The Democratic advocate., 1909-11-19

Barring the limited amount of in
ferior humus which cornstalks contrib.
ute to the soil, there is no reason fol
leaving them in the field. If they are
cut up and fed, the increase in manure
which can be replaced on the land will
be worth many times more than the
unfed stalks.
1t is none too early to begin making
plans to attend the Institutes and ag-
ricultural short courses which may be
scheduled for the coming winter sea-
son. A fellow should attend with the
idea of learning something and at the
same time of communicating to others
any helpful plan or method which he
may have found worth while. The
idea of mutual helpfulness should pre-
vail in the largest measure possible.
The subscriber of an eastern agricul
tural paper writes the editor asking il
there is truth in the report that certain
we'll known smoking tobacco by analy
sis contains 63 per cent Of alfalfa. The
editor replies that he is afraid 1t is
not true, but wished it might be- II
the smoking mixture burned in pipe OF
cigarette contained nothing but nutrl
tious alfalfa hay and like stuff the
cigarette problem would be much less
formidable than it is today.
In the famous Hood river valley the
older trees in exposed locations nave
a decided lean to the east as a result
Of the vigorous winds which blow up
the Columbia river during the greater
part of the growing season. But, Row
ever disagreeable this breeze may be
in some ways, it is this same fine air
from the ocean, coupled with many
days of genial sunshine, that imparts
to the apples grown in the valley their
world renowned spice and color.
Two or three teaspoonfuls of gaso-
line in cup of milk given sheep for
three successive days is recommended
as effective in ridding them of the
stomach worm. The mixture should
be put in a long necked bottle and
poured down the sleeps throat while
standing. The animals treated should
be kept off feed during the night and
until 10 o'clock Of the following fore
noon. A preventive of the stomach
worm trouble is to give the flock fre-
o11ap+ obonCa of ma StI1rp
The United States produced 23,0OO,-
900 bushels of rice last year, Whlcn
brought the growers about $1S,OOO,OOO
at so cents a bushel. lnasmuch as
the consumer has to buy this at the
rate of three pounds for a quarter, 1t
would seem as if the railroads or
somebody else were getting mighty
generous rake off.
The directors of the Wisconsin eX-
pertinent station are giving phosphate
free to farmers of the state who Will
use it in cooperative tests. The phos-
phate is to be scattered on the manure
in the stalls, and enough is furnished
to make a test on one-half acre OF
ground. The best showing with these
fertilizing tests the past season were
made in Richland and Door counties,
where one farmer increased his hay
crop 1000 pounds and another his bar
lev Weld fifteen bushels per acre. The
cost of the fertilizer in these cases was
$3.50. while the increase in crop yield
varied from SO to $12.
1t goes without saying that in sec
tions where top notch prices have been
received for pear and apple crops the
present year the method has not pre-
vailed of shaking or knocking the fruit
out of the trees with sticks, dumping
it into wagons without springs, scoop
ing it out with shovels and throwing 1t
indiscriminately into barrels or aboard
the cars. On the contrary, in those
sections where all the way from 81 to
1925 per box is netted for such fruit
each pear or apple is handled from
tree to package as gently as. if it were
an egg, reducing to minimum bruises,
which are the prime cause of decay.
1t is along this line chiefly that the
western fruit grower eXcels his fell
lows in other parts of the country.
The reader Of an eastern agrlcul-
tura paper sends the editor a COM
plant about an unsatisfactory order
received from a foreign catalogue
cloak house and asks what can be done
to get satisfaction. 1t seems that pro-
test was made direct to the house
about the horrible fit" and "shoddy
material" the suit being sent back;
but. instead of righting matters, the
house sent the suit back again without
alteration, which meant the levying OF
another express charge, and still kept
the money. A lawsuit in such a case
would be of dubious efficacy, making
the suit pretty expensive one before
the promised 'fit and satisfaction
were secured. A better way would
have been to buy this garment from
the home dealer, with whom a kick
would have amounted to something.
AS result of the admission Of Gu
ban and Porto Rican pineapples into
the United States duty free the bust
ness of those who have been engaged
in this line of production in Florida
hl# been quite effectually knocked out.
y feature that has made the situation
worse than it would otherwise be is
the fact that the Florida land on which