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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1911)
ft i . i M J. Glvo the lion wldo range. Tomatoes should bo started early. s Potatoes aro n highly specialized crop. Cows should bo kept comfortablo at nil times. Provldo aomo succulent food for owes In winter. Weeds rob tho soil of food olomonts required by other plants, Farm philosophers say this is go ing to bo a vory dry year. Tho milch cow needs a ehcltor from tho suramor storms and heat. A pig that 1b fed grain all his Ufo usually falls to pay expenses. Potatoes require considerable nitro gon and a largo nmount of potash. Tho, plgo should havo n clean, drj' yard to cxorclao In during tho day, A cheap and offcctlvo way of do (horning calves Is with potash caustic. By Judicious cholco of varieties car (rots may bo onjoyed for a long sen eon. -t A dally record of work dono will cut out many of tho wastes of tho farm. , The oat crop ns a raonoy maker on tho farm Is llablo not to recolvo tho attontlon it deserves. Tbo soil on cultivated fields on hilly or rolling land will wash Iosb If plowed well and extra deop. Tho gardener should try to grow tho carrot quickly In' ordor to secure ten der, sweet, uniform spoclmens. One of thechlof reasons for butter 'becoming rancid at an 'early age is the fact that It is not washed thoroughly. One ton of average fresh manure ieontalns ten pounds of nitrogen; one ton of clover hay, 40 pounds of nltro tgea. . Prune tho trcoa lu tho early spring lit posslblo, any month of tho year If necessary, but bo euro to pruno the Itreea. Clover and gross seed may bo sown, and a good stand socured, on oat ground .during tbo last of April and !the first of May. If the buttermilk Is not washed 'out It will furnish abundant food for tho bacteria, stneo thoy thrive on tho casein in the milk. vlth a quiet, steady team a half grown boy, with a sulky plow, can do as good work as a man with the old fashioned walking, plow. There Is no professional study that requires closer work than does the de velopment of the corn plant a com bination of brain toll and nature, Pigs In the pasturo require some sort of crude shelter to protect thorn' from the nun and keep them from blistering and scalding on hot days. i Growing geese require largo quan tities of grass, which thoy will obtain If allowed their rango, and which will cut down the, food bill at least one Imlf. The picking of live gooso for tho live geouo feathers, so called, Is prac ticed lens and less. It Is a cruel prac tice, and ought to be entirely abol ished. Tho nmount of food that the pigs Bhould got cannot bo definitely ad vised. That must be determined by the feeder from tho appetites of tho asBlmllato food. v It has been found that the seeds of, many woods will retain their vitality for IS to 25 years, posBlbly Ionge. and not all of tho given year's seed grows Is any ono your, It Is surprising how few farmers httVA eemont floors in their stables and as a rule they do not realize tho loss thoy sustain by bnvlng tho earth floor or a loaky, filthy plank floor, Poorly-hatched and poorly-brooded chicks furnlshod good grounds In the past' for believing that artificially' hatched chicks wero not aB strong and vigorous as those hntchod by the hen, and they wero not. nut raattora have greatly changed of late years There, are now Incubators and brood lra that are reliable and safe. Clover Is rich In protein. Feed young turkoys bread crumbs. Poultry Is qulto a largo factor with many. ( Tho brooder must bo kept freo from droppings. ' Tho uso of summer silos is growing moro common. , Beet molasses contains over CO de grees of potash per ton. t Tho sows and pigs should bo put on pasturo as soon as posslblo. Tho seed well treated will treat tho farmer to a dlscaso freo crop. Sotno horses have learned to balk by being overloaded and abused, Potatoes will do their best on a well- manured, well-prepared clover sod. Thero nro over 170.000,000 of acro's under wheat cultivation in tho world. Peas, beans and onions wero first known In Egypt many centuries ago. Tho Intelligent enro of trees Is a great 'aid In our battlo with the in sects, Lot tho patch of mangel-wurzols bo Included in tho farm plan for this summor. . Old grass and clovor pastures are much bcnofltod by a drosslng of plas ter and