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The Commoner
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Park's Floral Guide
Describes and Plotnres every Choice Flower: Pronounces the hard names; Tells when the
needs "come, up"; Teems with Cultural Advice. 'T 'III save you money and insure success. Unlike
nny other caUlORno: OfTer tho largest list of Flower Seeds In this Country. If yon can't got it elsowhero send
to Pnrk. This GtiUtn. with Pnrk'a Bnrprlie Seed Mixture (1000 ortj. yleldlug new flowers every morning, aleo lOo
v-onpun, una joovj vnrwnv tnrmi "mpiine, oiaoM, moss popniar nnroi xnontmjr in tuo world, ail for stamp.
;"ne fvia, ura im vnia vuoii iiiimiwu; aoii juurnwua. auuien uiu tv
, PARK, La Park. Pa.
OUR EXTRA SPECIAL KNIFE OFFER
TIio Commoner, Ono Year $1.00
Americaa Homestead Ono Year 25
me ujxceiBior wonder Knife...... l.oo
This illustration shows
the actual sizo of holes
that may b out with
the leather punch blade.
Regular price 2.25
ALL FOR OR
ONLY....$0
lfTHH
WONDER
KNIFU
A
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GET THIS BEAUTIFUL WREN
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Without Cost Under Our Special Offer
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-and then wait and aee how much enjoyment they will cet wnlnhini? fnr
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.? & a11 who acPt our special limited offer given below K in w m
SiffhiSM8 "entertainment anu 'instruction as the "study of birds aid
of ttS&.iV01 I? ?n? of our most U!iciful bIr Is fouSd in all narts
SfniB T1nltniStat0S' and ,BJtnoWn a8 tho sweetest of all American sonc
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can find suitablo lodgings. This llttlo iiouso Is built Just rlofi tJ. nit i!
requirements and will perfectly prbteot him from tho YnJXSJr1 VtlVu3
81.00
turn
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littleFolks
MonililyNafazine
L SECA33INOC. SmIHA&
JWTlfrws'ffisS'ssfj ai
Llttlo Folk. 1 v. ' .. . SEND ONLY
WroH Ileuile . , " 5o
American Homestead, 3 yeara !!.!!!!!!!! !tJO
Total regular price for all ."Iteoo
structivo features It contains. tuucauonai, entertaining and In-
sa
whuiu year rouna. Little Wiiiiru in . """j tuu
Sf ft!td h?!P r llttlo echil0dr?ISaSd80nV,r Ln"?t
shiny fun. that fosters in every chlfi? ti,0Simple'.8un
mental qualities which overv moSil iill0S0 moral and"
The magazine contains tho very hp-TC ? mVoh'
IorcyaSlWnroltroS l&BEiT
nrattnftSSS .? are finished 'here are nWv ,
tho child can cut up without feffrotfor nn,?re? pap?r dolls which
along to ta'ko its place as an entertain another number will come right
Accept this offer now and send us nniv i mi
riilwca to you promptly, all SeSI woLfd.- aSK""1 Hous will b0
THE AMERICAN HOMESTEAD, LINCOLN, ' NEB.
Tho handiest and boat knife ever manufactured. Built for practical use, with
especial care to make the knife sufllclently strong for use of farmers, stockmen.
U-amstcrs, and sportsmen. Both blades are of the finest tempered tool steel
finely ground and polished. Illustration shows reduced sizo of knife. Besides
largo bade, this knife has a smaller punch or reamer blade 2 Inches long, and
cuts holes exactly as shown above. The Leather Punch will bo found Indispens
able for making various sized holes in leather for buckles, rivets, bolt lacing,
etc. This knife is thoroughly finished In every detail, is brass lined, has Ger
man silver mountings, and a handsome stag handle.
We are enabled to make this extraordinary offer by special arrangement with
nlmw,UMCtu,rert,t0 aend ea?h ,knife tlIrcct om the factory, with ?a full guar
antee by tho maker. Accept tho above offer, and you will receive a Wonder
Rxeelfllor Kalfe mailed direct to you from the factory by prepaid Injured I Parcel
post. Address orderfor above offer to The Commoner. Lincoln. Neb. mQCl
pigs fed corn and alfalfa made much
better showing than did the pigs on
tankage rations. The test showed
that it does not pay to grind corn for
pigs. Pigs fed ground corn made the
least and most exponsive gains of any
pigs in the test. Where a ground
corn and alfalfa hay ration was used,
the cost of 100 pounds gain was near
ly $2 more than the cost of 100
pounds gain where dry shelled corn
and alfalfa hay was used.
AVOID CHEAP SEED
Good seed Is an important matter
with the gardener as well as the
farmer. It never pays to buy cheap
seed. Experiments were carried on
a year or two ago by the Pennsyl
vania experiment station with some
ten or more strains of cabbage seed
of the same varieties from different
firms. They found variations of yield
from 5 to 10 or 15 tons an acre, ac
cording to the strain of seed. The
seed of the highest quality meant
several dollars more to the acre in
net returns, even if it did cost a few
cents more a pound.
WHEN IS GARDEN SOIL READY
FOR PLANTING?
