Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 August 1896 — FARMS AND FARMERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARMS AND FARMERS

A Summer Hilk Cooler. For cooling milk, the plan illustrated below has been in successful use. The essential are a well of good size and

cool water. Three cans are all that are needed in my creamery, each one holding a milking, which allows thirty-six hours for each setting. The cans should have covers to keep out dirt and insects, but not be airtight, and can be made to hold a larger quantity where more cows are kept, but should be about three times the

height of the diameter, with the space between the curb floor and the case roller to allow the can to pass freely through. One point to be kept in mind Is to see that the cans are not set too deep in rainy weather, as the water jnay rise nnd overturn the milk. Snaps are used on the ends of the rope to at-

tach the can, as .•seen in Fig. 1. The cover of the case is so made that when closed it slants back to shed rain. The front pieSe, Fig. 2, is detachable and sets in so that

when closed it can be locked with a padlock. All who have seen it think highly of it, as it is a creamery without the use of ice, which Is expensive to have and a great deal of work to use. Setting of milk in wells is so common that this device ought to be generally used by dairymen with from one to four cows.—M. J. Mallett in Farm and Home.

Skilled Labor vs. Muscle on the Farm. The scarcity of good hands for the farm in many parts of the country has been the subject of much comment, but no way has been devised to supply the demand at a fair rate of wages, despite the fact that the cities and towns are Ailed with able-bodied men who are anxious for some means of earning a livelihood. The truth is that these men, willing as many of them undoubtedly are, do not make good farm hands. Three or four decades ago, when muscle was one of the great requirements for farm work, any man with a broad back and brawny arms could be utilized on the farm to good advantage, but now it takes more skilled labor to run a farm, and men who have not learned the trade are next to useless. We want more farmers these days and fewer roustabouts. We never see the groups, the hundreds of idling men and boys on the street corners,, without thinking, “Oh, the pity of it!” The most qf them are bright enough and quick enough to learn, and would make good farm laborers if they could once be caught and retained and wooed away from the city savagery and shiftlessness. We need a school of agriculture—a practical Institution for just such fellows as these—boys that would not want to be professors and editors, lecturers and the like, but who would be willing to apply the knowledge acquired in gainihg a livelihood for themselves on the farm.—Column's Rural World.

Storing Apples in Boxes. Square boxes with open tops and separated by cleats nailed across the corners so as to allow air to.circulate over thep'are better thah barrels to store apples in. AVe's&w some recently in the fruit cellar of a horticultural friend, says the Cultivator. The apples are put into these hexes in the orchard, loaded into wagons, anti are drawn tp the cellar, where they are piled one Above the other, nearly to the ceiling. The boxes are made to hold a full bushel each, and can be easily handled without disturbing the fruit. There is great injury to fruit even from the most careful handling. When the bloom is off, it can never be exactly what it was before. The squarp hoxe3 take less room than the same quantity of apples would in barrels, and are much better than if put in bins, where the natural heating of the apples piled one upon the other induces rot, which once started quickly spreads. The boxes are made of solid boards, and are, therefore, heavier as well as more costly than the boxes used in harvesting potatoes. Axle Grease. ~ For heavy wagons common tar melted and thoroughly well stirred with some tallow and black lead so as to make an even mixture as soft as com- * man putty, is excellent to grease the running gear. For light vehicles castor oil with black lead makes a good grease. The common Axle grease sold in the stores is simply palm oil that may be purchased in quantity for 50 cents a gallon thickened with a little resin.— Ontario Star. Shoulder Gal's. At this (season of the year, when the farmers’ horses are at hard work, their shoulders are very liable to gall. A man who works his team notoriously hard In the spring never galls them. Calllhg st his stable to learn the reason I had no occasion to aSk a question. The team had Just returned from the

