ToLX
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, FEBRUARY 20, 1875.
No. 7.
w
Live Stock*
a Will some person tell nie what will
cure cracked heels in horses ?
u N. C. S.
.jj     ..,-. - »   *   « —    .
-f    THOROUGHBRED HORSES.
' An English paper calls attention to
the fact that the horse has come to the
highest state of development in those
localities where the grass and water is
highly impregnated with lime. The latter enters into the development of the
bones, indeed is essential, and therefore
limestone localities are known to have
produced the hest developed horses in
the world. Take the horse-breeding
localities of Kentucky and Tennessee,
and we find that this is practically true
of this country. These districts in the
States named have bred more and better
horses than any, perhaps'all the other
States. Not altogether because there
are not other as favorable localities in
this country, but rather because horse-
breeding was early introduced there, and
has been eminently successful, and it is
the success, and the cause of it to which
we now direct attention. We have
before in the columns of the Indiana
Farmer, called attention to the value
<bf hard over soft water. It is the
natural drink of the horse, as well as of
man, for it contains just that which
, forms the bone, in a larger per cent, than
any other drink or food, .'','.
'" The reader will remember the highly
interesting paper of Professor Wiley, of
Purdue University, written -for and
printed in these columns last month, on
thesubject of water. . He. took .substantially the same positionin favor of hard
water; s■•' >''   '• ■' -'        ■ '.     A-
■For the Indiana Farmer.  .
AH I AWAKENING   INTEREST
J,     ,;.■-.,      qood STOCK.
IN
-<;I am a reader of the Indiana
Farmer, and believe it to be the best
paper we farmers can read. It has, I
im proud to say, inspired in me a desire
for improvement—a lively determina-
■tion to better my condition as a farmer.
_is a: primary step in this direction, I
recently visited the farms of some of
the breeders of fine stock, near Thorntown, . Boone county, Indiana, with a
,tiew to improving my stock of hogs.
•The first farm I visited was that of Mr.
W. H. Fall, where I was kindly taken
ia, and hospitably entertained over
night. Mr.' Fall has a fine farm, nicely
sifnated, and well watered. He has as
.fine Berkshire hogs as I have ever seen.
He was very communicative; is a granger, and I think a gentleman. :
iijI afterward visited the farms of Mr:
James Riley,: and Mr. I. N. Barker.
Mr. Riley has Bome very fine hogs and
#ouls. He has a good farm and is well
situated for the raising of fine stock:
I found Mr. Barker at home with his
pigs and chickens; many of which are of
superior quality. Mr. Barker's attention seems to be much absorbed with his
fine stock, which no doubt is the grand
secret to his success as a breeder of fine
stock. I was much interested in looking
through the herds of these men, and
_rach pleased at the interest they seemed
to take in their stock business. I would
like to see hundreds of farmers all over
•Indiana feeling a like interest.
i Farmers, give the Indiana Farmer
Jtmr support, and we will have just such
»n interest. •>•■•■•
1 I came home, feeling that I had got
^the worth of my time and money, and
fully convinced that Benton is the best
pounty in the State. ,
i Alex. Jefferson.
»  Benton County, Indiana. - ~ •
;! ■■-■,',•■■"■    ' ■
IA   Death of the $25,000 Cow.
The Paris True Kentuckian says :
;'  On Saturday, the Fourth Duchess of
Oneida died at Hon. T. J. Megibben'„.
She was purchased by Megibben & Bed-
jvford, October, 1873, at Campbell's New
>', York Mills sale, for 125,000.   She leaves
'   a bull calf three months old, by Fourteenth Duke of Thorndale, said to be
one of the finest Dukes in the country.
There was, of course, no insurance on
iher.   Thus the $25,000 heifer has met
the same fate as the 140,500 cow.       .
Indiana Farmer Family.
Onr Portal Cord Correspondents*.
Poland-China Sow, " QUEEN OF THE SOUTH," Owned by A, S. Qilmour & Co., Gree__b_rg, Ind.