"When is, the proper time for pre
paring to plant one's garden?"
The United States department of
agriculture's specialist says that in
the spring as soon as the soil has
dried so that a handful when grasped
in the hand and gripped by the fingers
will slowly fall apart upon being re
leased, It is in a fit mechanical condi
tion to prepare for planting. Clay or
heavy soils should never be worked
while wet. More injury may be done
by doing this than can be overcome
in several years of careful culture.
When the soil is found dry, as de
scribed above, the upper three inches
should be made fine by- the use of the
hoe and steelctooth rake; all rubbish,
stones, andaftlods should be removed
and the surface made even, some
what compact, and as level as the
contour of the area will permit. It
may then be marked off for planting
in conformity to the general plan of
the garden.
Much of the soil in the average
back yard is not only poor in plant
food and deficient in decaying veget
able matter, but it is hard and un
yielding. However, such is the basis
which many a housewife or child has
to use for the making of a earden.
Teachers who plan school gardens foy
their pupils also have similar condi
tions to meet. Therefore.' in order to
get good results, careful attention
must be giyen to the preparation of
the soil.
Soils which are naturally moist are
likely to be sour and so not. in the
best condition for the crop. Whether
sour or not it will be well to have the
punlls test them, which can be done
as follows: Securfc rrom a drug store
a piece of blue litmus paner; then
take a handful of the soil slightly
moistened and place the paper on it.
If sour the paper will turn red. To
correct such a condition lime should
he used. Cover the ground with a
,thin coat of air-slaked lime, which
can probably be secured near-by at
small cost, and work this in wellThe
use of lime, while not a plant food,
will correct the acidity and will im
prove the physical condition of the
soil.
Tf the soil is clayey or a stiff clay
loam and tho location is In a section
where severe freezing occurs, it will
be found a decided advantage to givd
the area a heavy dressing of decom
posed manure in the autumn, and be
S0iSezlnB VG.at'her eets spade
dor n S? as t0.,turn thG manre un
der and leave the soil in a rough
lumpy condition so as to secure the
benefit of the digestive action of to
winter- freezes in reducing the soilsr
Thig should be reneatPd nTT"'
the north. If tto!TiTA
sandy, a mulch or manure i. a?4
8Pr?d over it in the ?aii a7,
spading delayed until spring lhe
In localities where the roii' rin
freeze, the manure may be Lni LW
the autumn and the son SS8
spaded during the winter wheS
is dry enough to oe worked ?
value of freezing at the north can
an extent be attained by rep at
snadinea n.r. fh arti, m,. rePeated
eral precaution which should I aS
be observed 1r nAvn. .. xJ!lwa
while it is wet. Qe 8o11
HOMEGROWN SEED CORN BEST
Even though it is said that like
produces like, the pretty ears of s
corn from the distant seed house my
not, and usually do not, produce corn
as good as that grown under local
conditions. Results from many farm
ers, county agricultural agents, and
the Nebraska Experiment station
show an increase of from 4.5 to 15
bushels an acre in favor of the home
grown, seed. Co-operative expert
ments in western Nebraska have
shown that the native seed yields
about a fourth more than corn just
brought from the eastern part of the
state. The results of the Nebraska
Experiment station are included In
bulletin No. 12 G, which may be had
free.
INFECTED STRAW STACKS
It is an exceedingly bad farm prac
tice to permit hogs to lie around
straw stacks, especially in the winter
time, as they become overheated and
readily contract pneumonia. Where
cholera-infected hogB have had ac
cess to a straw stack, the stack will
remain a source of infection for a
long period of time, and it is advis
able to completely destroy the stack
by burning. Where impracticable to
burn the straw stack, the straw
should be raked out from the sides
and around the base and removed
and burned. The soil around tho
base of the stack should then be cov
ered with air-slaked lime and plow
ed. Kansas Experiment Station.
BIG PROFIT IN DRILLING WHEAT
With, wheat worth $1.50 a bushel,
tho farmer in central and western
Nebraska would receive $11.10 an
aero more, by drilling it than broad
casting it, according to experimental
data from the North Platte, Nebras
ka, substation. It was found there
that drilling increased the yield of
spring wheat 7.4 -bushels an acre. In
other words,; drilling increased tho
revenue $6.18 an acre, when wheat is
worth but 70 cents. Should wheat
continue to rise in price, the increase
in yield on a fairly large acreage not
only would pay for a $75 drill, but
would net a good profit on the investment.
AGRICULTURAL NOTES
Eighty-five per cent of tho oranges,
lemons, and grape fruit of California
are marketed through co-operative
associations. A largo part of trie
apples from Colorado and the nortn
west could not be sold except througn
the cd-operation of the growers, in
Nebraska there are 239 co-operative
elevators with a eapital stock of more
than. $2,000,000, handling anu.a'iy
an average business of ?38,000,oou.
According to the cattle experts or
the Illinois station, about pne-tmro
of the cattle of the country other than
milk cows are contained in the seven
states embracing what is know? as
the corn belt, and that their value is
equdl to about two-fifths of the tot1
value of such cattle in the United
States.
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