On The Farm.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 January 1911, Page 4

On The Farm.

VARIOUS HINTS AND REOIPFS. LAYING A CKMENT FLOOR. H.B.M. : The best material tu inix with the commit is coarse, sharp sand and finely-crushed stone, .and wiit-h these materials 10 parts ol stone can be used to one of cement in the lower I in, and four parts ol sand to one of cement in the upper liii. You may use gravel for tin 1 concrete, and screen sand out of the gravel, using a sieve with 'Jit meshes. In making the concrete, measure either by counting the shovelfuls or by ining a bucket, putting eight parts of uravol to one ot cement in a heap, it lion shovelling it over three or four times so as to mix it thoroughly. The last time of shovelling sprinkle th ? heap with a watering pot so t-hait it will be thoroughly dampened, but not enough to'drip. Now begin laying the floor, which you do in sections about If t wide, beginning at the end opposite the door. For a horse stable floor use oin of concrete and lin of topping: in the cow stable. 3Jin of concrete and Uin of topping. Stake down a scantling lin or fiin wide, as the rase may he, about lit from the wall of the stable, and finish this seel inn before laying another. First pint in the concrete an inch or two at a tome, and tramp it solid with a '.riad-faeod rammer, and continue until within lin or 'in of the top, using a s{ raight-cdee wit'.ih a notch at each end, so that if will drop lin or .'.in as desired. When this is nut in you are ready for the finishiu.'i coat. which is made of two parts of sharp sand and one pari! cement: this is thoroughly mixed dry, - and i.|ieti wet and tempered to the same consistency as would he used in fomenting a cistern, then pour it mi. lilliug 'the mould to the top, turning the straight-edge over, ni; f lied side up. so that it will be jus! full to the top. it would be necessary t ouse a trowel round the edg-.-s nd in the corners. In order i:r prevent horses from slipping on it. make grooves lin apart and something over .Jin deep, for the distance of about 2ft at the rear part of (he si.ables. These are made by laying' >.! i\vn a broom handle, lapping it ,1 • 11i 1 it bends one-hall its diameter; ihen move 'lin and repeat, thus making parallel grooves running the :iV:e;- way in front of the door, vhere the horses are led in. When .i section is finished, carefully lilt M;e stakes and move edge piece over Iml stake it, and continue until the floor is finished. The Portland cement does not set as quickly as the •heap grades, but usually in 1.2 hours it is hard enough for a man •it walk over it. and for the next ten 'ays it should be sprinkled with •va'ter thoroughly tAvi.ce a day. This orevonts danger of cracking, _ and makes it harden more slowly, insurMig a hotter job. COWS K KEPING BACK MILK. it is usual for i ows accustomed to have their calves running with them ••) a,-t in tih is way. " SOlllO ol them will "go dry," as it" is called, in suite of all that can be done to induce them to give their milk. _ Oil many farms, before the practice of milking .tAvice a day came into general use, this trouble Avitli the coavs was of daily occurrence. Many •'evices had to he resorted to to inInce the cows that had_ h s|: their ,-alves to give their milk. From experience, it Avas found that no single method Avould .succeed in all cases, as so much depends on the cow. Some cows are so attached to f' eir calf that it is really necessary to give them one in place oi their own to make th'iii give down the milk. In th's it is tint-so easy to r|:o;M Iho cow as many would inia•ri;: •. :>.y. each cow ><.* own. Willi some '-ows if Avas sufiicient to take any 1 a!f and let it .«:'ck a. short f into, and put it ba'-k in ihe pen with the rest, but on 110 account to put it at ''he cow's 'head, the usual and proper place, a.s the fraud would be at once known 'by the cow, and no milk would be the result. With others no milk worih speaking of would be given until 'their calf was pur at their head. This class of cow is the hardest to deal with, and the only remedy is to skin her dead calf, and after removing all traces and stains of blood from the skin, and drying the inside of it thoroughly Avitli Avood ashes, to fasten if securely on another calf. Care must be taken not io let the cow smell the calf's head the first time. It Avill be best to give her access to only the hack during the first milking, or she may not give her milk. Let the calf run with her every day for a short time, ;ind in three davs' time the skin can be removed, and she will claim the calf as her own, as the instinctive breath taint will be -by then impressed on the stranger. With others Avnieh are less attached to their calf it is easy to overcome the trouble. When the "first milk," as it is called, is taken gently rubbing the udder Avitli the hands will, as a rule, induce the animal to give down the milk freely. Tint rubbing in some cases has to be done for tAVo or three minutes. Some cows will not give down the milk even with the rubbing; each time for as long as a week, by which time they are almost dry. Cows without calves running with them must be milked every morning an:! evening, and until they become accustom, ed to give their milk freely rubbing the udder each time must be done, or the other methods explained above resorted 'to. In all cases gentleness and kindness are necessary.