VOL. XXXII
-t-5 ***** prr
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.  OOT. 23,   1897.
NO. 43
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
Feeding Horsea.
1st Premium,—Probably the farm horse
dematcU and receives more diversified
rations than horses in any other olass of
work. Commencing say in January,
when the farm horse has the least work
to perform, we give him a few ears of
oorn twioe a day, with all the bright hay
he will eat np clean. He is already fat, as
any farm horse shonld be, and this will
keep him so. As spring approaches with
warmer weather his grain ration shonld
be changed to oats, which we consider
the best element that enters his ration at
any time. Oats makes the musoles strong,
and solid and wi'h the gradual inorease
of work he can be fitted to endnre the
heavy spring plowing much better than
when corn is the only grain he eats. We
always like to have a quantity of threshed oats, also enongh chopped oats to feed
through the summer. By running sheaf-
oats through the cutting box in the early
fall they can be kept until the next summer, and the mice and rats cannot work
on and ruin them as they will in the
sheaf. The ration that we like best for
hot weather is chopped oats, slightly
moistened with water, with about three
pounds of bran and shorts mixed thoronghly with the oats; this for breakfast.
At r oon he has not the time ta eat suoh a
feed, eo the threshed oata come handy
and welcome to him for a qulok lnnch,
giving him time to munch a good bite of
hay within the hour. At night the oats
chop is repeated, with occasionally oorn
meal in place of shorts, or two or three
ears of oorn as a change may he added.
We always keep our ground feed in tins,
and it is well salted as put in, so the salt
is never forgotten.
Soda and sulphur, equal parts well mixed, we consider about as good condition
powder as any. A box is kept handy, and
about twice a week a tablespoonful is
given to eaoh horse. Finely cut corn
fodder makes a fairly good roughness for
the horses a part of the time in early
winter, but they seem to tire of It and
oare little for it towards spring. We undertook one winter to carry through
some young horses on fodder alone, but
had to oommence feeding corn in February to keep them in flesh' Nice, bright
timothy hay, run through the cutting
box, and a chop made with ground oats
makes a very good feed. For a ration for
a fourteen hundred pound Norman mare
(such a one as more farmers should own)
we wonld say give her four quarts of
threshed oats, mixed with three pints of
shelled corn and ten pounds ot early cnt
timothy hay, for snpper after a hard
day's plowing. ^ G. E. H,
Salem.
2d Premium.—Sheaf oats cut fine, with
a little bran sprinkled over them, and
moistened makes a cheap and gocd ration
for horses, whether they are at work or
idle, and is really better for work horses
than oats or corn alone.
Last winter I fed six head of horses on
oats straw, oorn fodder, and from two
five ears of corn at a feed, and did all the
neoessary work with them.
I saw a friend onoe feed a horse 15 ears
•of corn at a single feed. I was surprised
and told him that he had thrown away 10
big ears of corn. He did worse than
that. He had ruined his horse and made
a skeleton of him. He sold the horse to
his neighbor in a few days, and he fed
him on five ears of corn with a little oats
straw, and the horse began to pick up
and was soon fat and fine.
Some men will keep their horses fat
and slick all winter and feed them nothing but olover hay. After the fall work
is done I fatten my horses and then feed
them just enough to keep them that way
and no more.   .
When I go to feed I like to see every
straw licked ont of the manger. Ahorse
should be taught to eat his feed clean.
If there is any left I feed less and less
unlil they eat it np olean. Clover hay
and corn fodder are my main feed in
winter. Ii L
Corydon..
3d Premium. Very few horses get what
I oall a good ration, becanse too many
people think that jast the same old feed
—ten ears of good corn—is a good feed for
ahorse any time; and snre enough it lst
but just the same way that meat, bread
and butter wonld be a gocd meal for you
or me. But we would soon tire of suoh a
meal if repeated over and over, just the
same as the faithful horse will tire of
corn it there is not a change once in a
while. A gocd common ration would be
one feed 10 ears oorn, one feed sheaf oats
cut, and one-half gallon wheat bran, or
bran and middlings mixed would be better, poured over the oats, and a little salt
added and moistened so the bran will
stick to the oats. This is what I call a
good feed, with plenty of hay or fodder
at odd times. If the cost is not to be considered a quart of wheat swelled makes a
good change, and the most of horses like
this ohange. Ground feed should never
be fed dry to any kind of stook; it should
be moistened. If fed dry too muoh of it
will lodge ln the stomach and cake there
and be in j arlous to the stock. L J.
