1882.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



Ill 



^iverage to make a pound of pork, as is no doulit tlie 

 liise, the fanner begins to see tlie econamy of ex- 

 porting one imunil of pork, bacon or linm, instead of 

 b<ven pounds of eorn. Tlie ditl'erence In cost of 

 freight makes a line prolit of itself; besides, the 

 [uiuudofmeat is usually worth more than seven 

 pounds of corn in the foreign market. The produc- 

 1 ion of pork should be encouraged on the further 

 consideration that It carries otf less of the valuable 

 constituents of the soil than beef. The fat pig con- 

 tains only three-fourths as much mineral matter per 

 owt. as the fat steer, and only two llfths as much 

 nitrogen per cwt.; and therefore the production of a 

 ton of pork on the farm will carry off only a little 

 more than half the fertility carried off by a ton of 

 beef. Besides, a ton of beef will require nearly lifty 

 per cent, more to produce it. This gives in round 

 numbers the comparative effect of producing pork 

 and beef. It is thus evident that the pig should 

 have a high place in our agriculture; should be 

 fostered in every way; his caiiabilities studied and 

 pushed; his di^cases carefully noted and prevented — 

 for he is the most proliitable meat producing animal 

 ou the farm. The pig is an excellent adjunct to the 

 dairy, turning all refuse milk and even whey into 

 cash. As he is king of our meat e.\ports, so let us 

 treat him with great consideration. — .Muor's Rural 

 New Yorker, 



Sheep Raising in Dakota. 



Sheep farming in Dakota has been demonstrated 

 by practical men, who have had experience in and 

 understand the business, to be a sale and profitable 

 enterprise. The dryness of the atmosphere in win- 

 ter time, and its purity and health fulness at all sea- 

 sons, the abundance and nutritiousness of the native 

 grasses, and other favorable conditions, insure the 

 health and tood condition of the flocks at all sea- 

 sons. These facts are becoming known to and are 

 being taken advantage of by practical wool-growers, 

 and a number of them have recently located in our 

 territory and engaged in the business. Among the 

 number is B. C. Bagley, who owns a range about 

 fifteen miles from Yankton, in the northwestern 

 part of Clay county. He owns a fine flock of Span 

 ish Merino bucks and Cotswold sheep, in fine condi- 

 tion and health, and returning a handsome profit on 

 the capital invested. Mr. Bagley called on us a few 

 mornings since and showed us a fieece weighing 203^ 

 pounds, and it is the finest and best quality, worth 

 in the market at present prices from thirty-two to 

 thirty-five cents per pound. Mr. Bagley was form- 

 erly engaged in sheep raising in Vermont— a State 

 which produces the finest sheep in the world, and 

 may be said to be the world's market for the pur- 

 chase of the best and the purest bloo^— and is, 

 therefore, thoroughly posted in the business. He is 

 confident that Dakota possesses as good, if not su- 

 perior, natural advantages as Vermont for success- 

 ful and profitable slieep farming, and founds his 

 faith upon his personal experience in our territory. — 

 Yankton Press. 



Treatment of the Cow. 



There are conflicting opinions among good dairy- 

 men in regard to the treatment of cows after calv- 

 ing — some preferring a low oi moderate diet, at 

 most nothing more than good hay, with free access 

 to the usual watering place and an avoidance of all 

 warm drinks. 



The arguments in favor of this course for the first 

 few days after parturition are, that it is better calcu 

 lated to allay fever and sooner brings the cow round 

 to a healthy condition. On the other hand, it is 

 urged that the animal during labor becomes more or 

 less exhausted, and that if the weather is cold, the 

 taking of considerable quantities of cold water to 

 slake thirst, has a tendency to chill the animal and 

 impede circulation, and hence, a gruel made of bran 

 or oaten meal, and tepid water can be given soon 

 after calving with the best results. The tatter course 

 has been our practice, and uniformly with success. 