ashos. Ono of tho "unfailing" signs of an. Ignorant or careless feeder is a bunch' of scouring pigs. Weeds sometimes Injure by killing farm stock, or by rendering thoir product unsalable. Tho brood maro In foal should bo handled by n firm, steady hand, not nni excitable, rash hand. 1 Potter to nut un now fenco or mond the old than to spend tho rest of the! summor chasing pigs. ! With tho high cost of feed, n llttlo tankage added to tho ration of hogs every day will pay big. ' When tho cream runs off tho spoon llko oil and has a slight acid tasto It ls( usually rlpo for churning. , It has been found that denatured sugar forms a valuable nud economical addition to skim milk for cnlvvs. Somo dairymen are finding It qulto convenient to havo tho milking room' hold four cows only at ono time. j Stimulato tho soil to a vigorous production by means of thorough cul tivation and liberal use of fertilizer In deop Betting, with plenty of Ice, tho cream Is all up In 12 hours In any of tho good family cronmorles now in uso. Tho age of seed has much to do with tho vitality or germinating. power. Young, bright, shiny seeds' are best. Hogs havo often been tided over a season of ahortngo and kopt in a, thrifty, growing condition, for weeks,' on roangols nlono. Young gooso do not lay as many fer tllo eggs or produce as many goslings, In tho first breeding season as thoy do in tho second. Milk readily absorbs bad odors such as arlso from onions, garlic on decaying vegetables; hence don't Bet the milk pan near them. Grading of cream Is recolvlngmore attention by tho dairy pross and dairymen than it possibly ever has In tho history of tho dairy business. r A good stand of clover cannot be had when sown on fall or spring grain. where only a few hundred pounds of cheap fertilizer Is drilled to tho acre. The worst foaturo of cucumber cul ture is tho Insect posts, but these may bo controlled by dusting with dry Insecticides or oven with bono dust. Tho same lawa that havo sent the prices of beef and pork products al most out of roach of the worklngman will also hold tho prices of poultry products. Where ono has pTenty of land, or land that is too hilly or rocky for regular field cultivation, tho pasturo affords tho cheapest food that can ba grown on tho farm. For markot purposes a stock bird, large-breasted, firmly set on short legs, surmountod by largo thighs, will provo valuable, especially It bolonglng to n family of egg producers. Whether dairying or beet raising should bo carried on depends entirely upon tho tastes of the land owner or rentor and. of course, upon tho condl tlon of tho buildings, tho local market for dairy products, shipping facilities, oto. k Many) very good drJrymcn dlsagroo as to whether It Is bost to separate the cream while It is warm and fresh from the cow or whothcr it Is best to wait until It Is cooled and again brought to tho proper temperature before be ing separated and pasteurized. PEDIGREED STOCK BREEDING PLEASANT Of All Pursultol That City wun country Home Can Indulge In, ' Live Stock Heads List. Prize-Winning (By CAPTAIN WADDELU) Thore aro pleasant profits to bo mado by tho man who Is seeking a country homo and rural pursuits by wny of relaxation from buslnoss, than the ordinary man of this kind has any idea of. A country homo with land nttachod to It would ho a dull placo It there wero not something besides tho fresh air, sconory, babbling brooks, song birds and flowers to admire and oc cupy ono's mind In a way that com bines rest with ploasure. Of all pursuits that tho city business or professional man with a coun try homo and farm can Indulge in, nothing is so pleasant and remunera tive "SjUiat of pedigreed stock brood ing. tJIIb mny comprlso horses of tho various breeds, cattlo, sheep and swine, cither of which whon tnkon hold of practically and souslbly will bring much pleasuro and a good deal of profit to tho man who indulges in It In tho flrst.plnco, thero Is n ready market for good pedigreed Btock of ovory kind, nnd apart from tho pleas uro of breeding them nnd seoing them iiqurlsh nnd grow Into maturity thoro Is tho dollghtfunl fascination of exhib iting them nt tbo vnriouo horso and live stock shows, competing with friends nnd neighbors nnd boating them "with animals ono has bred him- BClf. In tho case of horses almost all tho groat