Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1899 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

Cows Milked by Machinery. A German manufacturer baa invented a new milking machine, which la finding a ready sale in Europe, especially in Denmark, Switzerland and Russia. As shown by our illustration, an iron pipe about one inch in diameter is conducted through the stable, and is fixed at the ceiling so that it remains about three feet above the back of the animals. Flexible shafts, provided with small cocks, run from this pipe to a cylindrical milk collector which, again, Is held by a belt laid around the back of the cows. At one side there is attached a small flexible hose divided into four small, arms, all provided with

small cocks, and which are connected with the udder. The first mentioned iron pipe, running all through the stable, is connected with a large cylinder fixed at the celling, from which a perpendicular tube runs down into a vessel filled with water. By means of a small hand pump the air is compressed in the cylinder and thus through the whole pipes. The water when rising regulates the pressure in the pipes. It needs only a few movements of the pump’s piston to compress the air throughout the whole system. The only thing to be done then is to open the small cocks of the pipes connected with the udder and the milk flows into the above described milk-col-leeting vessel. A New EEg-Packinsr Cnse. How we do live and learn! We can’t say now there is nothing new under the sun. It is a long time since this was said. There was no patent office at that time, and no one thought of shipping eggs by express a thousand miles away. Now eggs are sent literally from one end of the world to the other. And of course we w'ant a safe package to Send them in. Here is the one newly patented in which each egg is

supported in a little spring wire holder, by which jars and the roughest shockß are neutralized, and a case of eggs may fall off a wagon and not one be cracked. It is a great thing for sending eggs to be hatched in, for it is rarely -that a dozen eggs procured for this purpose can be got in safe condition to hatch, when carried in any ordinary box or 'basket.

’ untie Refuse Fnrrel. The barrel for slops, usually consisting of vegetable and fruit parings and other refuse which is to go to the “pig-

gery,” Is not, as a rule, a thing of beauty, but may be made less unattractive if treated with rustic work, as shown in the illus- . tration. The barrel should be set on a 1o w platform, a s

shown, and should

always be of some hard wood and so that it will not leak. The strips of rustic work are put on with short wire nails, and between, the two upper and two lower hoops the strips are laid as shown in the cut. A cover, also laid with rustic work, should be provided, and will be especially needful In warm weather, although it Is expected that the contents of such a barrel will be emptied dally. Free Rarat Mail Delivery. As a result of the universal agitation of the matter by the agricultural press and people, provisions for a rural mail service is about to be effected. While it will take some time to make this system a universal thing over the entire country, still, when once started, it VrUl move pretty rapidly, for the reason that it will be very popular, not only with the people who reside In the country, but with those who live in towns as well. Prom an educational standpoint it will be very beneficial, ' as it will place the residents on an equal footing with the residents of cities so far as getting the daily news as it comes from the press. Appropriations to the amount of $300,000 were provided for the ensuing year, and the system is being tried in several States. The Western head- :

that State. The expense will be very heavy for this and it Is well to remember that all of it must be paid for by the people themselves. It Is likely that after the system has been once fully developed and gotten into working order it will about pay its own way through the extra amount of letter mail that will be sent—Farmers’ Tribune. Tenant Farmers. Tenant farmers work under greater difficulty than owners. They must pay rent and make the rent on the farm first of all expenses. One of the gravest mistakes made by renters is that of taking as much as possible from the land without returning an equivalent. This is more injurious to the tenant than to the owner, especially If the tenant rents the farm for a longer period than one year. The farm is the workshop and the more material the tenant can convert into a marketable product the more he will gain by the transaction. If a field produces forty bushels of corn per acre and the use of fertilizers will "increase the yield to sixty bushels the increased yield may not only pay the rent, but give a larger profit than would be derived from forty bushels. It is the labor that is costly, and it takes as much work to get forty bushels of com as It does for sixty. The rule with renters should be to secure as much as possible for the labor bestowed rather than for the rent incurred. If the farm is poor and the renter adds nothing thereto he may lose both the rent and the profit.— Philadelphia Record. Kerosene for Poultry. The many uses that kerosene may be put to in the poultry yard make it almost an indispensable article to be charged to the expense account; and no other article will enhance the profits of the poultry yards as kerosene diligently and intelligently used. For painting the inside of nest boxes for setting hens there is nothing equal to it, as it surely kills all vermin with which It comes In contact and prevents other vermin from entering the nest until it is entirely evaporated, which, if the crude oil is used, will give the hen ample time to hatch her brood. A few drops in the drinking water occasionally has a good effect upon the general health of the flock, and for colds or roup there is nothing better if carefully applied. Scaly legs may be cured by simply wetting the legs of the fowl affected occasionally, and the crude oil is best in this case also, as It takes a much longer time to evaporate. When the crude oil Is not readily obtained some kind of heavy oil or grease should be mixed with the kerosene to stay evaporation. As a remedy for cholera it has been highly recommended.—Fancier’s Review. Apple Crop Reports. At the meeting of the American Apple Shippers’ Association, at Detroit, its press committee made a report showing the following percentages of a full crop of apples in each of the States named: Arkansas ......60 New Jersey 75 California 75 New York 40 Colorado 50 Nebraska 40 Illinois 45 Ohio 65 lowa ....50 Pennsylvania ....45 Kansas 45 Virginia 65 Kentucky 25 West Virginia... .60 Maryland 60 Wisconsin 35 Michigan 45 Washington .....50 Missouri .......40 Canada .65 New England...2s When to Cut Corn. Cut the corn when the grain shows a moderate glaze. You will then get the beat of corn, and fodder also. Cut at this time the ears will weigh when drj as if it had been allowed to ripen standing, and the quality will be as good. The length of time It will take the corn to ripen and dry out will depend on season* and size of shocks, so one cannot give any exact time. Good farmers consider it very important to get the corn cut promptly, when it comes to the right stage, as the stalks are so much better for feed. Don’t Fob the Soil. When a farm must be abandoned it is an evidence that the owner has taken everything possible from the soil and added nothing in return. There are hundreds of farms In New England that were once “abandoned,” but which are now proving profitable since new owners took possession. Every farm can be made better, or at least it can be put in condition to produce crops, and at the same time improve in fertility. Moving: Wire Fences. * To move wire fences quickly and easily, unstaple the wires and lay them separately. Taking the wire furthest from the post first, tie one end to rear axle of wagon and drive where fence is to be put up. A team can defeg a wire 80 rods long or more, and the wire does not kink hor are the barb* injured. This applies to moving fence over ground that is not in crops. Would not be practicable in woodland. Remedy for Potato Scab, The potato scab baa been the cause of considerable loss to cultivators of that crop, but an experiment made by the Kentucky experiment station Indicates that an effective remedy has been found for scab. A treatment of corrosive sublimate was given by soaking the potatoes for in aaoluRg jf yed.

GERMAN MILKING MACHINE.

PACKING CASE FOR EGGS.

REFUSE BARREL.