Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1902 — GARDEN AND FARM [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GARDEN AND FARM

THE DISPOSITION OF THE HORSE. The disposition of a horse largely influences its value. The education of the horse should begin when it is a colt. A noted breeder of horses, who had been successful, stated that the breed of the man was as important as the breed of the colt, as colts have varied in disposition according to the disposition of the men handling them t( EARLY LAYERS. The breed that evinces a tendency to early maturity gives its indications both in the male and female. The cockerel will show the red comb and wattles early, and he crows as soon as he can. In selecting young cocks, if we wish to increase the desire for early laying, we have this rule to guide us; take the pullet that lays first, and the cock that crows the youngest and watch them. If they both develop early and push forward rapidly they should be retained, provided they are not akin. Endeavor to do the same the succeeding year. After a few seasons the propensity to lay will begin early in all the progeny, and by continued selection the habit will become permanently settled- and the breed Improved.—Poultry Keeper. THE DAY’S WORK ON THE FARM. There is no method for deterifiining the value of a day’s work on a farm. Farm laborers in some sections are paid certain sums, according to custom or usage, but there is much difference In the amount of work by different individuals. The supposition that anybody can work on a farm is known to be erroneous by farmers, for while there are certain duties that may be performed by strong and ablebodied men, yet skill is necessary in some departments. The best farm hands are those who know what to do and consequently relieve the farmer of muck of the care and responsibility. FEEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. The most difficult work performed by hens that produce eggs is the manfacture of the albumen, or white, of the eggs. The yolk is composed mostly of the elements of food that produce fat, being known as the carbonaceous elements. In wheat and corn the carbonaceous materials are very abundant, but the substances from which the albumen is derived is lacking, in proportion to the yolk producing materials. Forthls reason the feeding of fowls on nothing but grain Is not conducive to egg production. The food should therefore, be varied, lean meat, linseed meal, cut bone and finely cut clover hay (scalded) to be given in addition to grain. WONDERFUL RESISTENCE OF SEEDS TO COLD. Fanners have had varied experience with seeds. Certainly with imperfectly matured and poorly dried seed corn there is danger. As the following facts show, properly dried, mature seeds resist very low temperature without risk. These temperatures may be so low indeed that they seem startling. The facta are offered here to show that it is seed quality to start with and not the relative winter temperatures, be they ever so unusual, that causes the trouble. I supplied seeds last winter for immersion in liquid air, and therefore for subjection to extremely low temperatures. These seeds included corn, flax, wheat, rye, cucumber, castor bean, Russian sunflower, mimosa, yellow lupine, sainfoin and pine. At first these lots were immersed directly from room temperature in the liquid air and allowed to remain six and twelve hours. Other lots of the same sort were immersed twenty-four and forty-eight hours respectively. The seeds were then germinated, together with control lots from the original packages. There was essentially no difference in the proportion of the seeds germinated from the original lots and from those treated or immersed. The corn was not of a high grade and the starchy portion cracked badly from the extreme cold, yet the germintlon was about all that could be expected. With flax and rye the extreme cold was rather favorable than 1 otherwise to the prompt germination of the seeds. These facts are stated to show that properly matured dried seeds are practically unaffected even at the extreme low temperature of liquid air equivalent to 310 degrees below zero. No fear need be entertained from outdoor temperatures if seeds are what we know as air-dry. By these facts we learn how admirably seeds are by nature prepared to withstand cold, provided they are in a proper condition of dryness.—A. D. Seiby of the Ohio Experiment Station. BEES A BRANCH OF FARMING. Beekeeping on a small scale has become a branch of farming, and is very much on the increase. Farmers have found that it pays well to keep a few colonies of bees on scientific principles, and are receiving encouraging returns from ifiem. Ordinarily, a few colonies will do so much better in a locality than where large numbers are kept, for any locality may become overstocked. A few hives on every farm is the way to get the beet possible returns from them, and all the honey required for home use is easily secured. Bees are valuable on the farm besides the honey they produce, and fruit growers especially are taking a great interest in bees now, having become convinced by well authenticated experiments that good fruit

and plenty of it, depends largely on honey bees, fertilizing the bloom. It is not only confined to the orchard, but If you will take the trouble to look into the matter further, you will find the bees on the blossoms of wheat, rye, corn, clovers, and many other staple cereals grown. Would any one say they do not to some extent fill the same mission on this as they do on fruit? Look at the cucumber vines, and a thousand other vatjeties of flowers, we scarcely, think of, that are visited by the bees during the flowering season. Perhaps at the lowest rate of speed a bee will travel on the wing when they are swarming, which is about twenty miles an hour, but when hunting for honey and visiting the flowers, the speed is increased to nearly double; then think of the number of miles a bee travels during each day visiting blossoms in search for honey. The bee is surely one of our best friends, and no one should blame them for defending their hive even if they should inflict stings upon us occasionally when we are meddling with their business, for they never do it otherwise. Farmers should not go into the bee business, but all farmers should keep bees enough to supply their table with honey, and learn all about scientific beekeeping.—A. H. Duff, in Farm, Feld and Fireside. DAIRYING ON THE FARM. The dairy has become such a distinct specialty in farming that many old-time farmers have abandoned it practically to those who do nothing else. Yet farm dairying on the ordinary farm is without question a profitable work, that can be carried on with other lines of work. We have not yet abandoned general farming for specialties with the great majority of farmers still raise miscellaneous crops, doing a little dairying, corn raising, cattle raising and fruit and vegetable growing. The fact is the day will never come wtien the majority will not diversify the farming sufficient to raise a great variety ofi crops. The dairy cow, the beef cow, both have their place on the ordinary farm. Grass is at the foundation of all crops and all good farming, and no man can raise good crops of grass without being tempted to raise dairy cows tod. The dairying part of the business brings in constant and all-the-year-round profits, which is a great convenience to the farmer. Then when pigs do so well on clover and skimmilk one cannot help feeling that dairying is essential to make success of raising hogs. And, indeed, it is. The man who raises a few pigs and omits the cows makes a mistake in planning. With a half dozen or more good dairy cows on the place there will be ample food for raising a dozen pigs for market If the cream can be sold direct to consumers there will be-sufficient skimmllk left to fatten the hogs profitably. Corn, clover and peas make the ideal combination of crops for the dairy cows, and they also prove pretty good feeding for pigs. From this same crop one gets sufficient to feed several colonies of good laying hens. Thus with returns coming in continually from the dairy cows and the hens, one can then look forward contentedly to the bigger returns from the grain crops, fruits, cattle or hay. These latter return profits only once a year, and it is sometimes a long and discouraging wait between times. It Is far more satisfactory to have the side issues, which will keep up the supply' of pocket money. Then if the main crop proves a failure one is not left entirely stranded. Diversified farming is the surest thing today in agriculture, and in that dairying is one of the most important of all —W. H. Manton, in American Cultivator.