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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 1899)
FARM AND GARDEN. MATTERS OF INTEREST TO AGRICULTURISTS. Boms Cp-to-Dnte Hints Aboat Cul tivation of tlia Soil nnil Yield Thereof Horticulture, Viticulture nnil floriculture. The Cow Ia. Herewith wo tllustrato the cow-pea. As will bo Been, It Is moro of a bean than a pea. Bulletin 102 of tho U. S. Department of Agriculture Bays ot It: Tho cow-pea ha3 been cultivated In tho South for at least 150 years. It was probably first Introduced on plan tations In South Carolina, tho seeds having iecn brought from India or China. From this original Introduc tion and from subsequent Importations 1(3 cultivation has spread to almost every farm nnd plantation In the southern states. Cow-peas are, In their relationship nnd habit of growth, real ly beans and not peas an tho nurao in dicates. They are annuals and are closely relnted to the lablab. lima and haricot beans ot our gardens. Varieties. Cow-peas occur In every gradation of habit, from a compact, Rtocky upright bush having stems u foot high with very short latcrnl branches to tho30 with trailing run ners growing as flat upon the ground ns sweet potato or melon vines, tho prostrate stems 15 to 20 feet In length. Tho pod3 vary from 4 to 1C Inches in length, and tho peas nro ot every lm nglnnblo shado of white, yellow, green, pink, gray, brown, red, purple and black, ot solid colors or variously mottled nnd speckled, nnd of varying gIzcs and forms, from largo kidney- shaped to llttlo round ones smaller than tho garden pea. There lsn like variation In tho length of timo the dif ferent forms require to ripen seed, somo requiring eight or nlno months, a few ripening In CO days from tho timo of planting. Horticultural Observation. Massachusetts has again this year appropriated $200,000 for the extermin ation of tho gypsy moth. This makes over half a million dollars that have been so expended. It should point a moral, and that Is that thero ought to bo a branch of tho goneral government whoso duty It Is to keep out Injurious Insects, Tho proper olllcers, armed with authority, could not only In many instances provent tho Introduction of insect pests, but they could attack and destroy tho pests that did cot a foot hold before they could spread. California has profited greatly by tho short crop of peaches this year In all of tho states east of tho Rocky moun tains where peaches are grown. Even tho merchants ot Georgia have been buying California peaches by tho car load and selling them at a good price to local consumers. This can but stlm ula'to thd planting of peach orchards In California and wo look, to see great ac tivity in that state tho coming season. New orchards will doubtless go In by tho thousands ot acres. On tho other hand tho growers ot peaches In tho states whero tho crop was this year a failure seem not to bo discouraged and promise to put In largo areas of now trees. The high prices of this year seem to havo moro effect than tho failure of tho crop. As a consequence in n few years wo may expect to see tho supply of peaches enormously in creased, It Is reported from Franco that tho Lombardy poplars, which havo so long been a decoration ot roads in that country, nro being cut away and their places takon by plum trees. Tho process of supplanting tho poplars by tho fruit trees has been going on for several years, and It Is said that already tho fruit from somo of tho plum trees Is bolng sold for tho benefit of the dis tricts through which tho roads pass. It seoms that tho public does not hesi tate In thoso countries to derivo all tho rovenuo possible from sales of fruit even though It does como Into compe tition with tho prlvata producers ot fruit. In Belgium it Is said that this revenue amounts to over $2,000,000 per year. The planting of fruit, trees by tho roadsldo Is not a thing to bo en couraged unless tho fruit Is to bo care fully looked after and bo the property cither of tho government or of tho man on tho side ot whoso land It Is. Fruit trees left to tako care ot thcmsolvos soon become objects that nro anything but adornments to tho highways. Venn' WooiM. Pennsylvania has takon n highly commendablo stand on tho forest pres ervation question. Investigation hns shown that tho water supply of tho stato will bo endangered unless suita ble protection Is afforded to tho forest land situated at tho head waters of tho Bt&te's streams. Tho