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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1928)
| OF INTEREST TO FARMERS | STRAWBERRIES FOR PROFIT Where strawberries are to be grown with a view to mark *«nj the crop as a side line to farming, about an acre of ground will prove the most profitable. Less land than that re quires too much attention for the quantity produced; more is apt to bo handled in a manner so inefficient that it will return small profits. Setting the plants is done the same with the large plot as with the small one, but the rows should be three feet wide, with the plants set 13 incites apart in the rows. By laying out the rows in one direction, then setting the plants crosswise of these marks, one will te able to cultivate the field both ways, thus effictively destroying all weeds and effecting ideal soil conditions. Mulching the vines with straw is a tedious job, not requiring so muc.t time on the small plot, but calling for considerable hard work in connection with the larg:: field. In every case however, it is well worth the time employed in spreading it. Distributed evenly to a depth of even two or three inches over the plot, mulching helps to hold the moisture in the soil, forms a clean surface for pickers to walk on, keeps down weeds and holds the fruit off the ground, thus preventing its getting soiled or rotting. Later, it enters the soil as a fine fertilizer It will be found that picking the strawberries is one of the big prob lems in connection with the business, it being difficult to secure good pick ers at a price that will leave one much profit. The fruit is usually handled in an inefficient manner by poor help, or good help demands high wages. Where one can secure a crew of youngsters in which most of them arc careful not to trample the vine* and the fruit, and will take special care in handling the berries, the price one will have to pay for the picking leaves a fair margin of profit. If this cannot be done, the next best plan is to hire grown people who will oe careiui oi Dom me vines ana the fruit. In any case, insist on pick ing the berries clean as they go, and handling the fruit in a manner that will leave it in the best condition possible for marketing. Plans for marketing the crop should be laid before the berries begin to ripen. If one delays this till berries arc on the market a surplus is apt to pile up and result in much loss, as these berries go down very quickly alter removal from the vines. Local conditions will very largely deter mine the form of marketing straw berries that will prove best. In many cases the local groceryman is glad to engage berries of high quality at a price that is profitable. At some , points one may be able to dispose of enough ot a wholesale market. Ship ping to some large center is practical, provided it is near enough that the berries are not delayed in transit and only for a very brief time after ar rival at their destination. Quick mar keting is the watchword with straw berries. Where one has the time to deliver the strawberries direct to the home of the user (and it usually requires lit tle time) this form of marketing will prove much more profitable than any ether. The middleman’s profit is then saved- Always aim to have enough order;- in advance of delivery to take all the berries you will have picked each day. In fact, it is better for both buyer and seller for one to have a waiting list of customers than to have several crates of strawberries around that spoil before they are sold, or to try- to sell strawberries which will come under second, or even third grade. Practically no returns may be ex ected from the strawberry field the first season. If taken good care of, it will produce a good crop the second season. The plot may be left to pro duce a third crop, but weeds must be ktp down and the runners trained Jn eat t direction, care being taken that t j many plants are not started. Thin tit to four to six inches apart. Not later than the third season after ~ field has been established, the old p nts should be plowed up. Or, in th" meantime, a new plot should have Leon set to keep one in bearing every /ear. Still another plan is to train .ill runners between the old rows of plants. Then immediately alter < ich crop is harvested, plow' out the c I rows of plants, leaving the new, ’ore vigorous vines for produc ing r.< t season's crop of berries. As on as a plot is well established muk ng should be done, regularly, tvert ill, about the time of the first light ..eeze. This checks the growth befo the injury that would be done by l ?re freezing while the plants are ; en. It also prevents excessive Iree: g and heaving of the soil which so t en breaks the roots oi the plan , while the ground will be kept tool i party spring, noiaing oacK ine plai so they will not bloom and be emu- t by late spring frosts. This is one <f the strongest features of muh .ling, as many a disappointed gi er of strawberries will testify, aftc losing his crop entirely through ear >' frosts. 1 '.ever, the mulching should be rak ! from Ihe plaats when the wee ;er begins to grow warm, to pre ver scalding It should be worked t'.o . t around the vines instead of U1' left over them. This will aid in ki tig down the weeds and protect th< berries at harvest time. 