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Show FARM AND HOUSEHOLD. VARIOUS RURAL TOPICS AND DOMESTIC HINTS. The Principle of Supply and Demand I Sure to Sol re the Froblem of Raiting Rait-ing Hog for Profit When the Cow , Meconies 111. Farmer and Their Hog. Owing to alternate surplusagos and shortages, livo stock, like grain and all products, whoiher of the farm or of the factory, are subject in the dominating influence of supply and demand which forces fluctuations in prices. For a series of months, often of years, because of over production, every species of animal food will command com-mand only prices for which it cannot be profitably produced, and these prices hold until not only the extra production ceases, but only the surplus sur-plus is exhausted and there comes a demand which cannot be fully supplied, sup-plied, when prices begin and continue to advance, stimulating production until un-til another surplus Is found to exist. Thus, for several years hogs, cattlo and sheep have been produced so largely large-ly In excess of market demands as to render the breeding and raising of these animals, except under the most favorable conditions, unprofitable. But tho world's markets are short now, the consumption has overtaken tho volume of production and the prices of hogs and cattle and sheep must tend upwards until a surplus again finds no adequate consumption. In the meantime more money will be made In raising these animals than was lost during the era of depression. Colman's Rural World. nothing but a small orchard, generally at some distance from the house, while the house itself is loft at the mercy of sun and wind, unsheltered and unadorned un-adorned by any tree. The fact is that every farm house should be In the midst of a grove of trees, and no house ever looked like a home without some such lovely growth about- it. Poultry for Profit. A writer for the Orange Judd Farmer Farm-er says: "I have bred a large number of breeds and varieties of poultry, and I find that hens with short legs, chunky bodies, short necks and small heads are, as a rule, indifferent layers. Hens the reverse of this description are the good layers, and we certainly can improve im-prove the laying qualities of a flock by a continued selection of this type. It is in this way thnt certain strains of nearly all the standard bred fowls, noted for their egg production, are produced. I would not, as a rule, pick out the bird scoring tho highest by the standard for the best layer, simply because such birds are too frequently bred for -fancy points,' and utility is lost sight of. I believe that latterly, however, nearly all breeders have been selecting types of birds for breeders that combine, as far as possible possi-ble utility and standard points. For my part I think we should first look after the useful and then tho oruamen' tal. The Poultry Yard. If from any causo any of the chickens chick-ens get stunted tho quicker they are marketed the better. Wire cloth is a good matorial for doors and windows during the summer, when plenty of ventilation Is needed-Even needed-Even with young chickons there are few materials that are bettor than good cornmeal for fattening; even a few days' feeding of it will be of benefit. liens that are two years old and are not good layers had bettor bo fattened and marketed as soon as possible; they are an expense and return no income. A row or two of sunflowers planted along with the corn will be found profitable to uso in making a good variety of food, especially during the winter. Save tho egg shells, put them into the oven and burn them brown; then mash them up fino and mix with the food. It Is healthy and beneficial to tho fowls. Rroken grain, like cracked wheat or corn, millet sued or something of this kind, is better and healthier for young chickons than cornmeal or wheat middlings. When Coirs Are 111. Unfortunately, it is seldom noticed that a cow is ill until she actually refuses re-fuses to eat by which time she is in great danger, and drastic nioasures must be at once taken for her relief, which sometimes do not succeed in saving her life. When dry chaff is largely used during tho winter season, the owner or his representative should be continually on the alert for this form of disease, easily recognizable in its first stages by the hardness of the droppings and the small quantity. The instant this is observed, a drench consisting of 3 lb. of salts, oz. carbonate car-bonate of ammonia, and J 07.. of ginger should bo given, repeating tho dose in a lew hours, when relief of tho bowels will be tho result, and tho danger over. When a case of milk fever occurs, oc-curs, eonsthiation is alwavs present and unloss this can bo quickly reliovod death will speedily ensue. Milk fever is, however, such a deadly disease, and runs its fatal course so quickly, that a cure is almost hopeless; Prevention Pre-vention is therefore the only course open to the stock-owner, who should use every precaution to avoid this dreadful scourge. Rural World. llutter v. Hoef, Many men raise a pound of butter worth twenty-five cents, at the samo cost and on tho same quantity of land, that other men raise a pound of boef worth two to five cents. Two hundred pounds of butter a year from a cow, at 25 cents, moans $50, whilst the same number of pounds of beef, at 5 cents means only $10. But a good cow will produco 300 lbs. of butter a year, and it takes a good steer to make 200 lbs. of beef. A woll cared for orchard will, after It comes into bearing, bring from fifty to ono hundred