SEC. 22 
THE RURAL 
and add one teacupful of Ashton satt, and put 
tho liquid in a bottle for use. To make a golden 
yellow, of the same shade as grass butter, one 
teaspoonfnl of the liquid to six quarts of cream 
is added to tho cream at tho commencement of 
churning. 
DAIRYING IN THE SOUTH. 
heifer calves and bringing them up in the way 
they should go. Cornflanteb. 
Warren Co., N. C. 
'<% 1 oultrg garir. 
®{jt 
SWINE. 
J1Y OEOBOE GARDNER. 
There seems to be some misapprehension as • 
to tho possibilities of the South in tho produc¬ 
tion of good batter. When a man from one of 
the renowned dairy counties of New York comes 
to North Carolina, lie naturally makes searching 
inquiries as to the chances for establishing a 
dairy. Perhaps he first calls on the retail dealer, P° 
and is rather taken aback when offered some of ° 
the white, flavorless combination of grease, curd 1 
and buttermilk, which ho ia assured is a prime *' 
artiolo. and that no bettor i« made. Not satis- oa 
fled, ho pursues his investigations, and loams 
that very little butter is made or used by tho na- l! * 
tivos In the country, and that a largo propor- u 
tion of tho supply of the citios and larger towns ^ 
is produced in the Northern States. Ono tolls 
him, “We have not the proper grasses, and 
thoreforo cannot make good butter." Another ri 
says, “ Fine butter is common, but tho quantity Ud 
is small." Another declares that boiled cotton- w 
seed is tho thing; and still another, that cow- w 1 
peas are the most reliable feed for milk and but- co 
ter production. 
Now. all those ideas are partly right and partly 
wrong. Even in some sections of our country 
noted far and near for tho excellence of the but- 0 
tor there manufactured, there are to bo found 01 
dairymen and women who do uot know good but- £ 
ter when they see it. Much more ia this the case dI 
iu a community where little attention has been 
given to the matter. That good results follow 00 
the use of all kinds of feed for cows, if fed with 
judgment, no ono can deny. Rutter made from 
cows fed largely on either cotton-seed or peas, is ln 
inferior in quality, yet in connection with other cc 
food, such as fodder, corn, rye, oats, or clover, 111 
either green or dry, no injurious effect is no- oc 
tioeablo. 
tc 
The experience of tho writer of this is, that as 
good butter can bo produced here in this central « 
portion of North Carolina as in New York, and t] 
better prices realized, if, with proper manage- f< 
meat—first, of the cows, then tho milk, and 
finally in marketing—cows should bavo good, 
nutritious food. This can be grown in abun- “ 
dance ia the form of corn, fodder, and meal, 
rye, oats, clover, peas and roots. Springs of * 
pure, cool, soft water abound, and there is no 1 
difficulty iu utilizing almost any of them for ' l 
dairy purposes, as the milk-room can be located 
immediately over them. Though our appliances J 
are of an inferior kind, yot by churning three 1 
times a week, we have had solid butter of good ® 
color and flavor. Although perhaps this would 
not rank as “ gilt-edged," still it was good enough 
to command from twenty-five to thirty cents per 
pound during tho past summer and fall in our 
nearest village where, happily, wo found a few 
customers that appreciate a nice roll. Wo do ‘ 
not pretend to any extraordinary proficiency as 
dairy people, yet wo were offered an advance of 
five cents per pound above tho market price of 
North Carolina butter, and had tho quantity been 
BOilicieut to make it an objoct, could have got 1 
another five cents more by shipping to the city. 
Let no Northern dairyman imagine by going 
South, where land is comparatively cheap, win¬ 
ters short, climate healthy, water pure, cows to 
be had almost for a song, and butter in good de¬ 
mand at high pricos, that lie is to ruBli pell-mell 
into an independent fortune. There arc some 
difficulties, a few of which I will enumerate, and 
suggest tho remedies. Cattle grazing in woods 
arc much infested with ticks during warm weath¬ 
er, though when confined to open fields or in 
stables, nono are seen. Wild onions grow plen¬ 
tifully, and being the first green thing in spring 
on lands not under cultivation, cows eat tho 
young tops greedily whenever they havo access 
to the fields. This, however, merely gives milk 
an odor of onion for a short time—about two 
weeks—or until other vegetation has made such 
growth as to afford good grazing. Moreover, 
the whole difficulty can easily be avoided by 
keeping the cows in the stablus until they can fill 
themselves with something besides onions. 