stables of this country that hnvo boon and still nro winning tho majority of tho bluo ribbons through out tho country hnvo Imported all thoso horses from Groat Britain, which robs him of much of tho ploasuro of winning with homo-brod animals, this Is particularly tho enso with heavy harnoss horses, but tho same holdB good In rogard to Shires, Clydesdales, Buffolks, Perchorons nnd Belgians. All the gront winners nt tho groat ihows throughout this country whoro thoso horses nro shown nro Importa tions from England and Scotland in tho first throe cases and Franco nnd Belgium In tho two latter. As far as polo ponies nro concerned It is only necessary to Bay that nlno tontha of the polo ponies that com peted tor tho American cup nt Hurl Ingham two yours ago woro English bred and English purchased, which robbed that splondld nchlovomont of much of Its glory. All these animals ns well as hunt- ors, hackneys and Shetland and Welsh ponies, which nro all in great demand could bo bred In this country as suc GOOD USE FOR Tho Illustration given herowlth shows the varloua uses to which tho disk may bo put In preparing tho soil for a crop: Fig. No, 1 roprcBontca hard, cracked open Boll thut has not boon tilled, snowing how clod formation takes placo and tho depth nt which mola turo can escape from tho ground. Fig. No. 2 represents ground plowed, showing nlr spaco botwoon tho turned over sllco and tho ground beneath. ThlB air spneo prevents a firm and compact seed bed from bolng mudq nnd stops capillary attraction with tho subsoil. Fig. No. 3 la plowed ground disked. Noto that tho nlr spaces Btlll exist. This is what happens whon corn Btnlk ground Is plowed without first being disked. Corn stalk roots and other trash prevent tho ground from becom ing compact nnd Arm. Fig. No, 4 Is ground disked before AND PROFITABLE Bunlneso or Professional Man English Sire. cessfully as thoy aro in tho countries in which their broods originated, and it remains for the man of wealth with a country homo nnd form to show Americans how easily this, can bo dono, and so mako It as plonsant and profltablo as It Is in Great Britain. LICE INFECTED FARM ANIMALS Insect n Moro Troublesome Durlna Spring; When Live Stock Kept Inside Until Warm Weather Arrived. (By n. O, WEATIIEKSTONB.) Llco seem to bo moro troublosomo during tho spring whon tho farm ani mals aro kopl lnsido until warm weather comes than at nny other tlmo during tho yoar nnd as soon as an animal is discovered to bo lousy, tho llco should bo destroyed at onco. Wo have found a strong decoction of to bacco an excellent wash for tho pur poso of destroying llco, but during recent years wo havo boon using a mixture of crudo oil and crudo car bolic acid mixed HO parts crudo oil to ono part crude carbolic acid, and find that this does tho work in a vory thorough nnd effectivo manner. On tho cattlo wo npply it with a band sprayer, but for tho hogs wo profer to una n brush, or to saturate a few gunny snckB or old blankets and wind them nround n post In tho hog yards nnd allow tho hogs to mako thoir own" toilets by rubbing against theso posts. Thoy will soon learn how to apply tho mlxturo whoro It Is most needed and will koop thomsolves froo from thoso pests If thoir beds nnd houses aro kopt clean and disinfected. Lamb Is Helpless. Considerable attention1 should bo given to ewoa and young lambs. - A now-born lamb Is Just about tho most holplcss thing on tho farm, and" fre quently needs a llttlo help to got started In life, but whon fairly under way no young stock will glvo tho own er moro satisfaction; and it will pay to havo patience nnd do all ono can to assist thorn at first. Good for 8cours. A halt cupful of whoat flour and a raw ogg In tho milk, If given to a' calf with scours, Js said to bo vory bonoflclal. DISK HARROW it is plowed. Tho mulch of dirt breaks up capillary attraction so that mois ture cannot cscapo from tho top of tho ground. This permits what moisture thoro is in tho ground to como 6loso to tho surface Fig. No. 6 Is tho disked surface shown in Fig. 4 plowed. Disking tho ground boforo it Is plowed leaves a mulch of fino dirt which fills up tho air spaces loft between tho furrowed alien and tho irround beneath, thun making tho foundation for a firm nnd compact flood bed, Fig. No. 0 illustrates disking boforo and after plowing. Whon tho ground lo treated In this manner tho Bood bod becomes compact and firm in a mnrh flhortor tlmo nnd forms innnrin of capillary attraction. This treatment puts tho ground in such condition that wnouior mo bcubqh uo woi, ary or normal, tho farmer la not taking anj chances. ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN PRODUCTION OF PLANTS In Study of Rudimentary Agriculture One Soon Learns That Things Do Not "Just Happen," But j( ; Follow Inexorable X.&WS. . ' f , ' ' fBy D. j. cnosur.) To show that plants absorb mols turo from tho soil, take two one-quart tin cans as Jienr alike as you can got th6m and punch holes in tho bottoms for drainage. Secure enough garden soil to fill hoth cans, mix It thorough ly, and sift It tot, remove pebbles and clods. Fill both cans level full of loose soil, which should then bo packed by Jarring each can three times on tho tnblo or floor. It Is important to havo tho spil packed allko In both cans. Weigh tho filled enns, and if ono Is hoavior than tho . other, tako out onough soil to bring them to tho samo weight. Plant five or six kornels o.f corn In ono can, wntor both cans allko, and sot them nBido for tho corn to grow. Whenever water is applied to tho can containing corn, an equal amount, should bo applied to tho other can In ordor to keep both soils in about tho samo physical condition. When tho corn 1h threo or four inch es high, wot both soils thoroughly, al low tho cans to Btnnd until water pcasoB to drip from tho bottom, weigh them, nnd record their weights sepa rately. 8ot both cans in a warm light placo whoro tho corn will continue to grow rapidly. Weigh tho cans twlco on the following day morning nnd afternoon and record the weights, keep this up for threo or four days, or until tho corn begins to Buffer from lack of moisture. Wator again and continue as before. You will probably find that tho can containing the grow ing' plants loses moisture much moro rapidly than tho other. This experiment may bo porformed In another way by UBlng flower potB Instead of tin cans. Whon tho corn Is threo or four Inches high, get two lnrd palls or canB Just largo enough to tako in the pots to their rims. Mark ou tho outsldo of tho palls tho depth to which tho pots will extond on tho lnsido, nnd nt a point ono Inch nbovo each mark mado a dent which- can bo distinctly seen on tho inBldo of tho pall. Now fill .each pall with wator up to tho dent, water both pots thoroughly, and Bet them in tho palls as shown In tho figure. Set both palls and pots In a warm, light placo so that tho corn will contlnuo to crow. Tho noxt day reraovo tho potB, nnd you wm nnd that tho water is hot up to the dents. VOU will nnnnlmln. nnrl naturally,' that tho soil has taken up Moisture Demonstration. turo from tho soil. C, to show that plants Klyo oft part of the molsturo from the soil. tho wator. From an eight-ounce grad uato pour Into ono pall just enough wator to bring it up to tho dont again. Mako a record of tho nmount neces sary to do this. Fill tho graduate and bring tho water in tho other pall up to the dent, nepeat theso opera tions dally for two or threo wookB and you will bo able to find out ex actly how much molsturo tho grow ing plant nbi$rba.' In ordor to show that plants glvo off moisture, tako n plant that is well started In a tomato can or flower pot, a pieco of cardboard, and a glass tumbler largo enough to cover tho plant, cut a silt In tho cardboard and draw It around tho plant, seal tho silt wlth-pltch, wax, or tallow so that no molBture can como up through it from below; cover tho plant with tho glass and f set It In a warm, sunny place. Molsturo will condense on tho Inner Burfaco of tho glass. It molsturo docs not condense read ily lnsido the glass, cool the glass by exposing It to a current of cold air or by wrapping it for a mlnuto or two In a cloth wrung out of cold water. The outsldo of tho glass should then bo dried so tho molsturo on tho out sldo will not obscure that within. That water absorbed by tho roots of plants is forced upward through tho plant can bo demonstrated by Bovorlng tho stem of a geranium threo or four inches from tho surface of tho Boll, setting on top of tho cut end of the stem a section of glass tubing sovoral inches long, and fastening tho two togother by wrapping tho Joint with a strip of