Immedlato connection between water supply ot streams and forest preservation Is be coming realized at homo by oven East ern pcoplo whero Irrigation is not nec essary. Governor Stono has deter mined to make fore3t protection one ot tho features of his administration. Ho has appointed a commission to ce lect and locate threo state forest res ervations, aggregating 120,000 acres, at tho head waters of rivers ot tho stato. Tho Stato Hoard of Property has unan imously declared In favor of obtaining these lands ns natural reservoirs, de claring that the control ot them Is Pennsylvania's ono hope of preserving her agricultural and farming Interests as well as water supply. Reduction In Cnttlo ItocclpM. Tho Drovers Journal has gathered from official sources tho combined re ceipts ot cnttlo at Chicago, Kansaa City, St. Louis and Omaha for the last eight years, and gives them as fol lows: Number ot Years. Cattle Marketed. 1892 0,469.270 1833 G,103,154 1891 0,166,384 1895 6,537.091 189G 5.G77.830 1897 5,985,817 1898 6.84C.716 So far tho runs ot 1899 do not vary very much from thoso ot 1898. With tho unprccedentedly largo demand for beef at home and abroad considered In connection with tho nbove figures It would bo strango Indeed If cattlo woro worth no moro on tho market than during tho preceding years. Win led Corn rodder. Each year, as tho seasons como and go, wo noto tho major portion ot tho country's corn crop Is allowed to stand until tho "cold chilly vlnd3 of November" havo blown hundreds of tons of tho very best of our corn plant away. And yet many farmers who suffer this practice on their farms ilnd their young cattlo, cows and horses sorely In need of Just such feed as they hav willingly allowed to go to waste, sayr W. D. Wodo in Rural World. In tbi corn belt of tho Mississippi valley thers Is enough corn fodder allowed to go to the wasto places to winter well threo times ns many cattlo and sheep as aro maintained within this territory. It's true this crop cannot bo properly savod without somo labor and expense, but with the modern corn harvester, which cuts and binds In convenient form this vqluablo crop, no reasonable oxcuso can bo offered for allowing it to bo carried to tho fenco corners and ditches by tho fall winds. Lot us note theso things In timo this year. When to l'low Stubblo (Irounri. Stubblo ground should unquestion ably bo plowed whllo tho molsturo Is still In tho soli. Experiments ot tho station show thnt slmplo plowing U quite as cffectlvo for moisture con servation ns any tillage yet tested.- If timo does not permit plowing tho speedy work of tho disk harrow com pares favorably In efllcloncy. In either case, If rain follows Biifllclent to start tho weeds, kill them with a harrow. ThlB will at tho same timo break up any crust and preservo tho soil mulch. This treatment not only Insures a per fect seed bed for wheat In respect to molsturo, but tho soil has timo to settle to tho firm conditions so advantageous to Wheat, and tho bareness, warmth and molsturo arc most favorable to tho formation ot nitrates from organic matter. Nitrates aro highly Important for successful whent production. Bul letin Kansas Experiment Station, Forest Flrc3. Of nil tho foes which attack tho woodlands of North Ameri ca no other Is so terrlblo as fire. For est fires spring from many different causes. They aro often kindled nlong railroads by sparks from tho locomo tives. Carelessness Is responsible for many fires. Settlers and farmers clear ing land or burning grass and brush often allow tho fire to escapo Into tho woods. Somo ono may drop a half burned match or tho glowing tobacco of a plpo or cigar, or a hunter or pros pector may neglect to extinguish his camp flro, or may build It whero it will burrow Into tho thick duff far beyond his reach, to smolder for days, or weeks, and perhaps to break out as a destructive flro long after ho Is gone. Many fires nro set for mnllco or re venge, and tho forest Is often burned ovor by huckleberry pickers to Increase tho next season's growth of borrles, or by tho owners of cattlo or shcop to irnke better pasture for their herds. Argentine Horses In England. Eng land receives from tho Argentlno a number of horses, varying from 504 to over 1,000 per annum, says tho Stock Breeders' Magazine. Theso lncludo bus horses, bred from Clydesdales, and other heavy-draught breeds, light shaft horses, and hacks. Somo Argentlno polo ponies sold well In England last