| OF INTEREST TO FARMERS
PRODUCING ALFALFA SEED
One of the perplexing problems
relative to alfaita seed production
in our alfalfa states is the question
relative to the factors which have
an influence on the setting of seed.
For many years the ablest authori
ties and the best growers have dif
fered to a considerable extent on
the reasons for a short seed crop.
Some have said that seed produc
tion is helped by dry, hot w’eather,
whole others claim that the weath
er should be damp and a little
cloudy for the best setting of seed.
Perhaps the fact that alfalfa has
for 2,000 years been grown mainly
lor hay, has made it act adversely
as regards seed production. There is
now a general feeling among the
best observers that dry, sunny
weather is not conducive to seed
setting. At the same time, too much
moisture in the air seems to hinder
the development of pollen. The in
sects which play a part in tripping
the alfalfa blossoms, are not active
in damp weather. I: is known that
the bumble bees are useful in help
ing to increase the setting of alf
alfa seed, and so are the wild bees.
Lack of a suitable number of insects
capable of tripping the blossoms,
probably plays as important a pan
in the poor setting of seed. In ad
dition, it is probable that many
alfalfa plants are naturally sterile
and in that case insects and weath
er would have no particular effect.
The fact that the best seed-produc
ing plants are often found to ba the
least vigorous ones, suggests a re
lation between vigor 01 plant and
the amount of seed produced. It is
pretty evident that conditions which
make for grow'thy, vigorous plants,
also are adverse to seed production.
GOOD COW POKE
There is' nothing in the world
more exasperating than a cow with
the fixed idea that the grass be
yond the fence is more dasiraole
than that within her confines. She
passes from panel to panel loosen
ing the single wires, curving the
woven fabric, and bending the posts
untit she learns to crawl through
bodily and thereafter becomes an
unmitigated nuisance, says an ex
perimenting farmer. I have seen
various devices contrived to stop
her; huge wooden structures bunt
around her neck, forked limbs of
trees, wooden blocks wired to the
skin of the upper neck, and nat
ent pokes arranged to prod her
neck with a little weapon when she
crowded the wire. Ail of these have
proved unsatisfactory because of
weight, clumsiness, tendency to
cause sores, or simple iailure to do
the business. I believe I have evolved
the best and most practical way to
convince bossy that she must leave
tli at fence alone. It is neither
clumsy nor cruel. Just bend a piece
of-gas pepe into the shape ol a hair
pin and drop it over her neck. The
two lower ends should hang about
to her knees and be bent forward.
That is the whole story except for
the refinements involved. The for
ward bends should be gradual and
come to a right angle so as to hook
solidly on the feme. A sharp bend
will last for a while but ultimately
break off. On each side of the lower
neck a kink should be made in the
pipe to permit a wire to be fast
ened solidly thereto reaching across
under her throat to the other side
and keeping the device on. The best
way is to make this wire double
and then with your pliers twist it
in the center until taut. You will be
be surprised how the cow will learn
to handle her new necklace. After
a few tries she will carefully avoic
any entanglement although slie can
easily disengage the hooks. I find
that one made of %-inch pipe will
last for years but a 11-inch pipe
can be broken too easily. If your
pipe is heavy enough, the two hooks
are not necessary. One end of the
hairpin can stop just low enough to
wire across to the other side. Try it.
-» «
TO IMPROVE THE FLOCK
More and more farm flock owners
each year are finding that it pays
to have a small special breeding
pen headed by the best male bird
that they are able to' secure. The
value of such a special flock is seen
in tw® ways. The cockerels raised
may be used on the general flock
another year. The pullets, if given a
little special attention, should prove
to be the best winter layers on the
farm. Even when the very best of
management methods ai;e applied in
handling a poultry flock from year
to year, there is a limit beyond
which it is not possible to go in the
direction of Increased egg produc
tion unless advantage is taken ot
breeding methods. Ordinarily the
special mating will consist of a few
of the best females in the old fleck
and a pedigreed male of known high
producing ancestry. Since the male
bird used in this pen is to exert an
influence on every chicken raised
the second year, provided his sons
are used on the entire general flock,
it Is very important that he be care
fully chosen. Ke should be better
than anything already in the flock
in order that his use may bring
about a definite improvement in
the quality of the stock to be raised.
