Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 135, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1903 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

Bracing. a Baeginc Gate. The plan of preventing gates from sagging, shown in the illustration, is one of the best used. It has the merit of being ehenp and decidedly effectual. lAs will be noticed from the drawing, the posts are sunk in the ground two feet or more, and the ends set into a heavy sill. This is best done by mortising the sill. Both posts and sill should be well covered with tar to prevent rapid decay. On this sill is then built a wall of stones to within eight inches or a foot of the surface of the ground, and on this wall is laid a heavy piece of studding which is spiked to the posts. In the absence of stones, braces

of heavy studding mny be run from the bottom of each post n?xt to "the sill up to the top piece of studding; the stone wall, as suggested, makes the stronger foundation. Built in the manner indicated, the gate will work for years without sagging.—lndianapolis News.

tßasiing Hogs for Bacon. - The demand for bacon hogs, a streak of lean and a streak of fat, is increasing yearly. Consumers are less inclined than ever to eat fat bacon and their demands must be met if one desires to make the maximum of .profit in hog raising. True, the demand for heavy hogs is great and will continue, but such animals do not bring the good prices that are had for the bacon hog. Little has been heard' of the Tam worth, the ideal bacon bog, of late and mainly because breeders have found that the bacon hog is more a matter of proper feeding than of breed. Tlie Tamworths seem peculiarly suit, ed to feeding - for bacon at the lowest cost, though any breed can be properly fed and at comparatively small _cost. For the growing pigs a ration of two-thirds oats and one-third com gives good results. Bran. combined with- skim milk or whey with ground peas is a good ration for older hogs, the milk to be increased as the fattening period is begun. Probably the ideal ration for the bacon hog afimr It Is half grown Is eorn-meal, oats, aim barley mixed with skim milk. This furnishes the desired streak of lean and streak of fat In the bacon and gives us an animal of medium weight, which will bring a good price qn the market.

A Swing Stanchion. A stanchion which will swing sideways and not forward and back has been asked for by a subscriber. The

accompanying illustration allows bow It can be made. This is an ordinary chain hanging swing stanchion, with blocks on the floor and from the crosspiece above on each side, to prevent the forward and buck swing. This will allow it to move sideways. Rntber than go to this trouble, why not tie the cattle by the neck —Farm and Horae.

The Pe»t of Wild Carrot, The wild carrot is causing the farmers a great deal of difficulty. It is increasing in many sections. In n bulletin Issued by tbfe Maine Experiment Station It is stated that as this weed is a biennial plant, if It can be prevented from going to sisal for a term of two years. It will be eradicated. This would mean mowing it as often as it came into bloom, two or three times hi the season. Home hare been quite successful in killing it out by pasturing the fields with sheep. Cows do not like carroty hay. Horses will eat it. even if containing a very large proportion of the weed. But it Injures health and spirit if fed to excess. Savior Tomato Heed a. Dtaoanl large, gross fruits, which, although they contain a number of seeeds, generally produce a large proportion of- rough tomatoes. Having chosen good specimens, squeeze ont the needs Into n vessel, and stand in s ■warm place. In a few days the mass twill hare undergone fermentation, and pulp sod seeds will bar* separated.

Cleanse thoroughly by throwing the whole intb a large basin and adding water, skimming off the skins and pulp and any seeds which rise to the surface. Afterwards dry the seeds in the sun, sprinkle with sulphur and store in a dry place. 'JS ~ " L ——

Crimson Clover. In almost any section the best plan for~sowing crimson clover Is to sow it during the last cultivation of the corn or, ’ if necessary to cover It properly, make an extra cultivation and harrow the seed In well, if the weather is at all dry. Use the best seed obtainable and, If possible, obtain Americangrown seed, using, under average conditions, fifteen pouncLs of seed to the acre. According to locality, crimson dover may be sown during July and August, and even In sections where It partially winter kills It may be considered as valuable to the soil, for It will make sufficient growth from the time of sowing to frost time to be worth all It cost for plowing under in the spring. The writer has A strip of ground on which he has worked patiently for five years a stand of clover, and only the last year was the work successful; yet we feel that the portion turned under In the spring, which passed safely through the winter, was worth to the soil all It cost.

Wentworth** Way with Sheep Poe*. A friend was telling me a day or so ago that when a boy he lived near Old “Long John” Wentworth, of Chicago, who at one time kept a number of sheep on his lands near that village. He said that once when he had some of them killed by dogs he had his help go round and see some of the dog owners and they all reported that they “kept their dogs in the house.” “Very well,” John, “it may be wolves, and we’ll put out poi@on,’”‘and he did so, but gst dogs galore, as they were up against the deadly stuff In the middle of the night, when they should have beßn in their accustomed places holding down the bed clothes to the feet of their humane owners, “Old John” went fuf-ther, and if the wolves were in it, got them also. Catching a young one, he put it with some dogs having the mange, inoculating it thoroughly. He turned it loose and it wasn't long until they, too, were “good” dead ones.—Upland Letter in Indiana Farmer.

Cheap Way to Subsoil. Have your blacksmith make you an iron foot from an old wagon tire, In shape as you see in cut. Bore a small

hole through beam in your two-horse plow, behind where the upright joins beam, at A, also, have a fork made in the brace, so one

hole through the beam will be sufficient. Then have a clamp made, B, with threads cut ou each end so you can tighten; this clamp to be placed just in front of cross bar between handles! By using iron wedges you can set to any depth desired. Use a 7or 8 inch shovel on this foot as you would on common single stock.—W. T. Oliver in Epitomlst.

Hungarian Grass. Hungarian grass is a good crop to sow late for fodder. Like millet, it will producers heavy crop on good land, and; can be cured and housed so a&» to keep with lees trouble than fodder corn, and many prefer It, though not as much weight can probably be obtained from an acre as from com. Hungarian gnus grows rapidly and can be fed green like corn cr be dried for winter use. If sown thinly, the stalks are stout and somewhat woody, but if sowed very thickly it will be shorter and will not support its own weight. There is a medium, however, and one should seek to strike it. This crop can be raised on sod land from which a crop of grass has been taken if the season is favorable. It like* warm weather. Fine crops have been raised, from seed sown as late as July. It is better to use some fertilizer if the seed is sown late or on any land that Is riot already in good condition.

Fruit from Africa. One of the interesting exhibits that may be seen in the horticultural department at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis next year will be the fruits from South Africa. The managers of fruit farms of the late Cecil Rhodes, nt Cape Town, have announced their intention of placing fresh fruits on exhibition each week. Even in London this feat has never been undertaken. South African plums have been on sale fu New York, Boston and other markets the past win'ter, and no reason appears why the proposed exhibition should not be a success, with the help of cold storage.

Philippine Gardening. Recent attempts to raise garden vegetables iu the Philippine Islands bavo met with brilliant success in the case of eggplant, tomatoes and peppers, while fleets, turnips, lettuce, endives, spinach, and radishes do fairly well. Wtiny other kinds were tried without much succesp. (irapes and some other fruits promlsejyell, aud there is some hope for new Industries in cotton, Jute, and coffee. The “Dairy Shark*' I J. A. Crokett, dairyman, Utah Agricultural College, has recently sent out warning to the butter makers of his State against a “dairy Bhark" who Is disponing of a process whereby he claims the yield of butter Is increased from 530 to 100 per cent In excess of that made in (he ordinary manner. Same old fraud that bobs up now and again. All farmers and dairymen should leave all such fellows and their "process’' alone. —Dairy and Cream-

BRACES FOR A GATE.

SWINGING STANCHION AND STALL.