NOTES S&aa
ME&D0WBR00K
Don't forget the water.
C!ein out feed troughs dally.
l'eklns luy from 120 to 170 eggs per
year.
Alslhc clover helps out the stand of
red clover.
A purplish red comb Indicates bad
health In n fowl.
Test out lnfortllo eggs on tenth and
seventeenth days.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MAKING UNIQUE EXPERIMENTS
Establishes Gurdon on Pacific Coast for Culture and Prop
agation of Holland Bulbs Compare Favorably
With, If Thoy Do Not Surpass
tho Imported Article
s rex?
A quart of mixed feed
right for twelvo hens.
Is about
If you wish to succeed, know
your hens nro comfortable
that
BREEDING HORSES SUITABLE
FOR GENERAL WORK ON FARM
.English Clydesdales and Crosses Resulting From Uso of
French or German Coach Animals Make Excellent
All-Round TeamPull Almost Any Load
Within Reason.
&5CM J
C-CS& I
i L . T"r
Clydesdale Filly
Farmers In tho south still cling
to the light breeds of horses, mainly
because there Is more horseback rid
ing done, and tho average farmer
wants a horse for all-around pur
poses. In the north, the heavy breeds, such
as the Percherons, Clydes and Shires
are most generally used.
The wise farmer .will raise tho type
of horse best adapted to his needs.
Generally speaking, where only one
team can be kept on tho farm, the
horses should be sizeable enough to
yull a rflow or draw a heavy wagon
load with comparative eaBe, and at
the same tlmo light enough to got
along over tho road with a surrey or
light rig at a fairly good gait.
If a farmer keeps a number of
horses he will, of course, use tho
heavy type for plowing and other
heavy farm work, and keep a light
harness team for the road.
It Ib a great mistake to attempt to
By Coins So Former WilX Not
Htivo So Much Trouble
in Brcalttnz' in tho
Yourjsr Animals.
Many good horses aro spoiled when
colts by improper training. They may
have been teased by children, where
upon they developed a mean disposi
tion. To mako a colt easy to break, you
should make friends with it. Gain its
conildence by feeding it from your
hand, petting and currying. A colt Is
nearly, halt broken, when you can
catch it anywhere.
The colt should first bo halterbroke.
At first you will need the assistance
of a driver, but ho should bo dis
pensed with 08 soon as possible.
A good way to halterbreak n colt
is alongsldo a horse. The rider, can
act as leader and driver. Somo per
sons tie tho colt to the harness of tho
FEW HINTS ON
- -aS-
Many attemptB havo been mado to
raise skunks for their fur, but tho en
terprises have usually been given up
ns unprofitable. According to tho bio
logical survey of tho United States
department of agriculturo, tho chief
causes of failure havo been cost of
fencing inclosurcs, cost of mainte
nance or lack of experience, leading
to overcrowding and overfeeding tho
animals. In many cases, where the
animals were successfully reared, It
was found that tho expense of feed
ing them to maturity exceeded tho
value of tho fur, whllo in other In
stances tho antipathy of the neigh
bors led to the abandonment of tho
experiments. At present tho -value of
tho best black skins would probably
allow a margin of profit in rearing
this class of skunks. Tho survey
gives the following hints on Bkunk
farming:
In tho matter of food, tho chief aim
Bhould bo to supply a suitable and suf
ficient diet at reasonable cost. A cer
tain proportion of meat Js necessary,
but tho animals cat also bread, green
corn, clover, tomatoes and many other
"Thelma Second."
plow with a team of horses of tho
harness type. Farmers aro plowing
deeply these days, and it is distressing
to seo a light team struggling with a
heavy plow.
The general tendency, therefore, is,
when a light team is used, to allow
tho plow to skim tho ground In order
to case up on tho team. If a team
of sturdy draft horses, weighing 1,300
to 1,500 each is used, they walk along
with a plow, running from six to eight
Inches deep, without tho slightest dis
tress. The English Clydesdales and crosses
resulting from the use of French or
German coach horses mako a good
all-round farm team. Tho Infusion of
tho French or German Coach blood
produces a horse of good action, while
the blood of the Clydesdales, Shires
and Percherons keeps him heavy
enough, and closo enough to tho
ground to pull almost any load with
in reason.
work horse or trotter. This not only
teaches the colt to lead, but also
shows It its place. When tho har
ness is to bo put on it should be donb
very gently, letting tho colt become
need to it. Then drive it, using ohort
lines. When tho colt is old enough
to do light work give It a few lessons
with tho waeon, plow, harrow or any
two-horse implement, always beclde a
well-broken horse to act ns teacher.
Raising Early Lambs.