GARDEN LABELS
To maintain a satisfactory label
ing systerfi in your flower garden
demands eternal vigilance. Those
who wish to know their plants by
name find it desirable to have a
simple system. Unfortunately some
of our plants have names net easily
remembered. Others, such as bulbs,
have all of their vegetative parts
hidden part of the year, so labeling
is necessary to keep their names
and locations distinct. Some labels
on the market are durable, and let
tering will remain legible cn them
for a long time in spite of adverse
weather conlitions. But the weath
er is not the only factor. Neat
black and white or shiny labels of
ten attract children who carry them
away. To provide against losing the I
name of a plant because of the dis
appearance of the label, draw a plan
of your garden showing the planting
TOMATO POLLINATOR
One thing that occasionally cuts
a slioe from the tomato grower’s in
come is the failure of early blooms
to set fruit. Apparently the we ath- ,
er has to be just right for pollina
tion; and though plants may blos
som early, there will be r.o sets
without pollenation. In order to
have satisfactory pollination, the air
must be warm and dry. Artificial
pollination is the answer to this i
difficulty, of course. Several me’ch
ods are in use;—shaking the vines, i
tapping the blossoms, and actual I
transfer of pollen by hand. Now
comes a new wrinkle—an electrical
tomato-pollinatpr—a device not ud
Ulr* an automatic olstol. with a Vi
arrangement and the names of the
plants at each location. Then if
labels are lost or misplaced you
have only to refer to vour plan to
straighten out the names. Many
types of labels are .suitable lor
marking plants. They may be made
at home from thin pieces of wood
for sticking into the ground, i r they
may be provided with a soit metal
wire for suspending from trees and
shrubs. One side at least should be
sandpapered to provide a smooth
writing surface. If the labels are
painted they will rosiet decay for
several years. In newspapers and
garden periodicals you will lind
various types ot labels advertised.
They are usually of wood, metal or a
celluloid-like substance. These may
be lettered with a pencil, a stylus,
paint or a chemical solution which
1 acts on the me.ul to make the let
ters visible. To become familiar with
your plants, label them when you
first acquire them, but remember
also that you must be ever on the
alert to keep your system effective.
-»♦
GOOD SPRAY MATERIAL
Fruit growers and truckers who
are looking lor a substUtue lor ar
senic m sprays and dusts will be
giad to learn that the Tennessee
station has experimented with cryo
lite and barium fluosilicate and
found them quite promising. A
summary of experimental resuits
! witn thecs two materials is about
follows: 'lnese materials have
a comparatively low solubility and
are therefore reasonably safe on fo
liage. They can now be obtained in
commercial quantities at about the
sae price as lead arsenate. Cryolite
and barium fluosilicate are both
highly toxis to insects. In small
quantities, suen as might occur on
piants, fluorine compounds, so far
as known, are not dangerously poi
sonous to man. For adult insects,
barium iiuosilicate is more toxis
than cryolite. Both materials gave
excellent control of the Mexican
bean-beetle when used as a spray at
the rate of one pound to 50 gallons
cf water. At the rate of six pounds
to the acre, neither cryolite nor
barium fluosilicate used as a dust
caused foliage injury on beans.
Thirty jwunds or more to the acre
produced moderate burning. Five
weekly dustings on tobacco pro
duced no foliage injury with either
material, and controlled the horn
worms and flea-beetles. Both cryo
lite and barium fluosilicate, used in
the dust form at the rate of six
pounds to the acre, gave very good
control of the bean-beetle. These
materials were also used success
fully when mixed with two parts of
lime.
BUNCOING THE COWS
Temptation comes to the dairy
! man not in the loim of an apple, in
the cool of the cay, but in tne 1 vrm
01 lush green grass in early spring.
Many are the dairymen who fail for
this temptation, quit feeding grain
and silage—the cows hardly touch
them anyway after getting a taste of
grass,” says the tempted one to his
conscience. “Now my feed bills will
be lower, and I shouldn't be sur
prised to see the milk flow pick up a
little. I’ll get my profit while I can.
When the grass is gone I'll have to
feed grain.' This April-fooling of
cows and conscience hurts just one
tiling—dairy profit. The tome effect
of early-spnng pasture makes the
cows outdo themselves. For a short
t.me they literally turn the tissues
of their bodies into milk. Then
comes a slump. The essential thing
to remember about grass is tills;
| Grass should take the same place
in spring and summer rations tnat
hay and silage hold in the winter
rations. In short, grass is roughage
Just as grain i sneeded with hay in
winter, so is grain needed with grass
in spring and summer. Don’t try to
i April-fool your cows or your con
science by believing otherwise. Cows
able to do as well on grass alone as
on grass plus grain are not the best
cows for progressive dairymen to
keep. After a cow has filled herself
with the first green grass, she will
not be so eager for grain—may re
fuse it altogether. Don't blame the
cow. Give her grain before she goes
to pasture.
NO UNIVERSAL PANACEA
Present-day reliable veterinary
medical opinion holds that no
known drug or mixture of drugs can
be considered efficacious in the treat
ment of such diseases as contagious
abortion of cattle, hog cholera, hog
ilu, fowl cholera, diarrhea of chicks,
coocidicfiis, roup, gapes, chickenpox,
blackhead of turkeys, distemper of
dogs, black tongue and running fits
cf dogs, influenza, distemper, and
heaves of horses. In spite of this
well established fact, preparations
prescribed for use in such affec
tions are constantly being put on.
As a result of an intensive cam
paign uder the food and drugs act,
the greater part of these alleged
remedies, which a few years ago
flooded the market, have either
been entirely withdrawn or have
had their labels and circulars so
changed as to prevent their being
bought under misapprehension of
what they can really do.