FEEDING STOCK.
Editor Indiana Farmer:
"Granger," from Jamestown, Boone
county, wants information in regard to
feeding cattle. The practice of " rough-
ing" cattle until March, causing a
shrinkage of 100 to 150 pounds, and then
full feeding until grass to get back tbe
loss is undoubtedly a bad policy. : My
experience ~Ih feeding cattle is that if
you want to put your cattle in market
before grass, you want to commence
with cattle in good flesh, weighing by
lst of November at IcaBt 1,200 to 1,300
pounds, then feed all they can eat; do
not be afraid of giving too much corn,
and bytho lst Of March, or. possibly by
lst of February you have cattle that are
ready for the butcher. But if the price
does not suit, you can feed on later, say
until lst of May, just as your fancy may
dictate, and you will then have cattle
that will command a price in any market.. Cattle fed in this way with above
weights at beginning of feeding, will
weigh by 1st, of March from 1,400 to
1,500 pounds, and by lst of May 1,500 to
1,600 pounds. But if you want to graze
your cattle next summer, I would not
advise you to full feed them through the
winter; but just keep them in good,
growing condition, and when you turn
to grass they will put on pounds very
fast, and by July or August you will
have cattle good enough for any market.
But if your fancy should dictate you can
graze on until later, and your cattle will
still be taking on flesh very fast. My
observation is that a steer will take'on
about so many pounds in a year, say on
an average, 400 to 500 pounds. Now, if
you put on'300 pounds in the winter,
you will get but 100 to 200 through the
summer. But if you feed through the
winter just enough to keep your cattle
in a good growing condition, bringing
them ont in the spring as good as they
were in the fall, or possibly 50 to 100
pounds heavier; then through the summer, on the grass, you can put on from
350 to 400 pounds.' 'Then the question
would simply be which, is it the cheapest
to make the pounds with corn or grass ?
which I think would be very easily
decided, especially when corn is worth
50 cents per bushel.    M. B. Wauoh.
Colfax, Indiana.
INFLUENCE OF THE STOCK SALES.
The evidences given by recent successful sales of Short-Horns, of the course
of improvement in general stock breeding, is most encouraging. Seveiity-seven
members of the Glen Flora herd have
scattered among breeders in eight States
and Canada, at a cost of nearly $55,000,
and an average of $710 for each animal.
At the sale of the Lyndale herd 79 animals realized over $127,000, with the
high general average of over $1,600.
The result of the sale of the herd of
(reneral Meredith, of Cambridge City,
Indiana, made up of animals not belonging to highly fashionable families,
proved that a good working herd possesses a certain market value for its essential mcnU of blood and bone, with
nothing taken to account for style or
fancy. Fifty-three animals were disposed of here, for over $24,000, a general
average of more than $450. The grand
total of the three sales was $205 815, and
the average of 209 animals was $984.76.
The fact that these 209 animals have
gone from the hands of three' breeders
into those of a large number in no less
than seventeen  States, leaving Canada
and England out of the question, is of
noticeable significance. In their new
spheres of usefulness, whatever of excellence these choice animals possess will
be added te a hundred herds, and will
influence for good the stock of the
whole country.in a few years. And as
their descendants shall be scattered
through the valleys of our Eastern
rivers, and the broad plains of the
great West, each increment of value
will make up in the whole a vast sum in
proportion to_ which that expended at
these sales will be a mere trifle. It is
in that power to raise the standard of
our common stock to treble its present
value, that the intrinsic worth of these
fine cattle is found.—New  York Paper.,
COMPARATIVE  NUMBERS   OF
FARM ANIMALS. - •>-..-
measure of wheat bran, would be an excellent feed for cows giving milk, even
if they were not to be rattened off when
dry. The cows can be fed heavily with
this feed without danger of injurv to
health, and the flow of milk will be
larger than when the oil meal and grain
it not given. They will usually gain
rapidly in flesh when thus fed, without
any reduction in flow of milk.—-Country
Gentleman.
