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E cSS-Hr~r-2J 8" «■, " '■ =r=rs=ME§l =rtf^B§l^ =^^B=^^~"' i"^ r ■■■"■■la ;^^^BMfc^^~j ,". , " Z^a .S". ... " " JTl^Bcß^g HfEzf^^^BttßV^i—-----^=- - .^'M^B ; f-i--' '*'' =s=3 ~~^^^M^KEi=3 ~~~^EBMB ==^^^^^^B !^B^i§iisiiiiii »~" " __~~^^^^^^b ■■ ~?%. •• —-^^hb^w S^fef _ .."^^^^B z^_^^^^s;^^h I L^| ===^^^^^^^^^ ~3flH jfiffifj'a- '^^^^M^bF —ZIJMa '=:z^^BBB --^-Jw —- - ■ ' ' V'Ts^Bß j^^^^K . .^^^^^^^^^h i^»^^^^—^^^^^^fc. ■ - I ~^^^^k ,^^^HJB —-^^^^^L B. ~J 1 { ' - r--^^r--—i3 * '^mßJl^B^^^^ " — ""BJBp ,*" M"^M^^^M^H2!^^^Bwßfc^ ='.~" '""."."^i f|*Bt _ '■'■ . Jii" 1 ■- i^sßy ■ I r '*^^BjBJ t~z~~2^Z " ■ ■"*! f-^pMpß^^^^^^^^^M^pMp^^^^^j^jMpM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^pMpß^SfM 1' n'^.r's^a irJ^BBV ■ TBBBB^JSi BBBbbbhbbbbbBMBBbBBbBiBBBMB^^^BjjBBB BBJH *' ° * * ™ •" '^^^^^^B^^'" ■ :~j^^^Bmmj Vol. XX-No. 9 ALFALFA A3 A HORSE FEED. In view of the fact that alfalfa is coming to be one of the most val uable feeds in this state, it will be interesting to know what effect the hay has by continuous feeding to horses, especially work horses. While -verybody, apparently, has been sing ing the praises of alfalfa, there comes one man from Kansas with a tale ex actly the opposite. He says: "I am always interested in anything about al falfa, and am inclined to differ with many who extol its value. I grew and fed it for several years, and found that it acted as such a diuretic on my teams that I abandoned it entirely. I am prompted to write this by the statement of one Mr. Wing, of Min nesota, who says it is fine food for horses. I did not find it so, and the excessive urination led me to interro gate our experiment station. All the concession I could get was 'It is not an ideal horse feed.' Cattle do well on it, and as they are seldom housed in Kansas except to the windward of a wire fence, those who wait on them care little for its effects upon them. Excessive urination must pro duce thirst, and this in a work horse in the harvest field, with the tempera ture at 95 to 100, where no water is provided during the forenoon, is, to say the least, uncomfortable. There is another and more objectionable fea ture. I brought with me from New York, ten years ago, a fine Hamble tonian mare. I had driven her for two years, and had never seen any signs of heat. But after feeding her alfalfa for a month or more she be come so, and never seemed otherwise while eating it. I attach a clipping from the Kansas Farmer, which I tfiink fully justifies the conclusions I have reached." The clipping referred to is a reply to a correspondent, and the editor says that the diuretic effects of al falfa hay have made many horsemen timid about feeding it largely. Eng lish reports, he says, say that it is very good for horses. Colorado sheep men report an increase in the number of lambs from sheep fed on alfalfa. Whether it will have the same effect (>n mares the editor gives no opinion. This is an entirely new view of the matter of feeding alfalfa hay. We have never heard of such complaints in Washington, but they may exist ;md pass unnoticed, or only be known Really, if some of the readers of The Ranch will write their experiences with alfalfa as a horse feed, we will he glad to give them publication. If A JOURNAL OF THE LAND AND THE HOME IN THE NEW WEST. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, MAY I, 1903. C. N. SANDAHL Proprietor of the Puget Sound Nursery & Seed Company, one of the pioneer houses of its kind in Seattle. Mr. Sandahl is prominently iden tified with horticultural interests, having been for several years presi dent of the King County Horticultural Society. He does a large business in seeds, fruit and ornamental trees, shrubbery, cut flowere, etc. He has established a reputation throughout the State for the standard of his goods, and fairness in treatment of customers. the Kansas farmer is correct in his conclusions regarding the bad effects of alfalfa on horses, the indiscrim inate feeding of the hay will prove a serious matter, and horse owners in this state should know of it. It would be well, also, for the Western ex periment stations to give a candid opinion in regard to this. An experi ment station is for the investigation and discovery of truth in regard to anything, and should not allow any enthusiasm for a crop to cause them to conceal any damage that may arise from its use. The term "sport" as applied to stock is understood as meaning an animal which has developed some peculiarity not usually seen in its species, or at least differing from its parents in this respect. Subscription $1 Par Year Worth Two Gold Dollars THE CURING OF PORK. With the approach of the summer season, when butchering pork is not desirable, the ranchman plans to have his summer's supply of meat put up in advance. The question as to how meat can best be cured is a perplex ing one. and the source of a great deal of trouble and not infrequently finan cial loss by reason of meat spoiling. It is important that the work be prop erly done, if a supply of good, sweet meat is to be had. A very good and cheap way to cure pork, fs to take meat as soon as cold and rub it over with dry salt, leaving just what salt will stick to the surface, then pack closely in barrels, with the skin down. In four days make a cold salt brine that will carry an egg; pour this over the meat until it is well covered, then take a clean stone or heavy weight that will hold it down under the brine. When it has laid in this about six weeks take up and hang in rows and smoke with hickory wood. By this time it will be a beautiful brown col or. Now take pulverized borax and rub every piece thoroughly with this, being careful to rub well into rough places and around bones. Hang in a dry, cool granary or meat closet, which can be made by tacking screen door netting over a strong frame and using a screen door for one side; a closet five feet long, four feet wide and six feet high, with hooks screwed in the ceiling, will easily hold the meat from six or eight large hogs. The closet can be set in some out house or gran ary, and meat cured and preserved in this way will keep good, fresh and clean until the next butchering time arrives. The above method has been used with great success for many years. This method does away with the use of unhealthful salpetre and similar drugs. A dispatch from Salt Lake indicates the sheep business in that part of the country is in a serious condition. Be tween the ravages of an unusually se vere winter and the breaking out of a malignant disease known as "big head," among their flocks, within the past few weeks, the Herald says the sheepmen of Utah, Southern Idaho and Eastern Nevada are afraid that by the time they get their sheep to the summer grazing grounds their losses will amount to about 50 per cent, of the number they had last fall. Should this estimate be correct, the loss in Utah alone will amount to about one million head, and would be an unprecedented loss to sheep own ers of that state.