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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1872)
I- n l V I 1 1, Q arm. IIkhui.t ok Vicious FAitMiNa. A few years ago llio average grain pro duct per uero In Minnesota was 22 bushels. This year tho Stuto has an average acreage planted of 1,100,000. Tlio tolal product Is 1.1,200,000 bush els; average, M bushels per acre. TliN great reduction In the averago Ih chlellyduo to the vicious system of farming pursued In that .State, whero for years they have cropped tho came land In wheut, to the ru in of the soil. This Ktate has noth ing to boastof over Minnesota In the matter or fanning. Wo have crop pod our Holds in wheat and hurley for 15 years, without change or rest, and the result is that lauds which In lKTiii were good for fit) bushels per acre, will now hardly averago 10 bu-hcls, and that, too, In tho richest districts. New England, a century idnec, produced all the wheat she consumed ; she now produces not a hundredth part of It. Vermont grows no wheat or next to none. Ohio, onco the Egypt of tho now world, no longer grows her own bread ; and Indiana will soon lie fed hy Nebraska and Dakota. The wheat crop moves more rapidl.N westward. How soon must we at this rale look for bread to the Puclllc Coast. . Sowinci I)mti:hi:ntIiiainh To OKTitr.ii. The 'Wtmto (Statu', nays, of late years the attention of several experimental English agrlcullurlsts (as well as .-nine Canadian) has been turned towards the possibility of In creasing the yield per acre of various cereals, when miwii together In same Held. There serins little doubt that a much larger yield can thus lie ob tained. Instances me ipiuled wheie peas, oats, barley and wheat, all sown together, have produced a large yield. This plan lias especially been successful where various Mirl.s of wheat alone have been sown togeth er, or, us we .should term It, a mixed simple of seed, due man mentions n yield of upwards of. -evenly liuslieU of this mixed seed (wheat) per acre, and this great crop was composed of four dlH'ereut sorts of wheat. The theory Is that some sorts are subject to particular enemies, whether of mni-oii or iu-ecls ; whilst others are not liillueiiced by the same, at the name time, or escape altogether; so between tho various chances which ulfcct thedllVerent plants, a crop ma tures. Our improved fanning mills am now brought to such perfection that tlieseparatlonofdlHereul grains is not dilllcull. Hum Cri.TiVAT.ioN. The Maine J-hrmer, alluding to tint subject of "high eul'lvatlou," so much talked of and written about, says that there is much more talk than improve ment. A man looks over his farm, of many acres, and llnilsthe whole needs aid, but not being able, at once, to render It to all portions, makes no particular etrort to Improve any part. Tho rigid way right be cause alone practicable Is to com mence with a few acres at a time. (let these in good heart thetlrst year, and the Increased product from them will aid In experimeutlugon another section tbu succeeding year. In this way the farm will soon become reno vated, and, properly cared for, will not rundown again as "long as grass grows and water runs." How to Kruii'A Hide. Almost every farmer has occasion, at least once a year, to take the hide, oir eith er a beef or a mutton, and .some farm ers take hides oil' animals that are neither beef nor mutton, now and then. In any case there Is a right way to do this which is worth know Ing. A hide properly stripped tilt" Is nearly square, hut otherwise Is far from that shape. To strip a hide properly, lay the carcass on the Uick, run a sharp knife from the chin down along the belly In a straight Hue to tho mot of the tall. The knife should have a sharp point and bo Inserted edge upwards iHUicath the skin, when it should Imi mtM w 5i run .steadily along. Then commence nt tho split of tho hoof on tho fore foot, and run tho knife down over knee in a straight lino to tho brisket whero it moots tho main cut. "When the other fore leg has Ihjcii completed, commcncoat tho heel of tho hind log, go down over the cap of tho hock Joint, and down tho back of tho but tock