davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Popularity of the Corn Harvester.

The most popular machine of the year
is the corn harvester. The successful
handling of a big corn crop has always
been a worrying job for the farmer.
The chances are now that he will be
able to sit ON his machine and cut and
bind at the rate Of an acre per hour,
says Rural New Yorker in a report con-
cerning the working of a harvester on
the famous Ellerslie farm. 1t aver
ages an acre an hour and picks up the
corn in good shape. When silo filling
begins on that farm, they cut 200 tons
per day. The harvester must run day
and night to keep up the supply. Every
three minutes ton of corn is crowded
through the cutter and carried up to the
silo top. 1t cost $3.50 last year to cut
the corn ready for the wagons. This
year the machine does it for less than
half that amount and leaves the bundles
in better shape for handling. That is
the way these inventions work. They
give increased power and saving to the
great enterprise and take more or less
manual labor away from the ordinary
Workmen.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03

NOhNAL bhOMlH Of WHILE POlAIO.
that the sprouts here will be numerous
and crowded, and therefore weak, and
that the result Of seed end planting will
be large lot of small tubers But, alas
for theory, and fortunately for the prac-
tical but unscientiflc grower, writes T.
Greiner to Country Gentleman, nature
has made special provisions TO guard
against i'll results Of planting seed ends,
whether alone or with the entire potato
The sprouts here do not all develop, by
any means Usually there is one sprout
In advance of all others, and this will
not only be the earliest but also the
strongest Of all the potato will ever de.
velOp.
it shows the earliest, writes this we'll
known authority because it is the most
vigorous to begin with, and it remains
in the lead because 1t has the first pick
Of and free access to the prepared plant
food in the tuber. If this sprout is left
intact, it may possibly be the only one
that starts from the seed end and not
infrequently the only one from the
potato where it is planted whole. In
most cases a few more sprouts will
grow, but these are the best Of all that
could possibly be produced. There
can be no doubt that nature intended
the seed end to furnish the sprouts, and
that the other eyes are only reserve buds
to be called on for growth in case the
first and more valuable ones on the seed
end, for some cause or other, are lost "
The normal growth of whole potato is
shown in accompanying illustration,
Fig. /. This is not fancy sketch.
The Early Ohios which Mr.. Greiner
used for his first planting, and which
were placed singly in plats, seed end
up, under the greenhouse benches, to
green" and sprout, look at planting
time as like the illustrated specimen as
one egg looks like another. Sometimes
one finds smallish tubers that have
grown ON the stalk above ground. These
usually show sprouts at the seed end,
but nowhere else. This is one more
proof, he thinks, that growth was nat
urally intended to start from the seed
end He says:
The simultaneous development of
sprouts from the eyes all over the pota
to, such as shown in Tig. 2, is an alb
normal development; esulting usually
from a general veal, ing of the seed
tuber, in consequence of loss of the first
sprouts or Of other abnormal conditions.
These are facts which any practical po.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Cutting Corn,

Does cutting corn while growing re-
duce the yieldH This query is answered
as follows by Prairie Farmer;
The effect will depend largely on she
time of cutting. A large number Of
careful trials have been made at the
experimental stations, most Of which
show that the weight Of both corn and
stalk increases until the plant is fully
ripe. The weight of stover secured may
be less if the cutting is delayed because
winds may blow off many of the leaves
and the tassels, or these may be broken
off in handling the crop.
If the stalk is cut before it ceases to
draw food from the soil, there is obvi-
ously loss. There is some passage of
material from the stalk to the ear after
cutting if this is done early. The whole
matter is largely one Of good judgment
The opinion Of the writer is that corn
Is frequently cut too early for the best
results, but that much greater guam
tity is cut later than is wise. There is
always danger of considerable loss if
the cutting is long delayed. He does not
like to cut corn either for dry fodder OF
for ensilage until the kernels have be.
come fairly hard.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
The Electric Weed Killer.

