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About Western news-Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1898-1900 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1899)
V Vj le of iM > il by It is : ; hvays u In ? . " , to leave soil naked through iho winter. especially if the surface soil is friable' . Unless SUOAV come as u covering , mudx of ii Avill bo blown into adjoiniui ; lioMs. Often when SUOAV conn's it will bo Avind swept into banks In-hind < Viie.es on its leeward sido. aii'i so soe-i as tl-.p banks are formed the s > n.y v. ill bo darkened by clouds of Hue dust. v uiel : ! s deposited on its surface. This wind-blown soil is always exf.rei.ie-y rich , u.i is shown by the qni < ker jjryv.'lh and dirler green of the ; : ut'uit grr-Vi" up after the bank h. . ? uiukcil in oi.Mjr. . Always the land 0:1 ! l e ice sid < - of fields that have been'jh nu-1 ion : ; pjj-.y ; . < l is richer near tlucucc on r ! .r * loov/aid side than ir is ue3r : the aMcif ihe field. For this roa ° .o : . v.-hr-u tkr.-ing , turn the fur rows as : na.-i as possible from the fenco.lov. : r lhe eonlcr of the field. Ioubll ss tl rre is much blowing of sinfa..lir > in suuunor shoAA'crs. ihojigh If. ic : : < . . = > j ! an to the sight as it is Aviifii the d : rk VIM lies on top of a wliiJo anulc of : " > o'.v. r're/tec-.Ii.r lirubd. Wint.prokx i'.on for shrubs is a mata - a > " ill : : * " rtuiuliv : : considerable skill. C * id i * no jf the thiners to be guarded W' \ : gainst , the v , eight of snow in v.'ntjr must be foicj-'oon and care oc-'vised lust the ! rnb be greatly j u j ; i rod in the wrapping process l y the breaking of Mi a n y brittle ! , " \-inehcs. Thoro- f o r e a Country ' 'oiitleimm corro- -pon'lout proposes t'l" ' I'olloAving plan ; The cut shoAVS the proper way to begin. Select a Miiooth , strong stake , longer than the height of the shrub , and drive it well d-iwn in I no renter ot the busli. Now druAV the branches all carefully 1orolher and tie them to the stake with a soft bit of rord. as shoAvn. A layer ot * straw cau now bo AVrapped about Hie shrub , bringing the bottom of the stravr well out upon the ground , to pro- led tlc roots as much as possible. The Avhoio can now be co\ered Avith burlap and tied or sowed tightly. The top is ilien a point , on Avhieh SUOAV cannot lodge. Avhilc the stake support the bush AA'hen the Avinds blow. C nemubers. rs generally do well , even if ouditions are only moderately favor able , though it is bettor to plant thorn in a deep , rich and somewhat rotentiA'o loam , the planting to bo done as soon as the pround becomes Avarm in the spring. Five or six foot apart each AA'ay r Isaboutthe right distance and a shovel ful of AA'cll-roolod manure or compost placed at the point Avhoro the seed are planted , though the manure should be covered with soil and the seed planted in the soil. About a dozen seed should be put in each hill , covered one inch and the soil packed oA'er the seeds. As soon : i > the plants come above the surface Hie soil about thorn should be loosened , and this repealed after each rain. Oc- oasionally it may bo necessary to dust iho plants with paris green 10 protect them from insects. Thin Iho plants down to throe or four to the hill aud fultiA-ate the land both Avuys until the vines become too lone. Texas Stock and Farm Journal. i Another Saw Jack. 1 The saw jack shown in the accompanying - panying illustration is so easily con- | si meted that descriplion is unneces sary. The material used in building I..V1JOK-SAV1XG > A W .JA * . K. can be of any convenient size and of almost any material , although hard Avond is preferred , so that the Avoight , Avill hold it firmly in place. Oraniro Jiuld Farmer. Muriate < .f Potas-h. Where potash only is required if is 7nuch cheaper to purchase it in Hie f rni of muriate , which Avill yield Tttl per font , of potash , tiiau in the kahiit or German potash salts , which have -only from 10 to ! . " per cent , of this min eral. Wood ashes contain potash in varying degree , that from fruit trees in bearing sometimes having as much potash as ( i or S per cent. Hut the wood jishos also contain some lime ami some phosphate , Avhieh makes them more on all-around manure than the potash taken from natural deposits can be. Parsnip for Cow * . There is no bettor root for cows than Iho parsnip. It hah the advantage that part of the crop may. it" need bo. be wintered in the ground Avhero it has irroAvn. The parsnip , unlike the boot , ji.'ikes a rich milk. It is equal to the carrot in this respect , and undoubtedly , like