to tho split. When the hide is looso and spread out, It will be seen that there are no such irregularities in its contour as if the cuts had been made down the Inside of tho legs, as it is often done. KTKAH U'LTIYATION I.V KlItOTK. In tho February report of tho department of agriculture we llnd tho following interesting statement in reference to tho progress of steam cultivation In Europe. At an agri cultural meeting lately hold In Scot laud, Mr. Orey, of Aberdeen, gave some account of tho progress of steam cultivation since 18.V, in which year the late John Fowler started his first steam-plow In Essex, which was a very successful attempt. Ho sub sequently expended $;l.0,000 In ex periments, but after a few years he had nothing to represent tliisumnuiit of invested capital except a lot of old machinery. The solution of the question whether plowing could be (lone cheaper with steam than with horses was decided in I.S.'iS; its Im portance1 may bo learned from the fact (hat (here are works in the coun try employing twelve hundred men in nothing ele than making steam plows. One farmer in Kgypt em ploys four hundred steam-plows; ho is also lying down four hundred mile of rail ways on his farm, princi pally to carry sugar-cane to Ids mills, and has ordered thirty loco-motive-engines, and j-ll, (1(10,1)00 worth of sugar machinery. Tills farm Is tho Pacha's. In Germany steam cul ture is making a revolution in agri culture. In England (hero are be tween too and find sels of tackle working for hire. The.se are held by companies as well as by private Indi viduals; the Investment lias been found to be prolllable. A gentleman bought live hundred acres near London, that could not lie rented at !?.'! per acre, lie took down all the fences, drained the laud, bought a steam-plow, and put all in grain crops. Last year his clear prollts were $IKli00uf(crullnwlug$l0 per aero for rent. The soil Is a still' clay that cannot bo cultivated profit ably by horse-power. Another farm er bought live thousind acres of what was considered worthless clay laud, and by steam-power stirred It !l foot deep, produclngcropslast year nearly 7 reel high. In Scotland steam cultivation 1s becoming quite general, producing astonishing results. Many of the farmers there have Invested from $il,ooo to $10,000 In steam machinery, and find that It pays better than horse-power. Joint-stock companies are nisi In existence that invest in laud and steam machinery, and secure large dividends. 101.1.1.1) Oil l0UNI.r.S8 CATTLE. There seems to be some doubt among farmers whether hornless cattle be long to a distinct breed or not. The fact Is, that for some centuries past a breed of hornless cattle has existed in a district of Scotland called Callo way, whence this breed has taken the name of Galloway cattle. Under this name they are well known In (heat Britain, and In Canada there Is one breeder at least who makes Galloway cattle a specialty. Their color Is generally black, coat soft and silky, size medium. At three years old, steers miy be made to weigh from S00 to 1,000 lbs. They posses, excellent points for beef cattle, being light in the houc, with frame square and well tilled in. The cows give rich milk, though not in great quan tity. Tho writer once imissosmhI a cow of this breed that yielded nine pniuuKnf butter per week when in her prime. Their lack of horns, in the estimation of some people, Is a desirable qualification. In constitu tion these cattle are very hardy, and prolsibly In no respect are they info- WILLAMETTE rior to tho Dovons, while In regard to the matter of horns, or rather tho want of them, wo consider them su perior. SListMnnttms. tip Journalism In the United SIMM. We hnvo before us, says the A". Y. Observer, two very Interesting tables in manuscript, made up in tho Cen sus bureau In 'Washington out of re ports of tho ninth census not yet published, and sljowlng at a glance tho number of newsiwpcrs and peri odicals published in tho United States, tho number devoted to par ticular interests, and distribution ac cording to frequency of publication. Wo gather the most suggestive facts presented by theso tables and