September 2 
But the above act is one in which the maxim, “Let not 
thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,” 
should be carefully observed, lest you cut your own 
prices, and, at last, “ your own throat ” in a business 
way. And right here let me say emphatically, never 
undersell the butchers or any fellow farmer. (I am very 
sorry to see by Thk Rural that the Scotch and Eng¬ 
lish farmers have begun in just that way.) Workup 
the business slowly. Never sell a poor lamb (it costs 
too much), and the quality of your lambs will sell 
them when they become known. One customer has 
often brought me another. Let the butcher help you 
keep up the prices. He pays too little, but charges 
none too much, and, as you will find, you will make 
only a fair profit selling at the same prices. To any 
kicker on prices make this statement: “ If I kept 100 
sheep, I would need at least one hired man, and if I 
averaged 810 from each sheep, I would receive only 
81,000 for payment of wages, interest on capital and 
for my own salary.” Nearly any candid customer 
will know, by experience, that far less ability than is 
necessary to run such a business successfully com¬ 
mands a much higher salary in other callings ; indeed, 
so-called “skilled labor” in shops “ strikes,” unless 
given much more, and perhaps less study and practice 
of a profession teach its votaries to charge at an 
enormously highei rate if they learn nothing else. 
Keep track of prices through reports of the nearest 
markets. A. wetmore. 
(To be continued.) 
two seasons does not so much wean them from country 
homes as it wonts them to city life. The inconvenience 
they are put to that they may frequently visit their 
homes in the country, in and of itself leads them to 
adopt the city as their permanent residence. Were 
the conditions such that they could easily, cheaply 
and speedily run from the town to the country, and 
from the country to the town, they would be able to 
enjoy all the comforts, pleasures and advantages of 
both city and country life.” 
Is that so or isn’t it? How long before you will 
“ What watering device do you use ?” 
“One of my own devices. Notice this feeding alley 
of cement. It is 10 feet wide between the cows as 
they stand facing each other. Directly in front of the 
cows at either side is an oval-shaped feeding trough 22 
inches wide and about four inches deep in the middle. 
It is just as though that had been scooped out of the 
feeding alley. The floor of this trough is made of 
pure Portland cement half an inch thick. That is all 
we have for feeding and drinking. We feed our grain 
wet. It is pushed along in carts and scooped out to 
each cow, right into the trough. 
“How do we water? Do you notice those pipes 
running down close to the trough every 30 feet or so ? 
It’s an easy matter to turn the faucet and let the 
water right into the trough.” 
“ Right where the grain was fed ?” 
“ Certainly and the ensilage and hay too. They eat 
and drink from the same dish, so to speak, and if there 
is any water left we take a broom and sweep it out, 
thus cleaning out the trough.” 
Pure Water and Impure Waste. 
The next two sections of this agreement read thus : 
The dairy shall be supplied with an abundance of pure water, and 
no water from shallow wells or springs, holding surface drainage, 
shall be used for watering stock, cooling inllk, or cleaning vessels, 
nor shall any well or spring be located within 3 r 0 feet of the stable. 
It Is further understood and agreed that the immediate surroundings 
of the buildings shall be kept In a condition of cleanliness and in 
order. There shall not be allowed to accumulate in the vicinity any 
loose dirt, rubbish or decayed vegetable or animal nia'ter, nor 
animal waste. Nor shall there be within 300 yards of any building 
any constantly wet or marshy ground, or stagnant pools of water. 
Nor shall there be kept within 3 0 yards of any building used for dairy 
purposes, any fowls, hogs, horses, or other live stock. 
“ Where does your water come from ?” 
“ From a fine spring nearly an eighth of a mile away 
from the barn. I have a large tank in the upper part 
of the barn, the water being pumped into it by an 
acromotor, which gives excellent satisfaction. This 
gives us a never failing supply of pure water. Our 
new dairy house will be built over this spring and we 
shall have a little cable attachment for running the 
cans of milk from the barn.” 
