Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-02-24

| The following rare bit of humor
taken from the "ginger jar" Of well
known eastern agricultural publica-
tion: Zone may retail apples, but it is
impossible to retail dog" 1t Is ap-
parent from this spicy morsel that the
supply Of ginger needed replenishing.
There is no liquid that will absorb
odors more quickly or completely than
milk. On this account it is we'll to
keep the stable sweet and clean, free
from manure odors, the smells Of roots
or silage at milking time as we'll as
free from dust, which will get into the
milk IL 1t is stirred up.
The trap nest enables the poultry
keeper to learn just what each men,
Der of the flock Is doing; hence the
point In question Is not whether 1t
will pay to bother with them, but
whether one can afford to continue
stuffing high priced food into hens
which do not pay for their winter
keep.
A reader Of an eastern farm journal
who has tried it recommends the fol.
/ lowing mixture as excellent as a rust
proof coating for plows: Melt three
pounds Of beef suet and add one pound
of white lend; apply when warm with
an old paint brush. This combination
| is good to apply on any metal tool to
prevent rusting.
The trouble with most prohibitive or
restrictive laws as affecting the con-
duct of people is that their enactment
does not change desire or will, but
merely represses it. 1t Is on this ac-
count that those agitations are most
effective which are largely educational
and furnish new interests and new
aims-that is, furnish new channels
| for the operation Of the energy and
will.
An observation made by syndicate
writer the other day was to the effect
that weeds require poor land to do
well. Probably what the writer meant
was that weeds would flourish where
some grasses and cultivated plants
would not; yet, other conditions being
equal, the richer the land the more
rank weeds will grow, as they take
from the soil in the main the same
elements rs do other crops.
It takes something more than q ped
igree to furnish assurance that a CIV
en- animal is worth anything for breed
ing purposes. In the same way boy
can come from pretty good family,
yet be an all round scrub and no ac-
count. Many an animal sold at stock
sales at price trifle above an every
day commercial basis should be sent
to the block instead Of being intrusted
with the highly important duty Of be-
coming the sire Of future breeding ami
mails.
The poinsettia, which is coming to be
a very popular early winter house
| plant, has several very interesting
characteristics. One Of these is that
1t sheds its green leaves some time
before 1t does the red bracts encircling
the blossom cluster. Another Is that
each blossom Is equipped with little
cuplike projection containing about
drop of clear sirupy liquid, which is
evidently intended as bait to draw
bees and other insects to aid in
more complete polarization Of the
flower. 1t is well worth securing one
Of the plants, not only because Of its
snowy green leaves and beautiful red
crown. but for the peculiarities above
noted. The plant is subtropical and
will flourish best If kept where the
temperature is quite warm.
| Since the federal pure food law went
into effect a good many sugar BUSH
es" over the country seem to have
gone out Of commission, judging from
the very limited supply Of maple sirup
which Is able to bear the legend
"pure." Yet If one cannot get the real
| article a very wholesome substitute
| can be made by the use Of corncobs,
which will impart both flavor and
color. White cobs clean and freshly
They should be put in kettle and
boiled for about an hour, or until the
coloring matter shows clearly in the
water. They should then be removed,
the water carefully strained to remove
particles Of cob and sediment and
enough coffee or light brown sugar
added to give the sirup the desired
thickness after few minutes boiling.
If the job is carefully done not only
will this COO sirup have delicate fla
vor closely resembling maple sirup, but
the color also will be q close counter
felt.