Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1893 — AGRICULTURAL NEWS AN EFFICIENT FARM GATE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL NEWS

AN EFFICIENT FARM GATE.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR OUR RURAL READERS. To Construct a Refrigerator at Small Co" - Manner of Flushing Fnderdrains—Feed the Wheat to lloga—An Kill,-lent Farm Gate. Home-Made Refrigerator. saw a refrigerator constructed last summer at an actual outlay of so few cents, which did such good work, both in its economical use of Ice and its preservation of the food placed in it, that it appears little short of a duty to describe it, says a correspondent of the Country fientleman. Two dry goods packing cases were secured, one considerably smaller than the other. The size of the inner box will represent the capacity of the ica chest

(It is to be remembered when choosing a box for this purpose) while the outer box should afford a space 3 or 4 inches all around the box to be placed within. It should also afford 2 inches of space between the bottom of the inner box and its own. All these surrounding spaces, except that above the inner box, are to be filled with dry sawdust. The Interior of the inner box should be painted white, for if left in the natural wood, butter and some other articles, placed In it may have « decidodly “woody" taste. So far the ice-chest has cost but a trifle but now it will pay to spend a little for a galvanized Iron tray to fit exactly Into the bottom of the inner box, provided with a tube In one end, as shown in the cut, of sufficient length to pass down through the bottoms of both boxes, which will carry off all water from tho melting ice. This tray can be made of tin, or even sheeting, in which case it should be

well painted, both within and without, to prevent rusting. The chest mentioned did not have this tray, but it Is really very desirable. Cleats are placed upon the inside of the Inner box, and shelves made of slats inserted one above another, with a chance for one such shelf directly over the Ice, as it rests In one end of the box. A thick cloth cover kept well drawn over the top of the outer box will help to keep the ice from rapid melting, though without this in the . case mentioned the Ice melted ,but slowly. r < »• Th« Cheapest Gate. When a farmer is able to njake a gate'almosl as cheaply as good bars, there Is no excuse for using the latter, as they are certainly very Inconvenient. In passing through bars with a wagon, or other farm implement, the time consumed in taking them out and replacing them is a matter of no small moment. Moreover, bars are often left partially put up, and the stock, In rubbing against

them, lower the end of one or more of the bars, or the action of the wind causes one end to fall, letting stock into mischief. The engraving shows the construction of the gate so clearly that a description is unnecessary. The gate should be as high, or a little higher, than the fence immediately adjoining. It should be made of light, strong lumber. What to Do and How to Do It. Under the head of “Farm Work,” Waldo Brown in his '‘Farm Talks” gives some important hints every farmer should heed. The important consideration with every farmer regarding farm work is, what to do and when to do it to the best advantage, or most economically. There 1$ a great amount of labor wasted upon the farm because it is not wisely and thoughtfully directed. There is always a proper time for doing farm work, but it is not always possible to do it when the demand comes, and this often results in indirect loss. Thus la the cultivation of root crops, the work of a man would be worth at one time $5 per day a? compared with the same kind of labor doDe at some other time out of the proper season for doing it. The same holds good in haying time; the labor of a man to secure the cutting and making of hay when it ought to be cut would be better worth $3 per day, than $1 per day at a time delayed until the hay becomes over-ripe and woody, or in a condition that is distasteful to the animals to which it is fed. Work cannot always be done just when it ought to be. but it is more likely to be when it Is Intelligently planned beforehand. One reason why work, is sometimes brought out of season is because too much is undertaken. It is better to plan for only just so much as can be accompli-hed at seasonable times with all conditions favorable, and a crop well cared for when it ought to be wouid produce as satisfactory results as one poorly cared for, covering a larger surface. W’ith a soil that is inclined to be weedy, a little neglect involves a greatly increased amount of labor.