that root , helps to color Avinter- butter. Parsnips arc u favorite { Avlnter feed of Jersey and Guernsey farmers , who by its use have been able to breed cows Avhoso. high butter color ! has become hereditary : : i these breeds. No doubt the parsnip feeding ! s in pas-t I responsible- the color of Jersey but ! tor. j It is usually said shat j Avill grow anywhere , and u. would almost - | most seem thai , this ilru : ; - . . - o < Iilfioult { is It to fully exterminate the routs onci j they are firmly established. P.nt it is not true that horso-radish Avill grow as well Avithout care ami fertilizer as with it. In starting a now bed the crowns of old plants may be set. but the newer method is to use small root lets about as largo around as an ordin ary penholder. In planting those bo very careful to set them Iho right end up. Bury those- rootlets ; about two inches deep in good , inellow soil. In the autumn , when housc-kocpers arc preparing pickles , there is a good de mand for both roots and loaves. It is but little Avork to prepare the root for market , as it can be run through a meat chopper. Much of the horse-radish put on the market has some Aviiito turnip ground with ii. and , indeed , many pre fer this to the clear root , as the prepara tion is not so .strong. White wine vine gar should be used. Orange Judd Farmer. Poialoeq from Cuttings. A Texas market gardener claims that SAveet potatoes jroAvn 1'rom A'ine cut tings are smoother and nicer than those groAvii from slips or sprouts. His meth od of securing early sweet potatoes is to gather the vines before frost has in jured them and hang them on a polo , the ends of Avhieh rest in crotches or forks some tAvo foot above the ground. Cover the ends of the vines with moist earth and throw straw , leaves or corn stalks over the whole and protect from the rain by a good shed , Avith the north side boarded up. As cold weather ap preaches ho , for botior protection , throws more soil upon Hie base of the heap and more straAv on iho upper portion tion , leaving the soutl. cad , or , better still , the top , partly open during warm spoils for ventilation. This plan ( which is similar to banking the tubers ) Avill keep vines alive all Aviutor and road3 * for early planting in tiv- - Farmers' Magazine. To Keep Kams. Those directions , carefully followed , are s5d ; to keep hams from molding , as Avoll as from insect , harm. "J have tried various Avays , " said an export , ' and there are several that Avill keep hams sweet and sound , not only through Iho yoar. but for 1\vo years. I have packed them in clean casks , first thoroughly sprinkling every ham \vith hickory Avood ashes ; put thorn in strong muslin bags , sewed thorn up and hung them to spikes in the attic , Avc-Il ven tilated , and they kept Avoll. I haA'o loft them in the smokehouse , as dark as Erebus , locked the doors and kept the key , and never know an insect to trou ble them , aud they AVOIX- always in lini condition. I IKIA-C also put them in bags , as before , imbedded in sweet cut hay. aud they came out Avhonover Avant- od in the very best condition , la all cases they should bo hung tip in a dry. cool place. " Orange Judd Farmer. Kconoruy of Hornlc.s - , Cows. When it comes to putt ing up COAVS for winter , the COAV that has no horns Avill bo found to take much loss room than her neighbor , AVIO is tempted to and generally does hook and fight all those near her. In the stable , of course , each stall Avill accommodate its cou. horns or no horns. Horned cattle are often kept in stables on bright , pleas ant Avintry days , to keep them from hooking one another , when they Avould be much healthier if alloAvod to run in a small yard. Most barn yards are made much larger than Avould bo nec essary if all horns Avorc removed. This wastes manure , as more surface is exposed to rains , and the droppings in a largo yard are often so scattered that they are never gathered info heaps and carried Avhcre they are needed. American C'ultiA'afor. More Productive thin Clover. Ju the localities whore it succeeds. Avhieh are mainly in the arid regions of the West , alfalfa is much more produc tive than clover. It has also the ad- Avmtajre that once the ground is seeded Avith it the plant Avill live for years. The chief lrnvback is that it takes longer to get a start , the plant not making much growth until late the first season. It is very impatient of Avot , and cannot be grown where the ground during spring and late in Aviutor is flooded. After the first year throe crops of hay may bo cut in a year , and as the plant has the