Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 111, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1899 — Page 3

FARM AND GARDEN

Black Minorca Fowl. Wherein these fowls differ from, the , Black Spanish, it Is difficult to say. They are noted for their fertility in producing eggs, a special feature of all the hens of this class existing in ■the Mediterranean, and including the Black Spanish, the Andalusian, and the Leghorns. The Black Minorca has but one fault, which is the looped comb of the hen •and large serrateu one of the cock. But it is an easy thing to cut these •combs low down, and so remove the, •only objection urged against it For while its native home is in a warm climate where frosts are unknown, yet when the large and tender comb is removed the fowl suffers no inconven-

BLACK MINORCA FOWL.

fence from our coldest winters, but under good management, and especially when it is kept in a basement house so that the winds do not chill, this fowl has laid right on from November until May, and has taken a rest from laying eggs only during the hot weather in mid-summer. It is an excellent table fowl. It is doubtless the best of all hens in a small lo£ in a village or town where confinement is necessary. Half a dozen hens will then supply a small family with eggs. A ’’andy Hauling Crate. It is often convenient to have a crate in which to haul a single hog, sheep or calf. It is not necessary to have it so large or so heavy but what it can be easily lifted Into the wagon, or even taken in the light wagon, where the animal to be hauled is not too large and heavy. The frame should be made ■of 2X4’s, strengthened by rods and' bolts. FOur-lnch slats are nailed horizontal on the inside of the sides, and perpendicular op the end. Three slats, dropped from above and retained in position by the mortised end, will retain the animal when inside. The crate is about 3 feet wide, 4% feet high and 5 feet long. The three frames are mortised at top and bottom, and nave a rod (A) at top, and at the bottom two 2x4’a are bolted at' B. The floor is spiked down to these. The slats are nailed on from the inside to prevent crowding off. To give strength, substitute a 2x4 in place of slat (D) which snould be bolted to the frames. The slats for retaining the animal are made of 2x4’s. They are made to slip down between the rod and outside 2x4

FIG. 8—STOCK CRATE.

brace across the top of the rear frame, the bottom of the slat (C) mortised to fit a square hole cut on the flo«r and the top held In position by a pin fitting into holes, bored through the top of slat and braces of frame (E). Fig. 8 shows the crate complete.—J. L. Irwin, in Ohio Farmer. Disease-Proof Grape Vines. The American grape vines are less subject to disease than those of foreign origin, and are wholly exempt from attack of the phylloxera on the roots. Some of the European vineyards have been grafting their wine grapes on roots of American varieties as the only way to save them from the phylloxera. To eat raw some of our native grapes are better than most of the European varieties that can here be only grown in bouses where they are sheltered from winds and storms. Furrow* in Wheat Field*. , After wheat is sown it is not advisable to run a plow through it, as is often done to make furrows in whirh to lead on surplus water. The deep furrow piles too much earth over the *‘« l - and tU. cau.es It to winter kill, .... > - . . , J •J*

r. as the germ starts too far below the surface and is broken off from its roots by the expansion of frosen soil in wfar ter. If the land is underdrained all the water win sink into the soil and go off through that If the land is not underdrained, and is likely to have water standing on’ it, running a furrow through the field can not do more than carry off a little ot the surface water, leaving the soil fully saturated and liable to become honeycombed with frozen earth so soon as cold weather comes. . , • Farm Wells. Those who pack away summer butter for winter use can scarcely do better than to make it into lumps, pound or half-pound size, and wrap 1 each lump ,in clean muslin or what is known as cheese cloth. Then prepare a strong brine, using only the purest of water and salt, and boll this for a few minutes, carefully skimming off any impurities that may arise. There should not be any, but one cannot always be sure of even the clearest of water or the most praisedealt Have as much and a little more salt than will dissolve in the water and pack the lumps of butter in stone jars or clean tubs as closely as they will pack. Pour the brine over it when cold so that all will be covered and put on a board with weight to hold it down. There need be no fear of the butter growing saltier by being in the brine, as it will not absorb salt from the brine if it is proper ly worked before packing. Makin* Mixed Pickle*. Much of the profit qf all manufacturing enterprises depends on using trifles that were formerly thrown away as too unimportant for consideration. The farmer, and especially the grower of vegetables, needs to practice the same economy. There are at this time of year about every farm many odds and ends That if saved in some way would be marketable when vegetables hte in leSh abundant supply than now. Etaking mixed pickles is, perhaps, the best way to dispose of onions, cauliflower and other vegetables that are too small to market in other ways. The farmer has an advantage in selling these mixed pickles if he has a supply of good cider vinegar, so that he can sell them already prepared for the table. In this way he can get good prices for his pickles, besides making a market for his vinegar at paying rates. Tie, for Bindins: Corn. Whenever rye and com are grown on the same farm, it is a common practice of farmers to save some of the* rye in .bundles and thresh them out with the flail. The rye straw thus securfed makes excellent bands to bind the tops of com when it is put up in a stack. But the rye straw is also in demand for other uses. A few square rods set with osier willow will furnish stronger and better ties than can -be otherwise procured, and at very little expense. The green com stalks commonly used for binding com are always brittle and commonly break before the stack is finished, thus exposing grain and fodder to injury from storms. Southdown

