Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1900 — FARM AND GRANDERN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GRANDERN

A Land Leveler. The cut shows a handy, homemade contrivance for grading about one’s premises, or for leveling rough fields, that are to be laid down to grass. It is very important that grass fields be as smooth as possible, to make machine work in haying as easy as possible. This leveler is a plank tw’elve feet long, mounted on two shoes six inches wide, to keep the plank from cutting down into the soil with its thin edgd. A single horse should pull this leveler without, difficulty, but, of course, one longer and heavier could be constructed which would require a

two-horse team, doing faster and heavier work. Two old plough or cultivator handles can be utilized for this leveler, while the shoes can be made from two planks from a worn-out drag or stoneboat. A triangular piece of plank nail<sl into the angle between the plank leveler and the shoe at either end keeps all the parts united and in their proper place. _ The “dead furrows,” that leave a Held so unsightly and inconvenient to mow, cau be leveled out by letting one end run ahead of the other, using a long chain in one ring.— New,York Tribune. Steeping Oats for Horses. The nutritive power of oats, Herr Kalff, a German agriculturist says,’ may be considerably augmented by •steeping the grain in water before giving it to horses. This is his plan: He Jias three troughs, each of which holds as much oats as will be required for •one day’s feeding. The first day the first trough is filled with oats and water at a temperature of 8 degrees O. poured over it, and the whole mass is well stirred. The water is left in the trough about six hours, after which it is strained off through a hole in the bottom of the trough. The next day the .operation is repeated in the second Itrbugh. and again on tlie following day ithe third trough. The oats thus steeped in hot watgr get up fermentation, ‘and at the expiration of forty-eight [hours are ready to be given to the .horses, and will then, according to Herr Kalff, produce the maximum nutritive effect. Removing Small Stumps. Attach a stout piece of timber to the stump by a chain and twist it around in a circle until the chain is taut. Then hitch a pair of horses or a yoke of oxen to the outer end of the timber and twist tlie stump out of the ground. It will lie necessary to stand by with an ax and chop off the roots as they appear when the earth Is disturbed in the twisting process. Enormous power can thus be applied to stumps, and

for this reason the chains and timber must be stout. Loss of Grain. A hole in the granary, through which the grain would be lost, would not be allowed to exist very long after its discovery. A hole In the stable, through which the cold air enters and chills the animals, causes a loss of grain just as syrely as the hole in the granary, as more f ood will lie required to assist the animals in maintaining warmth. It is the things that are unobserved which sometimes cause loss. When the flow of milk is reduced, or the animals do not make' gain proportionately to the food allowed, there Is always a cause, and It should be sought. The Value of Rotted Manure. While during the winter is one of the best times to haul out and apply manure in the garden, care always should lie taken to have it thoroughly rotted and lined before applying. There are three reasons for this-one Is that if the manure is well rotted it will lie free from weed seeds that will germinate. If It Is thoroughly lined it can be readily and thoroughly incorporated with the soil; and. being rotted. It will be in a more available condition for the use of the growing plants, with tpe additional advantage that It

will not interfere with the thorough preparation of the soil before planting or in the cultivation of the growing plants afterward. - There is no danger of making the garden too rich, hence manure can be applied liberally.—Farmers’ Voice. The Age of a Horse. To tell the age of a horse, Inspect the lower jaw. of course; The six front teeth the tale will tell And every doubt and fear dispel. Two- middle “nippers’’ you behold Before the colt is two years old, Before eight 'weeks two more* will come, Eight months the “corners” cut the gum. The outside grooves will disappear From the middle two in just one year, In two years form the second pair; In three the “corners” cut are bare. At two the middle “nippers” drop. At three-the second pair can’t stop; When four years old the third pair goes, At five a full new set he shows. The deep black spot will pass from view, At six from the middle two; 1 The second pair at seven years; At eight the spot each “corner” clears. From middle “nippers” upper jaw At nine the black spots will withdraw; The second pair at ton are white; Eleven finds the “corners” light. As time goes nA the horsemen know The oval teeth three sided grow; They longer get, project before, Till twenty, when we know no more. —Blacksmith and Wheelwright.

To Secare a Constant Egg Yield. The hardest task in maintaining a constant and continuous egg yield is to keep the laying stock in prime condition. This means such a condition of perfect health that the eggs will not only be laid regularly, but that they will be of uniform size, according to the breed laying them. Under such conditions we should have large eggs from Minorcas, Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks and Brahmas. When such breeds lay small eggs, abnormally large eggs with perhaps double yolks or soft shelled eggs, the stock is out of condition and usually overfat. The eggs will thus be laid irregularly, and many times laying will stop entirely. Layers should be kept active, and activity is induced by short feeding. A hungry hen is usually a good layer. Baling Clover Hay. It is claimed that clover hay may be baled in the field, but the experiments made are not sufficient to show the benefits derived compared with storing clover in the mow. The clover is cut in the morning, after it is free from dew or rain, and when well wilted the hay tedder is used, so as to give it every chance to cure. In the afternoon the hay is baled and hauled to the barn. If this method is practiced care must be exercised in having the hay properly cui;ed and in just the proper condition for baling, as baled clover is more liable to heat than timothy or other kinds.

Silage Crops. The reports concerning sweet corn for silage are quite conflicting, slys Hoard’s Dairyman. Some say that it has a tendency to make a very sour silage, and others claim that it is as unobjectionable in this respect as any. If we had the sweet corn growing, we would not hesitate to put it in silage, but we -would not plant it especially for this purpose; neither would we plant Kaffir corn for silage when the ordinary maize grows to perfection. Kaffir corn is especially adapted for semi-arid climates because of its drought resisting capacity. We are not aware that teosinte has ever been tried in the silo, but alfalfa has been, and successfully so, especially in California.

Marketing Apples. If the warm weather has injured the apples it will be of advantage to overhaul them. Examine each apple and reject all that are not perfectly sound. If it can be done conveniently, wrap the apples in tissue paper, singly, and place them on shelves. If the apples are for market they should not be disturbed unless necessary, tvhen they may be assorted, the imperfect ones rejected and the sound ones repacked in the barrels. They should then be sent to market as soon as the weather permits. It Is a waste of labor to send apples to market that are in the least degree Injured, News and Notes. Dry atmosphere Is necessary for the successful wintering of bees in cellars. New forest reserves or additions to those already existing are proposed, about fifty in all. A German authority Is said to have predicted that German sugar will be driven out of this country within three years. The Rough Rider Is a new strawberry, for which it Is claimed that it is extremely large and productive and the latest and best shipping strawberry ever produced. Cherry culture does not seem to thrive in Rhode Island, owing largely no doubt, to the moist climate, which renders damage from fungous disease, particularly fruit rot, frequent and severe.

Winner of a number of first and champion prizes.