166 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[November, 



marl contains no ammonia, it contains quite 

 a fair percentage of potash, phosphoric acid 

 and lime, all of which, though partially in- 

 soluble in the marl, are changed in conditions 

 by the chemical action of the compost heap. 

 If marl were a soluble material its price 

 would be hiijh, but as it must be made avail- 

 able by being composted it is one of the 

 cheapest items in the whole list of fertilizers. 



To properly make the compost heap put 

 down a layer of marl, then a layer of manure, 

 then any other material that can be raked, 

 scraped, and gathered up. Pour over it the 

 liquids, but not too profusely, as they may 

 soak through it. If the heap is small, and flow 

 off. After the lapse of a week mix the mass 

 well together and place it over a layer of marl. 

 This is the beginning of the general heap, and 

 each successive addition should be treated 

 likewise— that is, first thoroughly mix the in- 

 gredients in small heaps before placing them 

 on the larger ones. The compost heap must 

 never become dry, but should be protected 

 from the sun and rain. If the whole mass is 

 occasionally worked over so much the better. 

 .Just before applying it to the soil it should be 

 made very fine, if required, and a little plaster 

 sprinkled through it while it is being handled. 

 Should marl not be obtained use dry earth in- 

 stead. Do not add lime to the heap at any 

 time, nor wood ashes, as the articles may do 

 more harm than good unless the heap con- 

 tains a large amount of absorbent matter and 

 is kept moist all the time. 



The value of compost is largely due to its 

 retention of that which is commonly wasted ; 

 its facility for being hauled and spread by 

 reason of being fine ; its thorough decompo- 

 sition without "fire-fanging," which permits 

 of its use on all crops and at any time, and of 

 its being a factory within which a large amount 

 of insoluble material can be made available 



as plant food. — Lancaster Inquirer. 



^ 



WINTER DAIRYING. 



Muscle is not the only agency employed in 

 successful farming. Mind must direct and 

 control all exertion, if it be productive of good 

 results. What distinguishes men most in this 

 age is their ability to think, to plan, to " lay 

 wires," and the reward to such a farmer is 

 thrift and comfort, influence and wealth. 

 The keen eye, the deft hand, the mature 

 judgment, of the thinking farmer, tell in 

 every part of his labor. It is this advanced 

 thought amongst us that is rapidly taking 

 farm labor and methods onto higher ground, 

 dismissing much drudgery and tedious, profit- 

 less toil. 



Among the multitude of interests fostered 

 and pushed in the West is the dairy. What a 

 wonderful revolution in the methods and re- 

 sults of this branch of industry ! Cultivated 

 grasses and nutritious foods ; improved breeds 

 and extra care of herds ; scientific apparatus 

 and careful, constant attention, have in- 

 creased the number of cows and- the annual 

 yield per cow ; have improved the quality and 

 price of butter, and made the country, in 

 many ways, more prosperous. One million 

 cows, with well nigh one hundred million 

 pounds of butter annually, in Iowa, show the 

 ponderous proportions of this business. The 

 purpose of this article is to raise the 

 question — and settle it — whether it were not 



possible and advisable to carry on much of 

 onr dairy work in the fall and winter. 



Now, the intelligent, progressive farmers 

 who have not already given close thought to 

 the subject, and have made some experiments 

 in that line, will at once consider it. They 

 will weigh the subject, and if the claims of its 

 advocates are plausible, they will try it. 



Why should we engage in winter dairying ? 



1st. In the fall and winter, farmers are free 

 from the rush of the cropping season, and can 

 give i)roper attention to the business. The 

 women and children are not then the sole 

 operators. It will not then be a drudge to 

 milk, for the heat and burden of the day have 

 not been endured. It will then be of import- 

 ance, since nothing is of special interest. 



■Id. If the cows drop their calves in October 

 and November, they are in good flesh and 

 strength, and give the oft'spring good life, and, 

 because of liberal and proper feed, will start 

 them off well for the winter. In March and 

 April cows are poor, from lack of food and 

 shelter. Tlie grass is not on in sufficient 

 quantity to produce free flow of milk, and 

 both the cow and the calf get a bad start for 

 the summer. By the time the May and June 

 grasses have brought the cow to moderate flesh 

 and flow of milk, the hot weather, dry grass, 

 insuflicient water, and horrid flies, set in, and 

 then comes another check to business. 



