FEED LOTS.
Brick Paved Z'ards With Shelter Clf
P tint action.
Muddy feed lots are an unprofitable
as well as disagreeable feature in cat
tle feeding, especially when no pro
Vision is made for shelter. In a sum-
BRICK PAVED FEED LOT.
mary of replies to a circular of inquiry
regarding the methods followed by
practical feeders compiled by H. W.
Mumford and L. D. Hall of the Illinois
experiment station the question of
muddy feed lots was considered. Not
withstanding the fact that the disad
vantages of mud and dirt were recog
nized, only thirty-six of the 500 and
more cattle feeders who furnished in
formation on this point reported defi
nite provisions against such conditions.
Of these ten have the surface of feed
lots paved or otherwise artificially cov
ered and fifteen use rock, gravel, cin
ders, bricks, planks, corncobs or saw
dust alone and in combination in vari
ous parts of the lot for instance, about
the feed troughs, water tanks, sheds
or gates.
Ten of the correspondents state that
they have made the lots dry enough
for feeding purposes by a tile drain,
while two report that the yards have
been graded and the mud and manure
removed by means of dirt scrapers.
Several of those who use coal cinders
for filling the muddy portion of the
lot state that care must be taken to
keep them covered with straw, corn
stnlks or other bedding material In or
der to avoid injury to the feet.
The first cut shows a brick paved
feed lot, with convenient shelter, wa
ter and feeding arrangements, d .sign
ed to accommodate about fifty cattle,
which has given satisfaction. The
pavement is 24 by 80 feet and is made
of brick laid flat on six inches of jgrav
el packed until solid. The curbing
consists of curbstones eighteen Inches
wide and three inches thick set edge
wise. Feed bunks were placed in the
shed. The shelter consists of a building
20 by 20 feet, with two wings, both
20 by 80 feet. The upper floor of the
middle position Is used for storing dry
corn fodder, which can be convenient
ly cut and fed through an open shaft
to the feeding bunk below.
The second cut is a feed bunk, with
platforms for use in a muddy lot, which
is inexpensive and has proved satis
factory. Platforms of the sample de
scribed were 16 by 6 feet and were
FEED BAKES FOB MUDDY LOTS.
There are three advantages in the floors.
The feeder always has a dry place to
walk when putting in feed; the cattle
are out of the mud and not in a strained
or cramped position while feeding; by
having the floors six feet wide all wast
ed feed and droppings fall upon the
floor, and the hogs get all before it Is
lost in the mud.
made of two Inch bridge plank cut six
feet loug. The feed bunks were made
in the usual way, two feet six inches
high, three feet wide and sixteen feet
long.
Winter Protection For Orchard.
One of the most important points in
preparing bearing apple trees for win
ter, in my opinion, is to remove all
rubbish that may afford shelter for
mice or other vermin, says a writer in
American Agriculturist. Be sure there
are no declivities at the immediate
base of the tree. A slight mounding is
good. At all events leave no hollows
that will hold water to freeze at times
of sudden falls In temperature, thereby
greatly damaging trees. If 1 mice or
rabbits are feared, protect with wire
netting. Cut with shears into proper
Bites, roll around an old broomstick or
any round object to give it a circular
shape, the stick removed, and the wire
will spring around the trunk and hold
itself in place. See that all drains are
in good order.
Economic Position of Farmers.
A matter of great importance In Its
bearing upon the increased value of
farm lands is the new economic inde
pendence of farmers, fundamentally
growing out of their improved finan
cial condition. Farmers now occupy a
strong economic . position, founded
upon the tendency of the consumption
of some Important" products to in
crease faster than population does and
upon the tendency of the desires for
these' products to Increase faster than
the production does, so that with re
spect to these products consumption is
close upon the heels of production.
Frufif Trees.
Deciduous trees may be pruned at
any time after freezing weather sets
In, when the sap will all have run out
of the branches. Landscape garden
ers, as a rule, leave the pruning of
trees and shrubs until February. Care
should be taken to cover all large
wounds with gas tar or Unseed oil
paint to prevent decay. Country Oen-
FARM IRRIGATION. 7
Oavealeat Try- ( Ilea Gat Wmm
Private Ditch. ' Jr
Each farmer needs a head gate to
control the flow from the main or
branch canal Into his private ditch.
