"'"V
THE NORTH PLATTE SEMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE.
NOTES W
mDOWBROOK
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OOKHOO40OO000O40H000CHO0OC00040O
PORTABLE FARROWING HOUSE IN. FAVOR
New Indian Animal Stories
How The Deer Got His Horns
s: v. HiiijjmartL wxo
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By JOHN M. OSKISON
OiOKHOfOf0400-fOK-KHOKHOtCHOfOrO0OiOfOfO00
S7
Give tho fowls a variety.
Got ready for garden seeds.
Wnrm cream should novcr bo mixed
with cold.
Vegetable and flower BecdB should
bo purchased soon.
. '
To ripen tho cream properly, a
starter should be used.
.
All crops havo a tendency to deter
iorate If tho seed is carelessly bo-
lected.
Good young applo trees come high,
but tho poor ones are dearer than any
other kind.
It Is far easier to dostroy ono weed
this year than a thousand of Its off
spring next year.
'
Improper ventilation makes moro
henhouses cold nnd damp than rain
and zero weather.
In tho market, tomatoes are known
ns "toms," cantaloupes as "cants," and
cucumbers bb "cukes."
t
Berkshire Sow
In order to give tho pigs the right
kind of a start In life, they must bo
born under good conditions. If the
brood bows can have their way they
will slip off to the woods when ready
to farrow, pile up a lot of leaves at
the side of a stump or In a fence cor
ner and here the pigs will be born In
the open air. This procedure 1b all
right In warm weather, but In the
spring when cold, wet weather pre
vails much of the time, a largo loss
is sustained when the pigs come amid
such surroundings, writes W. F. Pur
due in Successful Farming. Hogs are
bo poorly protected by nature against
tho cold that warm, dry quarters are
a necessity .for the sows that farrow
early in the season, or bo many of
the pigs will be lost that most of the
profit is gone In tho beginning. The
loss of young pigs every spring is
enormous, though It is largely pre
ventable. All farmers who are malt
ing until they are able to build a fine,
big hog house, with all modern con
veniences, are making a mistake.
These men should do tho best they
can at once and provide such shelter
as will bo dry, warm and well lighted.
Tho portable typo of farrowing
house has rapidly come Into favor
lately, even with those who are well
able to provide more expensive quar
ters. The A-Bhaped building is a very
serviceable type of the portable house
that commends Itself to many farm
ers who are engaged in tho hog busi
ness on a large scale. It is warm at
all seasons and it may easily bo kept
In a sanitary condition. Two men
can move It to a new location In a
few minutes and thus It does not bo
come Infested with rats or hog house
smells. The slopping and feeding are
always done outside, hence the 41oor
never becomes wet and filthy. These
houses aro Just tho thing for nervous
sows, as they can bo located so as to
be out of the hearing of other sows
and pigs.
For the man who rents, the portable
nouse Is very advantageous, since It
can bo readily moved. He can well
ifford to construct portable houses at
his own expense, If his landlord will
not provide them, since ho can retain
them as personal property when he
moves. These houses need not cost
much. One can be made out of good
materials for from four to five dollars.
Any farmer who can handle a hammer
and saw with any degree of skill at
all, can construct theso buildings dur
ing Bpare time and thus save the
large wages demanded by carpenters.
Houses 6 by C feet nt the base aro
largo enough for young sows, while
they should bo made G by 8 feet for
the largo sows. Floors aro not essen
tial If the houses aro located on a
high, dry site that provides perfect
drainage. In cold weather a swinging
door should bo provided; a piece of
heavy canvas may be used for this
purpose. There 1b an opening for ven
tilation at the back of the house.
The bows Bhould be placed In their
Individual quarters at least a week
before due to farrow, in order that
thoy may become accustomed to their
new surroundings. Quietness and but
Uttlo feed are needed by the sow for
the first 24 hours after farrowing;
water with tho chill removed and a
little middlings stirred in it is nil that
Bhe needs In any case. It is not de
sirable to start tho milk of the bow
too rapidly, as it might be more than
tho little pigs would need, and If It
Is not all drawn out of tho udder it is
liablo to congest and cause trouble,
not only to the sow but to the pigs.
it rflnuiren caution therefore, in tho
Btart not to push tho sow with feed
that will start the milk too rapidly
If tho litter Is a small one, moro time
should be taken In getting the bow on
full feed than otherwise. But tho de
mands of the pigs will Increase every
day and it will not bo long until they
will be able to take about all tho
milk their mother will furnish from
tho best quality of feed. Caro must
be taken not to overfeed.