“No other stock allowed within gun shot, eh ? ” 
“ No. All our horses are kept at the home place 
half a mile awa.v. We still use our old barn there for 
horses, dry cows and young stock, our plan being to 
keep only workers in this barn.” 
“ What about dirt and wastes?’ 
“ We do not permit anything to accumulate around 
the yards. Our arrangement for taking out manure is 
very simple. You will see that the manure gutter 
behind the cows, is very much like the feed trough— 
only larger. At intervals, say 30 or 40 feet, holes 
are cut in this gutter. These holes are covered by 
thick, heavy, plank sleds, which just fit in the 
gutter so they can slide :n it. To clean out, the 
man takes his heavy hoe and pushes the first of 
these sleds away from the hole. Then with the 
hoe he just pushes the manure along till it drops 
down the hole where a cart below ij backed up to 
receive it. No lifting, throwing or tossing—just 
pushing the manure along to the hole, and then 
i pulling the sled back over it. If we like we can 
\ easily turn on the hose and wash out the gutter.” 
r “You don’t try to preserve the liquids separate? ” 
“Not yet. We use so much bedding that all 
liquids are absorbed. I have a plan, however, of 
/ putting a light movable trough under the gutter to 
' carry all the liquids off to a water cart, where they 
could be put directly on the grass. I believe that 
a good sprinkling of this liquid manure on clover 
s’ubble would force up an immense second growth. 
realize that about the worst tyrant that is sitting 
down on the American fa nner, is the Dishonorable 
Mr. Mud ? 
Certified Milk 
A CERTIFICATE OF WHAT? 
SOME MORE BAD ROADS. 
List week we gave some engravings from Goxl 
Roads, showing some highways in New Jersey. This 
week we show some lowways in Iowa, taken from the 
same publication. These are taken from actual photo- 
• graphs, so that they represent real scenes on Iowa 
roads. Fig. 199 shows a fine situation for a bicycle rider. 
G. L. Gregory writes in Good Roads the following : 
“ A bicycle trip through Iowa is a succession of dis¬ 
comforts ; in the spring the mud renders such a trip 
impossible; in the summer the roads, having no 
foundation, become a perfect sand-bar, through which 
the wheel slips in all directions, giving the daring 
rider many a fall, while the wind whirls the dust 
about his devoted head, filling his eyes, nose and ears, 
preventing him from opening his mouth to even call 
down blessings on the man that made the roads.” 
The man shown in the picture is certainly getting 
lots of exercise out of his trip. To walk in that mud 
and push his heavily laden wheel will certainly give 
him an appetite for his dinner. We know full well 
that a bicycle on the farm is a labor saver and a 
source of delight. Hut who will be foolish enough 
to try to ride a wheel over such a road as is here 
pictured? Mr. Gregory also says this: 
“Last spring during the wet weather I was in 
an Iowa town that boasts of 12,000 inhabitants, 
good schools, water-works, gas and a street car 
system, streets well paved with brick; in fact, 
everything that a go-ahead American town should , 
have, but, despite all this, I saw two fine horses. / 
hitched to an empty wagon, stuck in the mud on / 
the main business s reet in town. ‘Why,’ you / ^ 
exclaim, ‘how could a team mire on a paved street ? 
The absurdity of the thing struck me at once, but ' 
a little investigation showed that the mud had been * \ ^ 
carried on to the paving from the adjacent unpaved \ 
How is that for wasted force and energy V You 'fyT.. • 
can readily believe it though when you look at the r 
picture of the wheel shown at Fig. 198. That . % / 
picture was made on the main streets of Bloom- *>/ 
field, Iowa. How do you like it? There’s a load 
for you that takes the flesh off the horses, but v* 
doesn’t add a penny to the wealth of the owner. >k. v •*.•• 
You might call that “ free coinage of mud ! ” which ‘ ‘ ‘ ^ 
adds to the “depression” among farmers. And 
then take a look at our friend shown in Fig. 200 . a Useless Load that the Farmer Pays for. Fig. 198 . 