This head gate - should meet the re
quirements of both the canal company
and the farmer. The Interests of the
company demand that it shall be water
tight when closed, large enough to ad
mit the necessary flow and so made
that it cannot be raised above a given
height. The farmer is likewise inter
ested in having a substantial head gate
of ample size, but in addition he de
sires it to be designed in such a way
that he can, when he chooses, close it
partly or altogether. The head gate
Is placed at tlie edge of the canal,
and either a wooden box or pipe con
veys the water under the embankment
of the canal. When a wooden pipe is
used a convenient type of head gate,
as described by S. Fortier, Is that
shown In the cut. The box, as shown,
is about twenty inches wide and sev
enteen inches deep inside, and the gate
which is made to fit this opening con
sists of two thicknesses of one inch
boards. The upper part of the gate
IiATEBAIi HEAD GATE.
stem is a round steel rod threaded and
the lower part a piece of band steel
welded to the rod. This flat portion is
imbedded between the boards of the
gate and fastened with bolts. The
gate is operated by means of a cast
iron hand wheel, held In place by two
cross timbers, which in turn are sup
ported by posts resting on the box.
The special nut, attached to a chain
and locked, prevents the gate from
being raised beyond a fixed point, yet
it does not prevent the gate from be
ing partially or wholly closed.
BEET PULP.
Some Results of Feeding; It to Cows
and Sheep.
In regard to beet sugar making and
the use of beet pulp for stock a writer
in Orange Judd Farmer says, among
other things, that the industry is grow
ing, which means a continually in
creasing acreage of sugar beets and
a greater supply of beet pulp each
year. The pulp has a feeding value
and is returned to farmers who want
It for feeding. In view of this fact
and to give farmers not conversant
with the value of pulp some idea of
Its worth as a stock food I will re
count my experience.
When fed to milk cows it was found
that the dry matter of beet pulp and
corn silage were of equal value, but ow
ing to the high percentage of water In
beet pulp twice as much of it is re
quired to furnish a given amount of
dry matter as of corn silage.
Pnlp Saves Other Feeds.
When twenty to eighty pounds xf
pulp were fed per day there was a
saving of four to fourteen pounds of
hay. The pulp bad a most beneficial
effect on the milk yield. Most of the
cows were decreasing in milk flow at
the time pulp feeding began, after
which there was an increase.
Ltmbi Made Good Gains.
Lambs made as good gains on pulp
as on corn at the Colorado station.
One ton of pulp was considered equal
to 200 pounds of corn; two pounds of
sugar beets were found to be equal to
about one pound of palp. According
to this experiment, it paid to sell beets
and buy pulp. In a trial with four lots
of lambs a ration of pulp and lucern
made a gain at less cost and gave
larger profits than rations of lucern,
pulp and grain, lucern and sugar beets
or lucern, sugar beets and grain. Pnlp
fed sheep were weak boned, not very
fat, but produced mutton of good fla
vor. Lambs fed pnlp In large quanti
ties had soft flesh and shrank heavily
when slaughtered. It is recommended
that pulp be fed to greatest extent at
commencement of the feeding period.
Winter Wheat States.
A notable Increase In the production
of the crop has taken place in Nebras
ka. Fifteen years ago the proportion
of winter wheat to the total wheat pro
duction of the state amounted to about
15 per cent while at present the spring
wheat produced bears about the same
relation to the total annual yield. Ne
braska' now ranks second among the
.winter wheat producing states, Kansas
standing first
Grown on Dairy Byproducts.
Some French farmers grow their
pigs slowly for several months and
then fatten them quickly. This pre
vails among the small farmers, many
of whom use no grain except during
the last two months, the pigs being
grown on dairy byproducts and kitchen
stops.
