Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1894 — HOME AND THE FARM. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME AND THE FARM.

A DEPARTMENT MADE UP FOR OUR RURAL FRIENDS. The Atrlcu'.turel Department Shows How Wheat Robs the Soil- -English -Method of Preserving Grapes-Table for Sorting Beans—liuw to Make a Neat Piazza. How Wheat Robs the Soil. The wheat crop of 1893 was estimated by the Department of Agriculture to be worth at the farm St 1 . Hi I per acre. To say nothing about tho labor and other cost of producing ■ this pitiful yield, the crop took away from the soil fertilizing elements worth moie than 8» per cent of the entire vaiue of tho crop as given , above. That is to say, according to analyses made at the 1 niversity of California by Professor TLlgard the amount of the nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash removed from the soil by a yield of eleven bushels of wheat per a le would amount to $5.32 at current cost of such substances. The exact figures as given by Professor Hilgard are as follows: For 20 bushels of wheat, 7*. 85 pound i potash, 11.90 pounds phosphoric acid, | and 24 pounds nitrogen. lor 3,000 ; pounds of straw, 30.08 pounds potI ash, 7.90 pounds phosphoric acid and |lB pounds nitrogen. The cost of these substances per pound is given !at 15 cents for nitrogen, 5 cents for potash, and 0 cents for phosphoric j acid. To sum up then, we have a necessary manurial cost of $5.32 for producing a crop of wheat averaging ] eleven bu&nels per acre. As stated, | this amounts to more than 88 per cent of the value of the crop grown, harvested, threshed, and stored at the farm. As a matter of course, these manurial ingredients or tholr equivalents must lie restored to the soil sooner or later, or a still in re discreditable yield than eleven bushels per acie will surely ensue. It the straw be returned to the soil a considerable part may be thus saved, but by sending tho grain away from the farm the eleven bushels per aero permanently removes from the soil fertilizing elements worth $2.80 per acre, or more than 42 percent, of tho entire value of tho crop In the light of those facts, how long ban American farmers continue to duce wheat at a farm value of' s(>.lo per acre? Enlarging a Wlicelbai row's Usefulness. It is often desirable to wheel away from a lawn or garden,, light rubbish, straw, hay, or vinos, for which purpose the ordinary wheelbarrow does not give sufficient accommodation. So often is it desired to wheel away

light but bulky loads of this sort, that such an arrangement as is shown in the illustration from the American Agriculturist, will be found very serviceable. It is simply a light rack frame that can bo attached to the barrow in the same way that the ordinary sides are attached, the addition of a couple of sockets near the handles being tho only necessary addition to the barrow in order to accommodate the rack. The construction is so plainly shown in the sketch that a ided explanation is not needed. Grapes in Winter. Glasses such as are shown our Illustration are one of the late-t schemes of grape growers in England to keep the fruit from drying during the winter. The jar Is made of clear glass, and, having a wide mouth, water can easily bo added from a

small watering can as required, without the trouble of taking It down or r moving the grapes. The weight of the bunch will press the immersed end of the stem against the upper side of the bottle, and so prevent Its slipping out. It is always best to leave about eighteen inches of stem beyond the bunch when the grapes are cut, as otherwise the berries are apt to crack through—absorbing too much of the water when first stored. It >s well also to cut off the immersed end about one j in three weeks to maintain a free passage for absorption. An Easily Made Piazza* Tpo many country homes are urn provided with shade, where one may get fresh air without sunshine during the warm months qt summer. Many think they cannot allord to build piazzas, while others object to

having these permanent structures on the ground because they shut out the sunshine in the winter when it is specially needed. This is certainly ope strong objection to permanent piazzas, unless they can be constructed against such a part of the house that no room may be shaded by their roofs. The Illustration, however, shows how a summer veranda can be constructed at small cost of time or money—a veranda that will g.ve shade in summer, and in winter will keep no sunshine put of one's

housa A pern anent platform is laid bes. re the dooi, and above this is arranged a light frame, well biaced, that can be quickly taken down in the fall. This frame is covered with awning cloth, which is inexpensive, and, if cared for, will last many years. Of course the shape and size can be altered to suit the sue or shape of the house. Table for SOrtin; Brann. The culture of beans is rapidly !h----creasing, as they generally tommand a protltable pi ice in the market. In

