The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191?, June 24, 1910, Image 3
MMM HORTICULTURAL NOTES. Do not fail to guard the young trees against rabbits. Sow seeds of aster, salvie and cos mos in the window box. A bed of nasturtiums will supply .blossoms until frost comes. The more we till a young orchard 'the deeper the roots go down, i Vine crops should not be disturbed iafter the vines commence to run. Portulaca, petunias, nasturtiums 'and California poppy revel in the hot test sunshine. Sometimes we have added red pep jper or crude carbolic acid or any of 'tensive substance. The use of a slight amount of flour 'in the combination makes it more ad hesive and less liable to wasli off. If a man does not know how to 'prune a tree, he can with safety at (least cut out all the suckers and keep the ground free from weeds and un ider-brush. If an orchard is on the decline, it is ;an indication that the food supply in the soil is being exhausted. Fer tilizers should be applied and thorough (Cultivation given. The best way to clean up an orchard after the fruit has been picked is to turn in the sheep. They will dispose of every wind fall or apple that lias been overlooked by the pickers. It is not too late to prune the or chard. All dead branches should be cut off, the heads of (he trees kept open and small branches thinned. Recent experiments seem to indi cate that the lime-sulphur formula [which is so effective in destroying San |Jose scale, will also destroy apple 'scab and many other fungus diseases. t --. 'GLADIOLUS IS VERY POPULAR 'Called "The Peoples’” Flower Be cause One Can Get so Much Satisfaction Out of It. (By G. S. WOODRUFF.) Everybody knows the gladiolus—in 'a way. It has been called "The Peo i pies’ Flower” because more people can get more satisfaction out of it, without special skill or facilities, than ifrom any other flower. As a cut flower, nothing hut the expensive or Lasting and Beautiful. chid lasts so long and no other flower (has such variety and beauty of color ing. Nevertheless, the modern gladiolus is almost unknown to a large ma jority of our people, because of the great improvement which has been made in a comparatively short time. DON'T NEGLECT the ORCHARD No Crop Will Repay Good Care and Cultivation Better Than the Fruit Trees. (By S. C. MILLER.) No one thing seems more difficult to Impress upon the minds of the farmer -and fruit grower than the fact that the orchard like other growing crops needs care and culture and that when -neglected they will tell the sad story, the same as other farm crops. No crop 'will repay care and cultivation better .than an orchard and no crop will suf fer more by neglect. For the first five or six years the trees should be culti vated and after this a system of culti vation; cover crops and grasses may be introduced according to the growth •'of the trees and the amount of the fruit produced. On most soils there will be sufficient [natural fertility to produce a favorable growth of wood and I believe that it will be more profitable to use no fer tilizer until after the trees begin to produce fruit. Sometimes when the .soil is deficient in available plant food it may be an advantage to use a min eral fertilizer, but as a rule I believe that better trees are grown from the natural fertility of the soil, and that a better root system is developed than when there is manure and commercial fertilizers used to hasten the growth of the trees. After the roots interlock each other so that they occupy all of the soil, they have utilized practically all of the available plant food in tne soil and if the trees produce superior fruit they must be liberally fertilized. The use of legumes as a source of nitrogen and an incomplete fertilizer rich in phosphoric acid and potash is the most efficient and economical method of fertilizing the orchard. CREATING MARKET FOR HONEY It Can All Be Sold Near Home at Good Prices if Attention Is Given to Quality. (By F. G. 1IKKMAN.) Many a farmer ships his honey to distant markets, when the people in his own town or neighborhood ought to be eating it. but because it is not brought to them and their attention called to it they do not use it. People like good food to eat, and they will buy and use good honey just as they will fresh eggs and the EXTERIOR VIEW OF HOUSE APIARY best butter, and will bo steady cus tomers of the one who brings it to them. The first and most important point to be considered in building up and keeping a home market i", the quality of the honey. Under no circumstances do I at tempt to sell anything but well-ripened honey. It should also be of the best possible color. Of course we shall have to dispose of some dark honey, but our customers should have the op portunity of sampling it, and it should be sold at a lower price than the whiter goods. In this, as in all matters pertaining to the marketing of honey, absolute honesty is the best policy. One price to all should be the rule. When commencing to put extracted honey on the market the best style or kind of package was. with