Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1905 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

The man "who can improve over his pperations of last year and do this year in and year out is greater than •» man who "takes a city.” liecause sheep will make better use of poor pasture than will any other stock do not undertake to keep them on one that is bare. The time of year is approaching When some over-enthusiastic road worker gets into the roadway to scour bls plow. Such men know the least about road working of anybody and they should be looked after by the grand jury. One lesson of this kind will teach them to take proper care of their plows another year. We want I'o road working of this character. The floor of any poultry bouse should always be slightly higher than the surroundings, says A. V. Meersch Ju Western Poultry Journal. This can be obtained by filling in with soil until the floor is raised sufficiently. If boarded floors are used the surface should be kept covered with about half an inch of silted material, which should be renewed at least once a week in order to keep the floor clean and dry. It is necessary that all the farm machinery to be used now be In perfect order. Every hour lost in making ready after work begins will be equivalent to two lost. There are two times when machinery can be put in repair to advantage; one when the tool was used the last time and just before it is to be used for the first time in tlie season. A person is in a better condition to note repairs when the tool is put away than at any other time. We are prone to neglect things and then we are also liable to forget The farmer doesn’t have to solicit patronage from any one. He doesn’t have to enter into competition and strife with any of his neighbors like a merchant; he doesn’t have to wrangle like a lawyer for a living; he does not have to depend on his collections reluctantly doled out as editors do; in fact, he can be the most independent man on God’s green earth if he manages his business in a businesslike way. He has f wer allurements for corrupting his morals and his morals and his occupation is more conducive to the highest development of his physical powers than any other. The father of a fourteen year-old boy was berating “book-fanning” and the "farm paper” when the son, who was of an inquiring mind wanted to know some more about the business., The son asked his father if he did not know something about farming, to which he was answered that he did. lie asked if “Uncle Dave was not a good fanner?” to which his father replied: “Yes, your Uncle David is an excellent farmer.” “Well,” says the boy, “if what you know and what Uncle David knows were to be written in a book would it not be book farming?” There was nothing for the father to do but to come down and acknowledge tha> the son was right. “Book farming” is all right if the book is right. It depends on the book and the author. Much of the old prejudice against book farming is dying out.

The Creamery for Ice Cream. The creamery industry 'n Maryland is in some respects quite different from that found in the west, inasmuch as most of those in this State do not contine themselves to the making of butter, but make butter only as a means of utilizing surplus and sell most of their products as cream or ice cream. The selling of the products of creameries for cream and ice cream rather Ilian the making of it into butter has enabled the farmer to realize better prices than would be obtained otherwise. Some creameries of the State that have made all of their products Into butter have been run quite successfully, while many have been a disappointment to the farmers and could not hold their patronage because of the low prices paid for milk.—C. T. I tonne. Druiving the Wet Spots. The business man Is constantly going through ills factory or store look* ing for places where there is a leak or where he can utilize space or material to better advantage than before. It seems almost impossible to Induce farmers to work along similar lines, yet there are hundreds of farms through the country that need Just this attention. We are nil familiar with the man who will scatter his operations over many acres fur from his home and barns whtii right close by there may be a few acres which wottid yield him enormous returns if properly prepared. The low spots which might be made exceedingly fertile are most often neglected. Frequently a few furrows struck Just right will provide all the drainage necessary to make n place for celery which would bring in large returns. Instead of reclaiming this valuable strip of ground the average fanner with many acres either pays no attention to it or turns the swine 'ou it to wallow. Possibly such a rtrlp •f ground has remained uncultivated

for years, and is practically virgin soil, needing only a little time and expense to make it very valuable. Can Yon Grow Good Grain? It may not be generally known that nearly all seedsmen are obliged to have a portion of their seeds grown for them just as many breeders of fancy poultry engage farmers to care for their young stock. A progressive farmer in New York was an expert grower of potatoes, and for many years grew nearly a hundred acres of potatoes for seed on contract for one of the large seedsmen in another State. This man is now in business for himself, making a specialty of seed potatoes. If one is an expert in growing some particular crop it will pay to correspond with some reputable seedsman nearby and see if an arrangement cannot be made to grow some of his seed for him. Generally an arrangement can be made which will be much more profitable than growing the same crop for the open market. Do not, however, make this proposition unless you are prepared to grow the best and deliver it as pure as possible. Choos in is a Dairy Cow. In the year book of the Idaho State Farmers’ Institutes C. L. Smith describes an ideal dairy cow thus: “She should have a big mouth, thick lip, large nostrils, a smooth-dished face, wide forehead, large, prominent eyes, thin on neck and shoulder, but widening down, fore leg’s wide apart, so wide that one might crawl between them, full chest, sharp back wedgelike, backbone rather prominent, ribs to start away from the backbone; that is, to slant away and have two ribs right over small of barrel, far enough apart so that the open flat hand will go In between them. This is a particularly good Indication of a large milker. The swell of ribs, paunch, should be large, with heavy muscle running from hip Joint diagonally down across the abdomen; cow should be broad on hip and well developed over hip; hind legs well apatVwitli good show of udder back of them, extending well up; udder also to begin well in front; but discard a cow that has a meaty’, fleshy udder, the ideal formation being circle shape, with the four teats well apart and square on end, and this indicates an easy milker, while, where the udder is well quartered up and the teats are big at shoulder and pointed, it denotes a hard milker. The vein that runs from the udder to the heart should be large. If this vein is small and straight, look out. On the contrary, if big and crooked, it indicates a heavy milker. Notwithstanding all these ‘good signs,’ the final test is the milk pail and the Babcock test, because there are exceptions to all rules.”

The Watering of Horses. The question as to the best time for watering horses is often asked, and is answered in a number of differen ways according to the individual opinions of the authority consulted. Many feeders believed that horses should be watered before feeding, while others are equally certain that feeding should precede watering. C. F. Langworthy, in a very useful bulletin, entitled ‘‘Principles of Horse Feeding.” summarizes the results of some recent experiments wlflffh he believes have reached the truth of the matter. The rations fed consisted of different mixtures of corn, oats, hay and straw, and a number of experiments were made, in which the only condition that varied was the time of watering. In some of these tests the horses drank before and in some after eating. and in others after the grain portion of the ration was eaten, but before the hay. So far as was observed, the time of drinking had no effect on the digestibility of a ration of grain ami hay. When hay only was fed there seemed n slight advantage in watering before feeding. The general conclusion was drawn that horses may be watered before, during or after meals without Interfering with the digestion and absorption of food. All these methods of watering are equally good for tlie horse, and each of them may bo employed according to circumstances. It Is obvious that certain circumstances may make It necessary to adopt one or the other method. For instance, after severe loss of water, such" ns occurs In consequence of long continued. severe exertion, the animal should always be allowed to drink before ho is fed, as otherwise he will not feed well. It has been found that loss water Is required when the ration consists largely of concentrated feed than when large amounts of couttse fodder are consumed, ami It is a matter of common observation that less water Is consumed when green, succulent feeds form a considerable part of the ration than when it consists of dry feed. That the amount of water taken. even In dry fees!, may be considerable is shown by the fact tlmt a ration of twelve pounds of oats and fifteen pounds of hay furnish some twenty pounds of water. A succulent ration would furnteb much mors.