Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — HOME AND THE FARM. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME AND THE FARM.

A DEPARTMENT MADE UP FOR OUR RURAL FRIENDS. Bow a Cheap Fruit Dryer Can Be MadeCar® of Barnes* for Farm Horsea—liaising a Big Crop of Corn—Agricultural Atom*. Cheap Frnit Dryer. Procure a dry goods box of a size to fit the top of tbe cook stove and some twenty or thirty inches tall. The taller it is tbe more room for shelves. Take out the bottom and one side, which will make a door, and on each of the opposite sides nail strips of lath at the distance of three or four inches as a support'for drying shelves. These should be of galvanized wire cloth with mesh from one-quarter to one-half inches, tacked to a frame of lath or light wood just large enough to slip into the box from the front.

Fasten at each of the four corners a stout piece of iron to support the box some eight or ten inches above tbe stove. This should be left open for the air to circulate through to prevent the fruit burning. A square of mosquito netting should lie tacked over the top to keen out the Hies and other insects when not over the stove. Hang the door with light hinges and a strap of leather to fasten over a nail or tack to hold the door shut, and one has a dryer that can easily dry a bushel of apples a day, or more if one attends to nothing else, and by this dryer one does not run the risk of losing their fruit if there does come a wet spell. For drying sweet corn the shelves will need covering with mosquito net.

Care of Harnes* for Farm Horses. The capacity of the horse for work depends much upon his harness, stiff harness tires and worries him. Oiling the harness will make it flexible, and will also make it more durable. There is no better time for oiling harness than some stormy day on which outdoor work is forbidden by the weather. A mixture of three parts of neat’s-foot oil to one part of beef tallow, is a splendid application. A little lampblack may be added, to blacken the leather, and also a little castor oil, to prevent the mice from' nibbling. But the best way to prevent the mire from nibbling the harness is to keep it in a tight closet, and keep two or three good mousers about the barn. When the harness is being oiled, is the proper time to make any needed repairs. This work can be done indoors on stormy days. It is certainly much better to do it then, and not to have vexatious breaks when plowing is pressing to be dona Very nearly all the repairing that is necessary can be done at home. It will pay to have on hand at all times a supply of linen thread, wax, a halt dozen assorted needles, awls, and especially an assortment of copper rivets Strengthening weak places will not only avoid vexatious breakages when one is very busy, but may also avoid runaways, not a few of which are caused by the breaking of the harness Labor-Saving; Contrivance. To take down a wire fence I And the following plan a simple and easy ona Take a common wire spool and tie to the hind hub of a low truck wagon. Tie the four ends to as many spokes. When the tops are well

tightened, pour on water to shrink them on tighter. I stretched my wire in a straight line and passed the end over the top of the spool, started my team and had the wire on the spool in one hour. —IL L. Morrell, in Farm and Home. A Big Crop of Corn. It is just as easy to grow a big crop of corn as a small one; it takes little more labor to keep a field welltilled than to neglect ft, and the only thing needed in addition is plenty ot fertility. Mr. Carman of Hewletts, L. 1, reports that in 1888 he plowed a piece of sod land, sandy loam, had been in sod six years; not quite four and one-half acres. Ten tons of stable inanure were spread in March and plowed tinder. Eight 'hundred pounds of Mapes' commercial manure were spread and harrowed In before planting; 1,000 pounds more of the same fertilizer was worked in with the ctiitivsitor after the corn was up. The variety grown was the Chester County, in rows four feet by one foot The crop produced was 1.000 bushels of ears on the whole lot, eijual to 525 bushels of shelled co; n, or at the rate of 1 H>f bushels per acre. Another crop on the same farm ol 134 bushels shelled corn was'on an acre with the use of 500 pounds of the Mapes manure applied at several times during the growing season. This was done without unusual care or expense. Making a Ewe Own Her Lamb. A correspondent of the Indiana Farmer ssys that an infallible way to make a ewe own her lamb is to bring a dog in the same enclosure. The mate; nal instinct will lead the ewe to protect the lamb aga nst the dog, and while she is guarding it the lamb will suck. After the lamb has once sucked there need be no further difficulty. It is usually because the udder is swollen and tender that the