me, a mat ter of great perplexity and after try ing many and various kinds of pack ^^IlNTERlORVIEW OF HOUSE APIARY ages I finally decided that the Mason glass jars, in their various sizes, were, all things considered, about the most satisfactory tha. could be obtained for the retail trade. The glass itself, barring accidents, lasts an indefinite length of time and as the caps or covers are made of zinc they do not rust, and if they become discolored, or old looking, there are a number of preparations by which they, can be very quickly and easily cleaned, so that they will look as bright as new. On this account these jars, after be ing emptied, represent, or are worth about as much money as when new— something that can hardly be said of any other retail package with which I am acquainted. Extracted honey will granulate or become white and hard in cold weath er, and while at first this may seem to be a detriment, it is not, for it can be reduced to its liquid form again by simply heating it. Place the can or dish containing the honey you wish liquefied in warm water, when in a short time the honey will ali melt, and will not granulate for a long time, but be sure and do not let the water get too hot—not hotter than you can bear your hand in, as overheating the honey spoils the flavor and darkens it. Some prefer it in the candied or granulated form. Honey should be kept in a warm, dry place. Dampness often causes it to sour. Good Forage Crop. Canada peas and oats is a favorite forage crop with many New York state farmers. The crop may be sown from early spring to the middle of May. Hy making sowings at intervals of two weeks, a succession of crops may be had The common rate of sowing 1b 114 bushels of each per acre. The peas are usually scattered broad cast on disked or harrowed ground, and then turned under about three or four inches deep. The ground is then harrowed and the oats drilled a few days later. The land may first be prepared and each crop drilled sep arately, but this is not usually as sat isfactory as the other method. Peas and oats are good for hay or to cut and feed green. When the oats are heading and the peas blossoming one may begin to cut for green feed. For hay the oats should be in the milk stage, and the peas should have well forined pods. Peas and oats can also be pastured to advantage with hogs. This crop will give a yield of five to seven tons per acre of green weight. Shortage of Broomcorn. There is a shortage of broomcorn and fac tories and commission men are hunting the country over from end to end to obtain it. Most of the farmers who raised broomcorn last year sold it as soon as it was in the pale, as prices were better than usual even then. Popcorn Crop Is Profitable. Popcorn is a profitable crop. It will readily sell for from 2% to 3 cents per pound, and an immense amount can he raise d on one acre, as it can he planted thick. After the ears have been pulled, the best kind of feidder is left for the cow: and horses ALCOHOLIC CRISIS IN FRANCE Republic Awaking to Fact Her People Are on Decline Morally, Men tally and Physically. France is passing through what may | be called an alcoholic crisis. Many of j her public men declare that she is in \ the grasp of a much more dreaded foe than ordinary alcohol—that subtle and slow but sure poison—absinthe. This great republic is awakening to the fact that her people are on the decline, morally, mentally and phy sically, and the momentous question of absiDtheism is so vital an issue that noted French doctors like Brou ardel, Huchard and Motet of the Academle de Medicine are using their united efforts to arouse all Frenchmen to the dangerous pitfall that is at i their door. I Heretofore the wine-drinking conn- j tries, such as Italy, Spain and France, j have hardly understood the word drunkenness. II was a condition rare ly met with either in the workman or in the upper class. In any of these countries if an inebriated person tot tered along the street he was hailed with derision, hooted at by the small hoy and was a target for the jeers and hisses of every passerby; hut this feeling against the man who has “taken too much” has changed with in the last, ten years in France. The people of the other countries still keep to their custom of drinking only the natural light wines of their country, and they remain sober, indus trious and law-abiding, but in France the gradual introduction of spirits has brought into existence a generation possessing a lower mentality, a less ro bust physique and filled with unsound principles. France is facing a big problem. The thinking Frenchmen all are using their united strength and brain to check Ibis evil, the sorry conse quences of which are so manifest to day. The whole beautiful country of France is in the throes of the green plague. A greater adversary than even Napoleon had to fight against is in her cities, with powerful allies in (he towns and the countryside. Napo leon is generally accredited with rob bing France of her most stalwart men, thus leaving in his wake only the