Advantage has been taken of the elec-
trio current to destroy weeds that grow
by railroad tracks. A mild current of
electricity acts as stimulant to such
plants, but a current strong enough to
disintegrate the tissues will kill them
To accomplish this in large way a car
is provided with an engine, an alternat-
ing dynamo and an induction coil. One
terminal of this induction coil is con-
nected to the earth through the car
trucks. A we'll insulated cable leads
from the other terminal to metallic
strip behind the car, which stretches
across the track short distance above
the ground and is provided with many
fine wires pendent from it, like the
teeth Of rake. Through these teeth the
electric discharge takes place, and any
weed touched receives deadly current
through it. As the car is pulled along
the track every weed is at once killed,
and with such an apparatus many
miles Of railway may be quickly and
cheaply freed from weeds.
A writer in The Cosmopolitan, who
described the foregoing, says that sim
liar plan is feasible for ridding cult
vated fields from such troublesome
pests as thistles, daisies, chioory or any
other whose stems at any time reach
above the grass around them. A two
wheeled vehicle like horse rake, carry
ing suitable secondary battery, me-
chanical current alternator and q proper
induction coil, could be driven across q
field and kill every plant its teetf
should touch.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Wheat Drills and seeders.

On the northwestern prairie soils shoe
drills are now more used than hoe drills,
according to Professor w. NJ Hays Of
the Minnesota station; In some press
wheel follows the shoe, In others a
chain covers the seed we'll. The best
form, explains American Agriculturist,
has a heel so shaped as to make V
shaped furrow, because the soft mud
will not then clog the tube. For dry
lands the press shoe drill does best
while the chain shoe drills are most
suitable for moist, heavy lands. The
hoe drills work best among cornstalki
or trashy land. Broadcast seeders are
still much used for early spring seeding
especially on moist soil which is friablC
after pudding and drying. On clay
soils and in dry climates the drill is thu
best seeder for wheat.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Points In Celery Culture.

1t is we'll known that the celery plant
delights in rich and moist soil, and
those who have the opportunity to use
liquid manure in the cultivation of thif
plant have great advantage over 9th
ers. In addition to this, some cultivat
ors who grow the celery for market are
introducing water artificially, and find
it to be a profitable practice. In thif
connection Meehan's Monthly cites 9
grower in Allegheny City, Pa, who hai
a supply pipe from one of the city water
mains so arranged that at the enc
where the flow commences guano Oh
some other artificial fertilizer can bt
placed in the water pipes. He can gel
double the crop from the same grount
as by the ordinary methods, and stalk
that bring a much higher price in mar
kat
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Ss.szss-
aGRRMo oFogAD
4AN GARDEN
ARE BIG POTATOES eesTi
Compared with Smaller Tubers For T
BILE and For Exhibition.

Compared with Smaller Tubers For TIA
BILE and For Exhibition.
Should judges at fairs award pre-.
miums to the largest potatoes or to those
Of medium sizeS Are the largest speci.
mems OF as good quality as the smaller
OnesH These questions were recently
discussed through the columns Of The
Rural New Yorker. One writer, who
believes that big specimens attract at
tention, says:
Having exhibited vegetables and
farm products for upward Of ten years, l
have learned that anything very large
is the most pleasing to the crowd, who
do not stop to test the quality or even
to look at such specimens as may be
seen ON the general market.
A New York correspondent writes
"a potato that will weigh one-quarter
OF a pound is about inches in diameter
and is Of the smallest size allowable in
sorting for market. When potatoes of
this size are used for cooking, there is
far more waste than with larger ones,
and the quality is no better than that of
two pound potatoes Of the same variety.
The model potato is kidney shaped, has
few eyes and those nearly even with the
surrounding surface, and il weighs
three-quarters Of a pound. Such q po-
tato is saleable, but for use in farmers
family there is not the least objection
to those that weigh two pounds If of
variety not liable to be hollow"
A third correspondent says: How
shall potatoes be judged at the fairs?
This is hard question to answer, not
knowing who will be the Judge. If he
be man who knows what potato is
for, he will give first place to medium
size always A good, fair sized potato
will sell best in market, and any cook
will say that she doesn't want these big
potatoes. When judge at fairs, give
the preference to those Of fair size and
most perfect shape was taken to task
by an exhibitor because he didn't get
first money when he had the largest
We both took our station near the pota-
toes, and some ladies came along We
asked them whether they were house
keepers. They said they were. We
handed them one of each lot, with this
question, For family use, which Of
these potatoes would you buy for your
own use, If the whole bushel were of |
the same size? All six said, The
small one. ~
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
r4RatjsjA;!||3;;|I9sy
HEATING OF FORCING HOUSES.
Steam Compared with water-uigh Ex.
pansiou Tanks.