The property of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. First and champion southdown ram, Royal Counties Show, England. Cost of Farmirjc. . The beginner on a farm usually estimates the cost of the farm as the largest expenditure, but a farm is an incumbrance if tne owner has pot sufficient capital to derive the most from the land. There is a heavy outlay to be considered for buildings, horses, cattle, wagons, seeds ahd labor. The cost for the first year may exceed the value of the farm Itself. It Is better to begin with a small farm where the capital Is limited than to undertake too much and lose all by going into debt Time to Cut Millet. There is a popular belief t|iat millet seed is very good for horses, and the desire to get it well developed causes this grain to be generally cut too early to make the best fodder. Even for horses we should cut it before the seed was fully grown. It will.galn some in size after the stalk is severed from its roots. For cows it should always be cut early, and as millet hay has to be cured when days are rapidly shortening, it should be put in cock and kept there until ready to be drawn to the barn or stack. t! Combntine Grasshopper*. The true remedy, according to Prof. Lugger, of Minnesota, consists in plowing. Turn over the soil containing the eggs during autumn, as by jo doing the surface of the ground becomes thoroughly compacted and the grasshoppers are unable to reach 'the surface the following season. Plowing in the spring, if well done as early as possible, will also be successful, though it is not as practicable as fall plowing. ' ■* Succulent Fool for Sheep. If the shepherd desires to bring his flock to the beat condition in winter he must use some succulent feed, such as roots or ensilage, or such feed as oil meal, bran or clover. In most farming localities few feeds can be raised cheaper than corn and coni fodder, in maintaining a flock, and if the silo is properly filled, will furnish sufficient succulent feed. I

U.S. FRIGATE ‘HARTFORD *

ALASKA IS FERTILE.

GROWING THINGS THRIVE IN OUR ARCTIC DOMAISJ. Gratifying Information from Government’* Experimental Agricultural Station*-Early Vegetable. Excel in Flavor Those of the State*. The Federal Department of Agriculture has shown that fruits, vegetables and grain are being grown with profit in Alaska, and that our great Arctic domain offers enormous possibilities, hitherto unsuspected, for agriculture on a large .scale. Along the Alaskan coast the soil is Capable of producing grain, vegetables, small fruits and forage plants of as good quality and in as great abundance as many of our Northern States, and of supporting countless herds of cattle. In southeastern Alaska is a region as large as all New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania • .. " . I

combined, that is adapted in all respects to cattle raising. The Government is establishing three agricultural experiment stations at different points in the Territory, to test thoroughly and scientifically the capacity of its soil for producing a food supply for its present and future population, and enable the Territory ultimately to become self-supporting with respect to the food it may need. The stations are at Sitka, on the southeastern coast; at Kadiak, on Kadiak island, off the southern coast; and at Kenai, on the Kenai peninsula, beside Cook Inlet, about 110 miles to the north and east. The conditions at Sitka represent all the heavily timber■ed region of southeastern Alaska, with

GROWN AT SITKA. Oats, Barley, Flax, Potatoes and Clover.

Its deep moss and peaty soil. At Kadiak the climate is somewhat cooler, and the soil less peaty, while hi the Kenai peninsula there is a large area of agricultural land inside the coast range, which presents favorable conditions for farming, although it lies north of the sixtieth parallel of north latitude. , f Last year the Department sent to Alaska a special agent, Prof. C. C. Georgeson, a native of Denmark. He made his headquarters at Sitka and Skaguay, and experimented with seeds of over 100 varieties of grain, vegetables, grasses and forage plants. He also distributed seeds to individuals in other localities tai Alaska and made arrangements for co-operative expertreport* as toe reaults-Sb-

AMERICA’S THREE ADMIRALS AND THEIR FLAGSHIPS.

