The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-10-05

~N-'>' 49,
in which members may drop written ques-
tons on topics in which they are inter-
ested. This will be found exceedingly val
liable for 1t Will bring out animated dis
cussions which might not otherwise arise.
min the plan over and talk it over with
your ~neighbors in the manner suggested.
You VIII be surprised how much knowi-
edge each has gained through meetings of
this kind even though they can be held
only once in two or three weeks during the
winter.
WHiTEWASHlNG TWICE A YEAR.
A writer in a prominent poultry journal
says that the houses should be white
washed and cleaned twice a year. By
cleaning it is assumed he means, every
thing removed and the house thoroughly
renovated. The poultryman who works on
this plan cannot keep the house free from
Vernin and diseases no matter how freely
he may use insect powder nor how thor
oughly the embarrassing is done twice a
year. Twenty years of experience In
raising poultry has taught the writer that
no house ought to go longer than two
months without being thoroughly white
washed in every nook and Crcyice. In
certain seasons the work is done more fire.
quently. All our houses are built with
scratching sheds so It is easy to do the
w~hiteWashing while the hens are in the
shed and then by shutting them in the
house Whitewash the scratching sheds. In
sect powder is, Of course, a necessity, but
less of it will be necessary if the houses
are kept clean by lime and disinfectant
and 1t Is almost impossible to have the
insect powder do It's full duty otherwise.
CLEANING UP FOR WINTER.
Gather the crops clean. Such as are
gathered for sale can be properly stored
away and then go over the field again
gathering IN the odds and pDGS which Of
ten make more than one wagon load and
representing several good feeds for some
OF the stock. If one can turn swine or
sheep into the field to clean up it can
generally be done with profit. Any plants
with tops like asparagus may be moved
and thousands of weeds thus destroyed
If the tops are burned. Then the fields
are in better condition for the manure
"hen 1t Is time to apply it. The eaken
Ing meadow may be braccd up by the top
dressing or manure put on late, the cor
ners can be cleaned out, the tools be TAX
en- under cover and cleaned preparatory
to being painted later on. Breaks in fences
ana leaks in roofs can be repaired. There
are plenty of things to look after and tho
doing of them means money saved or
earned in every case. Try it.
TREATING SEED FOR SMUT.
AS formalin is now used by growers of
wheat and oats it is possible to almost
entirely eradicate the germs of the smut
Which has caused so much trouble in
years past. Twenty-Five gallons of fcrma-
lin are used to each 100 bushels of seed so
that the cost for treatment, aside from
the labor, Is very small. The method of
treating the seed is to select an absolute
~ clean place on the floor seeing that the
floor is free from cracks through which
the grain may be lost. Spread out the seed
IN a MN layer, place the fOrmalin SOlu-
llon IN a sprinkllng pot and sprinkle the
seed in a pile and cover it with old bags
letting 1t remain for several hours when
1t may be spread out and dried and sown
WHen desired. For the loose smut on
wheat place the seed In a bag and immerse
in cold water for five hours. Then drain
the water from the bag and let it remain
Tor four hours and then immense, still in
the bag, in water 1873 degrees and let it
remain for five minutes. Use a thermom-
.ter so that the water will be at just the
light temperature. Then spread the seed
out on the floor to dry and sow it when
dried.
UTILIZING YEAR OLD HENS.
While 1t is a good plan to depend most
upon the pullets for eggs during
the coming winter the year old hens will
be laying in good shape but it is not a
good plan to push these birds too hard
they are of good breed and have
4 good record as egg producers. Let them
ay WE'LL of course, and feed them properly
out plan for them to produce their best
Eggs at breeding season, being sure to
mate theih up with the best male obtain
able. The eggs from these year old hens.
t they are the right sort of hens, will
turn out better chicks than the eggs from
the pullets. Another point just here, If
you are not in a position to use liz cubators
the coming season it will pay to get to-
gether a few year or two year old hens
Of the larger mixture to use as incubators.
Never mind If they are not purebreds, If
they are large and broody they will make
deal mothers sot on high grade eggs and
will be worth their keep for this purpose
alone.
FOR DRIVING HOGS.
This is another idea which the one-man
will find exceedingly useful If he
has to drive hogs for any purpose. 1t needs
one experience with the beasts to
any man of the difficulty in
a hog go where desired. The
hurdle described will help wonderfully In
this work. Use Stats of one by three
and make a hurdle two and one
half feet high and about four feet long.
Make it of light weight material so that
it may be easily handled In either end
piece, at top and bottom, hooks may be
placed so that the hurdle may he attached
to posts If required at any time. Then
make handles to make it convenient In
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