Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1898 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

Some Bare Birda. We have many kinds of fowls described In the American Standard, but we have not exhausted the world’s stock by any means. Here are two kinds which are remarkable for their grotesqueness. The Sultans are all fuss and feathers, and the military style of the cock’s head-dress is amusing along

with the air of importance put on by this bird. The golden Faduas have an unbalanced look, which throws doubts on their business abilities. Indeed we would put our faith on the Transylvania hen, whose attention seems to be given to worms and its favorite grub, rather than to any claim it may have to beauty. The Sultans are pure white;

the af& laced or spangled with golden yellow and black and white, and the Transylvania have bare red-skin-ned necks and brown plumage on the body. Novel Self-Closing Gate. An Invention has recently been patented by Dr. Peyton B. Green, of Wytheville, Va., in which a simple and ingenious device Is provided for closing a gate automatically. Referring to the accompanying engraving, It will be observed that, on the top bar of the gate, a roller is journaled which is engaged by an inclined rod fulcrumed at its lower end on a fixed support set at a proper distance from the hinge-post. A weight is held on the rod and can be fastened in any desired position by means of a set screw. To prevent the rod from leaving the roller when opening and closing the gate, the bracket in which the roller Is journaled is provided with a loop. When the gate is swung open the free end of the rod travels over the friction roller and assumes nearly a vertical position. As soon as the gate is released, the weight of the rod pressing against the roller closes the gate. By

changing the position of the weight, the gate can be closed with more or less force. Peed Corn. Select the seed corn while the stalks are standing in the field. Much can be done by selection. Over 100 bushels of corn were raised on an acre in Nelson County, Va., by a‘former member of Congress by selection of seed. Some stalks contained from five to seven ears,, and grew to a height of fourteen feet. This may appear remarkable, and may not be repeated, but It shows that in order to secure the largest yields the seed corn must be selected every year until the variety is made better. Turnip* Growing After Frost. The turnip crop Is so hardy that light frosts not only do not’kill the leaves, but possibly by destroying weeds that have before Interfered with their growth, they seem often to make the turnips grow faster. The roots sometimes double in size after an eaxly frost followed by warm, moist weather. There is also an Improvement in the quality of turnijks after freezing weather, and it Is usually a mistake to harvest the crop until the surface soil In the field has once beCn frozen. < Fant H nuking. Whether a man shall all his life be a fast or slow busker depends very much >n how,he begins. If he is always alow

and easy, and does not try to husk fast, he will get this habit so fixed that try as he may he will not get rid of it Yet the busker must avoid all nervousness.' That may make him seem to work fast but he will make many false motions, and the work will go on much slower than it looks. The fastest buskers say the secret of this work is to have strong hands, thumbs and fingers, and to make every motion tell. Weaning the Colt. A spring colt ought to be weaned before the pastures have been destroyed by frost. At the same tijpe It should be used to taking a little grain twice a day while it is still running at pasture. The oat is, of course, the best grain for colts, as it is also for the horse. It does not take much oats or meal to keep a young colt thriftily growing during its first winter. If oats and corn are ground together, without the cob, and some wheat bran is added, it will, in most cases, make a better ration fed with cut hay than could be got from feeding oats alone. ' No corn and cob meal should be fed to young colts, or, in fact, to any young animal. The cob is extremely hard to digest, and at least for all young stock has not enough nutrition to compensate for the danger from using it. Salt the Manure Heap. Salt in the manure heaps will prove beneficial. As kainit contains a large proportion of salt and also a percentage of crude sulphate of potash, it may be mixed with the manure by turning the heap over, care being taken that all portions of the manure be sprinkled with the kalnit. It prevents loss of ammonia to a certain extent, and adds potash to the manure, while salt attracts moisture and serves as an aid to prevent “fire-fanging” of the manure. Whenever manure is turned over the coarse materials should be placed in the center in order that they may be more quickly decomposed. Grape Vines in Fence Corners. A great many fences are of no use as barriers, because they surround lots that are never pastured. It was on one such that years ago we saw a farmer trying to train a grape vine and make a trellis of it. Of course all the work of jnjiyvating the vine which was planted in the corner of an old worm fence had to be done by hand with spade jmjJ hoe. But the experiment succeeded until the fence rotted under the mass of vines which covered It. Then the farmer obliged to build a trellis for his vine, whicii he might better have done at first.—Exchange. « ■ Corn Meal vs. Shorts for Feeding Pigs Experiments at the Indiana station to determine the comparative value of pure corn meal and a ration consisting of equal parts of corn meal and shorts showed that there was practically no difference in the two foods when used for fattening pork. The corn meal used cost 65 cents per 100 pounds and the shorts 70 cents. Good Guernsey Cow. Princess May XII., imported 4-year-old Guernsey cow, owned by J. N. Greenshields, Danville, Que., won first

prize at the New England State Fair, 1898, and first at the Industrial Fair, 1898. Cutworm Remedy. Cutworms can not be exterminated in one season. An excellent plan is to plow the land very early in the spring about 6 Inches or more deep, leaving the land unharrowed (rough), so as to permit the frost to enter. The cutworm can endure frost, but If brought to the surface succumbs to dampness and alternate freezing and thawing of the land. Land so treated for two or three years, and kept In cultivation, will be cleared of them.—Pennsylvania Rec ord. Care of Bees. Feed only the best of granulated sugar for winter provisions. Poor feed is unhealthy and will result In loss. Feed sparingly at first in order that the queen may occupy the center combs with brood, and then increase the quantity. A worker bee Is batched in twentyone days from the time the egg Is laid. Queens in sixteen, and drones in twen-ty-four days. It is a good plan at this time to requeen every colony that has in any way a defective queen. Arrangepients must be made so that the bees can pass from pne comb to another without going around in order to secure food in winter. The best plan to make strong colonies is by good feeding. The next best plan is to unite all weak colonies in good season. The objections to uniting swarms during the day is that It tends to produce robbing and causes the bees united to war among themselves. In auy colony that during the month of September Im found queenless, a laying queen should be introduced, as it is not safe to depend upon their rearing one from brood given theiu.

GOLDEN PADUAS.

SULTANA FOWLS.

SELF-CLOSING GATE.