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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 26, 1914)
THE SEMI.WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. CULLING THE POULTRY FLOCK IN SUMMER ADVANTAGES OF THE HOME-GROWN FEEDERS W . VV mrJhWlAA OJth v- jsr u"w" - Two Home Grown Feeders. NOTES cW PPQWBROOK Why not mix the cropsT Rape Is excellent for liogB. - A chilled chick Is a dead chick. Movable hog houses aro convenient Feed sour milk to the chicks from the start. As soon as the chicks crowd they are too cold. The soil must bo fed, theso days, as well as Its owner. All old wood should bo removed from tho rose hushes. Leavo tho chicks in tho incubator until 36 to 4S hours old. Silage Is the besf roughage for fat tening any class of cattle. a The chicks should have grain In the litter, so they will exercise. f i - . Sfe5 Study each cow's tastes. There la profit in broom corn. For moles in the garden use traps. As n soil builder clover has very few equals, Shelters should be supplied in every pig pasture. A few staples prevents many a breachy heifer. V In warm or hot weather provide shade for the chicks. Wo must either put our Idle land to work, sell It or lose it. No place Is too small to afford some garden or plant growth. The safety of a horse depends large ly upon his early education. Putting colta in damp, dark stables Is lively to produce rheumatism. Plenty of salt Is vitally essential to the thriftiness of the young stock. Get the chicks out on the fresh ground and fresh air as soon as pos- tiblo. Mix all the cream to be churned In ono vat or can at least eighteen hours before churning. Small white onion sets are the best. If they cannot bo obtained. yellow Bets should be used. A stunted calf will never make as valuable a cow as its Inheritance would certainly warrant. The grass and the cattle are both better If the owner Is not In too much of a hurry to-uso the pasture. The up-to-date farm equipment In cludes machinery for the housewife as well as for the men outside. Corn is naturally a hungry plant. If you want It to grow feed it liberally with fertilizer, water and sunshine. Horses are often whipped for things purely imaginary in the mind of the driver, and it is too cruel for words Wash the butter once with pure water at the churning temperature, agitating three or four times, and drain. I ' Cream that contains from 30 to 40 per cent butter fat churns better than that having only half so high a fat content. The temperature of churning should be such as to make the butter come in from 35 to 40 minutes, usually 55 to 60 degrees P. EggB absorb odors, not so readily as milk, but readily enough that one can not afford to store onions beside a basket of eggs. Always offer the horses water be fore going to bed at night. Never leave the horse thirsty all night after he has eaten his hay. Keep the harrow coming along soon after plowing. This is the beginning of that good surface cultivation that we hear so much about. Be gentlo and quiet in handling the sow and she will never cause any trouble, unless she Is a particularly vicious or ill-mannered female. Crows will catch young chickens and carry them off and if they got started they sometimes steal dozens of chicks, unless stopped with a gun. IJogs roaming at large always sup ply themselves with pure food and water, and do not suffer from disease na do those which are confined and heavily fed. Probably in no country are commer cial fertilizers used to a greater ex tent than In Germany, and there the yields of crops are upon tho average about twice the average yield in tho United states. When tho beginner once icallzeB that the more care used In the selec tion of the feeds that start the young chickens on their way to maturity there will bo less loss, and a better growth. It pays to obtain a, good chick grit. i Potato peelings, cabbago roots, celery tops and such things are rel ished by hens and keep tho flock healthy. In summer the hens pick up quantities of insects and worms, and this form of food must be supplied in winter by scraps of meat or cut bone Driving on one rein le usually caused by a sharp tooth or teeth. . Culling the. flock nnd separating the weak und sick chicks Is Important. Tlie fence line makes a harbor for weeds, Insects and other crop peBts. Tho practise of feeding hogs on forage crops alone. Is not economical. Much farm machinery wears out more through exposure than through use. Use the coarse fodders, straws and tho stalk fields for wintering the breed ing herd. When bugs are plenty and hens have free range the beef scrap may be dis continued. ' Try topworklng a few apple or plum trees. The work is interesting, but not hard- By drainage, many acres of now Idle land could bo brought into profit able cultivation. Don't