1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
475 
WIDTH OF A HORSE STALL 
What Is the best width for horse stalls? 
Windsorvllle, Conn. a. w. h. 
The most convenient width for horse 
stalls is five feet from center to center. 
The partitions will usually be six inches 
in width, which gives a net width of four 
feet six inches. When necessary a nar¬ 
rower stall may be used, perhaps with¬ 
out serious detriment to the horse. The 
main objection is insufficient space to 
care for him. Bedding, cleaning and 
harnessing are much more easily and 
quickly done when the stall is roomy. 
The floor should have an incline of two 
inches, and can safely be built of 
cement, covering with plank until one 
flooring of plank has worn out, when 
the cement will be tough and hard. The 
partitions should be built without a 
standard to support the rear end from 
floor to ceiling. This post often used al¬ 
ways interferes with the horse when 
hacking out. When not used, the horse 
finds an easy swing of the head over the 
partition, which need not be over four 
feet high. The partition may be strong 
enough without this post. See Fig. 188. 
If a 4x4 scantling, a a, is placed with its 
foot at the rear of the partition and the 
top end at the ceiling above, then a short 
post b and a cap scantling c securely 
toe-nailed, all that part of the partition 
from the rear to the point where c joins 
a should be filled in solidly with short 
pieces of waste stuff, making a solid stiff 
side that will withstand much hard use, 
and such punishment as a frisky horse 
has to give to his stall. It may be sided 
either horizontally or perpendicularly. 
One may examine this when finished and 
find it will give to the hand and not be 
rigid, yet stalls like this we have in use 
for many years which are as good as the 
day they were built, excepting the out¬ 
side wear. Always put a slat bottom in 
a hay manger, unless attention is paid 
to frequent cleaning. Some loss may 
follow in scattered grain and finer bits 
of hay that may be saved with a tight 
bottom, but better have a small waste 
than an accumulation of dirt that the 
horse does not relish. The grain box 
should be not less than 18 inches square. 
Plenty of surface and a thin layer of 
grain will cause much more perfect mas¬ 
tication; especially is this true with the 
rapid eater. I much prefer a space un¬ 
der the manger where bedding can be 
stored during the day, and not be under 
foot, giving the floor a chance to dry 
out and purify during the day, which 
does not take place when the bedding or 
litter is scattered and under foot. 
H. E. C. 
A ONE-MAN DAIRY FARMER. 
The following notes are written by a 
dairyman in New York State wtio works 
iiis farm without hired help: 
My farm is part of 600 acres my grand¬ 
father bought when he moved from 
Colebrook, Conn., in 1830. I have work¬ 
ed at various things enough to satisfy 
me the farm is the best place for me 
while able to work. I am obliged to 
hustle sometimes to milk, feed hens, 
calves, cows, horses and get my milk to 
station in time. My crop is hay. With 
any other main crop I could not do my 
work alone. The few cornstalks I feed 
I cut to about stove-wood length with 
block and broad-ax, so I can feed in 
mangers. The cows eat them up clean, 
as I give but one feed per day. If I were 
to depend on corn fodder for my cows, 
as some do, I should have a silo, I think. 
I purchase my fertilizers in the shape 
of grain and feed it to cows and then to 
the land; that is about the only thing I 
buy for the farm. I raise my own cows 
and a few to sell. I like my cows to be 
fresh as near October as convenient, but 
did not come very near that last year. 
I had two in October, one in December, 
one in January, one in February and 
five in March. My boy and I did the 
haying last Summer, as he was not in 
school then, so I only hired a few days 
harvesting potatoes and corn last year. 
