Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1899 — THE RENSSELAER SEMI-WEEKLY REPUBLICAN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE RENSSELAER SEMI-WEEKLY REPUBLICAN.

Corn Crop A Mured. Have you seen the brilliant halo Circling ’round the farmer’s brow? Have you noted that the combines Hold no terrors for him now? ■Great red dragons, octopuses And such things are now endured— Rain is falling over Kansas, And the corn crop is assured. Have you heard the distant snapping, Wafted on the breeze of late, As the Kansas corn is shooting Upward at a rapid rate? Every stalk bears twins or triplets, Which bid fair to be matured; Look out for a record-breaker — Kansas corn is now assured. Even Kansas hens are cackling In a chorus of delight, i And the beef steer and his sister, * And the swine, smile at the sight; While "the thrifty Kansas farmers, By no sophistry allured, Figure up their gains by millions, ’ For the corn crop is assured. ►-Abilene Chronicle. Devices for Harveatin* Corn. Not every man knows how to stand up a shock of corn which will not twist or lean into an unrecognisable mass after it has had time to season, says a writer in the lowa Homestead, from which the cuts are reproduced. When I put up corn by hand I always use a jack like that seen in figure 1. Pull the jack along to the place where the •hock is to stand, so that the round pin through the 2x4 piece is directly over the place for the shock. Set up four armloads In the four recesses of

the jack made by the pin running through at a, b, c, and d. When the shock is half or two-thirds made, remove the jack by withdrawing the pin and finish it without Tie the shock when done by means of a contrivance'shown In figure 2, composed of a pole five or six feet long, with a rope put through an auger hole in the pole. This is thrust through the •hock two-thirds of the way up, and the rope drawn around the shock as tight as it can be drawn and made fast to the pole while the shock to being tied. A shock made in this manner and properly tied will stand a long time and will stand well. If the corn Is to be husked out before it is to be fed to stock, a husking bench, shown in the second cut, will be convenient This is carried up alongside of a shock which is tipped over on the bench. The busker seats himself on the seat and begins working the stover toward him, and when he gets a bundle of convenient size it is bound and laid aside, and so on until all is husked. This prevents missing any, and it is far more convenient to sit than to kneel down in the mud or snow. In hauling in the bundles I have found it very convenient to load from the rear part of the wagon by walking up a running board, which hangs on the rear of the rack and 1s dragged along to the next shock all the time. The rear post of the hayrack should be removed, and two short, stout corner pieces nailed on just high enough to not interfere with loading, but which will prevent the corner bunches of fodder slipping off. I have never ahredded any fodder, and know nothing of its value from a practical standpoint, having fed all my fodder in the old-fashioned manner. I have seen the corn harvesters at work, which seems

to me to be a very good thing for those who make a business of using much fodder annually in the feeding ration, trusar Beets a« Green Food for Rose. The best root for hogs is the beet All beets have more or less sugar, but it"ls better to grow the sugar beet even though it may not yield so largely as do the large, coarse varieties. There is no time tn the growth of beets when they are not acceptable food for hogs confined to their pens. They are better feed and more cheaply grown than clover, considering the waste of the clover when it is either pastured or cut and fed green. There is little nutriment in clover until it gets into blossom. If fed then, hogs will nose the clover over to get at the heads, and will eat very little else. But the whole of the beet, including the leaves, will be eaten, provided the leaves are fresh. ........ To tbc

lengths, stand on end around light material and wood until there is a cord or two. Cover with leaves or straw, with an outside shell of dirt. Make draught places around the bottom. Leake a hole at the top and down this drop live coals. When the fire is well burning within, cover the hole at the top. Be careful to keep all holes, except at the bottom, dosed till the wood to well charred; then uncover and pile to One side. Com cobs burned to the same way are almost a necessity in the poultry yard or pig pen. Wherever pigs or chickens are kept the spring bonfires of brush and litter should be to make charcoal, by smothering the fire and the remains saved for the runs or pens, or in the absence of live stock for the garden beds. Setting Posts. It is not a good plan to set posts late In the fall, as digging the soil at that time makes it porous, and the post will be heaved out by frost'the following winter. At whatever time the post to set the soil should be well packed around it, and if for a fence the boards should be nailed on as soon as it is set, so that they may not be warped out of place. Gate posts which have to support a gate should be'protected from sagging by digging'a trench back of the gate and fastening in the post a stake the length of the trench and covering it with earth. This will be much better protection than stakes leaning against the post, which only 4 help to pry it up, as the stakes are themselves lifted up by frost and act as a lever to raise the post they lean against. The Crescent Curculio Mark. Wherever a fruit is stung by the curculio a crescent-shaped mark is left that gradually deadens the portion of fruit enclosed, so that the sap will not flow so freely. This deadening of the fruit will extend to the stem and loosen its hold. Inside this crescent mark the curculio egg will be found. It used to be supposed that the curculio could not lay its eggs without making this mark. It does not at least, but the two operations are entirely separate. Instinct teaches the “little trick" to deaden the skin in order to stop the flow of juices, which might flood and destroy the egg she is about to lay. This deadening of the skin causes the fruit to ripen prematurely, so that when the egg hatches the worm has ripened instead of green fruit to feed upon. Shire v tn Ilion “Traitor” •' The shire stallion Traitor, 15401, was foaled in 1893, bred by Lord Hothfield, and is the property of Mr. R. W. Hudson, Danesfield, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. His sire was Insurgent 11668, dam Bonny Duchess by William the Conqueror 2343. He has won the following prizes: 1897, third London shire horse show; 21-gulnea cup Cambridge County show; 1898, third Peterborough; first, Bath and West at Cardiff; first, Wiltshire County at Swlndom; first and champion, Royal Counties at Portsmouth; second, Royal Lancashire at Blackburn; first and Shire Horse Society’s silver medal for best entire, Gloucester County at- Cheltenham; and first East Berks at Maiden-

head. Traitor is a horse of great size, weight and substance and excellent quality. Teat the Cows, All cows should be “record” cows—that is, the record of every cow should be known, whether good or bad. The dairyman who does not test every cow in his herd and inform himself regarding her value as a milk and butter producer works In the dark and to unable to determine which of the cows give a profit. There is no implement more serviceable in dairy management than the scales. When all food is weighed for each animal, and also the milk and butter, not only for a day or a week, but for a year, the unprofitable cows will be disposed of and better ones take their places. Daily tests of the animals will lead to improvement every year. ‘ _____ Qrowlna of Potatoes. It to conceded by all growers of potatoes that while whole seed to expensive, yet the most vigorous growth, largest yields and best quality of tubers to procured by planting whole seed. Should too many stalks appear they may be trimmed out. Some varieties thrive better on light soils and some on heavy ground, for. which reason new varieties should not be entirely substituted for old ones until tested. Late Beets. Late beets are luxuries on the table, and they may be obtained by sowing seed now, but the ground should be well prepared, rotted manure used and fertilizer applied, so as to force the young plants in growth. Only one plant every three Inches In each row should be permitted, as they will not thrive where the plants are too thick. A few rows only will provide all that may be wanted. Planting Yonna If young trees are planted this fall the proper method to to dig out a space for the roots that will allow sufficient

FOR SHOCKING AND TYING.

HUSKING BENCH.

“TRAITOR.”