Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1892 — REAL RURAL READING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REAL RURAL READING

WILL BE FOUND IN THIS PEPARTMENT. How to Build Board Fences Economically —Give Attention to Details—To Prevent Washouts in Grain Fields—An Effective Game Trap—Notes Etc. Board Fences. Every farmer who builds board fence knows that the main cost is the posts and digging the holes and setting them. If we buy first-class locust posts they cost 20 to 25 cents each, and it takes two for each rod; and if we set cheap posts they rot off in a few years and the fence must be re-built More than fifteen ago, writes Waldo F. Brown in the Practical Farmer, I invented a fence which supports itself without posts, and I have had it in use on my farm ever since, and it has given good satisfaction. I call it a selt-supnorting truss fence, because it requires no posts; but to make it perfectly safe in exposed situations, stakes should be driven down in the notches be-

tween the panels after the fence is set up. The drawing above gives an idea of the fence. The panels can be made in the barn or shop, all ready to be put up and this is an advantage, for rainy weather can be utilized in making it. The boards are nailed to uprights o? hardwood two inches square, and beveled at the top, so that when the panels are leaned together these bevels will exactly fit each other. In setting upSjlhis fence the panels are leaned towards each other, with the foot of the uprights from two and a halt to three feet apart, and then short boards are nailed from one upright to the other, to hold the fence in place. Fig. 2 shows an end

view of the fence, which is one of the trusses which takes the place of a post, and nb b are the short boards nailed across from one upright to the other, to hold the panels of the fence together. A stake, three inches in diameter, driven in the ground flat against these short boards, and a nail driven through each board into it, makes the fence as firm as if there were good posts set in the ground. I have some of this fence made only three boards high, with a barbed wire stretched above it and fastened to the stakes, and this still further reduces its cost, for a board 16$ feet long costs as many cents, but a wire of this length only 3 or 4 cents. It

Is not best, however, to make this fence in panels 10 feet long, as they are awkward to handle and will sag a little. 1 like to make a fence with panels just 11 feet long, as then three of them make just two rods, and by buying a part of the lumber 12 feet long and a part 14 there will be a very little waste, as the ends cut off can be used for the short stay boards on the trusses. Fig. 3 shows the threeboard fence with the wire above. To Prevent Washouts in Grain Fields. If comparatively level fields are sown to wheat or rye, furrows should be made that will quickly carry off all the superfluous water, says the American Agriculturist. Tne furrows should follow the the lowest portion of the field, even if it be a tortuous course. It is best to do this immediately after seeding, but it may be done at any time before the ground becomes frozen solid. Of course, some of the grain will be destroyed, but by scattering, with a fork or shovel, the upturned soil, only the plants in the immediate channel will be lost, and this precaution often saves ten times that amount being drowned out or stunted in low places. If grain occupies the steep hillsides, furrows should be made from the lowest places leading down and horizontally around the hill, thus conveying much of the surplus water to the direct portions. If the furrows are gradually sloping, washing will, he prevented. If the hill is qujte Steep several furrows sqould be drawn, thus diverting heavy rainfalls into several channels* with consequent less danger from washing or overflow. A Blanket of Snow. A winter covering of snow for the fields, grass, or grain, is extremely beneficial, preventing deep freezing of the soil, keeping the plants and their roots at an almost uniform temperature, and the almost daily freezing and thawing that occurs on land not thus protected. The covering of snow should be made as uniform as possible by placing branches of evergreens or any other obstruction about the open spaces in fields and especially upon the knolls and other elevations where the wind sweeps away the fallen snow. These obstructions need not be placed in position until the ground is frozen solid, when other farm work is not pressing, and should there be an open winter the protection afforded by the obstructions alone will amply repay the labor and expense. Attention to Detail*. Careful attention to details very often is the turning point between a profit and a loss. This is more noticeable where the competition is strong in the farming line, while prices are low and fluctuating. Hence make the best use of each day. Have the men do some work that tells to advantage. Do nor- let crops go to waste, but secure them promptly

