The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-10-13
for the ,farlller.
OCTOBER on THE FARM.

Be.ts and carrots are injured by freezing, and
should therefore be dug as soon rs growth Is
Completed.
A large part of the fall fruits will be gathered
this month, and upon the proper doing of this
the value of the fruit crop largely depends.
Ionc-wool sheep are easily chilled by cold
rain, and should be kept from getting wet
through ut this season. Sheep should never DE
shut up at night in close sheds-they require
abundant ventilation.
Brood COWS should be in good condition for
coupling, which comes next month for March
uips Ii does not pay TO keep pigs over year
for fattening. Pig pork is the kind that pays
For March lambs the ewes shonld lie coupled
this month. 4 pure South Down ram is the best
for this purpose. A plump, fat lamb is the one.
that sells quickly and at a good profit.
blackberry and raspberry plants had better
be set out in the fall, as they start growing so
eayly in the spring. Blackbcrries should be SIX
to ght feet apart in rows, and raspberries about
four feet.
The product of the dairy should be Increased
every possible way. This requires the best feed
and plenty of pure water, and frequent cardins
of the animals TO keep them neat and clean.
Young stock should not suffer from the cold and
wet.
Free ventilation is essential to the thorough
curing of the corn therefore the sides of the crib
should be Slated. So far as curing corn is con
cerned, there is nothing better than tho old rail
pen, narrower Mt the base than at the top, with
stalks or boards for cover; but it is not secure
from vermin.
There is probably not much corn now standing
in the districts where early rosts prevail and the
October days are largely spent in husking this
important crop. Ifthere n market for husks,
the ears may be picked from the stalks and
hnsI.ed in the barn, otherwise il is more rapid
and economical to husk in the field.
Ifeggs are expected during the winter, they
must DO provided for by disposing of old hens
and selecting the bast Young pallets and feeding
them we'll They should LSre clean quarters
and plenty of pure water, lime in the form of
shells or bones, gravel, etc. Do not crowd the
fowls, and if well fed and kept warm, an abnn-
dance of eggs may be expected from them.
So soon as the heavy frosts expected, the
mangels and sugar bcets must be secured. The
tops should be rubbed, not cut off, as they keep
longer. Secure the carrots next after the beets,
and follow with the turnips, leaving the Swedes
until tho last, Inpitting roots, they should be
put in when dry. The pit may extend to any
desired length; yeniilatOT should be put it at
intervals of six feet.
The sooner potatoes are dug after they have
finished growth the better. They must be kept
in heaps for little while to throw of moisture,
and thus to secure them from heating when put
in deep bins or large pits. Potatoes should not
be exposed to sunlight a. they "green" and de-
velup principle, which not only gives them a
disagreeable flavor, but which is really unwhole
some. A cool dark cellar, that never freezes, is
the most suitable for keeping potatoes.
Flowing for spring crops may he done now,
and the soil be left rough TO be subjected TO the
fullest possible action of the weather Should
weeds come up in any quantity after the plow-
ing. the ground may he narrowed, orif very bad,
plowed again. Stiff clay land is greatly benefit
ed by ridge blowing. This is done by turning
two burrows agains. each other. Sueh lands
must be plOwed again in the spring, splitting
these burrows which will bring the soil into a
much improved condition.
With corn, the best way to rid the field of
smut is to pass through it and gather and burn
all the affected ears and stalks. In this way the
many millions of spores are kept from being
spread and continuing the pest. With the small
Ter grains, wheat and oats, this method,
though il is the most effective, would probably
be impracticable. Though the remedy is not
easy of application, il is a step farther in the
work, to know the exact nature of the trouble,
and about this there is no doubt. Smut is a
small parasitic plant preying upon those of a
higher order.
The Selection of the seed corn, though usually
made this month, should have been done early in
September by going among the standing corn
and marking the ears that possess most largely
the desired qualities. There are several things
to be observed in selecting seed corn, prominent
among which are, earliness of maturity, size of
stalk, amount of leaf, size and number of ears
and the filling out of the grains upon the cob. A
farmer who practices rigid selection with GER
tain desired points in view, will in few years
have a variety of corn that is hisown-quite diff
ferent from that of his neighbors-growing the
same variety, but who may be selecting with
some other ends in yiew-or perhaps making no
selection at all.-AmeriodR IgricHliHrist