Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-08-06
HINTS FOR THE FARMERS,
The Iowa Corn Crop.

| lSaSL TWO weeks HuSdu Ol tIldI or OrQl-
nary seasons. 1t is one of the most
promising that has been grown in that
State for years, and nothing but hail
storms or an August frost can shorten
it now. Iowa ranks next to Illinois in
the amount of it's corn production, and
is rapidly gaining on it's rival.
Wheat Rust---What Is TIP
The mysterious orange-colored pow
der which af1ixes itself to the leaves
and stems of the wheat-plant is we'll
worth q study. The question as to
what it is Fever would have been an
swered had not science come to the
rescue, and with a magnifying glass of
powerful capacity answered the ques-
ton. 1t is fungus-growth which at
taches itself to the growing plant, upon
the leaves and stems of which it germi-
mates. After a short time the fungi send
their absorbing threads through the It's
sue of the plant, where they multiply
and soon rupture the skin of the leaf
The fungus thea ripens into spores, on
the end of which is the yellow powder
referred to above. AS is we'll known, a
good dfenching rain is the best remedy
|
this is not always effective.
What to do With the Strawberry
Beds.
1t will hardly pay to leave the straw
berry beds that have borne this year
to still further mat together. Better
pillow them up and set on the ruins a
new bed as soon as the plants from this
years runners have attained sufficient
size. We have had good success in
August by shading the newly set plants
for a few days, aud have thereby secured
a fair crop the next year. Take a
scythe and go over the old beds now,
cutting down the plants as closely as
possible; manure we'll and turn over
soil either with a spade or pillow to the
depth of a foot. On this carefully
transplant the new plants, and keep the
runners off, if you would have good,
strong, bearing roots for another season.
The strawberry needs renewal yearly
to do its best. 1t bears any quantity
the deeper and mellower it is, The bet
ter results will follow.
. Removing Stumps.
Some time since inquiry was made of
the Pioneer Press. as to the best way of
removing stumps from land. This
query may seem an absurdity to most
Minnesotians, whose homes are on the
prairie, and who know nothing of the
timbered districts of the state. For
their benefit we will say that there are
every year thousands of acres of valu-
able timber in the "big woods cut and
burned ON the ground in order to make
a clearing. To such the question of re-
moving the stumps is q serious one.
The following is recommended as being
an easy and expeditions mode of dis
posing Of them: Late in the fall bore a
hole in the stump several inches deep,
and pour in oil of vitriol Plug up the
hole, and in the spring the whole stump
will be found so rotton that it can easily
be pulled out with team.
Glover and Timothy.
AS to the relative merits Of timothy
and clover hay, each is valuable; and
each, when fed under certain condi-
tons, would prove the more valuable
than the other under the same circum-
stances. AS rule, clover in particular,
should be cut just before the crop is all
in bloom. 1t is best to commence cut
ting as soon as the first blossoms begin
to turn brown. If the other work can
be arranged so as to make it convent
ent, it is best not to begin cutting until
the dew is nearly off, and if there is a
heavy growth, turn that cut before 10
10 10 70
windrows and put it in small cocks.
In doing this use the fork, making but
a small foundation, step on and pass
over, take up a forkfull reverse the
fork so that the tines will point down,
and so continue until the cock is tf
twice the height desired after it settles.
Always make the cocks as small in di-
ameter as they can be made and stand
up well. It takes but moment to
pass around the cock, digging out with
the fork any loose locks of hay that
lie upon the ground. 1t is poor plan
to roll up clover or timothy hay in
punches and call them properly built
hay-cocks. If rain sets in the loss
which would result would have paid
several times over the cost Of putting
them up properly. -.
How to Tell Horses Age.
Eight to fourteen days after birth the
first middle nippers of the set of milk
teeth are cut; four to six weeks after
wards the pair next to them, and finally,
after six or eight months, the last. Ali
these milk-teeth have well-defned
body, neck and shoulder-fang, and on
their front surfaces grooves, or burrows,
which disappear from the middle nip
pers at the end of one year; from the
next pair in two years, and from the
incisive teeth (cutters) in three years.
At the age of two the nippers be-
come loose and fall out; in their places
appear two permanent teeth deep black
cavities and full sharp edges. At the
age of three the next pair fall out. AT
four the old corner teeth fall out. At
five years old the horse has his perma-
nent set of teeth.