tSoURNA1'
VOL. LVHI.
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 18, 1903.
NO. 29
'gxpevizute Bcparttuetit
HOW TO PROTECT LIVE STOCK FROM
INSECT PEJTS.
Ut* Salt and Sulphur Freely.
lst Premium.—This important subject
is oae that is perhaps as much neglected
as aay of the duties of the farmer. Yet
it is simple, aud for most part easy. A
great loss to the farmer ia a financial
way is largely due to the failure to protect the live stock from insect pests.
There are many modes of removing lice
from hogs, ticks ta sheep, etc., but
to keep tnem off is the subject we have
in hand, and the simple way to do that
is to mix salt and sulphur, 4 parts salt,
1 part sulphur, and give liberally, being
careful and judicious with breeding stock,
and you will have but little trouble with
these pests. A little carbolic acid,
sprinkled about the feeding and sleeping
quarters, is a good thing, and if a little
of it, or a little coal oil, happens to get
on the hogs, or a little sulphur is sprinkled
on the sheep, no harm will be done.
But what about the horses and cattle,
at this time of the year, especially just
before a rain, when the flies can hardly
be knocked off? The cattle do no good in
July and August, the milk cows lose
half ia their milk, the horses go crazy, and
the little calf's ears are all sore where the
flies have bitten them with their poisonous   mandibles.
..e keep the horses in a dark, well
ventilated stable in day time, when not
in use, and turn tnem in the grass lot at
night. Have   used   different   kinds   of
fly nets, but have come to the conclusion
that some disinfectant of some kind,
sprayed on the horses each morning, is
a great satisfaction to man and beast. I
spray the cows each morning, and can
milk them with some degree of satisfaction. I do not wish to advertise anyone's
business, but will say that you can get
a kind that will do the work. Look in
yaaur agricultural papers for the advertisement. Some kind of a dark place
in pasture for the cattle to go into is
well used by them. Make a good cheap
place for the small calves, by erecting
four posts on top of the ground. Dig no
holes, but brace the posts well together.
Stack straw, or any damaged hay you
may have, on three sides and well over the
top. Enclose the fourth side with any
old plank you may have, leaving a door
just sufficient in size for the calves to enter easily. After the calvre have used
it a day or two, take an old coffee sack,
or some pieces of old carpet, and hang
over the door, and see them push it out
ofl the way and go in and out We
have one as above described, with not only
coffee saeks hung over the door but several hung inside, just high enough for the
calves to rub against, and I will just say
that you do not see those calves out of
there very much in the heat of the alay.
_i think an editor once fittingly said that
"it is real mean to put the little calves into a lot, with no place to get into to keep
off the Hi*s." Why not apply it to all
kinds of live stock? V.  F.
Hancock Co.
Cleinlincis the Beit Preventive
2d Premium.—As we grow more profits
mane, anal ns we look closer to the profits
on live stock, I have no doubt but the
modern barn for live stock will be as
closely guarded agaiost flies, etc., by wire
or otherwise, as our dwellings are to-day.
We are just waking up to the fact that
our live stock must be treated in the most
humane manner if we obtain the greatest
profit.
The horse or cow that is not protected
from insect pests wastes a large per cent
of its food in fighting flies and by the
loss of blood. Just now I look out of my
window and see a horse hitched to a
buggy. His head is reined up at an
angle of 45 degrees. He rests his head,
first to the right and then to the left.
11a* stands upon tlic street with the thermometer at 90 degrees, with no protection from the flies, and no chance to fight
them off, except an occasional stamp of
the foot or switch of the tail. He ought
to cry "murder" And humanity ought
to come to his relief with a law strong
enough to loosen that checkrein at least,
and restore him the power to fight flies
that his Creator endowed him with.
I wish that I could say something that
would not only cut to the bone, but reach
to the marrow, on this subject of leaving
aaur live stock to the mercies of insect
pests. When your horse is at work, give
him some kind of a cover. It need not
be expensive. Three cent muslin, or a
coffee rack, will make him a covering.