I study to do my work with as little 
labor as possible. Last Fall 1 cut my 
corn and left it on the ground about two 
weeks; then drew it in without binding 
and set it up, butts on the scaffold floor, 
and found I could pack a lot of it in in 
that way so it would keep in fine condi¬ 
tion, as the steam and heat could work 
up out of it so it would not rot. I drew 
in about 20 loads and had more than I 
could put in barn. I had more fodder 
corn than I wanted; as we had so much 
rain I could not sow oats and seed what 
I wanted to last Spring, so put in fodder 
corn when it did dry off. If I am caught 
that way this year I shall sow to buck¬ 
wheat, as I do not want so much fodder 
corn to handle. I find good barbed wire 
fence a great labor saving investment, as 
after I build it my way I have no more 
trouble with it. My rules are, first, to 
have good anchor posts. In places where 
posts heave badly I dig a hole two feet 
deep, big enough to hold one or two 
loads of stone; then in center of this 
hole dig a post hole big enough for post 
to drop in one or more feet, and at bot¬ 
tom of the first hole bore a hole through 
post and put in an iron pin, a drag- 
tooth, piece of old sleigh shoe, or any 
such thing is good enough. Then fill 
up with stone so arranged that if post 
lifts up it must lift a big weight of 
stone. I have never had any trouble 
with posts set in this way. Next, never 
have the upper wire nearer than four 
feet from ground; if you do you may 
make a trap for injuring cattle and 
horses. Have two posts to the rod, one 
may be a short one not reaching to the 
upper wire. For cattle I only use three 
wires with upper space 16 inches, next 
12. next 20 to ground. For sheep use two 
more wires in lower space. m. d. c. 
CUTTING DOWN THE GRAIN BILL 
A silage problem that has greatly in¬ 
terested me during the institute season 
just closed has been the unsettled opin¬ 
ion relative to the proper amount of 
corn that may safely be put into the 
silo without loss. These opinions vary 
from a desire to have none at all except 
the bare stalk, all the way up to 100 
bushels to the acre. Some one is wrong 
provided all other conditions of feed are 
the same. A prominent farmer in Dela¬ 
ware County strenuously objected to 
putting in any ear growth. Those who 
fail to get full value from silage with a 
moderate amount of corn, say 50 to 75 
bushels to the acre, are feeding, so far 
as I am able to ascertain, other coarse 
foods, hay and straw that are rich in 
the carbohydrates; hay from meadows 
long since seeded, containing very little 
clover, or late-cut from either old or 
newly-seeded. This condition of affairs 
means insufficient protein, and hence so 
frequently the report: “We feed as much 
grain as formerly, before building a 
silo.” Under two pounds of protein ap¬ 
pears to be reaching the minimum. 
Forty pounds of silage provides a half 
pound of protein; eight pounds of late- 
cut hay two-tenths of a pound; total 
seven-tenths of a pound. We must 
therefore add three pounds bran and 
four pounds gluten feed in order to se¬ 
cure a total of two pounds protein. Let 
us change our hay to early-cut clover 
and feed 10 pounds instead of eight. 
Our coarse food ration will then contain 
1.2 pound of protein, and an addition of 
one pound bran, two pounds gluten feed 
and one-half pound cotton-seed meal 
will make us two pounds of protein; 
our grain ration reduced to 3y 2 pounds, 
and the corn in the silage all utilized. 
I am quite determined to produce 
nearly a maximum flow of milk and 
grow the food on the farm, but it can¬ 
not be done through a system that will 
turn the farm into a grain field. It costs 
too much soil energy to ripen seed, and 
the ripening is always done at the ex¬ 
pense of the stalk or vine. The conclu¬ 
sion of the whole matter of reducing 
the grain bill on eastern dairy farms 
rests with our ability to grow succulent 
and easily-digested fodder or forage 
plants. Whether any absolutely defined 
plan can be advised for every farm and 
farmer I very much doubt. It appears 
on our farms that we are safe in having 
an abiding faith in corn silage 50 to 75 
bushels to the acre; Red clover cut when 
first in bloom and well cured, Alfalfa 
and oats and peas. We have spent time 
and energy in our State denouncing the 
great waste in curing cornstalks out of 
doors, until one does not observe a great 
waste to-day as he rides through the 
State. In my judgment not $1 has been 
lost in cornstalks where $10 have been 
wasted on dairy farms in late-cut hay. 
This is one of the conditions where no 
statistics will prove or disprove tne 
statement. Late-cut hay is responsible 
for one-half of the purchased nitrogen. 
Another silage hint, to me of value. 
Don’t plant corn for husking and silag- 
ing on the same field. In the first place, 
if allowed to ripen sufficiently for im¬ 
mediate cribbing, it will have matured 
too far for best silage. If, on the other 
hand, we pick when just ready for the 
silo a loose open ear is always the result. 
Corn for silage requires 12 quarts of 
seed per acre; for husking, eight quarts 
is sufficient. rr. e. cook. 
