Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1903 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

LIVE STOCK AND WEIGHT, It has been demonstrated that when •n animal is kept fully up to Its work It can be made to gain over two pounds dafly for twelve months. This gain, however, depends upon the age of the animal and the manner In which It Is fed. In the case of young steers, under three or four years old, the farmer In attempting tj> fatten them has a different duty to perform from that of adding weight to a fully-matured steer. A small proportion of a certain kind of food will often perform a greater service for young stock when the steer is more advanced In age. and yet this matter is often overlooked by farmers when raising cattle for the butcher. The principal aim of the farmer is to Increase the weight by having the steer as fat as possible, for the reason that at times fat is more easily produced on an animal than either lean meat or bone. There are periods when It is impossible to create an excess of either of fat or lean on an animal, and this is influenced by the age. For instance, if one begins with a yearling steer, the natural inclination of the animal is to grow, and during the process of growth the system demands material containing but a small proportion of fat, but growth adds to the weight, and the more rapid the growth the greater the increase in weight, which for the quick gains made by young steers as compared with thoge approaching maturity, and which has given rise to the claim that “baby”*beef is the cheapest. Baby beef can certainiy be produced in the shortest time, but whether it is the cheapest is a question yet to be decided. It is true that young beef can be made in larger quantities and and at a more rapid rate than matured beef, but there will be a difference in the cost, from the fact that the material fed to a young animal will not give the same results when fed to one that is matured. A young steer must have the material for promoting the growth of flesh and bone, and this must be provided before an ounce of fat can be deposited on any portion of the body. It may receive a liberal supply of food, but there is a risk of deficiency in some particular essential that may be overlooked. Progressive farmers know exactly what progress they are making, and feed for such results They combine the qualtites of the feed and the breed, and endeavor to get as much as possible in the shortest space of time. They know the breeds and use them. They are aware of the fact that some breeds assimilate more food and give off less waste than others, and as their motive is to convert food Into saleable product, they endeavor to do so quickly and economically. Farmers, therefore, will find It to their advantage to frequently weigh th? young stock, and note the ratio of increase in weight. By so doing they will he enabled to discover the cause of any failure on the part of the stock and to correct all mistakes. The time is coming when no farmer will be satisfied with less than two pounds a day from birth for his 2-year-old steers, nor less than a pound a day tor his barrows and wethers up to one year of age. After approaching maturity the gains are not so great, but previous to .hat young animal should be pushed.—Philadelphia Record. SOWING GRAIN. In speaking of the method of sowing grain thick or thin a Pennsylvania correspondent of the Country Gentle-

man says: A few years since I started a man to sowing a fertile, well prepared field with wheat about September 10, using a broadcast seeder set to sow one and a half bushels per acre. Unknown to us the regulator ofthe seeding works had got out of ot3er and did not sow as much as the index showe 1. When field wa3 gone ever, the man came up, having nearly half the seed left, leaving in the ground less than a bushel per acre. I s~nt him back to cross-sow it and get in the rearn'nder of the seed. When nifcht c?ms he had got over about half of the field the second time. During the night and next day a heavy rainstorm came on, and before the ground was dry enough to go on, the grain was up, and no more was done to it. leaving half the field with twice as much seed as the other half. Of course the thickest seeding covered the ground soonest, and looked the better in the fall and in the spring, but at harvest I made a thorough examination, with the following results: The thicker seeding was much the thicker, the straw slender and the heads shorter than on the thin seeding. The straw on the thinner seeding was stronger, and the heads were not only longer, but the kernels were larger and plumper than on the thicker seeding. There was not much difference in the yield per acre on the two parts of the field, and it appears in this case that less than a bushel of seed per acre was a good as nearly two bushels. , There is not much doubt that one bushel of wheat per acre under favorable conditions will produce as great a yield as a bushel and a half or two bushels. The first requirement is fertile soil adapted to wheat, to give the young plants a vigorous growth. The

second 1* early sowing, *o that the plantß will have time to spread and cover the ground before winter as protection to the roots against winter killing. Some farmers contend that It Is better to sow two bushels of wheat per acre In order that the plants need not be obliged to stool out so much and weaken themselves In order to cover the ground. It seems to be well established that a good soil and early sowing require less seed. That corn can be planted too closely ts proved by the case of corn sown for forage, where even on a rich soil the stalks will be slender and most of them barren or only producing nubbins. In seeding land for meadows, I think tho danger generally is in not sowing enough grass seed. Enough should he sown to occupy the who?b ground at once and leave no room for weeds.

THE MAKING OF A GARDEN.

It requires a considerable acquaintance with variety of character in order to grow to perfection the different plants now usually bedded out in a well-arranged flower garden, for, differing as they do in habit and tendency to bloom when transferred to the open ground, it must be obvious that some kind of preparation of the bed or border which is to receive them is necessary in order to insure a fine display of bloom at the proper season. First of all, then, a plan of the bed should be committed to paper, and the plants it is intended to put out noted therein. If overfed some of them will possibly produce more leaf than flower, others require much food to keep them growing, and, as it would be very difficult to do exactly the right thing with every distinct species, the course to adopt is to effect a compromise, and give all a little fresh soil. Take the common zonal geraniums—an ordinary soil will in most cases grow them sufficiently strong for blooming freely, while the variegated type requires a little coaxing. Most of the verbenas do best in fairly rich soil, and a cool, healthy sbil will Insure fine and continuous blooms on 'clceolarias. Lobelias and mimulus perfer a moist but well drained soil. Petunias succeed best in a moderately rich, firm soil, but not too damp, and so do dlanthus, phlox and pentstemons. Calendulas, asters, stocks, and zinnias prefer a fairly rich soil, and the heliotrope seems to thrive under almost all conditions of soil and surroundings. Dwarf nasturtiums, eschscholtzlas, poppies, and marigolds also seem happy under the most adverse circumstances. Roses, as every one knows, give the best returns in a rich soil, while the places assigned to the tea roses should be warm and well drained. It is to be hoped, now that continuous rains have fallen, that the complaint of “drought at the root” will not be heard of this summer to the extent experienced throughout the last few years.—London Telegraph.

FEEDING HORSES. Horse 3 are animals that need to be fed three times a day at stated hours as near as possible. It is as detrimental to them to have to do without their dinner, or any other meaJ, as to men. Some say that less hay and more grain will make healthier and better shaped horses, and this is true. Nevertheless, they require a certain amount of hay, and, preferably, it should be fed to them cut. This is not only economy in preventing waste of it, as otherwise more or less will be pulled down under foot and soiled, but the animals are better able to digest it. Moreover, if the hay Is clover, or partly so, the very frequent disorder of the throat, due to the dust arising from the pollen, or, when ripe, of the dry need head 3, which i 3 commonly called heave 3, is avoided. Having the feed cut and wetted, therefore, and the grain ration ground, in which case It will adhere pretty much all to the dampened cut feed, is better for several reasons, as no dust will then arise from it. A little salt .should be given at least once a week. A piece of rock salt left in the manger all the time, but this is hardly desirable, in that some horses will eat more of it than is for their good. Rather, the only safe way is for each horse owner to gause the amount himself. A feeding of roots, like carrots or potatoes, twice a week is very beneficial, and once a 'week a gran mush, substituted for oats, in case these are fed, is most excellent. Provided good care is given, supplemented with careful usage and kind treatment it is seldom a veterinary will have to be| called in and very little "condition powders” purchased. Such has been pve writer’s experience, at any rate.—Fred O. Sibley, in Agricultural Epitomist