The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, July 24, 1914, Image 9
5 THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. rriip-j wn m utajwmnniwnt3mwmmmKmn'm'apmmmWLjmtmm "'L' ' l'mm wqumw NOTES cHz-. ME&DOWBR00K BEGINNING WITH POULTRY IN RIGHT WAY HORSE .GAINS IN NUMBERS AND DEMAND t FARM ia kJ w - V ) i. f t j This House Will Care fop 100 (By ELIZABETH PUTNAM.) Tho beginner will do well to begin on a small scale a city lot or a big back yard will be largo enough and grow up, or rathor, let the business grow until it reaches tho stago whero It becomes unwieldy. How soon and at what point this stago la reached de pends entirely upon tho person who Is back of it. There aro only a tow poultrymen capable of carrying on with profit a business whero tho hens aro counted by the thousands, though so many aro making tho hundreds profltablo that tho poultry products of tho Unit ed States equal those of tho dairy in value. An expensive outfit is not only un necessary, but unadvlsablo. Use tho ruder forms to I'cgin with, and make tho profits pay for the more elaborate buildings. If they cannot do this, you do not need the buildings. A warm, and especially dry situation is the primo requisite. Of course, thero must be good ventilation. Many securo this by using cloth ln utead of glass in tho windows. Tho method admits light, and at tho samo time allow u for the circulation of uir without danger of draft. Use new muslin of light weight, preferably un bleached, as it is stronger. Old cloth may seem good enough when it Is put in place; but before you are aware it will bo torn by a hard wind and the damage dono to tho flock will more than counterbalance the supposed economy in using half-worn cloth, Tho material used for the building will depend largely upon circum stances. Somo have had excellent re sults with only the shelter afforded by old rails and corn fodder. But In other locations this would not be an economical plan. Tho plan of using two piano boxes, removing tho top and back of each, and placing them tho width of ono box apart is a good one. Tho slopo of tho boxes continued to the rldgo outlines a slight roof, which may bo covered with tho pieces of board removed from the top and back of tho boxes. If you have tho building It may bo projected by an annual coat of gov Summer Roosting House Usually Very Comfortable During Hot Weather, the Front Being Arranged In Such Manner as to Keep Out the Wet. GOOD DOSE FOR BLACKHEAD Mixture of Castor Oil and Turpentine Will Prevent Oread Disease Separate Ailing Birds. If tho youns turkeys, or poults, most people speak of them, begin to droop und die, and before death show up with a yeBow, watery discharge, tho first thing to bo done Is to change tho ration entirely, as It might merely be indigestion. Then, for fear that it Isn't, separate the oick from tho well, and open ono of Uio dead poUUs. It you find tho liver badly spctted, and tho blind Intestines (the two short ones) decidedly showing Inflammation, then tho matter is serious nnd tho poultB have tho blackhead, nnd recov ery Is doubtful. However , ono can try. Get tho well fowls to themselves, feed light bread and milk, In which Is a good sprinkling of peppor for each meal. Give each poult a half teaspoon ful of castor oil in which is placed four or five drops of turpentine. Each day after, don't miss the dosage of turpentine onco a dny from two drops to fivo or six for the younger poults. This dosago Is for tho well. As for tho sick, It would not hurt to try It, though onco sick with this, It usually in en in death. Incubator-Hatched Chickens. ernment whitewash, applied with a sprayer. This not only gives protec tion to tho wood from tho woathor, but tends to keep down insect pests, tho success being still greater it the In side Is treated in n similar wny or with frequent sprayings of kerosene. If you aro troubled with rats, a cement floor will stop their progress and will bo easily kept clean. A scratching shed 1b a great advantage, and in summer it will be most useful for keoplng the chicks dry during rainy weather or while tho dew Is on the grass. A compartment for nesting boxes Is also a convenience. Hens like to bo removed from tho flock at this timo; and if this Is not done there Is uneasi ness, and when they aro sitting, great danger of breaking tho eggs. Cheese boxes make convenient nests, and these may bo obtained of the local grocer free or for a trifle. Never allow tho nest boxes to bo fastened perma nently, They should be removable and frequently cleaned out and treated with a good insect powder. Thero aro many good Insect powders In stock; many that are worthless. Tho ago rather than the brand of tho articlo is of interest, for it loses lte strength 4n a season, despite manu-, facturers' assertions to tho contrary. If It Is not strong enough to suggest a sneeze it is scarcely a protection. If you cannot afford puro bred chick ens, gradually work up to it. But ee. lect some breed at which to aim. Drift--ing in a haphazard way, getting Leg horns hero and Orpingtons there will never result la anything but a mongrel flock. Do not think for a minute that you can niako a success of cross-breeding. It requires an expert to do this. Neither put too much stress on what others tell you about the beBt breed; It Is wise to learn the characteristics of tho different breeds. But when it comes to selecting the best breeds, you will And udvice varies almost as much aB the number of breeds. Every ono has a favorite; and tho fowl which is best for your neighbor will not be best for you unless you llko It beat, personal tasto must guide largely In this matter. HIGH ROOSTS FOR CHICKENS Much to Blame for Mortality Among Young Fowls Is Laid to Over crowding In Small Coops. Because overcrowding In small coops placed near tho ground tends to Injure tho health of young chick ens, it is advisable to teach tlem to uso perch roosts as early as possible and practicable. This la tho opinion of James G. Halpiii, in charge of tho poultry department of tho University of Wisconsin's college of agriculture. Halpln also lays much of the blamo for mortality among young chickens from roup and similar diseases during tho early winter months to neglect on tho part of their ownors In seeing that they aro placed on roosts early In the scifson. When chickens aro left out on cold nights In an Improvised shelter they aro sure to huddle closely together. In this way tho bodily tomperaturc 1b raised above normal, and thoy becomo easily subject to colds, which often lead to fatal diseased. Common Poultry Disease. Blackhead is a. disease very com mon In young and old turkoya, smd also In young chicken Hens relish sklm-mllk. Keep the tools in a Bhed. Keep a small flock of sheep. Only level floors for separators. A good farmer Is a good fighter of tho weeds. Cow-peas aro also a flno supplemen tary pasturo for pigs. Don't forget shade and cool, clean water during warm days. During tho first two days of a chick's life It should rest and be kopt warm. Grade and pack your product so that you can afford to put eorao kind of a guarantee on It. It pays In hard cash to keep tho sows healthy and hearty, both before and after farrowing. Arsenate of lead is replacing purls green In spraying potatoes because It ndheres to the foliage better. The early hatched pullet Is the ono that begins to lay early In tho fall when eggs are high In prlco. , Fresh, clean, cool water for hens and chicks and all other kinds of poul try Is very essential In hot weather. Never put a horse up dirty or mud dy for the night. At leaBt brush his legs and belly, and straighten his hair. It is lmportant.to have lettuce, spin ach, peas, snap beans and tho like reach tho market In a clean, fresh .con dition. Good sheep require moro caro to maintain their excellence. Poor sheep aro always a burden upon the rest of tho flock. Glvo the hogs salt and ashes, espe cially hard coal annes, and an occa sional dose of copperas and sulphur In tho slop. , Sun-scald Is death to trees. Valu able young trees can bo protected by a cylinder of heavy paper; not much trouble and It pays. Anybody living near a good-sized town can do n fine business in swoot corn by delivering it fresh every morning to customers direct. A small sowing outilt to place In tho traveling bag when going visiting will bo a great comfort and convenience. It can bo mado of linen or silk. In all soils tho gases and acids pro duced by tho decay of vegetable mat ter aro tho chief agents in setting free the plantfood locked up in tho soil. O Spraying vegetables should bo com menced tho very moment tho insects aro seen, Evory day thereafter makes tho work of observing them moro dif ficult. Above all things, don't chnneo tho collars of tho horses from one animal to another. How would you llko to wear somo ono olso'a shoes If thoy did not fit? In hot weather, and In nil weathers If the horso is hot, Bponge his eyes, nose, dock, tho harness marks, nnd tho Insido of his hind-quarters when, ho flrst comes In. When pasturing rapo employ hur dles, giving hogs a small strip at a timo to feed on. This plan means less waBto and aids in obtaining a second growth of the plants. Keop tho tools sharp. Don't lot your team work with any machine that needs sharpening. Dull tools dull tho woik, and If anything will mnko a slavo of a man It is working with dull tools. Do not forgetjhat In tho composi tion of egg there is a great propor tion of water, and tho laying hen cannot produco eggs unless she has all tho water sho wjnts, and at the time sho wants it. HalBo your own teams and ono oc casionally for your neighbor. So long as mon use Improved implements they will continue to use good teams. And the best way to havo an olllclent team on your own farm Is to raise colts for this purpoFo. Where thero is no danger from skunks or foxes or other animals dig ging under, coops without floors uro healthful and are cleaned by simply moving them to a fresh location every day. It is necessary, of course, to keep them on dry ground. Bo regular In milking. Balse your own horses. So) -bonus gather nitrogen. Water tho horso before feeding. Keep hogs awny from other stoclc. Encourngo tho birds to stny with you. Stake thn treeB blown crooked by tho winter winds. Breeding from Immature stock al ways lessens stamina. Most stato experiment stations will test seeds for germination free of qost. Skim-milk with ground corn and a llttlo bright hay will make calves hump. Tho army worm Is a clumsy catcr pillar and has troublo In climbing up a strnlght wall. Get your rye, or whatever catch crop you uso, started ns soon after harvest ns you can. The best fertilizers cannot exert their full effect on soils that are too wet, too hard or too porous. The condition of tho boII depends largely upon tho amount of decaying vegetable matter It contains. It costs a little moro to fonco tho hog lot with woven wlro fonco, but it is the thing to do. Get tho best. In transplanting your treeH set them tho same depth, or a trifle deeper than thoy stood in tho nursery row. Green beans and peas may be had all through tho summer and fall If seed Is sown at different Intervals. Thick-neck onions aro usually seen during such seasons ns havo wet weather nt tho usual timo of ripening. A clean coop and freedom from llco and mites will assist tho chlckB to grow fast and tho fowls to molt prop erly. Orvllle Scott of Bealsville, Pn owns a duck which she declares laid two eggs a day, something never known before. Full grown green tomatoes may bo kept about two months by wrapping thorn In paper and storing them In a cool place.. Sweet potatoes should bo "laid by" before tho vines cross tho rows,' other wise thero will be a back-breaking Job of turning them. i Nothing Is more delicious thnu a dish of plump, rod strawberries, fresh from tho vines, served with "rich cream and sugar. ' Somo of the shrewdest bankers In tho country note their cllont's credit by their ability to turn off a good bunch of hogs each year. If there la typhoid In tho neighbor hood, fix up tho lly screens. Files aro known to carry dlseaso moro than hnlf a milo on their filthy feet. Sklm-mllk. calves, although thin ner at weaning time, ate sometimes cold ns baby beef If well fed until sixteen or eighteen months of age. Each pig should bo looked after In dividually; a general look will not do; each animal hns Kb Individual needs, and theso needs should bo studied. It Is always the hen that lays tho most eggB that produces tho most chicks. In breeders high fertility Is moro' to bo desired than high produc tion, Polo beans and peas should bo Btaked and the ground around them loosened with a hoe. Draw the loos ened earth toward tho rows, hilling them up. A garden of one-third to one-half acre should bo lnrgo enough to supply tho average family with all tho vege tables required and with some small fruit as well. GardenorH use 400 and as high as 800 pounds of fertilizer to tho acre. It is npplled In small quantities and at different stages of growth and not all at ono time. A few boxes fitted up for bird nests or houses and places In trees whero cats cannot get at thorn often helpfr'to keep very deslrahlo feathered neigh bora In tho neighborhood. To provent scratches, dry tho horbo's fetlocks and heels when he comes in, especially In winter; and rub on a llttlo glycerins or vaseline before ho goes out in snow or mud. In all the lending milk producing farm3 of the Eastern states, great at tention Is now given to tho Importnnco of having tho stublcs scrupulously clean and thecows kopt In comfort. It Is" found by actual test to bo profit able to do so It 1b all right to cultivate somo low growing crops between young trees. Early potatoes and early cabbago would do well for thin sort of work, When theso aro out of tho way sow clover as a cover crop for wlntor and turn it under In the spring. wi-sWv z.mXst-nmzsm ra The Most Profitable Type. Tho horbo's place In tho Ufa of the country has been threatened many times, but ho has shown that he was never really in danger, and ho Is In moro request now than ever before. When tho first railroad was built In Now England It was opposed on the ground that It would take tho valuo out of horses. In 1826 n commlttco from the Massachusetts legislature concluded, after Investigation, that tho steam locomotive could not be ac cepted In tho United States as a sub stitute for tho horse, as motlvo power, writes JohopIi A. Rlcknrt of Missouri hi Natlonnl Stockman nnd Farmer. Later the bicycle wbb counted upon to weaken tho position of tho horse drawn vehiclo for pleasure, and to somo degree for business. Tho tiolley car displaced a certain number of horocB aud mules, but did not take much from tho prcstigo of tho equine race. The motor car and the motor truck were considered tho certain doom of tho horso, but ho romnlns. gaining in numbers and demand. Tho reduction in tho nvcrago slzo of farms In tho United States, as shown In tho 1910 cchhus, mnkeB moro farm horses necessary. Experiments have proven that It requires propor tionately moro horses to work a small farm than It doeB a larger ono, for there are moro Idle days during tho year for horses on a small farm than on a largu farm. But It is thn demand for good horses from tho cities that Is responsible for the advancing prlco. Tho motor truck has taken tho place of draft horses to somo extent, and figures aro given by interested parties that show .tho great economy In using motor trucks over horBO power. VnrlouB Influences, pro nnd con, aro affecting tho horso mnrket at this time. On ono hand thero Is an excep tionally good demand from the cities for largo exprcsHors nnd truckers. Tho government Is buying horses, and may buy many moro. On tho other hnnd, tho open winter permitted farmers tp do much plowing, particularly in tho central and western states When spring came, Instead of having to work all their horsos, and perhaps buy moro, somo farmers wcro In n position to sell ono or more of their teams. During the Boer war England bought a large number of horses In this coun try for sorvlco In South Africa. Kan sas City dealers secured most of tho contracts for theso horses, and horse and mule receipts at Kansas City Jumped from 33,000 head In 1S99 to 103,000 head In 1900, and almost at many wore received In 1901, a volume of horso and mule business that hap never been equaled at that mnrkei since. Mare and EXPANSION OF OUR FARMING METHODS Farmer Must Raise Some Highly Organized' Crop That Is Adapted to Rotation. (Hy 11. a. WKATIinilSTONi:, In a measure the use of chemical plant foods Is tho basis of expansive farming. Tho profits fronvuslug those plant foods will depend upon their right purchase and use. Hlghtly used they enable a man to place more of his land under a remunerative system of crop growing. Wo have been farming1 along too narrow lines. Tho fertility supply from our farm stock aB compared with the size of our farms, never gets far from our barns and feed lots, so that whllo 381 But only a fraction of tho number of horses In tho country are handled onch jenr through tho big markets. Tho horso business la entirely differ ent In this respect from tho business in meat-bearing animals. In 1913 of tho 21,000,000 horses In the country, only 3GO.000 wcro hnudlcd at tho prin cipal hors.o markets, namely, St. Louis,. Chicago, Kansas City, Ft. Worth, SU Joseph and Omnha. the relatlvo Impor tance of those markotB for the year standing In the order named St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph aro tho only markets named that recelvo mules In any considerable numbers. They rocelved 100,000 mules In 1913. In addition to tho horses recelvod. At lanta and Memphis handle a great many mules. Tvho horso business at theso leading markets last ear was grentcr than It over was boforo. In 100S, fivo years ago, total receipts of horses and mules at thPEo markets was 33S.O0O head; In 1903, ton years ago, 3G9.000; and in 1898, fifteen years ago, tho total was 317,000 head. So far this year these markets havo received practically tho Bame number of horses as they re ceived during the samo period last) year. Horses at the markets are sold by tho head, at auction to tho highest bid der, either singly or In pairs, except that unbroken rnnge horBes aro sold In car-lotB, by tho head. Auction sales aro hold ono or two days each week at each of tho big markets, tho differ ent markets having n mutual arrange ment ns to tho dnys of tho weok, which are fixed so that buyers may travel from one market to another . nnd attend bales, at several of the mar kets each week, If thoy so dosiro. Doubtless a vast number of horses chango hands In tho country privately, but country prices nro governed large ly by prices ruling at tho horso auc tions at tho various markets. Horso dealers travel about tho country and guthor up horses, nnd ship themto tho central markets, nnd In this mannor tho mnrket price Is established In tho country. Prices for work animals qover a wide range, $75 to ?100 for light weight, serviceable animals for street driving and llglit expressing, medium weight chunks for city service at $125 to $175, farm geldings. $140 to $200, farm mnrcs $150, to $225"; well-shaped horses weighing 1,150 to 1,350 pounds I at $185 to $275. and $300 to $350 for horses weighing around a ton. Fancy drivers and saddlers ate not as much used OB they wcro ton or fifteen years igo, and fower of them are produced, but prices on them remain at substan tial figures. Her Two Colts. n few acres "hold their own" tho many tuffor for tho few. To expand our farming wo must widen our methods nnd ralso some highly organized crop that Is adapted to our rotation of crops and our farm and that will pay a profit when grown under Intense conditions. Intonao tillugu makes tho soil moro filablo. easier to cultivate and loom ing with bacterial life, n condition brought about by opening up tho nores and giving tho air and Its t'peompos ing agents an onnortunliv ...., j bacterial action. The plnnt food that is liiBoiunie, thUB becomes avnllnblo I Poor Setting of Fruit. ( Tho poor sotting of fruit, which often follows u long rain, Ib duo moro i to a loss In vitality of tho pollen or to somo mecnanicai injury to tho pistils; also, In a largo measure, to tho fan' that bees and other insects which pro mote tho beneficial cross pollination between varieties are abseut.