steam Compared with water-High Ex-
pansIou Tanks,
The system Of heating now used in
large forcing houses is that of the
closed circuit, in which the warming
medium is conducted through small
wrought iron pipes, which may be laid
either above or below the benches. The
warming medium may be steam or wa
ter. Each has superlative merits for
particular purposes Various tests have
been made at the Cornell university sta
tion. The general practical results of
the first experiment as reported by Pro-
fessor Bailey, We're!
!. The temperatures Of steam pipes
average higher than those Of hot water
pipes under common conditions. 3.
When the risers or flow pipes are over
head, the steam spends relatively more
of its heat in the returns, as bottom
heat, than the water does. 8. The heat
from steam distributes itself over a
great length of pipe more readily than
that from hot water, and steam there
fore has a distinct advantage for heating
long runs. 4. Steam is preferable to hot
water for long and crooked circuits. 8.
Unfavorable conditions can be more
readily overcome with steam than with
water
In the second test, one of the points
for particular study was the effect of
crooks and angles upon the movements
Of steam and water. The conclusion was
that the addition Of crooks and angles
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
THE BEST SIZED FARM.
For the Average Western Farmer who
Grows Grain aud Eat AnItsnIa.

For the Average Western Farmer wh,
Grows Grain and Fat Animals.
What acreage is most profitable tC
the farmer not specialist?" was 9
query up for discussion in the column.
of The Rural New Yorker not long ago.
A farmer writing from St Clair county,
Ills, pronounced 200 acres Just right
for southern Illinois He, however,
would substitute for fat animals dairy
stock bred for butter. He would divide
a farm of the size mentioned into -four
fields of about equal size-No. 1 fol
wheat, No. 2 for corn aSd oats, No. 8
for pasture and No in c1ove,R,hd tim.
,Othy, which could he pastured iu the
&all-could sustain 40 to 90 head of
dairy stock and would produce on an
average per year 1 200 bushels of wheat
and all the feed necessary for the cattle
and horses, with the exception of bran
which must be bought. If the farmer
himself is a good worker, he would need
two hired men the year around.
The best sized farm for the average
western farmer should be large enough
to warrant the purchase Of the best i'm
proved labor saving machinery, writes
farmer from northern Illinois. He
says: Then again it should not be so
large that two men could not do all Of
the work with few exceptions. It
should not be SO large that all coarse
fodder cannot be fed on the farm, even
the corn fodder-not on the root, but in
the barn. Any farm that has the corn
husked standing is too large for its
operation, even in the great corn belt.
With the help Of the four horse gang
plow, harrow and disk pulverizer, the
hay loader, corn binder and corn husker
and shredder the best sized farm should
contain about 200 acres, with two men
to grow the crops during the summer
six months, and the same two men to
manufacture the greater part Of the
same crops into fat and fertilizer during
the winter six months.
A Wisconsin correspondent named 60
acres as the best sized farm. He writes
This amount could be worked with two
teams, one hired man by the year and
one eight months during the summer.
An Iowa farmer said All things con-
sidered, 100 acres is about the size farm
that the average farmer can work most
economically. There are many things
to be done on farm that one man can
not do TO advantage, and good farmer
can find all the work two men can do
on a grain and stock farm of 100 acres
An intensive farmer also specified 100
acres as the right amount for the aver
age western farWer provided he is al
lowed to keep a hired hand. If not, so
acres is large enough. A Colorado rep
resentative said that in the greater part
of the farming country of Colorado,
which is under irrigation, an average
farmer owns from so to 100 acres.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Renewing Queens In Autumn.