give them to our readers. Tho entire number of such publications in the country, is nearly six thousand V 8Io. These are divided as follows: Dully Trl-uccklr... "(Hll.ttMKljf . WVikljr Ml , Semi monthly.. , inT ' Monthly Its III monthly . MTU quarterly M , C-.'l in , 4!) Total W'"' Of this Immense aggregate, 79 pa pers, ranging from weekly to quar terly, aro published only for adver tising purposes. Subtracting these as not fairly to be counted among the publications which illustrate the Jourulistic enterprise of tho nation, we have fi,7(!0 newspapers and peri odicals In the country an average of one to about OiOOnf the population. The whole number Is distributed among various interests as follows: IVIMcnl .K i:rl(uliuialitiicl Untilriiliiirnl m Ilcni'ioli'iit nmlStiri't Soriilk'. Cummcri till mill l'linnclnl Illii-ltiilnl. l.llcrim iiml Ml-nllnm-mi- siicrlnlly ih'otil In NiillnMilit) 'In linlml ami I'rofri'-liiiiiil Ilrlfcliiii si . 1M Hi . ai . '.1i7 4iiT . ft Spurl I iij Turning to tho vital question of circulation, we find the facts ot spec ial interest, and can best exhibit them, perhaps, by the following fa ble, in which we give the number of each elus with the aggregate and averago circulation : Nil C'lrciilntlmi. ATrrasc. I'lilllli'nl -I.n-.'S b.Tfs.lM) S.0JS Aurlt ulfiiritl til 7TH.1.VJ s.iiV' S.irifll. M Mit-il .i.i;:t rii.aiicui I'.". uM.'.im r.i". I.ltirary HI U.'l.ir.'i s.sin Niilliiii.tl -.11 I.Vl.VI V,M5T srliiiililcnr I'mli-rrloiial '.11; "II..VSI M..VK, llrll,-l..in -in: i,;i;i.:lvs ii.tihi Sirln II "I..MO l-.Vi'Jl I n tiggregatecirculatiou, us in num ber of publications, religion and poli tics take the lead, it will be seen, though the average circulation of the political papers Is lower than that of and other class. The latter fact Is accounted for. The :i,fli;i) weekly po litical papers consist mostly of small rural sheets which have little, if any, circulation outside of the counties in which they are published. The prevalence of small pox in several of our principal cities during the present season gives Importance to a theory recently advanced by a Ger limn physician. He argues that tho cause of the disease Is the presence of an execs of albuminous matter In tho blood. Such excess bo attributes to over-indulgence In sugar and other sweets, ami be suggests common salt ns the simplest corrective. Lemon Juice Is also recommended as clllcaelou and to the free use of thoe remedies he attributes the fact that for the past twelve years he has frequented the most pestilential smnll pox hospitals in Kurope anil South America with out once incurring the disease. PitoTi-.sT or London Physicians AtiAiNsr Alcohol - A considerable degree of stir hay been produced In London by theelrculatlonof a declara tion finm a large number of the most eminent physicians of that city, In re gard to alcohol, lu which they state that, believing the Inconsiderate pre scription of large, quantities of alco holle liquids by medical men to have given rise, In many Instances, to the foundation of Intemperate habits-, they are of the opinion that no medical practitioner should prescribe them without a grave sensoot responsibility. They believe that alcohol, in whatev er form, should be prescribed with as much cant as any powerful drug, and that the directions should be accom panied by the understanding that its use is not to bo Interpreted as a sanc Mlttl. tion of success, or for the continuance of Its uso when the occasion is past. They also state that many people Im mensely exaggerate the value of alco hol as an artlclo of diet; and hold that every practitioner Is bound to exert his utmost Influence to inculcate great moderation In tho use of alcoholic li quids. Being also convinced that the large amount of alcoholic drinking is one of the greatest evils of the day, they urge the utmost caution against dolmrnnvthlnc. either In their char acter as physicians or citizens, to ex tend Its use. The Wnsulngfon Treaty. New YoltK, April 20. A Washing ton special savs Gen. Banks called on Secretary Fish yesterday according to Instructions from the Committee on Foreign Alluirs. to consult regarding the