Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1896 — REAL RURAL READING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REAL RURAL READING

WILL BE FOUND IN THIS DEPARTMENT. Sow to Care for the Beaa Crop-Barn Ciateraa Better than Wells—Wonderful Work of Bees—Kenortug Unfruitful Trees—Farm Notes, Bran Harvesting, Beans are planted any .Hue in June after the ground feat become thoroughly warmed and corn planting is out of the way. The soil should be rich, well drained, well plowed, thdroughly pulverized, and kept free from weeds until the crop has matured. Caring for •the crop- after it is done growing requires much,skill,and painstaking attention. Formerly, and even today where beans are raised on a small

scale, the bunches were pulled by hand and placed In piles until thoroughly dried out To-day large growers use for cutting off the plants. A puller is shown in Fig. 1. Two rows are pulled at the same time. The horizontal knives run Just beneath the surface of the ground and cut off the stems. The tops are brought close together by the rods above the tyiives. They can then be easily gathered up ’with a fork and placed in the shock. Allow the shocks to remain in the field until thoroughly dried. The shocks After thorough drying can be placed in a stack or a hay mow. Care must always be exercised to prevent much packing while being stored, otherwise will ensue. Avoid tramping iby placing a board for the operator to stand upon. When ready thresh, using a bean thresher. Small lots are beaten |out with a flail, and cleaned by means of a hand fanning mill. ' After threshing it pays to pick out Ithe broken beans, also the discolored •ones. Especially is this true where the icrop is raised for seed. This may bo accomplished by spreading out upon a white-covered table and removing the itrash and defective beans. A number of machines have been invented for expediting this work, one of which is 'shown in Fig. 2. The beans to be picked are placed in the hopper. A force feed passes them regularly through the hopper into the perforated icylinder, where they are freed from dust and trash. They then fall upon a white canvas belt which is moving slowly toward the operator. While on this canvas, the discolored and broken specimens are easily seen and removed.

.The perfect beans remain until they fall Into the epout provided to convey •tfaem to a sack or otjier receptacle. For large quantities there are machines upon the market run by eteam or horse power. Homestead Landa. A correspondent writes us with reference to where land can be secured, by homestead entry and the steps necessary to be taken to secure the same. Outside of Indian reservations or railroad lands which have been Withheld from the market, we know of no good agricultural land subject to 'homestead entry in the United States. Any citizen who has not already entered land is entitled to enter it when it can be obtained. He must, of course, be of age, must file on the land first, must take possession, and conform to the ■requirements, which can be ascertained by writing to any Government land office In any State. Desert lands can be obtained, we believe, in half section tracts by any citizen, whether male or female, provided they conform with the requirements of furnishing water In a certain quantity and within a certain time. We may as well recognize the fact that the business of homesteading, outside of the desert section and outside of Indian reservations or railroad lands have been kept from the market is about done.-Oolman's Rural World.

Barn Cisterns. It is bad for stock to depend on water drawn from wells near barnyards, as It is sure after a term of years to become contaminated. In all such cases a barn cistern with a filter at the outlet through which the water is drawn offers better security of pure water than can be had from water taken from a well. Some care must be taken to prevent dust and dirt being washed into the cistern from roofs. After threshing especially, and in the fall when leaves are flying, the eave trough should be frequently cleaned po that as little dirt as possible be washed into a well. An average barn roof will in a year catch water enough to winter the stock that will usually be fed in the harn. Wonderful Work of Bees. Bees must, In order to collect a pound ?f clover honey, deprive 62,000 clover Blossoms of their nectar. To do this the 62,000 flowers must be visited by an aggregate of 3,750,000 bees. Or, in other words, to collect Its pound of honey one bee must make 3,750,000 trips from and to the hive. The enormous amount of work here Involved precludes the Idea of any one bee ever living long enough to gather more than • fraction of a pound of nectarine sweets. As bees are known to fly. for

