Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1904 — HINTS FOR FARMERS [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR FARMERS

Cl«an Cp the Farm.' The satisfaction which the farmer who combines beauty with utility, who never neglects the attractiveness of his home and who persists at all seasons in bis crusade against weeds and unsightliness gets out of life is enough in itself to compensate him for all hfs labors. Nothing pleases the eye* so much and nothing evidences real prosperity so much as clean Helds, clean meadows and pastures, fences clear of weeds, roadsides with only grass, as it should be in every uncultivated spot. Weeds should not be allowed to go to seed anywhere on a farm. They should be mowed down in late summer and cut from the fence corners, and they should be kept from growing in the back yard. The farmer should say what shall grow on his farm. Weeds Jiave no place anywhere. They have no rights, certainly not the right to reproduce themselves by being allowed to go to seed. This is plain, practical sense, not mere fancy farming.—Breeder’s Gazette. Two Broods of Pisa a Year. A good many of our swine raisers produce only one brood of pigs a year. They say that the spring litter Is easily taken care of and after weaning goes onto green, succulent pasture.' That is true, but it should not be forgotten that there is something to be said on the other side. The man who Is well equipped for swine raising has considerable money invested in hoghouses, pens and the like. If two broods are raised a year the “plant,” so called, Is kept in use the year around, and can thus be made to earn a good interest on the investment After all, the question of two broods is largely one of winter feed of a succulent nature, and most of our farmers are intelligent enough to solve that problem In one way or another. But the man who attempts to do this should expect to give his litters more. attention in the fall than In the spring. The “let alone” policy will not prove to be a paying one in that case. _ , Careful Dairy Work Paya. That which most pays the average farmer is being careful, says American Cultivator. There exists entirely too much carelessness among farmers in so many ways. It is the hand of care that makes the farm pay. Referring briefly to the dairy, how many farmers there are who keep cows at more loss than profit. The average farmer should keep less stock, give It more careful attention, and his profits would be greater. Some farmers are not getting a yield of over 125 to 150 pounds of butter per cow in one year. This does not pay. This can be attributed to carelessness, the farmer not giving his cattle proper care and attention; perhaps poor stock. The selection of cows may be at fault, but we know, and sadly, too, that many farmers have a good strain of cattle for dairy purposes, but the lack of attention they receive is a shame to make record of. It is not always the latest Improved methods of doing things that cause profits. Get Rid of the Weed*. It is not a difficult task if persisted in for a farmer to rid his farm of weeds, says Breeder's Gazette. It can be done, and when once accomplished the farm Is worth double its former value as a thing to rest the eye on. It is in reality a thing of beauty and loses none of its picturesqueness by having only grass growing in the meadows, wheat in the wheatflelds and corn only where it is cultivated. The farmer sows his grain or puts in his crop, the winds sow the weed seeds, and there you are, but if you allow no weeds to grow it is plain without argument that your weedy growth will become less and less each year. Certainly the labor of cultivation Is much lessened, but even If this were not true it is enough that it adds Immensely to the appearance of the farm. New Treatment For Milk Fever. Dairy farmers all over the country will be Interested In the simple and successful treatment for milk fever, which consists of Injecting filtered atmospheric air into the udder, says American Agriculturist. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that every milk producer should acquaint himself with this and provide himself with suitable apparatus to do the work. This method is by far the most efficacious and most harmless one ever used and is said to have reduced the mortality in dairy herds to almost nothing. It is easy to manipulate and requires but little time to handle It Disinfect Farm Baildinars. Very few farmers appreciate the importance of disinfecting farm buildings, lots, etc. It costs very little to prepare or buy a solution already prepared and sprinkle it over the walls of the henhouse, the stalls of the barn and the lots where the animals are kept continually. It is much easier to prevent disease In this way than to try to get rid of it after It is well established.—American Agriculturist. Prolt la Swine, Stock boars two to three years old are the best. Godd brood sows should be kept for years, says American Agriculturist Select the best type and next the best mothers. Swine If properly handled should pay as well as any other stock. The prices and the demand have both been good for some time. If we raise the right kind for the markets the demand will Increase. Wideawake Farmers Smeeeed. Dp to date men who are wide awake, well educated and willing to take advantage of every natural and artificial aid will succeed and make money on the farm.—Farm and Ranch.