Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 92, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1899 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

Making Hay. In making hay it is always best to begin a few days before the meadow is ‘quite ready to cut. The loss from cutting a week too soon is not to be compared with the loss arising from cut- . ting a week too late. There Is a difference between dried grass and hay made from matured grass, but If the stock is allowed to choose they will take the dried grass. If we do not begin to make hay until it is just right, bad weather or bther untoward circumstances may cause delays that will afford the grass time to get too ripe, and once this happens it is impossible to make good hay of it. There will be a very little clover hay in the West this year, and the main dependence must be on timothy and hay. Timothy cutting should begin by the time the blossoms fall from the heads. We prefer to begin cutting as soon as the dew is off in the morning. If the weather is fair this is left until the next day, when it is raked and allowed to lie in the windrow an hour or two and is then piled into well-built cocks, where it can stand until the next day, or two or three days, if necessary. In these cocks it begins to sweat, and pitching the hay on the wagon and off into the mow airs it out in a way that causes it to cure perfectly in the mow, coming out a bright green and smelling as sweet as new-mown hay. The use of a hay loader hastens the work of havmakinc, but is not oon-

at of e^nly if g* ach post ision Ullusthe the D

walk on the Washing-1 W. Sjin front of the post, just below the surface of the ground, Is imbedded a long log, or stick of timber. It will be seen at a glance what enormous resisting power these sticks afford the post. The second cut shows how a wire fence may be held taut by carrying the wires from the bottom of the first post up to their several positions on the second post. Short sections of wire are then put between the first and second posts in the position of the dotted lines. This plan causes all the “pull”

on the wires to be exerted on the base of the first post—a position that does not admit of much yielding. Either of these plans will be found of value when building a barbed or smooth wire fence.—New York Tribune. Buff Turkeys. I have raised buff turkeys for three years, and I will say that as a practical farm bird they have no equal in any turkeys that I have ever raised, says a writer In Michigan Farmer. The rich buff does not show dirt as white does, and they are a larger bird than the White Holland; are just aa easy to raise, and do not slay around the bam so close that they do not thrive unless fed all summer, b;:t are between the bronze and White Holland. Never go to the neighbors, but still get a good living in the fields. Then the bronze are so fond of roaming; you never know where the hen is. She lays all over the farm, and visits the fanners all around. And in regard to extra size. I will say that by Christmas my buffs will weigh as much as bronzes, and be fat and fine, while the bronze tom is all lean and lank till the middle of February, and, In fact, at that time the market quotes heavy toms 2 cents per pound less than hens or light toms. Races of Rees. First swarms often fill up their hive In a short time and swarm again; these tie the same as other first swarms and Afmfsin the old queen, being her second

dition as the one formerly left, having queen cells, and second swarms may Issue If the cells are left to mature. The amount of storage room given a colony has much to do in governing swarms, and if the bees are kept confined in the brood chamber of hive exclusively they will swarm more readily than if they have unlimited room to store honey. Some races of bees are more inclined to swarm than others, and even some colonies of the same race are also more Inclined to swarm than other colonies. Th£ Italian bees swarm more than the native black bees, and still other varieties are more persistent in this respect. The Cyprian bees are inveterate swarmers, and will frequently swarm with scarcely any honey in the hive. The Cyprians are very prolific breeders and will produce double the number of young queens that other varieties do at swarming time.—Ex. Another Use for Potash, A writer in Vick’s Monthly says-. I have been using potash, or conceqtrated lye, in a new way lately—at least new to me. I have been using it as an insecticide and have found it most effective, especially for house paints. I use the pulverized sort, put up in small tin boxes. I dissolve two tablespoonfuls of this in three gallons of water and spray the plants thoroughly with the solution. I have never known it to injure even the most delicate plants, and for the greater number it could be used much stronger. For the mealy bug, aphis, red spider and almost all insects infesting plants it is sure death. The use of the potash also keeps the leaves bright and clean, and is useful to remove the black scum which sometimes gathers on the leaves of greenhouse plants. It also acts as a fertilizer, making the plants more vigorous and florlferous. As a spray or wash for fruit trees it is of great value. Trees thoroughly sprayed with a strong solution of potash, applied before the leaves start, will not be troubled with the San .Tose scale.

