Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1892 — AGRICULTURAL TOPICS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL TOPICS.

‘a few suggestions for our RURAL READERS. town Should Be Treated Kindly—A Safe Ash Bln and Sifter—The Value of Ensilage—About Seeding Wheat-General Farm Notes. ■ Wire Fence Stays. Where fence posts are expensive It fs an object to use as few as possible. On a Kansas farm the posts are placed four rods apart For stays, laths are wired to the barbed wire at every rod as shown in the illustration, a sketch of which has been sent by J. Mecir. Number nine plain annealed

wire is cut in six inch lengths and bent to the proper shape, over one side of a lath by hauo. A boy holds the lath in place, the bent wire is quickly slipped around lath and wire, and grasped with a pair of pinchers, and with two or three turns they were solidly secured.—American Agriculturist. How Honest Fanners Are Made. The moment yoti can show the farmer that he can make money by being strictly honest, that moment he becomes an honest man, no matter how big a rascal he was before. He must begin by being honest to his land. The land will be sure to strike back. He must be honest to his stock;loo<c how they return it to him, in better meat, better butter, better and more manure. He must be honest to his hoe; there is nothing in the world keeps a hoe so bright and cheerful as keeping it busy in hunting out weeds. He must be honest in his seed. He must give every foot of land its honest amount of labor. Ho must put up his crops for market in honest shape. He must ask an honest price and stick to it. He must be so honest himself that no dishonesty can live on his farm, and all the money that he gets will have that honest yellow glow the sign of thrift Morality on the farm is fully as important as anything else. Do you believe in head work? If so, don’t let weeds belie you. Do you believe in big crops? If so, don't let your manure pile be bigger than your crib. Do you believe in honest measure? If so, don’t let it get lop-sided except when you buy. Do you believe in fat stock? Don’t let ribs give you contradiction. Do you believe in frequent settlements? If so, don’t let the sheriff call on you to remind you of them. In fact, the morality on a farm is easily resolved into the old saw, “Do as you would be done by,” or you will find yourself done. Don’t be a prevaricator. Don't shirk a responsibility. Don’t try to drive through a stump; better go around. The moral code is a sure one between you and your land and stock.—Germantown Telegraph.

Ensilage. A writer upon this subject said he presumed he should Le called an ensilage crank, but so long as he could produce 1,000 pounds of butter worth 25 cents per pound from one acre of ensilage, with other feed furnished, he was willing to be called a crank. That Sounds very well, but in reality is no argument in favor of ensilage because of its indefiniteness. At first thought, the impression would be that the acre of ensilage had produced the thousand pounds of butter, but then upon reflection, the reader is left in the dark. There is no explanation of what the other feed is, nor how much in quantity; neither is there any intimation of what the cost of production was. Undoubtedly ensilage is all right and may be profitable to those producing milk and having a dairy large enough to warrant the expense of building a silo. But at the same time, from the tests made at different experiment stations, there is not a particle of evidence in favor of ensilage instead of the same fodder in a dry state. It must he remembered that in the case of ensilage, it is recommended that it be not planted too thickly, so that it may develop a better growth and also cars of grass. This all goes into the pit as a part of the ensilage fodder and is so fed, still further supplemented iVith other grass, and those using it are inclined to compare its effects with those of ordinary corn stover that has stood for the ripening and removal of all the grain. Cut your corn, dry the fodder and feed the combined product, and note the result before making the comparison with ensilage. This is a fair way to comparisons.

Wiry Plowing Is Hurd Work. While the work done in plowing may not toe greater, theoretically, than drawing a wagon by the same exertion of force, yet the plowing is really harder and expends more actual force, because of the dead weight moved. It is easier for a man to earry a load of any weight, twice as Quickly, by spurts, with rests between, than in any given time with a constant movement. Let a man carry a bag of corn for five minutes, and then rest five minutes, and then repeat, and he will make better time than another man of equal strength who has twice the time allowed him. Equally, a horse may travel fifty miles every second day and last longer than he would if traveling twentyfive miles every day. And this is what makes the difference between plowing and drawing a wagon. Every little inequality in the ground and every spurt of the draft, is a rest for the horse, by which he is refreshed. But drawing a plow is a, dead weight without any rest Tae horses walk on yielding mellow ground. Treat tl,e Cows Kindly. Cows are naturallyrnf .the mildest disposition of any four-legged animal upon the farm, and they should be treated kindly and not abused by the milkers aud drivers. The practice of sender a dog after them and allowing him to rush them into tae milk yard, exhausted and excited, is a practice

