1880] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



ill 



milked every three hours, gradually increasing the 

 time, until it is fixed at twice a day. In this way 

 the udder will be cultivated to the capacity of a full 

 milk cow. If there isfa demand for the milk or the 

 cream, the calf can soon be fed on skim milk ami 

 kept in the most thrifty condition by ailding gruel 

 made of oil cake, corn and oatmeal. This i.s work. 

 All right. If one were to judge of the idle farmers 

 seen nearly every day standing on our streets, there 

 is need for more work, and careful work, al home. 

 A kind and careful man always lias gentle cows. A 

 cross and vicious man has kicking, jumping and 

 fractious cows. It is easy to judge the character of 

 a farmer by the character of his cows." 



Milk Fever. 



Numbers of good cows die every year of what is 

 called milk fever, and it is noticed that such cows 

 are generally in good condition or fat. We have 

 never had a case of this disease in our lierd, whether 

 this exemption is due to management or iuclc we 

 know not. It has been noticed that when cows drop 

 their calves in the pasture in summer they almost 

 always do well, tlieir bowels being kept open by suc- 

 culent food, and they do not get chilled by drinking 

 icy water. We make it rule to feed a cow few days 

 before she is expected to come, in with early cut hay 

 and roots ; small potatoes are excellent. Some ob- 

 ject to the disposition which the cow makes of the 

 after-birth if left to herself, but we have thought 

 that perhaps nature knows more than the average of 

 cow doctors and we let her alone. If the cow shares 

 with the calf the first milk which is drawn from the 

 udder it will have a laxative effect. We do not give 

 water until the chill has been taken from it, or meal 

 for three days after calving. Many cows do well that 

 have no extra care, but an ounce of prevention will 

 always be found to be worth a pound of cure. We 

 are indebted to the New England Homeitead for these 

 practical suggestions. 



To Cure Foot Rot in Sheep. 



The preparation of the foot is just as esseutial as 

 the remedy, for if every part of tlie disease is not laid 

 bare the remedy will not effect a cure. A solution 

 of blue vitriol as strong as can be made and as hut 

 as you can bare your hand in, even for a moment, 

 having the liquid three or four inches deep, or deep 

 enough to cover all the affected parts ; then hold the 

 diseased foot in this liquid ten minutes, or long 

 enough to penetrate to all the diseased parts ; put 

 the sheep on a dry barn floor for twenty hours to give 

 It a chance io take effect. In every ease where I have 

 tried it it has effected a cure, and I have never given 

 a sheep medicine internally for foot rot. This remedy 

 I call a dead shot when the fool is tlioroughly pre- 

 pared, but a more expeditious way, and where you 

 hardly hope to exterminate the disease, but keep it in 

 subjection, is this : After preparing the feet as for 

 the vitriol cure, take butter of antimony, pour oil of 

 vitriol Into it slowly until the heating and boiling 

 process ceases and apply with a swab. Tins remedy 

 works quicker, is stronger than the vitriol, and is 

 Just as safe, but its mode of application renders it 

 less sure. — Ohio Farmer. 



The Care of Sheep. 



A sheep to be well and hearty must not be half 

 starved at any period of its growth. It must be piT- 

 ■onally comfortable to grow wool every day of its 

 life. Three hundred and sixty-live days make a year. 

 If from any cause a sheep is uncomfortable a single 

 day, he will grow wool only 36t days in a year. If 

 for four months at a time from ill health or lack of 

 food or water it produces wool only eight months in 

 a year, there is a loss of one-third of the profits he 

 would have given his owner. 



A sheep out of condition is subjected to ailments 

 that in good condition would not have affected him. 

 Sheep fat in the fall will go through the winter and 

 the ordeal of lambing with safety and success. If in 

 thin, weak condition, the relaxing of the system in 

 spring and the extra demands on the system of the 

 ewe at lambing time, bring a series of diseases quite 

 disgusting to the flock-master. No animal rewards 

 its owner so for liberal feeding and painstaking care 

 as does the sheep. The idea has so often been ex- 

 pressed that a sheep can do without food and water, 

 that many have concluded it was true. It may live 

 on less food (and do well) than any other animal in 

 proportion to its live weight, but that they live by 

 eating is sure, and the more they eat and the better 

 hygienic treatment the better results they give in 

 fleece and lamb, and vigorous, long-lived usefulness. 



The Horse's Punishment. 



A horse appreciates a comfortable fitting harness 

 as much as he does a properly fitted shoe. The 

 latter, when set too tight, or with a nail driven into, 

 or too near the sensitive tissues, produces positive 

 lameness. Under this condition of things he is 

 promptly taken to the shop for relief. But he may 

 suffer nearly or quite as much, from the chafing of 

 a badly fitted collar or a narrew belly band, drawn 



too tight; or of a check rein shortened up so as to 

 form of itself one of the severest of punishments. 