weaker, and the savants now claim that alcoholic drinks, the most for midable of whicli is absinthe, are the cause for the degeneration of todav. Ill the minds of the majority of Eu ropeans the army and navy are the backbone of every country, and there is much reason in this conclusion. Un til a more enlightened era, when a universal peace conference will set tle all international disputes, the coun tries ot Europe must protect them selves with a strong army ot stalwart men. It is in the French army that the disastrous effects of too much al cohol or absinthe drinking are felt first. Most of the recruits indulge more or less in the poisonous drink, so that the very foundation of the army is undermined and weakened. According to the statement made by a famous officer the garrisons are filled with men physically unfit, the hospitals are encumbered with sick soldiers, the police stations and prisons are filled with insubordinate men, the undoubted cause being drink. Drink, he says, is the arch enemy to discipline, This sad state of affairs has ex tended even to the colonies, and the native Africans are being decimated by the alcohol habit introduced to them by the Occidentals. Regions that were very productive are slowly be coming denuded of labor, for the col onists must depend on the native ne gro, inasmuch as the white man is not acclimatized and perhaps, in cer tain districts, never can be. Statistics show the appalling de crease of the population in the prov inces of Itrittany, Normandy, Picardy, etc., where the race has been hereto fore so strong and vigorous. In Nor mandy alone there has been a loss in the last 25 years of 200,000 inhabit ants. In some districts the rapid de cline of the race has been 50 per cent. oi tne population. When one realizes that the French as a people are not emigrating to othpr countries, one must look for the cause for the ter rible falling off. Children born of al coholic parents die by the hundreds before leaving the cradle, and the mil itary authorities claim that alcohol costs France an army corps each year, and the French army contains only 20 corps. France has a unique custom—that is, the “aperitif hour.” What the French people call “aperitif” is, In the American parlance, an appetizer. Each day from five o’clock on practically all men cease whatever work they are engaged in to indulge In their habitual aperitif, which is iu the great majority 1 of cases a glass of absinthe. Other : countries in Europe depend on their afternoon tea or coffee, but the [ Frenchman in general absolutely de- 1 mands his absinthe. This Is a dally routine that is followed out almost without a break, and the custom is no respecter of classes. There is simply [ a difference In price, quality and place of taking it. The cafes at this hour present a scene pf great activity. Cafe j life in Paris is out door lilt , and the chill of winter is no barrier to this out door drinking. An awning protects the patron from the elements, while a huge cylinder stove Is supposed to give the necessary warmth i MR. SMITH STILL GUESSING Mystery of Letter of Introduction Re mains a Puzzle and Solution Seems Afar Off. When a local professional man, whom wc shall call Smith, received a call some time ago from a stranger bearing a letter of introduction from his friend llrown, Mr. Smith gave the man a cordial welcome. For Mr.' llrown Is a close friend of Mr. Smith ; and he felt that any one recommended by him must be worthy of the highest esteem. He therefore laid himself out to be agreeable and helpful, In com-1 pllance with Itrown's note. The stranger, whose name was Green, proved to ho most agroonble on bet ter acquaintance, and soon lie and Mr. Smith became fast friends. About tills time Mr. Smith and his new friend j chanced to meet upon the street their mutual friend, Mr. llrown. Mr. Smith grasped tlie hand of Mr. llrown, greet ed him warmly, and entered into con vernation. Soon lie noted that neither Brown nor Green displayed the slight est sign of recognition. "Good gracious!" In* thought, "have they quarreled?" Hut a furtive glance showed him no trace of anger in either, and lie was more nonplused Ilian ever. At last he could endure the awkward situation no longer. "Gentlemen,” he explained, "surely you two are acquainted?” "No,” said llrown; "haven’t had the honor.” “No, echoed Green; “haven't had the pleasure.” "Well. I'll he swizzled!" said Mr. Smith. “Mr. Grown, Mr. Green. Shake hands." Which they did. And now, dear reader, if you cnn figure out the answer, please inform Mr. Smith who wrote that letter, for that, is what he has hern trying to find out ever since.