PROCEEDINGS OP THE FARMERS* CLUB. 149 



Poultry — How to Keep it Healthy. 



Hr. Jonathan Kepler, Pleasant Monnd, 111., says that forty years ago his 

 mother was told tliut if she wanted to keep her fowls healthy she must kill 

 all the old cooks, kei'ping none over but one winter. Pursuing tliat course, 

 he has not known one case of the gapes in that time. He also recommends 

 never to allow old hens to accumulate in the flock, and to obtain eggs from 

 neigiibors every year to produce a cross in his stock. 



Mrs. James Aikuns, We(^law-lee, Wisconsin, says that gapes are entirely 

 preveuted among poultry by salting- their food in the same proportion us 

 food for ourselves. 



Tripe — How to Clean It, 



Mr. Robert Terrett, Newton, Licking Co., Ohio, says, in these times of 

 scarcity and high prices of meat, he thinks the club would confer a great 

 favor upon all who read its discussions if it would give some directions 

 how to save and clean beefs tripe, which makes a most excellent article 

 of food, but which few people in the country know how to prepare. 



Mr. Solon Robinson. — Tlic answer to this is, cut as small an opening 

 into the paunch as possible through which to empty the contents. Do this 

 with care, so as not to smear the outside, and carefully wash off any sub- 

 stance that may adhere. Then let one man thrust his arm in.to the opening 

 and seize the bottom firmly, while another turns the sac inside out. Now 

 sew up the slit tiiat was cut firmly with strong twine. The sac is now to 

 be thoroughly wa-shed in cold water, and then either covered with white- 

 wash just as you would cover a sheepskin to loosen the wool, or else placed 

 inu tub of strong alkali made of lime or wood ashes or potash, and kept 

 there until the wooly coating is loosened so that it can easily be scraped 

 off with a knife. As soon as this is the case, give the sac another thorough 

 washing to cleanse it of the lime, and then it is ready to be cut up for 

 scraping. Cut it in long strips, about five or six inches wide ^ lay one of 

 these upon a table or board before you, fastened at one end with a couple 

 of tacks, and scrape with a dull knife until quite free of the adhering coat. 

 Then wash, and put the tripe to soak in weak brine for twenty-four hours 

 or longer. Then wash again and it is ready for boiling. It should be 

 boiled until it is quite tender, when it may be pickled or put away to be 

 calen fresh, after recooking, by stewing, frying or broiling ; and there cer- 

 tainly is no part of a beef that affords richer or more palatable food, and it 

 is through the sin of ignorance that it is so often wasted. 



Sowed Corn for Fodder, 



A farmer in Chautauqua county wants the club to keep agitating the 

 question of sowed corn and how to cure it. lie says that some of his mea- 

 dows have been in grass twelve or fourteen years, and must be broken up 

 this fall or next spring. The consequence will be that he will be unable 

 to winter hii* stock unless he can do it upon corn-stalks or some other sub- 

 stitute fn" hay. A great many other persons have old meadows which 

 th(y hesitate to break up for the same reason — they do not know what to 

 substitute for the grass during the transition stage. Many who have tried 

 %owed corn have found the difficulties of curing it for winter feed so ^reat 