GENERAL NEWS.
A slight increase of horses is reported
in most of the States, largest in Nebraska, Tennessee, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
In mules, the largest ratio of increase
has been made in the following States,
in the order named: Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Kansas. In
milch cows the increase has been larger
than in other kinds of neat stock.. In
Minnesota an increase of 13 per cent, is
reported, and in Nebraska 8 per cent.
This tendency is strong in Maine and
Connecticut, where the dairy interest is
a growing branch of agriculture, the
reported_ advance being_6 per cent. In
Wisconsin the increase is 5 per cent.j 4
per cent, in New York, Iowa. California,
and Oregon. In other bovine stock,
oxen and other cattle, a decrease is reported in all States except Maine. Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut. New
Jersey, Pennsylvania^ Delaware, South
Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota,
Iowa, and Oregon. Texas is reported
at 98 per cent, [n Kansas and Nebraska many animals have been sold at any
available price, from want of feed to
winter them. There is some increase in
sheep in the New England States, in
Texas and Arkansas in the south-west,
in Wisconsin and Minnesota in the
north-west, and on the Pacific coast.
The largest decline has been in swine, in
which nearly every State has participated. The average per centages of the
farm-stock of last year, as reported by
statistical correspondents on the lst of
January, are as follows: Horses, 102:
mules, 104; milch cows, 102; oxen and
other cattle, 100; sheep, 99 ; swine 91.—
Dept. of Ag. Reports, Jan.
OH. MEAL FOR FATTENING.
Will you, or any of your, correspondents, give the value of oil cake meal
made from cotton-seed and from linseed,
as compared with corn, for making beef,
and also of wheat bran, and what would
be a proper quantity of oil cake for an
ox weighing 1,400 pounds? I would
also like to know if oil cake is good feed
for cows giving milk, designed for beef
next summer.—E. L., Waterloo, P. Q.
The experiments and analysis of Dr.
Voclcker go to Bhow that linseed cake is
better than cotton-seed cake for fattening purrioses, and that the latter is equal
to the former for promoting growth of
young stock. Indian meal is nearly as
good for fattening purposes as cottonseed meal. Wheat bran is not a fattening food, but assists muscular growth
and regulates digestion, and is remarkably well adapted for the food of growing
stock, as it can be fed in large quantities
without injury to the animal's health.
Oil meal is usually fed in combination
with corn meal, and a " proper quantity
for an ox weighing 1,400 pounds " would
he from one to nve> or six pounds per
dayj depending on its cost, and on the
rapidity with which the animal is to be
fattened. One or two pounds of linseed
or cotton-seed meal • mixed with six or
eight pounds of corn meal would fatten
the ox faster than the same value of
either, hut without mixture. The same
mixture,   with  an equal  quantity  by
. It has been cold enough in Kansas to
freeze whisky, and some ofthe drunkards there have become solid men.
The bill removing the Capital of West
Virginia to Wheeling   only awaits   the
\ Governor's signature to become a law.
It is reported that $2,000,000 worth of
goods have been smuggled from Montreal into the United States in a single day
recently.
The ground in Dayton has been frozen
to the depth of five feet, an unprecedented condition in this valley.
Suit was begun by the Pacific Mail
Company, against the various persons to
whom Irwin paid money, for its recovery,
on the ground that, by their own testimony, they performed no manner of service for it.
The Kansas House, Saturday, passed
the Senate conenrrent resolution thanking CongresM for its appropriation for
destitute people in that State.    -
Telegrams from various points in the
northwest indicate that the cold weather
continues throughout that section. A
number of railroads in Iowa are still
blockaded.
The Wichita (Kan.) Beacon learns
from gentlemen who left Ft. Sill last
Saturday, that the greater portion ofthe
BarrackB at that post were burned, and
almost all the Indian prisoners held
there escaped.
