The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-03-02

crease Of insects, due to the fact that as
the forests disappear the conditions
favorable to bird life go with them
Birds breed mostly in the forests, as co
also some useful wild animals, Al d
hence the los IF forests means loss In
many other direeticrs.
Outdoor flowers afford much enjoy
ment, but many failures occur with
towering plants. This is the time for
preparing the beds. Put fine, well-rot-
ted manure on the plot and leave It on
the surface until early spring; then
spade 1t into the ground, mixing it
well with the soil by raking with a
pronged hoe. All Jumps should be re-
moved, and the finer the manure the
better.
Shredded fodder is one Of the best
coarse foods that can he used for cattle,
considering its cost, but one fact con-
nected with the use Of cornfOdder, hay
and other bulky foods is that grain
should also be allowed. The bulky
foods will reduce the cost because
smaller quantities OF the concentrated
foods will answer the purpose, but grain
should always be portion Of the daily
ration if the best results are expected.
The combination Of grain aud bulky
food will be found superior to either
grain or fodder when but one kind is
used.
The depth at which seeds should be
planted depends on the texture Of the
soil. On stiff, heavy clay soil the COW
ering msy be light. but on sandy soils
deeper covering should be given.
Milk for the calf should never be
boiled, though it may be heated to 40
! degrees. 1t should always be warm
when given to the calf. As soon as the
calf begins to eat hay it should have
finely-eut clover, and if the clover is
scalGed over night, fed in the morning
warm, with cornmeal sprinkled over
it, the calf viii thrive on the mixture.
Rhubarb is one Of the plants that be-
gin to grow early. One who has tried
the method suggests that over each
plant should be set barrel with both
ends out. If the winter is severe the
barrel should be filed with straw and
manure banked around the outside.
In the spring the straw is removed,
when the leaves will grow up to
the light, making long and slender
stalks.
There is no advantage in large litters
Of pigs, as some sOws can only supply
limited amount of nOurishment, and
the pigs will not grow rapidly unless it
be three or four of the youngest, the
Others becoming runts. Young pigs
require large amount of nOurishment
in proportion to size, and when a week
old, if the litter is large, the SOW will
be taxed too severely, and some of the
pigs may gradually fall Of twill pay
in such cases to destroy the weaklings
at the start.
Breeders Of merino sheep are now en-
deavoring to breed more for size than
formerly. In breeding for wool ex-
clusively they have reduced the size,
and now they wish TO combine wool
and more mutton In the same breed if
it is possible to do so.
Nearly all of the noxious weeds and
insects in this country were sent to US
by Europe, including the ox-eye daisy,
Russian thistle, cabbage worm and
Gypsy moth. The only native Amer
lean is me potato beetle, and it has
not yet had an opportunity to extend
its work to Europe.
Buy bone meal rather than sGpeF-phOs-
phate. The latter is more soluble, but
it contains material that is not always
desired, and which, though of little or
no value to the farmer, costs him some
thing, however.
There is no longer any doubt as to
the efficacy of spraying as protection
10 fruit trees, but it is work that must
be done carefully and by experienced
persons. The great fault on the part of
those who spray is that they are dis
posed to save as much labor as possible,
and consequently neglect to do ths
work frequently and at the proper
times. Begin early and when spray
ing see that every twig receives a pOr-
tion of the substance used, as it is un-
safe to allow even the smallest space on
a tree to escape treatment
Scales are cheap and every farmer
should be supplied with them, so as to
weigh all loads, whether of goods
bought or sold, which will better ena-
ole the farmer to keep accounts.
When a field ceases to be fertile it is
a waste of time and labor to cultivate
it for a market crop, as the cost will be
greater than the receipts Either allow
to recuperate by blowing under some
kind of green crops or expend a sum
-uficient to restore its fertility by
using artificial fertilizers.
When few warm days come in win
ter the bees will come out. They then
bring the dead bees out, clean the hive
and ventilate it. The hive should be
in cool place now, in order to pro-
tect from toe great an increase of ami
NAL heat, yet should not be so exposed
as to cause the destruction Of the bees
should the weather suddenly become
severely cold.
Now that the frost is coming out Of
the ground, and the roads are cut up
with the mud and slush coming TO the
hubs of wagons, farmers will put a
higher value on good roads, but next
summer, when the roads are dry, they
will consider low taxes preferable to
making TIE roads better.
The Greatest Discovery Yet.