davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15

Where winter wheat is sown, burrows
should be run through the low places
and made deep enough to carry off sur
face water if it comes suddenly while
the ground is frozen The work should
be done as soon US possible after the
wheat is sown, as, if the leaf has much
size, the plant partly buried i'll cold,
moist ground cannot live through the
winter. This furrowing ont of wheat
lands is less common than it used to be,
as it doubtless wrenches the reaping
machines crossing the burrows. But it
is better to cut the wheat i'll lands than
to go over several square rods of land
where the wheat was killed out by hav-
ing water stand ON it which furrow
would have carried away.
An underdrain will not always carry
away water, for if the ground is frozen
over it the water cannot get down to il.
We have ridden the reaper often in cut
ting wheat on furrowed ground aud
never broke machine in that way. In
truth, the frost breaks down the soil and
mostly fills the fyrrow with fine soil, so
that it is always much shallower i'll the
spring than it was when made the pre-
vious fall. American Cultivator.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Feeding For Profit.

1t is difficult for the poor farmer to
comprehend the value of high feeding
But the successful farmer who has an
abundance of corn, eats, barley, wheat
and rye grinds his grains and feeds lib.
orally. In the spring his cattle come ont
smooth and sleek and are sought for by
the butcher The cows are in condition
to return large quantities Of milk of bet
ter quality than that from poorly fed
animals. The manure is also of much
greater value, and this will not only
increase the grain crops, bat also the
grass on pastures and meadows. This
enables the farmer to keep more stock
The profit from high feeding is there.
fore fourtold, and, If judiciously prao.
ticed, Will certainly pay, writes Yer
mont correspondent of The New England
Homestead.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15

There is very little old growth pine
on the Penohscot or kennebec i'll Maine
at present. The Penohscot river was al
ways more of pine country than of
spruce and really did not carry so much
spruce in proportion to it's area as did
the the Kennebec or the Androscoggin.
Most of the pine now cut i'll Maine is
cut in the extreme nortnerly sections,
notably on the Allegash river waters.
The Maine pine forests were once mag
niticent properties and great producers.
American Cultivator in this connection
says: No doubt there is good deal of
second growth or sapling pine now
springing up all over Maine, which in
the future will have value for box
lumber and coarse boards generally, but
Maine cannot be depended upon Tor
much more of that magnificent pump
kin pine for which il was noted in years
gone by.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15

Most country cellars require special
attention before very cold weatlEr APP
pears All outside windows and doors
will let in frost if they are not covered
carefully. These openings can be com
pletely shut, rs entrance can be obtained
from the inside American Agricultur.
ist tells that one of the best ways to
close the openings is to fill them full of
straw tightly packed down. When all
has been crowded into the windows that
the opening will hold, secure it in place
by stakes driven so that the tops touch
the wall After the stakes are in place
push straw under them until no more
can BIO crowded in. Straw packed tight
~ between the inner and outer doors
will prevent freezing from this source
Have everything i'll readiness, but do
not stop up windows and doors until it
is absolutely necessary. The tempera-
ture of tho room should be kept near the
freezing point, but must not reach it,
else some of the canned fruits or tender
vegetables will he nipped.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Experiments With Cabbages.

From the Maine station como notes
on experiments in cabbage culture
Three varieties were compared to test the
effect of size of seed on the heads. In
two varieties the larger seed was found
to produce much heavier heads. Tying
up the outer leaves was found to have
no influence upon the maturity of
the head, as is popularity supposed,
while it caused marked decrease in
size, and the moisture collecting within
the leaves almost invariably caused the
heads to decay. Mulching the plants
with swale hay produced heads slightly
larger than were borne by unmulohed
plants used as checks, But little effect
on tho size of the heads was produced
by deep cultivation, but plants so treat
ed appeared to mature more uniformly
than when shallow cultivation was
given
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
SOMERSET PICK-UPS.

