Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 286, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 November 1916 — Page 2

LIVE STOCK

WINTER DAIRYING PAYB Significant by Records •f Cow Tasting Association in Northwestern States When asked why they prerer%) have - all their cows freshen in the spring, a Bomber of fanners in the Northwest em States s&ld positively that winter dairying did not pay in that section. The agent of the cow testing assocla tion, therefore, investigated a numbei of farms to determine whether it wax the best practice In that n n t< have cows freshen in the apnng be cause there is then plenty of grass and “grass is a cheap feed." He found that the spring freshened cows gave milk for a time while the pasture wa§ good, but as hot weather and flies came on, the flow gradually decreas ad until by fail they were usually dry. = As the owners thought it did not pay to feed a dry cow, the cows were a! lowed to browse around all the fall picking up what feed they coulg, and in many cases th*| were forced to “rustle” around the straw pile all*win ter. As a result, in the spring man, cows emerged with ribs showing am) were considerably weakened by the time they freshened. *They therefore got a poor stoft in the season, and in many cases their milk records the following year were still lower. II was not surprising, the agent points out, that the average cow, so misban died could produce only about 150 pounds of butter fat & year. Many so called scrub cows the agent points out, if freshened in the fall Ind given the right kind of feed and treat ment during the winter before comint on grass for the latter part of their lacation period would prove to bs money makers. This opinion seems to be supported fully by, the .records,of the cow testing association : Tn {hv same general locality. These records show that the average farm cow that freshens in the fall not only produces more milk and fat, but also rts more profitable to keep. In one count> many cows whieh freshened in the fall won a place on the association’s honor list for January and continued p to produce heavily during the winter When grass came in the spring these same cows picked up their naturally waning milk flow and finished up with a good yearly production before going i dry late in summer. What is still more important, however, from the profit point of view, is that the faH freshen ed cows produced the larger part ot their records while milk prices wen best. With the common idea that “grass is a cheap feed," therefore, this agent would couple the fact that "butter fat is usually cheap at the same time.” The highest January record of this association was made by a cow which produced 1,730 pounds of milk, or ap proximately 200 gallons, 3.7 per ceni test, or 64 pounds of butter fat. Hei milk, howe~ver7 was sold on a cltF milk route and brought 20 cents a gallon, or approximately S4O for Hhe month. On the other hand, if the own er had sold his product on a butter fat basis he 'still would have received sl9. As it cost him $5.37 to feed the cow, his profit on a butter fat basis would have been $13.83. On this farm the cows get practi cally all the alfalfa hay and corn si lage that they will eat up clean, ir addition a grain mixture- of equal parts of rolled oats, bran, and shorts. Each of the heavier; producers gets about ten, pounds of this mixture daily. In addition to being well fed, tiie cows stand comfortably sheltered tn a warm barn most A the time and have access to plenty of good water. Durirg the month six cows’ in this herd averaged 54.8 pounds of butter fat, worth more than sl6, while the feed cost was approximately $5.37 apiece. The records kept by the cow tester gave the dairyman exact know ledge ot the cost of feed and produc tion in the case animal, and thus enabled him to cull out “board ers" and regulate his feed in propor tion to the milk production of each cow. The association record for the farmer, however, seemed to establish the fact that in the region mentioned, winter dairying can be made to pay.

Charcoal is a thing that compara tively few poultry keepers even thinl; of. Fanny M. Wood, who usually —lrnmmu wliri Hhe-nr-taikTmr~abcmt when she talks about pui}ltry„ says in Sue cessful Farming: “Evc/y hog ratsei knows that charcoal atid ashes are good to keep pigs healthy, and every chicken raiser ought to know they are good for chickens also. One suminei the head o# the house stored a barrel of charcoal in the 3 barn for the pigs. This was before we shut the chickens out of the barn, and every day when i went to gather the'eggs, I found one or more hens in that barrel scratching ar4 picking out small bits of charcoal l concluded they needed charcoal In their business or they wouldn’t be it- So I ptrt a panful of -- —ft — irr the chicken yard for them, and have kept it before them ever Bince. Wtr never have sick chickens and I think the charcoal has something to do with their healthfulness.’’ The white of a raw egg turned ovei a burn cr scald is inost soothing anu cooling. It *;an be applied an 5 Will prevent inflammation, beside* re~ Utvlng the stinging pain.