—Pittsburg Gazette Times. LADY* AND THE CHAUFFEUR Explanation of Fascination That the Latter Has Exercised Over the Fair Sex. Instead of echoing the conventional cry of “How could she do so?" a clev er English lord, Montagu of lteaulieu, makes oul a strong psychological case for the lady who elopes with the chauffeur. There are several details to be ta ken into account—the smartness, the, independence, the good manner, and frequently good education of the dri ver. Hut most of all there Is the man himself as a creature of power. Ho is at the wheel. He acts. He controls. He exerts the fascination of the mas terful. Furthermore, his allurements are strengthened by the subtle influ ences and elations of rapid motion. “No human person remains quite tin influenced or normal in a good car by the side of a good driver and in con genial company." We have the conclusion, then, that It is not all of speed madness to make unsafe highways. It can and does produce also the treacherous romance, leading to Ihe dash in haste which in to be repented at leisure after the) power Is uff. The obvious need for safety is of a common sense so quick ened that it can keep up even when there is a greater than the thlrq speed. Not psychology, but the lady must develop this factor in touring car discretion. Accounting for Absence of Noise. "You know I had something the mat-> ter with my ears," said the nervous man, “and 1 feared I was going deaf;) and this morning I got the scare of my life. I thought deafness had ac; t.unlly settled on me. "Going down Madison avenue I met two carloads of children coming up in open cars filled with children and all waving their nrms and making f\ mighty stir. I couldn’t hear a sound, not a whisper, and then I knew I’d gone deaf, sure enough; but when those carloads of shouting children had gone by then I could hear the rat tle of the wagons In the street and tho clatter of the horses' hoofs and all that, and then it came to me, what was a fact, that those cheering chil dren were a bunch of jolly deaf and dumb children going on a picnic. And that was a great relief. I felt sorry for the children, but a little more cheerful for myself.”—New York Sun. Virtue in Silence. It Ib a good plan to speak the truth when one can, but there are times when the truth should be put aside under the shadow of kindness. One Is not called upon to put Into words every thought that conies Into the topknot. One’s dearest enemy may look as pale as a boy after a tus sle with his prize oration or as dole ful as a burial permit, but why tell him of it? There is no chance of a doubt that he does not know it. You are not giving any fresh or valuable information. If one cannot say pleasant things, is it not much better to keep still? Truth is commendable and necessary, but there are times when silence makes a bigger hit.—New Idea Wom an’s Magazine. Illogical Marriage. Hitter—I don't see how Blanker and his wife could have married for love. Salmo—Oh, they didn’t marry for love; they married because they pit led each other. Hitter—Pitied each other? Why, if they had had any real pity for each other they would never have thought of marry’rg FARM NOTES. The animal will digest better what I It likes. Heavy shoes on the horses on the farm are unnecessary now. If you expect to get a crop of honey, | take* good cure of your bees. He careful not to overheat mares that are suckling young colts. When there Is danger of oats lodg ing. thick seeding tends to prevent it. Don’t imagine that you know it all and eannot learn anything by read ing a bee journal. Good roads are sometimes, but not always, the result of entire neglect on the part of poor road makers. The use of trap crops, such ns squashes, gourds or beans planted be fore the melons, Is followed by some growers. Sunshine, rainfall and temperature are three important factors in canta loupe culture beyond tig1 control of the grower. It’s nice to have your supers all clean, with the foundation fixed In the frames and sections. When the bees need them, put them on. Many growers do not attempt to control the melon aphis but leave 11 to its natural enemies, of which the lady beetles are the most important. An incubator will not run itself any more than an automobile will. A human brain must stand back of the best machine of any kind ever in vented. There are two methods to follow when germination test shows poor vitality of seed; either purchase bet ter seed or if that Is not possible plant more to the acre. Pasturing grain with sheep or other light stock, tends to thicken It, also to shorten the straw and to prevent! lodging, though it frequently adds to the length of time for ripening. USEFUL STABLE DOOR CATCH Illustration and Detailed Instructions for Making Good Substantial Lock for Barn. Cut a slot In the door 1>4 inches deep and six Inches long, so that plug D will slip back and forth. Nail two pieces of one-inch hoard Inches wide tind 11 inches long each side of slot on door. Drill a hole in a piece of one-inch board three inches wide and 11 Inches long and make a round plug live inches long and put it in tin* hole, leaving half of the plug project ing out on both sides. Then put. piece A between the two pieces on the door, C* *%»**<* ) c> Stable Door Catch. having the plug projecting outside the door. Nail a one-inch piece 2V6 inches long on both ends shown in the cut. This makes the lock Bolid on the door. Cut a hole in the casing so piece A will catcli in It. CUTTING FODDER ROBS