Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1901 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

Lessons from the Drought Wherever the farmers come together, the trend of conversation naturally ’ turns toward the condition of the corn crop in the various neighborhoods. All mention the clover field planted to corn as being their best prospect. In many cases where barnyard manure had been applied in the spring, the corn is very seriously damaged. New ground planted to corn has been noticeably affected by drought, and in many cases practically no grain will be secured from such fields. Such conditions, so plain to its now, should direct Us to different plans for raising anothr crop. »We all know that a good clover field will give a satisfactory account of itself when conditions are favorable, and if it show’s that it is better able than other fields to pass through dry weather, surely the farmer should plhn to have more clover sod to turn under for corn. In many cases the manure has done damage by causing the corn to dry up. It has not rotted in the soil. The coarse stray has not allowed the land to retain its normal amount of moisture. Really the manure has not been on the ground long enough to become thoroughly incorporated in the soil, and it acts as a foreign body, cutting off the supply of moisture. Had the manure been applied to the grow’ing clover, the clover growth would have been much greater and the unused manure would have been converted into rich earth by the time the field had been planted to corn. Where the clover has been manured the soil will hold even more than the normal amount of moisture w’hen it is broken up and planted to corn. It is little trouble to raise good crops whep the seasons are especially favorable. Then every farmer has grain to sell, or fat stock to place on the market, and prices are likely to be very lo v. The unfavorable year selects out the intelligent, thinking farmer and gives him paying yields. He Is prepared to take stock not fatted at a low figure and sell them in the market at very high prices. To the intelligent, thinking farmer the off year in crops is not so disastrous after ail. —Indianapolis News. by Flies. At the Wisconsin Station they divided fourteen cows into two lots, as nearly equal in condition as they could make them, and one-half were sent to pasture according to the usual custom of farmers, though in a small field with plenty of shade during the day. The others w’ere kept during the day in a comfortable stable with screen doors and windows, but allowed to feed in the pasture during night and the early morning. It was found that these produced 20 per cent more butter than those in the pasture during the day, as the latter w’ere kept moving all of the time by the tiles. On an lowa dairy farm they obtained more milk from cows kept in a dark stable without screens during the day and let out to graze at night, than they did from those in pasture all day and in stable at night. Similar results have been obtained by the spraying of cattle with something to repel the flies, but most of these repellants have an odor that fills the air in the stable and may Injure the niilk or butter, if not very carefully used. There’s nothing better than a sponge or damp cloth just made moist with kerosene, and w’iped lightly over the top of the head, along the back and over the legs, using it every morning just after milking. The odor evaporates before the next milkjng, if not used too freely.— Exchange. The Farmer’, Hop. The farmer's hog should be of medium length, deep body, broad back, straight sides and short legs, also to stand w’ell up on feet, said J. C. Wright before the lowa Swine Breeders’ Association. He should have a quiet disposition and be inclined to be a little lazy, so after being fed he will lie down and get the good of his corn. He should also have a neat head, wMI set on the body, so that when fat and butchered there will be as little waste as possible. In producing sucli a hog it is very necessary to pay particular attention to the parent stock. In the first place, the sows should be well bred and a little lengthy, with good, well-de-veloped bodies, good feet and limbs and should also be good Bucklers. The farmer wants a hog that will mature early, say at six, eight or ten months, and average in weight from 200 to 350 pounds. ' The Corn Crop. It is claimed that the United States produces about four-fifths of, the corn crop in the world, or in 1900 it produced 2,105,102,510 bushels out of the total . In the entire corn-growing countries, which was only 2,031,378,145 bushels. If there is any under-estimate in the amount it is more likely to be in the United States, where also more corn is consumed in feeding to animals than In the other countries, and where the