proposed action of the IIouso on Pe ters' resolution udvislngthe withdraw al of the claim for indirect damages. Seeretarv Fish said he was not in fa vor of modifying the case, and knew of no member of the Cabinet who was. He did not think It possible to moke any modilicatlon, at the saute time he Is said to have admitted that he did not expect a favorable reward for Indi rect damages. At a Cabinet meeting which followed, Fisli communicated the substanceof tho conference, which was uuqualillcdly approved. The 'limes has the following soml- olllclal statement from Washington on the Alabama claims: It is now generally understood here that the Government Insists on maintaining its original position lor the sole pur pose of securing arbitration. Tho principle Involved and the magrltutle of the questions, are great. The gain to be obtained by Its decision lias been overlooked in the decision of the case. A decision disallowing the claims would really be of more advantage to this Government for future emergen cies titan any awanl for damages, for the purpose of having this principle arbitrated and settled for all time to come, so that it might be a precedent for future complications. There Is no doubt that this Government would consent to waive any payment of mon ey damages which might be awarded, hi case of a possible decision adverse to Kuglitutl. A strong lobby, representing the owners of Alalia me claims, has been In Washington the last few weeks en deavoring toiiilltietice the Administra tion and Couurc.sR to withdraw the ob jectionable portion of oar case. IMnisi'iu.vrioN. Tho amount of li quid mutter which passes through the microscopical tubes of the slriu lu twenty-four hours, in an adult person of bound health, is about sixteen fluid ounces, orotic pint. One ounce of the sixteen Isthc solid mutter madctipnfnr- goulcand iuorgauicsiibstaiices, wihlch If fallowed to remain in tbesystcm fora brief space of tlmu would cause death. The rest Is water. Besides the water and solid matter, a large amount of carbonic acid, a gaseous body, passes through the tubes; so we cannot fall to understand that they aro active workers, and also we cannot fail to see the Importance of keeping them in perfect working order, removing ob structions by frequent application of water or by some other mean-. Sup pose we obstruct (ho functions of tho sklu perfectly by varnishing a person completely with a compound Imper vious to moisture. How long will he live ? Not over six hours. Tho exper iment was once tried in Florence. Pope Leo, tbeTenth,ou the occasion of his accession to the Papal chair, wish, ed to luiyc a living figure toiuprescnt the Golden Age and so hegllded a poor child all over with varnish and gold leaf. The child died in a few hours. If the fur of a rabbit or the skin of a pig be covered with a solution of In dia rubber in naptha, the animal ceases to breathe in two hours. Jour ual of ChcmMry. F.aui.v Caheeuok Siinatou Wil son. - In a recent speech at Great Falls, X. 1L, Senator Henry Wilson, refer ring to some experiences In his early life, said : " I feel that I have the right to speak for tolling men and to toiling men. I was born here in your county of Staf ford. I was born lu poverty; want sat by my cradle. I know what it is to ask a mother for bread when she has none to give. I left my homo at ten years of age and served an appren ticeship of eleven years, receiving a month's schooling each year, and at the end ot eleven years' hard work, a yoke of oxen and six sheep, which I'luuiu mf ciKiuj-imir uouuis dollar would cover every penny 1 ,nt from the time I was bnmPtfl I spe was twenty-one years of age. I know WllUt it is to travel Uivirv in It.. nn.l ask my fellowmcn to give mo leave to I0"' ,I remember that lu Sept. IKtt I walked into your village from my native town, and went through mills, sccklngcmployment. If anybwjyTT, offered moMor $9 a month, I fiffii have accepted t gladly. I Went down to Salmon Falls, I went to Dover r went to Newmarket and tried to 2. work, without success, and I rcturnwi homo weary but not discouraged andr put my pack on my back and walked to the town whero I now