THE PROPER CARE OF TREES

The greatest (iervloe that could be rondered to the American people today, would be to impress them with the Importance of ,net e»ly-'ple»t4Bg ir. eg, but caring for those that are left from the once glorious forests. We can now see plainly that one of our greuteßt inheritances was the forest wealth, so valuable, so indispensable to th,p development of our country. Nothing has done more for the deatnictlon of th« wn °difllhli himself. The Insects have not done one thousandth part the damage that man has done. Cutting the trees has not only destroyed the forests, but also dried up the streams,and changed the climatic conditions. Also the damage done by tree trim.mars, but in roality tree daatroyewr can not be estimated. The only excuse that can tie offered for the bad work done in the past is ignorance. The time is at hand when there should be good and efficient work done all along the line. Trees, like animals, will have their life shortened if allowed to become sick and diseased or crippled. Every--ferae w-Hve -Hintr-rs etrt thercVs'inr Interference with both the circulation and the The structure of the tree must be understood and wounds properly cared for. The common practice of cutting large limbs 3 to 6 inches from the body of the main trunk, is a bad one, because drouth sodn sets in, the bark peels off from the stub, and the stub soon rots and leaves a hole in which water collects. The rotting process soon extends to the main stem. The proper place to cut a limb, is close to the trunk of the tree or the shoulder of the stem. In case of a very large limb there should be two cuts made, one some distance from the trunk so that the limb will not split off near the trunk and leave a bad scar. The weight may afso be taken from the limb by cutting some of the brush from the end of limb. _ i.arge portions of trees can be taken off but the wounds must be watched naEtr kept weir~paimed; Any paint" do. The paint and oil close the pores of the wound, or rather of the wood, keep out moisture, insects and the fungi until nature oan close it with a new growth. Id> trimming, a serious mistake is often made in the way the trees are beaded back. Not many trees cart stand the process of heading back their tops. Unless a dwarf tree is desired and It is understood beforehand that the tree belongs to the class that can stand heading liack and s(pi live, it is .best not to top ttm trees. Nature does not form these ‘beautiful healthy giving tops of shade trees to be cut to lieces, not waitlist nding some tree trimmer needs a job. “Trees are often cut off at the top by telephone, telegraph or electric light employes, to enable them to string their wires along the street or road. While this is often necessary yet, in many cases It has not been necessary a't all ii the ireefi need cutting they should, be cut in such a way as that their beauty arfd usefulness is not destroyed. •*• It Is generally understood that the spread of the roots of a tree is equal to the spread of the branches, and that the feed roots run Just to the drip of the outer branches. The roots of the trees are trimmed back but once and that is at the time of planting. In getting the young trees from the nursery you should Insist upon getting good healthy stock, with straight leaders, untrimmed. Tl.cn you can. do your own trimming or cutting after the tree is in the gr. >nd. The lower branches are to be trimmed first with shade trees. On f ruit trees some of the Jower“f)raneh s are left so as net to bring the iruii too far from the ground. In pruning or trimming the low r er branches, care should be taken not to have two or three branches close together, tip and down on the trunk. If that is the case bad crotchets will be formed which may cause the tree to split and become a wreck. "Give fools their gold and knaves their power Let fortune’s hubbies rise and fall; Wbo sows a field or a flower, Or plants a tree is more than all; For he who blesses most is best, And God and man shall own his worth, Who toils to leave flis his bequest An added beauty to the earth.” —C. H. Goetz.

■ Noncommittal.

A Sunday?schooi teacher, after conducting a lesson on the story of .’’Jacob’s Ladder” concluded by saying: “Now, is there any little boy or girl who would like to ask a question about the lesson?” Little Susie looked puzzled for a moment, and then raised her hand. “A question, Susiet" asked the teacher. “I would like to know,” said Susie, "if the angels have wings, why did they have to ■climb up the ladder?” The teacher thougfit for some moments, and then, loofcln£ about the class, asked: “Is there any little;boy wnb would like to answer Susie’s question?"

No man ever realizes how attractive hir home Is until he gets a real estates dealer to sell it and rsada the description. 1

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. KENBBEHAER. INP.