 After a lapse of several hours the cow is allowed to 



drink as usual. It Is perhaps unnecessary to say that 

 stock at this season of the year should be entrusted 

 to careful hands — they demand almost constant 

 oversight and attention. They should not be hur- 

 ried In or out of the stables, or allowed to fight or 

 worry each other at the water trough or in the yard. 

 Accidents, of course, will occasionally occur, under 

 the most careful treatment, but by the adoption of a 

 uniform system of kindness to all neat stock, with a 

 reasonable share of attention, there ueed be little, If 

 any " bad luck " to be anticipated. 



One thing we regard as imperatively demanded for 

 success In the management ofstock. Never allow a 

 cow to be kicked or In any way abused by hired 

 help. • Whatever good qualities a man may have, 

 better part with him at once If found disobeying 

 orders In this respect. State the ease plainly at the 

 time of hiring, and make as a condition the forfel 

 ture of a part or the wliole of the man's wages who 

 Is found guilty of kicking or beating cows. The 

 practice has become common and should be broken 

 up. The animal losses from this source are im- 

 mense. If every dairyman would make it a rule that 

 his milch cow, must l)e treated kindly, and that no 

 excuse can be taken for blows and kicks, and that no 

 person would be employed who maltreats stock, the 

 whole country would be greatly benefitted. We have 

 known of valuable animals being lost by a kick, and 

 others rendered valueless for the season by an ap- 

 parently slight thump with a milking stool from bad 

 tempered persons. Laborers of this kind are danger- 

 ous, and the sooner one is rid of them the better 

 Much can be effected in this matter by good example, 

 for if the owner so far forgets himself as to abuse 

 stock he cannot expect the men in his employ to do 

 otherwise. The business of the year is about to com- 

 mence, and the start should be made with sound, 

 healthy and vigorous stock, and from such, reason- 

 able results may be anticipated. — Western Rural. 



Poultry. 



Floors for Poultry Houses 



Experienee has proved board floors for poultry 

 houses to be Injurious to the flowls. No amount of 

 cleaning can keep them free from vermin and bad 

 odors. Clean, dry earth is the proper flooring for 

 hen houses. It should have an under strata of solid, 

 packed earth. This should be scraped at least once 

 a week and again sprinkled with road dust mixed 

 with air-slaked lime. 



Fowl Fattening. 



The greatest curiosity In the Jardin d'AccIimatlon 

 is the singular fowl fattening machine which has 

 been In operation for but a short time, but which is a 

 great success — remarks a lady, writing from Paris. 

 Imagine the top of a round tea table divided off into 

 sections, with a partition between each section and a 

 board in front of with a half moon shaped aperture 

 In it. In each of these sections an unhappy duck or 

 chicken Is confined by a chain to each leg, and under 

 each Is fitted a tray, which receives the dirt and is 

 emptied dally. Through the centre of this structure 

 goes a round po.st, and there Is a series of such tea- 

 table tops to the roof of the building, each with Its 

 divisions and Imprisoned fowls. At stated intervals 

 a man comes around with a somewhat complicated 

 machine, filled with a kind of thin gruel, and fitted 

 with a pipe at the end of a long India-rubber tube. 

 He introduces this pipe down the throat of a duck, 

 presses down a pedal with his foot, and a certain 

 quantity of food is forced into the creature's craw, a 

 disc above showing exactly what amount of force he 

 Is to use, and how much food passes. This process 

 is gone through with each fowl till all are fed, and it 

 is repeated four times a day for ducks and three for 

 chickens. Two weeks suffice to fatten a duck, but 

 three are necessary for a chicken. Apart from the 

 necessary confinement of the birds, the process does 

 not seem to be t all a cruel one, as the amount of 

 food forced down their throat Is not excessive. The 

 ducks which I saw fed did not seem to suffer in the 



least; and, in fact, when they saw the man approach, 

 most of them became clamorous for Immediate atten- 

 tion and plucked at his clothes, as he passed, with 

 eager beaks. — Journal of Agriculture. 



Onions for Chicken Cholera. 