Cost of a Cow.—I do not know anything 
about the cost of making milk. I never 
buy much feed; milk 20 cows and keep 30 
head of cattle on 135 acres of land. I have 
wood and swamp, about 17 acres. My 
cows give me $45 per head. I cannot give 
you the amount of milk, as I fatten calves, 
and send surplus milk to cheese factory. 
If I had bought feed it would cost to keep 
a cow the year about $56, as I estimate, 
which would leave the cow in debt about 
$11, or would just about keep the 10 head 
of young stock. b. m. r. 
Cedar Lake, N. Y. 
anorr 9iory m 9mnil Spat 
if Before you buy a scale send 
gjg=ft| Osgood’s Free Catalog! 
YLNi.sT ,71 High grade .Scales. Pri 
’ right. Fully guaranty 
—On the market 35 year? 
Ongood Scale Co. |nj Central St., Binghamton ,N. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee8th page. 
DE LAVAL 
CREAM SEPARATORS 
Increase the Quantity and 
Improve the Quality of the Butter. 
Save $10. 
per cow 
every 
year. 
350,000 
now 
in 
use. 
Indispensable to Successful Dairying. 
Send for free catalogue. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO. 
Randolph & Canal Sts., I 74 Cortlanot Street, 
CHICAGO. I NEW YORK. 
which tells all about the 
EMPIRE Running 
CREAM SEPARATOR, 
If you own cows it will pay you to 
read the book, whether you want 
a separator or not. Let us send it. 
rr. 8.KUTTF.R EXTRACTOR CO. 
Itloomflcld, N. J, 
THE CORRUGATED 
Cream Separator 
The greatest labor-saving machine 
ever used on a farm. Does not mix the 
water with the milk or require power 
to operato it. Every farmer makes 
creamery butter and more of it. It has 
double tho cooling surface or that of 
any separator made. Ask your grocer 
for them or write direct to 
K!>. 8. CUSHMAN, Solo Mnnnfarfnrnr. 
Agents Wanted, p. O. Box UOCcntervllle, I*. 
Brightwood Silo Coating 
■asn froof 
Will not scale. Perfect preservative for Inside of 
silos. May be applied to new or old wood. Crane’s 
Prolific Ensilage Corn '20 tons ensilage or 180 
bushels ears per acre). Write for prices. 
THE AGRICULTURAL STOKE, Springfield, Mass. 
DON’T TRY 
TO MAKE MONEY 
MAKING MILK 
WITHOUT A 
SILO 
Send for SILO and Dairy 
Goods Catalogs. 
Moseley&Stoddard Mfg.Co. 
RUTLAND, VT. 
TX7HITEWASH Stables and Hennery—Dis¬ 
infect Drains, etc We ship a whole barrel of 
Oliaiimont White Lime on receipt of 80c. 
The Adams & Duford Co., Chaumont, Jeff.Co., N.Y. 
STEEL ROOFING 
FREIGHT CHARGES PAID BY US 
fU(W|(fWVki Strictly new, perfect, Semi - Hardened 
Steel Sheets, 2 reet wide, 6 feet long. Th« 
brat Honing, Siding or Celling you run me. 
No experience necessary to lay it. An 
ordinary hammer or hatchet the only 
tools you need. We furnish nails free 
and paint roofing two sides. Comes 
ell her fiat, corrugated or “V” crimped. 
Delivered free of nil rhnricra to all points 
in the U. S.. east ol the Mississippi River 
and North of the Ohio River 
AT $2.25 PER SQUARE 
Frlem to other points on nppIlCHlInn. A square means 100 
square feet. Write for free Catalogue No. 67 
CHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING C0..W. 35th tnd Iron Sts., Chicago 
THE RECORDS SHOW 
COMPETITORS ADMIT 
USERS TESTIFY . . . 
THAT 
THE U. $. SEPARATOR 
STANDS WITHOUT A PEER 
Its record at the Pan-American Model Dairy of average test for 
50 CONSECUTIVE RUNS . . .0138 
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other points of excellence and superiority, such as 
EASY RUNNING, DURABILITY, ENCLOSED GEARS, SAFETY, 
SELF-EMPTYING BOWL, STABILITY, BEAUTY, ETC., 
proves conclusively that 
THE U. S. EXCELS ALL OTHERS. 
WRITE FOR FREE DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUES. 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE CO., BELLOWS FALLS, VT. 
