davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
(By PROF. q. NJ. TURPIN.)

(By PROF. q. M. TURPIN.)
A good breed Of fowls properly bred
Is the first essential of successful egg
production. For egg production alone
the White. or the Brown, Leghorns are
unsurpassed. For the general farmer
and others desiring both meat and
eggs, White or Barred Rocks. White
Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds
head the list. Keep only one breed
and breed these by continuous selec-
ton for vigor and egg production.
No hens should be kept for laying
purposes after their second laying
year. On an average hens will lay 10
per cent as many eggs during their
second laying year as they will during
the first. After this they will seldom
lay enough eggs at market prices to
pay for their feed.
The ability to hatch and rear young
stock Is a third essential. For the
general farmer keeping not more than
one or two hundred fowls. the natural
method of Matching and brooding can.
not be improved upon. For those In
the business Of egg production on a
larger scale. incubators and breeders
are a necessity.
A good poultry house. one that is
always dry inside and admits plenty
Of fresh air and sunshine without
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

1t does not require much hard work
to keep q flock In good condition in
the summer, but absolute neglect will
often completely destroy the winter
egg producing qualities of not only
the old hens. but the pullets as we'll.
II you have not removed every win.
dow in the chicken house and substi.
tuted wire netting in order to provide
perfect ventilation, do 80 now.
Better that the chicks roost in the
trees than that they should be con.
fined in a vermin ridden building.
Body lice will worry Q flock to death.
or SO nearly SO as to destroy its use-
fulness. These can be killed but not
easily.
Persian insect powder will do the
business. It should be applied with
q powder given by one person while
another holds the fowls by the legs
SO that the powder may reach every
part Of the skin through the disturbed
feathers.
The youngsters should be OF.
smined frequently now for signs Of
the big head lice. because unless they
are disposed Of they will kill the
chicks. The only thing necessary is
to rub the heads and under parts very
gently with q tiny bit Of lard or some
other kind of grease.
The red lice are ven worse than
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

q nahg iengtnwIse. sIse the cows WIN
have q tilt that way when lying. Their
beds we have advised to be made a.
level as Ia practicable from wall to
grip" and this holds good with re-
gard to their ~cross-sectton, too. It will
be noticed from the figure that the
passage up the center of the cowhouss
is a little lower than the GOV stands
on each side. This is In order to give
the COWS a better position when crit
les are about. The travises or divi-
stons between stalls are of concrete,
and between three and four inches
thick. Each stall. we need hardly add,
holds two COWS. A cowhouse, finished
az I have been describing. and proper.
ly ventilated. does not call for much
Improvement. one would think
The cr~oss-section Of
A Double PIgstys
Ii represented In Fig. 3. Concrete IL
again much In evidence, a. will be
seen. The beds are of brick, however.
They are raised Q few inches above
the general floor level Where this
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

method Ia adopted II will be found that
the pigs rarely mess these plat
forms" When feeding they void ar
crement enough, but then 1t falls on
the concrete floor between the trough
and the raised bed. The liquid matter
escapes either underneath or round
the troughs into the channel along
side the passage; and the solid matter
can easily be removed from where It
fell with shovel or scraper. without
leaving much trace behind it. The
feeding troughs are Of q glazed dre-
clay. They are low in front, but have
high sloping backs, tending outwards
into the passage. over which proJec-
ton the food can easily be tipped from
bucket or ladle. Cross pieces from
front to back keep each snout from
boring from right to left In the trough.
The high back Of the troughs help to
make out the front barrier or each d.
vision or pen. Iron rods stretched
above these, as the section shows,
complete it effectuslly. while they ad-
init Of a clear view of the place. It
simplifes matters when doors to the
pen can be dispensed with at the
passage side and be put In the back
wall instead. This affords increased
trough space. and 10 otherwise o
yenient enough. The semi-solid IL
creta can be easily removed by the
back. a concrete barrow track being
carried along one end Of the platform
to the doorway, II 30 wished, but Q
strip will serve. A run of
water from one end Of the house To
the other will do the rest of the clean
ing efectually. The efluent will sas-
lily repay the cost Of q tank placed
where such can be conveniently intsr-
cepted. The figures. it must be borne
in mind. are suitable only for small
ish pigs; for larger animals they must
be increased proportionately. Light
Cd and ventilated as advised for the
cowhouse. q place such as the above
merits the name Of pighouse in place
Of pigstys.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
SOME ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESS WITH HENS