I wish to consider that one trial of
all dairymen, the clinging of the ma
nure to the thighs and hocks of the
cows, writes W. J. Elliott in American
Agriculturist .1 have heard. It said
that this is easily overcome If the
dairyman makes it his chore to brush
down the thighs of the cows every day.
It is a fact that it is not a big chore
if we look to the bedding and the
brushing each day. At present I am
practicing in my dairy a system of
keeping clean the caws', thighs. It
consists of the clipping very short of
the hair on the thighs, hocks and tail
of the cows. The accompanying illus
tration shaws what I mean. You will
find the portion of the cow's thigh that
is clipped is below the dotted line.
With an ordinary pair of horse clip
pers cut very short the hair from be
low the hock to a line drawn from the
stifle to the tail
head. The horse
clippers may
also be used for
clipping the ud
der, but the
clipping of
the tail is diffi
cult unless we
have some one
to hold It
Now, when the
cow gets up,
any litter that
clip below like. may cling to
her thighs will dry very quickly be
cause it Is so close to the hide. When
dry it is very easily brushed off and
the thigh is as clean as ever. If the
thighs are not clipped and the long
wjnter coat of hair becomes wet with
manure we all know what a long time
it takes it to dry even if brushed off
as clean as possible.
This system has worked so success
fully and it takes such a short time to
clip the animals that I clip not only
my cows, but my steers. It is really
wonderful ' how clean they can be
kept with very little care when they
are clipped in this manner. Besides
this, with my steers, we clip a ridge
two widths of the horse clipper right
along the backbone from the tail head
to the back of the head. This is just
the place, especially on the steers,
where the hair, in a measure, is stand
ing on end and furnishes a splendid
position for dust and dirt to drop di
rectly into the hide. When the hair is
cut short the slightest brushing will
prevent the collection of dust and dirt
in this manner, and thus the steers
have not that restless, itchy feeling
along the shoulders and back.
This system of clipping the cows and
steers is practiced regularly twice each
winter. Two of my men clip ten cows
In an afternoon before milking time,
and I certainly figure that these few
hours are saved ten times over dur
ing the winter by the ease with, which
the cows are kept clean.
Concentrated Dairy Foods.
In experiments to determine the best
forms of roughage for dairy cows along
with concentrated foods the Pennsyl
vania station found that where grass is
not available silage was best. Some
dry fodder or hay should be fed along
with the silage. The experiments
show that corn stover can be used to
replace timothy hay with excellent re
sults and a considerable saving of
cost. If grown In a rotation, timothy
hay should be sold and corn used for
the dairy animals. Pure cottonseed
meal contains a larger per cent of di
gestive protein than gluten meal and
Is much richer in fertilizing qualities.
It will in most cases prove the best
feed to produce milk and butter. As
cottonseed meal is often adulterated,
farmers should require a guarantee of
42 to 46 per cent of protein. Wheat
bran Is one of the finest of dairy feeds,
but it contains only about one-third as
much protein as cottonseed meal and
often costs about the same per ton;
therefore, the ' dairyman is paying
three times as much for each pound
of protein. If the dairyman is obliged
to buy feed, the most concentrated, will
usually prove the most economical.
Fanners Advocate.
Weed ins; Out.
Whether the cows are grade or pure
bred, vigorous selection must still be
practiced.. In "order-: to select Intelli
gently it is necessary that accurate rec
ords be kept of the cow's performance.
We need not know what the herd aver
ages, but we must be able to pick out
the poor cows that are bringing the
average of the herd down. A man says
he knows his best cow without bother
ing with the milk scales and the Bab
cock test but experience on trying both
ways shows that he does not always
know. Frequently the cow that he
thinks the best turns out the poorest
says Otto Irwin in Farm Star.
Overhauling; the Herd.'
I This year would be a good one to
- convert those unprofitable milk cows
yon have been "boarding" so long into
beef. Be sure you do not discard your
good cows when you begin overhaul
ing and thinning out your herd, for
j often the most unpromising cow In
the lot from external Indications is the
best The sure way to know what is
what is to weigh and test the milk
from each and all your cows. After
you have made a thorough test of their
dairy capacity you can rid yourself of
the boarders to better advantage.
