The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-09-03
Harvest Time Suggestions

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Suggestion is made at this time
that farmers who load their grain
on open hayracks to haul to the
stack should make the rack tight
enough to hold the shelled grain or
use canvas to catch it. The high
price of grain and the prospects for
shortage make the cost of the canvas
look small in comparison with what
may be saved by it. Several farm
ers might use the saem canvas where
their stacking does not come at quite
the same time.
In operating the binder where the
ant that the driver should keep
shifting the binder to suit the length
of straw and have the bands come
at the middle Of the sheaf 80 that
straws will not lose out in handling.
To save buying more binders in q
community, farmers can combine
their efforts of teams and drivers,
and keep the machine going all day
without stopping for feed and rest,
thus saving their crops with the min
imum of investment in machinery
and laborers.
In selecting the place for stacking
the grain, care should be used to
have the ground cleaned off SO it
will be easy to save the shelled grain
at threshing time. Sticks, cobbles
and other things that would be
dangerous If fed into the cylinder
should be removed. Straw is going
to be valuable this year and care
should be given to save the straw
in as good condition as possible to
resist the storms. Any kind Of
stockade that will hold it in COM
pact body will be worth while. Some
who have barns are planning to blow
it into the barn and catch and hold
everything but the hum of the ma
chine.
After the threshers have left and
before there comes rain, all the
grain that lies in the chaff and dust
should be scooped up and deposited
in dry place for the fowls in
winter. Chickens need a dust bath
in winter to keep off the mites, and
they need exercise such as will be
afforded by scratching in this mix
ture of grain and chaff and dust to
get their feed. Prepare a clean hard
floor that can be swept often, and
then dump enough of the mixture on
it each day to keep the fowls in
good condition. Prepare the place
of storage now. and do not wait till
the shower spoils the plan by sprout-
ing the grain. If you want the
chickens to have a little green truck
during the winter to improve the
egg crop, take some of the mixed
grain and dust and wet it, and place
1t in a shallow box where there is
enough heat and light to sprout it.
Then let the fowls have it to dig
in, and they will eat the tender
shoots and the kernels and repay you
in better eggs. A monotonous ra-
ton of wheat will keep fowls alive
all winter but it will not keep them
in good physical condition and lay
ing. Frequent changes Of diet with
out going to extremes is what they
need.
In operating the thresher, do not
allow the pitchers to crowd 1t and
reduce the speed of operation nor
yet to get behind and let the ma
chine run empty and at high motion.
Either circumstance wastes the
grain, and care on the part OF the
pitchers and in regulating the sep
arator If variation occurs. saves
heavy loss Of grain. Workmen
should keep these things in mind
and remember that care in the har-
vest is one Of the ways Of winning
the war. u