Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-06-21

he may be able to utilize much of the
waste Of the farm and orchard
The farmer who continually tries to
cultivate four-horse farm with three
horses will always be one horse behind
Don't be afraid to use the comb and
brush, if you wish your horse to shed
his coat, and come out slick and glossy
| in spring.
The best dairy conditions cannot be
obtained where wooden pals are used.
The milk sinks into the pores of the
wood and it is next to impossible to
cleanse them properly.
A Southern farmer says that good
results are obtained by feeding sun
flower seeds to horses, hogs and other
stock. The feeding of this requires
judgment, as the seeds are very rich
and should be mixed with bran.
In days ride all over the country
one will see many up-to-date dwellings
everywhere with the old pioneer house
moved aside to be used as an out
| building. That is all right. No better
use can be made of these old structures.
| Everybody likes strawberries, but ev-
erybody does not grow them. In order
that everybody may have all they want
to eat somebody will have to grow them.
Three hundred plants will make good
| starter and will make bed large
enough to supply one family table.
| The fiocks of the world have dimin-
ished 100000 head since 1873, or IN
average of more than 100000 a year.
| A growing taste for mutton, tubercu-
losis in cattle, and trichina in pork are
factors which, one writer contends,
have caused this decline.
Cows that come through the winter
very poor will require the greater part
| of the summer in getting ready to do
good service. 1t never pays to starve
a good milk COW. Her ration can be
reduced and probably changed some
what when dry, but should not be
withdrawn entirely.
Few men stop to think how glad the
small son is to go to town with the |
father. 1t is a good plan to take him |
to town occasionally. Many boys will |
be glad to get up in the seat and ride |
with the farmer to a neighbours. Why
not let him go along? To do the best
by boy man needs to be boy occa-
sionally.
OF course the farmer shouldn't have
cockleburs on his place. Nevertheless |
they are sometimes found in the names |
and tail of his horses. To remove them |
quickly and easily take bucket of hot |
water and dip the horses tail in it. |
This will soften the spines on the |
burrs, and then can be easily removed. |
Just as good as hot water is a light |
application Of grease or any kind of |
machine oil.
An Arizona sheep-ranching company |
gives the following estimate of the cost |
Of running 1000 sheep: Taxes, 1924
wages, four men, S1,6S0; living, four
men, 1892; extra expense, lambing
$3.50; shearing, Is cents head, $500 |
loss, 3 per cent, and mutton killed. |
$3.50; feed for span of horses and two |
saddle horses, $204.5S; sundries, 5000 |
$500 lambs, extra expense, $500; de-
probation in bucks, $40. Total, So
690.5S. This amount divided by 1000 |
gives as the annual per capita expense
SLAP.
1t is barely possible that a stand of |
corn may be automatically correct |
and not agriculturally perfect. An |
Iowa corn grower says: ga two-stalk !
hill now and then does not surely dim
inish the yield one-third, nor does
four-stalk hill surely spoil the yield |
of that hill. In fact some years
four-stalk hill will out yield a three
stalk hill. In some years the twostalk |
hills viii crowd the three-staIk hills"
1t is be ar % have stalks at every
intersection Two intersections with |
nothing and the next one six does not |
average in the right manner.
Making Fodder PalatabIe.
While we would not advocate the sub |
stitution of fodder for grain by any
means, there is no doubt but what |
more fodder may be fed to advantage |
by the majority of dairymen with
corresponding cheapening of the grain |
bill. For example: During the first
month when the cows are on pasture, |
before the feeding is very good, we
follow the same plan of feeding as dur
ing the winter-namely, preparing |
mixed ratiOns of fodder and grains
Storing Potatoes.
There is more loss in storing pota- |
toes than in storing any other crop. |
Barring all wastes from rot, there is a |
heavy shrinkage, both in quantity and
weight. a bin holding 100 bushels will |
shrink in size nearly one-tenth, besides
| a greater loss in weight. A busheI bas-
ket full that will weigh fully 90 pounds !
| in October, when taken from the soil |
will not weigh so much after being |
stored in the cellar through the winter
The shrinkage in weight is much less |
when potatoes are kept in pits closely |
covered with earth, for there is then |
less chance for evaporation
Reading Courses in Agriculture.
The reading courses started By the |
| agricultural department of the Univer- !
sity of Maine are under the supervision /
of A W. Gilbert, who is associated !
with Prof. w ID. Hurd in that depart |
ment. Bulletins are issued from time |
to time to be used as a supplement to /
the reading courses along a prescribed |
course of outside study. Only the new