The Columbus journal., 1909-04-21
M FARM
AMMs,,< N3

Watch out for the weed seeds in
clever and alfalfa.
Red and alsike clover make a good
mixture-half and half
Feet the trees in the orchard.
Ground bone and muriate of potash
are good.
Better results are obtained in feed
ing cattle where alfalfa is mixed with
corn slower.
The average market hog should
weigh about 800 pounds at eight
months of age.
Aphids or Plant lice can be easily
destroyed by kerosene emulsion spray.
Get after them as soon as they make
their appearance.
The uncomfortable, underfed calf is
the calf that bleats. Every bleat is a
protest against such unthrifty methods
for such calf will not grow and won't
pay.
Take good farm paper and then
read it. Meadcwbrook Farm Notes
are not intended to displace. but to
supplement the farm paper. You need
both.
In pruning trees make your cuts
loose to the trunks or branches, and
paint the cut surfaces. This will pre-
vent unsightly stubs and places for
decay to begin.
II you have not a manure spreader,
harrow the field after you have put
the manure on by hand. This will
prove almost as good as the use of
the spreader. although not as quick.
Never use an ak to prune With. Use
saw or pruning shears and take the
limbs and branches of close 10 the
tree SO that the tree in time will cover
the wound with bark and thus pre-
vent rotting.
Look after the bare places in the
dooryard and around the house. A
little preparation of the soil and SOW
ing of grass seed now will give you |
a nice green covering for the sum-
mer. 1t will make the place look |
better.
That mountain-high manure pile
near the barn is not only a reminder
of wasteful methods of keeping the
manure but It also tells of long days
of hard work in getting it out on the
land. Too bad 1t was not hauled out |
q load at q time as it was made dur
ing the winter.
Lice will cause big losses to the hog
raiser. One stockman who was new
at the business bought several sows
that later had $50 pigs and all but IL
of these died before weaving time.
After 13S had died a veterinarian was
called in to find what disease was
killing the pigs and he found that they
had all been killed by lice. They were
covered with vermin.
II blowing is done early you can
60 deeper than when breaking the
ground late. as the soil will have time
to settle firmly back against the bot
tom of the furrow and to establish
capillary connection with the lower
part of the soil before the time of
planting. The farmer usually need
not fear that he will turn up unproduc-
tive soil by deep blowing. for as a
rule 1t will soon become aerated and
fertile.
Don't put over the pruning of the
fruit trees. 1t is the leading branches
that need attention. When heading in
the leaders on tree it is best, &C.
cording to the opinion of Prof. G. F..
New Jersey. to cut them off
to a side branch, rather than to a dor
mant bud. frequently when an in
experienced man practices headins-in,
he il tempted to shear the tree all
over and leave it a smooth. oval form.
It will be seen that this is very differ.
ent from the method described above.
where only the leaders are cut back
and the side shoots thinned so as to
leave an open top. The amount of
headingin to be done should vary
from year to year, according rs the {
crop promises to be large or small.
As the tree gets older less heading-in
b usually necessary.
Test your seed corn before planting. ,
This is not such difficult PROPOSE
ion as you may imagine. Expert ,
nents have shown that it is possible ,
% test enough corn for planting 50 /,
lcres In total of two days time. This
s done by preparing box two feet .
" three feet square and two or three
inches deep, filling this level full of
and. Nails are driven around the ,
'dges of the box 2k inches apart and +,
flowed to project one-fourth of an r
nch. Strings are then stretched back :
nd forth across the box. dividing it 9
nto squares 2h inches each way. G
The ears are laid out on a board, num- {
ered and ten kernels taken from each +
ar. The kernels are then inserted, =
oint downward. into the sand so as r
D place them about one-fourth to one r
alf inch below the surface. The s
ernels from car No. will be placed h
a square No. 1, the kernels from ear b
70. will be placed in square No. 2. n
nd SO on. The box is then wetted q
own. covered with a cloth aud put in b