Collective Action Among Farmers

j ..... - 9 .. To Improve Their Borrowing Capacity

Washington, D. C.—What cooperation among farmers can do to improve l heir borrowing capacity at banks Is thus described in Bulletin No. 409, “Factors Affecting Interest Rates and Other Charges on Short-Time Farm , Loans.” recently published by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. "In some parts of the country where farmers, If they obtained loans at ail as individuals, were compelled to pay very high rates 6. ,iith °st, Btoi h«Vu been tried out under which groups of farmers have been able collectively to establish relations with banks. In several localities of the Central Western and Rocky Mountain regions, farmers have formed temporary agreements under which they act collectively as guarantee associations for apt„oved loans of members. The added security from thrso associations has enabled members to obtain loans at reduced rates of interest. Another plan, Illustrated by what has been done in a Texas community, Involves a temporary agreement between a group df fanners and a bank, but differs from the plan previously mentioned in that the added security consists of a reserve fund left with the banker. Each borrower allows the bank to retain 5 per cent of loan for a reserve fund, which is held as a guarantee for all the loans made under the agreement and is returned to the farmers at the termination of the agreement. "Under another plan, which has been employed in several communities of the Northwest, a group of business men agree to deposit a sum of money with a bank and guarantee the loans given to farmers for some specific and approved purpose. In all such chses farmers have been enabled to obtain credit on than usual. "In a number of localities in this country, groups of farmers have organized cooperative credit associations or credit unions. "Usually each credit union makes definite arrangements with some bank which the lat- r i acts as a depositary and furnishes loans on specified terms. Thus one of the unions in North Carolina receives 3 per cent interest from its bank on deposits subject to check an.. 4 per cent on savings accounts left on deposit months of longer, anu pays 5 per cent interest on its loans from the bank.'' The credit union in turn pays its own members 4 per cent on their savings accounts and furnishes them loans at 6 per cent. Such a credit union not only accustoms its members to the use of check and .savings accounts but also enables the members to obtain loans for approved productive purposes on better terms than they could obtain elsewhere.” —”

One at a Time.

At a charity bazaar in a small provincial town a great attraction was a tiny gray suede glove, which lay on a rose pink satin cushion. Above 1 it was displayed a notice which read: “The owner of this glove will, at 7 p. m. this evening, be pleased to kiss any person who purchases a ticket before that hour.” It was such a sweet little glove that it could only belong to a lovely girl. At least so thought the long queue of young men who were waiting .eagerly as the clock struck 7. Promptly- to the minute old Maydock, the ’-local butcher, appeared; Maydock is a worthy person, but not a beauty. He calmly picked up the gloVe and remarked: “Well, gents, this glove belongs to me. I bought it this morning. I’m ready for you, so don’t be bashful. One at a time, please.”

Evidence Against Him.

“Not guilty, sir,” replied the prisoner. “Where did you find the prisoner, constable?” asked the magistrate. “In Trafalgar Square, sir,” was the reply. —; “And what made you think he was intoxicated?” “Well, sir, he was throwing his walking-stick into thh basin of one of the fountains, and trying to entice one of the stone-lions to go fetch it out again.”

Wished to Speak to Him.

Havfng been shown the speaking tube and had its uses explained, Flynn, the new .porter, blew a mighty blast in it. Hearing the whistle, Mr. Hobart came to the tube and inquired: “What’s wanted down there?” „ “ ’Tis Oi, Paddy Flynn. Ar’ ye the boss?” - “I am,” said Mr. Hobart. “Well, thin,” yelled Paddy Flynn, "ahtick yer head 8 * out ar th* secondshtory windy wolle 01 shtep out on th’ soidwalk. <si want to talk t’ye!"

It Was Only Fair.