r .... I i W. l . .L. " nrrfes in quest of snftable fiefSs-of operation, h is clear tMat a single ounce of honey represents millions of miles of trivet It if tio wonder that these !*• dustrious little’ insects have earned the reputation of being “busy” bees. -* Corias Core "Fodder ia Cock. When corn fodder is cut while the weather is still dry it will cure in better shape and with less loss if put up in small cocks rather than in stocks. The reason is that as days shorten and nights rapidly lengthen there is not sunlight and warmth enough in the daytime to cure the stalks as rapidly as they should be. In the cock the stalks will heat, bringing the temperature up to 100 or more, night as well as day. If a little dry straw Is thrown on the cock so as to absorb the moisture at night, when the outside cold air condenses it, the stalks below It will come out green looking, yet slightly softened from the heat to which they have been subjected. Stalks thus cured will be eaten much more readily than stalks that have dried up by being exposed in stooks to drying winds. All farmers have noticed that in winter it is the corn stalks that have been heated and even molded in the mow that will be preferred by cows to stalks that have been dried in the wind and without the beat needed to soften the outer shell of the stalk. The moist stalks are also more nutritious, as in drying out the carbon in them turns into woody fibre, nearly Indigestible. In putting up the cocks they should be small, so as not to heat too much and blacken the stalks. For the same reason they should not be left long before being drawn to the barn or mow. Awolnn for Country Homer. Awnings let In the light but keep out the sun’s heat, affording just the conditions needed in summer. Blinds keep out heat, but make a room dark and

gloomy. Awnings may easily be made at homo, this plan being easily carried out. A throe-eighths inch iron rod is bent by a blacksmith into the form shown, and this Is supported by screw eyes in the window case and wires extending from the outer corners to the top of the window case, hooks being placed there. These hooks also support the toil of the awnings, eyelet holes being made in the cloth. Winter and Rummer Price* of Egga. Always in the'fall the price of eggs goes up, partly because the supply decreases then, and also because with cool weather those who prepare eggs for keeping in winter have more confidence and begin to buy extensively. Wo have often wished that no method had ever been discovered for preserving eggs. Then the winter price would bo always what it costs to produce eggs In winter. Both the egg producqr and the consumer would then be better satisfied. It really discourages the use of eggs to buy somo and have them plainly a trifle stale, not changed enough as the dealer will tell you to hurt them. The truth is that an egg not perfectly fresh is an abomination. If only such were sold in market there would be better prices all the year round. But in such weather ns we had in August an egg will spoil from the natural heat of the atmosphere in two gays, so that It will not be fit to use. The refrigerator must be used more In keeping eggs, not to chill them, but to pool the temperature around them.

Coming of Autumn. Autumn wandered through tho woodland Touching with his wand each tree; Summer stood reluctant, crying, "Bring my beauties back to me.” But the maple leaves grew crimson, Ripened fruit hung everywhere; And the harvester spoke, smiling, "Autumn’s charms are full a* fair.” Summer, weeping, wrong her fingers, Then gleamed forth the golden rod Asters by the laughing brooklet Give new beauty to the sod; Mother Nature viewed the picture, Smiled as fell the first white frost— Sweetly said, “The summer’s beauty Will return, for naught is lost.” Removing Unfruitful Trees. In every orchard there, will be found some trees which are an Injury to the farmer every year they remain in their present position, producing nothing themselves and lessening the product of neighboring trees. All old orchards need more fertility and also more room for each tree to ripen and perfect its fruit Removing trees that have for years cumbered the ground, taking room that might be worth something If it were out, is often the best way to restore orchards to productiveness.

The Plk Pen. Crowd the young porkers that you wish to turn off In December. Keep hog cholera out. It is not safe to depend upon knocking It out It is possible, by cleaning out the pen once or twice a week, and disinfecting it with' lime to keep the place in a sweet presentable condition. Away with the Idea that winter made pork does not pay. Men that are prepared for such work often claim the greatest profit from winter feeding. Never allow the permlums won by the sire and dam to dazzle your eyes when looking at the pig. Size up the pig first, then his pedigree, and the reputation of the ancestry last. Prof. Henry, of the Wisconsin Experiment Station, finds that cabbages have a good deal, of value—more than potatoes and turnips— as a swine feed; especially in the first part of the fattening period. The Stock Yards Company at Chicago Is building the largest swine quarters in the world. It covers fifty acres and will accommodate 200,000 swine guests at one time, In all ths luxury their tastes require.

FIG. 1. A BEAM PULLER.

FIG. 2. MACHINE FOR SORTING DEANS.

FRAME FOR AW AWNING.