Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1895 — FARMS AND FARMERS. [ARTICLE]

FARMS AND FARMERS.

«THE BATTLK WITH WEEDS. Weeds have not yet appeared, but they will be Up and get a start so early in the spring as to Completely cover the ground almost before it is "warm enough foFcFo^~""WeedsTare an enormous tax on farmers. They not only compel him to do more work than should be necessary, but they rob the soil, crowd out the plants that come from the seeds planted by the farmer and appropriate moisture that is required by crops. They seem to spring up in anight, are adapted to th ri ye up der the greatest difficulties. So many varieties of weedsexist that to exterm in ate one kind is to make room for another' Spring weeds, summer weeds;fall weeds,dry weather webds’, wet weather weeds, and weeds that stubbornly hold on at all times confront thefarmer. when his labor is the heaviest and his expenses the greatest Weeds seem to be a curse on farmers to remind - them of their own lack of management, for when the farmers make mistakes the weeds seem to see their opportunities and take possession of the farms. AVeeds come from seed and they pass through the winter safely. In fact, the farmer carefully preserves and protects them, giving them se;urity from frost, and turns them up to receive the warm rays of the Min in the first days of spring work. When the weeds are not all killed by even reaching into the fence corners and otiier harboring places for them .1 they produce seeds which are scattered in every direction. The farmer Comes along with his plow in the fall ind turns the seeds under, giving them a covering for the winter, keeping them safe from frost, and in the spring he turns them up to germ inate. Before the seeds which produce the crons can be planted the weeds get under wav and are able to destroy the crop by crowding the young plants. The farmer, therefore. protects tho weeds and keeps dis farm well stocked with a never failing supply. It is not an easy matter to kill out weeds after the regular crop, is planted. One of the best methods is to plow early, harrow the land md let the weeds grow. When they ire just appearing harrow well and wait again. By the time corn planting- arrives the weeds will have been well cleaned out. After the crop is olanted the cultivator and wheel hoe, »r even the hand hoe, may be relied apon to keep them down if the work is done when the weeds are young, Never let one weed produce seed. Some varieties produce millions of seeds from a single plant, hence every weed killed means-less labor the succeeding year. It may entail l heavy expense to endeavor to destroy all the weeds, but the expense the next season will be more than reduced correspondingly, .What should be done early is to give the weeds an opportunity to grow and then destroy them. ALL AROUND THE FARM. The milking qualities of cows are ilways injured by allowing them to suckle their calves. It is not necessary to ahow this even when the calf is to be fattened. Skim milk, if fed ilways at the warmth of new milk, ind enriched by the old process linseed oil meal, cooked and stirred in :t, will take the place of new milk. It will be no more trouble than to milk the cow by hand and feed the milk, and it will be better for the cow than to let the calf suckle her. The gain the first week on the oil meal may not be so much as by sucklingthe cow, but as the calf grows alder the oil meal and skim milk ration will have the advantage.

An experienced gardener recommends putting a toad in the hotbed to hold insects in-check. The man who goes on the market with any thing of “a superior q ual ity or excellence makes ready sales and a profit. The fact of feed influencing flavor and quality of meat applies especially to sheep/ It is undoubtedly true that an extensive grower of celery fed his lambs during the winter the roots and clippings, as he prepared his vegetable for the market, and gave their flesh a peculiar and delicious flavor.