live anil learned a mechanic's trade. I know the hard lot tolling men have to en dure In tho world, and every pulsation of my heart, every conviction of niv Judgment, puts me on the side of the tolling men of my country- aye, of all countries." " Wk Aitis am. SiNNints. There is no man that lives who docs not sin, There Is no man that lives who can not he made to sin. All men could not be made to sin In the same way. Some men cannot bo made to sin by meat and drink. Others can. And of those who cannot bo made to sin by meat and drink, some can bo made by temptation of money. There Is many and many a man whose morals re pure enough, but whoso avarice Is as Intense as a furnaco of fire J and be might be made to sin there. He might not nt one, two, orthrecdegrces but he might at twenty or thirty de grees. Some are fusible nt a low temp, crulurc, like lead, mid others require the compound blow-pipe to fuse them; but there Is no man who cannot bo fused at some points. Some may ho warped by their sympathies and affec tions who could not bo by their pride, But though ono might not bo toppled over by pride, ho might by vanity. And though one might not bo made to yield by vanity, he might bo led In to compliance by benevolence and gen tleness and good will. Some men can be overcome lu oneway, nud sonic In another. Somewhere or other there U a Joint lu tho harness through which the arrow could go. Tito implication is that every man is temptahle, and that on man, being tempted, has power to cure himself II. IF. Jiccchcr. JjtTTi.i: can bo done well to which the whole mind is not applied. afecfnl iUcripte. Tin: FAininn's Own PtniiHNa. Three pounds sifted corn meal, tlireo quartet-sofa pound llucly minced beef suet, one pound dried currants, (well washed and rubbed dry,) one-half tea spoonful of soda, (stipercarbontite ;) in corporate tho whole, while dry, and add one and a half pint of molasses, a sulllclcnt quant ityoflmillng watcr,Htir ring hard all the time until the mix ture Is ol the consistency of common mush ; stand over night in a modera tely warm place; next morning tic it in a wlde-uiotithcd bag, leaving it full space to swell; boll Incessantly four or live hours (a plate placed In the bot tom of the pot;) served witli boiled or hard sauce, according to taste, tho same as witli pudding. By many, tills pudding Is considered even better when heated in the oven next day. The above recipe makes a quantity sufllclcnt for twenty people. CocoanittC'aki:. Fourcups of flour, three cups of sugar, one cup of milk, live eggs beaten separately, one cup of butter, two spoonfuls of cream of tar tar, one teuspoouful of soda, tho half of a eocoanut. grated and put Into the cake; tho other half put with tho whites of three eggs anil half o cup of sugar, and put on the top to form n Icing. Bake In two pans, two Inches thick. Ooi.D and Sii.vkk Caki:. For sil ver cake take ono codec cup of sugar J one and a half cups of flour; tho whites of four eggs ; ono for frosting ; ono half tcacupful of milk one tea spoonful cream of tartar, ami one-half tcaspoonful of soda. For gold cakes use the same, substituting the yolks of the eggs for the whites. Bkown Bread. Two-third corn meal one-third rye or unbolted wheat llour.onc collco cup full of molasses, to a pint of sour milk and three eggs, salera tus to sweeten the milk and frement tho molasses: tho whole to bo mixed, quite soft; bake immediately, three Hours, iiisaiiiuo newer iiicmnnu night. Excellent Cuackeus. To four teen cups of Hour, add ono cup of lard, two tcaspoonfuls soda, four cream tar tar. Hub tho ingredients well into tne tlour, then add three cups of water, work thoroughly and bake quick. Watkh Cookies. Three cups of su gar, one of water, ono egg, one pun of butter, half tcaspoonful soda, half a nutmeg grated. These nrc best when three weeks old. A Liniment. One of the bestllnl- Jents that was ever made Tor manor ! J." l'Sf.V"1" "IIS! Its effect Is almost magical. LoAKUAKE.-Thrcocupa buttermilk, three of sugar, one of butter, six of tlour, ono tcaspoonful soda, two cream tartar, fruit If you choose. fr .i.jm.. 32H53 -.J;,oTrnpMyffaepijMli'l innmini--M