The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-06-16

''A S'AHPNNa ih' az \ u
package Of seeds may be bought for 10
cents. which will furnish sufficient plants
to give one all the blossoms Of this shade
one desires. The Illustration, from nature,
shows the form Of the blossom and a por-
ton Of the peculiarly attractive foliage.
PEDDLING VEGETABLES.
Located near a thriving summer resort
the writer has for years observed the
methods employed by truckers as we'll as
by the men who buy all they sell and has
observed that, in nine cases out of ten,
the latter are the best merchants and gen.
orally because the vegetables they buy
have been graded by the wholesaler so
that they are presented to the consumer
In an attractive form. The man who raises
vegetables, on the other hand, hates to see
anything he cannot sell and he tries to
get rid Of Gull stuff by hiding 1t among the
better vegetables. AS a result he soon
loses his trade. A lady ~housekeeper In
town recently remarked that she rarely
bought things OF farmers because she
found their products were not reliable.
This is certainly a sad states of affairs
for who should be better able to deliver
first class stuff han the man who raises
1t. And who Is better able to know what
first class stuff is than the farmer. There
Is not a man in the country with a thirty
ing town within easy each who would not
be able to practically control the best
trade in that town in the products of his
farm, at least gains the middleman, if
he will be honest in the grading of his
goods and put them up as attractively as
the competitor. Surely the average house
keeper prefers vegetables fresh from the
ground to those that nave been shippd
from a distance; but, on the other hand,
she has no wish to find culls among the
things for which she has paid a fair price.
See the point?
ROOTS FOR PASTURE.
Experiments nave repeatedly shown
hat it pays to let swine do their own har-
vesting with certain root crops. although
, 1T must be remembered that other feed
constituting as nearly a balanced ration
as possible must also be fed. Mangles or
beets sugar beets) sown now and cult
waited more or less during the summer will
make a pasture crop onto which the swine
may be turned in ehe fall with excellent
results. When turned onto such a pasture
they should be permitted to do as they
please which Is generally to consume the
tops and then dig out the roots. OF course
the seed must be sown on fairly good soil
and soil that does not bake too hard else
the swine cannot get at the roots. We
make 1t a practice to turn them out into
this field for about two hours daily and
keep up lie barn feed of a mixture OF corn
meal and middlings. which, with the roots
constitute an almost perfect ration. Some
times the pasture Is varied by giving them
a turn on to the last crop of rape or onto
grass of some kind and the change is sat
isfactory. Handled In this way the cost
of preparing the hog for the fattening
period is comparatively small and the
animal is in excellent shape to take on
weight quickly.
WATER IN THE PASTURE.
Much of the trouble with the cows dur
ing the summer Is due to the impure wa
ter which they consume. The average man
who has a stream of water running
through his pasture thinks himself fortu-
nate for he does not need to go to the
trouble of watering the cows. Yet he fails
to realize that the animals themselves
may pollute the water to an extent hat
what they consume materially Injuries
them and the milk they give. If one has a
stream passing through the orchard it
should be fenced off in such a way that
the sows cannot get into it If they are to
use it for drink. We had such a stream
and arranged one portion of it so that the
COWS could drink from 1t at a certain point
and not get into 1t with their feet eX-
| cept at q considerable distance below the
| drinking place. AS the stream had quite
a current this kept the drinking water
clean. quite a portion was cleaned out
and the bottom filed in with gravel and
then this portion fenced off N such a way
that the cow could get only her head in
1t because of the barrel top through which
she had to drink. If there Is no stream
or spring in the pasture then some ar
rangement should be made so that the
cows can come to the house for water
several times daily or water be carted to
them to be poured in troughs. Experience
has shown that 1t pays we'll to so to some
trouble to see that crews have plenty of
clean. cool water during the summer.
HELP AGRICULTURAL TEACHING
Next fall and winter during the meet
lngs of the several state legislatures, bills
| will be introduced, in some states, provid-
ing for the teaching Of agriculture in the
! schools located In rural districts. Some
Of the bills examined are not strong
| enough, but they make a start. and every
| farmer who is interested in his work. and
particularly interested In keeping hts boys
on the farm, should do all in his power
| to urge the passage Of such bills. In
| brief, 1t is proposed to ave competent
persons teach scientific agriculture and
allied work two or three days each week,
and, as far as possible. do the work in the
helas: practical demonstrations of the
science, iE. other words. this will
interest the boys at school there Is little
doubt. AT first they may be luke warm.
but once it dawn upon them that agri-
culture is something more than blowing
and harvesting thpy will become inter-