Tho sole object in raising early
lambs is to produce a fine animal of
good size and flesh and get him to
market at the earliest possible mo- )
ment. to uo tnat requires goou ieeu
ing, good care and good management
from the time ho is bqrn until ho is
sent to market.
Silage Needs a Balance.
Cows should never be fed exclu
sively on silage. They need some dry
forage to go with it; besides, silago is
a carbonaceous food, and needs some
more nitrogenous food to go with It
to mako a well-balanced ration.
SKUNK FARMING
vegetable substances. Butcher and
tablo scraps given when fresh are tho
main reliance. Tho food should not
bo salted, and fresh water should bo
supplied regulaVly.
Skunks nro especially fond of in
sects, nnd If tho pens aro largo
enough and favorably placed, tho ani
mals will forago for a part of their
food.
At least an aero of ground should
bo Inclosed for each fifty skunks, and
oven then thero is danger of canni
balism unless thero aro plenty of
separate dens for tho females. Tho
fence should bo mado of poultry net
ting 1-inch mesh. Tho posts should
bo set In ditches 18 inches or moro
in depth, which should bo filled with
brokon stono or concrete. Another
plan is to extend tho wiro netting
underground. Tho fenoo should bo
threo or four feet high and havo nn
overhang at the top to keep the ani
mals from climbing over.
Skunks breed onco a year and prc
duco from six to eight young. They
aro born in May or Juno, and maturo,
by, December.
Keep nothing but puro breds.
Peat soils need potassium (potash).
Bo careful of caked udders
owes.
In tho
Tho natural color of butter Ib that
found in Juno.
A deep bed will often causo tho Iobb
of a number of pigs.
A collar that fits is tho best preven
tive for soro shoulders.
Never whip a horse when ho Bhies.
It will increase his fear.
Give tho sowb plenty of clean water
to drink. Tako the chill off.
If tho fodder Is getting scarce, bet
ter buy than stint tho cows.
A good agitator on tho spray pump
is as important as a good pump.
Save all tho hog manure. You have
nono on tho farm that Is richer.
In choosing eggs for hatching, try to
got those from tho best hens you have.
With three cows you need a cream
separator; with ten, you mu3t have a
silo.
Fllo tho crosscut saw yourself; you
will thus soon save enough to buy a
now saw.
Tho churn should bo thoroughly
sculdcd and then cooled boforo cream
is put in. '
It is a losing proposition to try to
raise 200 chicks where there is room
for only 50,
A llttlo oil meal or a few potatoes
will help tho horses got rid of their
winter hair.
Before you start your Incubator, get
out the manufacturers' directions and
re-read carefully.
Do not use any Ill-formed eggs for
hatching, nor any that are unnaturally
long, or, nearly round, t,1
Keop your fowls on tho same foot
ing that you keep your cattle, and you
wln surciy D0 rowarded
Most anyone can have a small flock
and keep from eight to a dozen hens
and feed on table Bcraps.
Bo sure' tho fenders nre in position
In tho farrowing pens to prevent tho
sows laying on tho young pigs.
Place tho beo hives on string sup
ports about olght inches from the
ground to prevent dampness and cold.
Cold, raw winds mako chapped teats
all tho worse. Havo a small jar of
vaseline handy at milking tlmo and
uso it.
It costs a good deal of money to buy
a satisfactory team. In most cases this
can bo avoided by tho farmer raising
his own.
"It is hard for an empty sack to
stand straight, but it Is still harder
for a lazy man to succeed in tho dairy
business."
Every four years 1,000 pounds of
rock phosphate Is needed to keop up
tho phosphorous content of avorago
corn belt soil.
An occasional colt or young horse to
sell, even when ono Is not making a
business of raising horses, is a help
to any farmer.
Get after tho San Jose scale. What
a melliferous name this llttlo beast
sailB under! But cover him with Bor
deaux all tho Bame.
The tlmo to'plant grapo cuttings is
In early spring, as soon as the ground
can bo worked. Slant tho cuttings a
llttlo and leave only ono bud above
ground.
If you aro a beginner with sheep go
slow until you havo mastered tho in
dustry. Ab in poultrylng or nny other
like business, experience Is tho safe,
puro teacher.
Neglected fruit trees aro not only
an eyesore, but soon become bo pest
Infested as to mako them a menace to
fruit growing in tho whole neghbor
pood. Better nono ' at all than the
peglected kind. ,
The Now Jersey experiment station
announces that Professor Halsted has
succeeded in growing a seedless to
mato. Not overy fruit grown Is seed
less, plenty of them containing from
ten to twenty seeds, but many others
contain none at all and all aro of ex
cellent flavor.
Do not mako too violent
Select a typo and stick to it.
crosses.
