Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1895 — FACTS FOR FARMERS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FACTS FOR FARMERS.

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR THE AGRICULTURISTS. Plan for a Frame Farmhonae Which la a Model in Points of Convenience —The Btrawberry Guava—The House Cellar. Modern Farmhonae Plan. The cost of this fivme farmhouse will range anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, according to location, the kind of interior decoration or finish, and the amount of work the farmer can personally perform in its construction. In this case all the lime, stone for cellar wall, and some of the lumber, were procured on the farm. The excavating for cellar, building of wall and chim-

neys, all the plumbing, laying of sewer and water pipes, roofing, painting and laying of stone walks, were all done by myself and sons, hiring skilled labor to frame and inclose the building and to plaster the interior. The house stands on a knoll about 300 yards from the river; the natural drainage is perfect, the ground sloping away from the front and both sides, the rear being nearly level. It is not necessary te rely on natural drainage, as there is a system of underground sewerage which takes all the waste from the roof, laundry, kitchen, bath tub, water closet and washstands to a safe distance from the house, where it is carried away by a small water course. The kitchen, laundry, bath room and lavatory in the lobby at foot of back stairs are all supplied with hot and cold water. The kitchen range is set in a recess of the chimney, the smoke pipe going into one flue, while a second acts as a ventilator for the vegetable cellar. A third central flue is directly over tho range, and serves as ventilator to the kitchen, carrying all the cooking odors,

steam, and in summer the heat from the house away above the roof. In cold weather this flue can be closed by a sheet iron trap door, controlled by means of a small brass chain and pulley. The sink is supplied with an abundance of hot and cold water, perfect drainage and trags. The door leading from the kitchen to the pantry is hung on a double hinge, which aliows it to swing either way. The pantry Is fitted with shelves which are closed in with light panel doors, thus keeping canned fruits, etc., in a cool, dark place. Below are bins and drawers for flour and groceries. The parlor Is connected with the hall by large, folding doors, which can be thrown open, thus forming a large or double parlor. The windows throughout are fitted with weights and pulleys. The parlor and library have slate mantels, the dining room hardwood mantel. The bath room is

furnished with bath tub, inside water closet and stationary washstand, properly trapped and drained. The entire house is heated by a hot water heater, located in the cellar, with radiator in all rooms, but open grates are used in the library and dining room, on account of the cheerfulness. The reservoir which supplies the house, barn and garden with water is situated on a hill about 1,000 feet to the rear, giving a fall of 60 feet, and Is fed by two springs, water being carried to the house in two-inch iron pipes.—Orange Judd Farmer. Soft Corn for Cows. A great deal of soft corn Is given to hogs which might much moro profitably be given to cows that are giving milk. There is considerable nutrition in the succulent cob of soft corn, and this is lost when the pig gets it. Hogs get too much com on most farms. They will fatten better on a more varied ration. Cows rechew all their food, and will waste very little if they are fed soft corn. It is an excellent food to make rich milk, though of course care must be taken not to feed enough to fatten the cow. This rarely happens when the cow is a good milker. Canada Thistles. The argument that the Canada thistle helps to keep the land fertile Is not

ft sound one. The thistle gets nothing of manurial value except what It take* from-the soil. Clover secures nitrogen from the atmosphere and thus makes the soil more productive. In an Indirect way Canada thistles sometimes keep the farm from becoming poorer. When there are many of them in the hay and straw these products are unsalable and have to be fed on the farm where they are grown. The House Cellar. Whether you conclude to build a large or small cellar, the advice of a contributor to the Country Gentleman is to dig it shallow, and then make the depth by filling up to the walls. If I were building a house, now, on level land, where it would take a long drain to take the water from the cellar, I would only dig two or three feet deep, and would then plow and acrapo and fill up to the wall until I had a uniform grade from a point not more than 100 feet distant, which I would make low enough for an outlet to a drain, up to the house. I doubt if this would cost any more—probably not as much on many soils—than to dig a deep cellar, and it would give the house and yard a much better appearance. It would be best not to fill to tlje top of the wall, but have two or three steps to get down from the level of the house to the ground, except at the rear, where the coal, wood and water are to be carried in, and here the fill could be made higher, so as to have but one step. lam quite sure that by thus digging shallow and grading a cellar could be secured against water entering possibly without a drain at all, and if a drain was required, a short and inexpensive one would answer. The Strawberry Guava. This fruit is one of the best of the guavas and is readily cultivated in Florida, Arizona, New Mexico and