when matured, look after the stock while at pasture, give the work animals healthy food, feed regularly, and do not water them too warm. If the harness, vehicles, or machinery have any weak points, repair in time and do not wait until a break occurs that may cause hours of lost time in a busy season Keep the fences in good repair, thereby saving your own crops and keeping on good terms with vour neighbors. Fell crops and stock when a fair price can be obtained. It a neighbor has stock for sale cheap and you have the pasture, or feed, to still further add to its value, then make a deal. Trad imr sharpens, the wits, and makes one more observant of honest opportunities. When to Water a Horse. Dr. C. E. Cary, B. S., D. V. M., of the veterinary department of the Dakota Farmer, says: “The horse’s stomach is small, and if water is given immediately after feeding, a great portion of the food is washed beyond the stomach before the gastric digestion has occurred. Thus’a great part of the food is lost and, in many instances, is liable to induce indigestion, eta Always water your horses before feeding, and never water them for two or three hours after feeding, and yon will save food and have stronger and healthier horses.”

A Game Trap. Here is a trap, as described in Farm and Home, for catching anv game that will take bait. For the. bottom use a board 16 inches long. The

sides should be 12 inches long and nailed or screwed to the bottom so that it will project 2 inches for the' foot to rest on while setting the trap, Use two standards 16 or 18-inches long, which are screwed to one end of the box. The middle piece is a round stick of hard wood to which is attached a coiled, spring. The fork may be made of wood or iron and is for catching the game when the trap is sprung. A piece of seasoned hickory is used to attach the bait on, as shown in the cut. This holds the trap up when set and lets it down when the bait is taken. Underneath the fork are fastened a number of spikes or pointed irons to njake sure of holding the game. Winter Dairying. With proper facilities, there can be no question but that winter dairying pays better than summer. The cow must be kept over anyhow, and the additional feed required for the production of a flow of milk is nearly all returned in dairy product. With the right kind of feed, the right kind of cows it being assumed are already secured, it is easy to turn out a choice article of butter at a season when it is scarce and commands a high price. Besides, there is not the press of work in winter that there is in summer, and the cow goes dry at a season when it costs least to keep her. Another point in favor of winter dairying is urged with great force. The well-kept cow that has given milk through the winter is wonderfully stimulated in her milk flow when she comes to grass, and her milking p*eriod is prolonged. The increased flow for the year is a valuable consideration.— Mirror and Farmer. All Around tlie Farm Mark all the grain bags. Make your farm productive and it will pay. A rich soil is an essential item in the growing of good crops. Churn at as low a temperature as you can and wash the butter grains with cold water.

Linseed and cotton seed (cake or meal) is excellent, but all oily foods are liable to cause moulting. A wheat crop of twenty bushels per acre at 75 cents per bushel will give some profit, but it is much better to raise thirty bushels. Corn fodder, put in shocks and left in the field during a good part of the fall and winter, loses from onethird to one-half of its feeding value. When your birds have bowel disease change the food for a day or two and change the grit* OpeJialf the troubles are from lack of sharp, hard grit. The farmer who raises uniformly good crops does not suffer much from the fluctuations in price. The good crops pay a profit over production even when prices are the lowest. By judicious feeding, well-bred 2-year-old steers may be made to weigh upward of two pounds for each day of their lives. At that rate of gain beef production can be made profitable. '**• Corn is the great food for fattening. There is nothing equal to it for making hard, solid pork that commands the highest market price. Swine, however, will be able to digest more of it, if allowed turnips, potatoes, carrots, or beets and some bran instead of nothing at all but corn. Too much corn will make them “cloyed.”