It Is not so much tho make of In
cubator u b tho man who, runs It.
Air-slaked lime is a valuable dis
infectant in tho poultry house.
Variety Is always good, but sudden
and abrupt changes aro daugorous.
It payB in more ways than ono to
bo on friendly terms with tho heifers.
Tho sort of seed corn to scloct Is
tho kind, that produces bushels per
acre.
Correct sour or acid soil with ono
to five tons per acre of crushed lime
stone. To maintain normal soil fertlllty
tho supply of humus must bo con-'
served.
Tho business hen Ib tho lien that
puts her dally credits In tho egg
basket.
Tho only proper way to replenish
tho flock Ib to savo tho best lambB
each year.
A common causo of slow churning'
Is an overfilled churn. Half full Ib
about right.
Dirty collars aro probably as re
sponsible for sor? shoulders as ill
fitting ones.
Keep tho horses well cleaned, but
remember that you can bo cruol with
tho curry comb.
The hopper system of feeding Is a
good ono, but put only ono kind of
feed in ono hopper.
Tho fault of too, many dairy farm
ers is failure to mako tho cows pro
duce up to their limit.
Too much corn hns caused tho loss
of many a flno litter of pigs, and often
tho loss of tho sow as well.
In raising horses for one's own uso It
should bo done ns intelligently nB if it
were to be a regular business.
Spraying is ono of tho unavoidable
tasks of tho farmer who would keop
hiB orchard in deslrnblo condition.
Arsenate of lead which is held over
from tho year before will bo good If it
has not dried out nnd become a hard
lump.
When turkeys aro penned up to fat
ten for ninrkct, good results aro not
obtained if they nro cramped for
room.
Now and then put a llttlo brino on
tho straw. It nets as an appetizer,
and tho sheep clean up tho straw
hotter. ,
A heifer may give as much milk In
proportion to tho food oaton as a
maturo cow, and mako somo growth
In addition.
A paint brush that has become
hardened with pnlnt can bo made1
soft and pllablo by immersing It in
boiling vinegar.
It Is just ns easy to multiply de
fects In breeding as it is to strength
en good points, nnd many peoplo nro
doing tho former.
Tho colt crop on tho general farm
may bo mado a by-product that will
coat very little, but swell tho bank ac
count considerably.
Seed corn? Of courso you have It
all In good shape and ready for tho
gcrmlnntlon test. Do not plant a grain
unless you know It comes from sound
stock.
Tho best medicine In tho world for
poultry aro dry, clean qunrterB and
lots of sunshine Better Iobo every oth
er poultry rcclpo known than to for
get this.
The great need of tho day Ib edu
cated dairymen, men who undorstand
tho care and feeding of tho cow ns
well ns the successful marketing of
her products.
Test tho spray hoso sovoral dnys bo
foro needed for sprnying. Try it with
tho highest preBSuro you will use. If
It bursts eaBlly or leaks, mako tho
needed repalrB In it, or got a now
hoso. It will savo delays at a critical
time.
Something similar to a scantling, a
foot or two from tho ground, Is tho
only proper perch for turkeys. Tills,
allows tho breastbonos to grow
straight, making tho birds worth a
cent or two moro per pound on the
market
gut fv tvp 'JC'f?MktPM 91 JK
A Fine Turnip
Comparatively fow know of tho in
teresting experiments that nro being
carrlod on at tho bulb garden near the
town of Bolllnghnm, Washington, un
der tho direction of Uie secretary of
agriculturo.
For years tho United StnteB has
been sending to Holland and Euro
pean countries many thousands of dol
lars annually for hyacinth, tulip, nar
cissus, nnd crocus bulbs. Tho pur
chaso of theso bulbs had constantly
increased until the past year, when
over a million dollars' worth woro Im
ported. In 1908 tho secretary of agriculturo
decided to establish on tho Pacific
const a garden for tho culturo and
propagation of Holland bulbs, and a
point on Puget Sound near to tho
town of Bolllnghnm wns selected ns
having a sultnblo Boll and cllmnto for
this work. A tract of ton acres wns
leased through tho Bolllnghnm board
of trndo and the necessary buildings
erected nnd turned over to tho depart
ment of agriculturo for tho purpose of
demonstrating whether or not tho Hol
land bulbs could bo grown successfully
at that point.
Tho department commoncod work at
Gathering Hyacinth
onco, nnd tho samo year planted over
170,000 bulbs. From that tlmo tho
work has gono on Increasing until tho
present yonr, when over 8G9.000 bulbs
wero planted. Tho Increaso In tho
number of bulbs raised has been vory
gratifying; each bulb yielding tho
ronxlmum number of young ones,
which havo proved equal, If not superi
or, to tho results obtained in Holland.