Geo. g. Weeks, Fairfield has been
appointed a Justice of the peace and
Quorum, by Gov. Cleaves.
Hon. J. II. Manley will lecture at
Fairfield Centre, Dec. II, on the sub
iect "The Home and the State"
Daniel Foss and wife of st. Adams,
made from the milk of nine cows from
May 1, 1895, to Nov. !, 1896. 552 cheese
weighing sOl6 lbs, and they we're first
class cheese.
Granville Mansur and Harry Randlett
of Pittstield were drawn last Saturday to
serve as Travers Jurors at the Decem-
Der term of the Supreme judicial Court
which conyeues next Tuesday, the 18th.
\ monster moose was shot near Bling
ham, by "A Boston sportsman, last week
The carcass weighed 1850 pounds and it
is probably one of the largest if not the
largest moose killed this year in the
Maine woods
The farmers in Palmyra have con
traeted to cut large amount of spruce
wood the coming winter for the Hol-
lingsworth & Whitney Co, Winsow
Some difficulty is being experienced,
however, in getting help to cut the
same, owing to the low prices offered
FOR cutting It
Will Hart has leased all the mill prop
erty of Oliver Goodwin in Detroit and
will act as general manager of the same
the coming year. The yard outside has
been cleaned up and the mill put in
first-class order. Should the coming
winter prove favorable for numbering,
business in that line will boom.
At "A meeting of the Somerset Agri
Gu tural Society, held at Madison, the
following officers for the ensuing year
were elected Orlando Walker, presi
dent; J. NJ. Hilton, president; j. F
Withee, secretary; c. A. WILDER, treas
uer; b. f. Burns, Ernest Hilton, G
w. Luce, w. l.. Remick, and Otis Hill
ton, trustees; Calvin Z. Hilton, collector
Prof o. II. Drake, principal of Maine
Central Institute, is mentioned among
the six Maine teachers, who by offer OF
the Boston Globe will be entitled to
free trip to Washington to witness the
Inauguration of Mckinley, March, 4
1897 Each issue of the Globe contain,
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Perfection In Curing tobacco.

Experienced toa5reo growers say that
a crop in which little pole sweat APP
pears is always superior one, as far as
the character Of the cure affects the
quality. In other words, the most per-
feet cure is accomplished when the
boundary of the conditions that induce
pole sweat is just reached, but not over
passed Pole sweat is decay of the leaf
caused by prolonged exposure to excess
i've heat and moisture. An excess of
water is IL condition requisite for the
termination of the microscopic spores of
the organisms that constitute the dis
ease. When science learns how TO so
control atmospheric conditions az to
permit the slowest possible cure COM
patible with the prevention of excessive
moisture, greater perfection in curing
tobacco may be attained.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15

One of the farm convnienccs Is "A
pillow sled, or runner, used IN transport
ing the pillow to aud from the field. 1t
is made OF two pieces of plank hard
wood preferred. The one for the bottom
should he 20 or "a inches long and II or
10 inches WIDE The other may be the
same width and & or s inches long The
smaller one should have notch two
inches square ana an inch deep cut into
it, This piece, when inverted and fasten
ed on to one end of the larger piece,
forms IA socket for the point of the pillow
to rest in and keeps the pillow from slip
ping off The small piece can be spiked
or bolted on. After the pieces are fas
tened together the front end can be
dressed off in the shape of runner The
corners can be taken off also, About six
inches from the rear end bore two holes
and drive in a couple of old bolts far
enough apart to allow the land side of
the pillow to rest between them. This
keeps the runner i'll its place.
When transporting the pillow, turn it
over on the share, slip the runner to its
place, turn the pillow up and drive off.
With this little implement one need not
lift the pillow on il higher sled or wagon.
1t saves lifting and saves time. OF
course it is intended for a walking pillow.
If for IA left hand pillow, the notch and
bolts should be within two inches of the
right side but for right hand pillow
they should be near the left side, says Il
correspondent of The Prairie Farmer
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
FSFM -, -
J. EfE-D
y <QRLK.PEN
WHEN To OPEN THE SILO.