A lease for 999 years has just run out
in England. The land is at Woolwich,
and was church property a thousand
years ago. but the Crown leased it for
military purposes; it now reverts to the
heirs of the original holders.
In view of the anticipated increase of
tax on tobacco, there has been a rush on
the Internal Revenue office at Richmond, Va., for tobacco stamps, for the
past two or three days. $100,000 worth
were sold Saturday.
There are four living Queens of Spain,
so called—Christine, widow of Ferdinand VII, who resides at Sainte Addresse,
near Havre: Isabella, II., mother of Al-
phonso XII.; the Duches of Aosta, wife
of Prince Amadeo, of the house of Savoy, and the wife of Don Carlos, who
styles himself Charles VII.
A funny story is told of two Vermont
farmers who are not Grangers. They
induced their wives to join and report
before they would commit themselves.
Now, when they will, they cannot. Two
blackballs greet every application. Meanwhile the wives go. regularly and
triumphantly to everv Grange meeting,
and the men stay at home and mind the
babies.
. It is stated that Mr. Serjeant Ballan-
tine, of London, has been retained on
behalf of the Guicowar of Baroda, who
is to be tried at Bombay on or about
February the 15th. The fees given to
the learned Serjeant amount, it is said,
to ten thousand guineas, or about $50,-
000. This exceeds the fee paid by the
Hartford & Erie Railroad to Wm. M.
Evarts for an opinion upon the Burdell
mortgage, which , was 120,000. One of
the best years Daniel Webster ever had
in the practice of his profession, netted
him $22,500. ,
Many have withstood the frowns of
the world, but its smiles and caresses
have often hugged them to death.
WAYNE COUNTY. ■
Very steady cold weather since the first day
of January. ■ Wheat looks bad.' • Peaches are all
killed, and we fear that many of the trees ace
Injured. Stock of all kinds are looking well.'
Stock'hogs scarce. "   A Patron.
, ANSWER TO QUESTIONS.   ''
.".'''.' February 8. '
I see a great many questions are being asked
through tbe columns or the Farmer; and but
few are answered, and thought I would venture
to'answer a few that appeared ln last week's
paper. !>■..-•
Mr. C. M. Sleeth Is ln ' trouble about his: pig.
Prom tbe, symptoms stated I suppose the
trouble Is mange, and think a few applications
of strong soup suds, well rubbed on, will restore
Piggy to health and happiness..
Tell "Subscriber" that four pounds of oil meal
per head each day, for horses or cattle, at one or
two feeds, and one pound for sheep, with plenty
other provender, will fatten them on short notice.
If'J.K." will give his mare plenty of salt
and ashes, I think lt will remedy tbe evil. If
not, rub the halter strap well with raccoon oil.
I would like for W. II. Farmer to tell us how
long it has been since he was 15 years old? lie
says he has raised pigs that when 7 months old
weighed 820 pounds; never fed strong until they
were 8 months old. I would like to know
If the pigs weighed 320 pounds each? or Is that
what the whole litter weighed?
' stock Fancier.
PARKE COUNTY.   -
ftoKKDALE, Feb. 10. ■
Early wheat looks well.   Corn crop fair. ' Potatoes scarce.   Hog crop short. Peach buds are
killed. The Farmer ls a favorite with the farmers here. L. F. Wood.
LAPORTE COUUTY.
Can any of your readers inform me about sowing lime on winter .wheat? I would like to
know at what time lt should be sewn, tho
amount per acre, and the best way of putting it
on. I am Informed that lt ls extensively used
in Pensylvania and other States.-
■!   ■ •    .■■.'.»     I       ABUBSCBIBKR.   ',
,'. PRICES  OF FARM CROPS.
TIPTON COUNTY.
Corn selllngat 55cents;wbeat90. Stock hogs
are scarce and dying with cholera. The prospect for a wheat crop Is very poor. O. D.
PIKE COUNTY.
