POULTRY
SHEEP ARE EXCELLENT WEED ERADICATORS
hE&DOWBROOK
rfils- FARM
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UNBMABLf
CURE FOR BR00DINESS
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DuckB aro profitable.
Provide poles for beans.
. Take good care of the colts.
Plant corn after sugar beeta.
Careful feeding prevents scours.
The season for grape pruning Is past.
Don't sow untested seed of any
kind.
Sow peas early, then plant for suc
cession. Grass will soon show in tho color of
the butter.
Concrete makes a good foundation
and barn wall.
Initiate the butter-fat test and recall
tho boarder cow. -
Many an animal with a pedigree
1b not a profit producer.
Fnrmlng problems demand good
Judgment and keen thinking.
The silo has come to stay as a per
manent form of farm equipment.
Darns and silos savo feed enough in
a short time to pay for themselves.
, The dairy farm that Is carefully
managed improves from year to year.
A brush to wash dairy utensils is
more sanitary than the time-honored
rag:
A solid concrete base for tho sepa
rator will lengthen the life of the machine.
Silage is the cheapest dairy feed
there Is and in many respects it is
the best.
The man who breeds the best stock
is almost Invariably the leader in his
community.
The mating of ewes and rams takes
place from tho last, of March to the
middle of June.
For bloat in sheep give one dram
hyposulphite of soda and three drams
of spirits of ammonia..
Chicks must be well fed to grow;
the feeding pen saves tho feed and
protects the little chicks.
When vegetables are grown to sell,
the eye must be consulted as well as
the palate. "The looks of things"
count,
. It's fun to watch the thrifty early
spring pigs tumbling over one another
trying to see which will get to the
trough first.
To rid the premises of rats, fill tho
holes with tin scraps from the tinners
or with broken glass and plaster
over with cement.
There is nothing that adds the np
pearanco of prosperity to tho farm
stead more readily than good paint
on buildings and fences.
There Is nothing like spring sun
shine for the cows. Their quarters
may be ever so comfortable but the
sunshine does them good.
Did you forget to trim the trees?
Say, go out in the orchard and do a
little trimming soma day and give the
team a little oxtra rest at noon.
A few hours of work "grounding"
tho wlreB of the fence about the pas
ture may savo the best cows In the
herd from destruction by lightning.
It is Just as necessary to plow 'or
otherwise cultivate tho peach orchard,
when It bears not a peach, as It is
when tho trees are to be loaded with
fruit
A Colorado fruit grower has pat
ented electric massage for fruit trees.
The object 1b to enable fruit trees
to resist frost when they are budding
and blossoming,
A mixture of salt, ashes and Bait
peter raked into the soil when pre
paring the onion bed, stimulates tho
growth of tho onions and tends to
banish the onion maggot.
Work a little slacked lime Into the
Foil whero your cabbages are to be
grown to prevent club-root. A garden
well fertilized better resists th at
tacks of pests than one meagerly fed.
In starting a new hedge begin It aB
soon as the ground Is workable from
receding frost. It pays to dig out the
soil and enrich it ns for making a
garden bed or border. The digging
should be to the depth of two feet.
Trim tho colt's feec
Spraying Is insurance.
Use care In setting plants,
"Spray the orchard thoroughly.
Alfalfa makes a fair grado.ot sllago.
Tho gardener is no better than hlo
tools.
Overworking will mako butter look
like lard.
Test all vegetable seeds aB soon as
they aro received.
Has the seed corn 90 per cent, or
better germination?
Tho best time to apply ground llme
stono Is after plowing.
It always takeR pounds of feed to
mako pounds of butter-fat.
A weed Is a plant out of place. Too
thick sowing makes weeds.
Deans are good for sheep, the long
vino varieties being preferred.
Better a nose ring for tho young
bull than an accident afterward.
The digestive powers of the hog aro
the feeder's foundation of success.
It is bad policy to sell a cow just
because she will bring a good price.
The silo Is a land-mark that points
you to the best farms in tho commu
nity. On many farms tho garden is tho
most neglected spot. It ought not so
to bo.
Don't skimp the garden. A good
garden is money out at interest. "Oct
a plenty."
It's a poor policy to Jerk tho horso
and then speak the command to it
afterward.
' The dairyman with a bunch of
shoats this spring has a good market
for his sklmmllk.