 A correspondent of the I'onllnj Yard thus de- 

 scribes his new remedy for chicken cholera : " While 

 our neighbors for several miles around us, have lost 

 nearly all their chickens from the so. called cholera, 

 ours are In fine condition. They were attacked with 

 the premonitory symptoms of the disease, Whicb 

 seemed to be endemic here, but we cured them and 

 have no trouble with them since, having accidentally 

 found a cure. Cut up onions with food, and admin- 

 ister once a day for several days, afterward once a 

 week will answer. Also mix a little ground ginger 

 with their meal, once every day or two. We also 

 give them a little salt every two or three weeks, 

 which we deem highly necessary, and, above all 

 things, keep watermelons, muskmelons and cucum- 

 bers away from them. The lops of celery cut up 

 with their food will be found beneficial, and they ap- 

 pear to like It very well. Do not get these state- 

 ments mixed up. The onions and ginger only for 

 cholera, the remainder constant attention. Too much 

 whole corn wo have found injurious ; we give meal 

 of this only once In three or four days. Raw onions 

 and a very little ginger against the world for curing 

 cholera. If the disease has not been allowed to run too 

 far. We endorse heartily the raw onions and ginger, 

 but have never found melons injurious. Last sum- 

 mer we raised. In an amateur way, nearly three hun- 

 dred chickens and turkeys. Bushels of melon rlndg 

 and imperfect melons of both kinds were thrown to 

 them daily and eaten eagerly. Over-ripe cucumbers 

 and seeds of muskmelons weic likewise devoured. 

 We had no losses from any disease. 



Cramming Poultry, 



Poultry of all kinds can be well fattened, If In fair 

 order previously, in three weeks. The method of 

 cramming poultry to fat them is as follows: Oatmeal 

 and cornmeal are boiled with milk and some sugai 

 Into a thick mush. When this li nearly cold it Is 

 rolled with dry meal Inio large pellets of the size of 

 chestnuts, ami that will be readily swallowed. The 

 bird is taken between the knees on an apron, and its 

 mouth held open while another person puts the pel- 

 lets of food down the throat until no more can be put 

 down. The bird is then put into a small coop. Id 

 which it cannot even turn, and shut up In darkness. 

 It is fed four times a day and no water is elven. 

 The flesh of birds so fattened is very white and clear, 

 and brings a good price in the market. 



Wild Chickens. 

 Some years ago, several families settled in a fron- 

 tier region in (.lommanehe county, Texas, but be- 

 coming discouraged, they abandoned the enterprise 

 and returned to the old settlement leaving their do- 

 mestic I'owls In possession of the clearings. These 

 mulliplietl lapidly, and in a few years became as 

 wild as any other birds of the forest. At the pres- 

 ent time there are said to be thousands of these wild 

 chickens in that region. They will probably become 

 permanent inhabitants of the mountains of western 

 Texas. In this manner the horse became a wild 

 animal ou the pampas of South America. — Ex. 



Good Hatching. 

 We have often recommended Leghorn eggs for 

 hatching, having found in our experience that they 

 produce a large proportion of healthy chicks, than 

 any other variety we ever tried. W. D. wrote us 

 from Jackson county, Wisconsin, under date July 

 S.'ith, that out of fifty two White Leghorn eggs re- 

 ceived I'rom us he got forty-five chicks. The day we 

 received his letter, a game hen turned us out four- 

 teen White Leghorn eliieks, all smart and lively 

 We find the chicks from this variety very smart and 

 healthy from the start. 



Literary and Personal. 



TuE Amiciucax Millek. — A moiilhly journal 

 devoted tothe art and science of milling. If any out- 

 ward manifestation were necessary to illustrate that 

 this journal had "come to stay," and could afford 

 to stay, It seems to us that the number now on our 

 table (No 0, Vol. X.) would be ample evidence to 

 that effect. Published by Mitchell Bro.'s Company, 

 Chicago, 111., at one dollau per annuu. We can 



