Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-11-08

of tho fruit was more, but 1t ripened
later than that on the plants not
pinched back, and more of the fruit
was ripe for one picking on the plants
pinched back.
Those who are having their first
experience with alfalfa hay are liza
BILE to let the crop go too long before
taking off the first crop, thus letting
the stems become too woody. The
usual plan is to cut 1t when 1t Is from
one-tenth to one-fifth in bloom, doing
the work in the morning and letting 1t
dry just enough SO the leaves will
not fall 1t should be raked into small
windows and allowed to dry some
more before hauling in.
The Michigan experiment station has
been making some experiments along
soil lines and the results are surpris-
ing. In making some soil experiments
on good. rich ground by the aid of
soil culture no additional weights has
been received In the yield of crops,
but upon examination 1t has been
found that the protein contents of the
crop have been materially increased,
and this seems to be one thing the
farmers are trying to obtain.
81 have simple treatment which
will keep the plums from falling off,
and give better fruit says E. j.
Waterstripe of Shelby county, Mis-
souri,. some of the neighbors have
tried it. too, with equal success. Go
to your blacksmith and ask him for
the iron shavings or sparks which fly
OF while welding. Put a small buck
etful around each tree early in spring,
and see If your plums do not stay on
the trees better. 1t is well worth a
trial.
1t is a well-establlshed fact that
horses recognize musical sounds, and
make preferences. A traveller In an
East Indian city noticed that the sol
diers' horses paved the ground and
tossed their head when the band play
ed God Save the Queen" That piece
was always played last as signal
for going home. and 1t was suggested
that was the reason why the horses
recognized 1t, but when the expert.
ment was tried of playing the tune
first, the horses carried on Just the
same.
z From Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky
and other mule breeding States comes
the word that the demand for good
heavy work mules or young things
bred from the right Kind Of mares
and jacks never were 80 high In price
A Missouri farmer states that he SOLD
a pair of 5-year-olds, weighing 2,50(
pounds the span. on his farm at $40t
and the shipper desired to purchase
pair weighing 2,20O pounds at $3.50
at the same time. These mules were
not in high flesh. having worked all
spring on the farm. Prices ranging
very close to 500 each are quoted
from Tennessee for mules just few
days old.
An illustration of what is one
mons meat is another's poison is
shown in the fact that a man in In
diana has a dock farm" The ordl
nary burdock is grown, and 1t is claim
ed that the crop from one acre il
worth 5000. While 1t is apparent that
this weed pest is difficult to get rio
of in fence corners, 1t is said to BIZ
hard crop to grow when wanted fol
commercial purposes. The root Ii
used In some medical preparation. The
Japs do not consider the dock" {
weed, but they cultivate 1t as an ar
ticle of food, using 1t for fiavorinl
soups, and 1t is said to resemble al
artichoke In taste.
According to the report of the Sec
rotary of Agriculture not less than 16;
car loads of pears were shipped tt
foreign markets last year, principally
across the Atlantic ocean. About 70,
GOO packages of Bartletts were shipped
to England. The great obstacle in tn,
shipping Of pears is to get pears O
good quality to ship. Bartlett pear
are certainly good pears to send across
the ocean to help foster that trade, bu
the trouble Is that we have not yer,
large supply of Bartletts from which
to draw. 1t is with the pear as it Il
with the apple; we have an abundanc,
of pears like the Keifer-of poor quail
ity, but of great staying power, ant
reliable as to the amount of fruit pro
duced year by year.