Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1898 — THE FARM AND HOME [ARTICLE]

THE FARM AND HOME

MATTERS OF INTEREST TO FARMER AND HOUSEWIFE. Wheat la Kins—Hew to Destroy Grain Weevil—Smalt Farm* Are an Advan-tage-Set Out Frnit Trees in the Spring. You may tell of your armored cruisers, And your great ships of the line; And swift or slow may steamers go Across the biHowy brine. Like thunder may the cannon boom Jo greet their flags unfurled, Anuior an hour they have the power To rule the frightened world. From ocean to ocean shore Lie lines of gleaming steel, And night and day, we hear-alway The ring of rushing wheel; Though buffalo have left the plain, And Indian tents ar% furled, Nor steam nor hand at wealth’s command Can rule the busy world. But where the hillside rises fair In terraces of green, And on the plain, where wind and rain Sweep fields of golden sheen, Where sturdy yellow stalks arise, With bannered heads unfurled, Here you may greet the great King Wheat, The ruler of the world. Oh, hills may shake and vales resound Beneath the Hying car, And driven by steam and winds a-beam Our ships ride fast and far; Cities may crumble ’neath the guns Which guard our flag-qnfurled; Yet all shall greet—at last —King Wheat, For hunger rules the world. —Youth’s Companion.

The Grain Weevil. While there are several species of grain wevils, the same remedy will do for all. As these Insects penetrate aU through the entire bulk of grain, it is necessary to apply some substance that Is equally penetrating In its nature. This is found in carbon bisulphide, which may be had at any drug store. The vapor of this substance is very poisonous, and will destroy all insect life with which it comes in contact. This material is also very explosive when brought in contact with fire. Keeping these two points in mind, it may be handled with perfect safety. In applying the material it is well to keep in mind the fact that It wry volatile, and quickly passes into vapor, which diffuses Itself throughout the entire mass of grain, and as the vapor is heavier than air it will have a tendency to settle. But !n order to Insure perfect results it Is best to introduce the material well dows toward the middle of the mass of grain by means of a gas pipe with a screen over the lower end, which will prevent the grain filling the pipe, and through which the poison may be poured. The pipe is then withdrawn. One pound of the bisulphide Is sufficient for fifty bushels of grain. One application will be sufficient unless the grain is to be kept over winter, when a second application may be necessary. The material does no harm to the grain in any way, as the poisonous fumes all pass away as soon as brought in contact with the air outside.—lndiana Experiment Station. An Advantage in Small Farms. I have noticed that In the townships where the farms are small in area the people are happier and the children better bred. Smaller farms Increase the density of the population. This gives them better school facilities. The children feel the encouragement of numbers and are excited to greater efforts by the competition. Besides, their parents can afford to hire a better teacher and build for their use a better scboolhouse. Then, too, in a thickly settled region the roads are kept in better condition, for the land is of greater value aud stand taxing to improve the highways. The people are brought close together and have more of social advantages. And social advantages are a great thing. Give a farmer’s wife suitable company in the way of good neighbors and she will forget half of her troubles in talking with her neighbors. I believe there would be fewer disheartened women if they could have some chance to enjoy social life. I pity the women on the big farms, each a mile square, where the nearest neighbor is a mile away, and perhaps incougenlal. When neighbors are so few and so far away one can not choose one's company as one would if the farms were smaller and neighbors plentiful. —Mrs. J. S., in Farmers’ Review.

When to S'ct Out Fruit Trees. All things considered, we believe one of the best plans of management with fruit trees is to purchase them in the fall In good season, heel them In carefully aud then set them out in the spring. One of the principal objections to spring planting is that in a majority of cases the trees cannot be shipped from the nursery as early as is desirable for setting out. By securing them In the fall and heeling In, they are on hand ready for transplanting at the first opportunity. During the winter the ground may be plowed, and if necessary manured, stakes may be set where the trees are to be planted, so that when the soil Is In condition for work the planting may be pushed along as rapidly as possible. On the majority of farms work is always pressing in the spring, and it is an Item to make all preparations possible in advance. Trees heeled In will be growing fibrous roots through the winter, and In this respect at least will be all the better for the work. In heeling In care should be taken to dig the trench wide enough to admit of all the roots without bendjng or twisting and deep enough so that when covered well the roots will be safe from freezing. Better lay them In a slanting position mther than to stand them up straight.

