davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Florida agriculturist., 1907-08-14

crop I ever saw on a plum tree,
three-pound cluster of which [ sent
to Farm and Ranch. The fact is,
considering all the circumstances in
the peach situation. the Standard Or
chard Company with it's immense
acreage, missed the opportunity Of a
life time. Such a crop failure will
never occur again, for the demonstra-
ton next year by MIR. Afford in the
center of the great peach growing
district of East Texas will be an OBJ
ject lesson that will not 60 unheeded.
I have now shown how by appeal
ing through cultivation in August Cat
which time all pruning and fertilizing
should be done) to the natural in
stinct Of the peach to make a full
growth in Our long, warm seasons
after it's exhausting labor of fruit
bearing and partial rest, it is caused
to retain it's leaves late, and after
shedding them in December, to go
so completely to rest as to remain DOR
mant under the highest winter tenn
peratures on record. I will next show
so destroy practically all the curculio
and plum gougers. While the ravages
of this pest are likely to amount to
little for several years in sections of
the state where the present peach
crop was a total failure, still there
will be "seed" enough left in the
chance seeding peaches that have
fruited to make them plentiful again
Of course, it is we'll known in a gen.
era1 way that stirring the ground TN
der the trees will, to a greater or
less extent, destroy the larvae and
pupae of these insects, yet the work
has either been only half done or at
the wrong season to be most effective
This is shown by the fact that the
pests are quite as general and de-
structive in many cultivated orchards
as they are on trees in grass. And
here I will say that the insect prob
lem, is the one great drawback to con-
tinuous sod culture Of the stone fruits,
to overcome which I have for several
years watched both the curculio and
gouger at work on the trees and ex-
perimented with all sorts of remedies
ana nave learnt several lHluSS HOl
laid down in the books, to which
reference will be made more partic-
u1ar1y at future time. While the
new method of non-culture with now
ing from December until August and
frequent cultivation during that month
and September or even later, is the
ideal treatment for the stone fruits,
there are a great many trees in city
yards or lawns and on steep hillsides
or very rocky ground where even two
months cultivation would be unde-
sirab1e
That damage from these pests to
the fruit on such trees can be pre-
vented by spraying, [ feel sure, but
at present will con6ne myself to prov
ing, first, by Mr. Verhalen's nominal
loss Of only s to TO per cent; second,
by the total absence of both curculio
and the gouger in California and
third by the successful experience Of
a friend near here, that thorough stir
ring of the entire soil under the trees
The Florida agriculturist., 1907-08-14

If there is any way in which peaches
and plums can be prevented from be-
coming wormy, it is important that
all growers Of these fruits should
know it. The last number of Farm
and Ranch contained an article on the
subject, written by Mr. H. M. String
fellow, the author of The New Horti-
culture:
Before showing how, as suggested
in my last, the new combination sod
and cultivation method will practi-
cally exterminate the stone fruit in
sects and blight, I will first give a
few questions and answers by Mr..
Verhalen as to the condition Of his
orchard since the 9th of May, when
his first letter was written.
I-How is E1berta and when will
it ripen?
Ans.-Light crop and late
2-How are the worms as compar-
ed with other years?
Ans.-About the same, probably 5
to 10 per cent ripen prematurely from
worms but main picking shows hard
1y any.
GLOW has the wet spring affected
trees and fruit?
Ans.-Not noticeably, trees making
good growth.
4-Have you any rot?
Ans.-Mamie Ross only showed
brown rot from very beginning. We
lose from 20 to rs per cent. every year
None on other varieties We sold a
25o-bushel car of peaches from less
than one acre on a highly cultivated
piece of ground for over $I,1oo f. o. b.
our station last week
We see from the above that the
orchard has been highly cultivated
this spring, in response to which
stimulation, unlike all others, the trees
have made a good growth, but as a
direct result Of the Mamie Ross lost
nearly a fourth of their crop from
rot The same variety here ten years
ago lost nearly all Of its fruit from
rot on cultivated trees, while not
peach was affected on those in sod.
That E1berta failed so largely after
a sound winter rest and normally
full bloom is plainly due to the de-
sMction of their surface feeding
roots by high cultivation, the potent
cause Of shedding on that variety, for
all other conditions have been favora-
bic. There can be no other reason:
The only possible contingency Of
damage to peaches in sod is a severe
spring drouth which rarely happens
in East Texas and did not this season,
and the E1berta should have borne
full crop, just as some other vari-
eties seem to have done. Had the
high cultivation been omitted this one
time the orchard, being mainly FL
berta, would beyond all doubt at such
prices have made the record yield OF
the world as to profit per acre, paid
for the land, trees and all expenses
to date and left big balance besides.
Under similar conditions, except not
having grown as late, my Elbertas
did not rest SO completely as his,
vet they are very full, and the Shlro
plum alongside set and matured per
fectly, with no thinning, the heaviest
The Florida agriculturist., 1907-08-14

