Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1900 — FARM AND GARDEN NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.

ITEMS OF INTEREST ON ACRICUL. - TURAL TOPICS. A Sura Crop -Beat* At a Late Crop-Crow* Ing Traea From SaadaSmoka and Bee* —Winter Killed Clover- Clean the Side* of the Roads-Ete, Etc. A Sure CropOne of the surest crops, and which gives a large supply in proportion to seed can be planted at any time, and space occupied, is string beans. The the plants delight in warm weather. Keep the soil clean and free from weeds and the beans will produce bounrifully. ■ -- —t' Beet* As a Late Crop. Beets may be planted as late as July for a successive table crop. Ground that has been well limed suits well. For stock the sugar beet is considered one of the best. Mangel wurzels grow to large size, but contain inure woody fibre and are coarser than sugar beets, though they give larger yields. Crowing Trees From Seeds. Good results are reported by those who have planted seeds and grown the trees on the locations intended for them, the trees being grafted with the variety desired, but such trees will be longer coming Into bearing compared with the time saved in burying from the nurseryman. This plan of growing from seed has been of advantage with the peach more than with the apple •nd pear.

In using smoke to subdue the bees tvhen working among them, use as little as possible. Upon opening the hive and giving them a blast or two from the smoker you can soon learn their temper. It is cruel to give them a heavy smoking to subdue them, which is often done by the inexperienced beekeeper. If the bees are in an ugly mood let them alone for a few days rather than to try and smoke them enough to conquer them. Winter-Killed Clover. •Inch clover gets winter killed l>ecavse the frost lifts it up when the ground freezes, and when it thaws again the soil settles away from the roots and leaves them bare to be dried up by the sun. A going over with a heavy roller would press these roots down Into the soil and firm the soil up to them, so that they would take hold again and grow. The more porous the soil the greater the liability of frost throwing and killing the roots of clover and grass. Even the trampling of cattle and sheep over a field may help to save the roots of the clover, though we prefer the roller, as it can be made to reach every part of the field.

Clean the Sides of the Roads. There may be a picturesque beauty in having the roadside covered with weeds and bushes of all sorts, even as artists often profess* they see beauty in tumble-down buildings nnd ruins, but It is not a beauty thnt appeals to the eyes of the thrifty farmer. Artists also assert that “the line of beauty is not a straight line,” but what farmer would prefer to see a field in which the rows of plants are mathematically straight than one In which they.curved like the course of a snake. All have not the ability to plow a straight furrow Invariably, nor has every one the capital to put their buildings In good repair, but almost every one can find time to cut down bushes and weeds along the road nnd perhaps to seed them to grass. A day in a year would clean up a long stretch of road, and the time so spent would soon be saved by checking the supply of weed seed on the farm adjoining. Some of the bushes may be large enough to cut up for summer wood, and some of the weeds may be fed to the hogs If cut before the seeds are formed, or they may be piled up and rotted, or all bushes and woods may be dried and burned on the ground, but the main point is to put them where they will not cumber the ground any longer, or be an eyesore to passersby.

Summer Odor* On the Farm. The odors of summer are more numerous and ranker than they are in winter, and to prevent contamination of the milk or butter exceeding caution is necessary. Absolute cleanliness, white always In order and a requisite In an up-to-date dairy, must bo particularly observed In summer. The heat acts everything to “festering,” If it is at all inclined that way. An ordinary condition of decay and source of odor, will quickly be converted Into the worst possible condition. The milking should be done In some place that Is entirely free from such conditions, and the dairy bouse—which every farmer should have—ought to be In a like situation. Ice ought to be in ex-cry dairy, but In its absence keep the better In a well or a spring house. If there Is one, but never In the cellar. Neither milk nor butter should be kept In the cellar. It is better to market the surplus butter at once, if there are no fa. duties for keeping It cool. The faei should never be lost sight of that butter Is best when It Is eaten as soon as made, and that If preservation by cold itorage Is not possible, it had better