drafts, must be provided. This Ia &C.
complished by having three sides tight
and the south side largely open. Glass
windows are an unnecessary expense
The building should be convenient and
not cost more than n dollar for each
bird 1t will comfortably house.
Proper method Of feeding consists
in the use OF a variety of cheap grains
and mill products of good quality.
When fowls do not have access to In.
sects, meat food Of some form Is an
absolute necessity. Lime In the form
Of ground oyster shell or old plaster.
should be provided. together with
plenty Of green food and fresh water
at all times.
Economy Of labor is the sixth ca.
sential Of profitable egg production.
This a be largely brought about In
three ways: "a The use Of the colony
house system of housing where build
ings can be moved. (2) by the hopper
method OF feeding SO that the stock
need only be fed every few days or
once a week, instead Of several times
a day. (S) by the use Of a water
system which does away with the
necessity of carrying water to the
fowls. and by giving the stock plenty
Of free range during both summer and
winter months.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
GOOD FARM BUILDINGS
Materials for Cow Houses, Sta.
bIes and Pigstyes.
Floor Of Structure Intended for 40.
eommodatIon Of Live Stock Should
Be impermeabIe and Non-Ab-
sorbent 40 Possible.
(By w. r. GILBERT.O

(By W. r. CELEBRITY
Since the Introduction of Portland
cement concrete as a fioor-laying ma.
terial there has been nc excuse for un'
comfortable and inefficient floors at
the homestead. To be efficient. the
floor Of a house intended for the ac-
commodation Of live stock must to as
great q degree al possible be both i'm.
permeable and n~on-absorbent. II It be
neither, 1t will be liable to become Of.
fensive itself. and will lead to the
same condition In the soil upon which
1t lies as well. Fagstones Of good
quality and finish and flooring tiles
may reach a high standard In these re-
spects. but unless they are very care
fully jointed liquid matter will leak
through the seams and polute the soil
underneath. II with such as these It
is difficult to keep the subsoil whole
some, 1t need never be attempted with
i~rregularly finished slabs, far less
with small boulders. az paving stones.
Concrete can, however. be laid with.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
INCREASE FARM EFFICIENCY
Work Done With Fewer Horsss Msans
Saving Of 500 q Year for Each
Animal Not Required. !
(By A. H. BENTON.)

(By A. H, BENTON.)
Ono Of the most frequent sources OF
loss on the farm Is an insufficient re-
turn from work horses,
Have you satisfied yourself on the
following points?
1t costs 500 annually to keep the
average horse. but this horse works
only q little more than three hours
each working day. This makes the
horse labor cost approximately ten
cents an hour.
Do you handle the horse labor ON
your farm 30 that the annual cost OF
keeping your horses Ii less than the
average, 50 that the number Of hours
worked 10 greater? Both methods
will reduce the cost Of horse labor.
but the latter offers by far the great
est opportunity.
Can you revise your cropping sys-
tenn 20 that fewer work horses will
be needed. or so that the work will Be
more equally distributed and thus
make 1t possible to employ them more
hours each yearf
Can you raise colts and thus re-
duce the cost Of keeping your horssss
Can you arrange to use your work
horses for outside work when not busy
On the farmf
Can you reduce the cost Of keeping
each horse BY feeding less feed or
cheaper feed and still give . proper
rations
Farm work done with fewer horses
means Q saving Of 800 . year for
each horse not needed.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
On Bootlegging Charge

