Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1900 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

Sanitary Dairy Appliance. The thorough cleansing of milk cans by hand is a difficult operation, and yet the cans must be carefully attended to each day or the milk will sour quickly. Chadles Marwitz, of Oak Park, 111., has designed a portable washer, which can be readily transferred to each can and operated by hand, a cut of the device being shown below. The object of the invention is to provide a scrubbing brush which will fit closely to the interior of the can and be easily rotated from the exterior, and at the same time be folded to permit insertion and removal from the can. A clamping mechanism Is provided to center the vertical shaft in the neck of the can, and the upright rod extending above the gearing is used to

turn the brushes opposite each other, after they have reached the Interior. The brush frames interlock and grip the shaft, which is rapidly revolved by the gearing to force the brushes to scrub the interior, the can being filled with water previous to the operation. Alfalfa Roots. Of course I have always dimly realized that in its subterranean habits alfalfa differed from most other plants, but the full extent of this difference was never ftflly brought home to me until last fall while excavating for a cellar In alfalfa sod. The soil In question is a light loam, with occasional thin streaks of clay. It had been well plowed in the fall of 1897, and the winter frosts left it in prime shape for seeding in early May. I used twenty pounds of seed per acre, which proved to be rather too much, considering the fine condition of the soil, as It gave a probable average of twenty plants per foot. The excavation was made five and one-half feet deep. Much to my astonishment, one square foot of the cellar bottom Showed twenty-two of the tough, white tap-roots shooting straight down into the unknown depths below, while over the whole area an average of thirteen or fourteen was maintained. In six months’ growth two-thirds of these plants had sent their tap-roots more than five and onehalf feet In quest of water.—F. M. Crane, in Farmer’s Advocate. Bag Holder. The Farm Journal shows a bag holder that is adjustable to all sizes of bags, and Is easily made. A piece of steel rod has one end flattened and

punched with a half dozen or more holes. The tip of the other end Is turned over and drawn out to fit these boles. The rod Is then bent into a circle, the ends lapping and a bent support welded to it. By the side of each grain, apple or potato bln a hole can be boredin which to insert this support Any blacksmith can make it Work of Agricultural College*. The work of the agricultural college does not constat altogether In sending its students back- to the farm in condition to become better tillers of the soil or better breeders of stock than their fathers were, .says the American Cultivator. This is but a small part of what we should expect of them. They should ■end out many who are qualified to instruct others by becoming teachers

them selves. It is not all of a teachei to understand his subject, but he must be able to impart his knowledge to others so that they will understand It. One of the best teachers we ever knew was not what would be called an educated man, but what he knew he could explain so that almost the simplest intellect could learn from him. There are others so highly educated that they speak in terms that are as “unknown tongues” to those whom they desire to instruct. They caunot teach those who are more than one degree below them in attainment. They need an interpreter. Some such have written for agricultural papers, and we have even seen some bulletins from colleges and _experiment stations that we thought were written by such learned ignoramuses, whose writings were of little use to farmers seeking information. Then there are others whose .college education and natural abilities fit them to be always students. They will investigate carefully and with much painstaking, perhaps, only in the end to find that they have but proven scientifically facts that the practical man learned long ago by costly experience. Yet many of their investigations lead to a knowledge of new facts, which practical men make useful. The investigations of Franklin into the nature of electricity, apparently useless at the time, opened the way for the inventions of Morse, Bell and Edison. One investigator or one teacher may accomplish more in the line of agricultural improvement than a hundred sent back to labor with their hands or even their brains in the every day duties of a farmer’s life, therefore let us not think the work of the college is in vain because all its graduates have not gone back to the farm.

Topdressing After Haying. There are many cases where an application of fine, well-rotted manure directly after the first crop of grass is taken off will do much to start a good second growth, but this year it has been so dry in this section that there seems little benefit would have been found by such a topdressing. We would wait until after the cutting of the second crop, If there is any, or until about October, and apply it then, not considering it so important to have the manure fine, as It will become so before next spring, or can quickly be made sex by the mse of a light harrow or brush.. But if manure is all needed for hoed crops, do not make the mistake of applying commercial fertilizer this fall. Wait until early spring and then make a mixture 1,200 pounds of raw boue, 400 pounds each of nitrate of soda and muriate of potash, or in that proportion, and use from 250 to 400 pounds per acre, according to whether you want a heavy or very heavy crop. For a clover field one-half that amount of nitrate of soda would, be enough, or on land which has been lately heavily manured with stable manure.—Exchange. Value of Garden. The market garden business is a very good business usually when one makes it his entire business. Yet there are always failures and disappointments in it Some crops fail to grow well, and otihers yield abundantly and eannot be sold at a satisfactory price. But the family garden, a little larger than needed for the home supply, well manured and well cared for, is never a disappointment. If some crop is a partial failure It may not have any surplus over the home demand, but there will be something else to substitute for it If another Is over abundant and low priced it can be used fretfly, aud will taste just as good as if the price were twice as high. If there is a market for the surplus and it is sold, it seems almost like finding money, and if it cannot be sold there are some who find much pleasure in supplying the wants of poorer neighbors who cannot afford to pay the price asked by retail dealers. Plan each year to have a good garden, and trust to luck only for the market. —American Cultivator. Poultry in the Sonth. A large poultry farm is being developed near Hamilton, Va. Throughout nearly all sections of the South poultry is receiving more attention than heretofore. This is particularly true of the nearby southern sections, which are sending poultry in carload lots to this and other markets in larger quantities than ever before. The quality of the poultry is much Improved over what it was in previous years and shows that the standard is steadily being raised in all the leading producing sections.—Southern Field. Trolley Road* Helping Farmer*. Many of the farmers of the neighborhood surrounding the city of Toledo have had special wagons built for sending the produce to market. The wheels of these wagons are fitted to run on electric lines. The farmers load the wagons and drive them up to the nearest trolley line, when a motor car picks them up, one after another, and hauls them to the city. The City Council of Toledo has granted the right to run these rail wagons over the city street railway tracks. As the hauling is done mostly in the night time, it interferes very little with city traffic.—Exchange. At the imperial court of Austria the chef of Emperor Francis Joseph estimates that of $250,000 expended on the tables every year, the “unused” represents about SIOO,OOO,

IMPROVED MILK-CAN WASHER.

ADJUSTABLE BAG HOLDER.