yank the lines and swear at the team. Find the causo of the trou ble and remove It. Quarantine all hogs you buy for at. least three weeks after they are brought on the farm. Keep a mixture of wood ashes, char coal, Bait, lime, sulphur and copperas before the hogs all the time. , . The often repeated reminder to give tho young pigs whole oats on a raised platform should not be scorned. Stop churning when the granules are about the size of peas, varying to wheat, and draw off the buttermilk. When the soil is loose to a sulllcient depth, com roots penetrate In abun dance to a depth of three or four feet No mistake will be made in choosing the Senator Dunlap strawberry to grow fruit either for home use or mar ket. Farm manure is a perishable prod uct which must bo handled with in telligenco to obtain its maximum value. . Where manure Is coarse and cstxe lessly spread part of the ground la fertilized and part of it is left with out any. Never keep a sow no matter how good or well-bred she may be if she will not produce more than live Rtrong pigs at a litter. Harden the chicks while still In the Incubator by opening the incu bator door for about one-half iuch after they are well dried. As pasture, hay or fertilizer, crimson clover offers itself to farmers at a time when tho ordinary summer-grown crops are not available. When the spreader Is used, less manure will be needed to cover one acre and the value and effectiveness of the manure will be Increased. There has too long been an unrea sonablo prejudice against mules, and yet they may be made one of the most valuablo economic features of the farm. Try putting a -pinch of copperas in tho poultry watering trough once oi twice a month. Better still, bcrub oul tho trough and spray thoroughly with a copperas (solution. Compactness being essential to pro mote capillary attraction, It Is advisa hie to plow deep s early as possible after the crop Ah gathered, thereby giving the landtime to settle before spring heeding Many a flock has been run down by forcing methods from chickhood to maturity and lato hatching year after year, liatcn me ruiuro uruuuerH uuny and do not force them at tho exponsr of vigor. Grow size by selection and breeding. Chickens will eat everything Imagln able, no difference how filthy. Feed your poultry well. Give them good grain and food and you will find them disdaining filthy, strange food. They only eat it when turned out to find what they can or starve. Single Comb Partridge Cochin China- Cock. Uy PROF J O HAL.PIN. Wisconsin Agricultural College. Tho poultry flock should be culled during summer, so as to tako ad vantage of tho comparatively good prices that prevail thou, lions over two or threo years old, the small heus, the badly shaped ones, such as thoso with crow heads or crooked breasts, overfat hens, ami hens known to bo poor layers, should bo sold. Not only will tho prlco ho lower" later In the season, but tho presence of theso undesirable hens will reduce tho efficiency of tho entire flock. Then, after the flock has been culled, all tho remaining hens should bo given bands or otherwise marked so that they may later bo distinguished from tho pullets. BROODING THE CHICKS GOOD START IN LIFE IS MORE THAN HALF THE BATTLE. From Hatching Time Until Feathered 9nd Ready for Colony Is Moot Im portant and Vital Period Lay ing the Foundation. (By J. W. KULLAIl. CopyrlKlit, 1914.) Tho brooding period embraces that portion of a chick's llfo from tho time it Is hatched until it Is feathered and ready for the colony house and Is a most Important and vital period, for then is laid tho foundation of the fu ture. ! There aro two methods of brooding 1 the natural, In which tho hen sup plies the warmth and care, and tho artificial. In tho natural brooding all thut Is necessary iB a comfortable coop, not too warm, roomy and free trom drafts, kept clean and sprayed liberally with a good liquid lice killer, or, better still, poultry disinfectant. Then, "given proper feed, the hen will do the rest. ' Artificial brooders have two parts a hover which ic warmed and supplies tho heat to the chicks, and a nursery or exercising room. In choosing u. brooder select ouo that Is well built, easily cleaned nnd In which tho heat is doflected downward on the chick's back. Avoid bottom heat, which cauaes leg troubles. Buy the brooder plenty large and do not crowd tho chicks, keep It sweet and clean and cover tho floor with sand or fine chopped alfalfa or clover. Watch the Temperature. Tho temperature under tho hover during the first week should bo 00 degrees; then gradually reduce tho heat until it reaches 80 degrees. Tho nursery should be about seventy de grees. As much depends on tho lamp in a brooder, keep It well filled, with a clean burner and well trimmed wick. Have a