'IIIN MOl.m M I .1 ?. *)ldy feed must be avoided, es p< ally for young chicks liiey at susceptible to trouble from this m ere Feed of this kind often pro docea gas in the crop Sometimes the cl icks show symptoms of fils and p* :1b*I paralysis as a result of moldy ft 'll. ’•nail chicks eat but very little feed both in to *1 amount and ui propor tion to 'ne gains made This makes It poor economy to take chances on it ding material that it not pure and s' eet Como'"■rial feeds, as well as those which are prepared at Ivonte, FEEDING BRDODI K CHICKS The feeding of the artificially hatched brooder chicks is one of the most important factors in poultry keeping, because successful and the right kind of nutrition should begin with hatching and extend throughout tlie growing period. Tire first four weeks are the most trying for this period covers the delicate stage of the chicks growth, and is the time when the death rate is the greatest and when mistaken methods will be shown by poor broods. The following prin ciples apply to baby-chick feeding, a discussion of which will better fix them in the mind of the reader. Just prior to hatching, the yolk U drawn into the chicks body, and sup plies the growing chick with nourish ment for a number of hours after hatching. It is undesirable to at tempt to force the chick to eat within a period of from 48 to 60 hours, af ter hatching. The best practice is to supply plenty of fresh water and sand when putting the chicks in the brooder. A good plan is to give the chicks their first feed in the morning after they are placed in the brood er. The young chick which has been artificially hatched has to be taught many things which under natural conditions it would learn from the mother lien; such as searching for feed, and the elementary process of eating. The natural instinct of the chick is to pick up bright things, and for this reason, feeds which are easi ly seen are desirable. A good p c tice is to throw a limited amount of rol! 1 oats on the floor of the brood er, only what the chicks will eat in an hour or two. Rolled oats are very nutritious, are relished by the chicks, until the end cf the second week. ever, their continued use is undesir- | able. Er> cracked grains are some times fed, but they have been found to be less satisfactory. Grit to enable the digestive organs to perform their functions, and shfcll to supply ihe lime so essential in the formation of bone, should be placed before the chicks when three days <T age and kept continuously before them till maturity. Sand placed on the floor of the broeder will help, but will not cf itself be as effective as two or three handfuls of sharp gran ite grit and fine oyster shell placed in several conspicuous places in the brooder. Plenty of fresh air is essential, since the chick gains weight rapidly, much of this weight being water. Stale or stagnant water carries dis ease germs and is liable to produce digestive disorders in the flock. Keep fresh water before them constantly, ’ using a small siphon fountain, whicli can be rinsed out daily to keep tt from getting slimy. Wtieat bran is an important asset in the feeding of baby chicks, since it is easily digested, and contains a form of vegetable ash which is very readily assimilated. Wheat bran alone may be kept in small hoppers, and will furnish nearly a balanced ration for the first two weeks. Owing to the small size of the di gestive organ of the small chick, and its heavy feed requirements in pro portion to its size, it is wise to give only small amounts of feed at a time and to feed often. The practice should be to feed four or five times a day during the first week, gradually diminishing the number of feedings untli the end of the second week. Cracked grains may then be fed threa times a day and dTy mash kept before them constantly. -« « CULLING AND BETTER FEEDING Urging testing of cows and showing possible gains from intelligent man agement, a successful dairyman says: For February, 1926, my herd of 18 cows, 17 of which were milked, pro duced a total of 457 pounds of fat which at 50 cents was valued $228.65. The total of feed was $142.56, leaving a profit over feed of $86.09. In February, 1927, this herd con sisted of 19 cows, 17 of which wars again milking. They produced 534 pounds of fat which at 50 cents a pound was valued at $266.90. The total cost of feed was $149 27, leaving a profit over feed of $117.63 or an in crease of income over feed cost for tha an Hva harH nf si The average profit for all cows in the herd including those dry was in February, 1926, and $6.19 in Feb ruary, 1927. This increase of $141 more profit per cow for the shortest month in the year was due to the culling of poor producers and better feeding. During the intervening year se/en undesirable cows were sold and these replaced by five cows purchased and three heifers raised. The cows were fed a more liberal and better balanced grain ration consisting of oats, wheat feed, corn, oil meal and cottonseed meall. The roughage in both cases was practically the same, con sisting of corn silage and mixed clover and timothy hay. The same prices were used both years in figuring the value of the butterfat and cost ol feed. I charged $12.00 a ton for hay $4 00 for silage, oats and barley at $28.00, wheat feed at $30.00. corn at $32.00, oil meal at $48 00. and cotton seed meal at $33 00. The Increased profit came In spite of the fact that there were two dry cows figured in tile average for 1927 as against only one in 1926. should be stored in a dry place where there Is no danger of molding. • • Feeding without cat** Is useless Clve the row sunlight; It has its place In the economic producttott of milk just ss well as good fond, Dts you know young chirks often dig from regular chills? Well, they do. Keep them dry and warm on damp, chilly days. • • Invest something In kind word* ant compliments In (lit h sue Tits big gest dividends ars not nlsays <• rived from Invcstnisnta of n<v WHITE STREET I like to walk out on our street a night Like this and watch the first white fall of snow And scuff it down before me as I go And feel the cool caress of flakes alight Upon my face. . , . Lamps make gro tesque sight In their fluffed wigs and dotted veils that blow Before each blinking eye. Perhaps they know Their droll indulgence gives us new delight. Our street Is still as scenes in fairy land. . With ermine carpet spread out ev erywhere. A