in August to the depth of three or
four inches will destroy practically all
Of the larvae and pupae that have but
recently entered the ground. Mere
scraping the surface with a hoe will
not suffice Where the trees are SO
low that a disk harrow or cultivator
cannot be run close to the bodies,
the work must be finished by hand.
The gen eral id hetata IA OAOIII
The general idea that the curculio,
gouger and boil weevil can be killed
not true, for the first two are gen.
eral and destructive all over the North
where the ground freezes far below
their burrows, and in Texas, no mat
ter how deeply the ground is plowed
and narrowed after the weather be-
comes cool, the boil weevils are al
ways on hand ready for business in
the spring. But a high temperature
of the soil is veritable death to all
three, especially when in the tender
larval or pupal stage of transforma-
ton.
When an infested peach or plum
falls to the ground, the worm, when
the fruit rots, enters the moist soil,
gradually changing as it burrows, in
to larva or worm with thin shell
all over it, and later, when still deep
er, it goes through another change,
becoming a pupa or practically per-
feet insect, but with no wings and
it's legs all drawn up over its stomach.
If not disturbed during the heat of
summer, the insects becomes grad
ually more mature, but still enclosed
in a thin skin or shell. In that con-
dition, after the weather becomes cool,
it can be turned up with plow or
cultivator and tumbled about with lit
tie or no damage SO long as covered
with a little soil to protect it from
birds, skunks, toads, etc. If cotton
matured everywhere as early as in
Southwest Texas, after gathering the
main crop the ground could be plow-
ed in September and all larvae and
pupae, as we'll as the mature weevils
killed by the hot soil, but at the
same time burning the stalks. But
the fruit grower is so fortunate as
to be able to thus expose the tender,
immature curculio and gouger after
the fruit has gone in August and Sep
tember, the most leisure time of the
year, by single, thorough, deep stir
ring of the soil under his trees.
Now tor the evidence: First, Mr..
ebers'npehaVh2o chair, u,tx, S offrh
Verhalen's practical exemption from
loss this season. Second, I have a
friend on the opposite side of Lam
pasas who planted two acres in peach
es and p1ums the year I did. While
the best of friends, he believes I am
all wrong on the cultivation question,
and from the. day his trees were plant
ed until now [ have never seen, win
ter or summer, the grass higher than
two inches and rarely any at all. In
fact, he is just as great a crank on
clean cultivation as [ was for twenty
years when truck growing Now for
results. I have never missed single
Elberta crop and he has grown but
one, and that not full one. My
fruit has been one-third larger than
his His Alexanders have never miss
ed until this year, as mine did, but
The Florida agriculturist., 1907-08-14
Be Your Own Rain=Maker

The plumbing
goods Competent furnished when desired Compile
for Skinner Famous System Centrifugal Rotary and Budo
Towers, etc. Spray pumps of every style.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
IMPROVE THE DAIRY HERD.

In referring to the betterment OF
dairy COWS a Minnesota dairy inspec-
tor says that the farmer who keeps
cows must be relied on, in the i'm
provement of the dairy herd SO as TO
get a bigger yield from the number
Of cows already on hand. The farmer
Is the one who is benefited most and
should feel most interested. Now
want to call attention to one way IN
accomplishing this that is practical,
and a way that every dairyman
should use, and that is to keep such
a record of each COW in the herd,
that will show at the end of the year
what each individual cow has done.
This at first thought, would seem like
something that would entail a great
deal of work, and l will not deny but
what it takes some extra work, but
think it safe to say, that 1t will be
the best paying work that you can
do in connection with your dairy. The
things necessary are. a spring scale,
pencil and memoranda book, all OF
which need not cost over two dollars.
and the extra work necessary need
not be over 80 minutes a month out
side the time it takes to do the fig
uring, and that will depend on how
quick you are to figure. The thing
to do with this apparatus is to place
it where you empty the milk after
milking. Taking the milk from each
cow, you first hang the pail on the
scale and with the pencil and book
you have hardy you make a record OF
what the cow has given. You can
repeat this for every milking If you
wish, but for a beginning about four
times a month will give you good re-
suits, and show you where you have
the COW that is stealing Eer board
and where you have the one that IS
paying. it. In connection with this,
it is also necessary to have the milk
from each cow tested about three
times or more a year. With the num-
Der Of pounds Of milk and per cent.
Of fat in milk, you have a basis to
figure the value of your COW.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
GEESE WITH BRAINS.