Two Irishmen were working on a farm. When dinner time came they were called to dine off a large Lasin of broth. The fanner’s w : f > had only cue spoon, so she gave Pat a fork. Poor Pat was getting nolh'ng, while Mike was very busy. When the broth was abo rt i no-thlrd gone Pat said: "Arrah oow. Hike, you dig a bit now And I’ll -

EDUCATION OF THE COLT

Never break his spirit by long wear isome drives, when he become* so •tired that his mind becomes so dulled i tini h« sees' hut dues not observe, Hind the same objects Inter, when seen j »uh.fri;.»h-eyes, become the cause of [ a runaway. When the colt training Is done as i It should be, eight or ten half hour j tuf-Hons given In systematic order will accomplish more, and put a colt in I condition to stai.,l more Bevere teats, than the haphazard go as you please t methods now commonly practiced can do in two years. The trainer should put his whole I mind on the work at hand, and strive . io keep the attention of the colt that he may get the idea of what is ex peeled of him. As soon as he gets the ’ j idea, repeat always in the Barne way 1 t"|,nt il he understands ETaTessons thor oughly. No one can do this correctly until he has his mind on his work, •md persOTes until he has gained the I end sought.* Whoever does this will find that he has enough to keep him \ busy without any other matter on hand. , There are several reasons why it Is not good policy to train a - colt by ‘ ! itching it by the side of an old horse. The old horse is slow in starting, and j plodding in motion probably, while 1 the young one is impetuous and lively. ! Soon the young horse, if It be very am Ntious becomes confused when the old one holds it back, and this confusion ends in balking. If the old horse starts before the colt this leaves your lines' slack and gives an opportunity for the colt to leap forward, and soon the habit ot bolting is formed, and the pleasure of u good steady driver forever vanishes. Tbete are very few old horses that are so free from bad habits that you would desire a colt to be just exactly like them. Whatever their peculiarities may be, they will be learned by the colt if compelled to endure v the same conditions. When a colt is trained alone, you have more of its attention than can be had otherwise. There should be nothing to divide his attention. Every attempt -should be ftiade to impress upon his mind that a certain signal means a certain action, and not al'ow that action to become confused with another signal.. A very common mistake is to attempt to train a horse to do tbo many things at a time. No horse and but few people, can comprehend more than one thing qj a time.

Select Fruit for Storage With Care

It would be hard to overestimate the value of cold storage for fruit. The difficulty is that very few growers, . xoept in localities where there are iarge commercial orchards, have access to cold storage. But many might keep apples in cellars for a few weeks at least. Apples for cold storage should be picked when fully grown, but while ttill firm and' well colored. They should he placed in cold storage promptly and all unnecessary delay in grading and packing avoided. Storage direct from the orchards without grading and grading at leisure, is good practice. For long period storage only the best fruit should be selected and 't should be free from disease or blemish of any sort. If the fruit is immature or poor quality it will naturally decay more readily. If overripe it will -dry out and evaporate and become .• hat is known as "mealy.” Overgiowu fruit is not desix - able for storage as it larks firmness. Medium size, well colored fruit is the best.

A Powerful Fertilizer

Nitrate of soda is a powerful fertilizer when properly used. It becomes plant food as soon as dissolved and enters immediately into the composition of the plant. Care must be exercised that it is not used too freely. When too much of this salt is applied, the roots are injured and the plant becomes stunted or dwarfed. Upon examining the root system of such plants it will ije found that the roots are very short and the ends are stubby. There is little tendency of these stuboy roots tp form fibrous laterals. Growers who are not familiar with the use of nitrate of soda should not attempt the use of this fertilizer until they have learned how to use it properly. A very slight sprinkling of salt about each plant will serve the purpose. Liquid manure is a safer fertilizer and equally valuable when properly applied. An excellent method to prepare liquid manure is to •Pace a bushel of old unleached cow manure in a tub or half barrel and then fill with water. Stir occasionally and in three or four days the liquid will be ready to apply. It should be used in the proportion of one quart to four gallons of the water and any quantity of it may be poured about each plant. « . • t A raw egg is one of the ffaost nutri tious of foods and may be taken very easily if the yolk is not broken. A little nutmeg grated upon the egg, a few crops of lemon juice added, . some hopped parsley sprinkled over It, dr some salt and a dash of cayenne pepper, vary the flavor and tend tQ make ,r more palatable when taken as a medicine. 'I : f The white of a raw egg is the most satisfactory of pastes, and is better t han' any prepared mucilage or paste you can buy. Papers intended to be put over tumbles of jelly, and jam will hold very securely and be airtight if dipped in the white of an egg. .

