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OF INTEREST TO FARMERS
KLE1* DITCHES OPEN
The biggest problem in mainten
ance of drainage ditches is reclean
ing. Trouble is due to silt and sand,
plus perhaps grass or weeds. One ot
the drainage districts in one coun
ty, cleaned out its entire system with
explosives by using a new' method
of loading, called the ‘cross section'
method for want of a better name.
The method consists of a row down
the middle of the drainage ditch
with the charges spaced about 18
Inches apart. At intervals of from
three to six feet and at right an
gles to this center row, rows are run
out toward the ditch bank on each
6ide. The center row is the back
bone of the charge and care must
be taken that the charges in this
row are loaded uniformly deep and
uniformaly spaced in order that
propagation will carry through and
connect the rows of holes to each
side. The usual precautions of uni
formity are also necessary in the
rows running out to the ditch
banks. This system of loading has
been equally successful in remov
ing shoals from ditches and In a
number of cases with some varia
tion this method has been employed
In blasting new ditches in depths
ranging from three to six feet. Cost
figures gathered from several
sources where this method of load
ing has been used range from 14 to
22 cents per cubic yard. Would the
use of dredge be more costly, you
ask. One county maintenance en
gineer says: “Use explosives when
there is less than 100 cubic yards of
dirt to move per station." The
drainage experts connected with
firms making explosives are able
to estimate about what a job will
cost. Removal of shoals formed by
the entrance of lateral ditches,
stumps, lots and other debris should
be done annually. Explosives have a
very definite place in this program.
Maintenance is of particular import
ance where the tile outlets open
into open ditches. Unless the outlet
ditch is deep enough to permit out
let for the tile, the tile system is
hampered and the land is improp
erly drained.
MONEY IN MANURE TANKS
Our system of using liquid man
ure is the one thing on our farm
which other farmers could profit
most following opinion of a farmer,
who farms for profit, and his farms
has a lot of interesting things to
see, including a well-managed pas
ture rotation, a large dryer and
much mechanical equipment. This
iarm is making money. They do it
feeding baby beef, but that's the
last paragraph of the story. There
are little kinks here and there which
speed up the process and con
tribute profits. Tire fertilized bill is
kept to a minimum by saving the
fertilizer which is produced. Twc
large barns have concrete floors,
putters and drains. Between the
barns is a concrete covered yard
which is about 80x250 feet. This
yard also has blitters, all of them
draining to an underground con
crete tank just outside one of the
barns and holding 30,000 gallons
of liquid manure. The manure is
pumped out of this tank for dis
tribution into a 350-gallon tank
wagon with a two-inch centrifugal
pump driven by a three-horse-power
electric motor. The tank wagon has
a simple sprinkler arrangement con
sisting of two nozzles made of
three-inch pipes flattened at the
ends and directed against two-by
four-inch baffles which act as
spreaders. There are 6.000 acres in
this farm. All the fertilizer for this
farm is manufactured by the 175
beef animals annually fed. This
farmer estimates that 20 per cent
of his feed is protein and that 75
per cent of this protein can be saved
and returned to the soil as nitrates
by his method of manure hand
ling. For each ton of feed consumed
300 pounds of nitrates are produced,
and he does not have to pay freight
on it or haul it from the station.
TEMPERATURE FOR LAYERS
The maintenance of a uniform
temperature within the laying house
has much to do with egg profits.
Flock owners have noticed that a
drop in temperature usually meant
a drop in production where the
house could not be properly closed
up. A quick rise in temperature
brought about the same result. In
sulation of the laying house plays
Its part in preventing the low out
side temperature from resulting in
a corresponding lowr inside during
cold spells. Winter temperature
readings made at one station in
non-insulated and insulated poultry
houses indicate the value of such
insulation. When the outside tem
perature ranged between 10 degrees
above and 8 below zero, the inside
temperature of a non-insulated
house averaged 14 degrees and of
an insulated house 24 degrees above
zero. When the outside temperature
was 6 to 8 degrees below zero, the
temperature in the non-insulated
house averaged one to two degrees
below zero. This difference in fa
vor of insulation may sometimes
prevent a loss of winter egg pro
duction which might equal #.i one
season the entire cost of insulation.
A system of ventilation is necessary
to get profitable results from insul
ation. Shutting up the house during
cold snaps to prevent a sudden drop,
and opening of ventilators during
sudden moderate weather conditions
to prevent a quick rise within the
laying house, both work toward
maintaining the even temperature
necessary for consistent egg produc
tion.
“HOTHOUSE” LAMBS
Hothouse lambs are one of the
luxuries in the meat line and as
•uch offer a tempting opportunity
to the grower who can produce
what the market requires at the
time when most needed. Results
during the last two seasons show
that February is one of the best
mqpths in which to market hot
house or strictly milk-fed lambs.