dam refuses to allow her young to suckle. It is well, therefore, to careful’y milk a little by hand. After thus relieving the pressure the ewe may be held while the lamb suckles, which it will .soa Ao if it has ths chance. Early Sprln* Feed of Cow*. Succulent feed should be provided cows that are begining to give milk, even though it is made succulent by tbe use of hot water. There is really nothing much better than the old-fashioned bran mash, which is none the worse for being made thin and sloppy, so as to encourage the drinking of plenty of water. With bran mashes and brewers' grains in equal bulk, milk proauction maybe made as great as it will be when the cow is turned out (ffsh grass in spring. There should be enough dry food—clover, hay, or cornstalks— to keep the ani. mals from becoming too laxative in their bowels. For that matter, some dry food should be given to cows when first turned to pasture in the spring. It is not until June that the grass gains sustance enough to enable cows to dispense with some dry food. So long as they will eat any, they should have IL

The Outlet to Underdrains. The most important part of an underdrain is the outlet, and just as soon as the snow melts this should be examined and all sediment and other accumulations cleared away. If the outlet be located where stock is allowed to run, the chances are that some of the stones or tiles have become misplaced by the trampling of stock in search of water. These should be replaced even if several feet of tbe outlet must be removed for that purpose. A flat stone or piece of plank or slab should be placed over the drain and the whole covered with soil a foot deep. If the open ditch or creek into which the drain discharges has become tilled up, it should be cleaned out that the water may not back up into the drain; and this work is very important and should not be'neglected.

Improved Umbrella Rack. The illustration shows the usual style of drain tile umbrella rack, but

having in this case an improved base of wood. This base has a shallow drawer in which is fitted a circular pan of zinc, occupying the space directly , under the tilepll to catch the drip from the" umbrellas. This . obviates the® necessity ot lift-

ing the heavy stone cylinder every time wet umbrellas have been placed in the rack. With the application of a little ingenuity and taste, such an umbrella stand may be made not only a very convenient, but an ornamental piece of furniture. Farm Notes. The red raspberry is a good honey plant, the flowers lasting three or weeks, and furnishing a honey that is excellent in quality, whue the berries prove better and more abundant if bees visit them frequently. Scales on the'farm soon pay for their use, as they enable the farmer to know whether his stock are gaining and the kinds of food to use to make the greatest gain. Scales may be considered an absolute necessity if system is to be practiced. Farmer’s dubs, grange meetings, institutes, etc., help to promote the social side of farm lite, and bring the Leople of a community into closer relation and sympathy with each other. Do not neglect these things, any more than you do the proper cultivation of your land. In cultivating the majority of crops the nearer the ground can be kept to a perfect level the better it will ba In this way the most even distribution of moisture is procured. The old method of hilling up crops when laying them by has been generally abandoned by advanced farmers. Cct oats when in the milk if you want them to feed in the dairy or for wintering horses. By permitting them to ripen and then separating the grain from the straw you add to the expense, but not at all to the valua Only by cutting and curing as hay can you procure anything like the full feeding value of the straw.

Kitchen Recipes. Fried Herrings.— Serve them light brown with fried sliced onions. Pork. Cutlets and Anchovy Sauce.—Grill six delicately cut pork cutlets and serve in a hot dish, with anchovy sauce in the midst of them. Deviled Biscuits.—Take some milk biscuits, soak them in clarified butter or oil. Then rub them with a little curry powder, ketchup, some salt and pepper. Toast them on a gridiron over a clear fire. Serve very hot. Stewed Kidney.—A kidney cut into four pieces, well floured all over, and put into a pan with mushrooms and a rich gravy. Parsley and fine herbs, pepper and salt to taste must be added, the whole carefully browned. American Waffles—Boil cup office quite soft. Take two tablespoonfuls of floury two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of milk; beat to a smooth paste; keep till cold. Well giease the wafflei rods, pour in some of the mixture, and when done on both sides nut on a warm- plate and butter. Serve them very hot. Broiled Trout—When the fish is thoroughly cleaned, wipe dry with a doth and tie it round with threap (to preserve its shape'. Melt a quarter of a pound of butter with a tablespoonful of salt, and pour ft over the trout till quite covered; let it remain in it for five minutes, then take it out and place on a gridiron over a dear fire, and let it cook gradually for fifteen m|nute& Salsify—Scrape the salsify quite white and throw it into a pan of boiling water, with a good lump of salt and some lemon juice. When it is tender put it to drain; then cut it into pieces and dip it in batter, fry a light brown, serve fried parsely with it Make the batter of one egg, a little flour, salt, mace, aud nutmeg.

FRUIT DRYER.

REEL FOR WIRE.