 Kitlier of these conditions will produce rcstlveuess in 

 tlie dullest brute, and in the case of an animal of 

 nervous temperament, and having a thin sensitive 

 skin, he is liable to become frantic, the obtuse owner 

 or driver seldom appreciating the origin of the dilTi- 

 culty. 



No greater evidence can be advanced to establish a 

 horse's entire sulimissiveness than his willingness to 

 pull against tlie collar with a' portion of the breast 

 surface denuded of its skin, and showing tlie highest 

 possible state of sensiliility. The average horse will 

 do this, shrinking at every step. A horse learns to 

 dread the approach of the master or driver, with 

 harness in hand, if this has previously lieen a source 

 of torment, or even of discomfort. A horse 

 pro|ierly liandled for a period, in a well-fitted har- 

 ness, then chancing to fall into tlic liands of a bung- 

 ler, will at once de'-cet tlin undue tightness or loose- 

 ness of the strap, and will not settle down to his 

 usual gait, contentedly, while the irregularity re- 

 mains. A spirited horse may, under such an irritat- 

 ing influence, do from downright fear what may bo 

 wrongly charged as viciousness. Heavy strokes of 

 tlie whip may fall upon the irritated beast only to be 

 followed by evil results. 



Among the every day torments to which the horse 

 is subjected, we will enumerate the following : 1st. 

 Abraded breast. Ud. Inflamed back from defective 

 saddle or harness pad. od. Sore mouth from a too 

 tight gag rein, a severe bit, or both. 4th. A sore tail 

 from too tight or illy made crupper, .'itii. An abra- 

 sion under the body, caused by a too tight or badly 

 fitted belly-band. 6tli. Irritation of the eyes from 

 blinders being strapped too close together, or on the 

 other hand are allowed to swing around, first striking 

 one eye then the other. 7th. Ears chafed by the 

 brow band being placed too high, or by metallic 

 rosettes with a sharp outer rim, the base of the ear 

 pressing across this at every motion. 8th. The ex- 

 cessive fatigue of all the structures of the neck under 

 the infiuence of the bearing rein. The bearing rein, 

 if made taut, and kept so for any considerable length 

 of time, is a source of great discomfort to horses, 

 and an insufferable torment to many. A taut rein can 

 be used with entire propriety on horses of fine, easy 

 up carriage, especially while in motion, but if the 

 muscles and bony structure of the neck extend for- 

 ward horizontally from an upright shoulder, rather 

 than striking out I'rom a slanting slioulder, then the 

 most intense suffering will be inflicted by straining 

 the necli up to an angle entirely unnatural to the 

 animal, especially if this strain be long kept up. To 

 strain a culprit up by the thumbs, till only his toes 

 touch the ground, is one of the severest admissible 

 punishments that can be intlicted upon mortal, and 

 the check rein is undoubtedly akin to it in its extreme 

 application. 



Cattle on the Range. 



As our cattle-raisers ride among their herds at- 

 tending the young calves and the weak cows, lilfe 

 the merchant who takes an account of bis stock, 

 they will sum up the number on the range and 

 place a valuation as best they can, thus footing up 

 their gain in wealth during the past year. An oc- 

 casional carcass may be seen, and were they all 

 accurately summed up and charged to one herd 

 the loss would seem heavy, yet when divided among 

 the many herds they will seem too insignificant to 

 be counted. Basing the valuation upon the prices 

 cattle are commanding at the present time and 

 comparing with the prices of last year there is a 

 noticeable gain. Cattle which a year ago were 

 worth the then good price of $12 each, are now 

 advanced fully one-third and readily in demand at 

 51fi. Tills, however, only refers to the cows, heifers 

 and young stock which will not come in for beeves. 

 Steers which were two and three years old and 

 went in the sales at the prices of herd stock have 

 gained in value still more, lor they now come in 

 for the slaughter pen. If the advance in the value 

 of this class of stock could be estimated as high 

 proportionately as the herd stock, the profits of the 

 year would be enormous. But it is too early to 

 definitely determine what the prices of three, four 

 and five year old steers will be, yet we fear they 

 will not range much higher than last year. Pur- 

 chasers of Montana cattle at Chicago have been 

 well pleased, and our beeves in all the eastern 

 markets that they have reached have been compli- 

 mented; and as the signs of the times in the States 

 Indicate an advance rather than a decline in prices 

 we may look for the usual number of buyers. Our 

 home consumption will be materially increased this 

 year by the large immiirration, but there has been 

 an increase in the number of cattle raised sufBclent 

 to equal it, so there are about as many, and possi- 

 bly a few more fat beeves for the eastern markets 

 than any previous year. We bid the cattle drovers 

 come right along; the valleys of the Judith, Sun 

 )Iver, Musselshell, Smith river and Yellowstone can 

 supply you with beeves as good as your corn-fel, 

 and raised at as small expense to tlieir owners as 

 can be had anywhere on the continent. — Rocky 

 Mountain Hmbandry, 



A Mare that Nursed a Calf. 