WINTER MILK REDUCTION
For profitable winter milk pro
duction, I believe' the following fac
tors are essential, says a dairyman
who has tried them all: (1.) Good to
excellent cows. (2.) Skillful feeding
and care. (3.) A succulent roughage
—silage, mangels, a root crop or
beet pulp. (4.) An unstined water
supply. If cows drink outdoors only
once or twice a day, the water must
he heated. Individual drinking
bowls are the best system. <5.) Good
quality hay, preferably legume. (6.)
A grain ration containing at least
ihree different grains fed according
to milk production and varying in
Prices have been uniformly nigh
throughout the month and the best
lambs ha^ sold in New York at
that time for $13 to $15 each. Sup
plies increase in March and pric- ■*
decline, but there is always a brisk
demand at Easter and prices rise
almost as high as in February.
After Easter the market declines
rapidly and during late April and
May the market is usually so heav
ily supplied that only the very best
bring profitable prices. Being a
luxury product it is essential to
produce only the best quality oi
none at all. Prices of the finest
! quality large hothouse lambs aver
age two or three times the price
ol the poorest quality. The hot
house lambs are fall or early win
ter lambs that are strictly milk fed
and this characteristic should show
I in the flesh. When dressed out
i they should have the light-colored
flesh that denotes straight milk
feeding. It is aiso absolutely essen
tial that they be well fattened, foi
lightweight or thin lambs are dis
criminated against. The best
weights are 30 pounds and up. al
though lamb weighing 25 pounds
are sometimes acceptable. Being a
specialty product only a limited
class of wholesale dealers are in a
position to handle them for grow
ers, and sales should be entrusted
to a specialist or else arrangements
should b? made with high-class
hotels or butchers to purchase di
rect.
GROUND ALFALFA FOR 1’IGS
At one experiment station, a pro
tein supplement made up ot two
parts ot tankage, one part ot lin
seed or cottonseed meal and one
part ot ground alfalfa hay was
tound to be practically equal to a
ration containing skim-milk for
growing and fattening fall pigs. At
another station, the use of ground
alfalfa hay in the supplement gave
considerably faster gains and lower
cost gains than the use of tankage
alone as a supplement. At an
! other station, 20 per cent of ground
alfalfa hay in the protein supple
ment resulted in this hay having
a value of practically $70 a ton for
fall pigs; at still another station a
similar supplement for fall pigs
gave the ground alfalfa hay a leed
replacement value of nearly $80 a
j ton, while at another the feed re
placement value of ground alfalfa
hay in an experiment with fall pigs
ran to $100 a ton for this excellent
protein, mineral, vitamin feed. In
a number of groups of pigs fed re
cently the most economical gains
were made by a lot with a supple
ment mixture of three parts of
tankage and one part of ground al
falfa hay. It has been demonstrat
ed recently that se'.f-feeders give
the best results in the feeding of
I this supplement mixture, and such
I a mixture can easily be made up
on the farm. Home-grown alfalfa
i hay or other legume hays like clo
I ver or soybean of good quality, can
; be ground, and this supplement
mixed at a cost of from $2 to $3 a
I ton, and from good quality, home
i grown legume hay as valuable ir.eal
can be made as that obtained any
where. At one station, excellent re
j suits were obtained with ground al
falfa hay for brood sows during the
; winter; a supplement mixture of
three parts of ground alfalfa, one
part of linseed meal and one part
of tankage giving these results. At
another, it was found that ground
alfalfa fed to brood sows during
the winter saved from one third to
one quarter of the grain ration.
These results indicate that alfalfa
hay or other good quality legume
hays can be ground and used as a
part of the protein supplement for
both pigs and sows during the win
ter, with the highest returns that
can be obtained for this good crop
in any way in which it may be sold.
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CARE OF PF.LTS
As soon as possible after skinning,
“cased” skins should be stretched
on smooth boards having beveled
edges, or on wire fur stretchers of
which there are a number on the
market. The advantage of a wire
stretcher is this: After a skin is
dried you can press the wire to
gether and easily remove the skin,
If a skin is stretched over a solid
board and you leave it on the board
too long, it may be hard to get
J off. Skins should be left on the
, boards until they are dry and do
I not wrinkle. Then they may be
removed from the board and hung
up away from mice, and where the
air can circulate around them
They should not be laid close to
gether. Do not overstretch skins,
as the heavier and more dense the
fur the better quality and bettei
! price you will receive. Remove all
surplus fat and flesh from the skins
after or before stretching, for if the
fat is left on the skin, it is apt
to become tainted during warm
weather and the hair will come out
under the spots of fat. After the
skins are fleshed and stretched
place them in a ccol, dry place to
dry, where they are protected from
flies; never place them in the sun
or near a fire. Packing furs for
shipping is very important. After
i they are stretched and dried, da
; not roll them or fold them but place
! them in a bundle, perfectly flat, ex
cept larger skins such as bear, wolf
or otter which frequently have to
' be folded to make a neat bundle
| Never place one skin inside another
as it is liable to be overlooked in
grading. Put name and address on
: tag inside of each package, and
I sew pelts up securely in good sacks,
Ship by express or parcel post
Never ship green or wet skins as
thev will become tainted in transit,
and so be practically worthless.
