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About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1907)
- . + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ' + + : t A"LL AROUND THE FARM : + + - Conducted by S. C. lIulz tJ + : + . + + + + + + + + W + * + + * * + * + + + + + + I WRONG WAY TO PLOW CORN have you been plowIng your corn ? HOW the dIrt away from the roots at the last plowIng ? Dotter cbnngo your metbod and stop cutting orf the roots. A Maryland fnrmer snys thnt plowIng corn , throwing the dirt awny from the root ! ! Is nothing short of plant murder. And he Is right. In Illinois , and In fact In all the corn Btates , It WaS the general prnctlce twenty yenrs ngo to plow corn the last tlmo very deep , thUB cutting off the roots nnd crippling the plant.Inny ! fnrmors stili continuo this prnctlce although It has long been abandoned by all good farmers. A good farmer In the South 'Jays be hnB taken out corn 25 daYB acter planting thnt wns 1-1 Inches high with roots 30 Inche ! ! long. No Implement other than the Improved - proved qundruple cultlvntor or weeder was uoed on this ground from the tlmo the corn wal ! put In uutll It was laid by. A cultivator of tblB kind not ouly destroYB weeds , but keeps the ground In most ex- colhmt condItion. It dOClI 110t rillgo It , nnd Isjet so It cnnnot Injure the root ! ! . Mnny corn growers set the plow deep and 1':0 ' rlplJlng ulong between the rows and the breaking nnd tearing of the corn roots cnn bo plnlnly hen rd. Then when the corn does not fill out and yield ns big a crop as their nelgbbors' they wonder wbnt Is the matter. ' " KEEP PURE \V ATER FOR COWS nOM my own tests In a dairy thnt was F producing ono hundred and sixteen gnl- Ions a day , stopping the water In the nutomatlc bnslns hy the side of the COW ! ! . reduced the amount of IJroduction cleven , .allons a day In less them one week. This test wns mndo on the same feell and the cows were wntered twlco n dny from the ynrd tank. The deerense at cleven gallons per day of fourtcen cent. mill , amounted to more than fort ' -fi\'e dollars II month durIng the winter months. The basins at the top of the pipe are fastened at the sldo of the stall 01' stanchion and have covers that tlll ! cow IICtfJ with her nooo when drinking. The water comes In as Cast as It Is talen out. The covers Itcep out all dust and litter and the pipes are securcly fastened to the bottom at the mangel' and arc out ot the way. . Various makes oC automatic basins are adapted to dllTerent sizes of pipe and all have Bomo good polntB In their fuvor. Any man who has notlcell a cow go from n warm DtAble aUlI drink a few palls of Ice water from a ) 'ard tank and return to t.er stall and shake for an hour or more , should be ready to IntrOlluco n better planer or watcrlng In his stuble.-J. I. Kelley. 'VORK \VINTER Some sultlteStlOn5 ! men on the Farm Who \nkc nutter C. S. Cllrllman , Missouri. pale colored , streak'd compound TIlE > ! speclted with cheesy parti- cles IR not very pleasing to the oye. nllli Its taste not vcry agreeable to the palate , tor usually the Ilavor Is a combination - tion at the odors oC the Idtchen and the taste at overrlpo cream aI' old mlllt. This IS especially true If the milk Is limited In quantity nnd the setting In open vessels Is prnctlced. Where the milk from lack of bettcl' room I\IUst be Itcpt In the kitchen or pantr ) " It should bo strained atHI heated tiO hot that the hand could com- fortahly benr the tempernturo allll then removed - moved to cool as rapidly us IJOsslble. This hentlng hastens the rising of the cream anll also makes the coming of the butler an easy tasl , . When perfectly cold the 1\1111 , shoulll bo remo\'ed to a tight cupboard - board from which all food Is excluded , and wblch no odors can penetrate when cooking Is In progresti , there to remalll until the cream hao risen , The bltlcr , old taate of butter can bo prevented by "Itllumlng before the milk "clabbers , " using a pNforated skimmer so that nil the milk may bo rejected nml set- tlnf { the crcam jar tightly rove red In moderately warm place where It may sourer or ripen quickly. This ripening process should be hastened by the addition of a lIttle cream kept back from the previous churning atHl much or IIttlo--the cream 8hou1l1 be churned twlco a week at least. There Is oftell a temptation when the quantity of erenm 10 small , to 81\Ve It till a fair slzell churning Is secured. thus avoidIng - Ing a little extra work. In doing this ono Is sure to sacrifice quality In the hutter. Tbo cbeesy p\rtlclos [ which are so objec- tlonablo In butter will not bo present It there Is no milk In the cream , for they are what they look to bo--partlcles of hnrdened chee80 from the sour milk. The whey from \ thIs sour milk In the cream goes Into the butter milk , the rest remains III thc butter and beRldes hurting Its looko , It Is bad for the