A farmer would scarcely believe
that {; goose requires only about six
ty hours in order to prepare it for
the footlights and a critical audience
and that common pig. which has
been bought in the market, will in
sixty hours be competent to blossom
forth as an actor.
According to Clyde Powers, train
er of wide experience ami much pa
tience, it takes duck about three
DAYS to learn how to march on the
stage, to follow the chorls, and to
march off again at the proper time;
it takes a chicken a week or more
and a turkey cannot grasp the art
Of acting in less than six months
time.
Mr.. Powers had tried to train a
pea fowl but he finds that 1t is I'M
possible. A goose is the most IN
telligent of all the feathered tribe, ana
goose is also the only domestic 1o"l
that shows affection.
Animals are always entertainlns'
and SO much in demand are they Dy
managers that every vaudeville inca
tire in America books for its program
It least one animal act, and often two,
every week. A good animal troupe
is contracted for many months aheao'
and its owners and trainers receive
salaries far exceeding those OF the
average troupe of vaudeville perform
ers of the human species.
During a visit to dress rehearsal
at the Hippodrome. says writer III
Leslie's Weekly, three or four cup
bears were being schooled In the arr
Of standing on their heads, in driving
an auto, or at least appearing to 40
SO. and last but not least-1or 1t
amuses an audience greatly-to drink
out of bottles.
To teach them this last act is not
very difficult if the bottles are nileo
with sweetened water; in fact. the
difficulty comes in preventing the
Cubs from stealing these bottles ana
rehearsing before it is time, so iona
are they of this particular form OF
acting.
Bears are decidedly humorous, ana
while they know perfectly well what
they are doing, they often do TRICK
the wrong way, apparently just Tor
humor of the thing and they seem
to enjoy the scolding. which with BABY
bears is seldom accompanied by pun
ishment. The trainers pockets are
usually bulging with sugar, and the
cubs are given taste every time thes
obey orders and go through a trick
with willingness. II bear Is COCA
tempered and of adaptable DISPOSE
ton. a new trick can be mastered IN
about four weeks.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
MAN IN THE MOON.

OF all the myths which have sprung
up around the moon, before Galllleos
telescope revealed another world with
lofty mountains, deep valleys and vast
plains, the Oldest, and probably the
most familiar to us all is that OF It's
human inhabitant Every nursery mas
beard the story OF the man who was
found by Moses gathering sticks on
the Sabbath and condemned to owen
in the moon till the end Of time.
Originating, doubtless, in the super
ficial resemblance of some OF the
moon spots to man with bunale
Of sticks on his back, it would De
handed down by Jealous Sabbatarlans
as an edifying warning. 1t has even
been referred to Biblical authority
German nurses commonly vary the
tale b. saying that the offender was
given the choice of burning IN the
sun or freezing in the moon, and tha'
he preferred lunar frost to sonar
furnace. But in the Middle Ages. be
fore Lutherans and Puritans super
imposed the conception Of the jewish
Sabbath upon the Christian Sunday
the crime thus punished was thelt.
1t Is possible. however, that tae
"Man in the Noon myth may claim
an even remoter antiquity. PGlmi-
tive man had a tendency to persoAlly
those natural forces whose laws NC
could not comprehend, his magma
ton endowed them with human force
and human feelings. and with sape--
human knowledge and power. Hence
the moon acquired sex ana gen
der. in Sanscrit and all derivafloAs'
except Greek and Latin, and such hloU
ern languages as have come uhoer
the classical influence. II IS hiaSc"-
line. And doubtless, this is the iea-
son why the legendary Woman IN
the Noon is not nearly so pre'aieh'
as the legendary Man
Be this as it may, it is certain ti-a'
in Teutonic fable we find the moon
inhabited by both sexes. For aceo.u.
ing to Mr.. Baring-Gould, our 1al.liia1
nursery rhyme about Jack and jill i
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14