A practical method of feeding a sow
with young pigs is to nllow her nt
regular times, night and morning,
Just what she will eat perfectly clean
and still want a little more. This
mothod of feeding will retain the
bow's appetite and keep her In a good
healthy condition. The sow does not
demand a fattening feed, such as an
all corn ration, but she requires a
milk-producing protein ration- The
farmer who produces a largo quan
tity of separator skim milk dally, haB
ono of the best feeds for sowb wtlh
young pigs to be found, when tho milk
Is combined with ground grains and
mixed Into a thick slop. Access to a
growing pasture will help greatly to
keep tho bow's bowels regular as well
With Litter.
as adding to her appetlto and assist
ing in tho furnishing of milk for tho
pigs.
Clean kitchen slops are nil right
for tho sows, too, but care must bo
taken that no spoiled fruits or vege
tables aro put Into the slop, for theso
aro pretty sure to result In diarrhoea
or scours In the pigs, and there may
be some loss before corrective reme!
dies can be administered. One of tho
best of these, after tho error In diet!
has been corrected, Is to give tho sow'
In her slop twelve to fifteen grains of
copperaB night and morning; If necos
sary, slightly Increase tho size of tho
doses until effective.
Provide dry bedding for the pigs,
and in good weather they should fol
low the bow around In order to get
the exercise which thoy need. In bad
weather the pigs will probably remain
In their beds, drawing plenty of milk,
and they will then become too fat,
which condition Is likely to bo fol
lowed by tho thumps. Thumps Is a
condition brought on by a fatty
growth about the heart and lungs, and.
It Is fatal In a largo percentage of
cases. Even though it does not provo
fatal, It always results In a decided
setback for tho afflicted pigs at tho
timo and for a considerable whllo
afterwards. It must bo guarded
against, first, by not overfeeding thq
sow, and second, by forcing the pigs
to take exerclso if they will not take
it of their own volition. As long as
tho weather remains bad, thus keep
ing tho pigs in their quarters, they
should be stirred up and forced to
Bcurry around for 15 to 20 minutes
every day.
NOT PROFITABLE
TO KEEP OLD HENS
Yearling Fowls Considered Supe
rior to the Pullets for Breed
ing Purposes.
(By n. G. WKATHERSTONE.)
As a breeder I consider tho yearling
hen superior to the pullets, as tho
eggs are usually larger and will pro
duce better developed chicks. In fact,
tho vigor of the offspring is not de
creased If tho hen is kept threo or four
years.
Considered as a breeder alone her
value does not depreciate as long as
she produces good chicks. But wo
must judge her valuo also v by tho
total amount of her egg yield and wo
know that tho older sho grows the
few.er eggs sho will produco.
Experiment station results and prac
tlcal experience go to show that It
seldom pays to keep hens after they
are two years old, except for breeding
uses.
Notwithstanding the fg,ct that pnl
lets will lay moro eggs than yearling
hens, I believe It pays to keep as many
yearling hens in tho flock as pullets.
Many who keep a farm flock do not
consider tho cost of raising the pullets
to an egg-producing age whllo the
year-old hens aro making a profit for
them. '
Keeping about tho same number of
yearlings ns pullets enables mo to
market about one-half of the older
birds during tho summer when thoy
aro In good condition and will bring
the highest price.
in this way I have plenty of room
for the young pullets early In tho fall
and get them Into their Iioubcb and
I ready to begin laying before cold
ready to begin laying
weather comes on.
By plnpnlng my egg-producing
flock In this way I am able to nupply
regular customers and maintain a
fairly uniform egg production during
the entire year.
After the older birds are marketed
the yearlings alone must he depended
upon to supply egg customers untU
tho pullets begin to lay In tho fall.
I have found It unsatisfactory to
depend upon pullets alono to main
tain a uniform production during tho
wholo of a year.
Does It Pay?
A good fresh cow Is worth $fi0 to
$100, depending on how good sho Is. A
holfer calf will sell for veal nt $10 to
$20, according to tho time of year It
comes and tho amount of milk It gots.
Does It pay to raise cows? What does
it cost to ruise a cow?
Test for Tuberculosis.
Are you sure your herd is free from
tuberculosis? Not unleas you'vo had
the tuberculin test applied. You
should not sleep well until you know
for sure.
