Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-02-14


key foot. At the opposite end was a
bundle of feathers tightly fastened.
The handle of unornamented natural
wood made the buster ornamental as
we'll as useful. The longer the buster
was kept, the owner said, the more
uses were found for it.
Handling Potatoes.
"For several years I have been using
bushel boxes for marketing early po-
tatoes while the skins slip, and for
handling the crop in the field all
through the season. This is one OF the
ways in which the potato specialist can
get ahead of the small raiser," says
Terry, in his "a B @ Of Potato Culture"
81 think we handle our crop for less
than half what it used to cost us before
we got these boxes made. Our boxes
are IL inches by 16 and 13 deep, all in
side measures. They were made III
tie deeper to allow for shrinkage. The
sides and bottoms are made of three
eighths stuff, and the ends of five
eighths. Hand-holes are cut in the
ends.
"The upper corners are bound with
galvanized hoop iron to make them
strong. The price paid for them was
from $25 to $50 a hundred at a box fac
tory. Some light wood should be used,
of course, so as to make them as light as
possible. They need not weigh more
than or pounds. Early in the sea-
son, while the skins slip, our potatoes
are dug and laid mot thrown into
these boxes, and the boxes are covered
as fast as filed"
Method in Feeding Hens.
1t is a source of complaint that the
large breeds eat more food than the
smaller ones. and do not give as good
results in eggs. This depends, however,
upon how they are fed. If the food is
placed before them in unlimited supply,
so they can eat their fill, there will be
but one result-excessive fat. All grain
fed to large birds should be scattered
over surface of ground, SO as to make
them as much exercise as possible. Ii
they have plenty Of range, it is best to
feed nothing at all except at night, in
order that they may work during the
day, and thereby keep not only in bet
ter health, but avoid taking on too
much fat. If confined, however, the
grain should be scattered in some kind
of litter, such as leaves, as the object
should be to compel them to hunt for
each grain rather than to fill themselves
in few moments, only to sit on the
roost and fatten like hog. Such hens
are useless, and do not lay, but are al
ways ready for market.-The Fancier.
Growing Small Fruits.
It was reported at the recent meeting
of the State Board of Agriculture, Tren-
ton, N. J., that at the present time the
cultivation of small fruits is almost en-
tirely in the hands of small land own
ers, who grow from one to three acres
of berries, or only just about so many
as can be picked by the family them
selves, while a few years ago all the
small fruit planting was in the hands
of fewer people, who planted large acre
ages, anywhere from 25 to 100, on the
different farms; but the difficulty of OBJ
tanning satisfactory pickers at rea'
sona5le price just when wanted has
driven these large cultivators entirely
out of the business, and, except in the
neighborhood of large cities and towns,
evidently this is to be the drift of things
in the future.
Spraying.
The use Of poisonous sprays as in-
secticides has become very general.
They are applied not only to field and
garden crops, small and large fruits,
but to shade trees. There are those
who believe that many insectivorous
birds are destroyed by eating poisoned
insects. I do not know that this is
true, and hope it is not, but the posi-
bility of such calamity ought not to
exist. There is opportunity in this di-
rection for chemistry to perform noble
service, by devising an insecticide
effectual for its purpose, yet harmless
to birds.-Exchange
Irritation on Small Scale.
Eeports from all sections of the coun-
try are favorable to sub-irrigation On
small plots. BY the use Of windmills
sufficient water has been stored in
small reservoirs to supply all the need
ed moisture for vegetables and small
fruits. Experiments during the past
wear have added much valuable 1nfor-
tmation on the subject, and it looks
bright for market gardeners in the fu-
ture. If they can obtain supply Of
water whenever desired it means not
only safety from drouth but double
yields of crops.
The Price of Cattle.
Any one who will study the quota
lions from the principal cattle mar
kets can see that the wide gaps in
prices between thin, habitat and
deshy, ripe cattle is a wide one. Even
mithnnt any advance on best grades