The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 24, 1919, Page 9

STANDARD dairy man- ger has been developed by the United States de- partment. of agriculture. The need of such a stand- = . ard has been apparent for some time. Thirty-five firms which make and sell equipment for dairy barns, manufacture mangers of simi- lar design and construction, except for minor modifications. Each manufac- turer turns out a design just a little Standard Dairy Manger Developed are that it permits the use of one manger templet, decreases the likeli- hood of mistakes in construction, less- ens misunderstandings, and leads to the standardization and perfection of manger divisions and ultimately de- creases the cost of production. The accompanying illustration shows the construction of the stand- ard manger suggested by the division of rural "engineering. The manger under consideration meets all-the re- The standard manger is a combination of all the desirable qualities of the many mangers now on the market. different from those of his competi- tors. Cement associations and 'lum- ber associations have also developed special designs. X At little expense and trouble all these mangers could be standardized and made uniform. After a careful study of the existing mangers, the di- vision of rural engineering of the de- partment of agriculture learned that the better forms, which have been suc- cessfully used for years, were so near- ly alike that there is no valid excuse for not adopting a standard. Popu- larization and use of such a manger would be equally advantageous to manufacturers and to dairymen. _ Successful dairymen agree that in order to get best results cows must be fed separately. This is usually accom- plished by using manger divisions, which are made removable or hinged so as to facilitate cleaning the man- ger. Their use is rapidly increasing and the standardization of mangers will undoubtedly result in a similar standardization and improvement of the divisions. : BETTER WORK AT LESS COST Some companies furnish manger templets or patterns to their cus- " tomers in order to avoid mistakes in measurement and to aid in construe- tion. They are prepared to furnish templets for each of their different forms of mangers. The universal use of the proposed manger would avoid mistakes made in sending wrong tem- plets which cause delays and misun- derstandings. plets the builder is able to make a manger suitable for the requirements of the dairyman and can build the barn for any equipment. As a conse- "~ quence the contractor can use better forms, do better work and reduce cost. The advantages in the adoption of \ - With one set of tem-~ quirements found in an average dairy barn. It gives definite measurements necessary for construction and elimi- nates the confusion likely to result from the use of numerous forms, while at the same time it permits sufficient variation to fit the individual needs of any dairyman. FEATURES OF FEED ALLEY The feed alley may be ftush with the top of the manger or 24 inches below it. The claim is made that where the floor is flush with the manger it is a simple matter for the attendant to sweep back into the manger all the grain nosed out by the cows. On the other hand, big knees and cases of abortion are attributed to- this style- of manger, because cows have strain- ed to reach grain on the feeding floor. Furthermore, this style adds to the cost of-comstruction, as it requires ex- tra filling and makes different floor levels in the barn. When a wide man- ger is used and where the manger wall is 24 inches high there is little liability of any -grain being thrown oit of the manger or wasted. front of the proposed standard man- ger slopes in at the bottom, which results in - saving concrete and per- mits space for passage of feed truck wheels elose to the manger. Drawings B, C and D show the fin- ished appearance of three.of the sizes. A is a combination drawin® showing relative shapes and dimensions of the four sizes that are recommended. Mangers made continuous and of the same form as the 24-inch manger shown in A are preferable. - Mangers should be free from cracks and crev- . ices, with smooth surface, and have all corners rounded to aid in cleaning. The bottom of the manger should be : curved and with sufficient slope—one’ such a standard by the manufacturers and one-half to two inches in 100 feet The- PAGE NINE % 1y ‘,,/ % N 7, 1 77 X G % 77 2% P WANAI IBA —toward one end to drain well. curb should never be less than six inches higher than the bottom of the manger and four inches wide at the top if not over seven inches high. If a 12-inch built-up curb is used the width across the top should be five inches or more. Any column coming within the curb should be surrounded by at least one inch of concrete, reinforced so as to prevent cracking at this point. The present time is favorable for standardizing mangers, as all stocks are low because of the scarcity of steel and other war conditions. Manufac- turers are said to favor a standard form. There appears to be no reason why the change should not be made. The universal use of a standard type would benefit dairymen, manufactur- ers, contractors and others interested. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers adopted this manger as a standard at their recent convention. CLOVER SEED SHORTAGE There is not enough red clover seed to meet the demands upon that impor- tant legume as a restorer of soil fer- tility to American farms following the strain of wartime conditions—not enough, that is, unless farmers prac- tice economy and good judgment in its use. Both the ‘carry-over and the current crop of red clover seed appear to be below normal, while the need for seeding a large acreage to red clover in the middle and northern states is greater than for several years. This information comes from the United States department of agricul- ture in a circular, “Crops and Live- stock Production in 1919,” just issued from the office of the secretary. To make the available supply of clover seed go as far as possible, farmers are urged to follow the best methods practicable in seeding and to avoid undue risk of waste of seed by at- tempting to secure stands of red clover on lands unsuitable either in character or condition for this crop. In some cases, it is.pointed out, alsike clover can be substitujed successfully, especially on lands too wet or.too acid for red clover. P A\ The’ /IIAV/,"'IIIAV//,‘ 7 /// 2 % "my, Z : LA WL W NN N N WATER IN THE HOME Pumping and carrying water is hard work and it is more work than many realize. An average family will. use 100 to 200 gallons of water a day at least if it is convenient to get as when it can be secured by simply opening a faucet. If 100 gailons a day is used and it has to be carried 70 feet: it will mean traveling 202 miles each year with a pailful of water and an equal distance with an empty pail. And then most of the water has to be carried out again. If this water has to be pumped it will mean lifting 146 tons of water whatever distance it has to be pumped. This is work, and hard work, and too often much of it is left for the women to do. Machinery can be made to pump the water and to put it into the house, so that it can be had by turning a faucet. Such water systems are being put in by many farmers and they find that it makgs a great difference in the home. Such a water supply system can also be made to pump the water for the stock and to carry it wherever it is needed. Such a water system is used 365 days in the year, while many farm machines that cost a good deal more are only used " two or three weeks each year.—North Dakota Agricultural College. , COMMUNITY POULTRY RAISING The formation of community poul- try breeding associations is being en- ‘couraged by the bureau of animal in- dustry of the United States depart- ment of agriculture as a part of its effort to assist in improving flocks and making poultry raising more at- tractive. Prominent among the ad- vantages of community interest in better poultry are concentration of ef- fort on one variety, opportunities for collective marketing, economy in buy- ing and selling breeding stock, and increased skill in poultry management. ~Already 48 poultry breeding associa- tions have been formed. In Virginia a Barred Plymouth Rock association has developed a co-operative selling plan of a size that requires a manager to handle the business. Organizations of this kind are not only beneficial to the members, but by stimulating a larger output of high-quality poultry produets they benefit the public as well. | CEMENT FLOORS FOR HOGS | ~ Experts appear to be agreed that the cement floor helps to keep the hogs healthy. The hog.is not by nature so dirty a beast as his general reputation would imply, and the cement makes possible more healthy conditions which the- hog would naturally choose for himself if he had a choice. The work of. e e keeping ‘the pens clean is much easier once the cement floor is laid.