that will cost each year from ten to twenty-five pounds of butter for every cow milked. Drive the cows leisurely to and from the pasture. If you are in a hurry let the driver make double quick time when he is going to and from the field not accompanied .by the cows. The throwing of stones, sticks or other missiles should he forbidden, and the operation of milking should be done rapidly and with but little or no talking. Should a cow make a misstep or switch you unpleasantly during fly-time don’t speak so sharply as to startle her. In. many herds there are often one or more cows which only a certain member of the family can milk. This indicates very plainly that some one is rnildtempered, and understands the cow’s disposition. A box located at sonic accessible point should contain at all times a supply of salt. If salt Is fed in heroic doses once or twice each week, tne cows will then gorge themselves, caused derangement of the digestive organs. Milk should not be applied to the teats to reduce the power required J.n milking, for it does not, but most certainly adds filth to the milk obtained, and in cold weather the wet teat will become •cracked and sore. All cows with a domineering nature and sharp horns should be dehorned. Brass ferrules at the tips of the horns lessen the danger but do not prevent the pushing and bruising of other cbws. Combined Ash Bln and Sifter. Many mysterious fires have been traced directly to the careless leaving of ashes containing live coals near some inflammable material, says an exchange. It is common practice to

set pails and other vessels containing ashes and live coals directly on the floor of some out-building. It is certainly very foolish to run ail this risk when, for a few dollars, a good and safe receptacle for the ashes can be easily constructed. The engraving Irons a sketch by L. D. Snook shows a simple form, three feet wide, four feet long, two and a half feet above ground, and one foot below ground. It is made from brick laid in single tier with water lime. Where coal is used, there is great economy in sifting the ashes. Two iron err wooden bars can be placed cross-wise six inches below the top. Upon these rests a common ash riddle with handle projecting in front. By throwing the ashes on thesifter.and closing the hinged cover, the coal is separated from the ashes without a cloud of dust. The handle is simply hooked to the sifter and unfastened when the sifter is emptied. Wood ashes need not be silted, but may be safely thrown into the bin while hot. A cement floor will keep the ashes dry. Unleached wood ashes are an excellent fertilizer. '

Horticultural Notes. Do not cultivate so deep as to disturb the roots. An effective remedy for black knot is cutting off and burning. Many make a mistake in failing to spread out the roots evenly. Keeping the soil shaded aids materially in the storing of nitrogen. Transplanting two or three times helps in the formation of fibrous roots. In growing berries for market, the best results are secured with a rich soil, Allowing them to grow too thick Is one cause of failure ingrowing root crops. Generally in transplanting it is best to set the plants down to the first leaf. Mulching newly set trees during hot, dry weather ottea saves them from dying. Many plants die because care is not tanen to place the soil in close contact with the roots. It is rarely a good plan to allow a fruit tree agent to select the varieties of trees for the orchard. Allowing moss or lichen to grow to the bark of the trees affords a hiding or harboring place for vermin. The grape can be readily propagated by layering and a good supply of plants be secured at a low cost.

About Sowing: Wheat. The Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station has for several years been investigating such problems in wheat culture as the quafttity of seed per acre, the depth of seeding, drilling versus broadcasting, the mixing of different varieties, cross drilling and the use of the roller press. The average results favor sowing at the rate of five to seven pecks per acre of thoroughly cleaned seed, and sowing this not to exceed two inches deep. In favorable seasons broadcast seeding has produced about as large a crop as drilling; but if the seeding season toe toot and dry, drilling is likely to give the best-results. No advantage has yet been discovered in the mixing of different varieties.—The Indiana Farmer. Feeding Skim Milk. Quite a number'bf dairy farmers in the United States are trying the experiment of feeding the skim-milk, when sweet, back to the cows, • and' without exception, so far as we have heard, they are greatly pleased with the result. One thing we go know, and that is that the village cow that gets all the waste milk and slop from the kitchen can usually double the amount she gave when she was a country cow.—Hoard’s Dairyman. The Vegetable Garden. The value and importance of the vegetable garden to every farmer’s family cannot be overestimated. As a source of supply of food in great abundance, it may be made almost unlimited in extent and variety. It is a duty that the farmer owes to bis family to supply it with the greatest possible variety of everything in the vegetable line, so long as it can be done by little expenditures other than that of labor. To grow vegetables of the best quality requires a rich.sandy loam, provided with an abundance of

active fertilizing material. The soil should receive a thorough pulverization as a preparatory seed bed, the planting carefully done ana at intervals of time to secure a succession of crops. The cultivation should be so frequert as to prevent the growth of weeds, and to keep the soil loose and porous. None but good seeds should be employed and these can be produced of any of our advertisers of seeds. Some varieties will do better in one kind of soil than others, so It is a difficult matter to present a list adapted to all soils, hut the observing planter will be able to determine what Is best adapted to the requirements of his own case.

