Vermont farmer. [volume], December 09, 1870, Page 3, Image 3

About Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877

Image provided by: University of Vermont

                
VERMONT
FARMER.
3
FATTKNIKO CATTI.K,
Tho ago at which cattlo can bu profituhly
fnttcncd, will (lcp'iul much upon thcir brcod
ing, and tlii; maliner in which thoy havo
been reared. Steers cr hoifers, having from
linlf to thrce-fourths Shorthorn or Heroford
bluod in them, nnd tlmt havu been kept in a
tlirifty growing condition from calf houd, nro
usuully sutlicicntly ndvanced to bo put to
fatten when'froni thirty to thirty-six nioiiths
old. I'uvo bred aniiimls of Shorthorn or
llereford blood muy bo profitable fnttcncd at
an carlier ngo. A eross of onc-hnlf to thrce
quartors Dovon blood on common stock,
)imkc9 an aniiual that can go into tho stalls
at two yenrs old, if it has been kept in good
growing condition. Coninion nutivc cattle
can rarcly be profitably fed for the butoher un
til they aro four yenrs old. If cnttle aro put up
to fatten beforu their growth has sufliciuntly
advaticcd, so ns to l)ring them ncar thcir full
capacity of laying np substnnce, mucli of tho
food given them, instcnd of going to inako
thera fat, will be wastcd in adding bono and
111118010, Yriiich could have been obtuincd nioro
chcaply by giving thera tiino to complete
their developmcnt on ordinary keep. Uo
sides, tho efl'ort to fnttun an nnimal whon in
an immaturestate, can but result in producing
meat of a vcry inferior quality, and coni
nianding a much lcss prico than if tho snme
nnimal liad been kept on longer until its
franie had Iiecomo solidand woll knit togeth
er, its mnscles doveloped to thuir full eapaoi
ty. nnd its stomnch capablc of digesting and
assimilating a largor nmount of food than is
acttihlly reiiuired to sustain tho ordinary
growth and wear and tear of life, without
doranguniont of its vitality.
Thenv, ure ovep- yuargreat, nunibers of
young cattlo sold to tho butcher, or slaugh
tered by farmors, nnd their caroassos brought
to niarket nt tho eloso of tho gruss soason,
when they nro in n stato of dovelopinent that
rendera their llesli of an intennediato quality
botween vcal and beof, without tho tonder
ness of tho one or tho rioh juicincss of tho
othcr, but as llavorless and worthless as any
llesh can woll be. It is sheer folly to sacri
flco suoh aninials for tho sako of tho paltry
saving of a fow nionth's food, when by keup
ing thum over onu winter moro they wouhl
liring noarly doublu their present valuo, and
bo lit to inako into beef that is full of rieh,
savory juiccs.
Stull focding cattlo, juilieiously condueted,
prosents to tho grain grower tho most efli
ciont, cheap, dcsirablo method of keeping up
tho fertility of his fann, and tlio niost profit
nblo incans of disposing of his surplus hay,
roota and coarso grains. Tho nuiuuro made
from such cattle, wuro it all tho profit durived
from tho proccss, would bo nmply sufllcient
to ropay tho fanner for his troublo j whilo
tho lmy nnd grain so consumod would sull in
tho shape of beuf for a higher prloe than if it
had been taken to market. Catmila Fanner.
CUIIK FOH IIOOV HOT.
A vuterun stock iitisor gives in tho Hnnio
(N. Y.) Sentinel tho following as a oertaln
curo for lioof rot in cattle, horses or sheep :
"Ono tcacupful of sharp cider vingear, ono
and a-lmlf tubkspoonfuls of coppcms, ono
and a-lmlf tnblospoonfuls of salt. Dissolvo
giiidually on tho hot stovo, but.do not lot it
boil. 'When cool, apply it on tho ail'ectod
limb and hoof, and also swab out tho nioiith
of tho aniiual with tho iuixturo. Two or
thri'o upplications usuully elTeet a curo. Tho
remedy lms been used with porfeet success
siuco 1818.
iiatjICY iiousk.s.
