Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1896 — ALL ABOUT THE FARM [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ALL ABOUT THE FARM

SUBJECTS INTERESTING TO. RURAL READERS. Dairy Department Equipment in an Experiment Station—A Homemade Windmill that Answer* All Requirements. Dairy Department. In the accompanying engraving the first shows the floor plan of the new creamery, and the second presents a perspective view of the new dairy barn, which have recently been added to the equipment of the Maryland Experiment Station. This addition has been

made In order to keep pace with changing conditions of the agrlcultnre of the State. Many sections that were but a few years ago grain-producing are now becoming dairy centers. In 1888 there were less than six creameries in the State, but now there are eighty In operation. The work at present of the station will be to Illustrate the best methods of work with the average conditions as they exist in the State. Illustrations how to go about selecting and rearing a profitable butter herd will be a prominent feature—a herd that will produce 300 pounds or over per cow, Instead of the present low State average of 100 pounds per cow. It will also be the alm of the station la Its every day work, and by means of accounts, to show how It is possible to carry a cow per acre Instead of using four or five acres as Is usually done. The more technical work will be with feeds and Improved methods of handling and care t>f products. The dairy barn is fitted up with a number of kinds of stanchions, Newton cow ties, Bidwell stalls

and the old-fashioned mangers, and many conveniences for preparing and handling feeds.—American Agriculturist. A Homemade Windmill. A windmill such as is portrayed below can be made by any ingenious farmer at a trifling expense. For an upright to place the windmill on, I use 6by G Inch elm scantling. Cut a 2-lnch strip four feet long from the center and run it down on the cribbing of the well. Two bolts, a, a, were riveted through upright to cribbing. Two braces, b, of 2 by 4 Inch scantling make the upright secure. To upper end of upright is bdlted a piece of old pump piping about two feet long for the sucker rod c c to work through, as well as for the windmill to turn and face the wind. The crosspiece upon which the windmill works, d, contains a hole just large enough to allow it to turn easily on this pipe. The shaft from the windmill to pitman passes close at one side of this pipe. The tall or vane Is put on the opposite side of the crosspiece to the fan and balances It. To prevent the main vane from holding the fan too stralghtto the wind In a storm, I placed a smaller vane, e, at the side. Strong winds press against (he smaller vane, turning the ' fan out

enough to prevent breaking. The crosspiece Is 6by 0 inches. At about onethird of the distance from the pipe to pitman is placed a standard, g, for a lever, f, to work on. These parts were made by a blacksmith. My windmill has been in operation over a year, and since placing the smaller vane, e, on the side, I have had no trouble with it; before then, a *orm would break the, leaves.—R. M. 8., in Farm and Home. Good Advice. The habit of calling attentiqn to defects about homes, by apologizing for them, Is a bad one, a»d one that no selfrespecting woman should follow. The following advice given to a young married woman who was visited by another older and more experienced one may be helpful to some of our readers. When the visitor rose to go the hostess came with her to the door, and out upon the piazza, which, however, looked a little dusty In the corners. “Oh, deilf!” said the yonng wife, “how provoking the servants are! I told Mary to sweep the piazza thoroughly, and now look how dusty it is.” “Grace,” said the older woman, looking into the disturbed yonng face with kindly, humorous eyes, “I am an old housekeeper. Let me give you a bit of advice: Never direct people’s attention to defects. Unless you do so they will rarely see them. Now, if I had been in your place and noticed <he dl;t, I should have said, ‘How blue