Sheriff w. |. Crerr, of Hart.
vile, deserves the sincere thanks
IF our people for his valuable
assistance in helping to see that
no infractions of the law took
place. as does, also, Prosecuting
Attorney 4. B, Garner. Deputy
Sheriff Henry Claxton, was also
here from Hartville to assist
Constable S. j. White and City
Marshal Roe Strong and his
deputies Simon Carter, M. T..
Dennis and W. r. Roper and E.E.
Short during the show. There
we've two arrests for drinking,
and these cases were handled
in the police court.
Bill" Young. who has served
time on bookkeeping charges,
was arrested by Messrs Strong
and Claxton, for bootlegging,
and a quantity of whiskey con.
tiscated. He was placed in the
city jail, but some one broke the
lock and he escaped. He was
recaptured and treated to an
automobile ride to Hartville, and
is now a guest at Hote de Greer,
to await trial on a state charge.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
ALFALFA AS A FORAGE CROP
Most Valuable Of psspRootsd lie.
ounce and 10 Long Lived Under
the Best Of Conditions.

Alfalfa 10 an exceptionally deep
rooted lesums. and under the best
conditions 1t II long lived. Like other
legumes. it has the capacity. under
the right conditions. Of sasimilsting
nitrogen from the atmosphere. but
until the root system and the nodulss
which 1t bears are well developed its
growth IL greatly promoted BY the
presence Of readily assimilable, nj,
trogen In the soil. It is without doubt
one Of the most valuable forage plants
known to man. It has long been oul-
tivated In various parts Of Asia and
Europe. whence It was brought to
Mexico by the s~paniArds, who took
1t with them to California and the
semt-arid portions Of our southwest,
ern states. During the last fifteen or
twenty years It's culture has been
steadily pushed eastward. and II IN
now successfully grown In most parts
Of the United States and In . few
parts Of Canada. In many essentials
and In feeding value alfalfa resem-
bles the clovers; and ~ these are 10
generally known its Characterization
Will be perhaps best brought out by
81
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

enough kerosene oil to form q Aim
over its surface to kill insects that
may fall into It, In the middle Of the
pan set an ordinary lighted lantern.
Let this burn brightly through the
night. to attract the moths. No one
knows how far this will attract them.
Doubtless much depends upon the
brightness Of the light or the dark.
ness Of the night. This is q very
simple and effective method Of exter.
minating the moths Of many in1uri.
u insects. Flying against the Ian
tern, the moths simply drop into the
oil and water and their career Of use
lessness II over.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

The question of what constitutes q
profitable and suitable, as well as
practical. house for poultry on the
farm Is one that Ia often discussed.
1t has many sides and. as most CUES.
lions, Is one open to a great variety
OF arguments and opinions. The open
air poultry house has lately received
considerable consideration. and its ad-
vantages are not wholly undeservlng.
Prof. James E. Rice, poultry husband.
man at Cornell College of Agricul.
ture and a recognized authority on
all poultry subjects. is a firm believer
In the use Of more air In the poultry
house. He considers that the open
air house has become q fixture In
modern poultry husbandry and dis
cusses the matter n the following
b~usiness.like manner:
We formerly thought we must keep
u hens warm in order to get the
best results, which required houses to
be a~rtiflcially heated. The modern
poultry house is single boarded and
tight with practically an open front
containing both cloth and glass, and
instead of costing from four to seven
dollars per hen. need not cost, ever
with the present high prices Of lum.
Der, to exceed two dollars per hen.
and In many instances eve a less
amount.
There may be some question Of
doubt In the minds Of certain poultry
men as to the a~dvisability Of using
cloth over some Of the window open
ings in place Of glass. particularly
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

the big fellows and must be continual.
ly fought. They will quickly sap the
vitality Of q flock and SO weaken II
that 1t Is practically useless.
The interior Of the chicken house
should DO thoroughly sprayed over ev.
cry square inch with kerosene into q
gallon of which two tablespoonfuls of
carbolio acid should be mixed.
If this job is thoroughly done and
the outside heavily whitewashed and
the work repeated before the flock has
settled for the winter, no trouble 10
likely to result.
More harm results to locks during
the summer months than at any other
time. owing to the neglect Of their
owners to keep the house and the
bodies Of the birds clean.
Let the fowls have a. wide range a.
possible. but II they must be confined.
give them plenty Of shade and dig up
the ground frequently.
Supply them with fresh leaves and
grass. clean drinking. water and the
right kind Of feed and your fowls will
80 into the winter months in good
form.
This work must be done every day.
not two or three times during the
summer. You cannot hope for the
best with fowls unless willing to give
them necessary attention.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
Poultry House With Open Front.

