VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., NOV. 7, 1896.
NO. 45
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
' How Do yon Manage Dairy Stock in
WInter?--Stato   Protectioff From
Cold,   Also   Arrangement   of
Mangers,   Ties,   Gutters,
Handling   Manures,
Etc
lst Premium.—Our cows are kept in
stables of nights from October first to
May first, and during cold or rainy
weather are stabled in the day time as
well, except long enough to be watered'
The stable is a shed on the south and
west sides of a large log barn. The stable
is sided with rough lumber and stripped
and the loft Is fllled with wheat straw
, and cut corn  fodder.  The  stables  are
"*| reasonably warm in winter. The cows
stand facing the barn in which are the
silos. The feed-way, three and one-half
feet wide, runs in front of stalls, which
are three feet 10 inches In width, with
feed trough two feet wide, one foot deep
and.three feet 10 inches long. The bottom of trough or manger is six inches
from floor. The stalls are Just long
enough for cow to stand in comfortably.
The cows are dehorned and are tied with
a chain around the neck. The floor of
the stalls is of clay except a 12 inch plank
... which is laid along the hack of stalls at
"*"""""", the 8dge' oY4nan_tre*gnttBrv*which Is five
inches deep' and 14 inches wide and is
water tight. The stables are cleaned
daily, the manure being wheeled a short
distance from the barn and piled in a
heap, with manure trom horse stables. It
is not allowed to accumulate but is
hauled at frequent Intervals and spread
on clover sod, which will be planted In
corn the following spring. Wheat straw
is used abundantly for bedding and as an
absorbent of the urine. Cows are fed,
milked and watered at the same time
each day, and are not allowed to be
kicked, beaten, or chased by a dog. What
driving is necessary is done as quietly as
possible. O P. Macy.
Morgan Co.
2nd Premium. As to the management
of the dairy stock in winter, the first
thing of importance is the breeding. I
always aim to breed my cows intended
for the winter dairy, so that they will
drop their calves in the late autumn. I
Bell the winter calves and thereby get all
the profit of the milk in winter. 1 have a
large barn built in the shape of the letter
T. The stern part is a bank barn plenty
wide to allow two good roomy rows of
stalls under this, and sheds on the sides
for stalls also. The sheds are planked
tight, so they are nearly as warm as the
cellar stalls. The floor over the shed
stalls is high enough above the main floor
to make'handy feeding. I have troughs
below in the lower stalls clear along the
side, and I also have a rack above the
trough. I have a trough along the entire
length of side stalls also. This is handy
to feed in. I can walk along on the barn
floor and drop the cut feed in the troughs
in the lower and side  stalls  both,  with
' ease. Then there is the rack I spoke
about. I can put in roughness so the cows
from both sides can get plenty to eat. I
don't believe in tying the cows. They
should have plenty of room to turn
around at liberty. The manure should
be kept thrown out of the stalls every
two or th'ee days, under shelter so as not
to be lost by the rains, and the stables
should be kept well bedded and dry at all
times.  The manure Bhould be well saved
-as that is a good profit put back on the
ground to raise another good crop. As I
forgot to say this part of the barn over
the stabling I have filled with straw,
when I have my wheat threshed, and the
rest is stacked Just out side so as to be
handy, which is generally a tolerable
large stack.   When the weather is  too
bad and snow on I bed from the straw inside; when not so bad the stack is handy
to get, and the straw has to all be used as
bedding except what the stock don't eat,
and that Isn't much, for when they can
get anything else they will not eat much
straw. H. C. F.
Harrison Co.
3d Premium.—I stable all my cows during the winter months of nights and bad
days, when it is not fit for them to take
exercise out of doors.
My barn Is fixed so I have four rows of
stalls underneath the floor. The two
rows on one side face each other; the two
rows on the other side are fixed in the
same manner, leaving an aisle in the middle to take the manure out at, and having
the mangers of tho two rows together on
both sides, so I can feed four rows of cattle from two aisles in the barn. I can
feed them chop feed and hay from the
barn floor. I have a door to every stall,
so I do not have to chain my cows as
some people do. These stalls are also
handy for breeding purposes.