the sky tor or ‘How thg cloydk are? or ‘How bracing-the sir is!* Then I should have looked up at that as I spoke, and should have gotten yob down the steps, and out of sight without your seeing the dust!” There to a good lesson here for many of us. Pottllyy Pointers. .. ■ When hens lay thtn-sbelled eggs they are in need of lime. The roosts should be low, especially for large, heavy fowls. Build the house ten by ten feet for ten fowls, and the yard ten times larger. Ducklings are marketed at five pounds weight, which they attain in ten weeks. i’. . >-x Placing ah old cock bird In a run of cockerels will prerent' the latter from fighting. Ten doxen eggs a year Is the average estimate given as tl;e production of the hen. t . . • Thirteen eggs are considered a set* ting, though many breeders are now giving fifteen. Better for the wife to earn her pin money with poultry than' to take in washing or sewing. In shipping live poultry it Is poor economy to ship the best wita thejxmrest. Grade them. Don’t forget to clean out the nests and put In new litter, for the lice are still With us. Better strew a handful of Insect powder In the nest to help drive the enemy out. Attention to poultry pays on the farm, and during these times, when country produce is selling at such low prices, there is no product on the farm that brings cash so readily as poultry and eggs. _____ Eeneflts of Early Fall Plowing. In all our experience we have never seen any but the best results from early fall plowing, while on the other hand we have often seen the ill effects of late plowing 'on the next crop,; At one time we began the plowing of a field containing eighty acres while still engaged in stacking, the wot weather having interfered with the latter work, says a writer In the “Homestead.” Plowing was continued at odd times till late in the fall, and the following year the entire field was planted In corn. During the summer the growing corn told unerringly of the difference |n time of plowing, the crop being the best on the early plowed ground and the poorest on the late plowed. With our experience In plowing stubble ground for a crop of corn we would much prefer spring plowing to that of the late fall, the only thing to be said in favor of the latter being that work Is not usually so pressing In the fall as in the spring, but early fall plowing Is far better than either, whether for corn or small grain, and if the surface pf the soli does become packed all the better for the crop. It Will show its aiipr&dlation as soon as It secures a foothold. Seme Trrlga’tion Problems. Prof. Sanborn says: It has long been held that irrigation water Applied beneath the surface Is better than surface irrigation, in relation to the amount used, the temperature of the soil, the amount at evaporation, washing the soli and yAeJd of crop, including quality of crop received. Though philosophically there would seem to be little doubt that the propositions are well taken, sub-lrrlgatlon as an economical process has been overpressed by some as a means of very greatly curtailing the amount of water used. There are those who have asserted that only one-tenth of the water applied by sub-lrrlgatlon would be found necessary td substitute for that required by surface Irrigation. Such claims are the untempered claims that enthusiasts frequently make in new methods proposed. But, if the claim for sub-lrrlgatlon be granted, we are confronted With the cost of sublrrlgatlon and our practical ability to distribute it rapidly enough through the soil to meet the wgnts of growing plants. Winter Rye. An Eastern farmer Writes: To those who have never tried it I would say, sow a field of rye thte year. Sow it early, and do not be afraid to pasture, it late. It will come up nicely in the spring, affording pasturage long before the grass is big enough to turn into. Keep it fed down as long as possible, but when it begins to joint, keep out the stock if you want it for hay, or to perfect the grain for threshing. Inputting for hay cut before it begins to turn yellow at the roots, so that it will be green and nice when cured. If It can be used for hogs let them remain in it all summer and you will find it the easiest way of fattening them you ever tried; nothing makes spring pigs grow equal to it, although a little ground feed may be fed to advantage at any time, and milk the same.

Teach Boys How to Farm. To make farm life a success and df* sirable, the farmer must teach his boys and girls that there is no other profession within the bounds of civilization as Independent, honorable and ennobling as life on tie farm. This growing practice of sending our boys to school to be educated for some other profession is making all our farm boys anxious to leave the old homestead and crowd into the cities; where every profession is overdone, and trickery the only door left open to the educated boy. It is not enough to teach boys how to farm; the foundation of success is in teaching them contentment on the farm. Horticultural Hint*. Cut out the raspberry canes that have borne fruit this year. How have you been most successful in keeping winter apples? Cuttings of currant or gooseberry plants may be made this month. < Judge Emery, of Kansas, says “irrigation will double the life and product of any orchard.” Market gardening is a profitable businessAf the market is.near. But it is a laborious business. ' All fallen fruit shoujd be destroyed in some manner. Many ipseet pests will be killed by so doing. If horticulturists want to Improve their conditions, and th<* general condition of the people, they should get in touch with each other. To have a good crop of strawberries next season there must be a < good growth of plants this fall Thorough cultivation wilt help thia

GROUND PLAN OF CREAMERY.

PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF DAIRY DAIRY.

A CHEAP PUMP.