It is rnrely woll to whip or kiok or scold a
balky horse, as is the coiuiuou practico.
One of tho best modos is to fccd hini whcre
lio stands with any uccosiblo food, such as
oats, oars of corn, or uven grnss by tho wuy
side, or hay from tho wagon, whleh can be
providod for tho oniergoney. Forgetting his
whim, ho will gcnerally start without troub
lo. Another good way is to do something
not lmrinful, but new; as filliug his mouth
with looso diit, which a desire to get rid of
will divert his thoughts, and beforu ho knows
it ho will bo jogging along. Sometimes, if
one can spnre tho day, it is best to wait till,
from weariuoss and hungor, tho aniiual sub
mits to your will, and tho triuinph in this in
stance is gcnerally compluto. Hcarth aml
Ilome.
TO CUIIK WARTS OS IIOIISES.
I had a fiue colt that had alxnit twenty
largo warts on his broast, and under his
bclly and in his cars. I was reconimended
toburnthein out with caustioor.n hot iron,
which I tricd, and found that both were
slow and barbarous. One day Ipickedup n
sniall pieco of newspaper and found the
following recipe: To cure warts on horses:
Equnl parts of spirits of turpuntine and olivo
oil. Hub well everj' two or threu days.
This I tried, and it acted liko a charni.
CURE FOIt SCRATCIIES OJi HORSES.
Wash clean with soap-suds, and givo a
conipleto coating of white lead to tho dis
cased parts. Tho horso should bo kept out
of a roiry, filthy stall, as a curo is not proba
blo when tho cause is continually aj)plied.
C'AIIE OF COLTS.
A eorrespondent of the Counlry Gcntle?
vutn has this scnsiblu ndvico respcting tho
care of colts : " When colts aro weaned
they should never bo jmt with older aninials
of thcir own spccies: a few together, with
abundanco of room, will do bot, and tho
attcntion should bo from one person who
has sen.se enough todiseover any little tuat
ter going amiss beforo it is sorious or, in
other words, ho should have tho gumption
to provent every allmcnt horsellesh is lia
blu to, instead of waiting to curo it. For
instanco, thcre niay be a colt among sovcr
al which is bo shy and nervous that ho is
afraid to stand up and eat with tho others,
till his sharu is nearly consumod. Their niay
bo another naturally very slow in masticat
ing, which would loso much of his sharo ;
and thus theso aninials would piuo away,
for if enough was given so that thero would
be nioro than tho boldest would eat, it would
still bo wrong, ns thoro would bo a cloying
of tho fast eators. This matter could easily
bo romedicd by separation, nnd other pre
ventions ndopted in timo to nicet every con
tingency, but in no successful undertaking
of hoi-se-raising would thero bo a constant
uso of drugs or a resort to (luackery.
" Colts ar less subject to disoaso than
other young stock, and can bo ralsed with
out any coddling ; and whun it lntist bo
known by horsemou in Amcrica nt whnt an
early ugo tho thoroughlireds nrn brought on
tho turf, it is extrenioiy surprising that thoy
should bo content to raiso their colts in such
a fashion as to havo tho Anioricnn two year
olds no forwarder than tho Knglish .year
liugs. I appeal to Ivnglishmen in America
or to Americans who havo visited tho agri
cultural dutriuts of Knglaud and attoudud
tho horsefairs thoro, to say whothcr tho two
yoar-old farm colts aro not forwarder than
threu yoar-old ones here." .
)arliatltur.