Work In the potato patch may be
gin tie soon as planting is finished.
Use the harrow first.
Go over tho tools, put them In re
pair, and order any news ones needed
for the summer's work.
If tho cows or calves get lousy, try
an application of strong brino thick
ened with strong soap.
Sweep up every particle of sllago In
the chute and alleyway and give It to
the cows at every feeding.
The good dairy cow not only pays
for her own feed, but she pays for
food for the whole family as well.
Putting some lime In the wash wa
ter occasionally will keep the churn
from taking on that offensive smell.
New potatoes very early In tho sum
mer are Just as appetizing and pala
table for farm folks as anybody else.
One still finds people who do not
think a garden pays. Such people
patronize tho storekeeper and the
druggist.
Keep your hogs clean, feed them on
pifre nnd wholesome food, and you
will not be very likely to have any dis
ease among them.
Did you go after the borers In the
peach tree roots last spring? Well
you certainly will get busy with the
knife and wire now.
Slobbering in horses Is supposed to
be caused by eating white clover
blossoms. A little experimenting is
needed to make sure.
Disk the fall plowed land beforo
the corn 1b planted. Kill the weeds
so' the corn will havo at least an
equal chance with them.
Heifers should not be bred too
young. Give them a chance to got
some size beforo you tax their vitality
by tho process of reproduction.
It Is the clean wool that brings the
best prices. There Is nothing to be
gained by handling anything but first
class wool. If dirty, It pays to clean It,
The creamery Is tho greatest nu
cleus about which to build a prosper
ous community. It always makes It
possible to establish business on a
cash basin.
The corn belt has Its champions,
and so, too, have the cotton and the
wheat beltB, but tho leather belt is
universally popular In the good old
summer time.
The best time to destroy the weeds
and grass Is when they are small.
They are easier to kill at that time,
and have not taken eo much moisture
and plant food from the soil.
Every man who makes a profit on
his place should plan to use somo of
that money In mnklng tho home more
convenient and attractive each sea
son. This Is the only real progress.
Abundance of succulent feeds con
taining the proper materials In right
proportion for producing milk, plenty
of mild water, somo salt, mild tem
perature, and comfortable surround
ings generally are tho conditions for
making a dairy cow do her best.
Western
There aro many reasons why farm
ers should keep more Bheep, writes
Prof. Thomas Shaw In The Home
Btead. Tho relatively small number
that 1b kept on tho average farm 1b
one of the remarkable things about
tho live stock industry In tho United
States. The totals of this class of
atock are not much more than they
wero 50 years ago. This Is all tho
more remarkable In view of tho tre
mendous expansion that has been go
ing on in almost every lino of agri
culture. Sheep should bo kopt on the average
farm to aid lu keeping down weed
life. When weeds aro young and
sappy the sheep are In a sense Insati
able devourers of the same. There are
but few kinds of weeds that they
will not trim down and consumo nnd
turn Into good mutton if they havo
access to tho same at a comparatively
early stage In tho growth of the
weeds. When other pusturo is not
overabundant this cropping down of
weeds will bo more comploto than
under other conditions. They .will
even keep down, at least in a consid
erable degreo, tho growth of' Canada
thistles when thus managed. They
ire equally ravenous also for the
seeds of tho weeds. When theso have
been formed nnd even when maturo,
and when weed seeds havo been de
voured by them, they are so finely
ground that they do not grow again
when dropped upon tho ground. 1
havo watched sheep when first turned
Into a grain pasture to see what was
their llrst choice. When such weeds
as lambsqunrter wero present and
julte young nnd succulent, they
would take theso first In preference to
the grain.
They should be kept to consume tho
waste products. On every farm these
abound more or less. They abound
not only in the form of weeds, but in
tho form of grasses of various kinds.
These nre found numerously In the
INJURY DONE IN
REMOVING WEEDS
Most Beneficial Method Is to
Burn Them Where They Are
and Scatter Ashes.
The usual thing Is when tho weeds
have been loosened to remove them
bodily. Now, In doing this It is al
most Impossible to avoid removing
a part of tho upper surfaco of the gar
den. It may be only an Inch or two,
but that inch is Just tho best of the
ground. This is tho height of folly.
One reads of the thrifty French
gardeners removing so many Inches
of their soil when they have to quit
out. There 1b an ngreement to that
effect. The soil that they have im
proved with years of labor and care
Is a "tenant's fixture," so to speak,
and they take It with them.
