Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1902 — AGRICULTURAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AGRICULTURAL

Throwing the Ball. Put a halter on. Take a sound ordinary cart rope, make a loop at one end and pass it over the head and let It rest close around the neck, low down, like a collar; bring the rope to the near side, pass it over the back just behind the shoulders, bring it underneath the chest and pass it under and then above the rope, so as to make a loop around the chest; carry the rope back, pass it over the loins and bring it underneath the belly, close to the flanks; make another loop as and carry the rope straight behind the animal and tighten up the loops, one close to the elbows, the other close to the hind flanks. All being ready, in-

struct the man who holds the halter shank to pull forward, and at the same time the men who have hold o£,.the loose end of the rope to pull straight backward, and down the animal goes, generally without a struggle. Keep the head down and the rope firm, and as a rule the animal lies quietly until such time It Is desired he should get up, when slacken the rope and up he gets, none the worse forjthe casting. The heaviest bull may be cast in this way, but of course no one would think of casting an in-calf cow or heifer either this or any other way.—Exchange. Effects of- Freezing Seeds. Prof. A. D. Selby of the Ohio station has tested the effects of extreme cold upon certain seeds, Including corn, wheat, rye, flax, sunflower, castor bean, cucumber, mimosa, yellow lupine, sain foln and pine. They were taken right from the temperature of the room and Immersed in liquid air, for six, twelve, twenty-four and forty-eight hours for each lot. The liquid air represents a temperature equal to 310 degrees below zero, certainly an extreme test, for it Is not often that the coldest portion of the United States reaches much more than 50 degrees below zero. The seeds were germinated by the side of lots not subjected to treatment, and there was no essential difference in the proportion that germinated. The com was not of high grade, and the starchy portion cracked badly, but the germ did not seem to be affected. The extreme cold seemed to be favorable rather than otherwise to the flax and rye. Of course the seeds were properly dried, that is air dry, before being subjected to the test, but with this precaution the farmer need not fear injury to seeds from freezing weather. If the castor bean, native of a tropical climate, could cold, our garden beans and peas should do so, and we see no good reason why squash, pumpkin and melon seed should not endure cold as well as cucumbers, or clover, cabbage, turnip and others of the same size as well as lupine and flaxseed.—American Cultivator. Growing Corn. Secretary Wilson said, after returning from his Inspection of the corn crop last fall, that there were many fields injured by the beat withering the tassels so that they failed fertilize the silk; but this was much less noticeable where there Was an abundance of organic or vegetable matter from plowed-under grass roots. Shallow cultivating frequently, so as to maintain a dust mulch of two or three Inches on the surface, also seemed a benefit where It was practiced, as it prevented evaporation of moisture below, as also the organic matter helped to retain moisture In the soil. Much of the bottom land Is too wet In the spring, causing the corn roots to spread out too near the surface, and also to dry up when the drought came. Such land should be underdrained, that this surplus moisture may be carried away, the ground be ready to work eartier, and the roots to strike down deeper. How Much Grain. The amount of grain fed should vary with the Individuality of the cows, says p?rof. D. H. Otis. A cow giving thirtyfive to forty pounds of milk dally will steed from twelve to fifteen pounds per (day, while a cow giving fifteen to (twenty pounds of milk will probably jnot need over six to eight pounds of £rain. The amount of groin should (vary with the yield of milk. Give the cows all the grain they will consume at a profit. ' Make th* Cow Comfortable. A cow Is a great deal like a person. She cnjojyj a good and comfortable place to.cat and sleep as well as any plan. Do yon think that you would en-

joy standing out on the south side of a barbed wire fence to eat your meals when the wind is blowing at the rate of forty or fifty miles an hour from the northwest In the winter? No, I guess not! Can you expect a cow to make you money when served in that way? Then, summing up all of this, the cow must be at .ui'i foot case iiinFcothfOTU" ably situated and have kind treatment in order to give good results. Use of Preservatives. The committee of the British Local Government Board has been for two years investigating the Subject of preservatives and coloring matter In foods, and their report does not indicate the danger from their use that had been feared by the alarmists. They name as these preservatives four classes, borax or boric acid and its compounds, sulphurous acid and sulphites, salicylic acid or its soda salt, which is more soluble, and formaline ’or formaldehyde (made from wood alcohol). Of these the last is the only one in which they could find any proof of injury caused by their use. Yet as milk that is clean and properly cared for needs no preservatives, they would run no risks in an article of food so largely consumed by young children and recommend that the addition of preservatives or coloring matter to milk offered for sale in the United Kingdom shall be an offense under the “sale of food and drugs” act. They would have the use of formaldehyde and its preparations absolutely prohib-. ited, and that salicylic acid should not be used to over the amount of one grain in a pint or pound of food. There is no evidence that it is hurtful in this small quantity. For butter, cream and margerlne only boric acid or borate of soda should be allowed to be used, and that only to amount of one-fourth of one per cent in cream and one-half of one per cent in butter. Corijfort for Swine. »A model sleeping room for swine may be cheaply constructed by using heavy lumber and covering it with tarred paper. The house should be set up from the ground the height of a brick laid flat at each corner and the space between the corners filled in with boards to keep out the wind. The floor should be of plank or cement, and there should be some division between the portion where the animals are to sleep and the clear space in the house. This division need be nothing more than an eightinch plank set on edge. Plenty of straw should be used for bedding, and when it is broken up so that it is too fine for this purpose it may be scattered over the floor in the clear portion of the house.

Handy Feeding Box. The feeding box will prevent the greedy or stronger individuals from getting more than their share of food. Chopped ' roots, cabbage, etc., are placed in the box and by the shape of the backboard kept in motion as tbe supply at the bottom is eaten through

the narrow opening of the front board. The box is supported on a low, tablelike structure with a narrow cleat around the edge, to prevent the food from falling to the ground. A cover should be attached so that the fowls or sheep can not get at tbe contents of tbe box from tbe top. If Men Only Would. If the young men who are measuring tape and laces would surrender their work to the young girls who are seeking employment and turn their attention to the pursuits of agriculture, there would be less misery and more contentment In the land; there wfiuld be more independence and less servility; more men and fewer creatures; more .happy wives with comfortable homes, healthful children and cheerful tempers.—Southern Farm Magazine. ———“vBase Corn Shredders. Reports of people being Injured by corn shredders are so frequent that the demand for a safer machine of this kind Is growing. Such machines are now on the market Tbe operator stands about eight feet from the snapping rolls, and puts the com on a feeder, which carries It Into tbe machine. .Turnips for Blieep. The turnip or rye is so watery that it Is not worth intrlnslcaly half of Its approved value in practice. It is a tonic. It loosens tbe Juices of the body, it supplies a lubricant for tbe bowels. Sheep are as' hungry for this poor, watery brouse as they are for salt when long denied.

HOW TO THROW A BULL.

FEEDING BOX.