3d. Since, in profitable dairying, the calves 

 must be fed, the fall and winter season is 

 proper,for the men have time. The calf can 

 be fed and do well. The old notion that a 

 calf must suck is only a notion. One of the 

 most successful stockmen of our country has 

 just told me that the calves he feeds are 

 better than those that follow the cow. Many 

 other progressive men practice the same way. 

 it must be left for another article to tell how 

 calves shall be fed, but it can be done, and is 

 done every year successfully, evsn by fine- 

 stock men. 



ith. Every cow must be fed and sheltered 

 in winter, if she is to yield any revenue to her 

 owner. If she be ii;ell fed, she will yield 

 richly, and the product is always more va'- 

 uable than in warmer seasons. Then she will 

 milk longer, and, when she goes unto grass, 

 will give a good flow of rich milk, because of 

 her excellent condition in the spring. Just 

 so much food is required to sustain all the 

 vital processes in normal condition. Wliat- 

 ever she gets above this will yield a return in 

 milk. If she does not get the extra food, 

 then she gives no milk or she draws upon her 

 reserve vital force to yield the milk, and re- 

 duces her life powers — flesh, strength, etc. 

 If the cow goes dry for six or eight weeks, it 

 will be in Hot, dry, fly time, when there is 

 not time to milk her, and when butter and 

 cream are least valuable. 



5th. The skimmed sweet milk of the dairy 

 is of great value in feeding, not only calves, 

 but pigs and young fowls. The calf, being 

 fed during the winter is, by the time grass 

 starts nicely, ready to leave the milk and live 

 in the field on grass and grain, and come out 

 worth from 130 to $50 for beef at a year old. 

 Just as the calf leaves the milk the pigs and 

 young fowls come on to use it, and it is util- 

 ized all the year round. 



Now that we have told why we should more 

 generally engage in winter dairying, let a line 



of advice be given. Be sure to manage well. 

 Use the most approved apparatus for setting 

 milk — deep setting cans, 4i gallons, with 

 proper gauge, and no cover on while the milk 

 is cooling ; a good tank, that puts abundance 

 of water about and over the milk, yet venti- 

 lates it every hour of the day. Situate the 

 milk out of the cellar or cave, and where no 

 impure air can reach it. If butter be made 

 at the farm provide a thermometer, a good 

 barrel churn, and numerous other articles, 

 and do it well. George Washington's goods 

 passed down the river from Mt. Vernon place 

 without inspection because they were his. 

 Make your butter of good flavor and grain, 

 and it will be "gilt edge." When Dr. Browt; 

 was asked how he mixed his paints, he an- 

 swered : " I mix them with brains." Butter 

 is made in much the same way. 



But farm butter-making is only profitable 

 near large places, where a good local market 

 is sustained. The creameries of Iowa have 

 done much for our farmers in giving them 

 from twenty to thirty cents per gauge for 

 winter cream, and the creamery system in 

 country places is the only correct one ; there- 

 fore, patronize them, and thus foster one of 

 Iowa's first interests. — J. W. Johnson in 

 Dairy and Farm Journal. 



ON CROSSING BREEDS FOR DAIRY 

 PURPOSES. 



Farmers who are breeding for dairy pur- 

 poses are ever anxious for the best stock, 

 which is found to be the most profitable at 

 the milk-pail and churn. In selecting cows 

 to begin with, they have generally to be con- 

 tent with the best common stock that can be 

 picked up here and there among their neigh- 

 bors, or that they have raised from calves 

 and have selected as the most promising 

 among their young heifers. To get several 

 number one cows in this manner, has been a 

 long and tedious business. But almost every 

 farmer has one or more such cows, which he 

 refuses to part with at any price. And this 

 is a wise procedure, for one flrst-class cow is 

 worth three medium cows, as any one can see 

 at a glance. Say such first-class cow will 

 produce ten pounds of butter per week ; three 

 medium cows would produce five pounds each 

 or a total of fifteen pounds. Say it costs in 

 feed, work, care of milk, etc., fifty cents per 

 week to keep each cow. The butter produced 

 from the ten-pound cow will be worth, at 

 twenty cents per pound for 500 pounds, $100, 

 giving a net profit of -174. The butter from 

 three five-pound cows will bring .1fl50 for 750 

 pounds, leaving a net profit of S72, or $2 less 

 than the ten- pound cow gave. The calves I 

 have counted for nothing, for, if sold to the 

 butcher, the milk in fattening would be worth 

 more than the calf brings. The net profit per 

 cow of the latter would be 124, while that of 

 the first class cow would be three times as 

 much and S2 over. If such a cow costs 1100, 

 the income would be seventy-four per cent, 

 net. At the same rate, the others would be 

 wortlxoidy $32.30 each. Such being the case, 

 it becomes a matter of vital importance to 

 raise first-class stock in breeding for the dairy. 



I have said nothing of that class of cows, 

 which are kept by the thousand, that only 

 produce three or four pounds of butter per 

 week. Such hardly pay for their keeping. 