What goes on In too maYiy of our
gardens Is Ju3t the reverse. Instead of
going away and bringing tho soil with
us that Is the wealth of our gardens
we stay and the soil goes, thrown
out on the rubbish heap to form part
Df an eyesore nnd nuisance to the
rest of the establishment.
Theso things should not be so. In
the Utopia of well-managed farms and
gardens, of which wo now and then
have an inkling, there will be no
rubbish at all, for what Is rubbish?
Burning is wasteful when It Is
weeds not yet gone to seed that are
oonsumed. It is another matter in
dealtng with such things a-- old
stumps, roots and bad weeds that
preservo their vitality over the win
ter. For them there must be the
cleansing fires. But why make them
away to a rubbish hoap? Why not
rather bum them whore they lie, at
once and scatter the ashes there
This plan acts beneficially In more
ways than ono. It saves two cartings
and it Is always easier to do a Job
Df this sort at once. Beside, rubbish,
even If left for but a fow weeks, will
be found to have afforded free quar
ters to an appalling, If Interesting ex
tent, to slugs and other garden pouts
These rubbish heaps! What trou
blesome, unlovely things they are
At a certain old homestead that I
have In my mind's eye, the practice
Is In full swing. All nshos and con
ditions of things find their way, not
alone from the garden, but from the
dwelling, to a hollow JUBt out of sight
of tho house and garden. Here are
'pegged out" any amount of extraor
dinary things broken pottery, papers,
Bardlno tins, tin mgat cans, probably
In their virgin state, and old hats,
and there they lie until someone finds
time to sot flro to the heap, a blot of
unslghtllnoss amid so much natural
:harm.
Sheep Ranch.
grain fields after the grain has been
reaped. They aro found In tho high
ways, beside tho farms, and they aro
found along fence borders whatsoever
may bo tho build of theso. Tho sheep
that are given accoss to thoso will
virtually cloan up everything and In
good form. The food thus eaten
would otherwise be wasted, at leant
It would In largo measure.
They should be kept to Bupply moat
for the household. Tho farmer Is,
much prone to confine his meat (Hot
to salt pork, and largely for tho rea
son that In this form meat Is most
easily kopt. Whero sheep arc kept
upon the farm tho farmer may havo
fresh meat and of a delicious char
acter by killing and dressing occa
sionally a mutton from his Hock.
With a good place to keep such meat,
as an apartment In nn Ico house, he
may enjoy such meat In warm
wcuther. But even In tho absence ol
such a place ho may partake of bucIi
food during much of tho year that
1b, during nil portions of tllo samo
when the weather Is cool enough to
enable him to keep such meat In a
good condition. In this way much of
'the meat may bo grown to meet the
needs of the farm from products that
would otherwise bo wasted.
Sheep ought to bo kopt becauso of
the Influence which they oxort upon
fertility. No class of animals kopt
upon tho farm will equal thom In tho
favorable Influences thus exerted.
This arises first, from tho readily
avnllablo condition In which tho drop
pings reach tho soil; Becond, from tho
'scattered condition In which they
roach tho land, nnd, third, from tho
general distribution of tho dropping
over the land. In this way sheop
leave the hind richer 4n nvallablo fer
tility when they graze upon It than
It was when tho grazing began. Thus
It Is that tho proverb has arisen thnt
tho sheep baa a golden hoof. And It is
founded on tho truth.
BIRDS EXCEL AS
WEED DESTROYERS
Some Songsters Depend Almost
Exclusively on Weed Seeds
Crow Kills Mice.
Weeds, as well as Insects, are ene
mies of the farmer. MoBt woods aro
short-lived nnd depend for tholr con
tinuance on a prolific seed production.
There Is a class of birds that. In
maturity, feeds almost exclusively on
weed seeds, among which tho gros
beaks, goldfinches, native sparrows,
quail and doveB nro the- more Im
portant. Probably tho greediest seed
eating birds, according to Mr. Prutt,
are the native American tree sparrow
and tho chipping sparrow. Their
cousins, tho English sparrows, how
ever, can by no means bo Included In
tho Hat.
