Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1902 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

Illustrated Snggeetioifs. The first illustration is a Georgia peach carrier, holding six small baskets of peaches, which we re-engrave Tom a cut in Country Gentleman. The next, No, 2, Is a bushel box from the New York Tribune. Notice that the end pieces of this box are notched at the bottom and pointed at the top, so that a lot of crates may be stacked one over the other for sorting apples, potatoes, etc., in the cellar or for carrying to market The third illustration is a Nvagonload of bushel crates, illustrations copied from American Agriculturist Notice the lower tier of crates, then the retaining board, winch holds in position th 6 second tier operates placed over the first The fourthTjlustration represents an opening in ' the fence through which people on foot can readily pass, but which cows and horses cannot get through, copied from

Farm and Fireside. The fifth cut represents a new method of protecting half hardy or tender trees in winter by bending them over a log rolled close to tho tree, and firmly fastened there by bundles of cornstalks thrown over the tree. A barrel or hogshead can be used in place of a log, with much saving of labor. Picture No. 6 shows q__pecullar way of making a strong bushel crate, these bushel crates are used now extensively by farmers 1 who gather from the fields potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, etc., placipg them into these crates, then placing the crates directly into the wagon, from whence they are carried to cellar, without dumping them Into wagon boxes, and shoveling them out again, as was done in old times. This cut is from American Agriculturist. The last cut Is from Farm and Home and represents an easily constructed sawbuck.

Chicks Need Grit. The chicks will be benefited by having some kind of gritty material mixed .with their first feed. Coarse sand or egg shells dried and run through the coffee mill is probably as good as anything for this purpose. The supply houses keep in stock what Is known as “chick grit,” but we do not believe that it is any better than what has been above suggested. Next to the ravages of lice, bowel troubles lead to the heaviest loss of chicks, and the grit tends in a great degree to prevent such troubles ' If a chick Is killed at the end of the first day that It has run with the hen Its crop will be found to contain a considerable quantity of sand and fine gravel, and if the weather is such that the hen can be turned loose the day following that on which the brood is taken from the nest, and be allowed to select the food, the owner will generally be safef tn relieving himself of any concern regarding their health The hen sees to it that the chicks get something which is not usually thought of by the owner, and that is grit.—Drovers’ Journal.

Clover in the Rotation Crops. It is now generally understood that the rotation of crops Is practiced so that the plant foods In the soil may be drawn upon about In equal quantities Instead of using heavily of one and little of the others, as Is the case when one crop is grown several years In succession. There Is another point about the rotation of crops that is not so well understood by farmers, and that is the value of using clover or some plant of a similar character as a part of the rotation crops, and simply because it returns more plant food to the soil than it takes out of It. ’lbus Is one reason why authorities on legumes have urged ao persistently that farmers use them more freely aud have shown where cowpeas, Canada field peas aud the velvet bean can be used to advantage on farms where It does not seem possible to get a good stand of clover.—lndianapo’ls News. Beet Rngar and Cane Rn««r. Dr. Wiley, who Is one of the most earnest advocates of sugar beet culture In the United Stares, said at a farmers’ meeting In Ontario that the sugar cane growers In the tropics had a decided advantage over the sugar beet growers of the Northern States In the cost Of production of sugar. If the labor of the South was as effective as that of the North, and as much enterprise was shown In developing the iflelds for cane and In other branches (Of the Industry ns must be shown on {Northern farms In beet growing, the Einca crop would win tn the race every me. We believe this to be true, and therefore we are unable to understand

why he and others so earnestly urge the growing of sugar beets here, it cannot be that the best crop has proven a profitable one to those who have beds engaged in it Few of the crops that we have seen reported have shown a yield of over S6O worth to the acre, and the majority fall below S4O, while the manure and labor required is about half as great as that required to grow 500 bushels of and either of these is a more certain crop on good land well cared for than are the sugar beets.—Massachusetts Ploughman..,,