Keep some diluted carbolic acid in the
stable, and a mop, and put some on his
legs and belly when you take him out in
the morning and at noon. To rub him
with some bruised dogfennel, mint or walnut leaves, will aid much. When he is
not at work, or in the pasture, during fly
time, let him come to the stable at will,
and you will see him coming when the
flies attack him. If your stable is dark,
they will not bother him there. All live
stock should have some place to shelter
in or under from the flies, for their comfort, and the profit of their owner. I
have often said, in other articles, that
there as as much inhumanity and as great
a loss financially, in turning live stock
out in the open field, without shelter and
protection from flies and heat, during the
hot weather, as in turning them out during the extreme cold in winter. Every
farmer should have some woodland, or
shady nook or corner, in reach of the pasture fields, for the live stock to shelter
in during the fly hours of the day.
Chicken lice are a great annoyance to
horses, and the best way to keep your
horses rid of them is to keep the chickens out of the barn. But if they are
there, put plenty of coal oil in your white
wash, and go to work on the woodwork.
Give a good washing with soap suds, and
then rub your horse with a cloth saturated
with coal oil, but be careful, for coal oil
will take off the hair.
The little blood sucker that looks so
much like the house fly, and bites so hard,
may be kept off by diluted fish oil, or diluted carbolic acid, rubbed on morning
and noon on the uncovered parts.
A alark stable is the best and ma.st economical place to milk the cows. The fly
works in the daylight, and the liee night
and day. Protect the cattle from the
fly by giving them a dark shed to crawl
into, and from the lice by using coal oil
with a little carbolic acid in it. Bun
them into a box stall, and use the water
sprinkler. A gallon will not be too much
for 40 or .50 head. Leave them in the
stall until they have thoroughly rubbeal it
in on each other. If you have a good
pool of pure water for them to bathe in,
they' will not have many lice. Do not
be alarmed at your hogs taking a bath.
Goaod, pure water and fresh air are .not
such dangerous elements, for either man
or beast, as some people imagine. Look
! out for flies about your hog shtsds. They
dislike pennyroyal very much, and a bas-
I
ketftil   thrown   t*a   the  beds   will   scatter
them.        Shea*ia  turned  iuto  the  liaru  lot
will  rid  it of fleas;  they  hang  up in  the
WOOl. Clcaulill* I .tl     juvvell-
tive    aaf    111]     ;"
Impossible *
a*xist aboul
said one word
that  will lessen tlia* i t
l>a*st to live stock and diminish the financial loss to the stock raiser, 1 shall feel
that I am a benefactor to mankind, not
only  finaneially  but humanely.
Marion  Co. I.   N.  C.
A Spreyer is Convenient.
3d Premium.—There are preparations
on the market to destroy most insects that
trouble live stock, but we use home-made
remedies and have had fair success with
their use.
For lice on hogs, we use kerosene and
lard, and rub well about the neck. Repeated applications may be necessary, but
it is as effective as anything we have ever
tried.
For liee on colts, we once used a solution of tobacco. They were bathed
twice with this, which settled the lice and
left the hair and skin in good condition.
We have known of water in which tobacco had been soaked, to be used to rid
calves and dogs of lice, and the result
was satisfactory.
For chicken lice, we shut the chickens
in their houses and burn sulphur. Some
fire is placed in a pan, or similar open
vessel, and paper or other dry material
is added to-keep it burning, and the sulphur is placed on this. The object is to
get as much sulphur smoke as possible.
It penetrates the cracks and crevices about
the house, and if strong enough will kill
the lice on the fowls as well as in the
house. Care must be taken not to inhale it, and the fowls must be noticed,
for too much would kill them. As long
as they keep moving, they are all right,
l.ut if they begin to drop off the roost,
it is time to open up and give them fresh
air. We  keep  the  fire  near  the  door,
an.l add fuel or sulphur when needed.
