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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1880)
THE WEST SHORE. October, 1880. 374 THE OLD AND THE NEW ECONOMY. IN KAItM t II h a thrifty young firmer with good wife, turn capital, a healthy ooattitutioa Mid plenty of good Dutoh oourege. They hailed 'rum Meroer oounty, I'eiinaylvania, aud, for ob. vious reasons, we will oll them Mercers. They cams to Hanta Clara oounty seeking i home and uoh prosperity a i almost alwayi the reward of honest iuduatry when directed by Uot and Judgment Their eiporienoe ia deaoribed aa follows ia the Kan Juae (Cal.) Mercury: They bought a farm of 100 aoroe of gravelly land near the foothilla. We aay they, from the luil that in accordance with the old Dutch oualum the man and frau oounaoled with each other before taking an iinM)rlaiit itop. Hiohor land would have euited thera better, but the richest land in our valley they Irarned waa not tlie euroat for erope, while the gravelly land, with good farming, la abeolutefy aura. Th laud they bought had been farmed for many yeare aooordiug to the old California eyatem, which meana ihallow plowing and orop. ping with grain every year, year in and year out, and annually burning the alubble after the orop ia havealwl. The former owners had prac tical this plan thoroughly, it being about the only thing they were thorough in, and the eyatem had eo nearly ruiued them that they were oom. mIImI to sell out and soak other and newer landa. The oeighbore imiled when they learued that the Meroera had bought thia farm, aa thiHiuh they thought a good hike had lioen per- ixlrated UKn the new eomera. nun, in me Limlnaaa ol lhair haarU. the reaolved to aaaiat llitm with what they onmidered good advice. Ho when Meroer attacked the huge manure pile which had lain for yeera behind the liable, and Eniwa larger by oonalant additions (mm it, and rgaa to spread it around upon a good ailed piece of land, they went over and aaked him what he iuUndod to do, "Whv," aaid he, "1 am going to make a gar den. on all have gardene, don't you T" "Oh, no," aald they, "peddler bring ua our vegelalilae and cell 'era cheap. Thia laml won't ruw vegetables, it'e loo dry." "Well," aaid lervnr, "I am gi'ing to plow thia manure in dei-n and aee what It will da "Do," aaid hn neighbor, "it won't do nolhin', you'll gel your labor fur your paina. You ruuau'l plow derpi yon aee moiatur oomoe up to the top of the hard ground, and there it alo. and if yon plow deep, the roots ol your orop won I reach the niouiure, lor all me uioie lute, will dry out from the Ioom ground." "Mine gracious, it Willi" aaid Meroer, "You ear. dua'l spread manure and don't plow deep. In my oounlry tine la the pmicial art ol larmiug, and I don't know auy other way. I thank )oa. Yen mean to do me good, 1 know you do, and I thank you. 1 mini try my way a while and U it don I work well, then 1 will Irv voura. The Mercer have now been practicing the good old plan o( (arming they were brought U to lur tlie laat eevea veara. and a prettier farm. or autre thrilly family it would be hard to lied. He Bret tried summer (allowing, but aaya that paeUineg ia more proAuldo, aud bow baa hia main (area divided ia four flelJe, with paaaagea landing (root each to the bars yard w htch ia alao the watering pUo. In one of theee flelde each year be paeturee all hia (lock (about i!S bed) the nail year be plow It, uttuiff the eltx k la another held. He plow deep all the Ume, and gu all the manure be re. a, vw Boy lag and bauitug u lur turn aiauaoa, v' A atat'iiii), by which 0M )ail be tamed out daily, the atdee of each pail being aaade la one pieoa, baa beea la reeled at Mam meepurt Mans. lUaad a black o( wood ehaped tike water pail, the machine cela ofl a strip ol Um reoaieilo Unckaeee lor pail, aad ol ihe aaaaa length lh block iUelt ia. A pteoa ol the Mria, ol Ue right lectin lur a pail, m Uea out ofl, lb odgea toagued aad groovwd, aw grwove eat a recoiva th boUoea. MAKINli AND rCESERYIXC CIDER. Ai the cider season ii at hand, the following uiigeationi taken Irom an article in me ocien lfic American may be of Die to eome readers: A pure, aweet oider is only obtainable from clean, sound fruit, and the fruit should there- lore be carefully examined auu wipeu Duioro grinding. In the preai, use hair oloth or gunny in plaoe of straw. As the cider runs from the press lot it pass through a hair siove into a largo open veeael that will hold as mush juice as can be ex- fireeaed in one day. In one day, or sometimes ess, the pomace will rise to tho top, and in a short time grow very thlcn. v nen i:tue wmvo bubbles break through it, draw off the liquid through a very email spigot placed about three inches from the bottom, so thai the lees may ue loft behind. The cider muit be drawn oil into verv clean, sweet casks, preferably fresh liquor casks, and closely watched. The moment the while bubbles, before mentioned, are perceived rising at the bung-hole, rack it again. It is usually necessary to repeat this three times. Then till up the csak with cider in every respect like that originally contained in it, auu a tum bler of warm sweet-oil, and bung up tight. For very fine oidur it is customary to add at this stage of the proceas about half a pound of glu cose (starch sugar) or a smaller portion of white sugar. The oaak should then be allowed to re main in a oonl plaoe until the oider has acquired the desired ilavor. In the meantime dean barrels for its recep tion should lie prepared, as follows: Home clean striis of rags are dipped in melted sulphur, lighted and burned in tne Dung.noie, and mo bung laid loosely on the eud of the rag, so aa to retain the aulphur vapor within the barrel. Then tie up half a pound of muitard seed in a coarse mualin bag, and put it in the barrel, fill the barrel with oider, and add about a quarter of a pound of isinglass or flue gelatine dissolved iu hot water. This is the old-faahionod way, and will keep cider in the ume