The Somerset reporter., 1909-02-25

work at two years old, which will en-.
able the owner to get pay for theii
board until they are sold.
Orchard owners may be interested
In knowing that In several cases where
orchard trees have been destroyed by
fire or in other ways the courts have
held that orchard trees are worth %
cents each at the end of the first year
after setting, 30 cents at the end OF
the second, and every year thereafter
80 cents more. than their value the pre-
cedlng year. Thus at the end Of ten
years q fruit tree would be worth
$3.50. An acre Of eighty trees would
be valued at $40 from the standpoint
of the trees alone.
Now and then one runs across n
statement to the effect that the very
high price of clover seed Is due In
part to the fact that considerable
quantities of 1t are used in the manu-
facture of dyes A leading agricul-
tural writer denies the authenticity OF
this report and states that 1t owes Its
circulation to the fact that some years
ago a Cleveland business man who
was proprietor Of a dye works hap
pened one season to be a rather heavy
Spectator In grain and particularly
clover seed. From this the impress
sion went abroad that he used the
clover seed for dyeing purposes. when
the fact was that none of 1t was used
in this manner.
When one is engaged In thing land
adjoining public highway which the
lay of the land makes 1t necessary for
him to cross II Is well for him to
know Of the conditions under which
this may be done In most states the
property owner is required to give the
township road supervisor three or
four weeks notice that he wants the
Job done, specifying the depth and
width of ditch and size of tile to be
used. On the failure of the super
visor to do the work within a reasona-
BILE time the property owner may do
so and collect the cost Of the improve
ment from the township road fund
In case he does the Job himself he
must leave the road in rs good condi-
tion as he found 1t.
The biological survey Of the agri-
cultural department at Washington
has published some interesting data
relative to the robins bill of fare
which ought to convince the horticul
turist and agriculturist. II they need
further persuasion. that the robin Is
one of the best friends they have. From
a number of stomachs examined 1t
was found that the food Of the robin
consisted Of 437S per cent of insects,
wild fruit 1923 per cent. cultivated
fruit 1T per cent, miscellaneous veg
etable food $50 per cent. OF the IN
sects, beetles Of various kinds consti-
month of May maximum Of SO per
cent, all varieties devoured being
more or less harmful. Grasshoppers
and crickets constituted Q per cent for
the year and rose to 30 per cent In
August. The remaining II per cent Of
insect food of the robin consisted of
moths. butterflies, bees. wasps, ants,
bugs. etc. The stomach Of one robin
contained forty army worms. while
another contained 125 March flies
When one is spending so much time
stocking fires and leaving n good per
cent of his earnings with the coal
man in exchange for fuel he is not
naturally inclined to be much con
cerned in supply of ice against next
summers heat. But when this comes
on the ice will be just as much need
ed MS the coal Is now. Where one Is
not so located as to be served regu
larly by the Ice man the individual ice
house may not be necessary. but for
the dairy and household uses such o
supply would be most satisfactory and
economical While considerable sum
of money, may be tied up In an ice
house. very simple structure will
answer the purpose. The chief points
to remember are proper drainage for
1t and ventilation In the upper part
of the structure. The cakes should
be Of as regular size as possible for
economy of space in packing, while a
space of about foot In width be-
tween the Ice and the walls of the
house should be filed thoroughly with
sawdust and covering Of about the
same thickness placed over the top
layer of cakes II there is likelihood
that the icehouse Will bulge" when
filed this may be guarded against by
running an iron rod through the house
halfway up and securing 1t with prop
er anchors on the outside of the walls
before the ice ia nut I'm plnce