Itoeplng of the butter. The only way to prc'ent this Is by careful skimming. The "eparator docs the work perfectly but hand skimming may 1\100 bo done successfully before tbo milk Is clnbbered. Thlo careful skimming entails a little extra trouble perhaps - haps , but the trouble Is made up for when It camps to churning , for such cream turns to hutter with loss labor tb\n [ that mixed wltb milk. The strcakR In butter are due to Imperfect - perfect salting. Salt darkenR or makeo rlch- cr the hue of butter , the unsalted remaining as when churned , If the salt Is added whllo the hutter rs stili In a granulated form It will penetrate to all parts allko and a unltorm and pleasing appearance IB the result. The color may be deepened If deRlred by a Judicious use of coloring matter but use nothing unless convinced beyond doubt that It contalno nothing deleterious to the health of the consumer. lIIanr stilI use tbe old-f\shloned [ dasher churn and tblnk they must "gather" the butter before salting. This Is not necessary. If the churn Is a wooden ono a hole maY be borell near the bottom with a good sized auger nnll a cork or wooden plug cnn be used for stopping this hole. As the granules of butter rlRe to the tOil , buttermlll , ma ) ' be drawn off nnd water poured In to wash tbo butter. This In turn Is drawn off anll the opcratlon Is repeated until the watcr IR clear anll the buttcr Is then rendy for salting. If the churn Is an earthen onO' ' . then the granuiatell butter nnd buttermilk may bo poured Into a sieve which will hold thc butter and let the liquid escape , and ! ho wnter may be pall red through again amI again till all traceR of buttermilk are ro- moved. \VORK AMONG STRA . . BERRIES ! \lONG smnll fruits there Is nothing A the eqllal of the strawberry as n money getter. Results In yleldo thnt would seem to the uninitiated visionary , nre possible where conditions are all favorable. It Is none the less true , also , thnt yields fl'om stmwhcrry culture will vary with the seasons In greater extremes than any of the other small fruits. 1\llllng : frosts , un- fnvorablo weather during the blooming period - riod , or an extremely droughty fruiting season mar plar havoc with our eXlle.cta- tlons. There 10 not so much money to bo mnde from the bush fruits as froUl the strawberry - berry : but If gl\'en proper culture these fruits will return satisfactory 1Ilvldends. 'Vhllo the returns are not so great. the fruiting season IB lengthened , furnishing profitable emplorlUent for a greater length of time. ' Then , too , It Is not best to Imvo all of ono's eggs In a slnglo basket , lest a failure In one crop lea\'es us with but IIttlo or no returno for our labor. Another advantagc In having several fruits under cullure Is that wo furnish a longer terl11 of employmcnt for our plckero. This Is of ad\'antage to tbem and often resulto In securing better help anll service. It Is not every variety of strnwberry that 10 equally at home on all soll8 and under ever ' condition. The variety that Is best nllaJted ( to the soil of my farm may not be the best variety for my nelghbor's farm. In this respect the strawberry 10 a particular - ticular sort of plant. The bush fruits do not show the peculiarity - liarity to , ' the extent that the strawberry plant does : Any good 8011 wlII gro\\ < bush frultR. Any gooll solI. too , will grow strawberries - berries , bat wo may need to exporlment with 1Ilfferent. varieties to get the best results - sults posslblo ! rom our partlqular soli. SAYS RAPE IS GOOD FOR SHEEP Is a luxuriant pl\nt [ and requires RAPE solI for Its best growth. It wllI tbrh'o upon clayey soils , too : and dOCK better than mangels or turnips. Light salls are not rich enough for It and the crop Is usually IIgbt when nn attempt Is made to grow It Oil such salls. Newly cleared land and old pastures , pldwed In the fall and worked early In the spring by cross dlsklng and puI\'erlzlng , are I'Rpeclally adapted for producing a successful - ful crop. There are sevcral varieties of rape , sarno of which are grown for fodder and others for seed. The seed vnrletles are annuals and are worthless for fodder. The one variety that Is to bo recommended In this country ror fodder Is the Dwarf Essex , a biennial. which seems to show a great ndaptablllh' to 11lfferent Rolls allll cllmntlc contlilions a 1111 to yield a womlerful crop of luxuriant . .eaves'aluable for use as a rodller. The poorest rape grown at the 1II1nnesota statloll on se\'en-tenths of an acre of ground maintained sixteen lambs for twenty-five daYR. III another season one-half acre was eaten by twenty-ono wethers In ten weeks with an additional ono pound or grain per hend dally. An estlmato haR been made that one acre of rape wltb grain will fatten 20 wethers In two montbs. Ten bogs will eat nbout one-third of an acre In two months. The henvlest ylcld of rape cut from a glvon area was secured