Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1903 — FARMERS CORNER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARMERS CORNER

The Farmer’s Garden. The common expression that America Is a nation of dyspeptics is generally understood to be true, and It Is •also true that, In proportion to the population, there are more dyspeptics among farmers and their families than junong the city population. It is absurd that such should be the case, for if |any class of people has a chance to be healthy It Is the farming communlJty. The fact remains, however, that (the majority of farmers cllrig closely |to a diet in which there is little variation. Probably the lack of fresh fruits land vegetables has more to do vflth their stomach troubles’Than anything else. The writer remembers visiting one of the most extensive growers of truck in the vicinity of Norfolk, Va. More than 500 acres of this man’s farm was devoted. exclusively to, the raising of vegetables for market, yet during a stay of three days the. only vegetable placed on the table was a scant.supply of cabbage at one meal. For some unaccountable reason farm; ers seem to think that a kitchen garden Is a waste of time arid labor, and they go through the summer with scarcely a fresh vegetable of any kind. This is a mistake, for the expense pf a garden sufficiently large to supply an entire family with vegetables Is so small that it ought fiot to be consid l ered. Make tlje garden near the bouse where an hour of spare time daily will keep It in good condition and give that variety in food which is necessary to good health. Surely there ought to be enough variety raised on the farm Ip all lines to give the best of each to the home table, and with proper management. it can be done without cutting off the income materially.—St. Paul Dispatch.

Convenient Fmnll Harrow.

On every farm where small (fruits and vegetables are grown a one-horse harrow is a great convenience. By its use the lighter weeding is done and the surface of the soil kept loose at small expense of labor. If one has a lever harrow two of the beams may be used for this one-horse harrow, or llie beams may be readily made with lumber of proper length, using long wire nails for the teeth. The beams are fastened together in a V shape, ns shown in the cut and a wooden

frame is constructed, as shown to support the handle. If a blacksmith is conveniently near the support for the hnndle may be two Iron rods running from the corners of the barrow to the handle. A board may be placed over the frame and heavy stones set upon it to Weigh down the tool If it Is found too light for certain soils. This tool will be found especially useful in corn mltivatlon during the early growth of the plants. Bum mer Shade for Poultry, Where fowls are kept partially confined there should be some arrangement for furnishing the proper amount of shade. If the poultry yards can be built around a number of trees this will he all sufficient, hut if this cannot bo done, then plant a row at corn nt-onnd the outside of the fence, on the sunny side, just far enough from the fence so that the fowls cannot reach it. A row of sunflower plants will answer the same purpose, or the olauts may be castor beans, which will provide shade and ornamentation ns well. A neighbor of the writer frets a Jouble row of the tall growing cannas around the sunny side of Ills poultry yard, and thus ohtalus attractive bloom nnd the desired shade at the same time. Plant seeds of whatever Is to be used of the seed kind pow or set the plants of other sorts. Morning glory vines may he used by.sowing the seeds a foot from the poultry yard fence and running strings to the tpp of the fence. This plan gives one shade quickly nnd at small expense.

Ravlnit Clover Hay. Saving clover bay is uot a difficult matter if the climatic conditions are favorable, while It is almost- Impossible so Cure It In good condition in catchy weather. Where large areas have to be cured it is impossible to adopt the method of shocking It, it being much better to out after the dew is off. starting the tpdder shortly after the mower aud rake up and hutil the next day. In this way hand labor, which Is so expensive, is diseased with. It Is better, say* lowa Homestead, to allow the crop to stand until the first heads are brown rather than cut It during catchy weather, as It will spoil less standing than when cut. Ke«p Accounts with the Cowa. 1 If farmers would open Individual accounts with their cows, a great many, of them would doubtless bo surprised at tjte number of animals they are" keeping merely as luxuries- It Is not‘ a sire rule to go tyr\#eperaf itupraesion*.' Those who have tried keeping accounts have found that In many eases the cows that were thought to fce the money makers of the herd did