Use hens for breeding.
. ,
Alfalfa improves the soil.
Chickens relish sunflower seed.
Separate tho breeding sowb as thoy
begin to grow heavy.
Continuous cultivation during dry
weather means success In the garden.
No farm garden should be consid
ered complete without a bed of nspar-
agUB.
When proper cqre 1b exercised the
llfo of a peach tree Is from twelve to
sixteen years.
Cow testing proves that many cows
considered tho highest In the test" aro
really the lowest.
It Is a mistake to discard a good
breeding fowl as long aB It keeps In
good breeding condition.
Land which receives the Bame treat
ment year after year rapidly depre
ciates in ltd crop-producing power.
A good tlmo now to haul and spread
manure on the vegetable garden so
that the spring rains can do their
part.
If one is obliged to feed timothy hay
a good ration of bran and oats will
help to maintain the ewes in good con
dition. Give the laying hens plenty of fresh,
clean, water. In cold weather It pays
to give it to them warm two or three
times a day.
The brood sows must havo exercise
to be healthy. Bad luck with them
can always be traced to Ignorant or
careless handling by the owner.
Peach trees under four years old
which aro so badly frozen as to show,
discolored wood must bo cut oft below
the snow line and allowed to sprout
again.
Millet sown along in June, perhaps
on a plot of low ground whero floods
ruined tho first crop sown, will furnish
you with an enormous tonnage of good
roughage.
It Is a true statement that too many
farmers know how to produce food
supplies, but do not know how to find
a market, or put them on In an attrac
tive manner.
The determining factor In tho ylold
of a good variety of corn Is not the
size of the ear, but rather the strength
of the whole plant and the percentage
of stand secured.
An enterprising chicken raiser who
has gone Into the business in Alaska,
writes to tho department of agricul
ture that ho Is clearing $4.00 per year
on each hen ho owns.
"
In Syria, recently, ollvo trees 499
years old are still bearing fruit of fine
quality and in great abundance. Their
age is proved 'by the original trust
deeds of the land on which thoy grow.
The fruit and the vegetables that
were stored In the cellar last fall be
fore winter enme to spoil their keep
ing qualities aro going to ylold you
splendid returns In comfort from now
on.
Tho motor 1b placed In the handles
of a new electrical horse clipper to
do away with much cumbersome ma
chinery and permit current to be
taken through a cord from a light
socket.
Grape vines are seldom attacked by
scale insects,' so that there 1b seldom
any need for spraying them with
Btrong llrae-sulphur during the dor
mnnt season. When In lenf, bordeaux
mixture gives the best results.
Prof. Gillette of the Colorado Agri
cultural college says: "Careful tests
have proved that It requires from six
to ten gallons of liquid for the treat
ment of a single largo apple tree for
the calyx spray. ThlB will enable tho
orchardlst to make a fairly close cal
culation as to whether or not sufficient
material Is being used to get the best
results."
If you havo never used a pure-bred
bull in your herd, make tho necessary I
Investment or patronize tho pure-bred
bull your neighbor may own. The re
sults tvHI convince you that a pure
brod sire would be profltnblo Invest
ment. Grain Is very high this winter and It
may bo hard to resist tho temptation
to cut down just a little on the dairy
rnuons. mis ih poor policy, ji is no
more profitable to stint the milk cow , difficult to obtain, wo have had
than to cut short the ration of the fat-1 Hplondld results by substituting bar
tenlng hojr J j0t
Tho horse should be hitched up oc
casionally and put to somo work, If
only for an hour or two.
Keep tho grit, shell nnd charcoal
boxes filled, also fill tho wator foun
tains twtco a day in winter.
Agriculture 1b taught in all Hun
garian schools and seven colleges
maintain experiment stations.
Do not let the sheep drink from a
trough half full of Ice. Give water
rogularly and keep the trough clean.
Tho California citrus crop 1b esti
mated at 29,000 cars, lemons being
placed at 2.CB0 cars, and oranges at
26,285 cars.
You can save your wife much labor
and anxiety by planting upon your
place a homo supply of small and
large fruits.
All eggs intended for hatching pur
poses whether under henB or In in
cubators, should bo as fresh na possi
ble when set.
Do not plant many varieties of ap
ples. A fow. well-chosen trees well
cared for, aro more satisfactory than
many only half cared for.
Where feather-eating Is prncticed
try giving tho fowls sulphur, one ten-
spoonful in tho soft feed of every
three fowis, two times a week.