condition aa when it went into the barrel, U kopt in a cool plsoe, fur a year. l'rofosaiunal eider makers are now using cal oium sulphite (wlphite of lime), unload of mus tard and aulphur vapor. It is much more con venient and i-llecluaL lo use It, It is simply rrqiiinte to add one-eighth to one-quarter of an ouuoe of the sulphite to each galluu of cider in the oaak, llrst mixing the powder in about a quart of the cider, then pouring it back into the caik and giving the latter a thorough shaking or rolling. AfUr atauding bunged eoverel daya to allow the sulphite to exert Its full action it ,(iu be buttled off. The sulphite of lime (which should not be mistaken for tho sulphate of lime) is a onmmrrcial article, coating about 40 oenta a Mund by the Itarral. It will preserve tho inertuoss of the aider perfectly, but unless cara is taken not to add too much of it, it will im- liert a slight sulphurous taate to the older. The bottles aud corks used should be iierfectlv dun and the corks wired down. A little cinnamon, wintergreen, or saatafras, etc., ia often added to sweet cider in the bottle, together with a dram or eo of bicarbonate of euda at tlie moment ol driving the stopper. This helps In neutralise free acids, and rim.lan the liquid effervracent when unatopped but if need m (loess, it msy prejudioially affect tlie w in. It is a curious fact, writes a missionary Irom China, that tobacco, sweet potatoes and Indian oorn bar all been introduced Irom America. and are now thoroughly domesticated hers. Aa to the drat, so oordially has it beea welcomed that 9 out of 10 adult Chinees males smoke iL They do ant chew. Within the last lira years the artichoke, which ia my boyhood was found with bora radian ia every farmer 'a ami., i. oealrel New York, is being iotruduoed in this rpoB, U la pickled and eaten si a relieh. Oddly enough, it ia ceiled foreign ginger. 8ome tuaae we are aaked how it happens that foreign ginger is not pungent SELECTING BROOD SOWS. The BtrMire Bulletin, organ of the Berk shire Swine Breeders' Association, has the fol lowing: A brood sow should be a good milker. However good in other respects, if deficient in this, she should hardly be retained as a breeder. An abundance of milk for the first eight or ten weeks of their existence is the best preparation young pigs can have to fit them for profitable growth in after life. It is not always possible to decide with certainty whether or not a young sow will prove to be a good milker; but aa with cows so with pigs we may learn from observa tion and trial to know in some degree, judging from their general appearance, what to expeot. Much will depond upon the dam and grand dam in this regard. Milking qualities in swine are ai surely transmissible to progeny as in cattle. Thus it is as true of swine as of cattle, that thia trait may be greatly improved by retaining only good milkers for breeders, as well as by feeding them when young with a view to their develop ment as milk producers rather than aa fat pro ducers. For this reason, spring and early sum mer litters are usually the best from which to select young brood sows. They can be kept through the summer almost entirely on grass, which, if abundant and in variety, will make them grow nicely, and at the same time the ex ercise required in grazing will keep them ia good health and thrift. By the time cold weather comes on, and oorn is to bo fed, they will have beoome nearly old and large enough for service. But even after this, oontinued oare must be taken that too much oorn or other fat producing food should not be given them. We must, however, bear in mind that at this period all animals naturally lay up fat, which after ward goes to enrich the milk. Hence, while they should not be allowed to become over-fat, they should yet be so fat as to supply this de mand of nature, and to retain the general health and vigor of the system. When thev have droDued their first litter. tho most they will need for five or eight daya will be cooling drinks and very little rich food. Wheat bran scalded and then thinned with oold water, to which may be added a handful of ship stuff or middlings, msy be given. In ten day or two weeks the richness of the food may be gradually increased, great care being taken, how ever, both as to the quality and quantity, that these changes may not injure the health of the sow, or so affect her milk as to cause scours in the pigs. It is a very common mistake in feed ing sows having young pigs to give them too much strong food when the pigs are quite young, It is not until thepigs are some three or four weeks old that they really begin to tax the sow heavily. Then it is that the tow should be lilierally and regularly fed on good, nutritious milk-produoing food, aud at the same time the young pigs should be taught to feed by them selves at a trough out of the roach of the sow. If thus mauaged, bath sow and pigs are bene fited. The strength of the former is kept np, aud her diaposition to produce an abnndanoe of good, rich milk is so encouraged as to fix this as one of the best traits of her nature, while the pigs, by the extra feed given them, make a cor responding rapid growth, and that at a compara tively small oot Young sows brought np in the manner sug gested, and thus oared for with their first lit ters, msy be depended upon to do at well or better with their next, provided they have any thing like fair treatment In case, however, a sow fails to prove herself a good milker, after a fair trial, they should be rvplaoed by on of bet ter promise, nnless for torn special purpose it is thought best to retain her. I'hxsiiivinu Lxatuir. To preaerv leather hose, belting, etc., in good oondition, use orude wwvu, warmea, u possible, ana Ireeiy ap plied. It inoraaae the pliability of the leather aad th cling ol the belts, and doos not becom rancid. Kats avoid it In hoe it should be pumped in from th interior under oonaiderabl pressure, thus thoroughly filling th por.