year. They woro pronounced quick In starting and turning, but wanting In pace. Exporters do not seem to find much business In tho remission of horses to Eugland. They complain that they havo to pay as much In Ar gentina for a really good horso ns the price ho will fetch at homo, and that a string of general animals will scarcely sell for moro than the cost ot their freight and fodder. Angora Wool. Many loiters regard ing Angora goats ask tho price of wvol. Tho clip from our Angoras nt Clovor Crest brought 34 conta for tho best grades and 20 cents for two or three ot tho coarsest. Tho bc3t price was received for tho long nnd flno fleeces. In ono lleeco tho mohair was eighteen Inches long and weighed nlno pounds. Tho coarsest fleeces aro tho lightest. Cut straw is good filling for tho hen's nest. Unking EiUm CheriS: Hollanders havo long been known as careful choeso makers, nnd Edam chceso Is a Holland specialty, Tho northern part of tho llttlo country Is tho scat of tho Edam chetfso Industry and great cleanliness and caro Is ex ercised In tho making. Tho cheese la made from fresh cow's milk. As soon as curdled by tho rennet, tho whoy Is drawn off nnd tho curd kneaded and pressed Into tho ball-llko molds until qulto dry. Tho ball is then wrappod in a linen cloth and kept tor ten days or two weeks until quite solid, when tho cloth Is removed nnd tho choeso put into to It lyo. It Is noxt put Into n vessel and washed with whey and Bcraped to remove tho whlto crust of salt It Is next cnrrlcd Into a cool room and laid on sholves, whoro It Is turned regularly. Ripening Edam checso takes from two to threo months, tho round balls assuming their fine yollow or reddish color. Thoso cheeses intended for export to this country aro often moro highly colored by vegetable dyos. Among somo of tho commission men In Chicago It Is believed that tho poul try crop of this year Is about the amo as that of tho past yoar. There Is bolleved to bo considerable Increase of turkeys, whllo chlckons remain about tho sams Ducks nnd gecso are less in numbers, Tho cold and wot spring is given n3 tho general cause ot a not moro abundant supply. The supply of turkeyn Is put nt possibly 25 per cent moro than last year. The causo for this Is doubtless tho good prlcea that havo been realized for a few years past for good turkeys. There has been no kind ot poultry that has brought tho farmer moro satisfactory returns. But this condition in former years was brought nbout by a short age. Perhap3 wo may expect to sco turkeys moderato in price this season when they really begin to como In. Chlckons aro not a lurgo crop for tho sa mo reason, thnt Is, tho moderate prices that havo prevailed for some time. The stato ot tho market ot past years was tho Inccntlvo for tho change In kind of fowls being prepared foi market. Tho same Is true of th shortngo In ducks nnd geese. In fat' wo may expect to sco these changes go on from year to year. Tho wise course among poultrymen would seem to bo to chango less and catch tho high market ottcner. Skeep Killed by I'orcuplne Gran. Wo nro hearing many complaints ot tho loss of Bhcop by injuries from that vory injurious grass known ns porcu pine gras3, also called Stlpa Spartoo by botanists, oays American Shcop Broed er. It Is found from Illinois and In dlana, and northwest Into tho Cana dian territories. It Is most noted for its feathery head made up of long awns which aro twisted as a cork screw, and covered with short plumy fibers, making It much llko a feather. The shcop, feeding among this gras3 when tho heads aro about ripe, take up in their fleeco many ot theso awns, which nro easily loosened from tho head. Theso awns entangled In tho wool untwist In tho wot or damp weather, or even In a dewy night, but In tho warm dry days they twist again; In this mnnnor they forco tho sharp points of tho nwns Into tho flesh nnd every exposure to cltemato dampnes3 and dryness foiccs tho barbed nwns deeper and deeper Into tho flesh, so that In timo tho sheep aro absolutely transfixed by theso sharp Bcrows llko needles. Tho result Is that tho shoop become affoctcd In tho samo way as by serious disorders ot tho stomach and bowels, but of courso no treatment suggested by this belief has any effect lu relieving them. Tharo hnvo been so many instances of this kind tho past month, and so many every yoar later in tho season, that attention Is called to this Injurious grass so that nil con cerned mny tako suitable