Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1907 — FARM AND GARDEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARM AND GARDEN

Give the hogs clean straw every few flays. The farm practically without weeds Is possible where the weeds are not permitted to grow’ and propagate seeds. At the present prices for lumber a good cottonwood grove would make a farm several hundred dollars more valuable if we were buying. - • There Is danger in some States and sections to let the “corn craze” lead to the neglect of other farm crops which will prove profitable. Plowing and harrowing soil early in the fall puts a stop to the loss of moisture, and for that reason early plowing liberates fertility by natural agencies. When a farmer plants a field of corn, the issue with him Is to obtain a large yield, but quite often he forgets, neglects or does the wrong thing and fails. There is more than merely the selection of good seed. - Why not paint all the farm buildings one color? This makes uniformity, which results in a much more attractive appearance all around, rather than a crazy-quilt-patch-work effect where the buildings are not of one color.

Select seed com that has been kept In a dry place, as that In the crib, 1 f it was exposed last winter, may be Injured to a certain extent. Dampness in winter is not favorable to seed corn, as the com will not stand freezing and thawing. Careful farmers hang the ears in the barn loft, so as to permit of the com becoming perfectly dry. There are two kinds of farmers In every neighborhood. One kind really farms the soil in such a manner that it will not wear out, the other farms like a beggar begs. The latter wants to get all he can from the soil without putting anything back. Such men are mlrfers, for they seem to think the, supply of fertility was placed there just like the supply of coal. Strawberry leaf blight is Indicated by withering of the leaves, little brown spots forming on the leaves, becoming white with rims of red about them. The disease makes its appearance in the summer after the crop has been gathered. It is supposed to most affect those plants that have made a heavy growth during the season. The leaves may be mowed off and burned and the new leaves that start may sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. If there is mulch lying about it should also be burned to prevent it spreading the disease from spores that may have fallen on it

—jßntwtc Iw Milking. -V The well-known phenomenon of “not . giving down”. tbe mllk ls claimed tobe the result of lack of nervous tone in the glands, brought about by some kind of excitement The udder is not a container in which the milk is readily stored up at milking time, but an organ In which the greater part of the milk Is elaborated while milking or suckling Is In progress, by virtue of the agitation produced. Unless the cow Is in perfect repose this secretion will not take place normally; The lesson to be derived from this is that the cow should be treated with the greatest gentleness, and otherwise kept free from excitement, specially during the time of mliking or suckling. Apples from Aust rail*. The arrivals at New York of a thousand barrels of apples from Australia Is a noteworthy event commercially, but It Is also of Interest as showing the growth of the transportation business. Many bulky and weighty products which formerly were not shipped at all, or only In small Quantities, now furnish an Immense business for the railways and steamships. One need only Instance lee, iron ore, concrete, structural steel and tropical fruits. At the same time the transportation of grain, coal, fertilizers, sand, crushed stone, building stone, gravel, and other weighty articles has Increased by leaps and bounds. Is It any wonder that the railways are taxed beyond their capacity and that there Is an ever-in-creasing demand for more trackage, more sidings and more rolling stock? Water transportation has seemed almost obsolete, and yet/ with all this enormous growth In freights, the improvement of our rivers would seem to be a necessity.—Springfield News. Cattlaa* and Yo«b* Float*. Cuttings can be started In pots of sandy compost, with a glass tumbler over to confine the moisture, and kept from the sun for two or three days Then place the pots in the warmest window, exposed to the southeast Wet •and is also excellent tor growing cuttings, and they will start quicker than In compost A shallow pan la prefer-

able; fill it up with sand (not sea sand), sopping wet, then press in the cuttings tightly and keep them wet When the leases -show’ themselves, in two or threedays, transplant into pots filled with light, sandy loam. After shading a day or two they may have ample sunshine and sufficient water to keep them moist - Cuttings taken from the fresh growth of a plant strike best It is better to break off a branch of geraniums than to cut It, if It breaks easily. Cuttings of roses, heliotrope, etc., will grow better if taken off at the junction of the old and new wood; and should be cut off just below a point or bud, as the roots start from that point; and if the bud is not left near the base the cutting is liable to decay in the soil. ■ Spraying; Potatoes, An account is given of potato spraying experiments In which threeplats were sprayed In duplicate with Bordeaux mixture. One plat was sprayed with plain Bordeaux mixture, the second with Bordeaux mixture to which a quantity of resin-soda solution was added, and the third with Bordeaux mixture containing unrefined 'sugar. The quantity of Bordeaux mixture used was at the rate of about 300 gallons per acre, sixty gallons being applied at the first application and 120 gallons at each of the other applications, saysanlndjajournaT. The yield of the different plats is shown, from which it appears that the spraying resulted in a substantial profit. The largest returns were obtained from the plats sprayed with Bordeaux mixture to which resin and soda were added, followed by Bordeaux mixture containing sugar and plain Bordeaux. Carious The stories told by poultry keepers in regard to the laying of eggs are in danger of becoming viewed by the public in the same suspicious light as the tall yarns of fishermen, says the Molasslne World. It is announced that an egg laid by a hen belonging to a coast guards officer at Bridgeport measured 7% Inches by 6% inches, while another of similar size picked up in a farmyard at Fenny Stratford was, on being opened, found to contain a perfectly formed second egg. The record monster chicken’s egg is believed to be one of Bx 7 Inches, and weighing 5 ounces. The most freakish eggs are attributed to ducks. The Weston Park museum, Sheffield, has a duck’s egg which contains another smaller one inside, and a still greater curiosity is a twin egg. the two being joined together end to end. In a museum at Paris a curious four-footed goose lays an egg which is Invariably misshapen, and the shell of which is so brittle that it breaks if touched. All efforts to preserve these eggs have been futile. An egg apparently in a state of perfect preservation is reported to have e been discovered imbedded in the mortar of an ancient church near Paris. As the wall had been standing for fully 800 years, the egg must have been undisturbed for all that long period. - Control of Hog Cholera. Scattered outbreaks of hog cholera are presentlninany sections of the country. These outbreaks, and infected yards as well, are the centers from which the disease spreads. Another Important factor in perpetuating the disease from year to year, is the feeding of infectious material to hogs in order to Immune them. Such methods of immunization cause a light form of the disease, the germs become scattered about the yards and the health of neighboring herds is endangered, says R. A. Craig, author of a Perdu bulletin.

In neighborhoods where outbreaks of hog cholera occur, stockmen should practice such precautions as are neecessary against the spread of the disease. This control work should not be left to the owner of the diseased herd. When this disease occurs on a farm the herd should be quarantined and nil precautions taken against the spread of the infection to neighboring herds. The diseased animals should not be scattered over the farm, or allowed to run in yards that border on re h thr, and bogs that have a chronic form of the disease must be prevented from straying away or mixing with neighboring herds. Other farm animals should not be allowed to run through Infected yards, or litter allowed to accumulate In the yards. The hoghouses, feeding floors, etc., should be cleaned dally and disinfected. The most convenient and practical disinfectants to use are the tar disinfectants or stock dips. These may be used in Stwo to four per cent water soluThe final cleaning up of the Ises must be thorough. All litter should be burned, or placed where other animals cannot come in contact with it The dead bogs should be burned. The Veterinary Department has been experimenting with a hog cholera vaccine during the past year. The vaccine used was prepared from the tissues of rabbits that died from Inoculation with blood of a cholera hog. The results of this method of conferring Immunity have been satisfactory, and the vaccine will be tested In ths field the coming season. * i