SCHOOL CREDIT PROJECTS

Farm Work as Part of Elemsntary and High Bchool Courses in Agriculture The Idea that certain practical work done by boys and girls on the farm .should count as credit* H* tha agricultural courses of the rural elementary end high schools is growing rapidly in popularity among educators. The basis for this Idea Is tbe belief that the farm may and should become the logical laboratory for. testing out and putting Into practice much that Is' tp.ught In the schools, and that the school by giving credit for home work can and should encourage boys and girls to make profit* for themselves <ir to become more directly helpful to their families. Educators, however, find some difficulty In defining Just what work that the bpy does On the farm should receive an /educational credit and how many credits should be allotted for the different kinds of work which really help the boy to master progressive methods To assist the superintendents of schools and teachers, the specialists in agricultural education in the States Relations Service have recently pub lisfied Department Bulletin 385, SrbuoT EJredtt for H 6»« Ptactloe in Agriculture. This bulletin, which may be had free by educators a*s long as the department’s supply lasts, devotes a number of pages to tables and examples showing the nature school credit projects and the amount of credit to be granted. It is recognized, however that real cooperation on the part of the parent is essential, and the author thus defines the part the parent must play in any plan for mak ing school and farm work closer together in the interests of agricultural education. • The parent should agree: (1) To permit the pupil to use specified land, animals, and equipment, either as a 1 temporary owner or as a tenant so far 1 as the needs of the project are con i cerned; (2) to grant the pupil the | time needed for tbo' work and to veri fy and vouch for the time record; (3) to instruct the pupil in the necessary (4) to allow the pupil the profits de lived from his own labor and manage ment. The last point is not always feasible, particularly where the pupil takes up one phase of the main busi ness of the farm, such a* the weighing and testing of milk for a dairy herd. * The parent must at least give an unbiaged voucher of the time and ex pense record, and a statement that the project work was all done by the pupil. In the absence of an advisory committee or an inspector, the parent, is the judge as to when the pupil has! accomplished a task successfully. Where the pupil’s time is much needed by the parent in regular home duties it may be well to advise that the pupil take over some part of that home work as a project. This will in sure the cooperation of the parents, although the “managerial” Income may not come to the pupil. The school should not only give credit for work for which the pupil leceives pay, but should consider the refative income or profit as one important factor in determining the school rank given on the project To insure supcess it will be very de slrable to have a memorandum of agreefnent signed by all par Wes before the project begfns, a report in full from the pupil, and a voucher from the parent at the end. ,

Starting a Commercial Orchard

m If possible plow the ground in the fall. A clover sod is preferable, with eitheT natural or artificial drainage Never plant an orchard on wet land. Mark the land with a light plow 40 feet apart, then cross with a heavy 2 horse plow 40 feet apart, going over the same furrow a number of times, plowing and mellowing the soil to a depth of about 16 inches. If able to have a man to help, have him go aftead and shovel or hoe out a nice large hole 16 or 18 inches in diameter and the same in uepth. You along and trim off all broken roots and trim the top to 3 to 6 branches so none will form a crotch to split. Set the tree in, working the loose soil among the roots until the hole Is fill ed two thirds full, then tramp the dirt down until the tree setß as solid as a post. Draw or cover the rest of the loose dirt around the tree and leave loose. Cut the limbs back to .about four or five Inches. By so doing, in setting good hardy trees not one In 100 will die. Jn localities where peaches or plums do well set trees In between the apple rows, marking the same as befof% with the plow and setting the trees in the same manner as the apples. Then plant potatoes fertilizing the potatoes well with a complete fertilizer which will alao fertilize the trees. Dig the potatoes as soon as large enough for market, then plow and plant to early potatoes again, using fertilizer the Mime as before Dig the potatoes as loon as marketable, then sow Canadk field peas and crimson clover. Plow under the next Bpring and harrow the ground three or four times a week until the last ol July, then seed to peas and crimson clover again, FoHow this cultivation for ten years and your efforts will be crowned with success. The writer did not take so much pains with his or chard, but has met with fair Buccess as last fall I realized over S6OO off of 8 acres of apples alone. Have 14 acres of orchard, but about 6 acres are just coming into bearing. Will set 8 acres the coming spring on above plan, us ing peaches as a filler. . An egg added to the morning cup of coffee makes a good tonic.

