Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1891 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

Chicago Inter-Ocean. It is creditably stated that within ;the past fifty years the Percheron •hors? breeders in France have increased tha average height of these horses one and one-hail hands and added to their average weight fully 500 founds. The question has arisen and is being seriously discussed in France whether this increase in size and weight has bdded anyth ■ ng to t he effectiveness of the animals. The government of France has investigated the matter and claims that the change is for the worse. Be that as it may. the fact will stand as a guidepost to every farmer to show him what can be done in the work of modifying the shape of our domestic __ . C , - T Back of it all stands the Krain or breeding for a purpose, when the farmer uses the scrub sire he is practically trying to see how poor animals lie can raise. He is breeding for sprub results jind he get tjjem. It is reported that the Colorado potato beedle is less numerous the .present year than for aDy year of its previous existanee: —ThisJ pest first made its appsarnce in the States east of the Missouri river about the year 1866-07. and has caused a loss of millions of dollars to the pot ato growers of the United States. These insect pests, and the effect their predations may have on the farmers 1 interests. should make him of all men the greatest friend to scientific ip WBngatiom Cobcdming them, science as a leader and the co-opera-tive aid of government is to be our only salvation against their overwhelming spread and increase. The ■recentgood work of Chancellor Stone against the chinch bugs of Kansas shows that science is the farmer's best friend. Yet-, certain .farmers think it very smart to railbut against scientific men. The farmer of all others should be the firmest supporter of such men. Mr. G. G. Gaston, of Canada, in a very intelligent article on the “Culti: vation of the Orchard,” states tha"; the present year Ontario has suffered greatly from a severe drought In consequence the orchards have been considerably injured. He brings out some instructive facts to aid in the " lormation of a sound judgment as to the course to be pursued under such circumstances, by careful invT-sti- j gation he has noticed that where ' fruit " trees are growing in sod no j moisture is found for eighteen or twenty inches below the surface and j the roots are surrounded by a parched and dry soil which cannot furnish ] tfee nutriment required, end this at a critical time when the trees need j the greatest amount cf nourishment, ! when growtlr of foliage and wood Ts rapid, and in the ease of bearing trees when they are just setting their crop of fruit. The. remedy for.; this is to consider the apple tree in a drought just as we would a stalk of corn in a drought. Stir Th." soil : about it frequently and thus hinder 1 the escape of the part ii 9 moist ntv- into the air. He proves .concUt-sivoly-in-• his own experience the wisdom of this view of the matter.

SHEF.P NOrKv The following items .of sensible sheep talk are clipped from the National Stockman: Those who coat*, opiate growing l hot-house lambs another season are reminded that the time for coupling the animals is fully on now, and that clover for the winter feeding should be cut when about half, of it is in bloom, and that it should be cured with little expoim-e to tHo-s-mr and none to the rain. The supply of the best lambs has not overtaken ■the demand, as it was supposed last year that it would. As another encouragement it mav be stated that the season for then sale was prolonged last spring. The season for this “baby mutton ’ commences when the holiday poultry i- fairly consumed and closes when broiler chicken come in freely, thus supplying the ‘ missing link’ between the late fall and early spring flesh delicacies. Pasturing sheep in fields adjoining a railroad'is a bad practice. Every' time a train passes they start off on a rub. The young lambs often get knocked over, trampled upon and injured. Such excitement in flocks is detrimental to thrift. A new railroad in.Ohie was constructed within a few rods of the extensive barns of a sheep feeder and dealer. Passing trains kept the animals in such a state of excitement that they would not "half fatten. ’ as lid expressed it. and “there is no money in it. Finally he had to move his barns. A year ago about a dozen adjoining farmers, each of whom kept a few sheep, and who had been annoyed more or less by sheep dogs, formed a dog exterminatk n society. Their agreement is to kill every dog possible found on their premises.and if any are prosecuted in consequence all are to contribute to the expense. The consequence is that those who had valuable dogs took eare of them, and the worthless dog that ran at large got shot. No one dart.d to sue this “powerful syndicate” for they would have to face every one of them in court. The sheep of this ricinitjc are having a rest. Should such Organizations become general the sheep dog question would be settled. DAIRY NOTES. All butter tubs should be soaked in strong salt brine for two or three days before packing, and then filled with butter to within one-half inch of the top; then cover with a cloth and a paste of fine salt and water, which should be pressed against the tub so as to exclude air from the butter. There is a good profit to be made from a cow that yields 300 pounds of butter a year, and a certain loss from

