Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1901 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

Extending End Gate. When corn has been loaded on a wAgfen, It is very unhandy to shovel off at first until the bottom of the wagon box has been reached, says an exchange. To overcome this difficulty different methods are followed, such as laying one end of a long, wide board on the end gate of the wagon and the other on the floor of the box before loading and shoveling on the board till the bottom of the box is to be got at, but the extending end gate, shown in the picture, will be found among the best of these expedients. It is fastened to the bed of the box by strap hinges which are sunk into the wood so as not to interfere with the shovel. The gate is made wide enough to allow the side pieces to be outside of the box. Iron ' etraps hold the side pieces secure on the gate. A rod of one-quarter inch iron looped in the manner shown in the cut is attached on each Slide. Thumbscrew bolts enable the looped rods to hold the gate when let down. When the hand bolts are screwed up/tightly on/the rod, they will hold the gate when

closed, for ordinary occasions, but hooks may be quickly attached to hold it still more securely. The gate will afford a platform for the farmer to stand on when starting to seoop up the corn as well as prove very advantageous In loading and unloading many articles. Handy Helps in Butchering;. To clean find carry a hog with ease use a short ladder (about six feet long will do) and place legs about a foot long under each end. Place a little tar in the scalding water, and the hog will clean easier. For a good hog scraper take a piece of an old grass scythe about four inches in length, with edge rather dull. In place of a scalding trough a large cask laid in a slanting position will answer the purpose almost as well. Two good rails placed in a slanting position against a building is the simplest method of hanging a bog easily. To clean a pork barrel that is tainted and has a bad smell about it wash it out as clean as you can, then whitewash it with fresh slacked lime. Let the barrel dry. and It is ready for use. The lime will not hurt the meat at all—Kansas Farmer. Valuable Beef. Here is given a picture of the Aber-deen-Angus steer “Advance,” sweepstakes winner as best beef animal at the Chicago Show, which was sold at auction for the astonishing price of

$1 .50 per pound live weight, bringing $2,415. He was sent to New York to be butchered for the Christmas market, the purchaser being an agent of a packing company who wanted the beast as an advertisement. Bis Mares. The breeding of draft horses of extreme weight is not Hkely to be overdone in this country for a long time, sajis the National Stockman. The fact Is there are not any too many mares that can produce the top weight kind. A good, big draft mare Is, therefore, worth money to the man who is fixed, for raising heavy horses. Breed her to a good, big stallion, feed her and the foal plenty of good growing feed, such as oats, bran and clover hay, with some corn, too, and there is no danger of an undersized colt Draft blood is something, but not everything. Lack of feed In early life accounts for a whole - lot of draft bred horses that are only “chunks” of 1,400 pounds or less. Undersized nearly always means underfed at some stage of the game. Estimated Production of Corn. The production of corn in 1900 is estimated at 2,105,102,516 bushels; oats, 800,125,989 bushels; barley, 58,925,833 bushels; rye, 23,995,927 bushels; buckwheat, 9,566,960 bushels; potatoes, 210,926,897 bushels, and hay, 50,110,906 tons. The area from which these crops were gathered was as follows In acres: Corn, 83,320,872; oats, 27,864,705; barley, 2,1944282; rye, 1,191,326; buckwheat, 637,930; potatoes, 2,611,054, and

hay, 39,182,890. The corn crop of 1000 was one of the four largest ever gathered, while the oat crop has been exceeded only once. On the other hand, the barley and rye crops are the smallest, with one exception, in acres since 1887. The buckwheat crop is the smallest since 1883 and the hay crop is the smallest, with one exception, since 1888. Big Gain in Winter Wheat. The statistician v of Department of Agriculture estimates the United States wheat crop of 1900 at 522,229,505 bushels, the area harves’ted being 42,495,385 acres and the average an acre 12.29 bushels. The production of winter Wheat is estimated at 350,025,409 bushels, and spring wheat at 172,200,096 bushels, the area actually harvested being 20,235,897 acres in the former ease and 16,259,488 acres in the latter. The winter wheat acreage, totally abandoned in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, is finally placed at 8,522,787 acres, and the spring wheat acreage, totally abandoned in North Dakota and South Dakota, at 1,793,467 acres. The extraordinarily rapid rate at which the winter wheat acreage of Nebraska is gaining upon the spring wheat acreage of that State has necessitated a special Investigation of the relative extent to which the two varieties were grown during the last year. The result of the investigation is that while no change is called for in the total wheat figures of the State, 590,575 acres have been added to the winter wheat column at the expense spring variety. Farm Cattle. It is not true that the cattle business to be profitable must be conducted on the broad ranges of the Western plains, says Texas Farm and Ranch. That is one profitable system of cattle raising, but there is another -which yields fully as great profits for the capital invested. Raising cattle on the farm has in all countries and all ages been found profitable, and more so now than ever. By raising cattle on the farm the farmer has a good market for all the feed he can raise, saves labor and expense of transportation and avoids much loss from waste and the hocus pocus of commerce. And one of the main features of stock farming is that it can be made to continually improve the fertility and value of the farm. Storing Apples in Winter. The Canada experimental farms made experiments to ascertain the best methods of storing apples -in winter. Specimens wrapped in paper kept better than those not wrapped, and there were few rotten apples, and they lost least by evaporation. The ground floor storeroom did not preserve them as well as the cellar. A tight package preserved the fruit best in storeroom, but not in cellar. Per contra, a ventilated package did better in cellar than in storeroom. Good Cows in ’lemand. While certain sections are selling some of their milk cows and fattening others, because of a scarcity of hay, we do not notice any lack of demand for good cows in our market report or any falling off in their price. In fact, not for many years has trade been more active or prices better in Boston market—American Cultivator. Milk Vessels. Milk vessels should, as far as possible, be made without seams, and all soldered joints be made as smooth as possible. Horticultural Notes. Priming.—Examine trees recently planted, and if the wood is not plump prune them In closely, as shriveling proclaims the roots unable to supply so much top. Bleeding Heart.—A strong root of bleeding heart potted and placed In a window in winter will be sure to give you flowers, and its large, rosy, pink blooms are charming to look on. Hedge for Limited Place.—Where space is limited use arbor vitae for a hedge. It forms a complete one, while growing tall without spreading. Hemlock and Norway spruce require more ground room. Fern for Indoors.—A variety of the sword fern, known as the Boston fern, Is in much demand for Indoor use. All of the family to which it belongs are useful In the same way, not objecting to air of dwellings. Basket Willow’s.—There are favorite willows for basket-making, such as the Forbyana and Purpurea, because of their flexibility, but those w’ho make baskets use many kinds, some of stout growth and some of slender growth. House Plants and Insects.—ls house plants are started free of insects they are rarely much troubled with them in winter, but vigilance must be exercised to keep them clean, as their welldoing is greatly dependent on this. A Mistake—lt is a mistake to rake up the leaves in the w’ood lot or any other place where they may be allowed to remain. Besides being of value as a winter protection, when decayed they add much to the fertility of the ground. Blackberries and raspberries grow from shoots formed just below ground. When transplanting them the mistake of setting them too deep, practically killing them, is not uncommon. The roots should be but just below the surface. The Snyder blackberry is a popular sort in- the Northwest because of its extreme hardiness and its productiveness. Taylor’s prolific has larger fruit, but it is hardly as hardy as the other, but quite haply enough for the Middle States. Seedling Peaches.—Californians say the seedling peaches are much longer lived than others. This is not new. Seedlings of all kinds possess more vigor than trees raised in any other way, but bow would the world get along without budding and grafting?

EXTENDING END GATE.

STEER SOLD FOR $1.50 A POUND.