precautions. It Is dlfllcult to suggest any practical means to got rid of this grass, as It la perennial, and plowing nnd cultivating of tho land only will eradicate It. Doubtless tho most satisfactory means will bo to watch tho sheep and gathor from tho fleeco all tho awns which havo been takon up by tho wool, or keep the Hocks from pasturos on which this grass grows. Sheep Feed Short In England. Ac cording to tho Mark Lano Express the sheep breeders on tho English farms havo raised but small supply of feed stuffs. Tho ronters havo made but llt tlo and their landlords nro themselves too poor to glvo assistance to their tenants. Farm labor Is so high as to absorb profits. Tho turnip crop, so Im portant a sheep feed in that country, has been cut short by drouth, pastur ago 1b poor, and In many casos water supply Is defcctlvo. As a result tho farmers, or many of thorn, will bo un ablo to proporly winter tholr flocks, and the doflclency In feed and water supply, tho Express thinks will causo a heavy falling off In tho lamb crop, Burning Up the Cow. Thero must bo a reasonable limit, however, In feeding fat-forming feed. Prof. Otis vory truly sayB a true dairy cow, fed on a ration rich lit protein and light In carbohydrates, will contlnuo to do volop for years, both In ability to coii Rtimo feed nnd to yield milk, and prop erly handled does not reach her high est ylold until olght or ton years old, and Is then good for from five to olght more years of profitaLlo work. A cow hoavlly fed on a ration ot average composition, greatly deficient In pro tein and high In carbohydrates, does burn out nnd will not last long. Dela ware Dairyman. Reports from Boston Indicate that tho renovated butter law passed at tho last session ot tho Massachusetts legislature Is a dead letter. Tho proj csi butter Is bolng sold freely thero without any marking to distinguish It from flrat-cluss butter. DAIRY AND POULTRY. INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR OUR RURAL READERS. How Bnccuful farmers Operate ThU Department of t lie Farm A Few Hints a tn tho Cnro of Lira fjtook nnil l'oultrj. IMIr? Nolo. Frcjh French butter seems to bo los ing Its place tn the English market, according to a report from Paris. In 187G tho vnluo of nil butter exported from Franco was about $20,000,000. In 1883 tho amount had dropped to about $17,000,000, of which aoout $14,000,000 worth was Baited butter. That left about $3,000,000 worth as tho value ot fresh butter exported. In tho yoar 1898 tho ontlro value of fresh butter ox ported from Franco wns only about $1,500,000. Tho board ot health of Rochester, N. Y., has takon up tho Investigation of milk for bnctcrla. Perhaps tho board understands what It Is trying to do, but other pooplo aro still wait ing lor Information. They havo passed a rule making 100,000 bacteria por cubic centimeter tho limit In salablo milk. So far ns wo know tho rulo docs not nnmo tho bacteria, but includes nil alike. It Is presumed that tho desir able ferments nro objected to as much ns thoso that aro ttndestrablo, so far as this rulo goes. Wo do not caro to criticise till wo know tho wholo lntont of this regulation. But nt this dls tanco It seems llko a very doubtful expedient. A very dangerous milk might contain only a few thousand bacteria, but thoy might bo ot n vory harmful sort. Would that kind ot milk pass tho Inspector? On tho other hand, It may bo possible that a now and vnluablo Idea is being workod out and that wo aro entering on an era ot greater certainty as to tho real com position nnd contents ot tho product that Is sold to us as pure milk. Reports from tho Minnesota Stato Fair say that tho acorlng of butter was mado especially valuablo to tho cream ery butter-makers this year. After tho butter had been Judged and prizes awarded tho competing butter exhibit ors woro permitted to go Into tho ex hibit room nnd rcscoro the butter for their own Information and instruc tion. Many ot them availed thorn selves ot tho privilege It Is doubtless true that many of our butter exhibits fall in their purposo for tho reason that thoso that aro beaten In tho com petition havo no way of ascertaining by actual comparison of tho butters tho standard to which each should work. It Is barely possible that some export judges of exhibition butter do not llko tho idea, as it may cxposo them to criticism. If a beaten exhib itor does not havo a chance to tasto all tho butters ho has llttlo ground on which to Impench