It Ib believed that bulba can bo
grown on the Pacific const, and of a
quality that will compare favorably
with, and In many ways surpass, tho
Imported article, tho cost of produc
tion and marketing being now tho
chiof obstacles.
An effort Is being mado to over
come tho differences between tho
high price of labor in America and
tho cheap labor of Europe by Invent
ing appliances to lessen tho hand
labor required in bulb production, and
tho substitution of horso power for
mnny of tho operations porformod
entirely by hand In Europo has re
duced tho cost of production consid
erably. In this way it is hoped that
growers in tho United States will bo
ablo to compoto successfully with tho
European bulb growers.
CLOVER IS ONE .
OF BEST CROPS
Valuablo far Storing Up Nltrozen
in tho Soil itt u. Form
Available) for Other
Plunto.
Clovor Is at tho namo tlmo ono of
tho best feeding crops and ono of tho
best tillngo crops. It acts both as a
subBoller and drainer. Tho subjoctB
of clover and fertility aro closely in
terwoven, and although thoy are aa
old as history to many farmors, they
aro a now thing, and thero nro prob
lems connected with thorn which nro
not yet aolvod.
Tho abuso of clovor consists In grow
ing It for tho solo purposo of hny or
grain to bo sold off tho land. The uso
of It consists In growing it for stor
ing un nitrogen in the soil in a form
available for other crops, which In
I j : : 1 .
Field In Holland.
A serloua drnwback to tho produc
tion of Holland bulbs on tho const
is tho heavy cxpeuso of freight ship
ments across tho continent, but when
shipment can bo mado by water, as
will bo tho caso after tho completion
of tho Pnnnma canal, It should bo pos
sible to deliver such bulbs at tho port
of New York almost as cheaply na
thoy can bo brought from Europe
Furthermore, tho domnnd for such
bulbs for planting on the Pnclflc coast
is rapidly increasing.
These experiments aro solely for
tho purposo of showing prospectlvo
bulb growers what can bo dono In
growing theso bulbs In tho United
States. The1 gnrdens nro always open
to tho public, and when the bulbs nro
in bloom thousands nvnil them
selves of tho opportunity to visit tho
gnrdens nnd onjoy tho flowers. At
that tlmo it is a vorltablo llttlo Hol
land. Thousands upon thousands of
hyacinths, tulips and narclssls in all
colors and nenrly all in flower nt
onco can be seen.
Cnroful records aro being kept and
much vnluablo Information is being;
collected in connection with tho bulb
experiments which will, eventually, bo
Blooms In Holland.
nt tho disposal of anyone who may
wish to tako up bulb growing.
Last year a very interesting exper
iment wns made on tho trial grounds,
of tho dopartment of ngrlculturo at
Washington, whoro a tost was mado
of tho bulbs that had been grown at"
Belllngham In comparison with thoso
grown In Holland. Fitly bulbs of tho
Bame varieties of tulips wero plant
ed Bide by sldo and given tho samo
treatment. Thoso from Belllnghami
opened their flowers from sovon to ten'
dnys earllor than tho Holland-grown
bulbs, wero of, better quality In sizo
of flower and in color, nnd wero re
markablo for tho almost total absencoi
of dlseaso, whllo tho Imported bulbs
showed a largo numbor of dlseascdl
plants, and many of them failed to
produco a flower. i
As the demand for such flower rootB,
Is Increasing rapidly and bids fair to
doublo In valuo within a fow yearB,
it offers a promising fleld for tho In
vestment of American capital and tho
establishment of a now and profltablo
Industry on tho Pacific coast which
will keep at homo tho largo amount of
money now being sent abroad an
nually for bulbs.
turn should bo fed out on tho farm,
and tho manuro restored to tho soli.
By using clover, without nbuMng It, it
is posslblo to Increase tho supply of
nitrogen In tho soil to almost any ex
tent, and at tho same time maintain
tho othor elements. These elemento
In their avnllablo form are constantly
Increased by tho liberating of tho ni
trogen In tho soil Itself through tho
action of frost, water nnd tillage; and
hence tho uso of clovor will enablo
tho farmer to keep his land constantly
In a vory high state of fertility, whllo
tho abuse of It will onablo him to
mako it moro absolutely and utterly
barren.
Clovor hay proporly cured makes an
acceptable food for all stock. It ls
not usually considered a satisfactory
hay for tho horso, tho dust it carrlea
provlng vory detrimental. A llmltod
quantity of good clover hay may, how
ovcr, bo fed to horses of all kinds
with favorablo rosults. If the hay Isj
dusty, It should bo moistened with iv
llttlo wator bofore. feeding,
I
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