whell the crop was cut three times In Kuccesslon about four Inches from the ground. The yield was at the rate of tblrty-slx tone per acre. In sowing the rnpe crop the ground should bo well pUlvorlzed and In oultablo condition for the germination of the small seed. In lI1Io country fiat culture Is preferred - ferred to growing the crop on ridges , which has been extenslvel ) ' practiced with thlo crop In Europe. Sowing the crop on ridges may have the advantage of giving better drainage , and this mar be considered the malll object In using thlo culture. The crottPma ) ' be Bown In drills 30 Inches apart or sown broadcast. Dy sowing It In drills It may bo pnstured without destroying ao much as stock naturally - ally would In having to trample over It where It Is sown broadcast. Tbe amount of seed required will varr slightly accordIng - Ing to tbe condition of the soil and the method of "owing It. When sowing In drllIo from two to two and one-half pounds of seed will give the best results. When sown broadcast three pounds of seed Is necessnry. Large and plump seed Bown on rich soil may be sown lighter than where the soli Is not In good condition , and the seed IR of poor quality. Where too much seed Is used and the crop Is sown broadcast , the plants will often come up nnd turn a reddish yellow and brown , which Is an Indication that a poor crop must necessarily follow. DUCK RAISING PA VS WELL Dy 1II1l1er Purvis. KEPT a conslderablo number of ducks I at one time , but dropped them moro because of lack of room tban for any other reason , for I was under the Impression - pression that It paid to Iteep them for their eggs alone. Last summer I "Istted several of the grl'atest duck farms In this country , On one of these farms more than 40.000 ducks were hatched for the New Yorl , marltet , and sold at about ten weeks old. Another farm hatched and sold 22,000 , these being sold at ten weelts , largely to summer resort hotels and In llulIalo , ami othc ! small cities , I was very much Interested In these farms and asked a good many questions. I discovered that It costs about 130 cents to raise. dress and market a ten-weeks-olll duckling , and that about $1 Is the price received for It. Thlo Is very profitable when ducks are hatched In largo numbers. I also discovered that It costs about 10 cents a month to keep full grown duclts , which makes the profit of keeping them for iggs too 8mall. Ducks do not beRln to lay regularl ) ' until spring opens , and they sometimes la ) ' as many as 120 eggs each. As these eggR are produced at 1tlmo wben eggs arc decllnln In price there Is not much room for prollt , after pa'lng the expense of keeping them a year before they begin to lay. Sa ) ' they cost $1.20 by the tlmo they begin to lay. It will take them at leapt fi\'o months to produce ten dozen egRs , even If they lay well. This adds 50 centM to the feed cost , not counting labor , nnd we have paid out $1.70 , to get eggs that uro not worth more than $2. Where there Is a demand for them at a good price the rrowlng of young ducks Is profitable , but for egg-production they do 1I0t cemparo with hens In making money. BUY BEST BREEDS OF SHEEP ucn Is often said about the quality M of the mutton that sells best In the market. The demand seems to bo for certain qualities that are not usually at a premium. Breeders often ponder on the matter to determlno whnt they shall do. It Is with them just to breed and then to feed. When sheep of low grade are plnced upon the market , the burers scold because they are not furnished with something better. When something better Is sent them , tltey scold because It Is too good. A butcher In London , England , declared he dared not sell prime Southdown mutton for fear he could not always supply It , and then hel'ould bo practically" ruined. The starting point In obtaining qUllllt ) ' , is the sheep Itself , The Idea that a sheep Is a sheep has long pre\'alled. nnd some breedero tailing to get any farther titan this Idea , hnve failed as n "choollloy fallH In following his copy In his copy book. The copy set him seems almost perfect He attempts to copy as best he cnn , but millses It. The next IIno Is a lIttle worse than the first , IInd when ho reaches the bottom of the page. he has producell something - thing that bears little or no rellemblanco to the original copy. No breeder should be content with the last effort as a standard. Ho should aim high , and alwa's Iteep In mind hlA Ideal , or copy , and not some subsequent , b"ltt distant - tant approach to It. In securing quality the first step Is the breed , and then the feed , aUlI these two go hand In hand In producing good mutton. - - = . - - = - - - - - SPRING 'VORKVITH CHI CKENS E. C. Wainright , Ilnols ! , do you eat beef at 30 cents per WilY , when YOll can cat dllCks , turkeys and chIckens , which can bo "erved In all kinds of otylo for much Jess than the