Feeding Wheat to Hogs. Last winter William T. Ault, a farmer living four miles from Hillsboro, 111., read of experiments as to profits in feeding wheat to hogs. Having a good supply of the cereal, which was worth tiO cents a bushel

on tbe market, be concluded to test the feeding plan on a fair scale, rutting up thirty-six head >of good-sized pigs, he had his wheat ground of cracked tine and soaked in water. With this he f§d,l\)s thirty-six hogs until recently when he sold them at the market price, after which he sat down and in a few minutes figured out that in this way the bushels of wheat he had fed each brought him the handsome sum of SI.4CX, :Oood Points lu » Con. The first point to consider Is that the cow is strong, with a deep flank, indicating constitutional vigor; and the next is to see that her udder is right in form, her teals large and set wide apart If a cow is to be a good milicer she must have somewhere to keep it which di es not however, mean a thick, fleshy udder, Secondary and fancy points are a slim neck and long head, with fine horns ard good features. ' Flushing; Underdrains. After a farmer has spent a great deal ot time and, money in the construction of underdrains, it is a serious loss to have these stopped up by the washings from tne surface soil. This is especially apt to occur when an underdrain Is established to carry the surface water underneath a level, cultivated field. This danger of stoppage Is easily avoided by the construction of a flushing reservoir or dam, similar to the plan shown in the sketch, from the American Agriculturist, in which « is the breastwork of dam, c the loose boards that are removed at any tlmo when the

dam Is full, thereby flushing or washing out any sediment that may have accumulated at any portion of the drain. In practice, the greatest point is gained by the washings of the surface soil settling in tho reservoir, irom whence It is easily thrown out upon the banks, whereas, if allowed to take its nutural course, it would have passed into thodrain, and clogged up the same. The water passes over the flush boards at c, falling on to the platform d, and thence into the mouth of the drain at g, and thence through the underdrain to tho outlet.

Duck* Are Prolltable. Ducks are profitable if proper care is taken to secure their eggs, and attention is given to the young. They need a good-sized lot containing a pond or stream, as they aro very fond of water. Then care mufst be taken to shut them in a roomy coop or pen every night, or you will hiso their eggs, as they lay early in morning and in the water or swamp If possible. Ducks are good feeders and will scoop up anything iroin a raw potato paring to chocolate Cakes. After tho young nre hatched, coop the mother a few days and place a pan of water for the babes to play In. Give soft food at first and then add coarser. Be sure to shut them up nights. Their feathers are nice feathers. If they have access to a pond, look out for turtles; they will draw the ducklings under water and destroy them soon. I have known many to bo lost in this way. If you have a nice garden leave a hole in the fence that the ducks may crawl through, and It Is good-bye garden “sass,”

Value of White Clover. Though white clover does not grow large enough to cut for hay, It has a thick mat close to the ground, and is one of tne very best pasture plants, bearing close cropping and quickly growing up again when sto k is removed. The plant spreads by rooting on the surface as well as from its seed, which is found plentifully in the heads of bloom at nearly all times of the growing season. Its seed remains in uhe soil many years if conditions are not favorable to its growth. Hence it often reappears where the grasses have failed after two or three seasons in hoed crops and without any seed of it being sown. Calven for Market. If shippers would follow a few sim* pie instructions much of the trouble that we have sending calves to market would be avoided. After killing let the calf hang until the animal heat is entirely out of the carcass; then put inside of the carcass plenty of ice and lay it down so that the cold air can get into all parts of the meat. As cold air falls, it stands to reason that when a calf is hung up the carcass gets the only benefit of the ice. Much of the stock that goes to market is spoiled in the hind quarters and it could have come from no other cause than that we have mentioned.—N. E. Farmer. Pip Need Fresh Earth. The pig pen ought to have a space of fresh soil tnat has not been trampled over for several years for the pigs to root in. Su h soil helps to correct. acidity of the stomach and keep the pig healthy. But where the rooting is over land filled with decomposing pig manure the pigs are sure to get tome disease, and this is, doubtless, often the means by which the dreaded trichina is introduced. The pig likes to be cleanly. His rooting in fresh soil for roots and larva of iuse ts does not disprove his preference for cleanliness.

Plant Peas Often. Peas are one of the most delicious of garden vegetables, but we often fail to make the most of our oppor. trinities, by planting them all at onc-e when garden-making first commences, whereas, it is best to plant a few every week through planting season. By this means those last planted will be coming on when the first are dead, and our table will be the gainer thereby. Let us have peas.— Express.

REFRIGERATOR COMPLETE.

GALVANIZED IRON TRAY.

MANNER OF FLUSHING DRAINS.