1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
175 
on more flesh than twenty-five acres of 
plain grass land, pastured the whole year 
round. The demand for beef is increasing 
every year, and it will not be long before all 
that we can supply will be required for home 
consumption. The profit in choice Alfalfa- 
fed beef, when from five to eight tons can be 
cut each year, can easily be estimated. The 
dairymen of the State are rapidly learning 
its value. It is found that thirty acres will 
keep a twenty-cow dairy running during the 
entire year. In California, it is said, eighty 
cows are kept on forty acres. Its food value, 
in the amount of protein, far exceeds that of 
hay, clover, or any of the cereals, as will be 
seen by the following tables : 
Millet. 5.91 
Barley .11.00 
Bye.11.00 
Feed corn.12.(i0 
Sweet corn.13.00 
Oats.13.00 
Wheat.13.24 
Clover.In.08 
Meadow hay . 16.i'3 
Alfalfa.21.19 
As a valuable crop for rotation it will not 
be long before it will force itself upon the 
attention of those who, growing wheat year 
after year, find their land constantly deterio¬ 
rating. The amount of nitrogen it furnishes 
(36.74) is large, and it probably has no 
superior. 
For shipment Alfalfa can be baled, but 
there is a slight waste, at least here in our 
exceptionally dry climate, in so doing. The 
dry leaves crumble and fall away. As an 
ensilage fodder it has not yet been tried 
here. It has met with fair success in Califor¬ 
nia, where it has been siloed alone and laid 
between four or five inches of straw. It is 
not probable, however, that the silo system, 
in our dry climate and wide pasture ranges, 
fnrnishing constant winter feed, will ever be 
generally adopted. 
Seed ripens perfectly, and could be made a 
source of profit. Two crops of fodder can 
be cut, and the third allowed to go to seed. 
Within the last two years nearly half a mil¬ 
lion pounds of seed have been supplied our 
farmers from California and Utah. Three 
or four persons only have given any attention 
as yet to this industry. Five bushels of seed 
have been obtained from an indifferent crop 
of one acre, worth $45, after two cuttings 
had yielded four tons of hay. It is probable 
that in the entire State about 30,000 acres 
have been seeded within the last five years. 
Double this amount, it is to be expected, 
will be put in during the next two years. 
Artificial Feeding of Lambs. 
It frequently happens that artificial feed¬ 
ing of lambs is necessary, and to do it suc¬ 
cessfully good judgment is required. The 
point is to promote a healthy and rapid 
growth, and not allow the lambs to scour. 
The milk of some cows, especially Jerseys, is 
too rich, and should be diluted with a little 
warm water. Farrow cows’ milk, alone, is not 
a good feed, since it frequently causes consti¬ 
pation. It may be given by adding a little 
cane molasses. Milk, when fed, should be 
at about its natural temperature, and not 
scalded. Lambs, and especially “ pet” 
lambs, are often “killed with kindness.” 
Feed only about a gill to a half pint at first. 
After the lamb has become accustomed to 
the milk, it may be fed to the extent of its 
appetite. When old enough, feed a little flax¬ 
seed and oats, or oil-meal if early fattening 
is desired. There are various methods of 
feeding young lambs artificially. A satis¬ 
factory way is to use a one-quart kerosene 
oil can with the spout fixed so as to attach a 
nipple ; the milk flows more freely from this 
than from a bottle, on account of the vent. 
Let ewes and lambs have clean, well-venti¬ 
lated apartments. When the weather is 
mild and warm turn them out into the yard. 
If it is not convenient to let the ewes out, 
arrange partitions and pens, so that the 
lambs may enjoy the outside air and sun-light. 
A New Form of Pig Pen. 
A pig pen, as usually constructed, must be 
cleaned out every few days, and those who 
have done the work know how disagreeable 
it is. By the use of a slatted floor much of 
the objection to cleaning out the pen is 
avoided. As in the cut, one corner of the 
pen, a, is protected by two strips of boards 
four inches wide; in this comer is placed the 
bedding; in the corner b, is placed a slatted 
floor. It should cover a surface of four feet 
each way, and is made by setting inch-boards 
upon edge, in a parallel line, and three- 
PIG PEN WITH SLATTED FLOOR. 
quarters of an inch apart. The strips should 
be four inches in width, and kept the proper 
distance apart by suitable blocks of wood. 
