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Show THE HEATED HAYMOW. llmv tho Value of Hie Hay Crnp May l'.a lreiitly Increased la Late Winter. The value of the hay crop in Into win-tor win-tor or early spring is greatly enhanced if the hay comes out of tho mow in good, sweet condition. Probably a difference of 'JO per cent, per load is inado in hay that conies from tho same field,, but which litis been placed in different mows. When there is a smell of mustiness about it the animals do not relish the hay and the cautious purchaser is pretty apt to deten t the mold and musty appearance ap-pearance when purchasing it. . The care of the hay in the winter is frequently an important item, and labor spent upon it is well paid for. If the haymow is found to be heating in early fall, three-quarters of the crop w ill be nun 8 or less injured by spring unless something is done. .It is often duo to this lack of attention after the crop has been harvested that poor hay has been brought forth when a sale is made. If the heating does not amount to much it 13 safe to thrust sharpened poles down into the mass to the very bottom, and then to throw a few hand-fuls hand-fuls of salt into each cavity. This, however, how-ever, will only answer for slight heating. The best method is to turn the hay over, throwing it on another mow or stacking stack-ing it out of doors for a few days. Tho days should be dry, or the haystacks securely se-curely covered in rainy weather to insure in-sure safety. This necessitates a great deal of work, hut it also prevents heavy loss. One of the most frequent ways of spoiling good hay is to have leak)' roofs in the barns. The rain and snow wash through and soak tar down into the hay. These large patches of hay that have been water soaked will be poor and almost useless. When forked out in tho spring one-half of the hay .will be injured. in-jured. The roofs of the barn should be perfectly tight, so that rain and snow cannot get in on the hay. As the bay tends to settle down it presses the center and tho bottom heavily. This, instead of hurting the hay, preserves it, and i3 much better for it than constantly forking fork-ing it over. Tho more that the hay is forked over the less valuable it becomes. A great deal of its nutritive value is lost in the chaff and seeds which are knocked from the plants. On clear, cold days iu winter the windows win-dows in the mow should be opened so ao to give the hay good ventilation. Thi3 and the absence of dampness will do more toward preventing mold and mustiness musti-ness than any other one thing. If tho hay i- molding in spots it should 'be turned over with the fork and spread out on the barn floor. A little salt scattered around the place will be of advantage. Good ventilation, however, is essential, says American Cultivator, authority for these very helpful hints. Geeso for Profit. The two kinds of geese most largely-kept largely-kept where there is an eye to the profits are the Embden and Toulouse. The plumage of the Embden is pure white, and many persons claim it is the more profitable variety to keep because the feathers bring a better price than those of the Toulouse or gray goose. Others prefer tho Toulouse because it will attain at-tain a heavier weight than the Embden, ami seems to be a handsomer and better formed bird. An additional advantage is that where the grass run is good the Toulouse can be kept with a water trough only, while Einbdens do not thrive as well as with a pond. Good pasturage is necessary, for geese are big eaters. With this and a good pond, keeping geese ought to pay without much trouble. As many as four geese may be allowed to one gander, but three is a better number. num-ber. Toulouse geese will lay about thir- teen eggs. While sitting, all that is necessary ne-cessary is to leave them free to go out of their house to get food and water. A goose sits about thirty days. The young ones can be left in the nest twenty-four hours without feeding; then they should be taken out and fed on plenty of green grass and given water, with a little oatmeal oat-meal in it. The hot, dry weather of midsummer is hard 011 young geese, because it dries up the grass and water. A few oats fed to them every day will help keep them thriving during this time. The young goslings require to be kept warm anil dry, and should not be allowed to swim for at least a fortnight. The goose should be cooped np for that length of time, or fehe may rush the gosling3 around too much. A Word About Wheat. Professor A. E. Blount says: "The valna of wheat to the farmer consists first in its productiveness; second, its power to resist re-sist the many accidents to which it is exposed, ex-posed, such as noxious insects, fungi and constitutional imperfections, as weak straw, loose chaff and insufficient roots. The productiveness depends on good seed, the fertility and kind of soil, mode ol cultivation and the amount of moisture necessary to its healthy growth. Many varieties are naturally more prolific than others, more hardy, and consequently more valuable to the farmer so far as the yield is concerned; but for flour the most prolific are generally inferior, coarse and. iike noxious plants and poor animals, produce poor grain not suitable for ths mill." Teciiperature for Bees. Now that the bees are in the cellar the matter of temperature is all important. impor-tant. The Beekeepers' Review, remarks that moisture has a great bearing on this point. The drier the air the lower the temperature may be without injurious injuri-ous results. If the atmosphere of a cellar cel-lar is too moist, unslaked lime will absorb ab-sorb the moisture. The probabilities are that there are more cellars too moist than there are that are too dry for thj welfare of the bees. |