Weather has been cold. Peaches are reported
killed.   Abundance of hog cholera.    Wheat
looks bad. .,_..-..  J- Is, Bkhtok.
JACKSON COUNTY.
Weather cold. Wheat looks bad. Peaches are
killed.
The action of the Executive Committee in relation to the State Agency, ls entirely satis-
fatory.
Can cranberries be grown ln the latitudes of
Central and Southern Indiana? We have some
marshy land of inexhaustable fertility.
O.I.C.
MARSHALL   COUNTY.
Plymouth, Feb. 8.
If" J. KV'wlll rub his halter strap with flsh
oil, his mare will case to trouble him.    Corn ls
worth 55 cents Q. W. Oles.
HANCOCK COUNTY.
The growing wheat looks well. Peaches are
all killed. We are well pleased wlte the pro-
ceedingsof the Executive Committee at their
last meeting. J. F.C.
VERMILLION COUNTY.
Will some of the farmers of this county tell ns
the best time to sow'timothy and clover seed?
whether It will pay to mix both for hay? and
how much of each If mixed?
I like your paper. I have been an itinerant
preacher forZ7 years ln the IJ. B. C. Six years
ago I commenced farming. I think I will
have to Join the Grange in order to learn to farm
successfully. J. A. M.
WHY IS ITT
In looking over the Agricultural Reports for
1873 I find a table giving the average price ot
hogs on the lst of January frous the year 1869
to 1874 Inclusive. I find tbat the price has been
one dollar more on the hundred pounds ln Illinois and Ohio than in this State. In 1873 the
number of hogs ln Ohio was about the same as
here, and in Illinois there was about one mil
lion more. Now, what I want to know Is, why
should the price be so much higher on each
side of us, when we have as good shipping facilities as either ofthe other States. Is lt due
to the ignorance or necessity of the farmers, or
to the averloe of the pork packers? or what ls It?
M.Y.SKJ.I-.
MARION COUNTY.
Have any of your subscribers ever sown
spring barley ln this county? and will lt grow
to do any good? If so, what kind of Boll Is
best? when to sow? and the best mode of putting it ln? ate. A.B.W.B.
FROM ANOTHER. '  ■    •
Inreply*to"J. H." of Hendricks eounty, I
would say, I cooked a pepper pod in lard and
rubbed en the halter strap, and also rubbed on
a few drops of turpentine which cured a horse
from chewing the strap for me. •' ''     M. Y. 8.
HAMILTON COUNTY.
Weather very <x>ld and dry. A great many
wells are'dry, : Wheat looks bad. ;,
Please tell me why lt ls that Congress does
not make an appropriation for the relief of the
destitute of Nebraska and Kansas? I think
they are as needy and as worthy as the sufferers by the overflow of the Mississippi, and Congress made an appropriation for them.
' J.B.K.
[Congress has made an appropriation for relief lm Kansas and Nebraska.—Eds.J
WABASH COUNTY.
Wlllyoupleaaegivemetha address of some
one manufacturing windmills, and. oblige a
subscriber and Patron.  '        '"'   " ".  I. C. M.
Answer.—The Perkins Windmill Company,
Mlshawaka, Ind., make the best mill of which
we have any knowledge. It is an excellent
mill, so good that we selected lt for one of our
best premiums.  Address aa above.—Ess.
MIAMI COUNTY. '
Snow 13 inches deep and still falling; Wheat
badly killed. Corn Ig worth 62cents; wheat 92;
hogst%; cattle 4. (jsjg.