Rut the greatest difficulty to be overcome is 
tbe inherited incapacity of the cows themselves, 
as they have been bred for generations to suckle 
their calves for a year or more, or until they wean 
themselves ; the milkmaid getting what she can, 
while the oalf is getUug the iiou’a share, and all 
this with great irregularity. If the cows come 
home i ver r night, well; if only twice a week, 
all the same. Dropping a calf only once in about 
two years and being allowed very scant rations, 
they have come to yield a surprisingly small 
quantity of milk. Northern-bred cowb would 
undoubtedly do well h sre, when once aeolimated. 
Still, a better plan would be to purchase tbe best 
native cows to be found and use a pure-bred ball 
of some one of the dairy breeds, raising the 
DOES POULTRY PAY T No. 
HENRY HALES. 
TREATMENT 
POULTRY. 
With the system of detached houses for 
poultry, when each has a yard from half an acre 
to an acre in size, it is not necessary to have the 
land all In grass. A small grass plot in front of 
the building is sufficient; the rest of the yard 
can bo utilized for growing fruit. Poach and 
pear trees may be planted, as well as rows of 
raspberries, grapes etc. Besides still further 
utilizing the ground, tho working it sweet¬ 
ens and makes it healthier for poultry. The 
droppings from tho birds are absorbed by the 
vegetation as manure. It is only necessary to 
train tho vines and cancs a littlo higher than 
usual out of tho reach of tho stock, which, if 
well fed, will trouble them but very littlo. They 
will pick tho grapes most, but as thoy if Con¬ 
cords—ripen quickly, wheu 0 B 00 they begin to 
color, they can bo nearly all gathered before tbe 
fowls pick them much. 
As to flooring houses, there is much diversity 
of opinion. Many rocommond concrete or oom- 
ont floors, while otherB prefer tho earth. I 
havo used both, but prefer tho earth in a good 
dry house, but if moisturo is likoly to find its 
way in, concroto is better, A dry earth floor I 
cover with coal ashes. Boat thorn down hard and 
sprinkle other ashes lightly over tho floor, to bo 
gathered up with the droppings. Tho hard ooat- 
ing of ashes I peel off, and replace with a fresh 
coat twice a year, and use tho old rbIics for man¬ 
ure. This plan keeps the house free from tho 
contamination that is likoly to accompany com- ' 
cut floors. Tho fumigation does not readily a 
touch the floor, and cement, being porous, is not 1 
readily disinfected. Ashes are objected to for 1 
flooring where yellow-legged fowls arc kept for 1 
the show pon, in which case sand will do ; but 1 
for manure, ashes are best. 1 
A dust bath must bo in every Iioubo closo to 1 
tho glass-windows which should extend down to 1 
the floor. Sand, with a littlo wood ashes and 1 
sulphur, makes the best bath ; coal ashes It© too * 
heavy. The level of tho bath should not bo 
above that of tho floor, otherwise it does uot 
tempt tho birds to go iu. A box is very oftou 
recommondod, but 1 can never get many hens to 
usoit unless sunk down to tho lovol of tho floor, 
a littlo lower Is better. By having the glass In 
tho house down to tho floor, the sun shines on 
tho latter, the hoat ascends and warms all the 
house, and the floor retains the heat for some 
time after the sun’s rayB havo left it, Droppings 
from tho oaves of a house should uot he allowed 
along its front, as the birds naturally crouch 
along the front of tho building for warmth and 
protection, and ko got Into the droppings in wet 
weather, A small gutter will provent this. 
In winter, feed liberally with soft food, veget¬ 
ables and moat, mix in a littlo cayenne with 
them, being careful not to make tho moss too 
hot with tho peppor. Haslets boiled with pota¬ 
toes and turnips, thickened with corn meal or 
wheat middlings, make excellent food for tiro 
morning meal, and corn, wheat, barley, oats or 
buckwheat for tbo evening meal. Too much 
corn is not as good as oilier grain for laying liens. 
Wheat and barley aro better for general uso; 
onions and cabbage are good ; tho onion should 
be choppod up lino, and the cabbage hung up by 
its stalk just within roach of the stock; thiH 
keepB it clean till all is consumed. A sprinkling 
of pulverized charcoal, at times, in the food ia 
desirable. Another subject on which there haB 
been much controversy is the advisability of 
giving poultry raw meat, Some say it teaches 
thorn to eat feathers. I never was troubled with 
thiB nuisance, though I havo always given my 
birds raw flesh. I have seen many cases of this 
trouble with persona who did not give their 
birds raw flush until the habit had been con¬ 
tracted. It is then too late; for tbe habit once 
( contracted usually lasts till death puts an end to 
it.- I hang a haslet iu each bouse just within reach, 
’ mo that it cannot bo pulled down in the same 
manner an tbo cabbage; a plan that saves it 
from being drabbled through tho dirt. 
i -- 
j POULTRY tHOWS. 
