Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-06-28
AGRICU1.TCRE.

AGRICUlTCRE.
Old FARM HoUsEs-During bot still
night last summer, when there was not
wind enough to scatter the scent Of flow
er, walked along road where every farm
house that passed was surrounded with
stif1ing ard odious atmosphere from Its
own exhalatlons. These places are all
well located. A physician once told me
that he considered their position for salu-
brity perfect, but the soil around them has
been saturated for more than century
with animal excretions. The traditional
pigpen stands unchanged, the barn gives
its steady drainage 10 the cellar or earth
beneath. Into tLese houses l can scarcely
venture. Faithful care may have kept
them free from vermin. 1t IS possible that
the wisdom of later years has purified the
cellar, and repairs in season lessened the
chance of wet and mouldy walls, though
the fire-places, those grand ventilstors d
our fcreflt will be closed beyond gues-
ton. / need add only one more touch TO
this study, a well near the door manipula
ted with a pump, into which sure and
steady stream Of pollution flows from all
these surroundings. Balanced by broad
expanse through which this foul sfr can be
f, dissipsted by pure currents. there may De
/ something still in their favor when weighed
agaiDs: the condensed vapors OF crowded
city, but 1t seems somewhat doubtful.
Health and an old farm house, unless the
premises are absolutely under ones control,
are not In my experience terms wholly
synonymous Cities have cnd enforce
sanitary laws, that the country rarely rec
ognlZes Members of state Board of
Health cannot well be arbitrary, snd there
ls lazy, one-sided element com mon TO
farmers that makes them hard to reach in
such matters. At intervals they become
little bette. than loafers. Farmers wives
have few opportunities TO develop such
qualities, and the interior nicely OF a great
many old dilapitated houses is surprising.
So much is said and written now on these
subjects that every man who reads knows
the peIalty that not he alone, but all de-
pendent upon him, must pay for his negll-
gence, and he becomes not only culpable,
but criminal, In failing to use his utmost
endeavors To mitigate such conditions.
Thorough work with the spade, removing
old earth and replacing it with new, care
of drains, wells, attics, cellars. and old
walls, deodorizlDg, purifying processes,
ought 10 fiil up the hours not devoted 10
scediime and harvest. Typhoid and diph-
therla, both foul feeders, find ready victims
in such houses as | have described, and
mothe;s who take their children lnts them
TO drink new milk, toss clover blooms and
gather the rose of health may carry them
back TO their city homes with fictitious
glow in the little brown cheeks which will
pale with the first rough blast, for such
seeds, though slow, are sure to germinate.
ABOUT SWEET CoRN.-Strange as 1t
seems 10 those acoustic ned to sweet corn.
there are parts of the country where it is
yet unknown. In many places In the
West and South people still content them
selves with the roasting ears" Of the COIL
mon field corn. The history of sweet corn
is obscure, but there are facts which point |
to lis origin with the Narragansett Indians
in Rhode Island There is the same differ |
ence between sweet and field corn that |
there is between wrinkled and common |
PEAS. The CONVERSION of the contents of /
the grain into starch is arrested, and the |
seed in both remain much wrInkled. The |
writer can recolect when Massachusetts |
man living in Rhode Island, sent annually |
Dy stage, as an acceptable present to his
friends in Boston, basket of sweet corn. /
1t is within comparatively recent times that |
sweet corn has become common. This |
paper no doubt reaches many who are not |
taIHilIar with the varieties of corn known |
as 'sweet, and We DO q good service to |
these when We call attention to It's superb /
ority TO any col mon kild of corn. The /
mail low allows evuy one to procure |
seeds from dealers anywhere at mere tn /
tle fos postage, and the seeIs are within |
reach OF all. Among the earliest varieties |
''EaIly Minnesota" is one OF the best; for |
the main crop, we have used Triumph
and '.Excels or, and considered whichev- (;
er one of these happens 10 be on the table |
at the time as the best. Besides these, |
there are a dozen or more varieties, all |
good, and vastly better than any field corn |
WATERING HORsEs.-.Ihere Is a certain 4
want OF common sense and humanity, in |
The habit many persons have of watering |
horses three times daily. The only reason |
able and sensible or prudent plan to pur-
sue is TO give the animals water according |
to their real wants. This is q different |
matter from giving to them capr;ciously |
or according 10 their fancy If we give
way to the latter, we will find the animal |
becomes as cunning as a monkey, and will |
play the old solder at every opportunity,
pretending to drink and making believe, 50
ss TO gain time and shirk work. But it is
simply cruelty 10 compel team TO plow
or work from morning until noon, or from
neon until night without allowing It the
privilege Of refreshing drsught. 1t Is in
convenient, many times. TO water the team
during the forenoon or afternoon, and We
are apt to think the tine, thus taken, lost,
but when the farmers millennium comes,
there Will probably be drinking In every
fed, supplied from some elevated suring,
or from running stream. In the mean
while time ''iost' IN doing good, even
though it may be in behalf of the dumb
animals, is well '.lost"-lt may be regain
ed. Could they speak j. might be to say
that they would like to be treated, in the
matters Of tunes .or food and drink, some
what as we-their wise mAsters-are ac-
cus,omed to treat ourselves.
DISEASES OF EoRsEs.-A lady gives the
as sure remedy for vermin on
horses, and We commend it to those who
have animals thus affl.cted. She says:
Make strong tea of Lsrkspur, and wash
the animal with 1t either hot or cold, and
then scrape off the KILLED lice with curry
comb, Rub the horse dry or blanket him
to keep from catching cold" We have
seen the very best results of the same kind
occur from The use OF Delphinium Clark
spur when applied to human heads. The
remedy is constantly used and with COM
plete certainty and safety, IN cleansing the
newly received inmates of the asylum for
the insane at Milwaukee, Wis, and other
institutions of like character.
ELECTRIC FENCES novelty in the
utilization of wire fences consists iE Insu-
ating one of the continuous wires and