Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1899 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

And the Rain Came Down. The rancher gazed on his sun-parched fields with a frown on hia rough, red face, / And wished he could ntter real wicked talk to properly fit the case, And he moped around with despondent air, his spirit all dead to pride, For gone were his. dreams of the harvest cash rolling in as a golden tide. But the tree toads started prophetic songs, and the peafowl uttered its cries, And the goosebone told him its silent tale, and the clouds bunched up in the skies, And the rains came down In a soaking flood and his .fields turned green with delight, And now yon would think that he owns the earth, with every blamed planet in sight!—Denver Post. Dash Chanced to Crank Churns. There axe a large number of buttermakers who will use only the old-fash-ioned dash churn, believing that It gives the best results, quality and quantity of butter considered. The

great fault of the dash churn Is the labor of operating it, so much of the exerted force of the operator being lost on account of no machinery to utilize Is as In the crank churn. In Figs. 1 and 2, dash churns are converted into

crank churns. In the device shown In Fig. 1 an old buggy wheel can be used for the flywheel. All the Iron work, such as the crank shaft, bearings, pitman, etc., can be made by any blacksmith at a small expense. The framework any

farmer will be able to make himself. The two posts used in the first device need not be very large or heavy, but just wide enough to permit the wheel to turn Inside of the two supports on which the bearings rest. In the second figure an iron fly-wheel such as is found on an old elder press Is used. It Is adapted to a small churn.—J. G. A., In American Agriculturist. Economy with Fallen Apples. There Is much waste In the common practice of turning hogs into orchards to pick up fruit and make that their exclusive diet. The hog will soon learn to eat only the ripened fruit, leaving that which is wormy. This fruit can be sold or dried, and if forced to do it the hog will eat the wormy fruit before the worm escapes. But to make this really economical some grain and milk should be given to hogs in addition to their fruit diet. This will make the young pigs grow and will strengthen their digestion for the exclusive corn feeding that will come when they are put up to be fattened. Enlargement of Old Barns. It is quite a common practice to build low, shed-roofed additions to the sides of barns, when it Is desired to secure more room. This gives the desired addition of ground floor space, but does not secure added storage roof that could be secured aft well as not, and at almost no added cost, were the addi-

tions made according to the plan suggested in the cut. Here the roof Is extended down over the addition without a break, making a better-looking building and one much more serviceable than by the common plan. The space in the tops of the additions opens into the scaffolds, or the second floor space of the old barn, and gives so much more added storage capacity. < nc amber* for Fickle*. Pickled cucumbers are sold by count, and the small ones are generally preferred. Hence close picking and frequent picking, so as to prevent any from growing too large, is necessary to secure large crops. Sometimes, however, a stray cucumber will hide under the leaves until It has almost ripened Its seeds. It is astonishing how this |

lessen* the yield of the vine. Yet It to not to be wondered at, for the perfection of seed In almost all plants exhausts their vitality very rapidly. The cucumber vines should be handled carefully so as not to loosen the roots which some of them send into the soil from the joints. These are great helps to the vine. If the vine is turned up to see what is under It some of these side rootlets will be destroyed. Cabbage Worm Insecticide. Pests of the cabbage family are best controlled by the use of the following insecticide: Pulverized resin, five pounds; concentrated lye, one pound; fish oil, one pint; water, fire gallons. Make this into a stock solution by placing the oil, resin and one gallon of hot water in an iron kettle, heating until the resin is softened. After this add the concentrated lye carefully and stir the mixture thoroughly. Add four more gallons of water and boll the whole mass until the mixture will unite with cold water, making a clear, am-ber-colored mixture. This mixture Should make five gallons of stock solution. When this is used, F. A. Slrrine, of the Geneva experiment station, advises preparing it by combining one gallon of the stock solution with sixteen gallons of water, three gallons milk of lime and one-quarter pound of Paris green. The water, resin and milk of lime are combined, after which the Paris green is added. In every case where this mixture is properly applied good results were obtained. Watering Plants. Some plants, to thrive as they should, require much more water than others, and on this account, if the best growth Is maintained through the summer, more or less watering will be necessary. But if watering is necessary, If any considerable amount of benefit Is secured, It is very essential that It be thorough. One or two thorough soakings of the soil a week around the roots will be of much more real benefit to the growing plants than a daily sprinkling on the surface. One of the best plans of watering a larger proportion of plants Is to, work the soil into a good tilth, drawing the earth away from the plant to some extent; then put on water sufficient to thoroughly wet the soli and throw over this a thin layer of fine soil. This acts as a mulch and / lessens evaporation, and a large amount of benefit Is derived and the work needn’t be repeated so often. In nearly -all cases where watering is commenced It will have to be kept up until there is a good rain—Farmer’s Voice. Sknu Galls. The natives of Foula, one of the Shetland Islands, make a business of rearing skau gulls in order to rid the Island of the eagles that commit so many depredations. The magnificent red sandstone cliffs that skirt the northwestern coast became a favorite haunt of the eagles, and in this inaccessible spot they increased so rapidly that they became a terror to the farmers and fishermen who dwell on this isolated spot The skau gulls are also strong and fierce, and the Inveterate foe of the eagle. In battle the gulls are nearly always victorious, and so the Inhabitants of Foula hit upon the novel plan of feeding and caring for skau gulls, which, though formidable to their feathered enemies, are very peaceable and docile when brought in contact with man. Shorthorn Cow,

Property of W. S. Lister, Middlechurch, Man. Winner of first prize In aged cow class at the Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition. Weeds Among; Beans. After beans have blossomed It Is not best to work among them, especially If the weather and soil be wet, and there should be no cultivation while the leaves are wet with rains or dew. Hence the early cultivation of beans should be thorough, so as to allow them to ripen before the weeds smother them. It Is not best to plant beans on land that Is very rich In nitrogenous plant food, because such land is always very weedy. Soil of moderate fertility with a dressing of phosphate and potash will make a good grain crop, while on the richer land without the mineral fertilizer, there will be only a large growth of haulm and leaves. Protect the Born Swallows. These birds, which were formerly very numerous about farm buildings destroyers of insects. In some parts of England they were depended upon by hop growers to destroy hop flies. They subsist wholly upon insects, which they catch on the wing, and are fond of all kinds of gnats, moths, beetles apd many other kinds. During recent years the swallow- has been driven away from Its home by the English sparrow, a fact to be regretted.—Orange Judd Farmer. ( tearing; Fence Corner*. After haying and harvest have been finished, It IS well to go around the fields and cut down weeds next to the fence that the mower and reaper could not reach. Since farmers have got out of the habit of swinging the scythe, fence corners grow up with shrubs and weeds that no good farmers would allow, and which soon grow away from the fence and take the fertility from crops for some distance into the field. Enough weeds are allowed to go to seed In some fence corners to seed toe entire farm. - Bavaria, with a population of 5,818,* I

FIG. 1.

FIG. 2.

ENLARGED BARNS.