Immediately below the slatted floor is placed 
a platform of plank, upon which both the 
solids and liquids fall. This platform should 
rest upon a firm foundation, placed at least 
one foot below the slatted floor, to admit of 
easy cleaning. By the use of this open 
floor, pens need not be cleaned more than 
once in three or four weeks. Most pens now 
in use can be easily changed to conform to 
this plan. L. D. S. 
How to Get a Farm from Uncle Sam. 
BT H. A. HAIGH. 
Inquiry having been made as to the condi¬ 
tions upon which the Government disposes 
of its lands, and the matter being of general 
interest, the following epitome of the laws 
upon the subject is given : 
There are four principal methods of ac¬ 
quiring land from the Government, namely, 
homesteading, pre-emption, tree-culture and 
purchase. 
By “ Homesteading,” 
Any person who is the head of a family, 
or who is over twenty-one years of age, and 
who is a citizen of the United States, or who 
has filed his declaration of intention to be¬ 
come such, can receive from the General 
Government a farm of 160 acres, anywhere 
in the unoccupied public domain which is 
subject to pre-emption, at $1.25 per acre ; or 
a farm of 80 acres of such lands as are held 
for pre-emption at $2.50 per acre. He can 
do this by going upon the land and making 
it his homestead for five years. He must 
first go to the United States Land Office, in 
the district where the land lies, and file an 
entry, as it is called, accompanied by an 
affidavit that he comes within the above re¬ 
quirements, and that the entry is made for 
the purpose of actual settlement and for his 
own benefit. Within six months from then 
he must establish his residence in a house 
upon the land, and must live there continu¬ 
ously for five years. An occasional visit to 
the land will not suffice ; the home must be 
made there and kept in good faith. 
A Union soldier in the late war may have 
the time of his military service, not exceed¬ 
ing four years, deducted from the five years 
ordinarily required. A soldier’s widow is 
entitled to the same privilege, and if she is 
dead, or married again, the minor chlidren 
may, by guardian, get all the advantages 
their father would have if living. Neither 
the minor children nor their guardian are re¬ 
quired to reside upon the land, but only to 
cultivate it during the period which their 
father would be required to reside there. 
When the period of residence has been com¬ 
pleted, proof of the same must be made at 
the local United States Land Office, or if 
more convenient, before the judge or clerk 
of any court of record in the county where 
the land lies, or if the land lies in an un¬ 
organized county, the proof may be made 
in any county adjacent thereto. The proof 
must be by two credible witnesses, must be 
accompanied by the claimant’s oath of alle¬ 
giance, and this when transmitted by the 
judge or clerk, with the required fee, entitles 
the claimant to a patent, or Government 
deed, of the land. The fee for making the 
entry varies—according to the amount and 
kind of land taken—from $6 to $18, and that 
to be paid at time of making proof varies 
from $1 to $8. 
By Pre-emption. 
Under the pre-emption law any person 
who does not already own 320 acres of land, 
and who does not abandon his residence on 
his own land for the purpose, may take up 
his residence on 160 acres, or less, of any 
public lands subject to pre-emption, and by 
making it his permanent home may have 
from twelve to thirty-three months in which 
to pay for it, at the minimum price of (usu¬ 
ally) $1.25 per acre. The claimant must file 
a notice of his claim at the local land office 
within thirty days from the date of settle¬ 
ment, and must make and file a certain 
“declaratory statement” within a specified 
time, details of which will be explained by 
the land office officials. If the land has been 
offered for sale by the Government, proof 
and payment must be made within twelve 
months from the date of settlement. If not 
on sale, proof and payment may be made 
any time within thirty-three months. The 
same requirements as to citizenship, resi¬ 
dence, cultivation and improvement must be 
observed under this law as under the home¬ 
stead law. The advantage of this method 
over purchasing is that it gives the settler 
time in which to pay. 
By Tree-PIantine. 
The timber-culture act is liberal in its pro¬ 
visions. Under it any person may get a farm 
of 160 acres or less. He may do this, and 
also acquire title to another 160 acres, under 
the homestead or pre-emption law, but he 
cannot make use of both the homestead and 
pre-emption methods, except in the Territo¬ 
ries, nor can he use either of those methods 
twice. If the tree-claim contains the maxi¬ 
mum entry of 160 acres, at least five acrea 