Lessons from the Dronch

census enumerator sdys that the reports of the amounts grown and used upon the farms will scarcely account for the meats that are reported and sold. Austria Hungary reports only 142,000,000 bushels and Mexico but 111,704,938 bushels, while the seven other countries reporting vary from 80,000,000 down to 20,000,000 bushels, and only aggregate 292,000,000 bushels. All of them do not produce as much corn as the States of Illinois and lowa. Austria Hungary, though second in the list of the producing countries, produced less in 1900 than the State of Indiana, and Russia less than Michigan. And the capabilities of these States have not been reached yet, but we can add another billion or two of bushels to our yearly crop if it is needed to furnish bread or fatten meat for the people of the earth.—Massachusetts Ploughman. i. ' Care of Horses. A few horses do not get as much feed as they need to enable them to do their Work properly F< but there are more, at least, in this part of the country that are overfed, especially where feeding is intrusted to those who do not have to pay for the food given. In their desire to have the animals look plump and sleek they give more than can be well digested, and sometimes defeat their own intentions by causing such indigestion that the horse grows lean, if he is not wise enough to refuse to eat all that is placed before him. Nor are the owners always guiltless in this matter. Farmers especially are apt to feed too much hay to the horse, giving thirty to forty pounds In twenty-four hours, when from twelve to twenty pounds is enough for. horsps of almost any weight when there is enough of grain given. And many will not reduce either hay or grain rations when there is a week or two of idleness. This is a mistake, but not as bad as that of lately increasing the grain feed when there is an extra amount of work to be done, or a long drive to be made. The veterinary surgeons say that most of the cases they are called upon to prescribe for are the results of overfeeding, or feeding after hard work.—American Cultivator. . ? Renovating the Soil. That humus is necessary in the soil and that the plowing under of non-ni-trogenous plant growth is valuable will not be questioned, but the farmers who have been successful with this plan are warned against the idea which is becoming somewhat general that this course will make manuring of any kind unnecessary. It is true that there may be conditions where the use of fertilizers seems unnecessary in addition to the plan of renovation referred to, but such conditions are not general. The farmer who attempts to grow’ the usual rotation of crops and relies wholly uponjthe fertility he is able to get from the soil solely by the use of nitrogenous plants or by the use of humus making plants, will find his crops growing smaller and smaller as the years go Battling; with Vermin. Fowls are on the range most of the time, but this does not prevent them from being bothered with vermin at night and during the time they are occupying the nest boxes. This vermin, once on the fowls, stays there, and makes the bird miserable during the day, even when on the range. Whitewash is, of course, desirable, but there is more efficacy in kerosene ell liberally applied to floor, walls and roosts. The nest boxes should be liberally sprinkled with some good Insect powder, and a considerable quantity of wood ashes be placed in the dusting boxes as well as in the favorite dusting places of the fowls out-of-doors. The Seventeen-Year Locnata. The seventeen-year locusts are again due. In their last visit they did considerable damage. Those who have young trees in the sections likely to be visited by the pest should watch them carefully, and any trees that are especially valuable should, if possible, oe protected with coverings. It is not usual for this pest to work any serious damage except where they appear in large numbers, but it is best to take precautions. Shredded Corn Fodder. The Western farmers who have begun to use shredded corn fodder are now declaring that a ton of it is worth more than a ton of hay for milch cows. Note. About Fruit. The Italian prune crop of Oregon promises to be the largest in the State’s record. For apple scab use bordeaux mixture every three weeks up to the middle of July or Ist of August. In general, especially in small vineyards, a thousand vines are pruned too little for one that is pruned too much. Road dust, air slaked lime or wood ashes dusted oyer small cherry trees is ■an effective remedy for the cherry slug. Currant worms that appear when the fruit is half grown should be treated with pyrethrum, a tablespoonful to a gallon of waiter. Tomato plants grown from cuttings from plants which had fruited are said to have produced over thirty per cent more fruit than those grown from seed. It seems that the pecan tree has its insect pests as well as the other trees. It is said that the borer, a dirty white, grublike creature, Is one of the worst