There is fun for you — more fun than the horses 
and driver are having. Hon. E. H. Thayer says : them. Below is a cellar where manure was formerly 
“If the boys and girls brought up on the farm can stored. It will not be stored there any longer, but 
obtain all the pleasures and advantages offered by the will be hauled out every day. The barn is full of 
city, and at the same time make the farm their home, windows and is light and airy in every way. Mr. 
where at convenient times they can help do the work, Francisco can sit in his little octagon shaped office— 
would not a large portion of the discontent which per- shown in the cut—and see every animal in the stable 
vades farm life be d ssipated ? Closely investigate the or, by turning his head, see the men at work in the 
prime cause which takes the young man or young fields. “ The master's eye” in this case can be any- 
lady from the farm, and it will be found that it is less where with little difficulty, 
dissatisfaction with farm life than the fascination of “ What about your cow comforts ?” 
city life. “ I try to keep them all happy. They are well 
“ The son is encouraged to go to town a portion of bedded with clean coarse hay. We use the Parsons 
one or two years to take a course of study in a com- swing stanchion, which gives them perfect liberty to 
mereial college, or to attend the high school, and the lie down or turn and lick themselves.” 
daughter goes to stay temporarily to take music and “ Are they kept in most of the time ?” 
drawing Icssods, or to master some other accomplish- “ Yes, we keep water before them all the time or 
ment. They go from home, not because the city life nearly so, and they are fed at regular hours. They 
is preferable, but because it is more convenient, or are so well brushed and carded that they do not need 
rather, to obtain the advantages they seek, it is really to get out and scratch against a post, and they get 
essential. The stay in the city for portions of one or exercise enough.” 
HEALTH FOR THE LITTLE ONES. 
Part II. 
How the Cows Are Housed. 
The section of the contract relating to buildings 
reads as follows: 
The buildings, such as stables, creamery, dairy-house, spring-house, 
etc., shall oe constructed after the most aporoved style of architect¬ 
ure, la so far as construction may affect the health of the dairy 
stock, or the character and conditions of the milk. The bulldirgs 
used fjr the housing of the animals shall be situated on elevated 
ground and capable of being properly drained; said buildings to be 
she tered from cold winds, lighted and ventilated according to ap¬ 
proved hygienic methods. The buildings shall be constructed so as 
to favor the prompt and easy removal of waste products and the 
apartments used for the storage of either feed or fodder shall be 
removed from possible contamination by stable waste or animal 
odors. All buildings, shall, In addition to healthy location, approved 
construction, and proper ventilation, be kept free from animal or 
vegetable matter In a state or process of decomposition or decay, at d 
always free from accumulations of dust and mold. 
Mr. Francisco’s barn is located on a hill about half 
a mile from the dwelling. It was built on a plan of 
his own—a diagram of it being shown at Fig. 197. 
The cows stand on the main floor, with the hay above 
Must be Treated Like Ladles, 
“ What rules did the doctors lay down for the 
care of stock ?” 
“ We will come to that later. Here is one sec¬ 
tion of the agreement that covers an important 
point: 
It Is furthermore agreed, that the dairy stock employed In the 
production of certified milk, shall be properly sheltered from the 
Influences of weather and climate, prejudicial to their health: also, 
that the animals shall be kept ciean, groomed every day, and treated 
kindly at all times. The waste products of the stable shall be removed 
so frequently, and the stable floor so thoroughly cleaned that the 
same shall be as free aB possible from animal odors. It is also agreed 
that no milch cow shall be used for dairy purposes while in a state of 
excitement, either as a resu.t of, or during the period os estrux, or 
vhten has been made nervous, either by beating, whipping, kicking, 
prodding or running. 
“ They give you considerable latitude about hous¬ 
ing, etc.” 
“Yes, that is a matter that concerns my pocket 
directly. It is for my advantage to keep the cows out 
of cold storms, very hot sun or other conditions where 
they are not comfortable.” 
“ Do you have them brushed and groomed every 
day ?” 
“ Certainly. They are thoroughly rubbed with a stiff 
brush and if necessary their flanks are wiped off with 
a damp cloth. We can get all the scales and dirt off 
in this way and there is no danger of having anything 