A LABOR SAVING METHOD
“I just let my hogs fatten them
selves,” says a successful swine rais
er. “I plant soy beans and corn in
the same field, and along about the
first of September I turn the hogs
into the field, where they feed them
selves, and fatten at a far less ex
pense than the old way of feeding
them husked corn. In that way of
feeding corn has to be hauled sev
eral times, while in my present way
of feeding the corn is not touched,
I find hogs do better running in
the field, as they get exercise, and
eat better and do better than where
they are housed in a pen. I mak&
it a rule to raise two carloads of
hogs a year, and never have any
losses. But I take care of my grow
ing pigs, and keep them free from
worms.”
brator on it. This electric vibrator
seems to do a good Job, even on
damp, sunless days. Some of the
Oregon tomato-growers used it with
fine results last year. The pollina
tor will run on a six-volt dry battery
which can be strapped over the
operator’s shoulder.
NEW PETTICOAT
A new lingerie set has brassiere,
circular stepins and a little wrap
around petticoat of white satin an]
ecru lace.
Keep drinking vessels and every
thing about the brooder house per
fectly clean.
Texas Prosecutor to
Gel Honorary Degree
John A. Vails, Texas District At
torney at Laredo, will have the
degree of Doctor of Laws con
ferred upon him by President J.
M. Walsh at Spring Hill College,
Mobile, Ala., from which Valli
graduated in 1888. Vails is now
serving his fourteenth term as
District Attorney, and during that
time he has not lost a single case
in which he was the prosecutor.
(International Newa-Mll
Fumigating Parrot
Fever Ship at Baltimore
Equipped with gas masks at work
fumigating the steamer Craigwcn,
phich docked at Baltimore, Md.,
from the west coast of Africa, with
hree members of the crew suffer
ng from parrot fever.
(Iuternatlonal Nowsrt>*n
Nail File Enables
Steel Heir Get Divorce
tr3. Marion Converse, the former
Marion McCall from whom Con
verse M. Converse, steel heir, was
granted a divorce in Reno,’ Nev.
He charged that she was ex
travagant and that their marriage
wras a mistake. He said in his suit
that his wife threw things at him
and one time at Berne, Switzer
land, jabbed him in the ankle with
a nail file.
(takamaiMaal N«w*i*«ik
! Ford Family Yisitors at White House
£dsel Ford, son of the famous automobile manu- t right, Edsel Ford, Ilenry Ford, 2nd: Densoa
facturer, and his two sons are shown after their Ford, Phelps Newberry, Jr., and Phelps New
Tisit to the White House, Washington, D. C., berry. In the rear is Richard B. English, maa
trhere they were presented to President Hoover nger of the Washington branch of the Ford
by Phelps Newberry. In the group are, left to Motor Company.
' (Intel national Newereofl
I
Ilard-Boiled Regime
Follows Prison Riot -—
First Woman Commissioner
Warden Leslie Rudolph, of the
Missouri P'-nitentiary. announces
that he has placed the prison on
a “hard-boiled” basis following the
recent rioting among prisoners,
which resulted in forty of them
being injured. It became neces
sary for guards to administer beat- \
ings to the men in order to restore
order, hand grenades and clubs
being used.
4 Tnfernarlnnal
Emma E.
Raymond was
elected on the
City Commis
sion of St.
Cloud, Fla., by
I a two to one
majority over
half a dozen
male oppo
nents. She r^-a
her decisive
victory in
sponsoring
the soldiers’
colony move
ment. Emma
; Raymond is
the first woman
in Florida to
'' be elected to
this executive
office.
(IntBrniUJnnii)
Newereen
I
Ends Epic Trans - Continental Flight
. .
Captain Frank M. Hawks, guiding his glider
Eaglet to an easy landing in Van Cortlandt
Pari:, N. Y. (right). In cockpit of the Eaglet,
greeted by his wife at the end of trans
continental flight, after his epic oight-day glide
trip from San Diego, Cal., to New York.
The glider was cast loose from the tow
• pixae (piloted by J. D. "Duke” Jernigin) at
art altitude of 5,000 feet and coasted to its land
ing place about ten miles northward. Jcrnigm
si ghted at Newark Airport, N. J., and waa
rushed by autdmobile and motorcycle escort to
Van Cortlandt Park to participate in the wel
coming ceremonies.
(InteruxllaniU NnntSI
society beamy and fiancee Charges Melhodl9l
| Board Is Anti-Americaiij
\ --jn~nr *m\m\ fQMSfV VVV?yT!W^*"^'"‘“r£S?
m, V X rsac tvamxxXLtK-a&mim — nwmHo
The engagement of Miss Alexandra Van Rensselaer Devereux and
Rodman Wanamaker, 2d, grandson *f the late John Wanamaker,
has been announced by the young woman's mother, Mrs. Radcliffe
Cheaton, Jr. The date of the wedding is not announced. Mr.
Wanamaker is a well-known aviation enthusiast
Representative George H. Tink
ham, of Boston, Mass., as he testi
fied before the Senate Lobby In
vestigating Committee and charg®<
that church lobbyists surround the
United States Capitol. He also at
tacked the Methodist Board off
Temperance, Prohibition and Pub
lic Morals, which he charged with;
violating the Corrupt Practice*
Act by failing to report its politi
cal expenditures. I
tlDicmaMaoal Inmi)