Ship to a reliable company—which
does not always mean the ona that
quotes highest.
FIND THE CAUSE
An animal impoverished in flesh
i cannot grow or mature and it must
be maintained at a loss of feed, in
terest on the money invested and
time of the farmer.
total protein from 10 to 12 per cent
with second cutting alfalfa to 24 per
cent with timothy or other poor cow
hay. (7.) Exercise in the open daily.
(8.) Regularity in feeding and milk
ing. (9.) At least fair stable condi
tions. Under present conditions
more skillful and closer grain ra
tioning of the milking herd is neces
sary than in the years Just past.
However, only cows capable of pro
ducing at least 9,000 pounds of milk
or 300 pounds of fat should be kept
anyway, and these and their better
I sisters are deserving of fairly liberal
1 grain feeding. I
new Spring Mode
Charming Joan Blondell, screen
player, wearing a stunning formal
afternoon creation in egg-shell
and bottle-green crepe de Chine,
with two outstanding features in
brief bolero jacket and two-tone
sash. A rhinestone and emerald
clip marks the cowl neckline, so
prevalent in the advanced Spring
mode.
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Stand Upheld
Mrs. Marion Kahn, of Brooklyn,
N. Y., who refused to have babies,
was vindicated when Appellate
Division denied her husband’? plea
to reopen annulment argument in
lower court.
I’ragic Play
i Zj J
Billy Senior, 12, was playing with
his father’s shotgun at home in
Montclair, V. J. Suddenly it dis
charged. And slugs found their
way into the chest of his sister,
Constance (top) 6. She died. Vow
Millie sits dazea at the tragedy.
Constance was in another room.
Inglorious Ending of a Glorious Flight
Believe-it-or-not this plane, <
bearer of a famous name, South
ern Cross, Jr., has just set two
new records. Flown by Guy
Menzies, 21-year-old pilot of
► Sidney, Australia, it spanned <
the Tasman Sea, from Australia
to New Zealand in the record
time of 12 hours and 15 min
utes. The other record is for
the most unique binding, for the
plane landed just as the picture
shows — wronjr side up. The
pilot was uninjured
Star Weds Director 1
Princess Goes A-Wing
Betty Compton (above), of the
twinkling toes ami the crooning
voice, is now Mrs. Edward Dowl
ing, it was learned when the
couple sailed aboard the Oriente,
Havana-bound. Dowling is a dia
logue director at the Paramount
Pictures studio at Astoria, L. I.
Derby W inner
t ^ -
Seating a field which included the
»est men "mushers” in North
America, Thula Geelan (above),
eoted dog team driver, won the
fahoe-Sierra, Calif. Dog Derby in
io fast time of 5 hours 57
Canutes and 34 seconds.
Burning $500,000 Is a Dopey Idea!
Peculiarly aromatic smote went
up from this bonfire on the city
burning dumps on the Biysbore I
Hisrhwav. California, a fen a
half-million dollars’ worth of
assorted smoking pipes and
other drug paraphernalia (rep
(resenting a collection of more
than two years) was confiscated
by the State Narcotic Hurta*
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Seated in the cockpit of her
plane, Princess Ileana, of Ru
mania, favors the camera with
I g. ..mi '
♦ a pretty smile just before going I
up for an airplane lesson witk
' Rumanian Air Corps officer.
Wins Trophy
In recognition of the mid-Winter
aerial jaunt which Major Ralph
Royce (above) led through the
severe weather from Selfridge
Field, Michigan, to Spokane, Wash
ington, in January, 1930, he has
been honored with the 1930 award
of the Mackay Trophy.
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Mercy Role
Bebe Daniels, leader of a Holly
wood campaign to help the Red
2ross help sufferers from the
Irought, takes personal charge of
.he first donations received.
Knighted by King
The day of the arrival of Captai*.
Malcolm Campbell (above) to hi*
native England was almost a*
thrilling to him as that of Feb
ruary 2, when he set a new auc&-»
mobile record on the ocean aandf
of Daytona Beach, Florida. T)j0
speed champ was informed by tele
gram tha t his achievement bad
won him knighthood.
Mothers Sacrifice
Arnold Schwartz, of New York, 4,
for whose life his mother gave her
own, thrusting him from under the
wheeb of a truck hurtled onto the
sidewalk by collision with an auto
mobile.