Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1895 — DEVICE FOB COOLING MILK. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEVICE FOB COOLING MILK.

tog the cage is raised, new milk is put on, and that which has been on for twenty-four hours is skimmed. This skimmed milk is always sweet—J. 8. Fowler, in American Agriculturist Grubs at Strawberry Roots, Alexander MacLellan, in the Florists’ Exchange, says: “1 have found nitrate es soda a sure cure, or, rather, a preventive of destruction to strawberry plants by the larvae of the May beetle. My plan is to give a light application, sowing just before rain. Of course, It could b 6 applied in solution. I have also used soda on asters where the grubs had commenced work with like good effect Of course, this could be used en any garden crop, but don’t give too much at a time; rather repeat the dose in the course of three or four weeks. As the soda induces a rank vegetable growth, it will be well to use it sparingly where flowers are wanted, such as sweet peas.” Straining Milk. Straining should begin before commencing to milk by brushing off all dirt, hair, straw, etc., from the udder, teats and body of the cow. Let it be the duty of some one person to go over all the cows with a soft brush or damp cloth before the cows are milked. An ordl-

nary wire sieve strainer does very well, but we add to this by doubling cheese doth or thin cotton so as to have four thicknesses. Lay the cloth across the bottom of the strainer, and then fasten it on by means of a tin ring .which slips over the cloth and bottom part of the Strainer. For quickness, we use a strainer that a pail of milk may be put into at once. This sits in a wooden frame over the can. Some use a woolen doth to strain with. Cloth of some kind is necessary to catch hairs and fine dirt. This doth must be kept clean. Scald it thoroughly each time after qsing. Economy in Weed Destruction. There are some farmers who atill think that there is nothing lost in allowing weeds to grow on land that has no crop, provided the weeds are cut down before going to seed. It is true that the weed contains all the mineral and nitrogenous plant food that it has taken from the soil. When it decays, as it lies, most of this is returned to the soil. But there is always some waste, and if It were otherwise the plant food in the weed is not available fertility as that which It took from the soil during its growth. The time when a weed can be destroyed with greatest benefit to the soil is immediately after It has germinated. This is also the easiest time to kill it The worst weeds, like the perennial Canada thistle, for example, are, when first germinated, as easily killed as are any of the annual weeds. The slightest' brush with a hoe will destroy them. Leave them a few weeks, and these perennial weeds begin to form their underground system of roots, and it takes a long time to accomplish what could so easily have been done at first

Slipshod Poultry. Farmers, as a rule, pay but little attention to poultry. Most of them, however, have a few running about th but give them little or no care, says the New England Farmer. Possibly, a pailful of grain is thrown out to them once or, at most, twice a week. If you ask the general run of farmers whether they give any of their time to poultry, the answer usually Is, “Well, no; the woman folks gather what eggs there are, and raise a few young ones, but they don’t pay.” No, of course they don’t pay when not looked after. Would their cattle, their horses or their swine pay if they were attended to in such a slipshod and ridiculous fashion? Poultry will not pay unless ‘properly cared for and attended to.

Lime in the Food. While wo believe fowls should have lime given them <to eat at will it is generally better to give them food that is itself rich in this mineral. Chopped clover is an excellent feed to make hens lay, as it contains both lime and nitrogenous matter. Peas are also rich in lime and excellent for laying hens. Whole or cracked wheat is also a lime food, and can be given freely, though it should follow a feed of chopped clover, so that the food may not be too concentrated and fatten the fowls instead of making them lay.—Ex. Low-Hung Wagon. Low-hung farm wagons are a great convenience and save lots of lifting. A simple, home-made device of this kind is illustrated. The rail about the

sides can be removed or put into place in a moment, or light chains can be used in place of it Several styles of lowdown milk wagons, hay carts, etc., are also manufactured and have a wide sale and growing popularity. Remedy for Pear-Blight. This disease is most apt to affect the Bartlett, Seckel and winter varieties—trees that are strong, vigorous growers The disease is not very well understood, but it is supposed to be produced by an excess of sap. It always breaks out during a hot, sultry and very damp season, like we are having at the present time. Sometimes only a single branch will be affected, then again several in different parts of the tree, and at rare instances the entire tree will be scorched, as if by lightning. The leaves will turn, at first a dark-brown, then black, and, if the branch is cut Into, the wood will be found discolored.

Barbed Wire with Hedges. The chief difficulty in making barbed wire a safe and effective fence is that the wires strung on posts are not easily seen. Animals running loose in pasture do not avoid the barbs until they have been severely injured. But when the same wires are strung through a hedge it is different. The animal pushes until it feels the sharp barbs and then desists. Two or three barbed wires put through a hedge and con; nected with it at intervals of a few feet will make an effective protection against most animals. Stormy Days on the Farm. If storms prevail, muster every hand to a bee for cleaning the barns, carriage house and sheds, and preparing the stables for winter occupancy. Sweep down all the dust and cobwebs, take out the window sashes, wash every part clean, and after it has dried put in new glass and putty wherever it is needed. Then paint each sash carefully, and you will be surprised to see how much more light a single pane will admit Feed for Growing Hogs. Millers, during the grain season, want all the room in their blns for grain and will sell bran and middlings much cheaper than later. There is nothing better than fine wheat middlings with skim milk to make pigs grow. The amount of feed can be greatly increased by cooking the wheat middlings with small potatoes, refuse apples and the waste vegetables from the garden, all of which when cooked are eagerly eaten by pigs. Sheep in the Orchard. A Rural New Yorker correspondent says: “By stocking the orchard heavily with sheep and feeding large quantities of bran you will obtain two values—the feeding value and the manurial value—besides preventing the spread of injects which live in fallen fruit,**

A LOW-HUNG WAGON.