derived from The Scandinavian ,
OF The two children, Hinhj and
Who were taken up into tho ,
with their pole and bucket AZ ,
were drawing water. They SINH,
the waxing and waning Of the N,
while the water they are carryi,,
fers to the influence of the mn
phases upon the rainfall
There IS an ancient belief fou,
some OF the writings of the old b
fians that the moon is an aboi
departed spirits. And some 0,
South American Indians still N
is as their happy hunting gnu
the paradise of dead chief
braves. But in the Middle Ages
moon was generally looked upc,
the seat OF he'll, and 1t Is nd
this circumstance that led to h
liar association of the moon
Witchc.aft Lon Con Globe.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
MUDDY VS.. DRY FEED LOTS.

Experiments noted by the Depart
ment of Agriculture show that muddy
feed lots are an Improbable as well
as disagreeable feature in cattle feed
ing, especially when no provision is
made for shelter. Notwithstanding
the fact that the disadvantages OF
mud and dirt were recognized by five
hundred cattlemen, corresponded
with by the department. only thirty
six of these cattle feeders reported
definite provision against such condl-
tons. Ten Of these men have the
surface of their feed lots paved or
otherwise arti6cially covered, fifteen
use rock, gravel, cinders, bricks.
planks, corncob or sawdust alone, and
in combination in various parts OF
the lot-about the feed troughs, water
tanks, sheds or gates. Ten of the
correspondents stated that they had
made the lots dry enough for feeding
purposes by tile drain, while two
reported that the yards had been
graded and the mud and manure re-
moved by means OF dirt scrapers.
Several of those who use coal cinders
for filling the muddy portion of the
lot. stated that care must be taken
to keep them covered with straw,
cornstalks or other bedding material.
in order to avoid injury to the feet.
AS the result of the letters received
by the department, two plans have
been prepared. one showing a brick
paved feed lot, with convenient shell
ter, water and feeding arrangements,
designed to accommodate fifty cattle;
the !other a feed bunk for use in
muddy lots. and which is inexpen'
sive,
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
HORSES THAT SELL WELL.

A breeder and grower of horses
has these sensible suggestions III d
letter to American Farming. he says.
MANY farmers think that there IS
no money in raising horses. Yet there
Is constant demand in the markets
at remunerative prices for horses u
a definite type. Last summer hau
opportunity to talk with a farmer on
this very point. He was near an eS
ceQent horse market. and on MS
farm he was producing an album
dance of the finest horse feed. But
the buyers did not want his horses.
The trouble was that they were mel
Their draft horses nor road horses
neither express horses nor coacn
horses They were nondescripts, Win
out the right form and weight 1or
any particular purpose. This farmer
had started with a number OF 1alfiy
good mares, but had used first one
stallion and then another without any
definite idea in mind as to breed
The natural result was that the colts
showed mixture Of incongruous tend
encies. All that could be said for
them was that they were horses. The
modern market will not buy monde
script horses. They must be horses,
of a different class draft horses,
rOadsters, etc-with the proper form,
size and action to admit them to that
class. BY consulting horse buyers the
farmer can easily learn what the mar
ket requirements are, and can breed
horses that meet these requirements.
Then it will be found that there is
money in raising horses. But there
is surely no use in producing mon
grel horse when no one wants It.
There are several ways in which
horses may be improved by inteili-
gent selection and breeding, such as
the farmer adopts in securing herd
of cows noted for their milk yield
or a flock Of sheep to produce win
ter lambs. | once had occasion to OBJ
serve a company Of cavalry horses
that had been selected for their rapid
walking gait. These horses, without
urging, would easily make five miles
an hour on a walk. l had pre-
viously thought my saddle horse was
a fast walker, but found that he had
to be trotted at frequent intervals to
keep up with the procession. This
seemed to be an interesting point. and
accordingly timed several ordinary
saddle horses. They made less than
4 mile per hour. Now there are lines
of work in which a fast walking gait
would add greatly to the value Of a
horse The walking speed Of horse
can be increased by breeding just
as readily as the trotti1g or running
speed. A fast walker is more in de-
mand and is good for more purposes
than a fast runner. Horses are just
as susceptible to improvement by
breeding as other animals are. 1t will
therefore pay farmers who are fitted
for this work to breed up a line OF
horses with fast walk. Don't be
content with present standards, but
raise them.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
ACTUAL BUTTER FAT.