power of disintegrating air in the soil by the nodules groAvn on its roots , the soil increases in nitrogenous fertility. But of course mineral fortil- ixors must l > o supplied Avhon they art needed , as no disintegration of the aii < -an furnish am" of these. Tonble Fcedinir of Clover. The earliest seeding of clover general ly grow * the largest size by the time the grain around it is cut. But some times it starts too early , and is nipped In- frost just Avlu'ii Its leaves start and it lias very little root. At this time , as the clover loaf is Aory tender , the young plant easily killed. Wo know farm ers who divid ? their seeding , sowing some early in March , and delaying the latest seeding until April. In this way they claim that a more OAOH soodinvr of ail the ground is secured than If all A\ore sov/n at once. The second seed ing is a 1ays 1 sown crossAvisc of the first. One of the most treasured possessions of the Duke of Fife is : i little photo graph-frame made by the Princess Louise out of a piece of her first court train. The story goes that this pretty present was secretly bostOAved upon the duke some throe years before their official engagement was announced. Declares for State Aid. Complete returns of the Minnesota Elate election sliOAV that the State aid amendment to the Constitution has been passed by the people by a vote of 70,043 to 38,017. The returns have only recently been completed , owing to the unsettled condition of the northern ana eastern portions of the State. This is the first time that a popular vote has even boon taken in any State upon the good roads question , and the result is a most emphatic indorsement of State aid as a solution. The Farmers' Na tional Congress , which met at Fort Worth , Texas , early in December last , passed strong resolutions in faA'or of State aid , and commending the efforts of the League of American Wheelmen toward its introduction. The Minnesota seta vote is another notable indorse ment of the Avork of this organization. The constitutional amendment was introduced at the 1S97 session of the Minnesota Legislature by A. B. Ghoatc , of Minneapolis , as tUc representative of the L. A. W. , and its passage by that body Avas the result of his persistent and diplomatic work in behalf of the measure. This loft it to be submitted to popular vote for its final passage. A strong educational campaign for good roads Avas carried on by the L. A. W. throughout Minnesota during the past summer and fall Avith the active assistance of the Bureau of Road In quiry at Washington and the press of Minnesota. A largo edition of pam phlets. explaining the State aid system of road-building aud its advantages to farmers , was distributed , and numer ous articles and editorials upon the sub ject appeared in the papers in various parts of the State. The resulting A'oto for the amendment is alone two to one in its favor. The Minnesota Legislature will now take the necessary stops to put a sys tem of State aid into operation , such as i = now in force in NOAV Jersey and in New York. Farmers , especially , Avill appreciate this , as it Avill enable them ro obtain durable highways Avithout be ing obliged to bear the entire expense , SK tlpy do at present. In NCAA' Jersey fc35.fi NOW York , the cost of roads built by State aid is divided bctAveon the State , the counties and the local tax payers in the tOAvns. Many IOAVUS availing themselves of the New York law are securing funds for road-build ing purposes from outside sources , equal to four or fiA'o times that which raise themselves. Country tax payers have learned that State aid to roads provides a moans by which the largo city taxpayers and corporations OAvning valuable franchises from the State are made to share in the expense , and that it remains optional Avith the farming districts to avail themselves of this assistance , or not , as they may choose. This explains the popularity of State aid in Minnesota and the largo vote in its favor. L. A. W. Bulletin. A City Paj's Mud Damntfcs. The following , from a West Superior ( Wis. ) paper , tolls its OAVU story , which , by the way. is an interesting one to taxpayers and "city fathers : " "At the last previous Council meeting Mike O'Donnol had a claim against the city for the sum of $20 , that amount being claimed by Mr. O'Donnel for hav ing his horse mired up to its nock on ISth street near the normal school. The Aldermen rather laughed at the claim ant presenting a bill to the city for IKIA-- Ing a horse mired , and the Council voted to fight the case through all the courts if necessary. "The