ALASKAN REDTOPS.

talned. All of the seeds were planted between May 18 and May 25. The season was backward, and it was impracticable to plant them earlier. Of vegetable seeds, planted there were asparagus, wax beans, beets, cress, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions,

POTATOES GROWN AT KADIAK.

parsley, parsnips, peas, radishes, rutabagas, rhubarb, salsify, spinach,, sage,* thyme, turnips and Windsor beans. All these, including in some cases several varieties of each, except the wax beans and spinach, made excellent growth

and produced vegetables and plants that compared favorably with the products of gardens almost anywhere in southern latitudes. The peas were especially prolific, and the turnips, radishes, parsnips, parsley and salsify prodouced roots as good as can be found anywhere. Some of the turnips weighed five pounds each, and some even ten pounds, and were of excellent flavor. Potatoes also were a decided success. Many of them weighed each a pound or more. C A more important test, however, was made with grains and foliage plants. Oats and barley were grown at Sitka and Skaguay with gratifying results. Several varieties of Norwegian and Russian barley were grown with the same excellent result as with the oats. Of forage plants there were Seeded several varieties of Norwegian clover, timothy, hairy vetch and Riga flax, and all were successful, the clover being especially vigorous, measuring over two feet high. Alaska is pre-eminently a land of small fruits ahd berries. The flavor of most of the native berries is pronounced to be so excellent that it is said they are worthy, of introduction into the States. Cattle were introduced in Alaska long ago by the Russians in their various settlements, and, according to reports, they always did Well. Professor Georgeson reports that the cattle now found at the little towns along the coast thrive and appear to have become well adapted to the climate. This excellent condition, Prof. Georgeson says, is evidence of the nutritious qualities of the indigenous grasses. The soils of Alaska are largely of vegetable origin, and to a great degree resemble the black earth of rice lands or peat formations. In the southeastern portion of Alaska there are deep deposits of this rich soil overlying slate or conglomerate bedrock. The organic content of many of these soils is very much higher than in any of the agricultural lands of the States. If these soils are so situated as to be well drained they should be capable of producing enormous crops, and, with an abundant and well-distributed rainfall, they would be adapted to almost any kind of crop suited to the general climatic conditions of that portion of the country.

pORT£ #

U.S. FRIGATE ’POWHATAM"

HOTEL SERVANTS ARE HONEST.

They Are Often Accused of Stealins, bat Are Rarely Guilty. “A curious thing happened here today,” said the head clerk at one of the leading hotels in New Orleans to a Times-Democrat man. “About a month ago a gentleman and his wife, from Milwaukee, spent a couple of days in the house, and on leaving the lady missed a valuable ring. She was positive she left it on the dresser and equally positive it had been stolen by one of the servants. We set an investigation on foot and promised to forward the ring if found. A little later the husband wrote to inquire whether the search had been successful, and When we replied in the negative he notified us that he. proposed to sue the hotel. He claimed we had shown great negligence in not arresting a suspected employe, and his comments were bitter in the extreme. That was two weeks ago. “Now here is the sequel in the shape of a third letter that arrived this morning. He says that he and his wife reached home a few days ago and in unpacking the luggage found the ring in one of the trunks, and he is manly enough to add a very handsome apology for his hasty conclusions. Strange to say, thgt is the first time in the history of the house that any guest has frankly admitted such a blunder after taking his departure, and blunders of that kind are of almost weekly occurrence. “It is the commonest thing in the world at all hotels for persons to go away declaring that they have been robbed by the help. We know the missing article subsequently turned up, because the subject is. never referred to during later visits, but in the meanwhile a score or so of humble, but honest and hard-working people, have been placed under a suspicion that is wholly unwarranted and unjust. That is a point the average traveler doesn’t seem to consider. Hotel chambermaids are continually returning .valuables which they find in rooms. Dishonesty among them Is so rare as to be almost unknown.” ’