 A brood-mare on a Colorado ranche lost her col- 

 this spring and appeared to be deeply grieved over 

 the circumstance. After being melancholy and det 

 pressed in spirits for some days her cheerfulness 

 returned. Then It was discovered that she had 

 adopted the offspring of another animal as her own. 

 The curious part of the matter is that her choice 

 had fallen upon a calf whicli she had enticed away 

 from its real mother and suckled with the greatest 

 care. The calf was appaiiMitly hapjiy, and followed 

 Its foster mother with great affection. When the 

 calf was taken away from the mare she made a 

 strong fight to retain it and relapsed into her former 

 melancholy condition for a number of days after 

 its loss. 



How Much Will Keep a Horse. 



A horse weighing from ten to twelve hundred 

 pounds will eat about six tons of hay, or its equiva- 

 lent, in a year. And we suppose the real poiul to 

 get at is, whether one cau keep his horses cheaper 

 on some otlur product than hay. This is an ex- 

 ceedingly dlllicult question to answer— it depends 

 so much on circumstances. We shall not attempt 

 to answer it fully at this time, but will merely say 

 that, in our opinion, three and a-haif tons of corn 

 stalks and two and a-half tons of corn would keep 

 a horse a year in fully as good condition as six 

 ton» of bay. We in.ay estimate also, that it will 

 take three and a-half tons of oats-straw and two 

 and a-half tons of oats to keep a horse a year. A 

 bushel of oats weighs tbirly-t'wo pounds, so that it 

 will take over one hundred and fifty-five bushels 

 and three and a-half tons of straw to keep a horse 

 a year. It would take about two acres of goo'i 

 land to priiduci- this aiiiniint. 



Poultry. 



Coops. 



Look well to your coops ae the warm weather 



comes on, see that they are clean and free from lice. 

 If you let the lice get into your coop and fowls, it Is 

 quite an undertaking to get rid of them again. 

 When they do get into a flock we find the best reme- 

 dy is to fumigate with sulphur and use crude petro- 

 leum freely on the roosts and in the nests, but better 

 to keep your houses clean and avoid getting them 



into your flocks. 



^ 



Charcoal for Fowls. 



An old turkey raiser gives the following experi- 

 ment : " Four turkeys were fed on meal, boiled po- 

 tatoes and oats. Four others of the same brood 

 were, also, at the same time, confined in another 

 pen, and feddaily on the same articles, but with one 

 pint of very finely pulveriz3d charcoal mixed with 

 their I'ood — mi-xcd meal and boiled potatoes. They 

 had also a plentiful supply of charcoal in their pen. 

 The eight were killed on the same day, and there 

 was a difl'crence of one and a half pounds each In 

 favor of the fowls that had been supplied with char- 

 coal, they being much the fattest, and the meat 

 being greatly superior in point of tenderness and 

 flavor." 



♦ 



Fo^wls in Orchards. 



Last fall we visited an orchard in which fowls 

 were kept, the owner of which told us that before the 

 fowls were contincd in it the trees made little or no 

 growth, and only a corresponding amount of fruit 

 was obtained. But what a change was evident 

 now I The grass was kept down, the weeds killed, 

 and the trees presented an appearance of thrift, 

 which the most enthusiastic horticulturist could not 

 but admire and envy. Tiie growth of the trees was 

 most vigorous, and the foliage remarkably luxu- 

 rient;^e fruit was abundant, of large size, and 

 free frffii worms and other imperfections. The ex- 

 cellence was accounted for by the proprietor, who 

 remarked that the "hens ate all the worms and 

 curculio in their reach, even the canker-worm." He 

 found less trouble with their roosting in trees than 

 he expected, and that a picket fence six feet high 

 kept them within bounds. Ills orchard was divided 

 into three sections, and the fowls were changed from 

 one to another, as the condition of the fowls or the 

 orchard sections seemed to require. — Poultry World. 



Poultry Notes. 



Save the droppings from your hen roosts. No bet- 

 ter manure can be bad if mixed with loam, muck or 

 piaster. 



Carolina tar applied on the cracks and joints of 

 henhouses is beneficial in a sanitary point of view. 



Discard wooden floors in your hen-houses as they 

 absorb and retaiu a great deal of moisture from the 

 droppings. 



There is in a few old rusty nails more health- 

 giving properties than in some of the so-called poul- 

 try food. 



The expense of keeping a dozen hens is trifling. A 

 large share of their living can be readily supplied 

 from the table. 