See that the soil is fined and worked In thoroughly among the roots. This Is essential, as allowing the roots to become dry, Is certain death to the trees. Good drainage should be provided, as It is very detrimental to the health of the trees to allow water to stand around the roots. The tree should be secured sufficiently early so as to be heeled in properly before freezing weather sets in.— N. J. Shepherd, in Farmer’s Voice. Wooden Plow*. One of the last of the wooden plows which preceded those with Iron points is now exhibited with pardonable pride by a veteran farmer In Ashby, Mass. It was made by a Frenchman, who was one of the earliest settlers of that town. The plow Is in an exceUent state of preservation, though it shows that It has done service in plowing. All the parts of this old plow are wood, and wooden pegs rather than Iron bolts are used in joining them together. It Is pretty evident that such a plow Must be used carefully, and would be 111 adapted to any except level ground free from stones. Even the Iron-pointed plow has been superseded by steel, or at least Iron with steel surfaces, so as to be harder and less liable to clog In damp soil. If this old plow is preserved, It & likely to prove a greater curiosity than it Is now, as there are probably few of them remaining.—Exchange. Harvesting Parsnips. The parsnip Is usually grown on very rich ground, and when much manure has been used It qften has a rank taste when gathered early. It Is much better to let the parsnips stay In the ground until the soil around it has frozen once or twice. It may be gathered after the first thaw and housed, wYien It will be found that the rank flavor from the manure has passed awny, and the parsnip will be tender and sweet. Some people leave the parsnip in the ground all winter. It does not hurt it to freeze while In the ground, provided It Is thawed In contact with the soil. The greater danger in leaving parsnips out all winter Is that they will be forgotten In spring until the warm weather has started the shoots for seed bearing. Tlien the parsnip becomes poisonous. But if dug as soon in spring as the ground is thawed, the parsnip will be better than If dug In the fall and wintered in a cellar.— American Cultivator.

Peach Tree Borers. Dig away the earth around the peach trees to the depth of one foot and look carefully for borers. Then swab the trunk a foot below and above ground with thick whitewash, returning Qie soil to the tree and banking up six inches or a foot above the level of the ground, leaving the tree in that condition until next spring. As the moth lays her eggs near the level of the ground, she will begin where the earth is hanked up, and when the embankment is removed the work of destroying the borers will he easier. Whitewash may be beneficially used on all parts of the tree. i-'ced Corn. It Is a somewhat common practice to discard the tips and butts of the ears when shelling the seed for planting, but the practice is of doubtful benefit. A number of experiment stations In both the North and South have made repeated tests of the productiveness of seed from different parts of the ear, but these tests have shown no marked or constant differences in yield, even when the selections have been repeated through several generations.

Remedy for Cabbage Worms. One of the cheapest, best and safest remedies suggested to prevent the ravages of cabbage worms Is to dissolve one ounce of kalnit in a pint of water and sprinkle over the plants. This is at the rate of one pound of kainlt to a gallon of water, and it is said to be a remedy for cabbage maggots, green fly and plant lice. Farm Notes. After the first frost cut down the tops of asparagus and burn them on the bed, after which spread manure, about 3 or 4 Inches deep, on the bed and allow it to remain all winter. When foods are fed on the farm and sold in some other form the valuable elements of fertility are retained at home, and as long as this Is done the farm may be cultivated to its highest limit of capacity, and becomes more valuable every year. A gill of crude carbolic acid (which is much cheaper than the refined article} made into an emulsion with half a pint of strong soapsuds and a quart of cold water then added, will be sufficient for moistening a bushel of sawdust, which may be sprinkled in the stalls as a disinfectant.

Inexperienced persons who undertake the management of bees will find much to learn before succeed. The winter care is Important, for the bees must not be kept too warm, and If exposed they may perish. A special honse should be provided, whicb should be kept at a uniform temperature. Long articles have been written on the Importance of feeding liberally, but farmers are progressive and are disposed to go to extremes. It may be safely claimed that at the present day most farmers overfeed Instead of curtailing the supply, which accounts largely for milk fever In cows, weak litters of pigs and diseases of the bowels. There Is a right way to use blankets for horses. If the stable Is warm the best • covering for a horse Is a sheet made of coarse unbleached muslin to protect from dust, but when standing ouFside, where there Is no protection from winds, a horse blanket should be used, removing It and substituting the sheet after the animal reaches tho stable.