dollars an acre. A woll cared for truck patch of ten acres will, if near communications communica-tions with a large city, produce vastly more money than one hundred acres, managed under the seed farm plan. Thon in the matter of poultry raisings There is no manner of doubt of its being be-ing a profitable business, or of the fact that for the money invested, if intelligently intelli-gently handled, there is a hotter show of profit than in others to which even more attention is paid. Securing Wo. iitirs for the Harvest. Each bee-keeper ought thoroughly to understand the honey resources of his own locality. Ho should know when to expect a honey flow. When the time comes, the expected harvest may not come, but the bee-keeper should bo in roaiMness for it It is possible to havo a good honey flow and yet secure no surplus, becauso there are not sufficient number of bees to gather it. Bees are valuable when there is honey to gather; at other times they are consumers. Less populous colonies can be more successfully wintered win-tered in the cellar than out-of-doors; while by proper protection and care in the spring, such colonies can be brought up to tho requisite strength In time for the honey harvest If by such management we are enabled to so reduce re-duce our colonies in strongth during the non-producing time of the year that stores are saved to the amount of from three to five pounds per colony, we are woll paid for our trouble. Farmers Should Study. It is a fact that cannot be disputed that farmers do not exercise their wits sufficiently in considering how they may widen the range of their business. If they confine themselves to raising corn and wheat and pork and beef, their market will always be a narrow one. If they would exercise their ingenuity in-genuity in the same way that manufacturers manu-facturers and other business men are constantly doing, in an effort to get up a greater diversity of products, or to put old products up in new ways, they could widen their market almost indefinitely. in-definitely. Cincinnati Times. Trees on the Farm. It is much to be regretted that farmers farm-ers do not take more interest in tree-planting. tree-planting. Any person who has travelled trav-elled extensively over the prairies cannot can-not have failed to notice the extreme baldness of most of the farms. I have seen hundreds which were not adorned with a tree of any kind though the land had been occupied for years, and I know of many more which boast of Uve-Stoi-k and Farm Notes. Never feod a horse when hot It often pays to grind feed for an old horse. In feeding calves on?y glvo what they will eat up clean. Bad management often causes considerable con-siderable loss with pigs. ' A colt Is the only young domestic animal that shows fear at birth. If you are breeding mules, make it a point to raise and breed good ones. Left out at night sheep will nearly always seek the highest place to sleep. ' Soup-suds is one of the best fertilizers ferti-lizers that can be used in growing celery. So far as it is possible to avoid, the horse should not be groomed while eating. Plaster and lime are good substances to mix thoroughly witn hen manure in composting it Clean, thorough cultivation is as important im-portant with fruits as with any other crop grown on the farm. Under ordinary conditions too much milk cannot be given to the poultry. Give them all they will eat or drink. Generally it is poor economy to work a horse hard all day, and then turn him out to pick around all nlirht While matched teams are desirable, so far as appearances are concerned, yet it is of more importance to have them matched In gait and strongth. The smoothness of the meadows will affect to a moro or less extent the crop. In many cases It will pay to roll well after the frost is all out of the ground to level and pack down the soil. Household Hints, To drive nails or screws into hard wood dip the points Into oil or grease. It Is well to varnish an oil cloth twice a year, and if you do, a good one will last you as long as you want it to. Spots of grease may be effectually removed from the most delicate fabrlo by the application of dry buckwheat flour. Indian meal mixed with lemon juice or good cider vinegar is said to be very soothing to hands roughened by cold or labor. Ammonia is a most useful household articlo. For washing windows, brushes, and for performing many other services, ser-vices, it becomes almost indispensable to the careful housekeeper. The Russian method of restoring the luster to fur sncques or fur gar-.-ments of any kind Is to heat rye flour as hot as you can boar your hand in It rub It into the fur and let stand for a little while; then shake or brush it out thoroughly. A very good imitation of ground glass is produced by dissolving three tablespoonfuls of Epsom salts in a pint of warm water and applying it to the glass with a common paint brush. This answers admirably when a sort of screen is wanted. Tho solution must be applied to the side of tho glass which is not exposed to the weather. The beBt way in which to clean hair brushes, says the Popular Science News, is with spirits of ammonia, as its effect is immediate. No rubbing is required and cold water can be used just as successfully as warm. Take a teaspoonful of ammonia in a quart of water; dip the hair part of the brush without wetting the ivory, and in a moment the grease is removed; then rinse in cold water; shake well and dry in the air, but not in the sun. Soda and soap soften the brlst lea and j invariably turn Ivory yellow. |
