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
