Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 July 1901 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

The Old Rail Fence. In the merry days of boyhood when we never knew a care Greater than the mumps or measles or a mother’s cut of hair, When a sore toe was a treasure and a stone bruise on the heel Filled the other boys with envy which they tried not to conceal, There were many treasured Objects on the farm we held most dear, Orchard, fields, the creek we swam in, and the old spring cold and clear; Over there the woods of hick’ry and of oak so deep and dense, Looming up behind the outlines of the old _— 4 rail fence. On its rails the quail would whistle in the early summer morn, ..Calling to their hiding fellows in the field of waving corn, And the meadow larks and robins on the stakes would sit and sing Till the forest shades behind them with their melody would ring. There tite catbird and tfie jaybird sat and called each other names, And the squirrels and the chipmunks played the chase-and-catch-me. games, And the garter snake was often in unpleasant evidence In the grasses in the corners of the old rail . > fence. As we.,grew to early manhood when we thought the country girls In the diadem of beauty were the very fairest pearls Oft from spellin’ school or meetin' or the jolly shuckin’ bee Down the old lane* we would wander with a merry little “she.” On the plea of being tired (just the country lover lie). On a grassy seat we’d linger in the moonlight, she and I, And we’d plant a future picture touched • with colors most intense As we sat there in the corner of the old rail fence. —Denver Pest. Golden Cashaw Pumpkin. The Golden Cashaw pumpkin is one of the best of the newer sorts, both for pie-making and for stock-feeding. When the pumpkin is matured the sklu Is golden orange in color. The flesh Is fine grained, rich yellow in color, sweet and rich in flavor. This variety is one of the sorts it would pay to grow alone, that Is, not in the corn field, by anyone w’ho had a large herd of cat-

tie to feed. Grown alone the yield is materially increased. News. Quality of Potatoes. The demand for quality is by no means confined to fruit, as many farmers think. One might say the consumer has no means of knowing if a certain variety of potato is likely to cook up mealy or be soggy, and that is true so far as the appearance of the tuber goes, but here is the way the consumer treats *the matter: He gets a small supply of potatoes from the grocer and finds them soggy and tasteless. The next time he goes to the grocer he tells him in unmistakable terms that no more potatoes like the last are wanted. The grocer in turn lays down the law to the commission man from whom he buys, who in turn looks up the source of supply, and either writes the grower that no more of the variety should be sent or says nothing and sells them to whom he can at any price he can. Thus the producer pays the penalty for not taking quality into consideration In'potatogrowing. Test varieties in the soil you Intend to use, and know what you are doing. If the soli is sandy or gravelly loam and the plot has the proper care, there is no trouble in producing quality. . Paatnrinv in Rprayed Orchards. The statement was recently made in an agricultural paper that several cases of swine-killing by pasturing in sprayed orchards were on record. There is certainly some mistake about this, for the matter has been repeatedly tested, has been found that it would require the consumption of nearly half a ton of pasture by an animal for It to obtain sufficient poison from under sprayed trees to injure it. Moreover, swine of all animals are the least affected by poisons of any pasturing animals In orchards that have been sprayed, provided only spraying has been done, and there has l>een no large quantity spilled over a small area. In the latter case animals would be likely to be made quite sick.— Exchange. Question of Too Much Lout. There are lots of land owners tn evgry section of the country who are

land poor. They own and control mor® land than they can work to advantage. They hang on to it like grim death until the sheriff comes to their relief or they are fortunate enough to find

some man who baa a sum of, money large enough to pay one-third down and a bank account good enough to take the risk of getting the balance together in one and two years. There are plenty of large farms throughout the country which could be made to pay for themselves within a few years if dividend up properly and placed in the hands of ambitious men who would appreciate an opportunity to secure and pay for a home of their own. Another benefit would aerrue from a change of this kind. The condition of society would be much benefited. As a rule, either In city or country, the best communities are those in which the people own their own homes. It prevents that floating element from predominating—people who have but little interest in their surroundings, as they are here one year and somewhere else another. It is a fact that values are higher, the moral tone better and the people more happy and prosperous in communities where there are small farms which are owned by their occupants.—Stockman and Farmer. For Unloading" a Hayrack. An easy way to unload a hayrack without lifting it oft is to set four posts in such a manner as to be far enough apart one way to miss the running gears of the wagon and far enough