. ..For breeding purposes h'ons are gen
erally preferred to pullets because
they are fully matured and possess
stored up vitality after their annual
molt.
When trees have been barked by
mice or rabbits, but not bo bndly that
tho llfo of tho tree Is endangered,
paint tho wounds to protect them from
from decay.
Sometimes hens will not ent dry
alfalfa leavee readily; In such cases
try steaming tho leaves by pouring
hot water over them and Jetting them
stand for a time.
The plantlngV)f trees on tho village
lot or the farm adds to tho salable
valuo of that lot or farm many times
more than the cost of tho trees and
tho labor of planting tbem.
Tho first spraying for the codling
moth must bc completed before tho
calyx of euch blossom has closed. After
that time the thoroughness of the ap
plication is mndo very much more dif
ficult. Grit should be supplied to chickens
at all times, as It aids digestion. Lime
In somo form must be supplied to the
laying hen, to keep up her supply,
which Is bo henvlly drawn upon dur
ing egg-production.
Fnll-plowcd land which Is allowed
to remain rough over winter storeB
more of the winter rains and snow
than unplowed or smooth land. Fre
quent summer cultivation holds the
moisture for tho crops during drought.
A fruit called durlan, grown In tho
Philippines, on a tree resembling tho
elm, 1b ns large as a coconnut, has a
shiny sholl and contains a creamy
pulp which combines somo of tho flav
ors of A delicious custard with thoso
of a flno cheese. American soldiers
havo dubbed the fruit "vegetable llm
herger cheeso."
The value of the 1913 crops Is twice
ns great ns that of 1899; moro than
$1,000,000,000 over 1909", and sub
stantially greater than 1912. Of nil
tho crops, however, It Ih estimated
that 52 per cent will remain on farms
where thoy were produced, and thnt
20 per cent of tho animal production
will remain. On tbut basis the ensh
Income is estimated by the depart
ment of agrlculturo at $5,847,000,000.
There Is no rule for wnterlng plants;
apply It when they are dry and not
before, whether It Is once a woek or
twice a day. Give them plenty at the
time, pour on until It runs from tho
hole at tho bottom of tho pot.
Fowls llko anlmnls, thrive best
when given a variety of grains, and
tho following will bo found a satisfac
tory mixture: Equal parts, by weight,
i nt mm whont nnrt not. wi,M
,
Get Out Your Paint Boxes
(CopyrlRlit. 19H, by tJm McCluro News
paper Syndicate.)
Long time ago tho doer had no horns,
nnd tho top of hlB head waB as smooth
as the doe's head is today. Ho was a
good-natured fellow, who liked to
show nil of tho other animals how fnBt
he could run and how far ho could
jump.
Now, the rabbit waB also a great
runner and a good jumpor, and ho
liked to tell nbout what he could do
whenever ho could get anyone to
listen.
Ono day tho rabbit was sulRIng
around Mamma Bear, as sho was
taking tho last of tho corn cakes out
of the fire, nnd begging for somo of
tho hot and crisp pieces off tho edge.
"Give mo two piecesj and I will
show you that 1 can jump clean over
your fire," Bald tho rabbit.
'I declare," onld Mamma Boar, "If
you don't Btop bothering mo I'll pick
you up and hold you over tho fire until
all of your fur Is singed off!"
"Catch me first!" said tho rabbit,
and ran away to seo what other mis
chief ho could get Into. After the
rnbblt ran off, Mamma Bear sat down
and thought out n plan to Btop tho
rabbit from boasting any more of his
speed. Sho foldod up her apron and
went to call on tho Great Beavor.
"I think we ought to fix up a race
between tho rabbit and tho door," said
Mamma Bear, "and offer a grand prize
to the ono who wins. If wo do that, 1
know that the door will beat, and I
won't havo to listen to Mr. Rabbit talk
about himself."
"And I know Just the right prlzo to
offer to tho ono who wins,", aald Uio
Great Beavor. "I will toll my sou to
whittle out a flno pair of horns, and
then I will set thorn up lu front of my
SMOKE ON TOY LOCOMOTIVE
Inventor Has Made an Imitation by
Covering of Cotton, Suitably Col
ored, Over Piece of Wire.