thrashing and winnowing the beans it is almost impossible to remove all pieces of pods and vines, and the shrunken or diseased beans, hemo handsorting is necessary to put the beans in the clean condition which secures the best prices. An ingenious table on which to sort the beans is shown in the illustration, from sketches by E. P. Judson. Fig. 1

piesentsa view of the table from above, showing the sieve and the spout A side view is shown in Fig. 2, with the drawers for refuse and bad beans, beneath the sieve. This useful contrivance may be made in portable shape, and tho legs can bo folded so that it can be brought into the house on cold, stormy days. Tho legs are bolted to the sides with one b It each. The height oi the table can be varied by making the legs slant more or less, and then fastened by a wooden pin In holes bored to suit. A slide keeps the beans from pouring onto the sieve too rapidly.— Orange Judd Farmer. 1 preying Pototo Vines. The Ohio station recommends a spraying with tho Bordeaux mixture for both potato rot and potato bugs. Their compound Is (i pounds blue vitrol, 4 poundu limo to 22 gallons of water, adding J'pound London purple to each 100 gallons of the mixture. The spraying dates are May 28, June 2f’, June 29, and July 1(1. Last year blight appeared about tho middle of June, and made bad work with tho unsprayed vines. The sprayed vines showed much loss Injury, remaining green after tho others were dead, and yielded a profitable crop, while the unsprayed portion of th, j field was practically a failure Tho tubers on the treated portions were but little affected by scab.

The Farmer and Fertilizer. For yearn past farmers have op posed the use of fertilizers because of the low prices realized by them for their staple crops, saying that with whbat selling at 40 cents there is no money in it anyhow. Hut just there is where they ml-take Ten bushels to the acre at 40 cents moans $4 at the mill or the elevator, but twenty bushels at the same price bring SB, and thirty bushels sl2; and ail that is realized over and above tho $4 is profit (less the extra expense for fertilize s.) There’s the rub. With a low rate of production the farmer realizes barely tho cost of seed and labor, but wiih increa ed production comes the possibility of profit. Putting ZOO pounds of fertilizer to the acre, at a cost of $3 is very apt to double the average product the first year, without exhausting tho fertilizer; the same quantity itfkled every year for a few years tml a proper rotation of crops practiced, and the product would be trebled or quadrup ed. Surely the manufacturer is right in saying; •‘These bones shall rise again.” Ke p thelSoll Busy. The conviction is gaining griuna that no practice of old-time tanning was more wasteful than that of having the land naked while it was being cu livated in preparation for another crop. Something growing on the land at all times must be the motto. Not only does the green crop add to tho soil's fertility bui it prevents what was on the soil from being wasted. In some English experiments the waste from drainage water represented a loss of 280 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre In a single year. That is an amount which, if applied to a crop, is often thought a fair dressing. Yet it was what is lost by leaving the land uncovered. The best i rops to cover n ked places are the legumes, peas, beans, and crimson clover. All these are nitrogin traps, and help to make the land rich on which they grow.

I arm Note*. Grasshoppers make a good egg food. As a rule splncch is a very profitable crop ‘Overfeeding is the most fruitful cause of a failure, to lay. In butter color and Uavor have no relation to ea h other. The ashes pf the corn-cob contain a large amount of potash. It is said that fowls that lay white eggs are more prolific than those which lay dark eggs. A great deal of wet land along the banks of streams and ponds can be used for growing the basket willow. A solution of sll’cate of soda is said to be a perfect preservation of eggs and does not injure them in any way. An eight-frame hive for bees is now preferred to the ten-frame Langstroth hive, which has been so long in use. ,• There is no better grain for poultry anytime of the year than wheat, except when fattening. When ready to fatten corn should be used. The most expensive fertilizer to the farmer is nitrogen, pnd this cost he can reduce on his farm by growing clover, cow peas and green crops for turning under, for the purpose of renovating hid soil ... l

WHEELPARROW WITH BACK FRAME,

TO KEEP GBAPES FRESH ALL WINTER.

AN INEXPENSIVE SUMMER VERANDA.

BEAN SORTING TABLS FROM ABOVE.

RIDE VIEW OF BEAN SORTING TABLE.