Hariison Co.
REVIEW.
There are three conditions nnder which
horses are fed: To grow as colts, also
while idle and while at hard work.
We should remember that of our common feeds timothy and fodder are rich in
fattening elements, almost like corn.
Straw is still richer proportionately in
fat, or carbohydrates as they are called.
But straw is too bulky. Clover is much
more of a muscle former. The nutritive
ratio of corn, muscle form errs to fat
formers, is 1 to 10, of timothy 1 to 8, of
wheat straw 1 to 46, while olover hay is
1 to 6, oats 1 to 6. The animal system
likes about 1 to 6 or 7. The objection to
olover hay Is its dust. This is not much
worse than timothy, if cured well, and
can be overcome by wetting. Clover is
oheaper in the market and more nutritious and balances corn, reducing the
ratio.
Much Is said abont grinding feed and
cutting it. If cut at wholesale, while being mowed away it may be well to out
both clover hay and sheaf oats. I saw a
mow full at Mooresville at the home of
B. F. Johnson the other day. He says
"mioe can't burrow in oats." But you
will never get this chicken to cut with a
hand box.
Last year some of onr neighbors had
oats and corn ground together. It oost a
niekle and they were only worth 15 to 18
cts, I don't like to pay one-third to
grind and doubt if it pays, unless we are
feeding wheat, or feeding to milk oows.
Stewart in "Feeding animals" speaks
of the London (Eng) Omnibus Co. feeding 6,000 horses. They fed 3,000 on out
hay and straw and ground oats and 3,000
on unout hay and whole oats. The first
lot got oats 16 pounds, hay IA pounds,
straw 2>_ pounds. The second lot got
oats 19 pounds, hay 13 pounds. The first
lot did the same work as the second and
kept np as well and made a saving of six
pounds a day or 5 cts., or $300 a day lu
feeding the 6,000 horses. No mention is
made of oost of grinding and cutting.
In New York City street car horses
were fed oats and corn, half and half,
ground together, 16 ponnds to eaoh horse
a day with 17 pounds of out hay.
ln winter the oats is often dropped but
some stables feed the mixed ration the
year round. Mr. Stewart advises the
substitution of olover for timothy, as
cheaper and a balance for oorn.
We read ot English horsemen feeding
pounded beets and of a ration of gronnd
beans, of pea meal, of oats and barley, of
chop feed made of cut oats and bran or
shorts. The main thing Is to give a bal-
lanced ration of good feed, with some
change for change's sake.
We, who live in the heart of the great
corn field of the world don't care to
bother with these costlier and fussy
feeds. We can't hardly go wrong, as we
are compelled to grow clover and corn
and they are by far the cheapest feed we
can get. Nothing ls batter for colts than
clover and oats. And corn and oats and
hay are good enough for any farmer's
horse and will be relished by him and
and give strength to endure. "People
who use chop feed always have fat
hoi sap." S j do people who feed good hay
and corn and oat., if they give them good
care.
No. 87, Oot. 30—What ls the best dog
law we ever had; and what would you
suggest?
No. 88, Nov. 6.—How are you aiming to
store yonr winter's feed? What does
shredding cost?
No. 89. Nov. 13.—Are lightning rods a
protection? How should they be put up?
And how may one avoid beiDg cheated?
No. 90, Nov. 20—Desoribe a good cistern,
also a good filter.
No. 91, Nov. 27.—How does the compulsory attendance law work in yonr
schools?   Give suggestions.
Premiums of $1, 75o and 50o will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d best articles each
week. Let copy be as practical as possible and forward lt 10 days before publication to E. H. Collins.
Carmel.
POSTAL 0AKD OOBBESPONDElfOE,
Jackson Co ,—Corn on flat table land
is a half crop, rather shriveled. On high
rolling ground an average orop. Wheat
looks well; it all comes up well. We
have had dry weather a long time, but
vegetation looks well. G. W. McC.
Kosciusko Co., Oct. 16 —We had a fine
shower of rain yesterday and in the evening had a very heavy rain with some
wind to-day, which waa a welcome visitor. Wheat sowing not quite all done
yet, some farmers waiting for rain.
G. B. P.
Laportb Co., Oct. 15.—Light rain on
Monday one-half Inch, but now getting
dry and dusty again, but the grass Is reviving a little; wheat coming up very
slowly and very spotted and ln streaks;
hot and windy; no dews; "katie dlds and
criokets singing nights as in August; 89°
in the shade nearly every day; butter 16
cents; wheat 91 oents.
