Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-09-20
Farm Notes.

Sawdust can be prepared in q man
ler to be used as an excellent preven-
i've against lice in poultry houses and
70 keep flies from stables. Dissolve
IS much powdered naphthaline In
,allon of kerosene as 1t will take, per-
hitting it to stand a few days in order
o allow time for the napthaline to be-
-ome well Incorporated with the kero-
aene. Sprinkle the sawdust with the
solution, using it plentifully on the
awdust. With the hand throw the saw
lust on the floor of the stalls or
wherever 1t may be needed.
Manure is simply materials that
have been softened and decomposed
{digested) within the body OF the
animal. 1t is of no advantage to apply
raw materials, such rs bran and linseed
are excellent fertilizers, as their value
can be increased by feeding such ar
ticles to stock. Manure Is made quick
y by the animals. though the same
thing occurs in the soil by a slower
process. All that is not utilized by the
animals in some increase OF product,
or for their support, comes back to the
farmer for use on the land.
II the strawberry bed has been over
run by grass and weeds the best thing
to do Is to burn the bed over late In
the fall, and next spring the strawberry
plants will get a good start. The weeds
and grass will render any strawberry
bed useless and Improbable IL some
thing Is not done to give the straw
perry plants an opportunity to go anead
in the spring. Mulching will also be
serviceable on the bed.
When animals are growing there Is
4 large proportion of mineral matter
required in the food than when they
ofvno va
lime, which is essential in the forma-
tion of bone. Dams that are expected
to produce young must be fed FOODS
that will assist in the work expected OF
them as producers of young stock.
Bran, linseed meal, and clover hay
are more suitable for such animals than
grain, and should be added to the ra-
ton. Corn Is the cheapest Of all foods
for promoting the formation OF fat,
but even in that case 1t gives the best
results when the entire ration is OF
varied character.
Blight IL depriving the market OF the
best varieties Of pears. The Bartlett
is giving place to the Keifer. the latter
being less liable to blight. but its fruit
does not equal the Bartlett. Until
some sure remedy is discovered Tor pc n
blight the Bartletts will become scarcer
svery year.
1t will pay to grow COW peas. pick
the pods, and use the vines. About %
bushels per acre can be secured on good
land. Being very heterogeneous they
make an excellent addition to the food
of all kinds Of stock II ground with
corn.
Straw IL added to the barnyard
manure owing to its abundance, but
straw can be made more serviceable
II cut up with the feed cutter before
used. While straw may soon rot after
being mixed with manure, yet In the
fine condition 1t is a much better alb
sorbent and can be fOrked into the
manure to advantage. When loading
and spreading manure on the soil there
Is a saving Of labor when handling
will be more valuable because the loss
Of ammonia will be arrested by the use
of suitable absorbent materials.
Wheat is easily cleaned, but when
IL is desired for seed too much care
cannot be given 1t in examining fol-
the seeds Of weeds. All imperfect
grains should also be removed. Ar
agreeable experiment can be made by
any farmer who will select 100 plump
seeds and plant them In q row, plac-
ing the seeds a foot apart each, then
cuitivating the row. II the product
il measured next year and compared
with the ordinary yield from seed that
Is drilled in as for field culture, the
comparison will cause a surprise, as the
Weld from the cultivated row will be
four times that from the same area
selected in the regular crop. The exper-
! iment will take but little time and will
cost but tribe.