Farmer* and Fertilizer*. There are truths in connection with farming that are known and have been expressed many times, and yet are of a character that require repeating over and over and over again, so as to keep them constantly before the minds of farmers. One of these is a want ot knowledge of the requirements of the farm as relates to the application of fertilizers. Most of the States provide through their experiment, stations for the determination of the fertilizing value of the various compounds that are thrown upon the market, and so far as this goes is of service and a protection against undiscoverable frauds that might otherwise be practiced upon the farmers. But with all this, are they exercising as great care as they should in the selection of the goods they use? The requirementsof the soil should be fairly well uuder-

stood, and then a better estimate can be made of-«iiat is best adapted to the soil to which it is applied. There is another point that ought also to be considered, that various fertilizing elements exist in very, different forms, which present very different commercial values as well as fertilizing values. It is important then that the farmer should become sufficiently acquainted with these values in the different forms in which they may be found, so as to be able to judge of the desirability of a fertilizer. When, as is the case in the State of Rhode Island, the difference between the selling priee and coinmercial prices ranges from $30.33 per ton to the small difference of two cents per ton, it can be seen how much may be saved by the application of a little knowledge,—Germantown Telegraph. _ . Sheep Shearing*. * To keep sheep healthy they require a frequent change of food. *• Especially when on dry feed sheep need a good supply of water. Care should be taken to clean out the mangers of feed racks regularly j Look over the flopk and sell the sheep that show the least improvement. Inferior sheep are often a drug when good sheep sell readily at good prices. Never allow sheep to tn frightened or run bv a dog or in any way be disturbed. If any of the ewes have poor teeth it will always pay to feed them ground feed. A sheep kept thrifty will shear a heavier and better fleece than one poorly kept In commencing to feed grain -to sheep, feed a small quantity at ttrst and gradually increase. The farmer that is too carclss to give sheep good care will do better with some other class of stock. Sheep of different ages and conditions should be sorted into different lots and the weaker ones have a little better feed. With comfortable surroundings, which inmlics dry, warm shelter and regular feeding, a small amount of grain can be made to count.

How to Make Working; Mitten*. Bed ticking is the principal and best material for home made working mittens, although they cau be made of old nags or overalls. A. The full round thumbless cut shows the back side ot the mittom. B. The palm and the frontside of the thumb. This should be made double or it can bo faced with soft leather, for this Is the part where all the wear comes. C is

the top part of the front side of the mitten and thumb. D the mitten complete. First sew B and C together, forming the thumb and the front side' bt the mitten, and then to the back (A), making the mitten complete. This is a much handier and better pattern than the old method, because there is no thumb to set, which is the hardest paYt of the joD. The face can be replaced when worn out, also.—Practical Farmer. Keep the Woodbox Full. A year’s supply ahead of seasoned wood is what every farmer should have, and then if by their own efforts they keep the wood-box as well as the woodhouse full, how much tribulation would the patient wives be saved! The Housekeeper. Grate and bottle odd bltsof cheese ready for use Onions keep best when spread out on a dry floor. Prick potatoes before baking to allow the air to escape. The tone of the piano is not so good when it is set back against the wall. It is stated that cheese will not mold if wrapped in a cloth with elder vinegar. Place a lump of camphor gum with the silver ware to keep It from tarnishing. A Good wav to clean stovepines is to rub them well with linseed oil while they are warm. Cork that has been boiled may be pressed more tightly into a bottle than when it is cold. One of the best remedies for bruises, where the skin has not been broken, is arnica and sweet oil. Coffee grounds can be used to fill pin-cushions. They should be put In a bag and hung up back of the stqve until they are perfectly dry. Mrs. Bottoms writes to the Ladies’ Home Journal: “I am tired of seeing all the flowers at weddings and funerals; we need a few between. ”

Blue jbans makes an effective soft cushion cover when embroidered with white silk in conventional designs, and trimmed all around with a ruffle of the stuff. In France, instead of using starch on table napkins, after they are washed and ironed, they are dipped in boiling water and partialiywrungout between cloths. They are rapidly ironed with as hot a flat-iron a 9 possible without burning them. Does the point at the back of your waist persist in curling up when you sit in the car or even in an ordlnnry chair? If so, sew two inches of black elastic on the under side, leaving it the least bit tighter than the dress iust over the whalebone, and see how it will hug the top of your skirt