case Avas brought to trial this morning in the Municipal Court. A jury consisting of SteAvart Robinson , Frank Fclker , James Scott and James Seldcr was impaneled and after hearing about ten minutes' testimony on the case a A erdict Avas brought in for the plaintiff In the sum of $33which is $15 more than he offered to settle the case for. Besides this the costs in the case amount to $18.87 , making a total cost to the city of $53.87. The horse is all right now , iiotAA-ithstanding the fact that it took tAvo others to pull it out of the sticky red mud. Under the direction of the Council the case will be appealed fo the next higher court. " .Rubber Is Scarce. Assuming that the United States Avill subsidize a company to lay a cable from the Philippines to San Francisco , the first landing place Avould be in the Hawaiian Islands. The next posses sion of the United States is the Island of Guam , in the Ladronos , Avhieh is about 3,100 nautical miles Avcst of Hawaii. From this island to the main land of Luzon , in the Philippines , is about 050 nautical miles. The longest cable HOAV operated is that from Brest to Now York , which is 3.0SO nautical miles in length. The cost of cables increases Avith their length in a geometrical ratio ; the difficulty of Avorlcing thorn increases about as rap idly. Remembering that the cost of the New York-Brest cable was greater than that of any other cable over laid , i it is readily soon that the construction of the American transpacific cable , involving - , volving the link between ILiAvaii and f Guam , may Avell bo approached with caution. The solution of the difficulty is in the acquisition of an island of the Caroline group. In connection with the Pacific cable i Aery interesting question arises. Whence is the gutta-percha for this ; igantic cable to come. Every whisper of the construction of a transpacific line sends the gutta market at Singa pore up by leaps and bounds. The ruling price of the jrnni is the highest that has CA-er obtained. It Is stated , onrliat authority it is hard to say , that the visible supply of gutta Is insuffi cient for the task , and that If this cable is laid it Avill be the last the last Avith a gutta-percha insulation , at least- Engineering Magazine. DOUBTS AS TO EXACT DATc. Difference of Opinion as to When Ohio Became a State. There is some doubt as to the exact date upon which Ohio became a State. Ohio never was a separate "territory , " being a part of the Northwest terri tory. In 1801 the people living in the portion of the Northwesjk territory now embraced in the State of Ohio called a convention to frame a State constitu tion for the district which had set up a claim to statehood under the provisions of the fifth article of the ordinance of 1787. That convention met In Chilli- cothe on Nov. 1 , 1802 , and on Nov. 29 completed its work. The constitution thus framed was not submitted to the people , but was declared ratified by the convention itself. On Feb. 17 , 1803 , the United States Congress passed an act admitting Ohio into the Union as a State , said act be coming operative upon the assembling of the first State Legislature at Chilli- cothe. The first Statue Legislature met at Chillicothe at 10 a. m. Tuesday , March 1 , 1803 , and both houses imme diately organized. Thus there are throe dates about which opinions may differ as to the ex act initial period of Ohio statehood. They are Nov. 29 , 1802 , when the con stitution was perfected and ratified ; Feb. 17,1S03 , when Congress passed the act admitting Ohio , and March 1 , 1803 , when the Legislature assembled and organized. The latter date appears to have the greatest claim , in view of the language of the act of Congress and the organization of the Legislature. The two houses of the Legislature met in joint session at 11 a. m. March 3 , 1803 , to open and declare the result of the ballot for Governor. Edward Tiffin was declared elected , receiving 4,5G4 votes. There wore no ballots cast against him. At 1 o'clock p. m. the same day Gov ernor Tiffin was sworn in at a joint session of the two houses of Legisla ture by Judge Meigs. Cincinnati En quirer. New Use' for Catfish. In Portland , Oregon , according to the Oregonian , the familiar catfish figures as a hardy pioneer and a valued ad junct to the street department , all because - cause the terra ootta sewers and drains , especially those in the lower part of the city , frequently got choked. If the sewer is not broken , it can be cleaned by passing a rope through it , to be pulled backward and forward un til the obstruction is loosened and re