Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1904 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

Dividing a Stall. ' : y In some barns the stalls are sufficiently wide so that they may be divided when occasion requires if some temporary division can be easily made, put in place and removed when desired. A plan for doing this is shown in the illustration. A gate is made of proper material r<*aciOng from tb ,! manger to the end of djie 9&11. The post of this gate at the end is made about a foot longer than the lower rail and a hole is made in the floor through which this post is slipped when put in position and thus makes the gate or. fence firm. At the mangerend the fence is fastened to the manger by a pair of gate hinges. Two stiff sticks are fastened to the joist above with a bolt, one over the manger-end and one over the other end. In the lower end of each of these sticks a notch is cut which comes over a staple on the fence and holds it, the fence, firm. When the fence is

not in use it may be lifted from the hinges and put away and the sticks folded up against the joists. The illustration shows .tl»e pDi$S mentioned elearly. The cost of such a contrivance will be small and It will be found exceedingly useful. News: Soda for Potatoes. In growing tomatoes - nitrogen in the soil is the least desired of the plant fpods and the best results will come 'from phosphoric acid afid potash liberally applied broadcast. Much has been written regarding the use of nitrate of soda fdr tomato growing and while •this chemical is good, it should he * s used'Vitli caution, its function is to cause the plant th make a quick growth; in other words give it a start which\ will be kept up by the phosphoric acid qifti tho potash. This being ithe case the best way to use it is Xq/ watch the plants closely as they grow and if any shows lack of vigor sprinkle a teaspoonful of the nltrato of soda about the plant. Usually one application will be sufficient to start such plants off in good shape gnd once they get a good start there will be no trouble If the sol} has been properly enriched and proper cultivation has been carried on. Best Food for Fattening; Lambs. Very careful experiments at the Ontario Agricultural College have shown that an even mixture of peas and dhts made the most profit in feeding lambs. I’eas alone make the most gain, hut at a somewhat greater cost of feed. Corn and peas made a slightly smaller gain than the other feeds. But the difference was so small that the convenience of procuring the feed Is the largest element In the case. As peas and oats may be grown together very conveniently and cheaply, this crop secures some advantages over others which may give It a preference in this regard. •- - . TJiriftj Melons. Sow melons in a light rich soil; poultry manure produces»rapid growth. If the season is very warm and moist the vines may need to he pinched back to secure early fruiting. Musk-melons require a season of about three and onehalf months and watermelons about four and one-half months, hence the crop is rather uncertain In this latitude. The crop is made more sure if seeds are first started in a hotbed and transplanted W’lien they begin to run to vine. Six Days EnooKh. I have been observing things for many years and I never knew a man to prosper who habitually worked on Sunday. Some men will spend a day ■or two in town during the week and then they will feel that they are so far behind that they must plant corn on Sunday to catch up. The man who gets a dollar by fraud will lose It and another with It. The man who gains by laboring on may make the temporary worldly gains, but will loso that which is Infinitely more valunbie to him than all of fills world’s goods. —Cor. lowa Homestead, "" Soft Wood fo*> Ties. On account of the scarcity of oak, chestnut and other hardwood timber commonly used for railroad ties, railroads have been wuccesofully using the softer woods, 4 which tyave been treated with chemicals such as creosote, fcinc, chloride, etc. Preae/vatlve treatment can make a beech, rfed oak or ’ pine tla outlast a white oak tre. The use of au£w spikos instead of nail spikes enables the soft wood to resist the ■train and bold the rails in.plnee. The use of soft wood la likely to improve

the market for those, grades of timber suitable for the purpose. Water Before Feeding. Horses should be watered before their gram feed. This story has been put to the experimental ICSt. A horse was fed" with four quarts of whole oats, and immediately after given water to dilnk. Soon after the horse was killed and opened. a quart of oats was found shimming in the water in the stomach, the remaining three quarts having been forced by the water Into the Intestines. Another horse was given water first, and then about four quarts of oats. Fifteen minntes after this horse was slaughtered, and the entire quantity of oats was found in the stomach, and already digestion was setting in. Horses require more water in hot weather than in cold, and more when at work than when idle. Horses at full work should be watered frequently; three times a day is not too often. The hay and grain should always be pure and swec-t.

Care of Horse*’ Necks. Nine out of every ten farm horses suffer from abrasions of the skin on the neck during the spring work and .this is so severe in many cases as to keep the. horse from doing a full day’s work. Try this plan of treating the farm horse during the season of hard work. After feeding the horse brush off or, better still, wipe it off with a large cloth. Then, with tepid water, sponge the head, neck and shoulders and wipe dry with a clean cloth. If the shoulders show Indications of soreness rub over them a little vaseline and let it remain over night. See that the collar worn fits well and after taking it off wipe it thoroughly with a damp cloth and hang it where it will he thoroughly dry in the morning. It Will pay well to take this little additional care of the -horse during the working season if at np other time. —lndianapolis News,

Grain Feeding. In some observations recently made in the feeding of grain to lambs, one of the most noticeable results was the early maturity of those that had grain from birth. For instance, in one trial the lamb# fed with grain from birth attained an average weight of 113 pounds seven w eeks ear Hep than those that had had no grain previous to fattening, and this weight was reached at a smaller cost in the Instance of the lambs sod on grain from the start. It Is a hard matter to estimate the amount of grain to feed, owing to the variation in the consuming capacity of sheep. In starting it has been customary to feed from half a pound to one pound. A month later the wethers will probably ho taking from one to two pounds, nml during the last month from two to three. —American Cultivator.

Field Beana and Soy Beans. The average results for six years at the Ontario station show that the following varieties of field beans have given the highest yields: White Wonder, Day Improved Leafless, Medium or Navy, Pearce Improved Tree and Schofield Pea. Based on the experiments with soy beans at the college, the Early Yellow is recommended f< r the production of grain for feed, 1 the Medium Green for ensiling with corn.

Horses or Steam Wagons. A !irm of English millers have made an interesting test of the comparative cost of hauling grain by horses or by steam motors. The cost of keeping sbven horses for the year was about $2*500. At the end of 1902 they sold the horses and purchased a five-ton stcnm machine, ran it 5,275 miles, carried 3,875 tons, and burned 41 Mi tons of coal at a total cost of $1,849, showing a decided gain for the steam machine. Farm Notes. Keep all young animals growing and gaining. Avoid working horses in the rain as much -as possible. Ground feed is better than whole grain for growing colts. Sweet food for hogs is bettor than that which' is fermented and soured. All rubbish and prunings from the garden and orchard should be burned. A failing appetite is generally the first Indication of an animal being out of condition. CoaJ ashes, as well as wood ashes, should be Saved and applied on wet, heavy soils. Conveniences for watering and feeding stock are items in saving time, labor and feed on the farm. Corn and oats, half of oach, ground toeether. muke one of the best kinds of feed for cows in milk. The best way to get rid of the currant worm is to dust the leaves with white hellebore. In marly all cases, the best animals are the offspring of mature parents on both sides. Bo ready to cnt clover when the largest number of plant? are in bloom and are turning brown. It should be the aim of every breeder of horses to raise well-bred and well-trained animals. In the management of clover for hay it Is Important not to cure too dry, and to store under shelter; On triany farms, exposure to tha weather Injures farm machinery fujly as mueh. if not more, than use. TUo offspring of immature, undevel* oned animals in inferior to that of matured and full-grown greats. It Is the steady, quiet horse thst cas do tfie biggest day's work when tbs weather k extremely hot—Pointers. , »

DIVISION FOB A STALL.