from the fear that the hens will sui.
fer from the cold. 1t Is a surprising
fact which we have demonstrated In
u experiments covering three years
where we have been comparing
houses otherwise similar. one contain.
ing glass. another cloth and still 9TH
ers with both cloth and glass. and one
without either. that we found on an
average during the winter, the tenn
perature of the house with cloth win
dOws was only about one and one-half
degrees colder than the house with
the glass windows. The cloth WIN
dow house was dryer and contained
purer air. The hens have been, as q
rule, healthier and have given US our
best general results al compared to
the house with the glass windows. In
other words. we have found that al
though comfort Is important and that,
other things being equal. the very
cold house would be less desirable.
nevertheless. hens will do far better
In cold. pure air; that fresh air is
Of more Importance than warmth II
we cannot have both. Inasmuch as
glass lets in about three times as
much sunlight as cloth. 1t is desirable
to have both cloth and glass in front
Of the house. Without pure air In a
poultry house. q poultryman cannot
stay long in the business unless he
has a large bank account to foot the
bills. Low vitality in the breeding
stock which will result In infertile
eggs and weak chickens will soon put
the poultryman out of business.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22

out joint or crack In the whole ares
covered. 1t Is impervious to water;
moisture cannot pass down through 1t
nor can ground damp pass up. 1t can
be worked into forms required in such
places. and 1t wears well. A further
advantage is its comparative cheap
ness. Another is the effective resist
ance that II gives to rats; these un-
firing "sappers and miners" are non
plussed when faced by q well-laid con
crete floor.
Open channels alone are permissible
In the buildings we are dealing with;
covered drains never be kept sani.
tary in these ~places-not. at any rate,
oy the tied'up animals. 1t is not SO we'll
suited for their stalls OF lairs. 1t is all
right as regards smoothness, but 1t
seems to be too cold for both cows
and pigs to lie upon unless abund-
ance Of bedding or litter is at the dis
posal Of the attendants. When heavy
horses come It is hardly durable
enough; the pounding Of their iron.
bound heels are too much for concrete.
The passages and channels of the
three places we started with can have
no better flooring medium than con.
crete, but something q little warmer
and less u%nyielding ia required for
both cows and pigs to lie upon. Horses
might be left to take advantage OF it's
smoothness were 1t more durable
against their heels, because they usu-
ally have more bedding afforded them
and they have less time to lie down.
Brick Pavement
Makes . very suitable floor for the
cows stall. and It answer equally
we'll for the pigs bed. Well shaped
building bricks laid on a bed of lime
or cement serve the purpose admlra.
bly,. The COWS car never soil their
stall floors, provided the building Ia
arranged to meet their requirements:
neither do the bigs mess their sleep.
ing place provided 1t 10 kept clear Of
the rest Of the floor space. At this
Ests there y not much likelihood Of
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
Orchard
TO FERTlLIzE THE ORCHARD
Generous Heap Of Stable Manure,
Straw, CornstaIks, Etc, Should Be
Placed Around Trees,

Here again. during the fall Is the
Ideal time In which to fertilize the
orchard, as a goodly portion OF the
fertility elements will have penetrated
down to the roots of the trees before
the ground freezes up, and the work OF
r~ejuyenation will have been we'll be.
gun when the spring opens up and the
ground thaws out.
Where the orchard
or course. nave to be plowed after
giving 1t a good coat OF rich stable
manure, straw. cornstalks, etc. II
the orchard is of a size not to require
cultivation. a generous heap Of the
aforementioned fertilizers should be
hauled and piled up around the base
of each tree.
This is more productive Of good re-
suits the following season than where
the orchard is fertilized during the
spring months, as 1t will have plenty
of time In which to be instrumental
In developing a larger crop Of finer
quality fruit.-E. v. B.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
MAKING PROFIT WITH PEARS
Advantage Of Dwarf Variety 10 That
They Come Into Bearing Early
-Rioh Soil 10 Preferable.