SOIL When No Equivalent Is Returned Land Is Left Depleted of Life-Producing Chemical Elements. There is much said now about the value of corn fodder by those who ad vocate the use of the silo. It Is true that the corn plant at maturity, ex clusive of the ear, contains much valu able feed If properly harvested and stored. Yet experienced ones say that there are few ways of more quickly killing the soil than to grow corn and remove all the crop hy cutting the fodder. It is good farm practice to cut up the corn and feed it on the place, pro vided that land from which it is cut is immediately manured to restore the plant food elements taken from It by the crop. When no equivalent is returned the soil is left sadly depleted of its bal anced chemical store of life-producing elements. The ear of corn, being largely starch and composed of water and carbon dioxide, free compounds of the atmos | phere, does not remove much fertility I from the soil. But the entire corn plant contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus which the soil can ill spare. These cornstalks should be allowed to remain in the field and be plowed under the following season to return these vital elements and form soil humus. Never cut fodder on poor or washy land. Leaving the stalks in the held regularly feeds the soil. Arrange for Better Pastures. Arrange to have better pasture for all of the animals this summer. Cut out sprouts, seed the pasture land, and buid good fences before pasturing sea son opens. Easy money is made from good pasture with good stock. STARTING A PEACH ORCHARD Careful Study of Correct Methods of Pruning and Setting Trees Neces sary for Success. l(Rv Maurice \ plane, new .jer sey EXPERIMENT STATION * If the trees are dry when received from the nursery they should at once, be placed In water until the bark on the trunk and branches regain its full bright appearance. Two to two and one-half feet above the bud Is about the proper height to "cut back” peach trees for plant ling. Good trees may be formed when .cut back to 18 inches, but anything more than that Is not to be recom Furrowing Out for Peaches. mended. If the trees are well branched and of medium to large grades the side branches should ho cut back to about three-inch stubs, rather than cutting the trees to a whip, as the buds on the well developed side branches arc usually stronger than the buds on the trunk and will make a bettor start. The lighter grades of trees with only these side branches will of neces sity he pruned to whips. All Injured and broken roots should he cut smooth to insure better healing of the wounds. Peach trees grown upon deep soils sometimes have tap roots. and these can be cut back tr> six or eight Inches without Injuring the trees and it makes the setting much easier. It is n good plan to dip the roots In a solution of whale oil soap one pound to three or four gallons of wa ter—to kill any possible aphis or plant lice upon them. Set the trees IK feet apart each way. The ground should be prepared as thoroughly as for a cut crop. The outside rows should be of sufficient distance away from any fence so that the operations of cutting and spraying can be carried on after the trees are full grown, t'se marking places when plowing the furrow and run the fur rows in a perfectly straight line north and south. Make the furrows wide and doe]) by going across the field and back, plowing twice for each furrow. Check furrow east and west and set a tree at each intersection. A proper place rhould be shoveled iOut for the roots of the tree; one man should then hold the tree in -place while the other shovels lu some ot tbe loose, moist surface soil, firming it with his feet and hands and carefully 1 keeping the tree in line both ways 1 The Inst* one or two shovelfuls of soil should be thrown about the tree loose ly and not tramped down. The trees should be set at a suflt^ ) eient depth to bring the point where I the trees are budded Just below the ! surface. /] A leguminous cover crop, such as ! crimson clover or vetch, should be ] sown between the trees in July upon No. 2, Properly Pruned. No. 3, Headed Too High. soil poor in organic matter and nitro gen and tiiis cover crop plowed under the following April will greatly assist In enriching the soil. Crimson clover should not be per mitted to grow in the orchard late in the spring as It takes out much moisture of the soil which Is needed by the trees. Protecting Against Sun Scald. The protection given to guard against sun scald will perform a dual purpose of guarding against rabbits, or in case this has not been done, as in case of forest trees, where the number of trees is so large it is not convenient to tie up each tree, (hen it is well to remember that the rabbit has a sensitive nose and can he kept away by applying with a swab a com bination of blood, soap and tobacco. Use of Nitrate of Soda. Nitrate of soda will force the growth of melons, tomatoes and other plants. A tablespoonful scattered about each tomato ydant and lightly raked in will produce good results