moved. The deputy superintendent of streets has had a great deal of such work to look after , and the worry con nected with getting the rope through has gone far toward thinning his hair. Ho has at last discovered a quick , sure and easy method. lie goes to the rivor. catches a cat fish , ties a string to its tail , drops it down a manhole into the sewer , and it at once starts for the river , and forces its way through any obstruction not as solid as brick , dragging the string after it. Then the deputy gees as far down the sewer as he dooms necessary , and picks up the string , which he uses to draw a wire through the sewer , and with this a rope is pulled through , and the sewer is soon cleared. Solomon in All li's Glory. A donation party wa's given to a good country clergyman in part payment of his small salary , the principal result being twenty-seven bushels of beans and a largo variety of second-hand clothing for his five children. The patience of the clergyman's wife finally gave out. On the next Sunday she dressed all her five children in. the donated second-hand clothing , and under her direction they marched up the aisle just as the good pastor was reading that beautiful passage , "Yet Solomon in all his glory was not ar rayed like one of these. " The next donation party was of a different char acter. IJOAV Valuation. f A few words Avill sometimes express a man's opinion of his neighbor quite , as well as a much longer statement. "Do you regard Silas Woodruff as , one of the important people in Canby ? " asked a summer visitor , referring to a member of the State Legislature , whose home was in the little town. "I hear he can talk up to the folks on . politics , " answered the Canby farmer , J to Avhom the question had been addressed - . dressed , "so I reckon he's some use to the State , mebby ; but in Canby we a don't count him of any more , value than C a couple o' rods o' side-hill. " Youth's r Companion. The Rothschilds. A curious thing it is that in every country the Rothschilds 'assume the typical appearance of its people , says t > he NCAV York World. Lord Rothschild of England much resembles Lord Salis bury , Baron Alphono do Rothschild of Paris is a perfect Frenchman in ap pearance. Walter Rothschild , son of Lord Rothschild , is a fair-haired young giant ( the original Mayer Anselm Avas redheaded ) . WiLhelm Karl Rothschild of the Frankfort house , sou of that Charles or Karl Avho Avont to Naples for the house , is a typical German. Famous Scotch Cripples. Two of t'he ' most famous liA-ing be Scotchmen are cripples Lord Kelvin , who is the greatest living Scottish scientist , and Dr. .Tamos Macgregor of Edinburgh , Avho is said to be the great est living Scottish preacher. In baseball circles the upper ten com prises the winning nine and the un > Dire THE FARM AND HOME. MATTERSOFINTERESTTOFARM. ER AND HOUSEWIFE. Some Reasons Why tlic Hoys I < eave the Farm--When to Beiriii with Vegetables in the Garden-Always Be Up with the Market. The following is extracted from : i paper read at a Farmers' Institute re cently : "How few real homes we find on the farm. How often what we call home Is a place to hang up your hat , get three meals a day and lie down to sleep ; a place where father and mother and children stay. How few of these stopping places do more than satisfy our daily physical wants , and utterly fail to supply our mental and better necessities. Is it any wonder our boys and girls make comparisons with the homes they imagine exist in the towns and cities ? Home in its real sense is an inspiration to all boys and girls. If it exists on the farm it is an inspira tion to a nobler , better manhood. If it is not on the farm , there grows up with the boy a resolve to get away from his crude environments and try to find what his head aud heart so yearns for. Home must be where love and con fidence predominate. A boy is a queer study. His prattle and rattle are evi dences of enterprise. In indicates a want of judgment and a need of kin dergarten inquiry to discover the in herent abilities of the boy and guid ance into those lines. It is the general practice to curb all ebullition of the vigorous mind and hands of the boy , and make him do as we do whether he wants to or not. The twenty-one years to his majority is a tedious term to a farm boy. The farm boy imagines from what ho sees of city young men that they must have a very much bet ter time , and he is tempted to try it. " When to Betrin the Garden. The beginning Avith a garden should be really in the fall , as such plants as spinach , kale , salsify , dandelion , cross , etc. , can be seeded down in the fall , covered with mulch and be brought on the table very early in the spring. A patch of turnips left in the ground in the fall Avill provide the best kind of early "greens , " and the same may be done with cabbage stalks , which , if planted in the fall in'a compact bed , will take up but little room and throAV out sprouts early in spring , before any other green crop comes. Later on rad ishes , lettuce and rhubarb Avill be in order , as they are hardy and can be had before summer crops are seeded. Asparagus comes almost by the time frost is out of the ground. Half an acre in a garden which has boon heavily manured will provide an enormous supply of vegetables. Peas-aud onions , as Avell as early potatoes , may bo had with but little difficulty , if the ground is sandy and warm , bu ! : to secure early crops the cultiA'ation mn-4 bo deep and thorough and the lau-1 Avoll drained , not by having a heavy surface floAV , but by the water goinc , down quickly. Warmth is secured by the air following the downward flow of the Avater into the soil. Be Up with the Market. It Avould be of advantage to our farm ers if they were to visit the markets of our great cities aud acquaint them selves Avith the requirements of the trade ; they should become acquainted Avith the methods of business , and should study the reasons for the adop tion of particular systems of handling produce. A system is the result of growth. It is not a special creation , fully developed and organized , and thrown into being without some good cause for its existence. It may have grown to an abuse , but oven then there is some reason for it. Farm and Fac tory. Business Tact in Farmiujr. While it docs not pay farmers to slid- - deuly change their crops whenever prices go too low for profit , there are often ways of overcoming these ; low prices , and perhaps manufacturing the r crop into something that will give a c good ret u ! 11 for all the labor expended t upon it. When there- was everywhere a ] superabundant apple crop , the farm ers who had evaporators hired enough , help to put up their apple crop in the very best form for a period of scarcity. Hence when there was a light apple crop through the country the result was that the evaporated apples were disposed of at a profit. There- are often times when grain damaged by harvestIng - Ing , or which for other reasons sells be low what it costs , can be marketed by feeding it to stock. It is in such ways as this that business men learn to change losses into gains , or at least to mitigate their losses. Iat Farm in vr- . The farmer that allows himself to fall j into what is termed rut farming will fail of the greatest success , because a rut farmer does things in the same old way , simply for lack of energy or knowledge. Each position affirms the fact of his negligence , hence he falls to under the ban of natural law and must Is to a greater or less extent , as the case may be , fall behind. The law of the survival of the fittest was never more ! g evident than when applied to agricul ture. Successful agriculture will not admit of trifling. Rural World. Ci Floors for Henhouses. A henhouse floor should never be made of boards. There \vill be sure to P some cracks betAvcen them , and they k make the best possible brooding place ly for lice. Rather than have board floors 13AA we would have one Avith earth , under AAe laid Avith stone to secure drainaire , and s : covered with sifted coal ashes. The SI most satisfactory of all floors is one of SIfi cement. This AA-ill not rot out like a fi board or plank poA\- ! , and it AA-ill not fit fin have cracks toiucoitrage the breeding t ) of vermin. On a cement floor uruloi the roosts no litter should be allowed Thus the excretions may be kept fret from matter that cannot be rutted down , and if put into a large box with sifted coal ashes sprinkled over thorn they will be rotted down by spring , sr. as to be in good condition for drilling with grain or for sprinkling in the rows where early peas are planted. There is nothing bettor to give peas a vigorous start early. It will also make them several days earlier , and thus secum for them a better price. To Keep Apples. To keep apples sound , laying them on a dark , dry shelf is one method. But when so kept many will be found to lose their beauty and shrivel ; if packed In boxes or barrels with dry sand , how ever , the flavor ami soundness are not only preserved , but their original boun ty and firmness are also maintained. Sawdust or bran are liable to get damper or moldy , and