POULTRY

OVERCROWDING POULTRY FLOCK Disease, Parasites and Nonproductive ness Chief Resulting Evils As the observing poultryman grows in years and experience he convinced more and more that V<■ there is one mistake made, by poultry raißers that causes more loss and grief than any other, It is overcrowding. The flock that is overcrowded is subjected at once to nearly all the* profit killing ills that~*oulU*-Js_hfiir_ to, while on thff other hand plenty ol room is the best and cheapest remedy for troubles caused by crowding. * Perhaps the greatest evil resulting from overcrowding is' the tendency towards disease of all kinds, especially infectious ailments. This is to be expected, not only because the close proximity of the birds aids disease to spread readily from one to another, but also because of the impossibility of maintaining sanitary conditions, whether the birds are indoors or out, or whether the season is summer or winter. Some poultrymen have the mistaken idea that because their birds are in an open pen out of doors a little crowding will do no harm. Ventilation is important, but so are some other factors. The worst evil In close yarding is that the ground becomes foul so quickly. Being forced to stand, scratch or pick up feed in their own filth is a sure means of bringing trouble and plenty of it. There are poultry raisers who think ZiaA crowding in the house In wintmr will do no harm, Just so the birds arw warm. In fact, some few persons believe that some crowding in the winter is a good thipfc because it insures warmth, through the birds huddling tngpthpr. This is as Bad or worse than “crowding 1 out of doom. Another of the evils of close yard <ng is that this means idle birds. Such a bird is not a good producer and, worse than that idleness encourages , „1 1> worst of vices and habits with which the poultryman has to contend. Chief among these are egg eating aud feather picking. Bo.h habits are exceedingly difficult to eradicate, once ihey break out. The best way to discourage these habits and break them is to keep the birds busy scratching for their feed and be sure that they have the proper variety of food. Should these measures fail of a cure the habit is an incurable one and offender had better be disposed of. A third evil from overcrowding especially in warm weather, is the favorable conditions It affords to parasites of all kinds. Unless a constant warfare on/hese pests is kept up, the crowded poultry bouse or yard, Including the birds, will soon be found to be literally alive with lice anl mites. The parasite problem is a comparatively simple one In flocks that have plenty of room, due to a large extent to the fact that there is plenty of opportunity for these birds to dust themselves, and expect possibly at night, they are away from all places that Harbor the pests. There are precautions that the poultryman may take to overcome or avoid tre evils of crowded quarters, such ai spading up the yards frequently, providing plenty of clean scratching litter, fumigating the house frequently and keeping scrupulously clean. But the better plan Is to cut down the size of the flock to the proper capacity of the quarters. A hundred hens tu an overcrowded house or pen will not lay as many eggs as will 50 hens that have enough room. Yet the 100 birds will eat twice as much as the 50, cause twice as much work and probably more than twice as much worry. There are in ay poultry raisers who have from fifty one hundred or more birds who would make more clear profit with 10 birds and do it with only a fraction of the work, but they have the mistaken jded that numbers is the thing that counts. They take a certain pride in being able to say they have a flock of 100 hens, when many of them would be better off by far if they only had 15 or two dozen. *

The Poultry Yard

Keep the dust bev supplied with nice clean dust, and see that the grit box is never empty.— As the new corn ■jets dry and hard it is safe to feed more than when it was soft and green. It is more easily digested and gives better results. Never feed meat scraps that were made of rotten meat. Good, pure feed is the only thing that ever ought to be fed to a fowl of any kind. If it possibly can be done clean up the droppings each day. It is work that well repays one. Never allow this cleaning to be delayed longer than a week. Leaving the birds to fight their own battles against lied and other enemies may save some work, but It will cost ? come eggs; and eggs are worth money these days. Do not delay any longer the Job of culling out the poor stock. It Is a mistake to keep even a single unprofita hie fowl. Have the stock up in qualityrathqn, than quantity. As the weather grows colder in crease the supply of corn. It is a heat ing food. But never feed It alone. A good gfain mixture for winter is two partß whole corn, one part each when* and oats; all well mixed.