VOL. LIII. No. 2302. NEW YORK, MARCH 10, 1894. ' 
Cr.uB-BOOT Turnips. Pig. 52. 
“ The silo was painted on the inside with boiling gas 
tar, and does not shrink when empty. It keeps air¬ 
tight. The corn is cut very fine and packs closely, 
driving out the air. The corn is well matured, just 
past the milk stage.” 
“ Do you put in ears and all ? ” 
“ No, we break off a good many of the largest ears.” 
“ How much ensilage do you feed ? ” 
“We calculate that three-quarters of an acre will 
furnish ensilage for one cow a year.” 
“ What is the most economical ration ?” 
“ Ensilage, with clover hay at noon, and four quarts 
twice a day of a mixture made of one part, by weight, 
of cotton-seed meal and three parts coarse wheat bran. ” 
“ Won’t cotton seed affect the quality of the butter ? ” 
“ It is not advisable to feed more than that propor¬ 
tion.” 
A large tank in the yard was steaming. “ What is 
that for ? ” 
“We have a pipe connected with our 
engine, and the exhaust steam warms 
the drinking water for the cows.” 
“ Do they like it ?” 
“They will drink nearly twice as much. 
After drinking, they will play like colts; 
but when they drink ice water they 
hump up and stand shivering by the 
door. We were obliged to let 30 cows 
drink cold water for a few days, and we 
lost a dollar’s worth of butter per day. 
It costs nothing to heat it.” 
“ How warm do you make it ?” 
“85 to 90 degrees seems to be about 
right.” 
There was a great difference in appear¬ 
ance between those that drank warm, 
and those that drank cold water, the 
former being much smoother and shorter 
haired. In the dairy house are all the 
modern equipments, including an expert 
butter maker. Both of the sons are 
capable of taking his place, but there 
are so many things to look after that it 
is profitable to hire. 
The Separator Separates Dirt; Ad¬ 
vertising. 
The utmost care is taken to keep every¬ 
thing perfectly clean, yet the separator 
will take out dirt and fibrous and viscous 
matter. The difference between this 
cream and that from other systems can 
be appreciated after seeing and smelling 
the residue. The Sharpless separator 
will separate 1,500 pounds an hour, and 
has cost but $1 for repairs in the four 
years of use. ‘ There is not much ad¬ 
vantage over deep setting, except that it is much 
cleaner, is there ? ” 
“ We run through 33^ pailfuls of creamer skim-milk 
for a neighbor and obtained two quarts of cream.” 
“ How do you care for the cream ? ” 
“ It is kept in a vat surrounded with water. When 
we wish to churn, we heat the water to about 90 
degrees, and in 12 hours the cream will have a ‘ satin 
surface,’ and soon after a slight acidity can be recog¬ 
nized by the smell. If churning be delayed after that, 
there will be a loss.” 
“ Do you use a starter ? ” 
“ Yes; our starter is healthy cows, some fresh every 
month, well balanced rations, purified milk, prompt 
treatment, and a churn not over half full. We never 
have any trouble. A Favorite barrel churn is used.” 
A large wooden fork with tines five inches long is used 
to stir the butter while the buttermilk is being drawn, 
and was said to be a very handy tool. The butter is 
BUTTER THAT IS SALTED WITH SKILL. 
Where the Boys Stay on the Farm 
BECAUSE THEY GET A PART OF THE MIPDLEMAN'S SHARE. 
Good Farming That Was Inherited. 
To insure the safe delivery of the bull recently ad¬ 
vertised in The R. N.-Y., I accompanied him to his 
new home with F. H. Gates & Sons, at Chittenango, 
N. Y. This firm is a striking example of “how to 
keep the boys on the farm,” the Homestead Farm 
having been established in 1789, and in the possession 
of a Gates ever since. In 1844, Daniel Gates received 
first premium for the best managed farm in the county, 
and the next year a “ certificate of merit,” as the rules 
forbade one person taking the prize twice in succes¬ 
sion. The present owners are imbued with the same 
spirit to be on top which made their ancestors noted. 