As to cold, the barn is planked up and
down and is filled overhead with straw
for bedding, which keeps the cattle very
warm. .When I go out of the bitter cold
wind into my stables in the morning lt is
like going into a heated room. It makes
me feel proud to think that my cows
have a place to sleep in that feels comfortable to mankind. I bed ~my stables
every night and clean them ont every
two or three weeks, and if the weather is
suitable I haul the manure ont on the
field right away. I throw lime in my
stables every few days to keep down a
stench, or it will make the butter have a
bad taste or odor. A Farmer.
Harrison Co.
REVIEW.
Not being a dairyman I shall not ofter
much advice. We keep one valuable
Jersey cow in abig box stall, with plenty
of bedding. But thatplan wouldn't do at
all where many are kept.
I have visited many dairies and read
Hoard's Dairyman and other authorities,
and would like to emphasize the plan of
our correspondents to stable their cows
early in the fall. A dairy neighbor was
standing talking on our street one day in
late September and suddenly said:
"Well I must hurry home and turn my
cows in." The cause was a cold drizzly
rain. He said that one fall he was visiting, and a raw speli.caught his cows out
and those that had been long in milk
shrunk heavily, and could not be
brought back by ever so much care.
They shrink in quantity of milk and also
in butter fat.
I once visited the Elgin Board of
Trade and several dairies in the vicinity.
We leaped over the plains in Jumpers
with snow over two feet deep.
I went out one morning with a friend
to see them milk. 'Twas a basement
barn without a hill, and though cold, the
basement seemed warm. He remarked
that "manure never freezes in this barn,
though the mercury sometimes marks
30° below."
Many years ago (30) my father kept our
cows In stanchions. They did not seem a
bit cruel, and prevented cattle from stepping back to lie down. One can also
avoid partitions. Just the other day I
visited a barn which was as neat as a pin
and the owner showed me mangers made
on the floor and those raised as friend
Macy has them, six inches above the
floor. The gentlemen said he would
raise the lower set soon. Mr. Macy
mixed cow manure and horse manure.
This prevents heating and makes all
spread better.
Friend H. C. F. has cows fresh in the
fall. I notice butter dairymen like that
plan if comfortably fixed, but our neighbors, who "deliver" butter to special customers in Indianapolis, try to have cows
fresh all through the year, both to give a
constant amount of butter and because
the churning is a little better.
I must ask Friend "Farmer" if he does
not liberate ammonia by mixing lime
with the stable manure? Gypsum, or
land plaster, would be about the same expense and would remove odor better,
while adding to the value of the manure.
Heavy sized paper is very cheap now
and is a wonderful retainer of warmth.
It can be held on any wall by lath
nail abont three to the width of a sheet
of paper. 'Tis cheaper than burning
corn.
Notes.—We burned another shoat yesterday. We lose abont one pig a month
tbis fall from cholera. They average
about 50 pounds weight. We use the TJ.
S. Government remedy published ln the
Indiana Farmer a few weeks ago. So
m.ny about here lose heavily that we
have a good deal of faith in the remedy.
Hogs are like people, in that any herd
is liable to have a few members that are
very susceptible and no remedv will
save them.
A neighbor, a few miles away, said today that he bought four choice white
hogs at the State fair this fall. Three
have dropped out, taking sick soon after
reaching home. The fourth has been
very sick, but is recovering and now
"eats as a hog ought to eat." He asked if
it would be sate to use him and whether
his get would he healthy. I called his
attention to the fact that the microbes
often lurk in the folds of the large bowel,
and there may be ulcers there that remain chronic for weeks or months. But
that if he took his sows to uninfected
pens to him, and separated them again,
that there would be practically no danger, and that if he continues to pick up
nicely for four to six weeks now before
using, that his pigs will be healthy and
possibly enjoy immunity from cholera.
E H. Collins.
Wheat and  Other  Crops   Short   in
Europe.
The National Department of Agriculture has reports from its European
agents from which the Btatistican of the
department condenses the following on
the crops:
Great Britain is the principal outlet for
the superfluous wheat of the world, and
her markets during the past month have
presented a study ot peculiar interest
and value. It was known at the opening
of the month that the Russian and American crops were short. There was practically nothing available from other exporting countries except a few cargoes of
last season's wheat from Argentina, and
stocks were low both in Great Britain
and on the Continent. The Russians declined to sell except at enhanced prices,
and their shipments fell far behind the
usual average for the time of year. The
only source of supply was the United
States, and lt might reasonably have
been expected that we should have reaped the benefit of the position by obtaining enhanced prices.