Plowing Under Green Crops. That there is merit in green manuring, adding humus to.the soil, no one will depy who has tried it on moderately heavy soils, but that it should be generally practiced without regard to soil or local conditions is not a correct principle. Most of the plants used for green manuring are leguminous in character, hence have absorbed the greatest quantity of nitrogen from the air when they have reached maturity, and, tn most sections, the hay of clover, cowpeas and velvet bean has a value too great to warrant one in using it as green manure, and this is especially the case on light, rather sandy soil, where the green manuring is of the least use. Under the conditions referred to the most profitable plan would be to let the crop mature and feed it for roughage, using the manure on the farm; in this way one has all the advantage that would come from the green manuring, under such circumstances, and the hay for feeding besides. Again, there Is danger of souring the soil by too much and too frequent green manuring, so that ond should know his soil thoroughly, or, better still, experiment carefully and note results, before going into green manuring too extensively.—lndianapolis News.

Growing the Best Apples. Nurserymen report an unusual deinand for the older and best-known varieties of apple trees, such as Rhode Island Greening, King, etc., and those who have fruited these old favorites are encouraging the demand for them. Growers have paid much attention to the later introductions and lost sight of the good things at hand. The writer remembers buying several barrels of King apples some twenty years age In New England which were supert In quality and size, far superior -to the majority of the varieties of recent Introduction, and where this variety can be grown it may be safely said that it has no rival. At this season of the year the good old varieties like King, Rhode Island Greening, Spltzenburg and Northern Spy bring more money than the newer sorts.—Exchange.

Wheat as a Hog Food. Results obtained at the Wisconsin experiment station show that there it practically no difference in the quantity of pork produced from the same weight of wheat or corn. In four trials an average of pounds of ground wheat were required to produce lOC pounds of gain in live weight. In two trials with cornmeal 498 pounds were required to produce 100 pounds of gain When a mixture of equal parts ol wheat and corn was fed, better results were obtained than when either wheat or corn was fed alone. It required 485 pounds of mixed wheat and com, half and half, by weight to produce 10C pounds of gain in live weight. Concerning Sorghum. We have never known of a case of either first or second growth sorghum or Kaffir corn injuring cattle after being cut up and thoroughly dried, says H. M. Cottrell, of the Kansas experiment station. We have never known of a case of either first or second growth sorghum or Kaffir corn injuring hogs fed either green or dry in any stage of maturity. Sorghum hay is not nearly so good a hog feed as either alfalfa or clover, but where neither of these is available It will pay to feed the sorghum. Stick to One Breed. If farmers would take one good breed of fowls and carefully study their characteristics, they would ipake more profit than if they keep trying to originate some new breed. It sounds well to hear yourself spoken of as the orlg inator of«some new and valuable breed, but very few ever succeed in starting a variety of fowls that ever amounts to anything. Dairy and Creamery Notes. Do not allow any person or dogs to worry the milk cows. Never stop nor let the work be interrupted when milk is “coming.’’ The neglected cow neither fills th* pall nor the farmer’s pocketbook. Milk dryl Milking dry develops the udder and consequently the power of giving milk. If there Is any one thing that needs a dairyman’s personal attention more than any other, It Is milking. If there Is a little milk left In the udder each time It will cause any cow to decrease In her milk flow and finally cease giving milk at all. Knowing bow meaus much In butter making. This Is why one person’s butter is quoted at 20 cents a pound, while another’s from just as good milk, will bring only 8 cents. A cow should be milked three or four times a day If she Is suffering from any disease of the udder. There should be no loud, boisterous language permitted while doing ths milking, for the cow is a nervous creature, and any uncalled for excitement affects the quantity and quality of milk unfavorably. It |s the little attentions that go to make up the successful management of dairying, and be who does not study the needs of the common cow and her environment need expect no soccdw with her blooded slater.

SUGGESTIONS ILLUSTRATED.