tho correctness of tho Judges, but as soon as ho Is per mitted with others to go over tho ground It is possible for him to make vigorous objections If ho thinks him self nggrlovcd. In most cases theso criticisms nro unjust, but In tho Inter est of advancement they should bo ac cepted by tho Judges. Wo wish to commonJ tho good work thnt 13 being dono by tho Illinois Dairy Union. It has been prosecuting the men, or somo ot them, who havo been selling oleomargarine for butter. It (lads legal dllllcultlcB that It Is not easy to surmount. It hns now started n movement to hnvo all Illinois butter sold under a trade-mark. Any in fringement of the trade-mark will bo moro easily prosecuted than tho moro violation of tho oleo laws. The Dairy Union Is now furnishing n protected label, which reads as followm "Contonts of this pnekago guaran teed puro buttor. Tho Illinois Dairy Union, which furnishes this lnbcl for uso with puro buttor only, will cheer fully pny $10 reward for 'uformatlon leading to tho detection ot any parson or llrm using it with oleomargarine or adulterated butter. This label Is fur nished freo to all retailers that handle pure buttor mado from unadulterated milk or cream, no matter from whom purchased, to afford them n convenient mothod for guaranteeing tho purity of such goods, nnd thus distinguish be tween puro butter and the enormous quantities of tho counterfeit nrtlclo of a cheap charactor being fraudulently palmed oft as butter. In tho tntorost of honest dealing nnd the purity of our foods, wo earnestly request that you Insist upon this guaranty with every purchnso of buttor. It doubtful ot tho purity of your buttor, wrlto to tho un dorslgnod to send you mailable box to return sample in to tost free. Chas. y. Knight, Secrotnry, 188 South Water street, Chicago.'.' On Fattening Turkey. From tho Farmers' Review: While this will bo too lato for uso for this Thanksgiving market, tho hints given may bo used for tho Xmaa and Now Year's markot. To 90gln with our turkeys aro not standard bred, but aro nlco largo turkoys of tho bronzo typo, Tho hens were threo years old last spring, tho gobbler w.is a young tur key, decidedly no rolatlon, tho oggs all hutched, and the turkoyB woro healthy from tho start and havo not been stinted on nccount ot llco, disease or lack of food. Thoy havo had froo rango slnco thoy becaino largo enough to fly ovor a flftccn-lnch board. Thoy wero fed broad mado of two thirds corn meal, one-third wheat bran, mixed with milk, salt and soda to tasto, added, tho w'jole baked until dono; this with milk curds was tholr feed for tho first seven weeks, nftor that wo fed crushed or cracked corn ns an ovonlng feed for three or four weeks longer, then all cracked corn for a week or two, then whole corn. It Is Kiard to change ths turkey's diet, ono must gradually go from ono feed to another with them, honco this taper ing off. They ot course had clean rater at nil times, milk occasionally) crushed charcoal and grit, but no modl clno unless a portion ot unlonchod wood ashes added to their drink could bo called medicine. This was put lu tholr drink whonover wo noticed ono a "llttlo off," and wnj left In a day or two. Slnco wo'vo begun feodlng wholo corn they havo had all thoy would pick up twlco per day, bctoro that I should havo said, thoy woro never fed qulto all thoy would cat, tho Idea bolng to never allow them to loso tholr appctlto which thoy will do when small on any food wo ever tried except milk curds, and of this wo nover had enough. Wo hnvo gobblers now thnt weigh sixteen pounds and less than six months old. Ono that wo solccted ns a test case to toll what they wero do ing with tho feed, has gained one pound each week for tho last four weeks, and ns far ns ono can Judge, ho has not gained faster than tho others Tho Inst week or ten days beforo mar keting wo Intend to feed warm corn nnd meal mash for their breakfast, nt least. Wo think they will lncronso faster In weight If thus fed, tho mcnl will bo mixed crumbly, not soft and mushy. Ono can feed nil tho turkeys will pick up, Indeed they will go off and leave feed, nnd In ten minutes go among them nnd scatter moro corn and they will cat as though thoy had had nothing for quite a whllo, tor a llttlo bit, but soon they will leave. It ono had nothing to Jo but walk among them and scntter corn thore la no guessing nt what they would galu In a fow weeks. Wo havo never tried confining tho turka to fatten them, hut