ARE PIjANTS IX IIOOJIS IKJUHIOUS TO
IIK AI.Tll I
We cut tho following from a rcccnt num
ber of the Jtunil Xcw Yorker:
" 1'i.ants ix Hooms. Allow nio to say a
word in refereuco to iilnuts as being hcalthful
in sleepiug rooms. I learncd wl'.ilo studying
botany that under tlro intlucncc of direct
solar liht, plants absorb carbonic acid and
givo oll oxygen, aml in tho absenco of thu
same they absorb oxygcn, and it is decom
posed aml carbonic acid is given oll'. Ono
sfrong proof of this is that plants grown in a
cellar, or any lurk place, wliuro they receivu
little or no lifjht, aro very light in color. Tho
cause of this is that they continuo to absorb
oxygen and expol carbon, and having no
light, absorb very little carbon, and this bo
ing tho coloring to tlio lcaf, it is cnsily soen
why tho plant is so pale. An oxiimplo of this
can bo seen by a potato that has sprouted
in tho cellar. Theso things being correct,
nnd proving that all plants givo oil carbonic
acid iu the night time, I should infer plants
would not bo hcalthful in sleeping rooms.
N'ki.lie, Poultney, Vt 1870.
Ideas such us aro containcd in tho above
extract aru constantly tloating nbout in tho
nowspapers, and occasionally lind thcir way
into tho columns of tho agricultural press.
Vo do not believo that tho ablo conductors of
tho Jlural A't'w Yorker aro ignorant ofthe
error into which their eorrespondent has
been ledby tlio obsolete teachings ofher botan
ical instructors. But, probably through hasto
or inadvertence, thoy failed to correct her
mistake, and lcavo it thus with a qium in
dorscment. Tho truth is that jilants, except in raro
cases and under unusual ciruumstances, ilo
not givo oll' any nppreciable quantity of car
bonic acid gas, eitlier by day or by night.
As"Xki.lie" rcfors to botany for her au
thority, wo will givo tho stntonient on this
jibint of I'rof. An Rray of Oinnbridgo, hc
knowludged as one ofthe first botanists of tho
world. In his " Uotanicai. Text Uook,"
4th ed. pago 20-1,) ho says: "Tlio uvolu
tion of carbonio acid by plants, which has so
long been takcn for grunted, and misinter
preted, has no existeuco as a gcneral pho
noiuunon." Ho explaius, 'furthcr, that most
of tho oxcL'ptioual instances, wheru carbonic
acid is really thrown off by plants, aro tho
rcsults of want of hcalth, as in tho casu of
tho potato growing in tho dark, instaiicod by
" Nellie." Evcn undurthesu eircumstniices
tho quantity uxhaled is but sniall, whilu vig
orous or healtby plants absorb carbonio acid
and throw of only oxygen, thus exercising
a purifying intlucuco upon tho air.
So much for scienco; lot ns now quotu an
equally eininent practical authority. I'eter
Ilendei-son, iu his " 1'iiacticai. Houticul
tuue," pago 182, dovotes n brief chapter to
tho question, " Aue 1'lants inju'uious to
Health?" which wo consider worth copying
in full. Ho says :
If physicians aro askcd if plants aro inju
rious to health, threo out of six will reply
that thoy aru.
Thoy will gcnerally follow up tho roply by
a learncd disquisition on horticultural uheni
istry; will toll you that at niglit plants givo
out carbonic acid, which is poisonous to nni
mal life, and consequently if wo sleep iu a
room wheru plants aro kept, wo of nocossity
inhalo this gas, nnd sicknoss will follow.
Theso wortliles generally succeod in their
specious reasoning, and tho poor plants, that
havo blooiued gaily all summer, aro often
consigned to tho coal cellar for thoir winter
quartors, if given quartors at all. Jh) thoory
can bu moro destitutu of truth ; that plants
givo out carbonic acid niay bo, but that it is
given out in qimutitios sullluiout to ail'ect otir
liisalth iu tho slighest dogrcu is uttur non
sensu. No healthior class of nien can bu found
than greon-house ojiurators, which makes mo
.sometimes think that nlauts havu a health
giving eil'cct ratlicr than othorwise. liut
doctors niay toll us that our workiucn aru
only at work in tho day-time, and that it is
ut nigiit tlmt tho carbonic acid is emittod.