adhesivo tapo or sur geon's plaster. Keep tho root of the MAKING HOTBED ON SURFACE If plenty ot manuro can bo obtained a hotbed may bo mado on tho surface by making a layer 2V& feet deep and oxtendlng eoveral feet boyond tho sides and ends ot tho frame Pack tho manuro solid and leave for a fow days before putting on the soil. Itlch gar plant norranl by supplying it with wa ter. Noto what happens ltiBldo tho glass tube, making observations every few1 hours. ' To show that water and whatever substances it holds In solution circu late to all partB of tho plant, All a tumbler about one-third full of luke warm water colored with a few drops of red ink or Bdmo other brilliant coloring matter, and placo in colored' water tho freshly cut stems of whlta carnations, 'white roses, lilies of tho valley, or othor whlto flowers, or tho twigs of trees with young leaves on, or almost any soft green plant. Bo suro that thoy aro fresh. In a short timo the colored water will riso through the stems or twigs and may bo seen distributed In vein-like ' pat torn through tho petals of tho flowers or through tho leaves. Hold tho loaves up to tho light and tho col oring nfattor can bo seen moro clear ly. In :hls manner tho stem of tho plant carries food in solution which has been absorbed by tho roots. GUARD YOUNG FRUIT TREES It Mulched and Not Properly- Pro tected Much Damage Will Have Been Dene By Mice Best Ma terial la Wire Screening. (By W, A. PATRICK.) If your young troes wero mulched Inst fall and not properly protected from mlco and rabbits, you will prob ably bo surprised whon you visit the orchard to find that many of them havo been rulnod. Mulch Is a good thing for tho trees, but It Is also a good thing for mlco, aB It affords them tho best protection during tho winter and thoy gather in largo num bers around tho1 foot of thotreos and oat away tho barkt $ x Protection is easy. Tho best mato- rial Is wlro screening, although Borao use tnrrcd paper and veneer from wood. Spmo orchardlsts- practlco tramping snow around tho base of their trees, but oftentimes this is neg lected nnd tho trees aro injured bo foro tho work is accomplished. Tho protectors should be pressed into the ground deop enough to provent tho mlco from crawling under. Person ally 1 profer wlro screening, but In caso tarred paper Is used It should bo promptly removed In tho spring to prevent injury from scalding. Transplanting Asparagus. Somo growers prefer lifting, aspara-. guB plants in the fall, choosing, only the strongest for planting In tho per manent plantation. If tbo ground Is prepared early in tho spring, the plants need not bo lifted until plant ing begins, but tho safer courso is to tako the plants up In tho fall and storo thorn in a cool, moist collar or pit. Exporlments at tho Pennsylvania state collcgo indicate that too much care cannot be oxercisod in tho selec tion nnd planting of asparagus roots. This Is ono of tho main arguments for growing one's own plants. If they aro purchased nt about ?4 a thou sand, It Is not likely that many will bo discarded, while it grown nt homo and thero is n surplus of several thou sand, tho growor does not hosltato to select tho strongest. It is lmportnnt that thinning bo practiced In tho nur sery with a viow to growing tho bost plants. This should bo dono when the plants aro about two Inches high. They should bo thinned to one or two Inches apart. Mulch the Beds. A mulch Bhould bo placed over the boda In tho fall. It provents tho plants from heaving out of tho ground by frost, protects thom during tho winter, conserves moisture tho second Benson boforo and during tho harvesting sea son, discourages growth of weods and protects tho berries from sand and other dirt. Scraping and Pruning, Scraping old applo troes to roraovo loosp bark Is n good practlve when combined with Judicious pruning. It makes tho trees look hotter and do bettor, nnd It reduces tho numbor ot insect hiding placos. Onco In three to llvo years If often enough to do It Dividing Point. In tho garden tho Fourth of Jul) Is tho natural date or dividing point botween tho early or first crops, and tho late or second crops. -5ASH den loam n trlflo sandy is best foi tho purpose. Value of Mulching. Mulching answers practically the samo purposo as cultivation In keeping down weeds nnd conserving moisture.