We quote below from the Agricultur-'
al Department Crop Reports:   " "
Corn.—The price of corn iri thiscoun-.
try is governed by the quantity grown,,
the abundance or scarcity of'Otnerfeed-'
ing material having _a slight modifying
influence. . The foreign demand, averaging between 1 and 2 per cent., and in.
recent years reaching 3 per cent., is too
small to be a disturbing^ element in the
market. The commercial assertion that
the foreign value of an exported article
fixes its home price,.while partially true:
of wheat, fails almost utterly in its ap--
plication to corn. So we usually see the
lowest prices of corn when we have the
largest products; but an average crop of
wheat, with larger foreign crops, may.
bring lower prices than a more pro-:
lific one with a deficient harvest
abroad. A reference to the records of
estimated production and current prices'
in past years illustrates this truth, and.
at the same time attests the accuracy of
the records. The quantity produced
and average prices of recent years are as'
follows: '     :
In 1868, 906,000,000 bushels valued at'
62 cents per bushel. !<:.!
In 1869. 874,000,000 bushels, valued at
75 cents per bushel.
In 1870, 1,094,000,000 bushels, valued
at 54 cents per bushel. '
In 1871, 991.000.000 bushels, valued at'
48 cents per bushel.
In 1872,1,092,000,000 bushels, valued,
at 39 cents per bushel.
In 1873, 932,000,000 bushels, valued af
48'acents per bushel. ■     .   .    ;
In 1874. 854,000,000 bushels, valued at
65 cents perbushel. ....
The price in 1873 would have been at
least-10 -per «ent. higher than in 1871, but -
for theeffect monetary panic on prices generally. Theprice at the - close of 1872
was 15 cents lower than in 1870, partly
from gradual decline in . prices and in
part because the surplus of old corn was
much smaller iri the latter year, the Combined productof 1869-70 being 1,968,-.
000,000 bushels; of 1871-72, 2.083.000,000
bushels, a difference of 115,000,000bushels. _ At the present time, a season of
continued monetary depression, the average price is 65 cents, 10 cents less than
in 1869, when the crop was 20,000,000
bushels greater. In 1871, a medium crop
with a large surplus ofthe immense product of 1870, and a tendency to lower
values generally, caused a reduction of 5
cents per bushel.
The crops of 1869 and 1874 are the
shortest for masy years, and the prices
are naturally the highest.
The December prices of corn the past
six years, in the States on the fortieth
parallel, are compared as follows:
States.
New Jersey...
Pennsyl'nla..
Ohio	
Indiana...
Illinois....
Iowa _,
Nebraska
1874
187?
1872
.1871
1870
Cents
CcntslCents
Cents
Cents
82
62
62
75
81
78
60
60
77
75
58
42
34
45
48
.51
40
29
37
38
56
32
24
32
3,
43
31
18
23
34
K
28
18
23
36
Cents
95
92
72.,
70
57 *
SO -
37
TV/tatC—The average value per bushel
of the large crop of 1869 was 94 cents.
The next crop was under an average, estimated at 236,000,000 bushels, valued at
$1.04. Another under-medium crop was
gathered in 1871. 231.000.000 bushels,
valued at $1.25. That of 1872, estima-
mated at 250.000,000 bushels, was valued
at $1.24. -The crop of 1873 was a full
one, and the rate of valuation receded to
$1.15. Three deficient crops in Great
Britain made a strong demand for wheat
as is shown by the exports (in wheat and
flour) of 182,520,878 bushels in the last
period of three years against 136,192,092
bushels ofthe previous period of three
years, an increase of 46,328,786 bushels.
' Year ending June, 1868 29,717,291.
Tear ending June, 1889 53,900,780.
Year ending June, 1870 £2,574,111.
Year ending June, 1871. 38,995,755.
Year ending June, 1872...: 52,014.715.
Year ending June, 1873 91,510,408.
The present crop exceeds 300,000,000
bushels, and the average value has receded to94 centB. The general European deficiency in 1873 caused heavy
shipments throughout 1874, up t# September, mainly from our crop of 1873,
which will aid in swelling our aggregate
for the fiscal year ending-June 30,1874.
The abundant harvests abroad in 1874
have caused^ this decline, which will
probably go no further unless a prospect
of heavy European production in 1875
should receive general credence.
The following statement of prices' in
several prominent wheat-growing States,
since 1869, will fairly illustrate the range
of local prices- in those years.
set