glistening softness now' drapes ef ery tree. And while I reach to catch within my hand .. Some fragile spangles as they slip through air . I think how calm a clattering street can be! —Agnes MacCarthy Hickey, in the New York Sun. ♦ ♦ Columbus Memorial. From the New York Times. The project, of a memorial to Christopher Columbus in the form of a giant lighthouse at the mouth ol Santa Domingo harbor is at last tak ing shape. Speaking for the Pan American Union. Secretary Kellogg has announced that a competition in designs for it will be held, open to architects in all parts of the world. The government of Santo Domingo has set aside the land for the memo rial and has appropriated $300,000 to cover the preliminary expenses. The cost of construction is to be defrayed by the nations of North and South America. When the memorial is completed the traditional remains of the great explorer will be moved from the cathedral in Santo Domin go City to a specially prepared crypt in me new uummig. Whatever the disputes of historians as to the precise spot in the Western Hemisphere first seen by Columbus, or of the true resting place of his bones, the people of North and South America will see in the proposed memorial lighthouse a tribute to a great explorer to whose activities every one now living in the western world is indebted. The selection of Santo Domingo as the site for the memorial is appropriate as being midway between the two American continents. The choice of a light house is in keeping with the spirit of the enterprise—a beacon to guide the countless successors of the first trans Atlantic navigator, who felt his way cautiously into the unknown world that he believed to be the Indies. The spirit of the 20th century is reflected in the preparations to use part of the Columbus Memorial Park as an airport for inter-American avi ation. The beacon is to guide the pilots of the air as well as those of the seas. It is the contention of the sponsors of this project that the na tural air route between North and South America is by way of Cuba. Santo Domingo and the chain of West Indies that stretch in a curve to the northern coast of the south ern continent. If suitable landing stations are built at short intervals on this route, it will be possible to find shelter when the furious winds are loosed in the Caribbean that threaten destruction to all things that fly and to ships on the seas. -4 « _ —— Turkey In Jail. From the Terre Haute Tribune. A newspaper reporter in Fort Worth, Tex., got an idea. He went to the jail on Christmas day when the prisoners were dining on turkey and dressing, mince pie and ice cream, and enjoyed an entertain ment program prepared for them by the good people of the city. He looked through the prisoners’ records and found several names of men who were serving terms for abandoning their families or refus ing to provide properly for their children. Then the reporter went out and looked up the families of these men. He found most of the abandoned children in misery. Some were being fed by charity. Some were beir.a cared for bv their heroic mothers who were working at hard and illy-paid tasks to feed them. The reporter's idea was that de linquent fathers should be made to work and be paid a living wage by the city, instead of being kept in | idleness and in turkey and Ice cream in comfort of a modern jail, the money to go to the support of the families. He would keep dad boxed up until he got the work habit so thoroughly that he would continue it outside . It would not do to abandon the Idea of punishing evildoers. The ex perience of centuries proves that punishment pays. But it is not hu mane or intelligent to punish the in nocent along with the guilty. The incarcerated offender should be made to support his dependents. It would soon be found that most men would prefer to work outside prison than inside, — -- Q. What are the different kinds ftf meters for measuring water? H. N. A. Water meters are of three gen eral types, tlie positive, the inferen tial, and the proportional. Positive meters measure the actual volume of the water; inferential meters measure the velocity of the flowing water and the quantity is deduced by a compu tation from that record; proportional meters measure a fractional part of the full flow, and are necessarily onb approximately accurate. Not the First One. From Americas Humor. She; How dare you! Papa said he %ouid kill the Unit man who kissed me. He Mow interesting. And did he' • • htlraragant. From America's Humor. Tve heard there's folks in there fsrge apartments (list bu> butter by the quarter pound,** * Aw, no! Maybe, when th* y have company “ • • fitly • hospital, olid on. was found rd by Thomas Guy, a bookseller of Uui tune of Queen Anne. ■ - _. -.... — ’ i i —■ ' ■ ■ — T * If you smoke * for pleasure _ V * {. — get right up front where the pleasure is. Have a Camel. The real object of smoking is to enjoy it. Camels « Camels lead by billions and keep ! right on growing (**) 1928, C. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, N, C. Not Big Enough Dora—Why do her people object to him? Doris—There are seven In her fam ily and the car holds only six. The fool politieian fluids friction; the wise one “soft soaps" it. Slang doesn't care how had its syn tax is. Dad Knew Young Son—“What Is an air pocket, dad?” Father—“Mine, after your mother has gone through them." One has to live a long time before one discovers that It doesn't matter much if one doesn't talk. Many a luxuriant head of hair is due to the mellowness of the soli. Usual Process Reversed Cement bags are tied at the top first and filled from the bottom. They ara then sewed shut. i There Is more to art than naked ness; hut some art never gets any farther than that. The product of a tight shoe or an oak tree is a-corn. 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