In 1770, when a mere child, Frances Slocum was stolen from her parents by a roving Indian band at Wilkesbarre, Pa. She moved West with the ebbing tide of Indians and was finally adopted by a chief of the Miamis. Her parents searched far and near for their missing child, but were unable to locate her Tintll she had been adopted by the Miami tribe, and when overtures were made for her return she declared that the life in the Indian camp had such a fascination for her that she had no desire to return to civilization. She was extremely popular among the members of the tribe, and the village southwest of Wabash, Ind., where she made her home was known as the “white woman’s” village. As-she grew to womanhood, adopting the savage customs, attire and language, she married She-pan-can-nah. meaning the Deaf Man, the chief of the Osage village, and by him had four children, two sons and two daughters. She accompanied her husband to the Osage village and afterward to the Deaf Man’s village, and lived there long after the white man had invaded the wilderness and begun to clear up the dense forests. She-pah-can-nah died in 1833, and in 1847, fourteen years after, she died at the age ot 80, loved and respected by whites and Indians alike. Frances Slocum’s Indian name was Mah-cones-quah, or “Young Bear.” Her daughter, Ke-ke-kah-kushwa, became the wife of Capt. B. Brouillette, and died on March 13. 1847, aged 47. The other daughter was O-zah-was-shing-quah, who married Tah-co-nah, and he dying_ she became the bride of Wah-pah-pe-tah, and several of her children by the last mar-' riage live on the Indian land south of Wabash in abject poverty. She died in January, 1877, the last of Frances Slocum’s children.

Home of the Edam Cheese.

While the Edam cheese Is a familiar visitor on the table, not every one knows whence it comes nor how its cannon ball proportions and gay color-

Lost Child of the Miamis.

otwey.

V.s. S. ‘OLYMPIA *

Ing have been achieved. The northerijHli part of Holland is the seat of the Edan*2|| cheese industry, and the cleanliness of the relish is doubly assured. In making it the freshll cow’s milk is carefully strained and renet added. As soon as the mHh riveSS I dies the whey is drawn off and thsfll curd, thoroughly kneaded, is into molds. This process is repeatUH until the whey has all been extracts and the curd is comparatively dry.. Itl J Is then wrapped in a linen cloth kept for ten or twelve days until solid. Then the cloth is removed W the cheese put into salt lye. AfterwwM|| a little more dry salt is sprinkled on the cheese, until the maker thinks it is salt 33 enough to insure its keeping. It is put into a vessel and washed wit|Bs whey and scraped to remove the whiMjll crust. It is next carried into a Cool room and laid on shelves, where it !*'■ frequently turned. The ripening ess lasts from two to three months, tlßflO round balls growing the fine yellow orreddish color peculiar to Edam The cheeses Intended to be exporteM to this country are rendered still moiH brilliant by dyeing the rind with a TtjjH etable dye.—New York Tribune.

Queer Jap Funeral.

Lieut. Yoshibuml Fukagawa, of this ■ ’ I. J. N., left behind a curious requeSj to his family a few days prior to Ma death, which occurred the other daj|| | his native district of Hizen. Hejdfl .served to his family that as he never had the time to Investigate relig- \ ious questions deeply enough to enabM ' him to determine which faith he should embrace, he was neither prejudice® against nor partial toward any form O' I religion. However, he himself was O opinion that his soul would perish wl|fc the cessation of his life, while his FSM mains would crumble to dust. Thffl® fore he did not wish to have any reljj ious service performed on his behaffillfJ The funeral, also, should be as as could be; and flowers and offerings be strictly declined. No nouncement should be made of death to friends of his until fourorfiwMH days after the funeral. Two or tiq£|||| weeks after his death his relatives friends should be invited to a banquej||| and they should be asked to join occasion as heartily as possible. | „ priest might be invited, if the presenefrl of such a personage was deemed da sirable. At the funeral, also, should accompany the bier; except, ii : - ■ considered necessary, one or two repm ; "V--' sentatives on behalf of the family anl relatives might follow the remains t X; the grave. The tomb was to be of-yfiß simplest description, orriy his oafflMt ing Inscribed upon it. A memorial ‘amWy let was entirely tabooed.—JapanTinriffi <

A Real Genius.

The man that sharpened shoe peJ at both ends and sold them for WflH •" was a genius, but he has his Mexico. Some time ago one of habitual revolutionary flare-ups about to commence in one of the ligerent little South American dencies which masquerade under | title of republics. A couple of men marshaled in opposition to 1 government, swore solemn oaths, jpjgy ■ met nightly in an abandoned* hut | the entrance to a swamp. was plentiful, but arms were scafl so a purse was made up. and the party set off to buy ammunitflHHß They went to Mexico, where a caa|||||| of powder was delivered to them, fl after inspection, was shipped to jj • revolutionary headquarters. A sflH gun was mounted on a hilltop, when the day and hour arrived j field marshal of the revolutionary isl , ■’ . touched a match to the fuse of 1 <' ; piece. There was no response. J marshal used all the matches 'i silver matchbox, but the gun refqi to fire. An investigation by the" Office” followed, and that powder proved to be nothing but fl. hogany sawdust, which had orously stirred up with powd.fl graphite to give it the proper appearance. Astronomy as a science , inb® fewer people than gastronomy * t' SSI