Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-06-20

The old world has mighty little 10
offer boys who start out In life at ten
years old sucking cigarettes. except
quarters in insane asylums. penitentia'
ries or Jobs holding down dry goods
boxes, rubbing the sand of depot walls
at train time or touring the country on
brake beams. None of these occupa-
tions, by the way. yields very hand
some salary. 1t is well for the boy to
look into the future far enough TO
make up his mind whether he wants
to hang out with this kind OF company.
II he doesn't he would better cut the
cigarettes out.
Figures gathered by investigators In
the federal department of agriculture
show that those engaged in the poultry
business in the United States suffer Il
loss of $45 100000. or 10 per cent Of
the annual value of the egg output,
$500, 100000, through the careless
handling of the product. This loss Is
traced to failure to provide adequate
and clean nesting places. irregularity
in gathering. keeping in warm Instead
of cool places and infrequency Of
marketing 1t is safe to say. In addi-
ton. that the bulk of this loss Is sus-
tanned by farm poultry raisers rather
than those who make Of poultry rails
ing primary business. The leak IS
sone that should be stopped.
we heard the other day of tactful
fellow who got the better of a balky
horse by hopping out of the rig aud
pretending to adjust something about
the harness. BY the time he had tied
and united the rump strap or monkey
ed with the tug or bride Bit and got
back into his seat the horse was ready
to start on. The writer has had equal
ly good results while cultlyating with
horses inclined to balk by backing
themsup few steps and then starting
ahead But all schemes fail at times.
and, like others. we have sat for good
half hour, with the thermometer regis
tering 40 degrees F. in the shade In
the vicinity of our rear collar button.
waiting for Tom to get over a balky
streak. 1t takes stack of patience.
much philosophy and all or more re-
ligion than fellow can muster to
keep sweet tempered when he has one
Of the ornery critters on his hands.
Time was when cows needed their
horns for self protection. but under
modern domestic conditions they are
useless and often dangerous append
ages. The best and easiest method OF
dehorning is by the application OF
some caustic potash to the germ OF the
horns when the calf is few days old.
After the horn has got good start
the job must be done by saw or clip
pers. Many a dairyman hesitates to
dehorn his cows because of the harm
full effect he thinks it will have In re-
ducing their milk flow. However. this
is likely to be oyerestimated. test
made at the Kansas Agricultural col
lege in herd of twelve cows with a
view to determining the shrinkage as
a result of dehorning showed that In
the FIVE days prior to the operation 1t
rave 1.142.5 pounds of milk. while In
the five days following it gave l.1OO.7
pounds. or a total shrinkage for the
twelve cows of 40.8 pounds This
amounts TO sixty one hundredths
of pound of milk per COW each day.
or about half pint. On the fifth day
after dehorning all except two of the
cows were giving as much milk. and /
a few more than they did the day be-
fore their horns were removed.