It is suggested that farmers who
deliver cream to the creameries set
tie for the cream on the basis OF the
actual butter fat content Of the same.
and this can be readily determined
on the usual test basis. The New
York Farmer in regard to this says;
Suppose the test basis to be adopt
ed by your creameryman, what OF
that? Will not you have more butter
fat to sell from the S,O0O-pound yield
er OF 3.5 per cent fat milk than from
a 5,OOO-pound yielder Of 4 per cent
or per cent milk? At 3.5 per cent
the S,OOO-pound COW will give you
$50 pounds of butter-fat. If you throw
out such a COW and put on 5000
pound cow that averages per cent,
YOU will have only $50 pounds OF
butter-fat. With the S,0OO-pound cow
you will have 80 to 80 pounds more
OF butter-fat and nearly 30 hundred
weights more OF skimmilk, worth at
least 20 cents hundred, than you
would have with the 5,0OO-pound COW
putting to per cent Of fat into
her milk. Unless your creamerymen
purpose to put lower price on Hoi-
stein-Friesian butter-fat than on other
butter-fat. their threat to pay on test,
instead OF frightening you, should en-
courage you to put On Holstein-Frle-
sian COWS totally. You are in the busl,
ness to make milk. If the Holsteln'
Friesian cows meet the call for you,
they are the cows for you. If your
creamerymen can not. or will not
handle your milk, they have the liber.
ty to reject it and quit business. This
is free country. If you milk pro-
ducers will submit to d;ctation by the
middlemen, whose fault is it? Put on
S.O0O-pound or 10,o0O-pound COWS, call
for the test, feed back your skim
milk, and you will make money
Run a cooperative creamery ana
make h;gh-grade butter. you and your
neighbors, and you will make still
more money.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
MAN OUTFOUGHT W1LDcA,

Tnarmed and alone, hohi"'
q Young man of this place. VI" :.
tackled by a wildcat on Locus Isl. :
tain south of here. last nj gu.
had been in Ashland and sla aos,
drive home. His horse S.epr ,
nail and he put the anilD''
stable. ,, homo
Then he started to walk nome ,
was on the mountain when -. Wv
Of a wildcat alarmed him, a NV ~,
utes later he saw the beast ,ea =,
IN front of him. The ANNA a >, !,
snrang He jumped aside anu lo :,
bodv Of the cat struck the .a l''
leapeI upon it. For SET u.;,d
ntes the fight between the ', W." !,
NAL and the man Went on: - ne
bv a quick swing he D'o"' "
mails back. .,o Sc
doe, scratches on his face am y. II, =
but otherwise he vas .a as'r
Mount Carmel corFeS'o'iu
telphia Press.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-09-14
IA n1 SD @ @}AlanIzm
SSS :=sgzzzz<::::: 3sySzy:xx b.
~ &:Qs&&> l 81

from an improper manner in when
the COW, when heifer, was broken
to milk, or from some bad manage
ment of the mixer after the animal
has grown older. Cows Of a highly
nervous temperament will, not IN
frequently, become confirmed kickers
from the rough and careless manner
in which the mixer handles the nd
der and teats while milking. Any
rough and careless handling of the
udder, when filled with milk, is more
or less painful to the animal. and
kick may be given, not from any
viciousness or i'll temper, but is SIM
ply an involuntary motion of the foot
to relieve pain. The most effectual.
remedy for kicking COWS consists in
bucklinS a strap snugly about the
body Of the cow, just in front of the
udder. The COW Is then rendered pow
erless to do harm in kicking and the
most confirmed and viciOusly inclined
kickers are at once subdued. Those
who have employed this simple
method say that in no instance in
their experience has it failed. Scold-
ing, fretting, loud threatening, thump-
ing and Negotiations are of little use.
The cow may have a hot temper, as
we'll as her mixer, and resist all
sorts of discipline. The law OF kind
ness is usually much more effective
Boston Cultivator.