be marketed at once s The plffn of keep-. Ing butter in summer by wrapping It with wet flannel is a good one, and worth adoption.—The Epitomist. Doe* Replanting Com Pay ? My experience and observation have led me to believe that replanting, as usually practiced, does not pay. There may be exceptions, however. In the first place, we should avoid as much as it is possible the necessity for replanting. If the ground is in good condition, seed selected with the grains of uniform size and tested, and if the planter is In good order and enough seed used, we will seldom fail to have a good stand. If from any cause any great amount of corn should be missing, it Is better to harrow the field over and start anew. Last spring I planted a field in good time with large yellow corn that was somewhat moldly, and only a small portion came up. I replanted with a smaller, white corn, using the same plates and planting in the same rows. All of my second as well as a part of the first planting came up and the result was I had a large crop of fodder and nubbins, but a small crop of marketable corn. But the question has reference more directly to the former who may be seen up to July going over his fields and filling up the empty hills. One stalk in a hill will generally produce from one to two good ears, but by putting in four or five more grains wa probably, half a dozen nubbins but no corn. It takes more time to cut and’husk a hill with only fodder for a reward. Ordinary good soil ought to produce from three to five good stalks, but I would rather have one good stalk to the hill than an armful of fodder with a lot of nubbins. The former will always meet with a ready sale, while a lot of nubbins cannot be sold. Replanting makes the time of ripening irregui lar. Many fanners delay their corn ! cutting on account of a lot of late stalks and thereby have their whole crop damaged by early frost. Make every effort to get a good stand in the start and let it go at that.—D. C. Blalock, in New England Homestead.

Good Points for the Hay Harvest. Plenty of help and tools help to lighten hard work in haying and harvesting. An extra man at just the right time for one or two hours may mean the saving of one or two loads of valuable hay. With a good stand of grass it does not take long to cut down a few loads, but with threatening weather it is sometimes quite a task to secure the hay In good shape. All tools should be thoroughly overhauled and put in good condition before the season starts. New sections and rivets for the moving machine and some extra guards should be obtained, as well as a ew bolts of various sizes, so as to make as little delay as possibld*in the case of a break down. The guards should be sharpened as well as the knives, especially if there is any thick, fine grass to be cut. On small farms two wagons are usually enough to handle the hay. The forks should also be cleaned up and the tines sharpened. Start the moving machine as early in the season as possible, as early cut hay Is worth a good deal more for feeding. Do not cut any grass while wet with dew or rain, for it will dry much quicker when standing than after being cut. The mower should be started as early in the morning as the grass Is dry and run for a few hours. Then start the tedder, and in the middle of the afternoon rake in windrows and put into high, small bunches toward night. Open these out (he next morning so that the bottom will l>e toward the sun and as soon as fairly dry l»e----gln to draw to the stack or barn. Clover and oat hay will need sometimes two or three days of good weather In which to cure.

On some of the western ranches very little bay Is drawn on wagons. It Is cut nnd cured in the usual way and horses are hitched to the end of a sweep and the hny drawn to the stack. In Pennsylvania and Maryland where the farms are often long and narrow, or In sections where large farms exist, it Is customary to use four horses for a team with a hay rigging 20 feet long, but on small farms in hilly countries a rigging 12 to 14 feet long is large enough.

Short and Useful Pointers. Never let up on the chicken Ike. If possible keep the flies out of the stable. Alfalfa thrives best on soils containing lime. Keep the poultry in the house during a rainy day. Don't ever buy second-hand supplies for the dairy. It Is said that cornmeal gives the best results when wet. The business of sheep-growing Is a good industry to foster. Prune your trees so thnt they wkl make a good appearance. Never allow diseased animals to remain In a stable with healthy ones. Sheep are the safest and best general stock for the farmer to handle. If you live on a farm and must keep a dog, have nothing but a Collie. A harness closet la a big help toward keeping the harness in good shape. The profitable sheep for the farmer Is the one that rarely needs docforlug A little sliced potato In the hay or

grain will be appreciated by the sheepu Through every growing plant * stream of fresh water Is constantly running. Be careful how you qnt down the trees. It takes a long while to grow them. Clean and thorough cultivation is positively necessary to produce decent crops. If there are any wounds on your trees paint them with linseed oil and white lead. . Make it your business to find out what your cow needs in the way of food to make her profitable. It is a mistake to have too many varieties of apples, either for home use or for market, in the orchard. Experiments at vartousstations show that skim-milk and buttermilk have about the same feeding value. The great drawback to blackberry culture is the borer. This pest can be controlled, however, by prompt action. Corn fodder is not to be despised, for fifty-five per cent, .of the value of the corn crop plant is In the stalk and leaves. All cows in the dairy should be of a kind that belong to the dairy type. If you are fattening cattle keep only those of the beef type. After cutting the weeds never throw tltem on the manure pile. Burning them is the better way of getting rid of the seeds that they contain. Molasses when used as a portion of a ration fed to pigs, steers and sheep results in a rapid increase in live weight. When molasses is fed to milch cows the amount of fat nnd sugar in the milk is increased.—New York Weekly Witness.