A Progrc,sive Ohio Farmers Opinions on
Til. subject OF General Interest.
John Gould of ONO, IN il letter TO
Rural New Yorker, writes On "a subject
of widespread interest. He expresses
himself as follows:
In general way the answer might
be, whenever one needs the ensiage
TO feed " do not know that there is
anything like common agreement III the
time of opening sios If the term may
be used, there Is great deal of individ-
uality about silos and their behavior.
That they are hot or cold at the time
they are opened makes no difference 50
far as can see. Sometimes the ensilage,
when the pit is opened, il quite cold and
another year it will be quite hot. 1t Is
simply matter Of the condition of the
ferment at that time. So far as the en-
silage is concerned tie opening makes
no difference with the contents three
inches below the surface, as the air can
not affect that which IS slightly below
the immediate surface. | have no
"signs" indicating when the ensilage is
ready to feed.
When the usual amount of roughage
about the farm Is fed out III the late
fall, | commence at once on the ensllage,
uncover tie whole pit and feed from the
entire surface. \ year ago / commenced
to feed ensilage Nov 30, and the year
previous nearly three weeks earlier
Some of my neighhors commence feed
ing the very day that they finish filling
the pits, and | cannot see but they have
as flne onsiage as do those who cover
the ensiape and let it sweat from three
to six weeks. Some ensilage will remain
hot all winter and some will take on
hardly heut enough TO make the mass
settle as solidly as it should The truth
is have never seen any ensllage so
"young' or so "old'' but it could be fed
with perfect safety and satisfaction.
The most perfect cOver-neXt To none
at ALL have ever had on my sil0s is
this year. After the corn was all in the
pits the litter about the machine was
run up the carrier and scattered evenly
over the surface, we'll trodden down and
this repeated for three or four days or
until it had become quite mody Then
we loosencd it up tread it down, work
ing in half bushel of oat screenings,
distributed barrel of water evenly over
the ensilage and gave it one more tread
ing The result is that the surface Is
covered with this decayed ensilage and
over it is fine growth of oats, the roots
of which have bound the cover into IA
regular fiber blanket, IT covers are need
ed-which | still doubt-this one is far
in the lead of any have over had in my
ten years of silo experience.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
AiulChing Rhubarb.

When the ground is frozen IN winter.
the plants should be mulehed about
eight inches deep with strong manure
from the huraC stable This advice is
given III H. National Stockman, as is
also the following:
Rhubarb 10 succeed well must have
this mulchng, and there is little danger
of getting TIE soil too rich IN this way.
Leave thenulahiug ON IN the spring, and
the plants III make u strong, vigorous
growth ana Viii require no other Guilt
walton during the season, rs the mulch
ing holds moisture and keeps out the
weeds. 1his mulehing SHOULD be repeat
ed each winter Ii il is omitted, you
may expect IA IzLt crop of rhubarb to
follow. Ii Ihc rhubarb crop has been a
failure, 1t Mil pay to try mulching it
this winter.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
THE CORN PLANT.
-Four Methods of Preserving 1t For Con-
sumption In Winter.

At the Vermont station exhaustive
experiments have been made to decide
the best methods of preserving the corn
plant fer winter use. A bulletin report
on results gained the past two years
supplement- aud confirm results gained
with a former trial Four methods were
tried.
First, whole eusilage was made by
running the newly cut corn through a
cutter, reducing it to half inch lengths,
then putting into the silo. Second, the
ears were husked, eribhed, dried and
ground, cob and all, and fed in connec.
tion with the stalks, which had been
previously cut and made into ensilage.
THIS was called slower ensllage and
meal Third, the fodder was preserved
i'll large shocks, and before feeding WAS
run through cutter cars and all, and
cut into half inch lengths. Fourth, the
corn was hnsked from the fodder. ground
with the cob and fed with the slower
after 1t had been run through the cutter
as needed from time to time.
Samples from the material preserved
by the different methods We're carefully
nnalyzed, and the fodder Was fed Ia a
herd Of II milk cows. 1t was found that
each of the methods preserved about
four ffths OF the dry matter harvested,
the loss from each being practically the
same III quantity aud III character The
folders kept III the shock lost more and
more dry matter as the winter pro-
crossed The cars IN he 81 la luripO the
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Fall Top Dressing.

In reply TO the query, rs fall top
dressing wasteful?' American Guilt
vator says:
There is no waste III spreading fresh
manure or that not c0mpo-ted on grass
lands in the fall of the year unless they
are liable to be flooded In the first
place, the fresh manure has no readily
available nitrogen to be wasted i'll any
way. Its soluble portions Will be washed
by rains i'll among the grass roots, and
when spring comes, warming the soil,
this manure Will deeompose in contact
with it and be in the best position to
help the grass crop. There is usually on
grass land no wastage of rainwater
through the soil until spring, and, with
no available nitrogen III the soil, none
can be washed away.
II is different, however, with we'll
rotted manure. That is largely avail
able nitrogen, and we should not like
to put that IN the fail even on grass
land English experiments show con
siderable losses Of nitrogen in analyses
of water from underdralus where the
land above Wis fall MANFRED with nj
trate Of soda Fermonted manure has
its nitrogen very nearly if not quite as
soluble as has nitrate of soda. You can
keep the pile of fresh manure under
cover during the winter, NIX some phos
phate with II and apply both when we'll
rotted 10 tn grass Land Late IN winter
without muah danger Of loss. The add
ut,t ~ bot
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Forming LettucP.

