Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1895 — FACTS FOR FARMERS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FACTS FOR FARMERS.

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE AGRICULTURISTS. , Hints on the Cultivation of the CastorOil Bean—A Convenient Butter-Slak-ing Devic^—How to Fight Weeds— To Prevent Smut in Oats. Castor-Oil Bean Cnlture. Light, sandy loam soil, with a substratum of clay, is the best land for castor beans, says a writer in the American Agriculturist The ground is broken well, as for corn, and rows laid off six feet apart Between every seventh row an Interval of six feet is left, to admit the passage of a horse and slide when the beans are being gathered. Before planting, the seeds are soaked over night In lukewarm water. _ The

hills are six feet apart, and six seeds are dropped in every hill. When the young plants have become too largo for the cutworm, which is their deadliest enemy* they are thinned out until only two are left in each hill. It is necessary to keep the crop clean, first with the plow, then with the cultivator, and now and then the hoe is used to draw a little soli around them. No work Is necessary after the plants have attained a height of two feet, unless after a long rain the earth is loosened with a cultivator. The beans ripen in late July and early August. After the ripening a horse and slide are brought into play and driven between the rows, when the pod-bearing spikes are clipped off. They are gathered when the pods turn a chocolate color, lest the beans pop from the pods and be lost, and hauled to the bean shed. This Is much liko the oldtime threshing floor, twenty or thirty feet square, well exposed to the sun. On this well-cleaned floor the spike# are spread and turned over Until all the beans have dropped out Theft the husks are scraped away, the beans fanned and winnowed of chaff, and bagged. A new supply is then gathered, since the plants continue to bear and mature their seeds until frost, a period of several months. An open shed is better than an unprotected floor, as the beans would be ruined by getting wet. The average yield is twenty to thirty-five bushels per acre, and ono bushel of seed yields from six quarts to a gallon of castor oil. The crop U fairly profitable in Missouri and Kansas, and has brought good returns wherever raised. While It may do well over a large portion of the Central West, the market for the beans is comparatively limited, the crop going largely to the castor-oil factory at St. Louis. Home-Made Wagon Jacks. Two wagon Jacks are shown In the cut, Fig. 1 being made of two threeinch oak boards (A) bolted together at the top with a small piece for a filler at the top (B) of about two or three inches. The lever (C) is two feet long and two and one-half wide and extends about six Inches through the upright A. Put a bolt through the boards A and lever C; then take any kind of smooth wire and mako tho rod D and

you have a very strong jack. Fig 2is a very handy buggy Jack and easily made. Cut a board tho desired height from the ground a little belpw the axle of the buggy, as shown above.—Farm and Home. Gooseberry Mildew. The mildew which attacks the gooseberry flourishes best in hot, dry weather. It is best therefore to plant this crop in a shaded place on land naturally moist and mulch it well. But the mildew is destroyed by spraying with the Bordeaux mixture, so that after other precautions have failed it can easilybe gotten rid of. But the habit of the gooseberry requires cool and moist ground mulched every summer to preserve greater moisture. It is a saying in Europe that the gooseberry" succeeds only where the vine falls, but by selecting warm and dry locations for the vino and the opposite for the gooseberry both, may be successfully grown in this country. Harrowing Pastures. There are many old pastures which can be much improved by harrowing with a forty-tooth drag that will cut into the surface soil. This will admit air to places covered by moss, and enable the grass to grow more vigorously. Of course some of the roots of the grass will lie destroyed; but the stirring of Die soil will make more grow in their place. If there Is much moss on the surface it will require underdraining to remove surplus water to make a permanent improvement. Keep Ahead of the Weeds. There is only one economical way to fight weeds that Is, to keep ahead of them. When they are just breaking through the ground, says the Agriculturist, they can be slaughtered with less labor than at any other time. That is the time to take them In hand. A little later and the work will be doubled. Too many overlook thlg fact In many

