The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1899-04-26

land to coru. BY 50 doing the cost OF
fertilizer will be reduced. as the cria-
son clover vii supply al The nitrogen
needed for the corn. After the corn is
"is,d by" il viii pay 10 then broadcast
cow peas between the rows, working
the seed in with u cultivat0r By har-
vesting the corn and removing the
crop to the barn 70 be shredded, and
then turning the pigs on the cow peas
they will not only grow rapidly, but
win be fat enough to kill without the
aid OF corn. All kinds Of stock, in
cluding poultry, will find a larger share
Of their food in the corn field by this
plan, and there will be no cost for har-
vesting the COW peas, as the stock will
attend to that duty. II is simply
making the land perform extra service
without loss Of fertility, as the crimson
clover and COW peas will assist the
land, and the animals will drop ma
nare on the field.
Heifers frequently come in as milk
ers when 2yeSrs old; in fact some are
much earlier, but , years may be placed
as a fair limit Of time in raising heifer
and she may cost as much as S26, but
the cost will be less than the price of
an ordinary COW bought as fresh one.
No one, however, should raise a heifer
unless with the view of improving the
herd. To raise a calf with no breeding
is to take the risk Of having worth
less COW. When the calf is well bred it
will nearly always prove to be, when
matured, all that may be expect
ed, and her disposition esn be under
stood before she is grown. There is
no farmer who will fail to secure good
cows il he will breed for them, and re-
fuse to bring strange animals on his
farm.
Next month, or even as early as now,
rape seed may be broadcasted, and it
may be seeded in the corn Geld when
the corn is "laid by" Rape is reyolu-
tionizing the sheep industry in this
country, and it is also excellent for
hogs and all kinds of poultry. 1t will
be an advantage to test it on small
plot this year.
The usefulness of laying hens is
judged by the mum Der of eggs laid,
yet some hens really perform more ser
vice than others, although they lay
fewer eggs, for the reason that they
produce extra large eggs, which is an
advantage in the weight Of product.
a small bantam hen weighing less
than pound, will lay an egg nearly
half as large as the egg from hen
weighing six pounds. The bantam con-
sequently performs the greater service,
because she gives more eggs in weight,
in proportion to size, cost Of food and
aud room occupied, than hen Of one
Of the large breeds.
All new straw berry beds should be
planted this month. If the variety is
both staminate and pistiIlate there will
be no difficulty next year in having the
blossoms fertilized, but should stami-
nate and pistallate varieties be used
two varieties they should be OF kinds
that blossom at the same time or dis
appointment will result. When the
new plants are rooted and begin to
grow cultivate them with wheel hoe
and apply fertilizer, as the growth
gained the first year viii be great ad-
vantage. Plants set out this month
will throw out runners, form matted
rows and produce fruit next spring.
The canker (or measuringj worms
viii soon put in an appearance. They
can be destroyed by spraying with a
mixture of Paris green and water. The
spraying should be done early, and re-
peated several times through the sea-
son.
A potato grower states that he pick
ed the blossoms from some Of the vines
by way of experiment, and found that
the tubers in the hills Of the vines
which were so treated grew to larger
size than the tubers in the hills on
which the blossoms of the vines were
untouched.
Should elOye- make slow growth il
is usually an Indication that the soil
lacks potash or lime. An application
of ton of unleached wood ashes Ier
acre will be found serviceable, as ashes
contain both lime and potash. In pro-
curing ashes, however, care must be
exercised, as they vary in potash ac-
eording TO the wood from which they
are produced, and there are many in-
ferior grades on the market, the leach
ed ashes being used to adulterate the
unleached.
Arbor days should be made interest
ing to the school children, and net only
the school grounds, but the highways
should be given attention. The public
roads can be made beautiful If interest
is taken in the matter. In some States
''picnics" of the citizens, including all
classes and ages, are made the ocea-
siOns for ornamenting the roads Of
neighborhOOd with trees, vines and
shrubbery. Oa one road in OHIO
honeysuckles are grown along the
fences and serve to hide the mOnotony
of barbed wire.
A glance at the market reports will
show that early chicks for broilers are
now selling dressed at from > to S5
cents per pound for chicks weighing
pJund and a half each. As il costs
only five cents to produce one pound OF
poultry, that il, for foodl the prices
now being received should prove remu-
nerative.
Beets are easily grown, and for the
table they should be planted early. The
seed Is sometimes slow in terminating,
but after the plants are up they grow
fast, and il hoed once OF twice will get
ahead of the weeds. No garden IL
complete that does not contain beets.
Do not attempt TO grow too many
crops. At the same time do not rely
on one kind Of crop only. Diversi-
tied agriculture lessons the risk of total
losa hacausa where one croD falls an