do not think It would work. If wo ovor can, wo want to bo nblo to have a flvo or ton aero plat, preferably meadow, exclu sively to fatten our turkeys, nnd lu this plat wo would havo corn scnttorod thinly over tho ground all tho timo. This might not prpvo out well but wo would llko to glvo It n trial. Turkeys aro lots of bother, they aro a trial from tho timo tho hens begin to lay until the young aro markotod, but they bring In moro money In comparison with tho food oonsumod than uny thing In tho poultry lino, and turkey raisers aro al ways eager to begin tho campaign every spring. EMMA CLEAUWATER. American vi. Cnnntlliin Ho men. It scorns that n well-known British horao buyer, Mr. Dollnr by namo, in tho courso of an nfter-dlnner speech nt Toronto lately, took occasion to say, "that tho Canadian horses nro tougher and bettor wearors than tho Amorlcnns. Tho latter Buffer much from splints and from lameness, nnd If they wear on n fow years aro apt to bocomo slug g!al." Wo wonder what would hnvo beon tho effecto of an American din ner upon Mr. Dollar! Possibly ho would havo Bald that tho Canadian horses nro too smnll as a rulo and per haps too lively and llablo to run away! It Is uows to learn that our horses havo any special liability to throw out splints unless It bo thnt foreign buy ers purchase Immaturo horses nnd work them too hnrd upon grunlto pavo monts. Just recently wo published tho fact that European buyers prized American horsca on account of their wearing qualities us compared with their own horses, and certainly tho ro markablo demand for our horses nt tho Union Stock Yards, Chicago, goes to bIiow that thoy must stand tho tost ot wear and tear nbroad. Tho cxporlonce of the writer In tho dally examination of country horses Is thnt they aro re markably sound nnd freo from lame ness, but then It depends n good deal through what eyes a horso Is scon, and possibly, too, nftor which dinner one speaks. It Is kind ot mean, you know, to look n gift horse in tho mouth! Diarrhoea In Pigs. It is nn old say ing that each litter of pigs must havo ouo spell ot diarrhoea Just nbout tho timo thoy first begin to eat. Tho feeder will generally know when the disease Is near, as their voldlngs will bo of n dark color nnd rcscmblo thnt of shoop. If tho sow at that timo receives a doso of salts, followed with a tenspoouful ot sulphur, tor n fow dnys, and It charcoal nnd ashes aro handy, tho trouble may bo avoided, but It neglected dysontory will follow, which will check growth. Somo of them will be qulto suro to dlo, nnd every litter In tho herd Is likely to tako It. If thoy do, keep thorn out of wot pastures and glvo them a dry bed nnd u fow onts or barloy. Two drops of laudanum In a tcaspoonttil ot Bwcot croam to each pig will help mnt terp. Dakota Farmer. Shipping Advlco. Don't fall care fully to Inspect your shipment beforo closing tho box. Put In tho memoran dum on your own bill bend, or an en velope, showing tho count and other datn. Keep a duplicate yourself, and thoroby savo much annoynnco and fre quently a loss. Don't chnso off Into n now markot with untried peoplo, Just Localise ot a posslblo temporary ad vantage. Nlno times out of ten you will loso, Keep In touch with n good houso in sovoral markets, and uso judg ment In shipping to any of them. Watch tho rcporta and forecasts, and then allow for weathor changea. A Few Hons. Vniinblo Fat Contents of Milk. A sudden chango of fcod, whether In character or amount; Is very likely to produce a tomporary change In the quality ot tho milk; not directly, but as a result ot tho offect of tho feed upon tho physical condition or health of tho cow. As soon, howevor, as the cow becomes nccustomod to tho chango of fcod, the milk returns to Us normnl condition. In othor words, the food has no appreciable, direct offect upon tho por cent ot fat in tho milk. This la governed by tho Inherent tempora ment, or quality of, tho cow herself. Hoard's Dairyman. Soil MoWlarp. Tho Kansas Experiment Station la studying tho offect of various modes of soil treatment upon solt molsturo. That tho well-known offect of a mulch can bo approached by proper tlllago o( soil is n fact not as widely acted upon as good farming dlctatos. Ono ot tho station Holds which contained In round numbors 2G por cont of water In tho first foot ot soil, on July 7, 1898, had ono portion plowed, another disk-harrowed and a portion left untreated. Tho ensuing dry weather In tho courso of four