Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1900 — FARM AND GARDEN NOTES. [ARTICLE]

FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.

ITEMS OF INTEREST ON ACmeUL** TURAL TOPICS. Burning Over Strawberry Beds-A Cheap Mode of Marketing—Cood for Fertilizing Crops —Wintering Idle Farm Horses- Etc., Etc. Burning Over Strawberry Beds. As soon as the ground Is frozen burn the old strawberry beds over. It will do no harm to the plants,'’ while weeds and weed seeds will be consumed to ashes and returned to the soil, so far as their mineral elements are concerned. In the spring the strawberry plant will shoot out with better foliage and grow more rapidly By reason of the burning over of the rows. 4) A Cheap Mods of Marketing. Feeding the products on the farm is the cheapest mode of marketing the ( bulky materials. A hundred dozens of eggs will bring more money than a ton of hay, yet more ground will be required to produce the hay, to say nothing of plowing, harrowing and seeding the land and mowing, curing, J stacking and hauling the hay. Wheu com is fed to pigs it will bring near ly twice as much as when sold by the bushel. Nothing should be sold off the farm that caa be turned into something more valuable, or which can be marketed in a more concentrated form. It is transportation charges that largely reduce the profit.

Cood for Fertilizing Crop). Many farmers sell their wood ashes regularly. Perhaps they receive on the average between three and four cents per bushel, and in some cases even less. Could they only be made to realize it, these ashes are worth more for fertilizing crops. It is said on good authority that the average bushel of ashes contains fifteen cents’ worth of potash, and this very potash is one of the elements that the advanced farmers are trying to get into tlleir soil, j We have not sold a particle of ashes for a great many years. Most of them i are put around trees. Occasionally we use sifted ashes mixed with paris green on potato vines. Such plants j as onions, cabbage, or any kihrl of a plant that is grown for its foliage, j heeds a great deal of nitrogen. This is what gives the depth of green to the foliage. Plants like wheat, oats, rye, and similar seed producing plants, require a greater abundance of phosphorus in some form. This is the main reason why it is so hard on the soil to bring a crop of grain to ma-j turity. For all kinds of fruit a great j deal of potash is required. This is undoubtedly the reason why it is often recommended that wood ashes be placed around fruit trees from the fact that the ashes hold an abundance of the clement the fruit requires for development.—C. P. Reynolds, in tbe Epitomist.

Wintering Idle Farm Horses Iu this country, where a great deal of horse power is required to get the farm work done quickly in the summer time, and where there is little or no work during the long winter months, there is apt to be an excessive and unnecessary mortality among farm horses from lack of proper feeding and care. The stable should be warm, well lighted, clean and comfortable, with good ventilation, but free from drafts. If the horses at the time of quitting work in the fall are In an average healthy condition, fed on a grain ration composed of two parts oats and one part bran, and of this mixture given one gallon per head daily, divided into two feeds (any animal low In condition to be allowed a little extra), with the usual roughage, fodders, hay, oat straw or an occasional oat sheaf (a few carrots will be found very beneficial, as they are very fond of variety), watered twice a day, with access to salt at all times, groomad once a day and given a liberal amount of exercise dally out in the Fard or some other sheltered spot, prodded It is not too stormy, by the time jpring comes they will be in good eonlltion for spring work. When It does itart, be merciful to your beasts nnd aee that the collars fit nicely, as well as the other parts of the harness, and lave a lot of suffering to your horses from sore shoulders. etc.—Allan Strothers, In Farmer's Advocate.

A New Chick Food. Rolled oats have long beeu a staple) ilet iu the progressive poultryman's | yard, especially for small chicks. The! greediness with which the chicks de- ! vour it when moistened and swelled, 1 and the speedy growth aud sturdy j building which it shows, should com- ) mend it to nil who believe that there is nothing too good for baby chicks., A new foodstuff has boon put on the market Iu the form of loose shredded wheat, the crumbs presumably from the biscuit. It is sold in bulk and the cost is a little less than the rolled oats, | while it has the advantage of being fully cooked. It should pe moistened J the same as oatmeal, aud its swelling capacity is really marvelous. If milk Is obtainable it induces a wonderful growth. , Now that the necessity of laying a good foundation is so largely realized, It is by no means extravagant to feed these rather costly stuffs for at least the first six weeks. Instead of sloppy dough I feed crumbled cake in the morning and at noon, using shredded