We keep it burning long enough to fill
the house with smoke. For best results the house needs to be reasonably
tight. We use insect powder to keep little chicks free from lice.
For flies on cows we use the following: One quart of kerosene, one quart
fish oil, and one ounce oil of tar. This
is put into a jug, and well shaken, when
it is ready for use. It may be applied
with a cloth or brush, but we are using
one of the 50 cent sprayers, and find it
very convenient and economical of both
time and liquid. It taitcs but a short
time to spray the cows, at milking time,
and they stand without any trouble. Its
effectiveness is shown by the quiet the
cows enjoy, while the young cattle that
are afraid of the machine are fighting
flics. W. J.
Jefferson Co.
or corn has been taken off?
No. UST, Aug. 8.—How do you make
cider   and   keep   it   sweet?       How   make
ciaier vinegar?
LaltftuiHiitf Hods,
.editors indlsns  Fsnoer:
As you have been discussing the lightning rod question I will report our exper-
ieiia.'. Saturday, .Inly Ith, the lightning struck the rod on our barn aud it con-
ducted it to the ground all right, tearing
up the ground. We feel that the rods
Mired tin* barn. The Farmer is always
a   welcome  guest.      Success to it.
Edinburg,  July  7. L.  H.  E.
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Fanner Company and Bhould reach us one week before date of publication.
Topics for discussion ln future numbers of the Farmer are as follows:
No. 385, July 25.—Under what circumstances should subsoiling be practiced?
What are the benefits?
No. 386, Aug. 1.—How should the
ground be treated after a crop of wheat
How Much Uacla Jjun Tends His Corn.
Editors  luallsns Firmer:
Again 1 "ironed" my corn field. I gave
it a thorough cultivation; the last time
with a five shovel (oue-hor.se), lcaviug a
small furrow in middle of row; then took
my 14 tooth extension harrow, fastened
au inch board on each side, the points to
meeting front, in the shape of an A, adjusted to the harrow to fit the row, then
"rubbed it down," pushing the mellow soil
to the stalks, covering lots of grass between the corn. Should a drouth come
it will be just the thing. If it rains I
will take the boards off and scratch the
surface about an inch deep. I will not
go deep acnough to break the many fine
roots that begin to run across the cultivated grouud. Yes, shallow cultivation after this. J. Bennett.
Sunman.
Improvement of Bees.
editors Indlsna Fsrmasr:
lt is well to make a memorandum of
tho colony or colonies that have stored
the most honey and next year allow them
to be tho ones to breed from. A queen
only lives about three years usually, and
it is important to pay some attention to
the kind of queen that takes her place.
If one has the common black bees an
Italian queen* will be an improvement.
If one has the Italians or hybrids there
is the advantage of getting fresh blood
l.y the purchase of a queen from abroad.
The best time to purchase an Italian
queen for the purpose of Italianizing
black bees is early iu the season. However there are advantages in buying a
queen toward the end of the season. The
queen-breeders sell good queens at reduced prices now. By ordering now you
will have her on hand ready for business
next year. The queens purchased now
are apt to be the ones raised in the hight
of the season. Old hee keepers tell us
such queens are more desirable than those
reared early or late in the season.
It is vary difficult to keep Italian bees
pure, no matter how pure stock one may
get. The mating of queens cannot be
controlled as can other stock. The young
Italian queens will meet black drones if
black   bees  are  in   the   neighborhood.
The cross between blacks and Italians
is almost, and often, quite as good as the
pure Italians. The blacK bees have so
few friends that few bees of pure black
blood are kept ly those who make a business nf producing honey. They have some
redeeming qualities, but are too ill-natured to he agreeable to work with by
timid   beginn *rs. F.   M.   W.
Bush  Co.
The Baptists of the United States, according to the latest official returns, number 4..'«0,4<>2. They are gathered in 44,-
820 churches, and are served by 30,809
ministers. The   gains   last   year   were
370  churches,   048  ministers  and   61,399
members.