above ? I 'fbo spring time Is hero : the lIttle cblcks are u chirping : look for tbe IIce , as much trouble Is had with them. The pure breeds always P\y [ best and only cost a tow dollars to begin with , but the results will pay a percentage of 50 cents on each dollar Invested. Wben cleaning your h nerles. be sure to place plenty of limo on the walls and ashes on tbe floor. I am often surprised at tbo space taken up In some poultry JOllrnalR for cnts , mlco aud rnts. Nothing should appear In n poultry journal but poultry lectures , goose culture , turkey , quail aUlI Delglan hnro culture. Cats and rats should fight tbelr way In this country as the poultry Industry did. It Is beet not to feed fowl too much. AlWays - Ways keep them busy as work helps produce - uce the eggs. Limo should never be fed to fowls. They can secure a sufficient amount at such material from oyster Bbells or shore Jra vel Mun ' breedl'rs sa ) ' that their hens are well and 1111" It largo number - ber of eggs , but one s de of the eggs Is hard nnd the other half soft. The cause of this trouble Is tbnt the organs that help form the shells are out of order or the hen Is too fat : reduce the grnlns and the trouble \\111 stop. ( \n many farms there can bo found a largo number of birds that have been prlzo winners In nn early period of life , but why can't a market be found for them among thc varlolls ranclers todnyThe answer Is , they are too old. A few years ago I had a Darred Plymouth - mouth Rock hen that cnrrled first prize In a show held at New Yorl , In 180.1. She wns kept on my plant as a brceder until 1003 , when I entered her at a show held at Phlladelphln , where she came In second. Whnt about this ? Is Rho too old also ? It the blood Is tbere It will stay until death comel < . One of the main reasons , for whlcb all poultry men engage In the business Is , the egg production. Thc egg market 10 the IInly object for the eastern fanclero say eggs are used when the cash can't be se- cured. The world's egg record layers were fed the following for one year : Do not Imow the amount , but It was mixed as follows : Five parts wbeat , fi\'e parts oatmeal , three parts millet seed. one part beef scraps , three parts cracked corn. Try your fowls on the above nnd see If your egg basket oes not grow larger. Thl' ! Is very well but .the cost Is very high at the prescnt prices of ouch feed. If they will feed about one-fourth grain and the other roots , the expenses will be reduced - duced and more eg sjll hcJml1 It will always be found Imposslblo to have a fiock In a good Inylng condition , beIng fed on grnln. The following rooto are hlgltl1 recommended as au egg producer - ucer : Cooked and mashed turnips , carrotA and potatoes. April Is the first month of the beginning of lIee and vermin. Whltc-washlng Is a very good thing to do at this season or sbould have been done before now , but It Is never too late to have It daM for It Is one of the most Important thlngo In the buslnesR , to ha\'e tbe houses clean and Rweet at all times. A small amount of earllollc acid should be put Into the pall of white-wash used. . LITTLE NUBBINS OF FARM NE\VS At tbo Iowa Experiment farm 110 bUsb- cIs of corn per acre was produced on ten plots , not less tban 85 bushels per acre was harvested. A negro agrlculturnl fair was lately beld at Cano FIsher , Okla. About 200 Indiana on horse back and In wagons came from all partH of the country from within a dls- tanco of 200 mlleR. There are 5.000,000 Irish emigrants In the United States , to sny nothing of their children. Ono fourth of these are In the 12 prlnclplo agricultural states and one- halt of them are farmers. The Immense corn crop has made a lively demand for huslters. There Is no doubt that the sca clty of farm labor will stlmulato hl\'entlvc genius to produce a machine to take the plnco of mnn In this worl , . Many farmers In Ohio who cut their corn too green find that much of It Is mouldy and unfit for usc. Peach blight haA gained a strongbold In California and the state agricultural station - tion haA taken hold or the matter. Experts - perts will aid the farmel' In combating this disease. Michigan celery growers have formed a trust IInll II smnll group of capitalists will eBtabllsh a OO acre farm near Minneapolis - neapolis , 1IlInn. , In competition. The friends of William Osborne , a farmer - er of Keota , Iowa , who was strHken : with pamlysls swoopell down upon his farm ono morning and before two o'clock In the afternoon hnd husked and cribbed 2,000 hushels of corn. It Is the greatest huskIng - Ing bee the West has over seen. The Davenport Democrat IR responslblo for tbls story. One hundred million pounds of prunes are grown hI the United States every year . and the ) " are nearly all enten In this coun- try. Onc ot the best decoratlvo and at thc same tlmo useful plants Is the Trel11s Tomato. See advertisement , page 10. .