A correspondent writes as follows in
The Canadian Bee Journal:
go around just after the honey har-
vest is over and hunt up all the colonies
containing old queens, or colonies that
did not winter well or do but little for
me through the season. All such queens
l kill as soon as can after the flow,
before the drones are all destroyed.
just let those hives start and rear cells.
About eight days after I go through and
destroy all cells where l do not wish
any queens reared. Then l go to some
hiye where ! killed an old queen that
had previously done we'll and take out
cells and distribute them in the other
hives where had destroyed all cells.
They will all accept them, and in few
days will have young queens and from
good stock Such queens are almost
sure to do we'll for one season, provid-
ing they are properly wintered. If l
wish to change the blood in few Of my
colonies, would send to some reliable
dealer and get queens and have them
ready to put right in when the other
ones were killed. My experience in su-
perseding in this way, and at the above
time, is this: 1t prevents the colonies
from using up lot of stores in rearing
young bees only TO die off and help to
clog up the entrance in the winter.
Where there is fall flow, it would
probably be better to have young laying
queens to replace the old ones.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
A Trial of Spraying Machines.

In the field trial of spraying machines
under the direction of the Cornell sta
ton, two classes Of horsepower ma
chimes were entered-gravity machines,
or those that simply dripped out the
water by its own weight, and those
that carried pump to force the water
out All the gravity machines failed to
throw opt the bordeaux mixture They
quickly clogged and became useless.
While these machines will handle paris
green in water fairly we'll, they are not
serviceable with bordeaux mixture, for
the lime will surely clog them unless
some force is employed to push the mix
ture out The machines with pump at
tachment did better The most effective
sprayer was a homemade affair thus
described by Rural New Yorker.
Last among the mounted sprayers
came a rude, wild woodsy affair which
contrasted strongly with its painted
and polished namesake. It consisted Of
the frame and wheels Of an old grain
drill, shQrteped to fit three feet potato
rows. On It were nailed some rough
boards. In these was placed kerosene
barrel with force pump and hose. To
the latter was attached with proper coup
lings a piece of gas pipe, resting on
the rear of the machine, nine feet in
length and fitted with four vermorel
nozzles The thills were stout hickory
poles, lashed ON with wire. The oper-
ator went down the rows driving the
one horse, pumping and occasionally
stirring the mixture with paddle. All
the other machines had stopped for ad-
justment, or because they could not get
on with the spraying Why would not
this rude affair? But on went the lone
horse shay, where one part was as per.
feet as another, without stop, save at
the ends of the rows and covering "a
rows with the mixture.
The Knapsack sprayers, with pumps,
did good work, and so did the powder
guns. The success Of this homemade
sprayer ought to show farmers how a
little display of mechanical skill may
save money for them.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
Wintering Vegetables.

For the market gardener who wants
to put his products to the best markets
and supply customers with some green
stuff the year around, and during win.
ter especially with celery, onions, car
rots, cabbage, perhaps apples, etc, a
roothouse is Indispensable. 7. Greiner,
writing from La Sale, N. Y, to Amer
ican Cultivator, says:
The simplest, cheapest and most SEN
sible ones which have ever seen in sue
cessful operation were put up something
like the one represented in accompany
ing illustration.
The floor of such "root cellar" is
sunk in by excavation about a foot or
two deep Drive a few posts to support
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
TWO LIVES SAWED.