towns 5 per cent off Is snowed on wn taxes paid before a certain date, and men hustle to pay their tax and that five per cent A much larger p/h cent off is secured by the man who takes the weeds in season. One can go over a garden with an iron rake when the weeds are Just breaking ground, and in an hour's time accomplish wonders. A week later he will have to take his hoe and laboriously cut, cut cut Aud even then he doesn't destroy half as many of the roots of weeds aa he would have done a week before with the rake. Neglecting the weeds is somthlng one simply cannot afford. Preventing Smut in Oats. It Is now considered as a settled fact that the smut of oats may be absolutely prevented by treating the seed according to the Jensen plan, says Hoar’s D&lrypmn. This is simply to immerse the seed oats in hot water for a short time, by which every smut sporo is destroyed and a crop free from disease is insured. No expense Is involved and but slight labor. All ttuU is to be done is to soak the seed oats about ten minutes in water at a temperature of nearly 115 degrees—not much more or less —and then spread them where they can drain and dry as rapidly as possible. Use a thermometer to lnsuro the right temperature, which may be regulated by adding hot or cold water, as is re qulred. An Economical Engine. Tho experience and observation oi the writer enables him to recommend the hydraulic ram, where conditions are suitable, os one of themosteconomlcol aud efficient and durable engines ever Invented, says tho Economist At an original cost of $75 water may be brought to the house from a spring 150 yards distant up an elevation of miiny foot. If there Is a spring which wllj keep an Inch and a half drlvo pipe full, and a fall of from six to ten foot) can bo bad, a reliable and practically permanent water Bupply may be carried a distance of from 150 to 800 yards and elevated fifty to 100 feet There Is a ram which can bo driven by branch water and pumps tho spring water, and in that case practically the whole spring supply can bo utilized.— Exchange. Tha.'.'Jereejr Baby.” This illustration represents an ordinary Jersey milk Jug converted into a churp. It Is fitted with a view-glass arid m'Ado nlr-tlght by a simple arrangement of the lid. When suspended, us shoprn In the cut it will swing with a range of Bovcral inches, and although it has no Internal beaters or dashers It will make butter In from five to ten

minutes. Of course, a device so small ns this Is not Intended for making butter In great quantity, but as much us five pounds may be made In It readily. The Illustration is taken from Cassell's Magazine. Oat Meal for Young Chickens. Whole oats are not the best feed for hens that are laying. They are not concentrated enough, tod wheat, which contains much tho same elements of food as does the grain of the oat, Is much better. But for young chicks there Is no better food than ground oats sifted so as to take out the coarser chaff, and made Into a cake. This will be eaten readily, and It wil rimke tho young fowls grow thriftily, even while producing feathers, which is always the most critical period of their growth. # —————— Cayenne Pepper for Sparrows. To kill sparrows, put cayenne pepper In the crevices of buildings they Infest. Or support a long and wide plonk by a stake,' scatter grain under It, and when the sparrows are busily eating pull the stake away by mean# of a string, and tho heavy plank deadfall will kill the sparrows. Other# will quickly return to take their place. Many believe the English sparrow does more good than harm.

Does Not Always Pay to Clear Land*. A great deal of time has been spent digging and blasting rock from which labor the farmer has not received ten cents a day, says the New England Farmer. Sometimes It pays to clear off the very rocky fields, but more often it doesn’t pay. Better leave them to pasture, or plant them with apple or Improved chestnut trees and turn hens. Rough land, orchards and poultry make a very good trio. Watering Horses. Hundreds of horses are ruined every year because they are not given water when they require it There may bo regular times for watering, but rule# cafi uot safely be made to govern the duty. On warm days, when the horse# perspire freely, they give off from their bodies large quantities of moisture, and should be watered frequently, even If allowed! but a small quantity at a time. ' £rop« Oat of the Usual Order. These questions should be asked and answered: Can’t I grow something this year out of the usual line of crop# that will pay me? Can’t I find a better system of marketing what I produce, as shipping direct; supplying the consumer direct, etc. Scratches on Horses. For scratches nothing Is better than a real physic, followed by two days of rest. At the same time, clip the hair from the heels of the horse and apply sulphur one part to crude petroleum two parts. Sell Hogs for the Market. Sell hogs when the market is best and they are ready. There is no wisdom in keeping hogs until they weigh Just so many pounds. Changing the Seed. A change of seed is often beneficial, Seed from a distance can be substituted for home growth with marked profit

CASTOR-OIL PLANT.

WAGON AND BUGGY JACKS.

AN IMPROVISED CHURN.