A General Purpose Hod. Carrying things on the shoulder Is something that cannot always be avoided. Make the work of carrying as easy as possible. The use of the hod leaves the hands almost free. One can go up and down stairs or ladders, and around corners with

a weight one /could not carry in any other way. The hod when hung by the piece “B” on a stake, bench or wagon bed can

be filled easily, and is easy to empty, and the weight comes where It is easy to carry. It is made ot halfinch stuff for the sides and inch for the end; the handle is placed near the center. The pieefe “A” is hinged so as to cover the end to keep such things as apples, potatoes, etc., from rolling out In carrying dirt it is not needed. We have used one to carry twenty to thirty wagon loads of dirt in and out of our green houses, and it filled the bill completely. It* can also be used for other purposes where a load is to be carried on the shoulder.—Practical Farmer. Increaß© In Weight of Dunk*. The rapidity of growth of the Pekin duck is almost marvelous, and to one accustomed only to the keeping of the commons puddle duck, the claims made in behalf of the Pekin are subject to doubt. Using ten ducklings for theexperiment, we weighed them carefully. When just hatched, the ten ducklings, together, weighed exactly one pound. When one week old they weighed two and one-half pounds;at two weeks old they weighed four pounds, at three weeks, seven pounds; at four weeks, ten pounds; at five weeks, seventeen pounds; at six weeks twenty pounds, and at seven weeks, twenty-five pounds, or two and one-half pounos each. Some of them were short on weight, while some weighed three and one-fourth pounds each. At eight weeks the largest weighed four pounds each.

Mlscellaneou* Recipe*. Good Coffee. —One tablespoonful of coffee for each person; mix with one egg and the film-like lining of the shell. Add a quarter of a cupful of cold water for each spoonful of coffee; boil twenty minutes. This makes strong, well flavored coffee. Mint Julep. —But some sprays of quite young mint into a tumbler, say about ten or a dozen, with a tablespoonful of castor sugar, a tablespoonful of peach brandy and half a wine glass»full of pale brandy; then fill the tumbler with pounded Ice. Cooked Cucumbers. Peei and slice a little thicker than for ordinary table use, cook them tender in slightly salted water. Drain, add butter, pepper and salt, and enough cream to moisten a few slices of buttered toast upon which the cucumber slices are placed. CnicKEN Toast. Mince cold chicken fine, mix with a pint of cream or rich milk, the yolks of two eggs and season well with celery salt. Let it simmer over the fire for a few minutes, then poftr it over several slices of ni«e toast that have been well buttered. Serve at once. Green Tomato Preserves. —Eight pounds of small green tomatoes; pierce each with a fork. Seven pounds of white sugar; the juice of five lemons; one ounce of ginger and tpace mixed j and tied in a thin muslin bag. Heat ! all together slowly and cook until j the tomatoes are clear; take out with a perforated skimmer and boil the syrup thick, then add the fruit, fill into cans hot and seal. Very nice, indeed. One Egg Mayonnaise Dressing. —Beat the yo»k of one egg very light, and stir into one-fourth teaspoonful salt and as much cayenne as can be taken up on the point of a penknife; then add half cup olive oil, only a few i drops at a time until half is used, j then stir in the remainder more rapj idly. As it thickens, slowly add a tablespoonful each of vinegar and I lemon juice, lastly a small teacupful ■of whipped cream. Fried Apples. —Fried apples make a nice relish with both roast and fried pork, and are generally very acceptable with other kindspf meats. Cut | them unpeeled in slices of moderate I thickness across the core. ,If very sour sprinkle them with a little sugar while frying. Fry to a nice brown in lard and butter, or In all butter if I preferred. They may be used as a ! garnish, or be served in a dish by J themselves, either is delicious.

AN INEPXENSIVE FARM FENCE.

COMBINED ASH BIN AND LIFTER.