The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-24

always pay dirt" to use miners
phrase.
Ii there is an occupation on earth in
which order and thoroughness are of
Importance it Is that of farming.
Excessive laDor is the next worse
thing Ia ill-directed labor on the farm,
but in haying and harvesting labor may
be carried to the point of endurance in
fine weather without being ill-directed.
A few sods and little COW manure
made into heap now where you can
throw kitchen slops will make an excel
lent compost for your llower-pots next
winter.
Rye land should be plowed early, so
rs To allow the sod or stubble to decOm-
pose. II plowed again before the rye is
seeded the crop will be largely benefited
thereby.
The best hogs for farmers use are
those produced by crossing pure-bred
bears on large coarse sows. The pure
breeds are not hardy enough for gem
eral purposes.
Crops are generally reported fair
throughout this country. In France and
in England shortage is held to be i'm
miment Both these countries will need
to buy wheat largely.
To grow good celery it is very essen
tial to have strong, stock plants. Those
that are weak and spindling when
transplanted INTO the rows will seldom
make good lunches of celery.
The orange County New York;
| Farmer thinks farmers do too much
guessing in their business, trust too
much to chance, luck, and the moon,
and do too little close figuring.
A blockhead, armed with a saw and
pruning shears, is rs destructive in an
orchard rs Il bull in a china store. Get
| a careful, experienced hand for a day
OF two. and take lessons of him.
Keep carbolc acid always convenient
for use. 1t is one of the best disinfect-
ants, insect destroyers and vermin Grad
icators that can be used. A small
quantity need only he applied at
| time.
| Bee culture requires person who is
peculiarly adapted to the business. If
the bees are avcrse TO you it is difficult
to succeed with them. There are per-
Sons who cannot 60 near them without
being attacked.
Ii corn is cultivated once week from
the time the blades first appear until the
tasscl shows the chances for Il full crop
will he much greater than when culti-
walton waits for n convenient season,
allowing weeds to gain supremacy.
Experiences teaches that the earlier
in an animals age full feeding is re-
sorted To the better it is both for its
vigorous health and rapid growth. Thus
will the best returns tie secured, whether
the animal is intended for early sale or
raising.
An American writer suggests taxing
bulls at SO much per head, and says the
effect would he to kill off all the scrubs.
whose only service is TO get cows with
calf when the stock is not worth raising,
and which thus do great injury to stock
interests.
Prof l.. NJ. Shelton considers thirty
loads of manure applied to one acre
about equal TO forty spread over twice
as much surface, and bases the idea on
reasons similar to those employed in
proving large crops more profitable than
small ones.
Honey or sugar should always be
given to the bees on the inside of the
hive to prevent robbing A good feeder
is made by taking shallow dish and
placing within it plenty of little floats
of wood to prevent the bees from being
drowned in the liquid.
Paint costs little, but agricultural i'm
plemcnts are expensive. BY coating the
one with the other every season great
saving is made for agricultural nipple
ments may be used many years longer
than is usual by the judicious and time
| " application of paint
When two or three different kind of
grasses are Sown together for pasture
many vacant spaces may be filled up.
as each particular variety will find the
kind of soil best adapted to its vigorous
| growth, the consequence being that the
sod will be the thicker
In setting posts farmer states that
where great solidity is required gravel
and small stones should be thrown i'm
the hole after the posts are in position,
and lime and sand mortar poured in on
the stones, which protects the posts as
we'll as keeps them firm.
Potatoe growers should 90 over the
field with a common harrow, running
lengthwise of the rows, just before the
| plants push their noses through, and
thus destroy all the weeds; afterward
cultivate flat through the season, using
only the common cultivator.
| Thn nf &,
making the soil increasingly fertile.
Manure is the farmers savings bank,
and if more of them would have large
heaps of it every spring to spread upon
their lands. instead of money at in
terest, they would prosper better in the
end
One-half the difficulties in making
| good butter is in the care of the milk
and not in the mode of churning. From
the time the milk is drawn from the cow
until the cream is ready to be used. the
strictest care should be exercised i'm
keeping it clean and free from exposure
to OdOrs.
The great secret in making under
draining a permanent improvement is
i'm securing uniform fall when laying
the tile. and maintaining a good outlet
When the outlet has been closed a year
or two, if there be good fall, reopen
ing it will cause il to wash out Obstruct-
ing sediment
Soiling crops demand the very richest
ground. 1t will not pay to cut and
gather poor crop to be carried to the
barn and fed while green. II the land
is not rich enough to produce maxi
mum crop, let stock gather heritage for
themselves until enough land can be
got into suitable condition.
Barnyard manure may be initiated by
thoroughly composing with a cord of
seasoned meadow mulch, or some SUBJ
stitute, sixty-five pounds of crude nitrate
of soda. two bushels of wood ashes, one
peck of common salt, ten pounds of fine
bone meal, two quarts of plaster, and
ten pounds of EPSON salts.
The horse which can plow an acre
while another is blowing half an acre'
or that which can carry n load of pas
sengers ten miles while another is going
five, independent of all considerations of
amusement, taste, or what is generally
called fancy, is absolutely worth twice
as much to his owner AS the other.