This win be a good time to begin lm-
i provement says tie Farmers Advo-
JentaL
CARE OF DAIRY UTENSIL&lj
r..-; . ' '. i
ana Valuable Points on Keenta
Then Clean and Sanitary. - .
The II rat requisite Is to purchase
dairy utensils that can be easily clean
ed, which have smooth, hard and non-
oorous surfaces and corners so made
mat they are- easily accessible . to a
brush or cloth. Unnecessary corners
and angles should be avoided. : ,
. The principal things necessary for
keeping utensils clean tire hot water
jr steam, some alkali and a scrubbing
orush or coarse cloth, combined with
plenty, of elbow grease to make these
agents effective. All utensils should be
cleaned immediately after using. The
method for cleaning varies slightly, ac
cording to what the utensils have con
tained. If they have been used for
milk, they should first be rinsed with
cold or lukewarm water, so as to wash
off the viscous albuminoids, which if
subjected to boiling water would coag
ulate and adhere firmly to the tin,
thus becoming difficult to remove.
They should then be thoroughly wash
ed in hot water with some cleansing
material, such as washing powder or
caustic soda, in order to remove the
grease. The water should be quite
hot, and the washing powders should
not be used sparingly, for we too of
ten find vessels where the grease has
not been removed, but simply smeared
ever the tin. Caustics and washing
powders are not only effective In clean
ing the grease from utensils, but they
also act as a means of destroying bac
teria. Common soaps, and especially
if perfumed, should be avoided.
Destroying Bacteria.
It has been found that a 5 or 7 per
cent solution of good fresh washing
powder applied in hot water will make
a good material for destroying germ
life, provided the utensils are subject
ed to this solution for at least ten min
utes, after which they should be rinsed
in hot water and set away in the pure
air to dry. The latter method requires
more time to accomplish the same pur
pose than with steam, but is better
adapted to farm use.
There are other methods for conven
iently destroying bacteria on dairy
utensils. They are, however, more ex
pensive, but very effective. A practical
way is to rinse the utensils, after they
have been thoroughly washed in some
alkali, with a hot solution containing
6 to 12 per cent borax. This solution
also preserves the tin to a slight ex
tent, but care must be taken not to
get it into the milk.
Sunlight and pure air are the cheap
est and most effective means of keep
ing the utensils pure and sanitary after
they have been cleansed. When these
conditions do not exist it Is then ad
visable to put them in a hot drying
room.
Old, unclean dishcloths should never
be used for wiping dairy utensils after
they have been steamed or subjected
to the h3t washing solution, as the
germs which are lodged in the cloth
will again be distributed over the sur
face of the vessels, thus reinfecting
them. If utensils must be wiped dry,
it is always best to use a coarse linen
cloth which has previously been steam
ed of boiled.
Scrub brushes are the best articles
for use in cleaning dairy utensils.
Coarse linen cloths may also be used,
but they require more care in keeping
them clean. The same methods for
cleaning utensils should be followed
for cleaning cloths. Extract From a
Bulletin of the Kansas State Agricul
tural College.
THE BUTTERMAKER
It is just as easy to make good butter
as it is to make poor butter, and you
can get a much better price. The main
secret is to keep the milk dishes clean.
Use Good Butter Salt.
This Is an exceedingly Important
matter. A good way to test it is to dis
solve some in hot water. If the salt
has a bad flavor It will be easily de
tected. Sometimes a sediment will be
seen in the bottom of the vessel. A bad
odor In butter many times is caused by
the use of poor salt
Cool the Cream Quickly.
Temperature has a great deal to do
with the making of fine butter, not
only at churning time, but from the
time the milk is drawn from the cow
until the butter is placed on the table.
Unless the cream is cooled quickly aft
er milking and kept right from that
time en it is impossible to make really
good butter. ' ' ''
Make the Best.