apart the other to hold a 16-foot rack. Top boards are nailed to the posts. These are pointed at one end and by driving through between the two panels the rack is lifted from the wagon, being gradually raised as the wagon passes along.—Exchange. Fruit Note*. Handle fruit as if you were handling eggs. It is the duty of every farmer to plant fruit trees. Cut out from the pear tree all limbs which show' blight. Most fruit growers say that clay soil is the best for the pear. Blackberries are a profitable berry to raise for the market. The best soil for the raspberry is a rich, well-drained, deep soil. The number of known species of plums runs up into the hundreds. Land that w’ill produce grain and vegetables will grow blackberries. Plums should be {binned to about six inches apart after the June drop. Plant different kinds of fruit trees, so as to be sure of a crop of some kiiyi. Pears and plums are jugt as hardy as apples and just as valuable to raise. Strawberries will grow in every State in the Union. Have you a bed of them? Fruit trees require to be cultivated and pruned, but they will repay all care and attention. Training raspberries and blackberries on trellises is recommended by some growers. When fruit has been thoroughly thinned it attains the largest size, greatest beauty and deliciousness of flavor. Sorghum aa Forage Crop. If sorghum is wanted for fodder, says Orange Judd Farmer, sow June 10 or after and let it remain in the field until the lower blades have dried up and the seed has just passed the dough stage. Cut with a mower when the dew is not on and put into shocks at once. Build shocks eight feet high and eight feet in diameter and leave in the field until wanted. Sorghum put up in this way will make excellent feed until w’arm weather next spring. After that the juice begins to sour and it must not be used. Some feeders consider one acre of sorghum worth two acres of ordinary field corn. If an ordinary wheat drill is used for sowing sorghum seed, stop three’ of the boles and leave three open. The crop can be cultivated once. When cutting t'ime comefe go into the field with a selfbinder and cut as oats or millet. The objection to this method is that in most of the humid States there is danger of sorghum spoiling under the band. In Nebraska and Kansas and further west, where the air is dry, this objection does not hold. The crop is easier handled in bundles. Green Pea Lome. The Department of Agriculture has issued a report on the ravages of the green pea louse, giving warning that this Insect, one of the most Important of those which have ravaged the crops of the country during the last two seasons, will widen its range geographically and increase the amount of destruction. Since its first appearance in May, 1899, at Bridges, Va., its devastation has steadily Increased and it has now become the cause of great loss in the principal pea growing regions of the United States. The estimated loss it caused along the Atlantic coast State® in 1899 is estimated at $3,000,000 and in 1900 this had reached $4,000,000 by the middle of June. In some farms in Maryland 80 per cent or more of the crop was destroyed. Vigorous efforts are making to control its spread and the official bulletin gives a detailed description and means of fighting it

-Mushroom Growing. Although any one with a good, dry cellar or outhouse who la within reach of a horse stable can grow mushrooms, yet those who would find most pleasure and profit in raising them are suburban and rural people tanners, truckers, florists—ln fact, any one llrirj at or near a place where horses are kept.

the accompanying initial picture. Ivory white lace trimmed it, and the white silk revera of its bolero were embroidered in black silk. Gowns of this material commonly are made so elaborately that this example is to be counted aa. a simple one.

rose pink was the last of these dresses, its design coming the nearest of all the currently fashionable figured goods to the “microbe" silks of three years ago. Banda of beading run with green velvet trimmed it, and yoke and V were embroidered white batiste.

GOLDEN CASHAW PUMPKIN.

FRAME POR THE HAYRACK.