every cow that majees only 125 pound* g vear. The neraT ovei 30) pounds in qjmost every case art pore Jerseys of high grades. Thes» facts ought, to open the eyes of dary men to the importance of improving their cows, but progress travel.* along ti>e mud roads in the country am| moves' slowly. However, wr must keep pegging away in the hop: that coming generations will keep better cows. —Jersey Bulletin, sorii cherries; The culture of sour cherries ha) greatly declined in the older:sections of America. Tho cause wax the prevalence pf t>lack knot. This has now almost entirely disappeared and there is no reason why then should not be a great planting of this raost whfdesdme fruit, says E. P. Powell. U only a few trees are Sei by scattered cultivators there will be no fruit saved from the birds. Th >rc should te a special movement oil the part of nurserymen to encourage cherry planting. The sorts most ad vantageous lor the general growei covering all of the Northern States are the liariv Rlehtnc-od. the-Mav-M.'ake .the-laFge' ITontZ-'r en < -y. and the common sour cherry from which the Richmond and-tho Montmorency have been improved. These are en Jtirely l;ardvJS&d ooiffdwril-ba-grow-e----for their bdtiuty in bipssominsj gga son. CAimAnr. crirmir;. •Tlie/f- is anew cabbage and eauii flower culture, says Me. T. "Lrenfoi” in the Practical Farmer.. The css. :i tsaT caaiigc is the elimination of the .transplanting process. 1 have pra • tic: d the new Way for years, and ul ways with good resultr. I drop font or live seeds where I want a plant tc glow about fifteen or eighteen inch cs apart, in rows, in well prepared and well enriched soil, making tin. i-mvs two or two and one-naif' feel sparfc, and afterward thinning the best plants, always leaving the b:s! plants. At planting time I also drill ra a row yf radishes between earl two rows of caulinower or early cab bage3. The radishes are off in time to give room when the other croj ne=ds it. The plants come up quite prompt ly. But look out for the flea beetle. Fine tobacco .dust or tobacco tea. yery strong, in spray form, is about the only tiling nr.u* known t hat prom ises relief from the depredations o: the little jumping-jack. HOW TO KEEP HEN'S Ol'T OF MISCHIEF. Mr. L. L. Phenton. of Minnesota tells the Farm. Stock and Home all about it. as follows: When I feed my chickens (if feed ing grain) I scatter it broadcast. There is little danger of any of it going to waste:. lor the indus-trioa* biddy will find nearly every kernel. In this way a little exercise is in duced. and it lias another .beueficia effeat,-- ; \Vhen-j*mi throw , feed dowk in a heap the hens naturally slraggii and crowd each otheV to get at it. and the. stronger ones fill their crops while the weaker and less fortunatv ones do not fare so well After i feed it fioek a few times, no inatt n what the number may be. I can guesspretty eloselv how much they wit, eat up clean anil eagerly. Then 1, throw a couple of handfuls on the grounddund ou.that throw loosely £ forkful bf digftt, dry manure or chad'. On t%.1 again put a handful or sc of grant, following it with two o; three forkfuls more of manure or chaff. The hens sobn become accustomed to this, and they dig info ths pile right and left, and it keeps them busy scratching for the grai.r for halt a day fo* mere f don't al ways dr this with .chicken:.; which have a fra, range, bat when they are confined 1 make it a daily practice. And at any time you may chance to visit m\ yards you will find a lot of busy, cheerful and singing hens, kept clem of mischief. And they seem to work aa.hard au a man on a salat v. uullgui l ” ing to care for nothing but scrat ch ing and keeping the egg basket full. REMEDY FOR PI,A NT LICE. There is of late a good.deal of inquiry about a remedy for plant lice Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Miehigai Agricultural College, claims that tin following kerosene emulsion is sun death to all kinds' of lice on plant.and animals: “Dissolve in two quarts of wat -r one quart of Soft soup or one-fourtl of a pound of hard soap, by heating to the boiling point; then add oiV piat-of kerosene oiFi.nl stir violent-, ly for from three to five minutes.' This agitation must be. violent so as to make the mixture permanent but need not be -continued a lorn, time. Dilute this mixture with an equal part of water when applied This for plants. “For the lice scruT the animal with the emulsion dilute with one-half its bulk of water. V,'. use a brush and do It thoroughly The cost for a full-grown cow is nut more than 5 cents and five minutes ,of time. It-kills nits as well as lict and seems to brighten 1 think the scrubbing yritlf The sour' solution is excelletrflor the skin, and thus we do more than kill the lice. For sheep we dip the aqimal in the emulsion, diluted with one-half its bulk of water.” '' - -"-lid,:--

The First Ice-Cream Soda. The first person who conceived the idea of putting a spoonful of icecream into a glass of soda water lives in Lycoming county, Pa., where he runs a tittle drug store. Twenty years ago ice was very scarce, and this man could nbt procure enough to keep his fountain cooled. The only person in the village who had efiougn was a confectioner,. and trhlte ttulatter would sell no ice to the dragS'st, he sold a good deal of ice cream. eople liked the scheme and the ide >: spread from one place to another tik it is now almost universal.