good tested thermometer, take the temperature from near tho fioor, watching arefully, for overheating or chilling chicks Is equally disastrous, and abovo nil follow tho directions that come with the brooder. After tho first week or two chicks may bo allowed to run about In a small outdoor ynrd when tho weather is clear and mild, provided they can always return easily to tho hover when they feel cool. When tho weather is bad conlino them to the nursery and induce exercise by scattering fine grain among tho litter. Tho question of brooding largo colo nies of several hundred chicks In a small room or house by tho use of brooder stoves has attracted much at tention lately. Theso small coal or oil burning stoves with largo cono shaped metal heat deflectors have been used for many years in California and un doubtedly aro great labor savers. The flrelesB type of brooder, which de pends on thick, soft insulation to con servo tho natural heat of tho chick, as well as portable hovers, aro also In quite general and successful use. Roostc for Young Stock. Provide nmplo roosting places for tho growing young stock. Beware of crowding. Nothing Is so conducive to colds as the overheating that comes of crowded quartern. !G00D RATI0N F0R fattening If Fowls Have Their Liberty and Are Free From Lice Cracked Corn Will Make Rapid Gains. From tho many fattening rations and the articles on crute fattening, pen fattening and cramming, the farmer might get tho impression that fattening is a different proposition. Such, however, la not tho case, says tho Farmer. Somo of tho -best poultry we ever saw fnttened was fattened by simply giving them all tho cracked corn they would eat for three weeks, while they were on free range of tho farm. Usually farm fowls are healthy, and, If they have their liberty and aro free from Uco, plenty of cracked corn, will make them gain rapidly, and when dressed for market they get plump nnd of a bright red color. Whero It la desired to fatten somo of tho Hock nnd not all of It, Uiat which la not to bo fattened can be al lowed to run at liberty, and that to bo fattened can be put Into yards, or even kept In the houses. In that caBe a different ration is needed. There Bhould bo plenty of grit and charcoal within reach, and green food should bo supplied every day. In the morning a mnsh made of threo parts cornmeal, ono part wheat bran and ono part high-grade beef scraps, mixed Crum bly with water or milk, should bo given, all they will eat up in 15 min utes, nnd no more. At noon somo green food and cracked corn may bo given, and at night they should havo all tho cracked corn they will eat. If they aro frco from vermin they will fatten rapidly under this treatment. If they do not eat heartily, they must bo put out on tho range again until they recover their appetites. SELF-FEEDER FOR CHICKENS Device May Easily Be Constructed Out of Material found About the House or Stable. A good self-feeder for fowls, such ut is hero illustrated, can bo easily in 11 do out of material found about tho house or barn. Tho feed Is placed in the Ik FEET Self-Feeder for Fowls. box from the back and Just enoug drops Into the trough to prevent wabte, yet maintaining a continual supply. The feeder shown In tho il lustration Is two feet high. iToor J (Uy I, m. hi:nnington.) One of the chief disadvantages that most cattlo feeders have to contend with Is tho purchase of feeders from somo remote district. If It ta possible to select a small bunch of good qual ity, uniform-sized feeders of about tho same ago In hla own neighborhood they will make a moro profitable lot of feeders for tho average farmer to finish than tho class of feeders that come from somo remote district. ) Many failures among feeders enn bo traced directly to the fact that they aro not acquainted with tho ef fects of acclimation and domestication of the purchnsed feeders nnd fall to got them started off In good condi tion. Then again somo farmers come to tho conclusion that It Is unprofitable to keep a herd of cowb and bellovo thnt they can buy their feeders for less money than they can nfford to grow them. TIicbo men soon find their mistake, nnd many who havo aold their cow herds aro now develop ing now herds for tho purposo of raising their own feeders. EXCELLENT NOTES ON CARE OF SWINE All of Leading Breeds Are Adapt ed to Economical Production Keep Animals Healthy. Tho use of corn In hog-feeding Bhould bo tempered with Judgment. Tho corn and hog crop go hand In hand. A man starting in farming In tho West relies upon this combination. Tho hog from first to Inst 1b capable of getting a large proportion of Its feed from grass. Wo aro npt to make the mlstako of feeding grain too freely because the hog utilizes It bc efficiently and eco nomically. No breed enjoys any marked prefer