The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-08-12
COUNTRY LIFE AND WORK,
ONLY q attanr ,t,arAxr

COUNTRY LIFE AND WORK.
ONLY a sItaHr MISTAKE.
Said I, IT know whom would choose
OF III the lasses near, r.
To 30 the darling Of my heart,
Ny lonely life 70 chser''
She answered, IT could also tell
Which OF the lads love full well.''
Said l, 1.-THE maid I'd choose 10 fair
AZ June's most perfect day,
And 0! ike yours, in her soft cheek
The dimples shyly play.''
She answered. HE to whom I'm true
1s-well-a tribe, cir, like you.''
The maid love, quick replied,
rs now 30 near to me
That II do but raise my eyes,
Her own I'm sure to see.''
1And II do but turn my head
III see the lad love-" she said.
wondrous Joy! my lips grew bold
"Tie You whom adorel
Now show ne whom your heart would choose,
And let us jest NO more!''
SAID she. "Forgive mo II you can,
But really, cir, you're not the man,
-Harpers Weekly.
HINTS FOR AUGUST:
August may be very busy month, Eyet there
10 no month In the year when many farmers can
better take play-spell, and make journey to
the mountaine, or to the seaside with their
families, tarryiug on the way to visit friends or
famous stock farms, or diaries or cheese factor
les or other objects Of interest, Summer crops
are "la1d BY" the turnip crop 10 in, winter
grains are safe in stack or NOW, spring grains
may oe ready to cut, and % soon % this is done,
comes the farmers holiday. How much good
It does the whole family, who can be spared
from the euperintendence Of the house, the
farm: ana the dairy, to take such a vacation.
All should have their turn though they can
90 but one or two 1t time, and no one shuold
be mote sure to 60 then she whom It is 90
1ard to pereuade to leave, even for one day, the
daily round Of home duties-the good house
mother: Turnfps will make good crop, sown
on light; rich land, and the small roots, as big
round as pint cup, arc more marketable than
bigger ones. After the rains soften the swara;
we may pillow for wheat; and in come sections It
is great Advantage to SOW early and seed to
grass. In some sections the practice of early
seeding to grass without the Intervention Of !
grain crop, Is successfully followed. This on
ly abstracts value from the soil which would
otherwise be appropriated by the grass. Early
blowing is Z great advantage to land intended for
winter grain, especially IL weedy, or IL some what
stiff; repeated working, mellows the soil, makes
sure of good catch Of grass seed, and defends
against winter killing. In case the season ie
dry-and it generally Is, over . great part Of the
country-no more favorable time can be select
cd for digging drains with view to improving
swsmps. IL the actual retaining cannot now
be pushed, the land may easily be dried, so that
1t can be grubbed and furthur ditchcd during
the Autumn and winter.
PRESERVED PEACHES.
Put three pounds Of cut loaf or granulated
sugar with a tumblerful of water on the fire,
and, stirring it, let it boil until clear and liquid
skim, put in four pounds Of carefully peeled
peaches, which must be thoroughly ripe. vet
not soft. Cover tightly, and let them boil from
five to eight minutes, according to the size of
the fruit. With a silver fork take the peaches
out and place into we'll heated preserve glasses !;
pour the syrup over them, filing the jars to the
6rfrn, and Immediately close them up air tight.
manner. Fruit thus prepared retains its fresh
favor for long time.
GROWING ASPARAGUS.
ondon Garden says that the old plan of
growing asparagus in deeply prepared trenches
is all wrong; that as good asparagus as ever was
grown can be had by setting few plants here
and there along the edge of the walks in the gar
den, but not setting them nearer than four feet
apart. And that, singular as it may appear, the
roots as shoots spring up in the dense sod, and
grow stouter than anywhere else. The best gar
deners in the United States now plant asparagus
four feet between rows, and two feet between
plants.
STRAW STACKING.
While oats, or wheat straw, is deficient in the
albuminoids, hence not good feed for growing
animals, and always ~asteful feed il fed alone,
II fed with oil-meal the ration will give profta-
bic results and the carbo-hyd rates Of the straw
are put to good use in keeping up the animal
heat in cold weather. Properly fed, straw has
sufficient feeding value to pay thrice for the
cost Of saving it; yet it is safe to say that
half the straw produced in this country is vast
cd outright. Even the manure formed from 1t
is lost.
Straw may be so stacked that it will keep in
good condition until it is fed out during the win
ter. 1t is the common opinion that the straw
stack furnishes the hardest positions about the
threshcr; hence, the men usually take the other
positions, leaving the straw stack to be misman-
aged by the boys. If you wish the straw prop
able men are put upon the stack, and you must
insist upon their dong their work we'll. A very
common fault is to start the stack too wide. 1t
will always spread itself, and becomes so wide
that it must be drawn in abruptly and the water
sinks into it. Another fault is, not to keep the
center highest and trampled solid. Let one man
be delegated to lay the outside, and each Of the
other men to stack and trample down a certain
section Of the interior, and not to stand in hole
and throw the straw idly about him. It requires
close supervision and good work to make a stack.
And when it is made, do not allow the top to be
e. I~>I~ T.. 49,
cattle to waste half Of it-being allowed to run
to the stack. Put fence close around the stack,
and build racks or hangers close to the fence.
Then, during the winter, cut down the stack
with knife, and fill the hangers. Put the chat
in pen and roof 1t, or else have it evenly dis.
tributed through the stack. Do not allow it to
accumulate in q mass around and under the straw
carriers, to spoil. The above is written for the
benefit of those who have not now room or bar
racks for the straw.
Farmers do not eeem to appreciate the value OF
their swamp and meadow lands, and they shrink
from the labor of digging long lines Of bitches
and removing large stumps; but by working al
it by odd jobs, the work may be done without
exhausting the farmers resources very much.
In draining low land there is most always value
enough in the muck dug ont Of the bitches to
pay the labor Of digging, provided the muck IL
we'll dried and pulverized before using. This
being the case, the drainage Of meadow il
really no expense: the cost will be in the re.
moval of the stumps. the leveling Of the soil
and seeding the land down to grass.
CUTTING TIMBER IN AUGUST.
Experience has shown that the best time t
cut timber for posts, rails or stakes is in August
The bark will then come off readily, and thu
wood becomes harder and cndures longer thar
If cut at any other season. Hickory never make
good post or stake, as it rots rapidly in tn,
ground or on it, and IL cut when the bark ad
here's, will soon rot, or likely be cut to pieces
before it can rot, by worms. But II in August
very few, il any trees, make more durable raj
for off the ground. The bark drops of, and tn
wood becomes 90 hard that it "jingles' whel
struck, while the worms do not attack it. Hick