The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1909-07-13
Of Interest to the Farmers

49, ~
states that shipmeE.s OF ornamental
shrubs and plants from Holland and
France are badly infested with eggs
OF the brown tailed moth. OF forty
three shipments into one state inspec-
tion by state on3cers showed that
tventy-one were infested with the pest
Estimates Issued by the crop report
ing board Of the department Of agri-
culture give the amount Of corn in the
farmers hands on March I, 1909. as
1913 per cent Of last years crop. equiv.
alent to 1941. 10000 bushels 1t is es-
timated that c1.S per cent Of this
amount will be shipped out Of the
counties In which It was grown.
the growing Of alfalfa has resulted in
the putting on the market Of an aifal-
II cultivator which works on the
disk fashion. but has spiked teeth iIf
place Of the disk blades. 1t Is said
that the new machine loosens the sur
face soil thoroughly and kills the
weeds without seriously injuring the
alfalfa roots.
A good many farmers have adopted
the plan Of sowing some clover seed
with all small grain. and the idea Is an
excellent one. The practice is worth
while even If the clover is plowed un-
der in the fall. To give best results 1t
should be allowed to grow the second
season. a crop being taken of in June
and the second growth plowed under
in the fall, when the well developed
root systems will add materially to
the nitrogen supply of the soil.
Wisconsin friends Of good roads feel
that quite a step was taken along the
line Of seeing some Of their hopes real
lied when an amendment to the con-
stitution was adopted last November
authorizing state aid for the building
and improving OF public roads and
highways. II the state aid thus au-
thorized is done under proper supervi.
sion benefit vii! come not only from
the roads directly improved. but an OBJ
ject lesson will be given road super
visors over the state which should aid
them in the work under their charge.
1t Is only fair to state the truth
about sugar beets in their relation to
a maintenance Of soil fertility, and
that is that they take from the soil
a smaller amount Of fertilizing ele-
ments than do potatoes. cabbage or
ftaAv 70
and only about one-third as much as
timothy hay. The frequent cultiva-
lions Of the soil which accompany the
growing Of beets put it in ideal con-
dition for any succeeding crop. In a
rotation containing clover, alfalfa,
peas or beans beets would work In
nicely-in fact, could hardly be i'm
proved upon as a titled crop.
That tuberculosis has considerable
capacity to spread Is shown in the ex-
perience Of one northern dairyman
whose herd ut the first testing showed
twelve infected animals out of fifty
nine head. He failed to take action
with a view to disposing Of the dis
eased animals. and when some time
later q second tuberculin test was ap-
piled sixty-seven animals out Of hun
dred gave evidence Of being affected
with the malady This instance could
doubtless be duplicated in the expert
ence Of hundreds who are following
the dallying policy to save a few dol
lars at the start, but who will find
their delay in dealing with the situa-
tion in the end both costly and trying.
The cumulative evidence relative to
the operation of the milking machine
would seem to indicate that 1t Is an
improvement which has come to stay.
A number Of tests which have been
studied and tabulated under the direc-
tion of the Wisconsin experiment sta
tion show results which are. on the
whole. very favorable, the machines
being economical in operation with If
teen cows or more. while the milk is
freer from germs than when secured
by hand milking. In practice It has
been found that the cows shrink but
little in milk now when transferred
from the hand to the machine system.
and best results were obtained where
the cows were hand stripped after the
machine work was done.
Let the women vote II they want to.
but let them also remember that no
influence which they can exert at the
ballot box Will begin to equal that
which they may have over boys and
girls properly reared In the homes
over which they preside. A painful
feature Of many present day problems
which are taking 50 much time and
attention for solution IL that they
trace their origin to social conditions
which lie beyond the reach Of the bal
lot box and will be solved not when
women are given the right Of suffrage,
but when mothers ana fathers devote
more time and thought to the rearing
Of their sons and daughters and In
making the home what 1t ought to be.
PROTECTION FOR PLANTS.
Ways Of Shielding Them From the