Hero wo meet theni by tho infornmtion that
in most cases tho garduner in ehargo of
green-houses often has to bo up tho greater
au oi tlio night in winter, nnd tho green
lOUSe. from its wariiitli. is nnivirs!illv tnl.in
as sitting-room, and sometimes ns his bcd
room; such was my own cxper'mnco for
threo winters. I had ehargo of a largo
amount of glass, situated nearly a niilu from
my boarding-house, too far to go and come
at niidniglit, witli tho therinonieter below
zero. Our meaiis of heating were entirelv
madequata, so that the iires had to be lookeil
to every threu or four hours. Disregarding
all my kind-liearted employer's lulmonitions,
I nightly slept on the lloor of tho hot-house,
which was rank with tropical growth. Thu
lloor was, just tho placo to inhalo thc gas, if
thoro had been much to inhale. It did not
hurt nio, however, nnd has not yct, nnd that
is si scoro of.years ago. That plants ure inju
rious to health in sioeping-roonis is one of
tlio bugbear assertions that is willingly swal
hiwed by tho gulliblo portion of tho commu
nity. always ready to assign effects to somt!
tangiblo cause, nnd this, as tho assortion
ovinces soine cheniical lore, is ono very
pruvalentamnng thoso disciplcs of Ksculnpius
who aro alwayswilling to bothought learned
in tho scienco so intimately connected with
their profession.
On tho part of tho mcdical profession wo
tako Jlr. Hendorson's vigorous nssault in
good part. Doctors rely on books for their
knowh'dgo in such niatters, and as 'ong as
botanists taught tho theory oftho so-called
" plant rcspiration," noy exploded, they did
wisely in banishing plants from sick rooms.
Mr Henderson admits conimitting inany
emirs himself from too much rcliance on
nuthorities, but what elso could ho do until
hehnd learncd bettcrby experience? Thoso
doctors who studicd lwtany twenty years
ago, and havo been provented by constant
demnnd upon their timo, or by indolcnco,
from keeping thcmselvcs postcd on tho pro
gi'ess of tho scienco sincc, will probably con
tinuo to -VYiirn their pntients ngainst thu
chcerful andhnrmlcss plants tlnitdo so much
to lightcn tho tedium of tho sick room, but
nll do not do so, Mr. Ilondersou.
THE ZINNIA.
This ilower hius reached grcat perfection
in tho hands of tho llorists and it is liipidly
growing in favor with cultivators, assuming
a most important place in tho llower garden.
It is now produced, perfectly doublu, and in
n great variety of colors. Tho blossoms aro
nearly as largo and ns full ns dahlias and very
porsistent, enduringnnd increaslng iii beauty
forseveral wooks. Wodo not think tho Zinnia
replaccs thu dahlia, us somo claim, but it is
a very dcslrublo llower. Its stifTness of stum
renders it less useful for boquets than tho
dahlia, and it by no nicuns cquals that llower
iu delicacy or vnriety of color. llut it is a"
surer nnd much moroabundant bloomor, nnd
being an annual gives less trouble. The
finest Zinnias wo havo seen wero grown from
seed procured of Jas. Vick, Rochester, N. Y.
VKltlt SOWM TOMATOKS.
An agricultural jiaper says : " Tomato seed
sown in tho fall will produco better plants than
thoso sturted in a hot-bed in March, in this
lntitudo, and tho fruit upon them will ripeu
earliur. Tho plants will also bo moro pro
lilio of fruit." All of which is erroneous,
and shows that tho writor does not know
how to grow tho tomato proiorly under glass.
Tho market gardenors aro protty shrowd
mon, nnd know tho importanco of earlinoss
iu their produco. Wo should liko to seo any
ono try to conviuco them tlmt it was just
as well to sow their tomato seed in the opou
grouud in tho fall. If ho did conviuco them,
(and probably ho would,) it would bo only of
I his own ignoranco.