If yon are making butter to sell, hunt
up good customers who are willing to
: pay a little extra, then give them ex
! actly what they want says the Farm
' era Advocate. Give them the very best
there is in butter and put in the quan
tity of salt that pleases them. You can
get 5 cents above the market price in
this way, and this 5 cents Is clear
profit. It costs no more to make good
butter than poor butter; in fact, it
costs less, because you are more likely
to watch all the little leaks, and the re-
' suit is you get more pounds of butter.
Fishy Flavor In Butter.
This serious defect is declared by A.
J. Walker' in the Chicago Produce to
be due to the use of washing powder
In tanks and churns where care insuf
ficient has been taken to rinse out the
powder with fresh water. Mr. Walker
states if a strong solution of washing
powder is put in a tumbler the fishy
flavor can easily be detected. This fla
vor has been very puzzling to all inves
tigators, and it will be interesting to
know If the washing powder Is the
cause of it, as suggested.
THE SHEPHERD . v
AND HIS FLOCK
We used an Imported Bryan rain on
our flock of Oxfords last September,
when we generally commence breed
ing the ewes, writes an Ohio breeder
in the American Agriculturist First
we turn the ram out with the ewes in
daytime and bring him in at night and
give him a little grain and rape, as
this helps to keep him . vigorous.
Through the winter we give the ewes
a little grain, such as bran, oats and
oil cake, and all the clover and alfalfa
hay they will clean up. At lambing
time I make small pens up one side cf
the shed to put ewes in as soon as the;
lamb for a couple of days till the
lambs are strong; then the ewes that
have young lambs are turned together
and fed a little extra grain and roots.
When the lambs are about a week old
I make a pen so the lambs can creep
in and get grain at this age.
I feed only grain and oil cake till
they are about six weeks old, then add
oats. About two weeks after the lambs
are born I cut off their tails. In the
spring, when the sheep go out to pas
ture, the ewes have grain till the grass
gets some substance In it A pen is
also fixed so the lambs can get their
grain. They are weaned the last week
in July. The rams are separated from
the ewes and turned on good second
crop clover in daytime and hurdled on
rape at night. I select my show sheep
about Nov. 1, keep them growing and
feed plenty of grain and clover hay.
We feed no other grain than oats, bran
and oil cake. In that way we don't
ruin our sheep for breeding purposes.
My show sheep are sheared about
March 1. When there is green clover
fit to mow in the spring I feed them
inside. About June rape is ready to
feed. The rams are exercised every
day. The show ewes exercise them
selves in a small paddock. I never
aim to have the show flock at their
best when I start to the fairs, for I
usually show about three weeks at dis
trict fairs before the state shows. By
that time they are generally In good
shape for the larger shows.
Angora Goat Breeding.
The American Angora Goat Breed
ers' association was organized in 1900.
It maintains the only American record
of thoroughbred Angora goats and is
the national organization representing
and championing this breed of live
stock in the United States, says the
ANGORA YEARLING BUCK.
American Sheep Breeder. Its 500
members represent nearly every state
and territory. It has 58,000 recorded
Angora goat3 on its pedigree register.
The Angora yearling buck Our Boy,
shown in the illustration, is owned by
Edward L. Nay lor, Forest Grove, Ore.;
photo taken at ten and a half months
old; length of mohair, eleven and three
quarter inches.
Foster Mother For Lamb.
I keep my sheep during the winter
months in a shed, through which I pass
several times a day. This makes them
more tame and easier to handle at
lambing time. I am not an extensive
feeder of grain, but prefer whole grain
to ground. Last season I experiment
ed with a twin ewe lamb, feeding it
directly from the cow. The little fel
low nursed the cow very shortly after
its birth until it was large enough to
turn to pasture with the flock. It grew
rapidly and proved to be a healthy,
fine sheep, being fully as large, as. its
mate. I believe it is money tn the
shepherd's pocket to encourage, ewes
to have twin lambs. Twins will bring
more In market, and, all things consid
ered, our farmers will do well to se
lect such sheep as have a tendency In
this direction. My sheep have proved
much more profitable than my cows.
Myron W. Graham, Hartford County,
Conn.
Wintering; YoonK Wethers.