In order 20 maintain "a regular supply
paintings should be made every ten
days or so, according to American Gar
dening. A temperature of from 40 to 10
degrees AT night suits lcttuces, and so as
to have good results the plants should
be grown on without check. Solid
beds would no doubt produce the finest
heads, but i'll private establishments the
crop is generally grown ON benches
which answers the purpose sufficiently
well. Green fly Is sometimes trouble
some and must be checked before it gets
headway; otherwise the crop will be de-
stroyed, Either fumigate or lay tobacco
stems between the plants.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15

Mrs. Frank +. futile of South Nor
ridgewock, died Friday, at her home ON
Ward street, from the effects of surgi-
cal operation several weeks ago at the
Maine General Hospital in Portland.
She returned home from Portland, tive
weeks ago evidently improving rapidly
in health, but recently she had an i'll
turn from which she was too weak to re
cover. Mrs. futile was about 40 years
old and was very popular She will be
greatly missed by all and especially by
Somerset Rebekah Lodge, of which she
was secretary and prominent member.
She leaves husband and three child
rem. The funeral was held Sunday.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Colleges and Stations.

AT the tenth annual convention of the
Association of Agricultural Colleges and
Experiment Stations the following Off
GERS We're elected for the ensuing year
President, George T. Fairehild of Kan
sas; vice presidents, M. H. Buckham Of
Vermont, James Wilson of Iowa, James
McBryde of Virginia, Alfred Kingsbury
of New Hampshire, J. L. Stubs of Ne
vada; secretary and treasurer, j. a,
Washburn of Rhode Island; executive
committee, H. II. Goodell of Massaehu-
sets, II. c. White OF Georgia, Alexis
Cope of Ohio, T. j. Burrill of Illinois
photographer, A. G. True
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
VI. e. HeSeIt0n.

a coupon and the six most popular
teachers in this State who receive the
largest number of votes will have all
expenses paid for the trip.
At a special town meeting held in
Pittsfield, Saturday last, to take action
in regard to the unpaid portion of
Dennison Walkers taxes amounting in
all S069.S6, it was voted that the in
habitants of Pittsfield accept from
Joseph Il. Walker five dollars in full
settlement of all taxes due the town
by Dennison Walker and that n. l..
Perkins be instructed to make and
execute in the name of the town a
receipt and full release to said Dennison
Walker.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
THE NEW APPLE CULTURE.



In tho new apple culture trees are
planted is feet apart each way and cut
out when they grow large enough to
touch There is ne of year in the
new culture. \ New England pomolo-
gist, writing 10 The Rural New Yorker,
tells that only two thing are necessary
to have trees hear every year aside from
spring trosts1. These are, first, plenty
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
News and Notes.

The celery crop, taken as whole ia
unsatisfactory.
The tendency of the market in all
lines of dried fruits is toward higher
prices
The Egyptian cotton crop promises to
be the largest ever known.
To keep roofs fresh for table use dur
ing winter try the plan of putting them
in box in the cellar and covering with
sand
1t is told that SO, 900 tons of Amer
lean apples find market in England
every year.
If manure can be had, meadows may
be kept in good condition for many years.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
THE APPLE CROP.
Methods Practiced to Use 1t In Wayne
County, n. Y.

]
County, n. Y.
The big eastern apple crop renders all
suggestions concerning the utilizing of
this fruit most welcome A writer IN
The New England Homestead tells how
the entire crop is utilized i'll Wayne
county, y. \. All fruit is carefully
graded and used for cider, evaporator,
canning or cold storage purposes. Or
binary cider ferments RAPIDLY; SO 1t is
filtered through "A sand lack'ag in iron
that If obtalft& III Massachusetts and
comes out as "a sparkling champagne
that Will keep for year without fer
mentaton. This cider champagne is
largely exported and commands high
price.
The next grades Of apples are evapo-
rated and of these enormous quantities
are used, which bring to Wayle county
apple growers over Fl. coo, 900 annually.
A machine eyaporating 30 bushels per
day can be bought for So to $l25. Cost
Of eYaporating Will average / % cents
per pound aud to 6 pounds Of evapo.
rated fruit can be had from bushel of
fall fruit, and 6l9 10 ~ pounds from
winter fruit
A finer grade of apples but not per.
feet fruit Is used for canning. For
evaporation apples are cored, peeled and
sliced by machine but for canning they
are cored, peeled and cut III halves or
quarters. Ihey are mashed, boiled III a
strip and packed III gallon cans. To fill
dozen cans = bushels Of fruit is re-
quired. This TAIL many apples are being
canned IN hopes of short crop next
year and geod prices for canned fruit ID
or Is months hence. In the process of
evaporation and canning SKINS and
cores are t.eached ana used for Jelly
purposes hung seasoned nd sold as
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15