not In fact yield any profit, while oth* ers which had been considered lest valuable prtwided a good cash Income. Sheep on Small Farms. It Is a mistaken Idea to suppose that large areas are required rin which to raise sheep. It is true-that It will not do to crowd too many on a small area with any idea that they will get their living from'the vegetation there, but If, say, one hundred sheep were to be kept on fifteen or twenty acres, properly handled, together with proper feeding, would bring desirable results. Taking twenty acres as the area to be used, It would be a good plan to divide this into three fields; two fields of five atres eaclf find one ten-acre field. The five-acre plots should be sown in rape or some other special feeding crop, and the ten-acre field used, for genera! grazing. In this plot there should be shade and' water, and the grain feeding should be done here also. The fields of rape should be used alternately: that Is, give the flock of sheep access to one field four or five fiours a day for one week, then, to the other field in the, same manner. If these fields were profitably pastured the result of the. droppings would make them sufficiently. rich for almost any crop when it was desired to use them in that way* which could be done by having movable fences, so that other Helds could be used for the sheep in other years. i, fi ’ P* ! , The Farmer Bov, The irit of the farmer boy Is undoubtedly lighter nqw than it was a halfcentury ago, as many old Daviess County farmers can attest who have dropped corn all day by hand In a furrow “laid out” by a horse driven by a single, line attached to a single shovel plow and keep it up for two or three weeks. Most old people who have lived on a farm have had this experience or have followed the boy who was dropping corn, day in and day out, covering it with a hoe. Forty years ago a boy who could drop for two coverers could earn his 50 cents a day, while the ordinary boy who was not so Swift could earn 25 to 35 cents a day. As a matter of fact a boy could get over more ground and plant a niuch bigger acreage than a man, but then, as now, there was an unwritten law that he should not receive men’s wages. Before the days of labor saving machinery, farm work, for the boy especially, was, a constant round of drudgery, and it was little wonder they wanted to get away from it. Now it Is otherwise, and life on a farm Is preferable to most other pursuits In life.—Exchange.

I>epth of Corn Cnltivation. Depth of cultivating corn varies with circumstances. In wet seasons It is often absolutely necessary to stir a soil deeply in order to dry it out. Deep stirring Is also necessary-in wet seasons when weeds have once got the start of the cultivator. The practice of cultivating a uniform depth of four inches throughout the entire season Is quite common, it being claimed that weeds are piost effectively destroyed at this depth, while the four-inch mulch Conserves the moisture as well as a deeper one. There are those who advocate plowing deeply at all times, although, on the other hand, they are taken to task by others who claim tljat it is Just as prudent to remove the leaves from the stalk with a knife as to cut the root with a cultivator. Oqe instance is given where a comparison of the deep and shallow method of cultivation gave a yield of twenty bushels per acre in favor of the shallow method.—lowa Homestead.

Farm Notes. If farmers were as careful and systematic in the management of their herds as the breeders of pure breeds are with their cattle, much better results would he secured from ordinary stock. Even the best breed will fail if not riglitly managed, and all classes of stock can be made more productive If extra care is given. Veterinary surgeons state that the milk Is the first thing affected when a cow becomes ill, and that the milk will show indications of coming milkfever and garget a week before any outward sign can be discovered. A sore, or anything that may be liable to poison the jblood also potions the | milk at the same time. It is a mistake to expect that eggs will ha{ch precisely In twenty-one »jays. While this is the rule. 1t is not an one. Some will hatch in nineteen days, others iu twenty-one days, and others will require twentyfive days for Incubation. The causes are various—such ns getting too cold, too much heat, lack of moisture, waut of vitality of either or both of the parents, and the age of the eggs. In giving salt to animals It should We done In a manner to allow each animal to partake of as much as it desires and prefers. Instead of giving tin* salt in the food, thereby compelling some animals to use more than they wish; Each animal lias its individual preference, and the proper mode of allowing salt Is to place It where the animals can hnve access to ft at all times, as each will use only the amount needed. ,* -1 The effort to produce the seeds of an apple exhausts the tree more than to produce (he much- better quantity of meat, becaqse seeds contain a much larger' proportion of the mineral ele» mente. As much meat or pulp can he grown on 500 fine large apple trees ad .upon 1.000 small. Inferior ones, but fhefflroductlon qt seeds will be only om-sols an great, tins ‘thinning" not only adds to the value of the pres, ent crop, but economises the energies of the tree for future ones.

A HOME-MAPE HARROW.