.field, and the farmer was engaged at one horse and fcis hired man at the other sponging . their shoulders with water. This is done every time they come Into the 6table after hard work, and freedom from shoulder abrasions and consequent comfort of the animals is the natural result When horses return from hard work it may be noticed that they try to rub their shoulders against the stall to allay irritation. A humane man will not withhold the soothing influence of the application of a little water.—Farm and Fireside. The Dairy. . The cow, to make good milk, needs good blood. Good feeding Is the foundation of all •profitable dairying. A stunted calf means an inferior cow or steer. It Is less trouble to wean the calf at the start and feed it than to allow it to suck and wean it at the end. Generally the more docile the calf the better milker will be the cow. The dairy farm should grow continually richer, and it will do so very readily If proper management Is given. In making butter fbr the best market it is essential to secure uniformity in color, in texture, in salting and in packing, leaving no salt in the butter. If the cow is not free from disease care of the utensils will not prevent the germs of disease from entering through the milk. It is by no means a question of thoroughbreds, as all fairly good cows will make good cream, from which good butter can be made, when the care and conditions are right. An overfed cow will not digest all of her food and in this way her milk and the butter made from it will be injured. To secure the best results good digestion and assimilation are Ivery essential. The cow inherits the habit of producing well at the pail or she Inherits the habit of producing fat on her ribs and back. In the dairy the former is what is wanted.

Expensive Marketing. Never before did freight, commission and other charges between the producer and the consumer demand such a .large proportion of the products of the farm, well says the National Stockman. Freights have been higher than they are now, and other expenses have been greater also, but products were bringing more money and the percentage exacted was less. The proportion (ienmided now by carriers and handlers of farm products is about as high as can be endured, and it is to,be hoped for the interest of all parties that no attempt will be made to. chaingq rates save to reduce them. This is no time to put obstacles in the way of trade, and those who do so by increasing charges or otherwise are pursuing a policy which, sooner or later, will react to their own injury. Nnt Cnlture., Nut culture promises to be a recognized industry in this country within a few years. Many groves of chestnuts have been started, and along the Faeifle coast, filbert culture is being considered. In the last three months of 1895, France alone sent us $295,800.85 worth of nuts, of which $84,529.70 went' for walnuts. Spain sent $47,439.28 worth of nuts, mostly filberts and almonds. Italy sent $93,017.79 worth—about $5,000 worth of almonds and the rest nearly equally divided between filberts and chestnuts. These figures cover only one-quarter of the year, and it is evident that there is an opening here for the American nut grower to add 'to his revenue. The Apiary. Bees, small fruit and poultry make a good combination. Golden rod gives a rich, thick honey of a golden color. The queen bee is the only perfectly developed female in the hive. A young queen is more liable to produce a working progeny, and an old one drones. It is best to construct the size of the hive to suit the size of the colony. This can be done by the' use of division boards. Ail examination of the hive should be made and all unnecessary brood cpihb be removed, as an oversupply of wofthelss drones is very objectionable. Odds and Knds, If it is not convenient to fill flannel bags for the sick room with sand, bran will answer the purpose very well and will retain the heat a long time. Before commencing to seed raisins, after the stems are removed, cover the t fruit with -very hot water and let it stand a few moments. Drain the water off and the seeds may then be removed quite easily. Grapes are excellent for leanness, therefore may be indulged in freely, nnd in the winter small doses of cod liver oil, commencing with a teaspoonful immediately after a meal, will often assist materially in producing flesh. When unfortunate enough to spill hot grease upon the top of a clean, white kitchen table, quickly pour cold water upon it and that will cool it at once. This prevents the wood from absorbing the grease, which then can be easily removed. Old feather pillows should be put out on the grass during summer rain and allowed to become thoroughly wet occasionally, then taken and fastened on the clothes line, dried in the wind and sun, and beaten with a small stick to stir up tbe feathers. This seems to put new life Into the feathers and freshens them.

Throughout all the warmer months one eats more sour vegetables and more fruit. As these are bad for the teeth, while generally excellent for the stomach, extra care should be taken In much brushing, and care’ that the lime of the teeth is not eaten Into by ttie acid. After every meal Is not too' often to brush the teeth', and It should be consdpntiouely done While this sort of food la on the table.

FIG. 1.

FIG 2.