Rats, mice and snakes nro tho nrnv
of a numerous clasa of blrdB, many of
which nre often hunted and branded
as great destroyors of proporty. If It
were not for owls and hawks tho
country would be overrun with ro
dents, according to Mr. Pratt. Tho
crow hnB his place for good as a de
stroyer of flold mice and tho farm owl
Is the night watchman who hunts
gophers, mice and enakes.
Not all hawks aro useful. Those
that circle around In tho sky and
swoop down with stealthy movement
on their prey nro greut boons, but the
darter, thoso thut take their prey on
tho wing, are ruthless destroyers.
Early Spring Pigs.
After being weaned, early spring
pigB may bo run on alfalfa, rape,
clover or grain pastures with a sup
plemental feed of grain until some
crop Is ready to hog off. During the
summer, mature cronB of barlov.
1 wheat and pens, with nlfalfa or rape
i pasture, will carry thom until tho
j main crops are harvested,
i They then glean tho stubble fields
J and feed on standing corn In tho
field, roots, pumpkins, etc., until late
in the fall. Thoy may be sold direct
ly from the cornfield or may bo fed
for a few weeks before being mar
keted. Feed for Dairy Cow.
Dairy farmers aro seeking a more
economical and dependable source of
feed for their cowh, and gradually ex
perience Is directing them to n moro
liberal production of sllago and af
falfa buy. '
Plant In Spring.
Peaches, plums, chortles and all
stono fruits are to bo planted In
spring.
Two Methods Given for Breaking
Up Setting Hens.
Strenuous Measures Must Be Adopted
to Dissuade Fowl From Her Pur
pose Leghorns Are Most
Popular for Eggs.
(By rROF. JOHN WILLARD UOLTE.)
Contrary to general Impression,
brobdlnesB In hens Is not a fuvor and
wo havo no ovldenco to show that It
Is contnglouB. Tho ailment, if wo may
term it thus, appears without warn
ing. Tho fowl may havo been lnylng
steadily and acting in n perfectly nor
mal fashion, when suddenly sho be
comes Imbued with a great distaste
for nctlvo pursuits. Sho betrays a
very crabbed disposition, rushing at
her erstwhllo friends and pecking
thom viciously whenever they ap
proach hor. Her plumage sticks out
at right anglcB, making her appear
about twlco na large ns usunl. With
head drawn deep Into hor hncklo
feathers ,nnd wlngB and body taking
up as much opaco ns possible, sho
mounts guard over hor chosen nost
nnd defies all comers. '
Tho hen becomes broody because
naturo prompts her with a sudden do
slro for a brood of chicks. Sho prob
ably docs not know why sho doeB It,
ns sho will talto to potatoes or door
knobs as kindly us to eggs, but sho
Excellent Egg Type.
BctB when tho tlmo comes Just tho
same, and sho will keep on setting
until you break' her up or let her
hatch out a brood of chicks.
This pertlnuclty would not bo so
important If It wero not for .tho fact
that Bho quits laying nnd stays quit.
Sho haB decided upon a vacation and
sho refuses to work during this period.
Tho loss of a couple of montliB of a
lion's tlmo is not to bo thought ol
at any period, and especially during
tho spring, which 1b tho natural time
for sotting and heaviest egg produc
tion as well.
If wo do not wish to set tho hen on
oggs wo will' havo to adopt strenuous
means to dissuade her from hor pur
poso and start her to laying again.
There aro a number of successful
ways of doing this, and conditions will
inuicnto mo most ravoranio. ine mam
thing Is to act promptly and bo thor
ough. Remove the broody hens from the
nests each night, as thoy nro most
easily detected then. Thoy stick to
tho nest Instead of going to roost.
Dust them thoroughly with insect pow
der and confine them in nn open slnt
crato or cago in n cool, light location.
Keep wntcr before thom and give
nothing to cat except a little wholo
wheat and green stuff once a dny. This
will not hurt tho hen and about three
days of this "water cure" will con
vince her of tho error of her ways.
Another good wny is to havo a sop
rato pen with absplutoly bare floor
and wnllB, and no possible plnco to
nest, nnd placo all of the broody hens
In It, In tho company of two or tbreo
vigorous male birds. This scheme Is
frequently used on lurgo poultry
farms.