Mrs. B. A. Davis,
Oa__E Co, III., Oot. 11.—Has been ex
tremely dry here, but a little
rain fell last week. Fall plowing has
been rather slow work, but is about done
in good shape. Clover hulling done; crop
large but prloe low, $3 per bushel; timothy $110 per bushel. No rye, wheat or
timothy seeding done here. Apple and
potato crop fair. No hog disease here;
corn crop good, but late was damaged by
September dry, hot winds; husking has
commenced. C. B. S.
Henry Co, Oat. 16.—Midsummer temperature; no rain worth noting for
months; complaint of the drouth becoming general; many are hauling water.
Wheat sowing still going on and much
that was sown in good time is not yet up.
Some crimson olover sowed early ln September not yet ln sight. The light frosts
In September were only a hint to vegetation to ripen np, and many tons of ripe
tomatoes for the cannery pass cur doors
daily. There are several days' supply
ahead, and thousands of bushels still in
sight.   My sweet potatoes are still grow
ing, and have at least doubled in size
since the frost, though where tbey get
their succulence no man can see. Corn
more than an average orop, though cut
short ot late by drouth, Some quite
chaffy, owing to blades dropping less
fodder than usual ont. Irish potatoes
"small and few ln the hill." Apples and
pears in most orchards are wormy, knotty
and scabby, and a large portion on ground
weeks ago. Hog cholera heard of in various directions, though not general. In
some situations forest trees nearly as
bare as in mid-winter, thongh in others some species still near the greenness
of Jnne. E. Pleas.
Some More I Learned About Wheat.
_->rro_J Indiana FA_____t*
In my wheat artlole last week, where
it says one bushel enongh seed per acre
read weedy, Instead of ready, my land is
a rloh olay loam, and I have raised good
orops of wheat with only a half bnshel
seed per acre. I once raised 42 bushels on
two acres with one bushel of seed. Furdue farm jast aoross the road is rather
thin soil with gravely subsoil and may
need thicker and earlier seeding. I have
experimented with seed wheat for years
from various parts of the world. I raised
ten orops of wheat in suooesslon on ten
acres, and averaged 24 bushels per acre,
2,400 bushels of wheat cff of ten acres in
ten years. They said lt would run out all,
go to cheat, etc., but the land was in better condition than at first. I raised
olover and buokwheat and pride of the
north oorn, between crops and kept the
ground shaded In hot summer weather.
I followed the binder with a lister drilling in corn, as fast as wheat was out,
setting the sheaves over. No matter
when it is sowed it will all do to cut
about the same week. If an open winter
or deep snow it grows right along. I
often noticed Volunteer wheat coming
up early, always frozen dead in spring or
ate up by fly or chinch bugs; too many
little roots ln one place, on spots whei e
you spilled seed wheat too thick, with
heads a halt inch long. Same way if too
thick all over a field. Many thin fields
of wheat were plowed up last spring that
would have made 20 bnshels per acre, and
I have often drilled spring wheat in
among thin fall wheat in early March.
It broke the crust, kept the weeds down
and altogether made a good crop. The
fall wheat may get ripe a few days earlier, but the spring wheat will hold lt up
and should be cut early as it has soft
straw, and all wheat should be staoked
soon as will do, Going through sweat
in stack makes it weigh more and makes
better color and will bring more money.
Wheat will inorease in weight in stock
as long as any moistare or sap is left in
the straw. Don't thrash ont of the
shock, and worry your neighbors to help
when they are too busy with their own
harvest to stop to eat. I have seen farmers stopped by a shower from thrashing
from shock, all go away wet and cross
leaving a lot of good food to spoil and a
lot of worried women and some wet,
musty wheat to rush onto a orowded
market. I never thrashed out of shook
ln my life, but I have helped neighbors
do that thing until I often saw the folly
of it. After orops aro safe, you oan exchange work or get hands without Inconvenience and thrash at your leisure.
Lafayette, A. C. Harvey.
How to Succeed.
BsrroBs Indiana Faxhu:
To make a success of farming the
farmer must keep the best of everything
that he owns, the best oattle, the best
hogs, the best ohiokens and turkeys, the
be3t horses, sheep, and seed of all kinds,
and must farm the best land, all with the
best care, and if he fails the world will
fall. Destroy the farmers and weeds will
grow In the streets of the oities.
Jackson Co. g. W. Mc.