Ventilating Farm Buildings. Too little attention is paid to the proper ventilation of farm buildings in summer. To put horses Into a stable where there is no circulation of air and have them come out all wet' with sweat is harder on them than the work they do. Basement stables as a rule are more poorly ventilated than stables above ground, for the reason that there is little chance for air to circulate as only one end of the stable allows air to come in. A cellar stable that is damp and musty does not furnish pure, air for stock and they should not be kept In such a place long at a time. Stables should.be as dark as possible to keep flies from bothering the horses at this time of the year. An animal rests but little at noon or out of harness if it has to keep up a continual switching and stamping to keep the flies from eating It up.

To Rid the Barn of Rata. Take a tight barrel or keg, fill it a foot or so deep with water, tie a stout paper over the barrel and place any bait that will attract them to the place. Place board from floor to top of barrel, let them have free access to bait for a few nights, then cut across It in middle of paper large enough to admit a rat; then suspend a broiled meat, skin, pota»to, or any bait, by a string to within one or two Inches of center of cross. In attempting to get bait the rat wiH fall through and be drowned. To get rid of cut worms, take pieces of newspaper six Inches square, cut slit to center and slip around plants and place dirt or pebbles on corners to hold them down.—Exchange.

Time for Towing Turnips. While occasionally, under favorable conditions, a good crop of turnips may be grown by sowing as late as the middle of August, generally the best results will be secured by sowing not later than the middle of July. Have the soil In a good tilth and reasonably.rich, so that the plants may get a good start to grow before the weather gets too hot and dry. One advantage with turnips is that if they can not be eaten or sold to as advantage they can always be fed to stock profitably.* Government Hog Cholera Remedy. Department of Agriculture’s remedy for the cure off hog cholera: Pulverize and mix thoroughly: One part wood charcoal. One part sulphur. Two parts sodium chloride (salt). Two parts sodium bicarbonate (soda). Two parts sodium hyposulphite. One part sodium sulphate. One part antimony sulphide. ' Dose, one tablespoonful for each 200 pounds weight of hog once a day. Chicken Had Pockets. It was the first time Stewart had seen any very small chickens, and he did not understand that the smooth patches on the sides were wings. When one of the chicks tried to spread bis wings Stewart cried: “See, he’s opening his pockets and there isn’t anything in them.”—Exchange. Russia, with a population of 127,000,000, has only 18,334 physicians. The United States, with about 70,000,000, has 120.000. We should remember that the God of providence it the God of love and if*

CHICAGOAN A FUGITIVE. School Board Secretary Graham la ' About 934,000 short After five years of service as clerk, secretary and school agent for the Chicago Board of Education, W. A. S. Graham has proved faithless to his trust and fled the city, a confessed defaulter. His shortage is believed to amount to $34,500, although in a statement left behind he eltimates it at $23,000. In his flight he left behind to suffer for his misdeeds his wife and three little children. To cover his shortage he left a schedule of his real property in Chicago and Evanston, estimated by himself to be worth $25,000, and which he wished turned over to the School Board or the surety company which was on his bond. With the schedule was a confession of his guilt. The last trace of Graham was his appearance in New Orleans less than a week ago, accompanied by his wife and three children. This was the initial step in his flight, the family having hurried to the Southern city while Graham’s friends thought he was touring westward in search of rest and quiet. It was his intention to keep his family together, but the illness of Mrs. Graham and her baby precluded this and the family returned to Chicago after Graham had written a complete confession, turning over all his property for the benefit of the school fund that had suffered from his peculation and had worded a faltering declaration that he hoped to live to undo the wrong he had accomplished. This done, the defaulter departed. Where he went or what his intentions for the future are no one knows, but the surety companies that are upon his bond and will have to make good the shortage are hot on his trail.