The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-05-19
without.
WEED COLLECTING.


farmer. Professor Byron Halsted OF
the New Jersey experiment station. is
charged with making a collection OF
the weeds of the United States. to be
exhibited under the auspices of the
department of agriculture. The pro-
fessor asks those disposed to aid him
to write him so that arrangements
may be made to insure full exhibit.
Local 'botanists are particularly de-
sired to assist in the work. It is
intended to secure three specimens
of each OF the worst weeds
in every section of every
state. In order to avoid
the duplication of specimens those
contemplating their collection should
signify their intention early as possible
so that they may DO ass gned to the
duty in their particular locality.
The collecting must be done during
the present season, and the specimens
sent in by Dec. l.
Here is chance for local botanical
enthusiasts to show to the world what
we can do in Central Texas. Who
ever undertakes the task can RELY
upon me supplying him with healthy,
well-developed specimens of cockle-
burr, rag weed, blood weed, burdock,
thistle, wire grass, johnson grass, and
many other minor weeds.
THE SOFA BEAN.
The SOFA bean is fast becoming popu-
lar. 1t is astrong upright grower, bear
ing small pea-like beans of dirty
white color. They are very rich in Oil
| ord ,1oI1ct ha xrarxy tr;t;un
1t is said to be used extensively by
the Japanese. 1t mas q peculiar flavor
when cooked like other beans, but
can doubtless be done up in way to
tickle the palate of even a Texan cpl
cure. / have found it easy to raise
and very prolific. 1t should be planted
in drills three feet apart, thinned to
six inches, and cultivated like any
other hoed crop. Not only is it valu.
able for kitchen use, but as stock feed.
1t will give heavier yield than COW
peas, and it is claimed that it is equal
to the latter as soil renovator.
HORSE SENSE.
Frank A. Ryan, writing to Texas
Farm and Ranch, urges the use of
only pure bred stations. He says
6 Did you ever see a man hit the BULBS
eye of target without pointing his
gun somewhat in the direction of the
target No, / guess not. Neither
did anybody else. Well, breeding
horses, or anything else in fact, is on
the same principle. If you want to
breed trotter, aim at 2.8 IA. If you
want to breed runner, set your pegs
to get a Salvador. If it is draft horse
a saddle horse, combination horse,
or any other kind of horse, aim to get
the best. You won't ali get it OF
course, as there is only one of this
kind, but you are sure to get pretty
good one anyhow, and there is a
market for the good ones. This il
about the season of the year when the
crossroads, sign posts, country stores
etc., are being decorated with various
and sundry stallion cards, with cuts
Of impossible horses with still more
impossible pedigrees. The men who
have Steeldust and Copperbottom OF
one side and Morgan and Leviathar
, on the other side are abroad in the
land, but their day has abou
, passed. Whenever pedigre'
like that is sprung upon you
let it alone. When mar
cannot trace his horses pedigree by
families, and prove it by the stuC
books, the sum and substance of it il
that he has not got pedigree. An
other thing, don't any more think O
mating a scrub mare with high
priced, highly bred horse than O
breeding a highly bred mare TO {
scrub stallion. 1t woa't pay, as thu
horse can not do it all, and one-sideC
+ pedigrees are very little better thar
none at all. Breed to the best, Of
none at all, and when you get gooC
I colt take care of him."
There is a good deal of "horse
sensen in what Mr.. Ryan writes, bui
it contains one paragraph which
cannot endorse and another which IL
contradiction of the doctrine just
previously preached, He denounceE
the breeding of scrub without pedi
gree) mares to highly bred horses, and
compares the act with coupling the
highly bred mare with scrub horse
There is no comparison between the
cases, the one being the very anti
podes of the other. The one is a back
ward and the other an onward move
ment.
Mr.. Ryan writes like the run.
ming horse man he is. He cannot
tolerate anything that isn't pedigreed
away back on both sides. He speaks
of the SCRUB as worthless, and yet
advises horsemen to breed to the best
or none at all. To the man with the
highly bred mare this is good advice
but there are a few men who own
mares not highly bred (scrubs); what
of their case?
My advice would be, if the mare is
worth breeding at all, mate her with
the most highly bred horse of the class
most likely to produce the stamp Of
animal you find most useful and prof.
table.
To be successful some Judgment is
required, but when used is we'll re-
paid. There is no sounder, more en-
during animal alive than our little So
called Spanish ponies, but they are too
small and full of Unborn cussedness to
be of much value now that the cow
boys occupation is nearly gone. But
when coupled with some of the heavy
draft horses their offspring shares the
character of both parents. The Per-
oharOn has nrOved valuahla I'm thia