Tho toy locomotives made for nurs
ery ubo nre bo cleverly constructed
that, with ono accord, wo are all
prompted to suy, as we see them run
ning over the floor, "It only needs a
little smoke to inako It look like tho
real thing." So, Inking tho sugges-
Smoking Toy Locomotive.
tlon, the Inventor has made nn imita
tion of smoke, which Is to bo seen
bursting with sturtllng realism from
tho smoRo stack of tho minlaturo en
gine. The Imitation is made by a cov
ering of cotton, suitably colored, over
a pleco of wlro, and when this is prop
erly placed, In the smoke stack of tho
engine tho effect Is astonishing. Chi
cago Tribune.
In the Class.
"Tommy, stand up and tell tho class
who was Atlas."
"He was tho biggest thief that over
got away with the goods."
'"Tommy Smith, what do you mean
by talking such nouuenso?"
"Well, Atlas held tho world up,
didvt he?"
t
. J i
and Color the Animal.
house. When tho rabbit sees thorn ho
will want them, nnd wo can got him,
to raco with tho door."
"So that's Bottiedt" said Mamma
Bear, and sho wont back to her flroj
Pretty soon tho chipmunk camo and
told Mamma Boar that Young Beavor
had tlnlshod tho horns, and tho chip
munk took a stick and drew in tho
ashes n plcturo of a flno, spreading
pair of antlors.
Suro enough, tho rabbit wanted tho
horns as soon ns ho saw them.
"I thought maybe thoy would look:
well on tho deer," said tho Groat
Beavor. But aftor ho had Bat nnd
Binokod for a whllo, ho said: "I'll toll
you, tho thing to do 1b to Ox up a raco
between you and tho doer, and tho ono
who beatB shall havo tho hornBl"
So, tho nnlmnls all got together and
fixed It up to havo tho doer and tho
rabbit run through a thicket nnd back.
They woro to start at tho samo mark
when tho Great Boavor thumped hla
tall hard on tho wator, "Plomp!" llko
that, and tho first to got back should
havo tho prlzo.
Whllo ovory ono was admiring tho
horns, tho rabbit said, "I don't know
this part of tho country, so I'm going
to tako a look through tho bUBhou
where we aro to run." Thoy said that
waB all right, but ho waB gone so long
that tho fox said ho must bo up to one
of his trlckB.
"I'll go and see what ho is doing,"
said tho fox, and protty soon ho camo
back and said that he had found tha
rabbit gnawing tho bushes nnd clear
ing a path to run over. When tho rab
bit came back at last to Btart tha
raco, tho Great Beaver told him that
tho horns would go to tho deer, for
thoy cbuld not allow a tricky fellow
llko him to try a raco for thorn.
JUMPING BEANS OF MEXICO
Not
a Bean at All, but a Species of
Fruit Queer Antics Caused
by Caterpillar.
You may havo noticed among arti
cles offered for Bale at a bazaar somo
curlouB llttlo three-cornered objects
that keep hopping about us If alive.
They aro called Jumping beans,
though really thoy aro not beans nt
all, as you can tell by their shape.
Thoy aro tho fruit of a treo growing
In Mexico, four of tho BO-cnllcd
"beans" forming ono fruit, which splits
open and dlvldeB ns It dries.
Whllo tho fruit Is still young nnd
soft, a tiny caterpillar eats Its way
through the Bkln to tho fnsldo and
tak;cs possession. It gradually eats out
the whole of the inside of tho fruit,
and of courso grows larger. Mean
while tho Bkln has hardened into a
thin but strong shell, and tho fruit
having divided has fallen to tho
ground Tho caterpillar Is thus shut
into a strong prison.
Mexico being a very hot country, it
will mako a difference to tho temper
aturo of tho shell whether It falls into
a shady nook or is left out In tho open,
exposed to tho sun. Now, though the
caterpillar cannot see through the
walls of Its llttlo house, instinct loads
It to try to got Into some sheltered
spot whoro It will not bo trodden on
or disturbed. Tho only way It can da
this is by knocking Its head against
tho top of tho sholl and falling forward
whenever It feels the warmth of tha
sun.
It takes a long whllo to get over the
ground in this way, at tho rato of a
quarter of an Inch each "Jump," but
by dint of porso'veranco a safe retreat
will generally bo found; the seed will
eventually burst and grow. Tho cater
pillar then turns Into a chrysalis,
which develops Into a pretty llttlo
brown moth that lays its eggs on tho
leavos of tho samo tree.
Eat only when you nro hungry. Leave
worries outside tho dining room door.
Eat slowly and masticate thoroughly.