wheat for the morning lunch and rolled oats at noon, with the best of clean, white whole wheat for supper. My chicks number over 200 aud are raised strictly for profit, which invariably means a good start, followed by good food and good care all the way along.—Annie L. Rogers. In New England Homestead. Causs of Suckers, on Corn We are asked to give the cause, of suckers on corn, and to say whether corn is more liable to sucker when drilled than when It is cheeked, gome varieties of corn- especially of sweet corn -will sucker badly, because the habit bas been bred Into them. All such peculiarities can be bred into corn, and that Is an important truth that Is not well recognized. Earless stalks will poTlenlze other stalks and they may be earless. It Is another Instance of like producing like. (The best explanation that we can give of ; the cause, when it is not a fixed habit, 1 Is that the roots take up more uutri- | ment than the stalk can use in its legitimate growth, aud this additional growth is the result, states the Agricultural Epitomist. Tobacco will sucker more on low lajid. where there Is more moisture, than it will on a hillside that drains on the low land. Moist land, if It Is not too wet, will contain more soluble plant food than dry land will. In town gardens, where I water from water works Is available I and applied freely, corn will almost always suckei* badly. Close planting may favor suekering. If our theory is \ correct, because the corn does not have ! the proper conditions for utilizing all the plant food that the roots take up., It is'a mooted question as to whether it Is profitable to remove the suckers from corn. Some growers remove them, and some do not. There cau be uo doubt that the stalk Is better off without them, and the only thing to settle is whether it is enough better off to pay for the labor of removing them. If they are numerous, we believe that their removal will pay for the trouble. Experiment by Bees. The following shows the value of experiment, whether it is made by bees or men aud women: “A begin-; tier hears the feeding of oatmeal liigh-i ly recoin mended as a substitute for; pollen. He places some near the en-| trances of the hives, but not a bee touches It. He is told again to wait 1 till <*arly spring, before the bees have access to natural pollen, and then they will take it. He does so, but, as l>e- j fore, not a bee notices it. He is next told to put a heap of It in the sun. a ’ few rods distant from the hives. This time he may succeed; but it would not be strange if he should once more report that his bees would have nothing 1 to do w ith it. Finally he is directed I to take a piece of honey and get some bees feeding on it. then to set it on the heap of meal. The bees soon gather over it in great numbers; those that go home loaded start out many v more searching all about the vicinity, to see where the treasure comes from. The hum of the busy ones on the honey soon attracts them, and. in snuffing about the pile of meal, some bee discovers that it can be used as a substitute for pollen; the others soon follow suit, and in a little time, both the l»ees and their owner are happy, and the pile of meal quickly disappears. After this be never has any more trouble in | getting the bees to work ou meal, for he knows bow. The bees and their owner have both learned a valuable lesson about pollen. Is there any very great difference in the way both have been taught? Did they not both learn by practical experiment?” Yes. and that is the only way to definitely ! and fully learn anything. We can tell | people how to do things, but tlie hand • as well as the head mnst be educated. \ Bees and people have learned by ex-j perinient. Some of tbe articles of diet j that are familiar to us all have been found to be good almost within the recollection of people now living.

Extending the Flower Season. The amateur gardener, the real lover of flowers, will And that with very little labor and expense the season of the enjoyment of flowers may be extended, often for several weeks. It Is a peculiarity of this season- at least in the Northern States-that the first) frosts severe enough to injure tender plnnts come in October or November. In the vegetable garden, tomatoes, Lima beans and other tropical plants are killed if not protected; and the suiue happens in the flower garden if petunias, salvias and similarly tender flowers are not eared for. There are usuully three mornings of these sharp; frosts in succession, ns if to make) sure that the work of destruction was. thoroughly done. These days are usually followed by several days, oven j weeks, of weather so jierfect that the) term "heavenly" can only adequately | describe It. We have It only at this • season and In no other land Is seen such fullness of beauty, such richuess of leaf, flower and every surrounding. If we could protect our tender plants during these first days of frost, bridge them over, as It were, into these days of perfect weuther, what a glory of bloom would our garden show! This Is just what can be accomplished, and with but little labor and expense. When frosty nights threaten, make light frames of slats or poles over the beds and cover with some,light material, matting, sheets, or even a few layers of large newspapers, fastened so that the wind will not blow them

off. But the protecting material muss not lie directly upon the plants; therefore, the frame has to be a few inches higher than the top. Some years since! we preserved a large circular bed of canons, salvias and geraniums in this manner up to the day before Thanks* giving day.—American Agriculturist. , :—r ■ 1 „ ■ . The Swineherd. Scotch swine-growers give pig eating sow T s flower of sulphur to break them of their cauuiba! habit. A few spoonfuls of the sulphur are fed to the sows In swill several days.before .and . after furrowing. It Is claimed to be & sure eorreetive of the pig-eating habit. The sow r that eats her pigs will, sometimes eat them after they are three or four weeks old. Every swine-breeder should have ample pasture for' the pigs, with abundant clean wator. Salt and ashes aid digestion in swine. Cholera will be prevented if sulphur be mixed with the salt and ashes. The sulphur may be mixed with slops also. Lice rarely infest hogs that* have plenty of sulphur. A clean feeding place for swine is a prime necessity. - *. All sleeping places of swine* should be cleaned often aud 'thoroughly, especially lu the hot weather. Rusty oat straw is one of,tie very worst materials for" bedding foY swine. Green corn fed to hogs will cause them to have worms. Every hog showing any sign of sickness should be at once taken out of the herd and Isolated for treatment. Cholera in the herD travels swiftly from one animal to another. When a pig refuses to. eat, and thumps, and has bis hair turned the wrong way, trot him out aud give him a dose of ax. Make the dose a big one. Let the pigs ask for their feed occasionally, just to put an edge ou their appetite. As soon as they squeal for something to eat. let them have It. The healthy hog's stomach is ns regular as clockwork in demanding food. When feeding for fattening, always watch for signs of indigestion. Obey the first sign by reducing rations. Remember that stuffing and cramming and jamming food into a pig to fatten it In a short time is a wholly abnormal, unnatural performance. Large herds in small quarters are liable to disease.