Both standard and dwarf pears are
desirable for planting. The advant'
age with the dwarf pear is that they
come into bearing early. and never
attain a great size, hence r well
adapted to planting where the ground
Is limited. Then they usually come
into bearing 30 early, two or three
years after planting out, that several
crops may be secured before blight
kills the trees.
They are. however, not as long lived
a tree as the standard, and In n
this ia an objection, as 1t ne.
csssitates planting oftener. But 1t
will be an exception even ON a small
place, when 1t will be best to plant
a few dwarf pear trees, the number
being proportioned to the number
of trees planted.
Standard pears, If kept healthy, are
very long lived, and they will bear
fruit a long time. but they are longer
coming into bearing than the dwarf,
and need considerable SUI
When planted for family use. two or
three varieties can be planted to good
advantage-an early, medium and
late, In order to lengthen out the sea
son. II properly cared for late pears
may be kept for 4 considerable time
after ~ripening. When grown espe
cially for market $here should not be
too many varieties. as properly man
aged, one or two good varities will
pay a better profit than a large mum.
Der Of varieties. A reasonably rich
soil is preferable in order to secure
q strong. vigorous growth. This will
greatly aid In preventing blight, as a
vigorous, thrifty tree 10 less liable to
be attacked than an unthrifty one.
Then plenty of potato starch should
be supplied. Wood ashes. old vines
or something of this kind can be put
around the tree with benefit. and will
nerp TO secure a better growth and a
tree less liable to be attacked
by disease. There is rarely an v
stock Of pears In market. 30 that good
prices can nearly always be depended
upon.
Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-10-22
POULTRY
FATS.
FOR BETTER POULTRY STOCK
Keeping Birds Healthy and Improving
Them Can Be Done by Adoption
OF Few Systematic RuIes,

In raising stock or poultry It should
be the air OF everyone to keen I,
healthy and improve 1t. You can do 1,
very easily by adopting systematic
rules. These may be summed up In
brief as follows:
Construct your houses good and
warm, SO as to avoid damp floors and
anord a flood Of sunshine. Sunshine
10 better than medicine.
Provide a busting and scratching
place where you can bury the grain
n thus induce the fowls to take the
needful exercise.
Provide yourself with some good.
healthy fowls. never to BIZ over three
years old. giving one cock to every
IL hens.
Give plenty of fresh air at all times,
especially In summer.
Give plenty of fresh water daily, and
never allow the fowls to go thirsty.
Feed them systematically two or
three times a day. Scatter the food 30
they cannot eat 1t too fast or without
proper exercise. Do not feed more than
they will eat up clean. or they will get
tired of that kind of feed.
Give them a variety of both dry and
cooked feed. A mixture Of cooked
meat and vegetables is good for a
morning meal.
Give soft feed in the morning and
the whole grain at night, except a Lit.
tie wheat and cracked corn placed In
the scratching pens to give them ex.
ercise during the day.
Above all things, keep the house
clean and well ventilated.
Do not crowd too many into one
house. II you do. look out for dis
ease.
Keep the house, nests, etc., sprayed
with some good dis~infectant. In or
der to keep down the lice and mites.
Wash your roosts and bottom OF
laying nests. and whitewash once .
week In summer and once a week in
winter.
Let the old and young have as large
= range as possible, the larger the bet.
ter.
Do not bred too many kinds Of fowls
at the same time. Better have one
breed and understand It.
Introduce new blood into your stock
every year or 30. by either buying a
cockerel or a setting Of eggs from
some reliable breeder.