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Agricultural And Domestic

Agricultural And Domestic image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
March
Year
1878
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Thebb are a great many reporta reaehing us from all over the' country, and even from Canada, that the warm weather of December started the buds - and the Colorado beetles - and that the cold snap following it is likely to do a great deal of damage to next year's fruit. Dkessing Hogs. - English experience in dressing well-fed hogs is follows: The per cent. of pork from a hog, the live weight of which is above 550 pounds, 87 to 88; a hog live weight 500 to 550, 84 to 80 per cent. of pork; 350 to 400, 81 to 82 per cent.; 200 to 300, 78 to 80 per cent. ; under 200 pounds, 75 to 77 per cent. Look out for the Hessian fly. It is dormant now, but its card may be Been in the yellow color of the fall season wheat. Anything that will disturb the fly or strengthen the plant is of use. When the ground is soft, it may be well to roll the wheat, or to sow flve bushels of salt to the acre or fif ty bushels of unleached ash. SoMETHING FOR RATS AND MlCK - Several correspondents write to announoe the complete extirpation of rats and mice from their cow-stalls and piggeries since the adoption of this simple plan: a mixture of two parts of wellbruised common squills and three parts of flnely-chopped bacon is made into a stiff mass, with as much meal as may be required, and then baked into small cakes, whicn are put down ior tne rats to eat. - English Standard. Dkaining a Holeow.- To drain a depression in a field where a clayey or hard pan subsoil prevent the sinking of rain water, and the lay of the land is unfavorable lor ordinary methods of drainage, first dig a hole, as if for a 'well, through the impervious stratum at the bottoni of the hollow, fill it up to the brim with refuse stones, remove the exoavated earth so as to allow the surface water freo access to the pit, and standing water will never injure the graas or grain erop in that part of the field. Hon. O. E. Whiting, of Monona county, Iowa, says, and truly, that he is very positive that his experience teachea him that, with wide timberbelts around his fields, the balance of the lands will produce more grass, more corn, or more wheat than the whole land would without the wind belts. And as his belts increase in height he finds an increased visible benefit to his crops. And he finds in his large experience that our cultivated forest trees year after year grow right along with immense rapidity in blissful ignorance of the reason why they should not gro w. - Prairie Farmer. Mr. James Bubneijj, of Pacheco, has adopted for several years a method of sowing wheat which has never been described in the Patent Office, but which we have heard has been practiced and advocated by some of our farmers. He fastens a common Back of seed in front of him, on horseback, attaches his feet to guide reins and uses both hands in throwing the grain broadcast, right and left, in such quantity as suits him. Being elevated from the ground the seed obtains a wide spread. He says he can sow twenty acres a day without much fatigue in this "way. - Pacfiic Rural Press. It is not in November or December that cur shrubs and flowers -want our protecting care; we merely apply it then as a matter of convenience, but now - February till April. Tender nursing cannot be commended, as wc may be likely to kill with kindness. Providing a little mulching of leaves, litter, manure, sedge-grass, earth or ashes has been applied over the roots, a few hemlock, spruce, or other evergreen twigs or branches placed right over the plants, greatly preserve them from injury. In the absence of evergreen branches, any twiggy branches will prove useful, as will also thinly-made uinbrella-shaped straw thatshes. - Moor e's Rural. Selecting Seed Cokt. - I have been improving my corn by selecting the first ears that get ripe, and this is my seventh year since I began this practice, always planting tha largest and best-developed ears. For the last seven years I have rejectedthe tips and butts of theears, I shelling off all i?rains that are not well developed. To-day I have as good, sound, -well-developed ears as any man can raise, and fllled to the very tip - so much so that there is no room for another grain. I have also made my corn much earlier by gathering the first ears that get ripe. ' The reason -why I reject the tip grains is this- they are not so well doveloped and will not come up so strong and ranke so rank a growth. - Letter to Ohio Farmer. About the House. Otstbb Stuffing. - Oysters for stuffng turkey should be bearded and ;hopped firie; a little mace sliould be idded. University Night-Cap.- Take half a ;umblerful of tea, with a wine-glasshil Df milk and sugar to taste, to which add i wine-glassful of brandy; beat one egg, md mix. Cup. - Si x table-spoonf ula 3herry, two table-spoonfuls brandy, one Dunoe and a half sugar, a few shreds leman peel; to these add one bottle claret and one bottle sada water. Keep in a cool place, and only open before drinkng. Albany Punch. - One wine-glassful brandy, half wine-glassful Jamaica rum, a table-spoonful arrack, quarter of a lemon, a table-spoonful sugar, then fill the tumbler witli crushed ice and water, mix thoroughly, and drink through ft straw. Smoky Ohimneys. - Trouble with smoky chimneys caused by their being used for two or more stoves may be averted in msst cases by inserting vertically in the flue a piece of sheet iron so as to divide the flue in the center for about two feet above the point where each pipe enters, and turning the bottom of the sheet iron under the pipe so as to shut it completely off from the part of the flue belowit. - Springfleld Union. How a Water Pipe May Be Cleaned. - A correspondent of Forestand Streavi tells of a novel niethod employed to cleanse a two-inch water pipe which had become choked with mud. Astring was passed through a hole punched in the tail of a small eel, which was straightway put into the pipe. An occasional jerk remiaded the eel that it was incumbent on him to advance, which he did, arriving at the lower end of the pipe with the string. A bunch of rags was tied to üie string, and thus the pipe was cleansed. Chocolate Cake. -One cupfulof best butter, and two cupfuls of sugar, beaten to a cream; one eupful of sweet milk, three and one-half cupfuls of sifted ilour, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, sifted in the flour ; one-half teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in a very little bot water, the whites of four eggs well beaten and the yelks of six; make a frosting with the whites of two eggs, one and one-half cupfuls of powdered sugar, six table-spoonfuls of grated chocolate, one teaspoonful of vanilla ; f rost when the cake is warm. Eotjnd vs. Square Cheeses.- We have wondcred, and it seems that somebodv else has wondered, too, why cheeses should always be made round. We have seen a square cheese, one foot long and four inches high and wide, weighing ten pounds. This is just the cheese for family use. It weighs just about enougli, and the consiimer can begin at one end and out off a slice as thick as is required. Nofresh surf ace is exposed except the end where the cutting has begnn: this can easily be oovered bo that flies oannot get at it, and meanwhile thö cheese rill not dry p.-

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus