if
AGRICULTURAL HINTS
ORGANIZED EFFORT.
Oootl HoihIm AKitntlnu lit AVlnooimln
Amhiiiiich I'ravtloiil Komi.
The Wisconsin division of the Cen
tury Pond Club of America hns sprung
u sensation. Fver since the publication
of the fact tlint the Century lloud club
members were going to shame the great
state of Wisconsin Into building better
roads, there has been a real interest
manifest in the project. This new-born
iictlvity is not confined to Milwaukee,
but extends throughout the state, as
wide publicity lias been given to the
plan of building better highways.
Due credit should be given State
Centurion 11. L. Marshall, whose untir
ing energy is responsible for the new
moicmcnt. Mi1. Marshall has outlined
the work in an ingeniously constructed
circular addressed to local centurions.
It is proposed to petition the state legis
lature to appropriate the sum of $500,
000 for road improvements. For every
dollar given by the state, another dollar
'will be contributed by riders of wheels.
The whole arrangement is exceedingly
comprehensive. For the purpose of ob
taining signatures to the petition, the
ft kK .?,..
wewannwo:3iaie roads
through (he Slate, bulll and
maintained by the State.
e You With Us?
aDDncssj r -firs' vii
3lUUvaukcc,tDi5.
STATE CENTURION,
WISCONSIN DIVISION
CENTURY ROAD CLUB OP AMERICA.
AN IDEA PROM WISCONSIN.
state will be divided into districts, co
extensive with the political divisions
set apart for the election of state as
semblymen. Each of these districts
will be in charge of a captain, who will
see to it that his lieutenants obtain the
signatures of every citizen who is inter
ested in road improvement. It is pro
posed to have each assemblyman head
the list in his respective district, so that
the legislature will simply be petition
ing itself.
Every wheelman and wheelwoman
who signs the petition agrees to give
one dollar for road building as soon as
the state has made the appropriation.
When the monstrous petition is com
pleted, it is proposed to have 1,000
wheelmen visit the state capital and
present the document to the legislature
in support of a good roads bill. Of
course the local centurions in all the
towns will lead their respective dele
gations to the capital. As an aid to the
enterprise, State Centurion Marshall
has caused to be made a sketch of the
state in outline, with the proposed road
ways running through it. A eut of the
design is published herewith, and it
will be used on the backs of envelopes
by all enthusiastic cyclists and their
business friends. Speaking of the pro
ject, State Centurion Marshall said:
"Members of the Wisconsin division
have long, realized that only by active
work could anything be accomplished
in the way of road improvements. Jn
such an enterprise we are dealing with
politicians and the only way to treat
with a politician is to allow him to
make no promises. Performance is the
thing, and we propose to make the pol
iticians perforin. All the talk in the
world would not build u mile of road.
What you need is sand, and perhaps
gravel, not to disdain a few rocks to
help out the plan.
"I have realized all along what a
great task this is, but 1 think it can be
accomplished. Our petition cannot be
ignored by the legislature, when it is
signed by nil the members before it is
presented. It takes a nervy politician
to deny his own signature. We who
ride only on the Highways are compe
tent to judge of what is needed. We
propose to give dollar for dollar with
the state, and shame the common
wealth into an act of civilized progress.
The design 1 have made is for use on the
backs of envelopes, and we want all the
members of the legislature to begin us
ing these designs, even if we have to
present them with their stationery. We
do not expect to do much talking about
this matter, except where it will pro
mote the project. What we need more
than anything else Is a little action."
Cor. Cycling Gazette.
A subscriber has two cows that give
bloody milk after calving. This is
caused by blows or commencing inflam
mation from other causes; local con
gestion, with inereuhed ilow of milk.
Give a dose of salts, restrict the diet
and rub daily with compound tincture
of iodine with three times its bulk of
water. Western Plowmun.
. Jty
JHU010M 1 J II
C Y V" fi
l l H:wVm
v MAM&ON
DESTRUCTIVE FUNGUS.
How to Trout Ilrown-llot on I'lnms
with CoiiNliIcrnblc KITeet. i
It is scarcely necessary to repeat the1
general remarks on treatment for fun
gus diseases published in several previ
ous bulletins. Hut concerning brown
rot (Monilia fructigenu) we may ?ay
that only the iriost persistent effort can
hold this fungus in check. As all grow
ers hnve observed, the decayed fruits
hang to the twigs and persist over win
ter. It is from these in the early days
of spring that an abundant crop of
spores nre borie, and the petals of the
flowers, young leaves, and even many
branches, are attacked. Those mum
mied fruits also hang on all summer and
continue to produce spores. Hence, by
the time the fruits become half-grown
or begin to mature, the infecting spores
may come from the old decayed fruits
of the previous year or from more re
cent infection on the young growth of
the current year. Whenever the fruit
has become badly attacked treatment
is quite useless.
The propc plan is to remove nil de
cayed fruit from the orchard when: the
trees are free from foliage, as It'oWi be
easily seen at this time; then, before
the buds swell in the spring, wash the
trees thoroughly with a solution of
concentrated lye or of sulphate of cop
per. The llrst solution should be made
by dissolving eight cans of lye in SO
gallons of water, and the copper sul
phate (hlucstone) in 50 gallons of wa
ter. I consider the lye preferable, but
the latter may tie somewhat pleasanter
to handle. This washing is very im
portant and perhaps does as much real
good as all later work.
The later washings should be given
as follows: Weak Hordeuux just as
color shows plainly in the bloom-buds,
and repeated soon as bloom has fallen.
If the work is well done to this point
very little infection will have survived.
Concerning value of later sprayings I
much in doubt. If the early washing is
not well done, 1 hnve almost no faith
in later treatment.
All washing or treatment of orchnrds
should be done with a spray-pump.
Poor, half work is usually a dead loss--.
William P. Alwood. in liulletin Vir
ginia Experiment Station.
BEST SOIL FOR PEARS.
Grow Alccly on Clnycy (.round mill
III! It HlllNllIt.
Clay soil is considered best for pear
culture, and still it should not be too
tenacious and sticky. A pear orchard
will not thrive so well, says Green's
Fruit Grower, on any soil that has not
a clay subsoil. Next to a friable clay
loam, a gravel loam is most desirable.
A light, sandy soil is the least desirable
of any, and yet pears can be grown u
sandy soil. Standard pears can be
planted UO to HO feet apart, according to
circumstances and habits of growth.
If planted :t0 feet apart, dwarf pears
can be planted between the rows each
way. I prefer a standard pear for gen
eral orchard culture, for the reason that
they require less fertility and cultiva
tion, and for the further reason that
they are longer lived and make larger
and more permanent trees. When the
question came up for a vote, however,
before the Western New York Horticul
tural society, we found th.it the dwarf
pear was the favorite for orchard plant
ing or for garden. Dwarf pears have
the advantage of coming into earlier
bearing. The dwarf pear is not sliort
lived. It requires more pruning and
more attention than the standard pear.
Many varieties do better on the dwarf
pear than on the standard. 1 should
not locate a pear orchard or any other
orchard in a low piece of ground, t
should locate on a hillside. The pear
is easily transplanted. J transplant
several thousand every spring, and they
do not lose on an average one out cf
one hundred trees. Pear trees come
into bearing earlier than the apple.
RASPBERRY VINES.
How tn 1CM! Them (ruin SliriiwIInK
All Over the Lot.
My way is to llrmly drive four-foot
stakes one rod apart and nail to each,
30 inches above the ground, a slfbrt
.--V- .'
TRAINING RASPBERRY; VINES.
piece of plank two feet in length and
saw a notch close to each end of the
upper edge. In these notches lirmiy
stretch No, 10 wires and brace back
the end posts. The accompanying il
lustration makes perfectly clear this
simple and effective way of doing the
work. The advantages of keeping rasp
berry and blackberry vines from
sprawling all over the lot will be best
appreciated by those who have tried
this method. Farm and Home.
Is it true that cows milked nearly up
to the time of calving, will drop smaller
calves? asks a subscriber. That is fhe
theory of borne, but we have never seen
uuy evidence of Its truth.
. ... xp ,
FARM AND GARDEN.
ROAD ENGINEERING.
The Seleiice Should lie TnttKht In
Kvery Aicrleulturnl School.
The suggestion that the money de
posited in postal savings banks, if es
tablished, should be loaned for the pur
pose of building good roads has been
favorably received in most quarters;
but F. H. Hay, a pioneer good roads man
of Montana, thinks that public debtsare
already large enough, and that more
knowledge of the best methods should
be acquired before undertaking such
general and elnboratc work. Ho says,
in the L. A. W. Bulletin:
"Ignorance is far more responsible
for bad roads than lack of expenditure.
Without disparagement of the many
honest, well-meaning road officers, the
fact remains that road funds are large
ly misspent because officials hae had
no adequate training for such work.
Many road reformers believe the im
perative prelude to a general system of
good roads, economically constructed
and well maintained, is a sufficient
number of resident, competent road
engineers and country road supervis
ors, and that no bonding should be con
sidered before a county has road ofll
cers who demonstrate their ability by
building a few miles, at least, of per
manent good roads with the funds an
nually raised by taxation.
"How is it possible to use road
funds wisely, over extcnsie area, until
a majority recognize that special skill
is required for that work, and elect
thoroughly qualified olllcials? Is not
the most urgent need therefore, for
competent road-builders, instead of
greater expenditure? Would not efforts
to provide such trained ollicinls yield
far more satisfactory and less costly
results than creating road debts? Jf
every state had one or more schools
doing what the agricultural college of
Jthode island Is accomplishing, viz.,
giing u practical course in road-making,
and if in addition, after, say ISOi),
no one was eligible to a road office who
had not graduated with a good record
from such schools, would not the great
obstacle, to better roads be re
moved? . . .
"Finally, counties that are equipped
with competent road ofticcrs should,
before borrowing, exact a cash instead
of a labor road or poll tax, and remove
the discrimination which exempts men
aged 45 and up. If. then, the communi
ty wish to bond, they should observe
two precautions llrst, place the In
terest burden only on those lands bene
fited by the improved highway, and,
second, make the bonds short time und
payable in legal tender."
BROAD-TIRED WAGONS.
IloHiilt of Ton In Conducted nt the
.MlMNOiiri K-iierlmcnt Hindoo.
The Missouri experiment station has
made a large number of experiments
during the past two jears with the
draft of broad and narrow-tired wag
ons. These tests have been made with
the ordinary narrow-tired wheels and
with six-inch tires, on macadam streets,
gravel and dirt roads in all conditions,
on meadows, pasture, stubble and
plowed fields both wet and dry. Bulle
tin No. 3D of the station, by Director II.
.1. Waters, gives the results of these
tests. The broad tires pulled materially
lighter on fhe macadam street and the
gravel roads. Also on dirt roads in all
conditions except when soft or sloppy
on the surface, underlaid by hard road
bed, and when the mud was very deep
and sticky, in both of these conditions
the narrow tires pulled considerably
lighter, it should be borne in mind,
however, that the roads are in these
conditions for a comparatively short
period of time, and this at seasons when
their use has naturally been reduced to
the minimum. The testa on meadows,
pastures, stubble land, corn land and
plowed ground in every condition, from
dry, hard and firm to very wet and soft,
show, without a single exception, a
large saving in draft by the use of the
broad tires.
The bulk of the hauling done by the
farmer is on the farm, in hauling feed
from the fields and hauling manure
from the barns, etc. The actual ton
nage, hauled to market is insignificant
in comparison with that hauled about
on the farm, inasmuch as a large pro
portion of the products of the average
farm is sent to market in the form of
live stock or its products. It is clearly
shown by these experiments that in
many instances where the narrow tire
is very injurious to the road or field, the
broad tire proves positively beneficial
when the same load is hauled. When it
Is considered, therefore, that the av
erage draft of the. broad tire is materi
ally less than the narrow tire, and that
the injury done to the roads and faims
by the narrow tire can be almost wholly
corrected by the use of the wide tires,
there remains no longer any good
reason for the use of the narrow-tired
wagons. These experiments further in
dicate that six inches is the best width
of tire for the farm and road wagon,
and that both axles should be the same
length, so that the front and rear
wheels shall run in the same track.
Prairie Farmer.
The Father of Itut.
If water stands on a road it soon
ruins it; ruts collect and retain water:
I the narrow tire is the Father of Huts.
I Good Ponds.
HILLSIDE ICE HOUSE.
It CohIh Hut a Few I)cllnr to Haltd
it Good One.
From n steep hillside or, better yet, n
creek bank facing the north, excavate,
as for a dugout, a room about a foot
larger each way than in required to hold
the amount of ice to be packed. If the
bank or hillside is steep enough, the
drainage question is easily disposed of
by digging the front end of tho cavo
bottom lower than the remainder. Set
a strong post at each corner of the room
long enough, in every instance, to reach
the top of the ground. With rough
lumber of any kind build up the sides
and back by putting the ends of the
boards behind the corner posts. This
will prevent caving. Then set four more
posts just a foot inside the first set.
These should correspond in length to
the others. The floor Inside this last set
is n foot or so higher than the remain
der. The house Is to be entered from the
front, where a door should bo made.
Tho roof Is composed of rough boards or
even straw; anything that will turn sun
and rain.
Jn packing the ice, straw and chaff
may be used. Hegln by taking poles
cut to tho required length, and build-
FI,OOH PLAN OF ICE HOUSE.
ing up the inside wall of the ice house
as you would nu old-fashioned railpen.
Build about a foot at a time, then pack
in the ice, filling in all the chinks be
tween the cakes with ice and chaff.
Then pack straw between the two
walls tightly. It is much handier, in
taking out the lee, if the layers are
kept distinct. When full, cover over
with straw, leaving a space between the
top and the roof. There is little trouble
in keeiiimr ice if the drainairc 1b urood,
which this sort of a house insures, pro
vided there is a way for the accumula
ting water In the bottom to escape. This
is easily accomplished by means of a
few joints of tile or a wooden trough.
Orange .ludd Farmer.
A FAIR PROPOSITION.
According to It ISood ItottdH Are Very
Kiin)- to .Secure.
A Pennsylvania paper says that a
competent engineer and contractor of
fers to give bonds to gridiron Lancaster
county with first-class macadam roads
within five years, so that there won't
be a farmer who will live over a mile
and a half from one of these roads on
any side of him, and three-fourths will
live immediately on them, provided a
four mill tax per annum on the county's
valuation (outside of Lancaster and
Columbia) be paid him for ten years.
This looks like an easy way to get good
roads. The county is about i.'B by 30
miles, so it would require nearly 500
miles of road to cross it in both ways,
every three miles. Hut the contractor
allows for building GOO miles, as fol
lows: EXPENDITURES.
300 miles, 35 feet wide, at J3.000 J900.000
300 miles, 10 feet wide, at $2.000 000.000
Interest on annual expenditures... 250,000
Repairs for 5 years 300,000
Jl.850,000
RECEIPTS.
Tax 4 mills, annually for 30 years
on valuation, ?0C,01,8tI $2,GG4.fi70
Interest on annual receipts r.'js,637
S3 2G3 207
Deduct expenditures li&wjooo
Net profit , J1.413.207
And this on a tax of only four dollars
on each thousand of valuation. L. A.
W. Hulletin.
1' re purl ii k' llintei ror .Market.
There is one point to which 1 want to
call your attention in regard to work
ing and putting up the butter. Adopt
a trademark. Then, when your butter
(ocs to market it will make no dif
ference in what part of the country
you find it you will be able to swear
to it. Make it uniform and make It
look attractive. If it only catches the
eye of one here and there it makes a
market for your butter. Print nil
prints alike. J advocate print butter
for the farmers because they are able
to do it better and it helps the trude.
Turn out a good quality of butter,
make it look nice and send it to mar
ket and you farmers will have no rea
son to complain of low prices because
people will find you are selling a good
article that looks nice when it comes
onto the table. Farmers' Jlevlew.
Vounic IMkm In the Orchard,
Orchardists will find.u lot,f vigorous
young pigs next spring almost as good
as an extra hired man. They can bo
turned loose in the orchard to root at
will or kept in pairs in small moveable
pens about 14 feet square, built close
around the tree. By this latter plan
they will do some very thorough work.
There is small profit In the pig unless
he works for u liviug. Dakota Field
and Farm.
I Tee M
-- C O, Win
SMARTER THAN FOUR WOMEN.
Junk .linn Svho nought n Fine Wnrit
rolic for HlKht-Hlx Out.
"Can you recommend an honest junk
man?" asked MrR. McGosh the other
uny of, one of the pensioners about her
plnce. "We're going to mov. you know,
ntid wc have a rnft of old stuff. I should
like- to dispose of."
"An honest junkmnn!" wns tc pessi
mistic reply. "I can send you a junk
man, but lie won't be honest."
Honest or not, hls."junkship" came at
the time appointed.
"I hear you are going to move, ain't
It?" he remnrked us he waddled in at
the side gate.
The four women of the family were
on the back steps to meet him, each and
every one of them having vowed to bo
asslmrpundkccntifi a razor in thctrniiR
aetions to follow, and all together hop
ing that the dealer in old clothing and
other cast-off nrtlolos would not get tho
better of them in tho bargains to bo
driven for the old suits nnd dresses, tho
old iron, the bottles, rags and other
stuff piled up in tho separate heaps on
the cellar iloor. The stuff they had to
offer had cost hundreds of dollars when
new, and they had figured it out that
not even a junkman would think of.
offering less thnn $120 for the lot. At tho
end of their bartering they had a differ
ent idea, and the junkman had their
Btuff for n good deal less, too, than WO.
"Come on, junkcy," said the leader of
the quartette of females, starting away
to the cellar. "We'll start in with the
chenp things first. What do you pay
for rags?"
"Half n cent n pound," was the reply.
Three or four bags tlint must have
weighed more thnn 200 pounds woro
produced nnd knocked down at half n,
dollar, the junkman cutting the weight,
by working the short nrm o'f his steel
yards under his elbow.
"Now we'll sell the old clothes," de
clared one of the ladies, dragging forth
nn opera cloak of blue velvet with
ostrich feather trimming and lined
with yellow satin. "How much for
that?"
"I'll veigh It nnd see," replied tho
junkmnn, nnd when he hnd done bo
offered the grand sum of five cents.
"What!" exclaimed the young woman
in excitement; "Jive cents for a gar
ment like thatl"
"Dot's no garment mlt me," replied
the junkman complacently, "eve.ry
tlng Is rngs, und I give you pig velght."
"Well, how much for this?" asked an
other of the women, hauling forth a
cast-off dress suit once worn by her
father.
"Ten cents," replied the junkmnn,
ninklng a recklessly extravngant guess
after "hefting" the suit in one hnnd.
"Well, I declare!" gasped the young
lady in astonishment. "Five cents for
a silk-lined opera cloak as good as new
except a little out of style, and ten cents.'
for n full dress suit!" '
"Veil, don't sell 'em if you don't vnnt
to," said the junkmnn unconcernedly.
"I can't stay here, though, if you don't
vnnt to sell."
"We do want to sell, but we thought
you would give something like what
things nre worth."
"I give nil they are vorth to me," re
plied the junkmnn. "Hf you vnnt Hint,
1 take it; ef you don't, J go."
The result wns that the junkman got
the opera cloak and the evening suit for
15 cents less by far thnn he paid for
POO pounds of rags and took away be
sides eut glass bottles anu miciy
wrought chnndellers that couldn't bo
duplicated for hundreds of dollnrs.
When the nccounts Avere flnnlly settled
up the junkman paid over 80 'cents for
his plunder and the four women of the
McGosh fnmily looked at one another
in foolish amazement.
"Well, we've got rid of the old stuff nt
nny rate," said the mother, "and If tlint
miserable junkmnn did cheat us it Is
better thnn having our new house lit
tered up with a lot of plunder that In
no use to anyone." Chicago Times-
Herald.
Over-Inilulicenee Children.
One of the greatest mistakes that pa
Tents make is the over-indulgence to
children. Helng too indulgent is a
great mistake and in time works in
jury. The child who has his every wish
and whim gratified grows up self
willed amd arrogant and overbenring,
which at times is a source of trouble to
everyone in the house. He looks upon
his parents us menials, loses that re
spect, love and obedicneeduethopnrent,
and when he goes out in the world to
anake his living lie finds tlint the world
can get nlong without him, nnd will not
put up with his nonsemse. This lswhero
the injury works. He then discovers,
but too Inte, that his training has been
wrong. Therefore, pnrents, see that
you rear your children tlint they may
be a benefit to themselves if to nobody
else. Detroit Free Press.
To limine it Hum.
Put the ham imto water the night pre
vious to cooking, the next day wnsh it
in worm water; trim It by cutting away
all the yellow fat nnd misty parts; take
off the knuckle and pare down all the
under part; put it in a stewpan and
just cover it with water; Iny in a slice of
beef cut into pieces, a few onions, a
fagot of sweet herbs, three smnll car
Tots nnd a little allspice; simmer from
three to six hours it must depernd en
tirely upon Jhe size and weight. Take
out the ham and skin it; glaze and .serve
on a puree of vegetables. The braiso
may be' made into a rich, brown soup,
thickened and flavored with wine; it
may serve also for the fluvoring of
oups. Ladieb' World.
