warm that manure doi's not freeze^. 

 The hay is convi'niently put down through trap doors, 

 so arranged that it falLs in front of the place ivhere 

 required for use. Equally good is the arrangement 

 for putting down straw for the hedding, as it falls di- 

 rectly behind the I'atlle. Through another set of 