thus injure the fruit. Pears may also be preserved in this way , but as these undergo a slight fer- meutation , after becoming ripe , the ef fect of which is shown in a kind of greasiuess on the skin , they should be left a week in the storeroom before the method of preserving here pointed out is commenced. London Journal. Management of Manure. The sooner the manure spread on the land is decomposed the sooner the plants can utilize it. When a large mass of undecomposed straw or corn stalks are hauled to the field they are in a condition beyond the reach of the plant roots. When the manure heap is well managed , and all the ingredients "rotted , " one-half of the Dattle is won. It is a saving of time because the farmer who desires a quick start for his corn in the spring cannot afford to wait for the manure to rot in the fields. Good management of the manure heap moans that the manure must be de composed in the heap without losing any of its advantages. Every farmer knows how to do so , but the majority allow large portions of the valuable ammonia to slip away from them. Fnow in the Forest. Ill a dense growth of trees snowfall lies more evenly than it can anywhere else , and even to this day the depth of snow in the woods is in country dis tricts the only recognized measure of the depth of the snowfall. There is a great advantage to the trees in having this uniform depth of snow all around them. It prevents deep freezing of the soil , and in many cases prevents it from freezing at all , as there is always a bed of more or less decayed leaves under tiie snow. In. most cases when , a forest becomes so thinned that winds will blow the snow in heaps , some of the older trees will begin to die out. The ground freezes deeper and they no longer get water enough. * Place for the Incubator. A cellar is an excellent place for au incubator , because it is usually of an even temperature , especially if the cel lar is one that Avill preserve roots and fruits ; but the atmosphere should be pure , which will be the case in winter. Any place will answer for the im-ubu- tor that is of an even and regular tem perature. If the incubator is in a room where the temperature changes no harm will result , provided the opera tot- watches the lamp aflame , and does not allow too much heat to accumulate. The hot-water incubator ( no lampj- must be operated in a warm place , if possible , in order to avoid loss of heat at night. Poultry Keeper. . , K.-irly Chicks. " Early in the spring the hens will be gin to sit and young chicks hatched. It is important to keep the chicks warm until they are feathered. They arc hatched at a temperature of W.I de grees , , and when exposed to an atmos phere at a temperature of 50 or 00 de grees bcome chilled , from which they seldom recover. Bowel disease , which is ascribed to faults in feeding , is more frequently the result of lack of warmth. Late in spring , when the weather is warmer , the chicks cau have more liberty , but in winter , when the early ones are hatched , shelter aud pro tection from cold draughts will be nec essary to prevent loss. Oil from Sunflower Seed. In 1842 a Russian farmer named Bokaroff conceived the idea of extract ing oil from the seed of the sunflower. His neighbor told him it was a vision ary idea and that he would have his labor for his pains. He persevered. however , and from that humble begin ning the industry has expanded to enor mous proportions. To-day more than 7,000,000 acres of land in Russia are devoted to the cultivation of the sun flower. Two kinds are grown one with small seeds , which are crushed for oil , and the other Avith larger seeds. , that are consumed by the poorer people In enormous quantities. Clover and Corn for Hogs. When wheat was low in price a large proportion of the crop WOK used for feed. Now the farmers have gone back corn , but the quality of the pork not equal to that which was made from -wheat. In feeding corn some farmers claim that when t.he com is ground and mixed with clover which has been cut fine and sciled more pork and better pork can be made by the combination than with corn. The ? hecp and I > o Problem. There has been legislation enough to protect sheep. The problem is how to keep the dogs in check. Dogs can easi go through a barbed-wire fence , or will dig under it , hence there is no in expensive way to protect sheep. As sheep graze in the evening , after the sun goes down , as a protection against heat in summer , they cannot be con fined at night in a building , and itwill ; not pay to employ a watchman , unless the flock Is very large.