ence In tho markets of tho country. All of the lending breeds aro adapted to economical production. To have healthy swino on tho farm tho first essential la to have good, vig orous, healthy, breeding animals. Sunbeams, crude carbolic ucld and lime aro the best and cheapest disin fectant. When hog-wntorors are used they should be cleaned frequently and a lump of qulcklrVno dropped in tho bar rels occasionally will assist In keeping them aweet and clean. Health and drugs have no nlTlnlty In the successful management of a herd of swine. Health is natural. Disease unnat ural. Both aro contagious. If In the fight between health and disease wo give nature u little encour agement we will coma off victorious, It Is, nfter all, more our mission to keep ourTiogs henlthy thnn to allow them to keop themselves In that condi tion. Wo should keep the hogs closo com pany, study their habits and their re quirements and then cater to them. Add to this, humane treatment; nnd wo have solved tho wholo problem. Mud is not a good thing to feed pigs In, dust Ib worse. Both should be avoided us much as possible. A short noHo. is good, but a long body Is better. i no practise of niaiu loimcrs of driving a team through cold water to waal) tho filth from their feet and legs Is dangerous, as It causes many dis eases that they aro nuhjuct to. A warm or overheated team should not be put In u cold nlry place, but llrBt exercised and then blanketed and put In a warm stable and after the blankets nro removed the horbes should be wiped dry with straw or cloths, When a team hus been exposed to PROPER TREATMENT 0 ALL FARM HORSES l Then again there la another mnttei that entera Into tho economy of tho feeding question, and that Ib tho mat ter of selling tho cnttlo before they aro llnlahed. There are times when It will be moro money In tho feeder's pocket to sell tho cattlo when they arc Just oil grass, even though tho price beenis small compared with what corn-fed cattlo aro selling for. Farmers who are going into tho business would do wel to raise a high class of feeding animals and feed only what thoy can handle to tho most profitable advantage on their own farms, nnd'BcIl when tho prlceB are right. Sell when Just off grnss If the price, la right and grain foods arc high. Feed well on n variety of woll cured alfalfa, clovor and corn stover and a liberal grain ration, Hnlso tho breeda best adapted for tho ono spcclnl purposo and keep In close touch with tho market condi tion's In relation to both food and beef. If tho cattlo aro to bo full fed, se lect the full-feed period with Intelli gent discrimination nnd precaution. OF COURSE FARMER SHOULD KEEP SHEEP Profitable Method of Getting Rid Of Weeds Is to Sell Them in Mutton at 6c a Pound. (Uy C. D. IA'ON.) Some men were looking over M weedy paaturo and ono of them Bald: "What shall 1 do with theso weeds?" Quick us a (lash his neighbor aald: "Sell them in mutton at 0 centB a pound." Every man knows his own buBlnea best und can best decldo whnt kind or Btock will pay him tho greatest profit, but on most farma thero la room for a small Hock of sheep and nt tho end of tho season tho money tho wool and lambs will bring will bo that much, clear profit, Going back to tho first proposition that of the weeds that Infest our fields. It mny bo said that while growing sheep entiroly upon weeds, Is not a plnn to bo advised, they will eat nearly every weed that grows upon farm and will put on good, solid fat upon stuff that cnttlo and horses ro fuee. Tho most tractable of all farm stock,' they can bo managed with loss trou ble than other stock, all that la re quired to restrain them being a wire net fence of tho cheapest grade. Tho other day 1 was talking over tho sheep question with somo friendm nnd while wo did not agreo us to hrcedB, we wero unanimously In favor of the breed of sheep that will bring-, a good heavy shipping lamb with tho lleece a secondary consideration. 'I his Is tho very season to think or starting a (lock ns a great many fiock maatera sell off somo cwoa na, soon ns shearing timo Ib over, and unless a man has plenty of means In these dayw, ho will havo to start with such ewes as he can buy on tho market, thor oughbreds being almost out of thoj qupstlon for tho ordinary farmer Fresh Butter Best. Butter Is better when fresh thnn 1J over will bo ainln. iu mi tin bli u.ij iiot be lelt to be coi ic do but ahould bo rubbed dry, an cbillb, levers and other ailments often result from allowing them to dry by the evaporation of tho molBturt from their bodies. If wo would allow the teani3 moro rest at noon wo should accomplish moro work than when they aro al lowed only time to swallow tholr food. At evening fet them be well groomed and their legs, bellies nnd feet be re lieved from all mud und filth, 1