Instruction in agriculture is provided
for i'll the University of Vermont, Bur
lington. A dairy school is held for four
weeks, beginning in January, and open
only to residents of the state. Full in
formation may be obtained by address
ing the president OF the university.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Hero md There.

Vermont has never had u permanent
horticultural society, but there is one IN
prospect.
The Massachusetts, Horticultural so
ciety has elected Francis II. Appleton
president fer 1891
The best .ertilizer fer lawn or door.
yard is such as you would apply for
corn. Put II on in the early sring, not
now, is the advice of Farm journal.
In the New York markets the snow
ball seems n be the leading variety of
oauliflower.
Mr.. r. C. Worden of Geneva, N. Y. g,
has been appointed assistant chemist at
the state agricultural experiment sta
tion at Geneva.
Dr. Lintner, ontomologist of New
York, has cgly censure for the English
sparrow.
Farmers bulletin No "A, United
States department of agriculture is by
Professor / b. Voorhees,, director of
the New Jersey experiment station and
treats of commercial fertilizers.
Radishes In the Forcing House.
The radish is popular vegetable for
forcing during winter As Il writer i'll
American Gardening says, it is ono
of the easiest TO grow and is one of the
quickest to mature No one who has Il
greenhouse need go without this popular
vegetable. Radishes will feel at home i'll
the temperature above advocated for
lettuce. Most of the varieties will force
satisfactorily, although Rapid Forcing
answers our purpose best, 1t natures
quickly. For succession make small
sowing every week or ten days and never
allow The crop TO suffer from want OF
tor but exercise judgment.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Competition of Western Butter.

Compelition of western butter is coil
stantly on the Increase. In Iowa there
are nearly 900 butter factories, MIN
nesota was soicly = wheat country few
years ago, but now has over 800 cream
eries. Many factories have been estab-
lished within few years by creamery
sharks On n watcred stock basis in local
tiles where farmers were ignorant of
dairying and were deceived by golden
tales of creamery profits. such enter
prises failed hy the score, but many
have been reorganzed by the more
progressive farmers and are now being
operated as carefully and successfully as
any we'll established creamery IN Ohio
or New York and claim to make equally
good butter Attention has been called
to such factory IN Barton county, Kan.
where the average output is about half
ton of huti,r pr day. Only IA few
years back that section imported much
of the little butter IT consumed All
our western country can be adapted TO
daifying, and with low freight rates
western butter can compete with that
of the middle states, says American
Agriculturist
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
Making Cider Vinegar.

First have good strong ron hooped
barrel. Next have good apple cider.
Cover the hungholes with mosquito
netting or Other material that will keep
out flies. The lungs ought not to be put
i'll, except temporarily, for at least IA
year, Keep the vinegar barrel i'll the
garnet or other place where the air is
warm and sultry The cellar is bad
place in which to make vinegar. To
hasten fermentation occasionally turn
the cider out of one barrel into another
thus exposing it more fully to the air,
and by addiag gallon of strong vinegar
or a little 'mother' to each barrel
There are other methods by which the
process may be FASTENED still more,
such rs tricklng it through beech chips
OF shayings, but these are hardly to be
recommended, for those who are content
to wait ON the natural process rarely
fail to find themselves amply repaid
through the higher value of thoir prod
uct.
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15


fg Come and Beautiful Display of Holiday Goods.
We appreciate the Liberal Patronage accorded
by having Larger Variety Appropriate Goods
to eclipse all past records in Christmas Sales
The Somerset reporter., 1896-12-15
HandkerchiefS.

we been able to show so d
sortment Of Handker HE
prices as we are showing II