France.—The wheat crop was secured
almost entirely before the deluges of
September, and there Is no material loss
from bad harvest weather. The barley
crop is, however, somewhat affected. The
estimate as to the wheat crop of the National Association of French Millers,
Issued last week, is higher than the official estimate, the difference arising from
an increased estimated yield per acre.
The millers' figures are as follows: Acreage, 16,906,000; bushels, 344,000,000. The
official estimate is thus given: Acreage
17,103,000; bushels, 327,000,000. Last year's
crop, grown on 17,360,000 acres, is now
given at 333,000,ti00 bushels.
Germany.—The wheat crop ,1s reported
to be a poor average elsewhere than in
Prussia, where It is officially stated to be
not average. The annual production of
this cereal ls, however, small in compari
son with that of rye and potatoes. The'
estimate of the rye crop, 310,000,000 bushels, is considerably over the average and
is believed to be excessive. It is remembered that last year's preliminary estimate was 2S!>,000,000 bushels,,
while the final returns reduced the'
figures to 244,000,000. Of potatoes:
It is expected that "unless a decided change in the weather comes immediately" there will be less than half a
crop. As the yield of tubers is short also
in other European countries, tho practical result will be an increased demand
for wheat. Germany Imports about 30^-
000,000 bushels of wheat a year, half of
which, under average condition, comes
from the United States and Canada, lt
may be expected nnder the circumstances
that the import of 1896-97 will exceed the
average, and that a larger proportion
than usual will come from the United
States. This forecast would of course be
nullified by any considerable advance In
tbe price of wheat, a not unlikely contingency.
Roumania —The estimate presented is
for 69,600,000 bushels of wheat, last year's
crop having been 66,000,000 bushels. The
condition of the corn crop is reported to
be extremely disappointing, and the
same statement is made about all the
Danubian countries. During the harvest-
year ending July, 1895, these countries-,
shipped moro corn to England than did!
4he Uni_ed.St__.tes, while duri-ie-tlre-iyoa.
Just ended they cut a small figure.
Russia.—It appears hopeless at present
writing to present in figures tbe dell -
ciency in the Russian wheat crop. Ther 0
is a considerable shortage, but the staf e-
ments vary widely. The highest of ,ti-
mate puts the crop at 374,000,000 busb els,
the lowest under 300,000,000. Gen oral
opinion inclines toward the lowest estimate, and the course of the Russian shippers in holding so persistently c oufirms
the London view of a large deficiency.
During the four weeks beginning September 1, shipments amounted to 9,000,000'
bushels against 12,000,000 bush els during
the corresponding period of la_st -year. A
portion of the shipments wero to fill contracts. At the present moment Russian
shippers are holding persistently above
the market.
Duty of Millionaires.
The democratic forms of our life bring
the rich and the poor into the closest contact Though the extremesof wealth and
poverty, of reckless display and bitter
want, may bo no more striking than elsewhere, they are set face to faco and forced
upon every man's attention. The cardinal doctrine of socialism—that private
wealth is robbery of the public—is fearlessly preached In every great centre,
and in years like the last two or three, at
least, it will not fail to win converts by
the thousand. It cannot be effectively
met save by the nobler reply, "Private
wealth is a sacred trust for the public
good." Some shrewd and successful men
see this already. It was a manufacturer
and a millionaire who said, "The time is
fast coming in this country when a man
who dies possessed of millions will die
disgraced." Yet how few ever listen
seriously to those words, and to tho example which has multiplied a hundredfold their force. It is an accepted maxim, even among the men of great wealth
who account themselves most liberal, the
founders of universities, libraries, or hospitals, "Nevor touch your principal."
Many a kindly merchant shakes his hoad
when told that the president of a metropolitan university has sacrificed a goodly
share of his private fortune to erect a
building which shall eternalize his father's name and be the central hall in the
great centre of education for ages to como.
And yet,—what better use do they suppose their sons will make of the hoards
which they are shortening their days to
Eile a  little  higher?—William Cranston
iawton, in Lippincott's,
J
sj^imwiW^tfWIjpi