Indiana, Imllaminoils .. Dec. ?S. Jan. 5 
Maid'iaw Valley. Mich.. Kina Saginaw.Jan. 8, 12 
Lchlgn Vultey, Pa., Allentown.Jim. 8, 12 
Ooinniottcut Hartford,. ..Jan, !), It 
Natlonnl Columfoerinn. New York....Jan. 15,18 
iSiuilcril Connecticut. New London.....Jan !£>, IS 
Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburg......Jan. IT. 21 
Wisconsin. Milwaukee...Jnn, fit, 2U 
New 11 it m Li* hire, Keene.. . .Jnn. 22. 21 
Northern Inch mu, Kori Wayne.Jan. 22.25 
Rhode Island, Providence....Jan. 29; Feb. 2 
is u Ha to luternatiouul, BuDUlu.Jan. 31. Pub. T 
, Maine, Portland.Feb. T, 18 
Having just delivered my last lot of hogs, 
which I sold for eight cents per pound for all 
those about 200 pounds and under, and for seven 
cents per pound for those above 300 pounds, and 
having also bought some young ones for another 
year, I feel free to write a few linos on Swine In 
general. 
It is astonishing how much improvement has 
been effected in the whole Bwine of the country. 
The Berkshire breed is tho most fashionable 
and, as is the case with tho Short-horn cattlo, 
extraordinary prices aro paid for thorn to those 
holding particular favorite strains, and though 
there is much bordering ou tho ridiculous in the 
absurdly high prices, it is not altogether folly, 
since, besidoft'givlng great renown to this particu¬ 
lar breed, it causes agouoral respect for pure-bred 
stock. There aro several other really good 
breeds, and much of tho excellence of the best 
types has beon attained by high feeding follow¬ 
ed up through successive generations. By this 
remark there is no reflection intended on high 
fcoding; for, on tho contrary, it would be of tho 
utmost benefit to farmers if from tho birth of 
every animal on tho farm they would all feed 
in a way to force growth and secure tho very host 
quality. 
There is no doubt about the Essex and tbe 
White breeds being possessed of all good quali¬ 
ties, as also the Magic and the Hod breed. In 
relation to tho last-mentioned, I cati remember 
when there wero hundreds of thousands of tho 
Uerls, or as they were tlion called, Handy pigs. 
They wero decidedly much more prolific than 
hogs In general aro nowadays, for it was rare to 
see a sow, after her first litter, with lens than 
twolvo or thirteen pigs. Fifty-seven years ago 
my father had a Saudy sow killed which weighed '■ 
forty scores—800 pounds. Thirty-eight years c 
ago I was steward for a largo landowner, and * 
had a young sow slaughtered after she had only 1 
had two litters, and her weight was 000 pounds. 1 
Her mother, a Yorkshire White sow, was lulled 1 
previously, weighing 803 pounds. Tho mother 1 
was nine foot long and the daughter not eight 1 
feet; but she was thicker and deeper. The last- ' 
mentioned had her pigH by au Essex boar, and I 1 
won a groat many premiums at agricultural 
shows from this oross, tho offsprings of which 
were not largo when full grown, like tho ones 
mentioned above, but they came quickly to ma¬ 
turity. Tho progeny of this cross botwoon tho 
largo Yorkshire White and the small black Essex 
was very good for fattening at any ago, for from 
tho ago of two months thoy would bo only j aat 
able to waddle about till at tho age of ten months 
tbo show pigs became totally blind from an ac¬ 
cumulation of fat, and were fed with balls of 
barley meal put into their mouths as they Baton 
their haunches. 
It is very certain that it will not pay to keep 
pigs running around in what iH called “ Btore” 
condition, but which is often a half-starved 
state ; for, although thoy cost but littlo for food, 
they pay nothing at all for that little; whereas, 
when fod well from the first, they pay all the 
while, and by being kept in styes they will so 
enrich any farm with their manure as to bring 
it up to bear lioavy crops. Indeed, their drop- 
, plugs aro richer in fertilizing properties than 
. those of any other animals excepting those fod 
, on a groat deal of oilcako. Swine aro fattened 
by a groat proportion of tho host tenant-farmers 
! in England on account of tho prodigious crops 
j which 1 he manure from fattening hogs produces. 
So well is thiB undorBtood there, that a fanner is 
B well satisfied if the manure is all he gains for the 
T trouble; that ia, if the hogs when sold make 
l enough to pay for the feeding, tho farmer thinks 
B the manure a good profit, 
f The worst of hog feeding in tho West and 
s South is, that tho cultivated land ia robbed and 
h impoverished by giving the corn to the hogs 
y either in the wcodti or In places whore the ma¬ 
ts nure is all lost, and if the present generation of 
ir Western farmers could bo allowed to revisit the 
earth a century henco, they would find Its luhab- 
e itants at that period lamenting tbe ignoranco 
■ a and terrible selfishness of themselves, the spirit- 
t, ual visitants, when they were iu tho flesh. 
