The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-09-08
Here is query propounded the

TeduerS Oh meduOWDrOOk FdTIu NOtcSs
II the packing houses OF the far west
can buy thousands Of chickens from
the farms and keep them In their pos
session but 81 days. and during that
short period feed them into almost
double their weight when purchased,
and sell them again for almost double
the price they originally cost. why
cannot those who grow this stock for
the packers profit feed 1t into the
best quality themselves and gain the
greatest valuo therefrom?
or the $685. $50 appropriation for
the agricultural department, the
weather bureau gets s1.439,240, the
bureau of animal industry nearly $4,-
100000 and the bureau of plant indus
try and forestry each about 81 900, 900.
Other sums are provided for animal
breeding and feeding, seed investiga-
tion, roads, orchard and other plant
diseases. chemistry, soils and ento-
mology. The amount for experiment
station work is $974,S6O. One of the
subjects Of vital Importance to the
farmer to-day Is that OF labor on the
farm. Vt is difficult at present to get
enough help to save the harvests or to
carry on farm domestic work. Agri-
cultural science will be in vain II
crops must go to waste for lack OF
laborers. Why not devote special
study to this problem and seek for
solution?
Here Is a story from the New York
World which shows that the farmers
are Catching on" to an amazing de-
gree: Charles Francis, farmer
near Medina, is using a patent cow
mixer, operated by electricity trans.
mitted from power plant five miles
away. The Ontario company has COM
pleted a power cable from Niagara
Falls to Syracuse, $50 miles, and by
its charter must furnish current along
the route. Farmers, particularly dairy
men. are making great plans for using
the current for all kinds of farm work.
That Niagara Falls will be milking the
cows between the falls and Syracuse
Is no idle dream. Farmer Francis Is
an ardent advocate of the electric COW
mixer for a boy of Is milks his 80
cows in less than five minutes, even
the irascible kickers. Mere manual
labor would for this same work re.
quire four men two hours, not count
ing the kicking cows, the flies, the
switching tails and other drawbacks"
When planning the work FOR next
year and selecting the seed which you
are to plant, 1t will be well to remem-
Der that the bureau of plant industry
at Washington receives seeds for test
as to purity and terminating power.
With reference to the seeds of cereals,
including corn, there would be no
necessity for thus seeking aid from
the department of agriculture. Such
seed testing could we'll be done at
home. But 1t is different with small
seeds like the clovers and many kinds
of grasses. They are frequently mixed
with seeds which may almost puzzle
an expert to tell what they are. When
sent for test, statement should &C
company all samples, mentioning ex-
plicitly, whether they are sent, 1, for
examination as to the presence Of
adulterants; 2, as to test for mechan-
ical purity, and 3, as to test for germ
nation. They should be addressed to
the bureau of plant industry, United
States department Of agriculture. Not
more than five samples will be tested
for any one farm or individual during
any calendar month.
Colorado was one of the pioneer
states in irrigation, having undertaken
the work long before the national gov
eminent took it up, and that Colorado
has profited by the system, expensive
though it has been, is evident from
the statement of Hon. Frank G. Goudy,
of Denver, who says: Irrigation has
transformed many Of Colorado's once
barren and arid plains and mesas into
beautiful farms, now occupied by pros
porous and enterprising farmers
whose notes and promises to pay are
always gilt-edged paper" The esti-
mated value of Colorado's farm prod
ucts in 1905 was $73,00O,000, which far
exceeded the value of all the gold,
silver and other minerals, and was
largely due to the supply Of water fur
nished by 10000 miles Of irrigation
canals. The area of lands improved
and under cultivation by irrigation in
Colorado is placed at 100000 acres.
Farming on the irrigated land is al
most a certainty, and the day may
come when in the east irrigation may
be resorted to as safeguard against
drought and kindred evils.
The hen has come In for a deal of
euloglzing of late, and a writer In
Technical World Magazine adds this
tribute with the delicate suggestion
that Mistress Hen may still reach
greater heights in her service to man.
kind than she has yet dreamed of.
Here is the lay to the Hen Bird:
Behold
Tho Hen bird,
The modest mistress Of the barnyard.
The great talker,
The gabbler. gossiper,
And producer OF fruit.
The renowned originator Of the prehis-
toriC