weeks, notwithstanding sovcral Mght rains, roducod tho moisture ot tho untreated pnrt to 15 per cont nnd mat of tho disked land to 18 por cent, tho plowed ground rotnlnlng 21 por cent. Tho Inst two wero In oxcollont condi tion for seeding, whllo tho first would plow up lumpy nnd unsatisfactory. Tho weight of an ncro of tho dry o!l to tho depth of ono foot may bo taken as 1,000 tons. Each por cont of water In soli to thnt dopth represents about 111 tons of water por acre, or ono-sovonth of nn Inch. Tho wntor apparently lost by tho untreated soil wno 17G tons por aero, equivalent to over ono and a half Inches of rain. This Is nbout ono halt what tho soil would hold nftor a soak ing rain. Tho real loss was much moro than this, slnco as water escaped from tho upper foot, othor would bo drawn up from bolow by capillary attraction. Tho Codtlnc Moth. Tho Latin namo ot this lnccct Is carpocapsa pomonolln. Wo aro suro that all our roadera aro Intorcstod in this insect, ns It Is ot all others tho most persistent In injuring our apples. Tho Illustration on this pngo shows tho moth nnd worm about llfo alzo, tho only flguro thnt Is enlarged Is that ono marked "h," which la tho lioad ot tho larva. At "a" wo sco tho applo bur row; at "b" tho placo whoro tho worm ontorcd tho applo; nt "d" tho chrysalis or pupa; at "o" tho larva or worm; at "f" tho moth with wings closed ; at "g" tho moth with wlngB spread; at "h" head end ot larva; at "1" th cocoon In which tho larva changes to a chrysalis. Tho worm Is bo woll known to ovory npplo-cntor that wo need not dcscrlbo him, moro than to tuy that ho Is flcah-coloicd. As to remedies, a bulletin ot tho Col orado station says: About ono weok after tho blossoms hnvo fallen, mako a thorough application ot Paris groen or London purple in a coarao Bpray in tho proportion ot qno pound to 1G0 gallons of wntcr. At tho ond of ono weok repent tho treatment, using the poison a llttlo weaker (ono pound to 200 gallons ot wntor), unless honvy rains hnvo Intorvencd to wash off tho poison of tho first application, Tho Kcdzlo arscnlto ot llmo may bo used In placo of tho nbovo poisons It pre ferred. In addition to ono of tho nbovo mix tures uso tho following: Put burlap haudages on tho trunks nbout Juno 15 nnd remove them ovory seven days to kill tho larvao and pupao under them till tho last of August. Then leavo them until winter or till early tho noxt spring, when thoy should bo ngnln re moved and tho worms beneath them killed. Tho prompt destruction ot fallen fruit will kill somo of tho worms, but not a Inrgo proportion ot them, probably 15 por cont. Kcop screens on windows and doors of cel lars and frulthousos whoro apples aro stored, to prevent the moths that hatch In theso places from flying to tho or chard. Scald lu boiling wator all boxes and barrels that havo latoly contained apples, pears or quinces. Tho Russian Thlstlo. Ot tho passing of tho Russian thlstlo Prof. Busoy sayB: "In a recent Journoy of nearly a thousand miles In Nebraska, Includ ing n broad bolt of counties, from thoso touching tho Missouri river on tho oast, to tho Wyoming lino on tho west, I found that ovorywhero tho Russian thlstlo is ot relatively much loss Im portance than formerly. It is a weed, no doubt, but ono which finds llttlo op portunity for troublesomo growth on ordlunry farms. On fallow ground It still grows largo and assumes u spheri cal form, but ordinarily It Is low and slender. Many farmora and ranchmen cstoom It highly as a fodder plant whon fed early, and many cut It early nnd mako It Into nutritious hay. Tho day may yot como whon tho aheepgrowcri ot tho plains will tako palna to grow tho RuBslan thlstlo as a foddsr plant." Tho principal materials used a3 stimulant fertilizers aro llmo, Bait and plaster. Tho real object in liming soils is to correct somo physical con dition. It land is too heavy, a doso of nbout 40 bushels per ncro of slacked llmo will lighten It. It too light, n similar application tends to mako It moro compact. If sour, as a result ot turning under groen crops, or from other causes, tho action ot tho air slacked llmo will ho to sweeten tho soli. A doso of llmo about onco In every flvo or six years will bo sufll clcnt. Hogs should bo kept In coudltlon for markot utter thoy havo attained tho slzo desired. Beforo that timo tho fat tening process mny check growth,- Muck soil that will grow a good crop of onions or potatoes will grow a good crop ot celery tho samo season. ' aS2