California. The tree or shrub attains a maximum growth of 15 to 1 20 feet, is of eoinjpaet form, with /dense, glossy, evergreen foliage, which makes it a very *ornamental tree, especially when loaded, with its rich-colored

fruit. Produces early, bearing when a year old and an abundance at 2 to 3 years. It is considered hardy in England, but requires protection in the northern United States, where it is gaining in favor as an ornamental greenhouse plant. The fruit is of a dark red or purplish ruby red color in the.common variety, one to two Inches In diameter, of firm texture, will stand transportation well and always meets with a ready sale as a fresh fruit or for Jelly making. Best Bee Food. The very best bee food for winter is pure white honey. That seems to contain the least Indigestible matter, says the Massachusetts Ploughman. Next to this comes pure honey of a darker shade. If artificial food be necessary (do not skimp them to avoid feeding), use pure granulated sugar syrup. This is best at any time, but so much of successful wintering depends upofi good food that one should be especially particular in the fall feeding. One may at times have other material quite as unobjectionable as this; but where ono is in doubt, the advice of an experienced apiarist should be sought before using it. Protecting Rosebushes. While the hardy perpetual roses usually endure our winters pretty well, they do not always do so, especially when the wood is not ripened. It is a good plan, says the Philadelphia Press, to prune the new wood rather severely at this time of the year, and to shelter the bushes by sticking evergreen boughs into the ground around them, so as to shelter them from the wind and sun; this is better than trying to cover with earth, which is not easily done when the bushes are stiff. The same sort of covering is also well adapted to rhodondendrons and other halfhardy shrubs that are sometimes injured by our winters.

Hints on Stock Feeding. Buckwheat should not be fed alone to hogs, but mixed with other foods. Bean vines are rich In nitrogenous substances, says the Massachusetts Ploughman. They are especially valuable for sheep. There is no better way to economize food than to make the quarters of the farm animals comfortable. Don’t get discouraged, and quit raising stock or grain because they sometimes get low. Profits come to those who stick. It requires Just as much care and more feed to make the same weight with comb stock that it does with pure-breds, and the price Is never as high for the first as for the last. The Buff Leghorn. The buff Leghorn is a comparatively new breed, so new, indeed, that a really good specimen is a rara avis. But you Just wait a few years until the breed becomes accustomed to Its characteristics, and It will be one of the most profitable, and, consequently, popular fowls named in the standard. Buff Leghorn breeders, like others of the fraternity, claim untold excellence for the new buffs. We rather like them. Lettuce Under Glass. As briefly stated by Prof. L. H. Bailey, the requisites for growing celery under glass are a low temperature, solid beds, or at least, no bottom heat, a soil free of silt and clay, but liberally supplied with sand, and careful attention to watering. Rot and leaf burn are prevented by a proper soil and temperature and care in watering and ventilation. Land to Subsoil. Whether subsoiling will be profitable or not depends upon the soil and subsoil, and the condition of the land as regards drainage. Subsoiling can be of no possible benefit on land with a porous subsoil, where there Is a free drainage. On the other hand, It will be of but temporary benefit on a piece of flat, stiff clay which Is not underdrained. Feed More Oats. Prof. Plumb, of the Indiana 'experiment station, has Issued a bulletin, in which be advises farmers to feed more oats, rather than sell them at a low price and buy bran at 70 cents per 100 pounds.

EXTERIOR OF MODERN FARMHOUSE.

FIRST FLOOR PLAN.

SECOND FLOOR PLAN.

GUAVA FRUIT.