The leading industry is the production of—fancy— 
CO, that is not the word—pure, clean, 
to-be-depended-upon butter, that a con¬ 
sumer can get every day in the year. 
The dairy, consisting of about 60 cows, 
is composed of natives, and grade dis¬ 
horned Holsteins, but, as Mr. Gates re¬ 
marked, “ If you are going to make but¬ 
ter, you want butter cows, and we are 
going to make an improvement by plac¬ 
ing ‘ Improvement ’ at the head of our 
herd.” Several who answered the “ ad ” 
objected to an old bull, but Mr Gates 
wisely buys a “ proved” bull. His pedi¬ 
gree is excellent, but that adds nothing 
to the value of an animal unless he 
transmit his qualities to his offspring. 
This fact cannot be ascertained until he 
has some age. 
Stout Fences; Flock of Colts; Cheap 
Feed. 
There are over 220 acres in the main 
farm, neatly fenced with wire. “How 
do you keep your fence so perfect ? ” I 
asked. 
“ The first requisite is a good post. Our 
posts, after sharpening, are put in boil¬ 
ing gas tar, which keeps them from rot¬ 
ting. Where there is danger from snow¬ 
banks, we set the posts closer, which 
prevents the wire breaking. Inch square 
strips are fastened to the wires every 
t wo feet, which keep the wires separated 
and the stock can see them, thus avoid¬ 
ing accidents.” 
There are four houses connected by 
telephone, and, in case of fire or rob¬ 
bery of any building, an alarm would 
summon help from all quarters. The 
barns are numerous and well planned, being occupied 
by stock in the basements, with the hay and grain 
above. A bunch of colts run loose as a herd in one 
basement. “ This system saves labor, and they tramp 
down worlds of straw into good manure. Much is said 
about the ‘ profits in horse breeding,’ but the fact is 
that on a dairy farm, one can bay a horse cheaper than 
he can raise it,” said Mr. Gates. 
A large pile of six-rowed barley cleaned for market, 
brought out the question, “ Why not feed it to hogs ? 
It’s excellent feed for growing pigs.” 
“Nothing better; but price governs choice. I sell 
barley at 68 cents, and buy bran at $14.” 
“ How do you get it for that ? ” 
“ Follow The Rural’s advice. Buy in the West in 
summer, when low, by the car-load and store it. All 
coal, feed, fertilizers and supplies are bought at 
wholesale from first hands when out of season, and a 
nice^profit is saved.” 
Hens Not Forgotten; Skim-milk. 
There are several henhouses. One made of matched 
hemlock, tarred paper, asphalt roof and stone founda¬ 
tion, was 14 by 30 feet and cost $75. There were half 
a dozen breeds of poultry and their grades represented 
in his flocks, but the Leghorns are doing so well that 
they will crowd out the others. In the beginning, 
every egg was stamped with the firm name and date. 
Great care was taken to have the eggs uniform and 
clean. The result of this venture was such a call for 
this brand, that one retailer was glad to contract the 
year’s supply at a very liberal price. 
This year, $700 w orth of pork was raised from the 
Poland-China brood sows, which were bred from noted 
herds in Ohio and Michigan. The feed is skim-milk, 
bran and at the last some corn. The skim-milk is 
forced from the dairy house, as it runs from the 
separators to a tub. “ Do you think sweet milk best ? ” 
“We send in steam and warm the milk in the tub 
before each feeding. This causes the milk to become 
slightly acid as there is some left over for a starter. 
We seem to get best results from it in this condition.” 
One sow being sick, her pigs were given to another 
one and she did her best to supply both lots with milk. 
I remarked that I should have expected to see her kill 
them. “ Careful treatment for years has given them 
‘ inherited gentleness,’ ” was the reply. 
Ensilage ; Warm Water Makes Money. 
The silo is 20 by 40 feet and 20 feet deep. It was 
built against one end of the barn on the outside, 
“ which is the place for the silo,” said Mr. Gates. 
They were fortunate in having enough to feed during 
the last summer’s drought, and do not propose ever to 
be out again. The product of 30 acres was put in this 
season and it was in splendid condition. 
“ How do you account for so little acidity ?” 