Tho heavier breeds are especially
addicted to broodlncss, tho Asiatics
being tho worBt' offenders and the
Plymouth Rocks nnd R, I. Reds lend
ing In tho American class. Leghorns
nnd Mlnorcas and HamburgB set so
Lrarely that they cannot bo dependod
on to raise their young, For this rea
son the Leghorns nro tho most popu
lar breed for largo egg farms, as they
wnsto no tlmo sotting and tho young
aro easily rulsed artificially.
Most Fertile Eggt.
Tho eggs from mature hens will
hatch bettor and produce stronger
chicks than tho eggs of pullets. Thoy
are usually larger, too.
Discarding Setting Hen.
Tho old setting hon Is grudunlly go
ing out of business, with several hun
dred manufacturers of Incubators and
brooders as competitors.
Don't Change Its Mind.
When once sot, tho Incubator does
not huvo the privilege of changing Uh
mind as does old Biddy.
4
1 vHhul. jRBCuVE?vL!
Most men would Ktmlly tako hln placo
And shoulder nil hln obligations,
Though there nre linos upon bis fuco
And ho has fow nnd brief vacations;
Mont men would Kindly, If thoy might.
Bo whero ho Is lyrt havo tils monoy;
But nntliliiK nils liSii with daltght,
To liltn there'B nothing that Is tunny.
Ills look Is solemn, In his eyes
Thoro never lurks a merry twlnklo;
Among his lines of enro there lies
Not' oven one mlrth-glvon wrinkle;
With sober looks ho goes his way,
My ono grim purposo nntmutcd
Prom him, hunt-featured, bont und Km,
No Jest hns over emanated.
Vet there nro men who watch htm past.
I'ermlttlntr onvy to possess thum
Men who nre hated by no clua.s,
And who huvc fow Ills to distress thorn
Men who sometimes fori; at a while
Thnt only money1 Is worth Kettln,
Who wntch the nl&iblo clown, nnd smile.
Too gliul 40 wnsto tho moment fruiting.
His wcnlth Is great, hln station high,
Hut, by one purpose driven dully,
He hits no tlmo to over try
To let his solemn tones ring: Rnyly;
Tut there nro men who envy him
Who, oven while ho piles up monoy,
Remains lmrd-fenturod nnd as grim
As death and just about an tunny.
Consulting His Taste.
"Mary," onld Mrs. Wllllklns, "did
tho lamb chops and tho beefsteak I
ordered for breakfast coma all right?"
"Yes, ma'am," thoglrl replied.
"XTd lid tHo boy fill that ord'or for
sausage' that I gavo yesterday?"
"Yes, ma'nm."
"Wo havo ham nnd eggs In tho
house, too, haven't wo?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And bacon?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Lot mo boo. Yes, Mr. Wllllklna
will sigh for a good old-fashioned
moss of mackerel tomorrow morning.
That's the only thing I couldn't think
of."
Clear Case.
"So," tho lawyer, snld, "you wish to
break your father's will? What'B tlm
matter with it?"
"Well, ho left nearly half of hia for.
tuno to colloges nnd charitable Insti
tutions." "H'm. Did ho over show any ovl
denco of being weak-minded?"
"Ho was accopted ns a juror n a.
murder trial onco."
"Oh, thls'll bo dead oasy!"
Willing to Try.
"Tho mnn who marries my daugh
ter," said tho old gentleman, "must
demonstrate boforo ho rocolvoB my
consent that he can earn his own liv
ing." "All right," tho boy replied, "JUBt
make mo vice-president of your com
pany for a llttlo whllo, aud I'll show
you."
His Elegant Language.
"How careful that Mr. Pllmley Iff
about his language. Ho seems to bo
so anxious always for fear ho may not
use the right word or glvo his a'a
and r's tho proper sound."
"Yes, ho is vory fastidious In that
wny, He oven pronouncos it 'catapll
low.' "
His Experience.
"Havo you evor played football V
she asked.
"No," ho replied, "but when I -wan n
cowboy I was onco run over by a hord
of stampeded stoors."
Odds Against Him.
Tho bravest man may be tho ono
Who Is always telling what '
Blood-curdling wonders ho has done,
But tho chances aro bo's not.
The Way Up.
Llfo's path has many a hidden pit
And many Bteps and bowlders,
And thoy fall hardest thoro who sit
On other peoplo'B shoulders.
Pa'a Idea of It.
"Pa. whafu 'a barren Ideality?'"
"A drink of wator tho next morning
after a follow lma been at a stae dinner."