Mrs. Phoebe Thomas, Of Junction City,
H., was told by her doctors she had
Consumption and that there was no hope
for her, but two bottles of DIR. Kings New
Discovery completely cured her and she
says 1t saved her life. Mr.. Thos. Eggers,
1880 Florida St., San Francisco, suffered
from dreadful cold, approaching Con-
sumption, tried without result everything
else, then bought one bottle OF DIR. Kings
New Discovery and In two weeks was
cured. He Is naturally thankful. IL ID
such results, OF which these are samples,
that prove the wonderful efficacy of this
medicine In Coughs and Colds. Free trial
bo title ut Durbin, Wright 81 Co.'S drug
store. Regular size zoe. and VI.
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
A CHEAP RooTHoUsE.

ridge and other plates, and for roof use
old rails, poles or something of that sort
covered with cornstalks, straw, weeds,
pine boughs or other litter, 8 to 10
inches in depth, and then with foot of
soil, A ventilator may be put in the
rear end, aud the door, facing the south
gable end, in front. Everything must be
made snug and tight, SO that there is no
chance for frost TO touch the vegetables
stored inside. Such a root cellar is q
capital place for the winter storage Of
celery, cabbage and roots of all kinds,
even potatoes, and also for apples. In
short, it is a good thing to have, both
for the home grower and the market
gardener
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
On the Country Road.

The third annual state irrigation con-
vention is hereby called to meet at Gar
den City, Kan, Oct. and 2, 1895.
Subsoil plows have Of late been com
ing to the front, for it has been demon
strated that the loosening of the subsoil
is one Of the means within the reach OF
the western farmer to counteract the i'll
effects Of long continued drought
The day of corn cutting by hand ID
about over for those who grow it in any
considerable quantity.
At the Michigan Agricultural college
an agricultural reading club was formed
not long ago.
A writer in Home and Farm gives
this advice: Save all your straw, for II
has great feed value, and horse OF
COW can be wintered in good condition
with straw only for the rough feed, il
thegrain fMd is bran and oilmeal instead
of corn, and often these can be had al
cheap as corn and sometimes for lesi
| money
The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-03
kIrcAtN AND HOUSE sLops.
Disposal BY Barrel and Cart or Hous
Drain and CesapOoL

Disposal BY Barrel and Cart or House
Drain and Cesspoo1.
One of the chief problems Of the aver
age village or suburban resident is the
disposal Of the ordinary kitchen and
house slops. The primitive method is TO
simply throw them out and let them go
where they may The result is damp,
disease breeding spot located under the
very noses Of the family, to generate the
germs Of typhoid fever, malaria, flies
and host Of the other ills Of the suburb
an resident. In most cases nature does
all it can to counteract the sins Of man.
kind, and these "slpp holes" are usually
| partially concealed and covered up with
growth Of rank weeds, useless and un-
slightly except as they may absorb the
disease germs or hide the mud and
filthy debris Of the slops Such condi-
tion Of things is simply intolerable and
should be forbidden by law.
The most common system of dispos-
ing Of slops is by an ordinary tile drain
running from the house sink to supken
barrel or bottomless cistern of brick or
stone--a cesspool This system removes
the filth froLl the surface and hides it
from the sight and for time at least
from the smell Instead Of scattering
the wastes to the four winds Of heaven
1t concentrates IL in hole to ferment
and rot The result is the deadly sewer
gas and intolerable stenohes. The cess
pool and drain are only tolerable when
they are thoroughly drained and trapped
and cleaned out at least twice q week.
The third and, according to q writer
in American Gardening, the only feast
BILE, healthy and convenient method of
disposing Of house sewerage where there
are no village water and sewerage sys.
TENS is to lead pipe directly from the
sink to barrel, the barrel removed by
cart as often as may be necessary and
its contents dumped about the grape
vines, fruit trees or In times Of drought
upon the vegetable or flower garden.
We will assume Of course that garbage
is burned or fed to the chickens, and
that the modern earth closet is used in
the house. 1t is really astonishing how
easily the slops Of an ordinary family
may be removed by the barrel and cart |
and how completely they are dispersed |
by dumping them on the surface Of the
soil. 1t is probable that the slops treated |
In this way are worth, for fertilizinR |
purposes, all the trouble of disposinR of |
them,