Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 September 1879 — FARM NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM NOTES.

[Bonl, Jr., In Chicago Tribune.] Robbing Bees.—During the interval between summer and antnmn flowers, bees are apt to get into the habit of robbing. They therefore peed frequent visits during the day; and, if they have already begun, remove the victimized hive to some dark place for a day or two. Bobbers may generally be known by the manner in which they fly, with their heads toward the hive. The hog crop this season will not be so large as last. This is caused by disease and* the usual falling-off because of low prices. The enormous crop of com now ripening will make cheap feed, and the demand for hog-products in Europe will have a tendency to enhance the price of live hogs. Every one who has hogs should now take the best of care of them, and make them realize as much as possible. Planting Strawberries. —Autumn planting of strawberry vines is never to be recommended, except where necessity requires them to be set out. Good, rich soil, and strong, healthy plants, will sometimes, if the season is favorable, produce a tolerably fair crop of fruit the next year. The leaves should be reduced to one or two, and, if the sun is hot, the plants must be covered from the rays. Wilson’s Albany, Crescent seedling, and Charles Downing are good varieties. Balky Horses.—A correspondent of the New York Tribune gives the following as a care for refractory horses: My method with balky horses—and I think it equally good in case of kicking or backing in harness, or running away—has proved very successful with my team, requires but a moment in its exec i tion, and is not, I think, in the least inhumane. I take a strong string (three-ply broom twine is the best), long enough to reach from the horse’s neck to the carriage, fasten one end around the horse’s neck in a hard knot, so the loop will not slip, bring the throat latch through the loop to prevent the string from working back on the neck. When the horse balks do not strike at or about him, but sit quietly in your seat and pull on the string until you choke him. If the horse is very stubborn you may have to choke him severely, but he will be willing to pull before he is choked down. Two of these chokings will render him afraid to balk. I tried this on my team last fall, and have had no trouble with them since. Last year, at this time, there was a great deal of talk about tiling. This year, not so much is said, but a great deal more is done; still there are men who last year were fully convinced that they would tile-drain, but the dry season has removed for the time being the necessity, and they have become lukewarm. A couple of average dry seasons would, in a measure, eradicate all thought of tile-draining from the minds of most farmers. This ought not to be so, because no man can tell when his crops may be failures from an extensive rainfall; hence every one should be prepared. The proper season for tiledraining is when the soil is dry and the farmer at leisure. In a majority of cases no better time will be found than the present. The plow may be used to a considerable extent, and the labor be thereby greatly accelerated. Tn covering tile, after a few inches of soil has been thrown in with a spade to keep it in its position, the balance may be replaced with a heavy pole drawn by horses, provided one team is allowed to walk ahead of the other, so that the soil may be drawn to the center. It is not such a big job, after all, to lay in a few rods of tile, if one only goes at it rightly. Traveling Agents.— One would suppose, from the number of times that swindlers and their games have been exposed through the press, that it would be impossible for them to ply their trade, especially among the farmers, the majority of whom usually are subscribers to some newspaper. Every day we read of some one having been swindled by a new game. The favorite one this year appears to have been the “ agency ” dodge. It takes quite a philosopher to resist the flattery of these fellows. When a man’s egotism has been sufficiently excited, he easily falls a dupe to almost any trick. Windmills, wagonjacks, churns, washing-machines, barbwire and sulky-plows are all favorites in their season. In most cases the agents send the goods—hence there can be no plea of fraud. There is no law against a man making a fool of himself, and, if he signs papers without reading them, no one will sympathize greatly if he gets swindled. The greatest inducement in this whole business is the expectation of getting something for nothing. The giving away of a sample machine almost always disarms suspicion.