Oc $)fri)stMtt. 
SHELTER FOR STOCK IN WINTER. 
w. u. WHITE. 
SWINE. 
The general principles, or more properly, the 
general want of principles, m breeding aud roar¬ 
ing swine for the butcher, indulged iu by tbo 
majority of breeders, hua had ?■ two-fold ten¬ 
dency for evil. First, we breed too early: a sow 
of two years, not under, is sure to have strong 
healthy pigs, and the mother is able to nurse 
them up to six weeks, so as to give them a Btarfc 
not easily lost, even by after neglect. Then, 
when a sow proves to be a good mother in every 
particular, bIio should bo kept busy, two broods 
If we would have fine thriving stock on Hie 
farm, nothing more directly conduces to keep 
them in such condition than caring for their 
comfort; and few things more directly tend to 
this end than ’suitable shelter and protection 
from storms and cold. Say what wo will, store 
stock will repay any care given in this respect 
instead of being luft to shift for themselves. 
This is so rational that it needs no illustration, 
especially to observing persons, as tho general 
condition of any animal indicates tho care given 
in this respect. Why do animals need shelter 
and protection from cold ami storms ? Has not 
Nature provided them with a warm natural cov¬ 
ering which is added to at the approach of the 
cold Hoason ? True this natural protection is 
given, but in nature our animals seek shelter 
and protection from cold winds, Htornis. etc., by 
rcsortiug to sunny nooks or wind and storm 
breaks of trees, rocks, fences etc., whore tho 
system is sustained by material already accumu¬ 
lated, thus reducing tbe condition. Ail animals, 
iu a normal condition, require a certain amount 
of food to sustain the system; but wo find this 
amount is largely increased during cold and 
stormy woatber over what is needed in seasons 
warm and pleasant, for the muon that Nature 
seeks to sustain tho equilibrium by increasing 
the inward temperature. To do this there must 
bo an Increased consumption of carbonaceous, 
heating materia), to provide which one of two 
things must be done : cither tho heat must bo 
provided by increased consumption of oarbon- 
acous matter, or the system must supply it from 
tho carbon-fat already accumulated, When the 
fat is exhausted, then tho other accumulations 
must continue tho supply until Nature exhausts 
herself. Now, if the animal is made comforta¬ 
ble by giving shelter and protection, so that tho 
temperature of tho system is not so far reduced, 
there is less noed of extra food and tho accumu¬ 
lations of tho Bystem aro not called upon to sup¬ 
ply carbon, or fuel. 
My own experience and observation, as well as 
tlioBO of more accurate experimenters, prove 
that stock given suitable shelter and protection, 
during cold and inclement weather, gained iu 
condition on loss food than would keep similar 
stock,when unprotected,from actually losing con¬ 
dition. In socking to protect our stock iu stables 
etc., wo must see that wc provide for good ven¬ 
tilation, without which littlo comfort is realized 
by tho stock, and tho beneficial effects, of good 
, feed and warmth aro defeated. 
> ln providing shelter, stables, etc., roferenco 
i should bo had to the kind of stock for which 
they aro provided. While a young or old pig 
I fchrivo iu a very warm pen. a sheep would 
j scarcely live, if livo it did, under similar proteu- 
g tion. While horsoB, horned stock and fowls 
need closo, warm, well ventilated stalls, and 
f pens, sheep should bo less closely confined but 
e given shelter from storms, and protection from 
cold winds, especially mo with breeding animals. 
e A. comfortable animal alwayB thrives, whereas of 
ouo uot comfortable tbe reverse is truo. In con¬ 
sideration, then, of tho facts as above stated, 
would tt not bo economy for all farmers, who 
havo stook to euro for, to provide for thorn 
suitable stables, tdielter and rather than to 
compel them to i.eek only Much" protection as 
10 they may find iu tho shelter of some straw or 
r ” bay stack, fence •corner, or wood, whore they 
10 may be seen doubled in tho shape of a dromo- 
Q * dury, shivering with cold or wot, or both ! 
'W Stock provided with suitable shelter etc., and 
ig cared for, an thev should ho under such circum- 
mo stances, during the winter, will not only con- 
. food but will come out iu spring look- 
ing better, feeling better, and in every wuybet- 
n > ter; requiring lews care and consuming less looct 
ry in tho succeeding season than stock which has 
ds been loss attended to. 
