The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-05-06

stated in this department before, which ts
best is a thing which must be largely de-
terfnined by every grower for himself.
one thing is certain. however. at least
SO far as comparatively young trees ars
concerned, and that Is that a space
around the base of each tree extending
for from one to three feet from the tree
according to Its size, should be kept Guilt
waited and free from grass. A breathing
space, so to speak. The writer is aware
that this is not In accordance with the
views of those who advocate the grass
mulch as they term it, but trees grown
both ways us show q decided difference I'm
favor Of those around which the culfi-
waited space is at all times kept free from
vegetation and hoed several times dur
ing the umncr o f course the fertilizers
applied are those which will benefit the
trees without regard to their effect on the.
grass.
Results From Tests.
The editor of this department has long
urged farmers and fruit growers as weaf
as those who raise vegetables in consld--
cradle quantities to nave a portion of their
grounds laid off for testing purposes. Tho
contention is that In no way can one be
come SO familiar with the points of a new
variety as under their own eye on their
own grounds. Any intelligent man will
concede the value of such a test plot
AAS LJ AoWSNcip dilOtiicI SLUG 10 Ing
question. that of taking the result of the
test of a single season as a guide for flu
ture operations. Here is just where many
mistakes are made for there is scarcely IA
new sort of small fruit, vegetable or grain
sent out but what, under certain condi-
tons, will run behind Its record in test
ing the second season; hence the I'm
portance of at least two seasons testing.
Ii q new sort Is only fairly promising in
the first seasons test the chances are
more h half that 1t will not do as well
the second season, therefore 1t would be
far from wise to plant largely of 1T. tax
ing the first seasons test as a uid
Grain for Cows on Pasture.
1t is hard for the dairyman who has
spent most of his substance for feed dur
Ing the winter to feel that there will be
any advantage In feeding grain during
the portion of the year his COWS are on
the pasture. 1t would be unsafe to lay
down the hard and fast rule that this plan,
must be followed in order to obtain the
greatest measure Of success, but ON the
other hand there can be no objection to
ones trying the experiment and ascertain
ing what there Is in 1t. AS to the ration
this must be, In quantity at least. what is
deemed best by the feeder. If the expert
ment promises to be too costly select "a
single COW and feed her grain during the
time she Is on pasture; keep a careful
record OF results according to the milk
pail. both as to quantity and quality of
milk and you'll know what to do a sec.
ond year. Make the test a fair one by
selecting for the experiment an avcrage
cow; neither a poor mixer nor a heavy
one. Make the grain ration say about
one-qua.ter of that fed during the winter,
The cost will be small and the results,
interesting and, likely, profitable.
Raising Crops for Hogs.
The hogs of this country are being rulncG
hv nnnffn,,o,,S fNaIin~ nv DNr,, -,.-
sections to such an extent has this been.
carried that the animals are being raised
at considerable loss. Hog raisers should.
understand that the animals In their care
need protein to obtain the best results.
just as much as COWS need protein. Is
alfalfa or clover cannot be grown to adj
vantage try cowpeas. or, If your land is
too good for such a crop and you want
something for summer feeding which VIII
supply the needed protein, try Canada
field peas, which can be readily grown on
any good corn land. The best plan for
raising this crop is to SOW the pease az
the rate Of a peck per acre, plow theu1
under two or three inches and SOW Il
mixture consisting of a peck Of oats, Ii
peck of barley and one-tfird of a busheI
Of wheat to the acre. This will make a
good growth and furnish an abundance OF
food containing protein for summer feed
ing.
Early Caro- of Strawberry Beds.
The Importance of a summer mulch can
not be appreciated by any one who has
not tried 1t. If the winter mulch has been
from the strawberry bed then the
soil should be lightly cultivated and the
space between the rows covered with fire
manure. This will serve as a fertilizer
and a little later a layer Of straw may be:
on over this manure or the latter Irlar
BIS removed and the straw placed on the,
soil; this latter is the best plan where the
soil Is light and there is danger of more
or less dry weather. The use OF this
mulch keeps the soil moist; thai is tho
in the soil is conserved and, tho
fruit is all the better for 1t. Again, there
is no trouble with berries soiled during a.
rain storm, which is likely to oc-
cur during berry season. The cost of the
mulch Is small compared with it's
valve and Is worth testing even though
one may doubt its value.
The Famous Toulouse Geese.
In many sections Of the country the de-
for geese largely exceeds the sup
ply, and this Is especially the case in the
large cities. The illustration shows a
Toulouse gander, the breed being one Of
the largest and quite as popular as the
Embden, the other large breed generally
raised, although the latter should be
raised and especially where they are to
be kept on rather confined grounds for
arge breeds are. Some water is desir-
able for geese, like ducks, are fond OF
= E.