The Wisconsin experiment station
conducted three trials to determine the
Influence of exercise and confinement
on fattening wethers." In only one in
stance were there any bad results ap
parently arising from close confine
ment. The results of the three trials
lead to the conclusion that for feeding
growing wethers close confinement in
pens which are dry, with fresh air and
light Is equal to if not somewhat bet
ter than allowing plenty of exercise.
It is believed that there is much space
In the farm buildings which could be
utilized for feeding a greater or less
number of wethers. No better class of
stock can be recommended for convert
ing farm grains and roughage Into cash
and fertilizers than sheep. The farm
er who has feed and unoccupied space
In barn, driveways, emptied mows t
stair lefts can nOllee the same te a
feed advantage by feeding sheen,
COKING! :
The Famous Play- "Uncle Tom'8
Cabin." -
The Dlav that has tin ermal trio
- - ,
one that is alwavs trrootort o
packed house, Stetson's Uncle
Tom s Cabin Company will be
seen at the opera house on Thurs
day, Jan. 31.
This is one of the hio-roef t,a
best "Uncle Tom" shows on tl a
road, and it has the reputation of
presenting a thoroughly first
class performance. The i
company appeared here a few
years ago, and gave good satis
faction. 10
Funeral of Mrs. Radlr.
Mrs. Margaret "Radir died at
the family heme on Eighth street
at 6:30 o'clock Wednesday morn
ing, after an illness of or ly six
days with a complication of dis.
eases. The funeral occurs to
day at 2 o'clock from the Episco
pal church, Rev. Hannon ol Ore
gon City conducting the services,
and inteimentiwill be in Crystal
Lake cemetery.
Deceased was born in Keirick
Fargis, Ireland, and had she lived
until March 17th she would have
been 79 years old. She came to
the United States in I829, living
for a time in - Pennsylvania, and
to Oregon in 1875. Fifty-three
years ago the 6tb-of next April
she was married in Alleghany,
Pa., to Adam Radir, wbo is the
surviving husband.
Mr. and Mrs. Radir resided on
the well-known Radir farm tbres
miles east of Corvallis from 1875
until a year ago when they
moved to this city. Mrs. Radir
had been ailing for two years so
her death was not unexpected.
The immeuiate family surviv
ing consists of the husband, and
three daughters, Mrs. Richaid
Graham and Mrs. Millie Smith
of Corvallis, and Mrs. Sarah
Whitmore of Scranton, Pa.
For the Alsea Road.
It begins to look as though te
Alsea mountain road might yet
become passable in mid-winter,
If Jthe energy and determination
of the residents of that section
prevails. The road has long been
an eye-sore to the whole of Ben
ton county, but despite every ef
fort it remains almost impassable
throughout the winter months
and a terror to all who have to
travel that way.
So eager are the residents o
that section to have a decent
highway that the people of the
"South" district recently voted a
five mill tax for the purpose, and
those of the "north" district vot
ed a ten mill tax for the
end.
same
In addition to this, it is plan
ned to secure $25 individual con
tributions for road work, one cit
izen having offered that sum if
ten other citizens would give a
like amount each. No sooner
had he made the offer than Wade
Malone, the enterprising Alsea
merchant, declared his willing
ness to donate $50, and it is
thought a goodly sum will soon
be available for the proposed road
improvement.
" Might Have Changed History.
Napoleon III. of France, when a
prisoner in the fortress at Ham,
wrote and published a paper on the
possibility of linking the Pacific and
Atlantic oceans by means of a canal.
This created so profound an im
pression that the minister plenipo
tentiary of Guatemala offered him
the; presidency of the construction
of the Nicaragua canal. The pro
posal was followed by the offer of
the , presidency of the Ecuador re?
public. The latter offer was condi
tional upon King Louis Philippe's
releasing the captive and upon the
hitter's giving his parole never to
return to Europe. Louis Napoleon
was prepared to give his parole, and
Sir Robert Peel, then prime minis
ter of Great Britain, was willing to
back up his application for release
upon these terms. Lord Aberdeen,
however, would not hear of it, so the
prisoner remained to be president
and emperor of his native land.
Foley's Kidney Cure