The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-07-30
BLUE VALLEY FA iM SERVICE
By M. A. Nye

scores of farmers east and south OF
Sank Centre lost his barn in the
storm and is preparing to erect a
small new barn.
According to present plans Mr..
Rue's new barn will be stone most of
the way up the side walls. A separat-
or and pump room will either be par
titioned off in one corner of the barn
or small separate building built for
this purpose.
Ben Osdendorf east of Sank Centre
put up between 80 and 35 tons of al
falfa hay this summers first cutting.
Mr.. Osendorf states that he cut his
alfalfa a little late last fall and it
might have had something to do with
the winter killing it. 1t did not come
through the winter in as good shape
as it should have. Last winter was
an unusually hard winter on alfalfa.
A. Birdsell northwest of Sank Cen
tire has about 140 head of sheep on
his place and he says, "They are first
class property for making some mon
ey each year.
They require very little expense
and care. "By changing pastures the
middle of each SUMNER" Mr.. Birdsell
says, "He has never been bothered
with stomach worm in his sheep"
Mr. Birdsell is figuring on better
cooling system for his cream. He
plans to hook up cooler in his pump
house on the line from the pump to
the stock tank.
Something a little new in alfalfa
seeding was shown at state meeting
of Alfalfa Growers at Clontarf the
other day.
A fine field of alfalfa was visited
that had been sown in standing corn
last season. A special one row drill
had been used for the seeding and
only 6-8 pounds of seed sown on an
acre in between the rows of corn.
This is about a pounds less seed than
is usually seeded, saving of couple
dollars in seed.
Corn should be good and clean
where alfalfa is seeded in it. Taking
off the corn crop early is another adj
vantage for the, alfalfa. This is a
new method of seeding alfalfa and
there seems ito be quite a number OF
farmers having success with it.
The success of it depends lot on
the fall rains and weather. 1t would
be advisable not to try it on too big
a scale, for the first time.
At this meeting another good meth
cd of seeding alfalfa was demonstrate
ed. A grass seeder was used and a
cultipacker attached behind the seed
er. With this combination the alfal-
ia seeds were Immediately pressed
into the ground The ground was
packed and the clods crushed.
For another good Dairy Farm Pa
per, this column would recommend
The Dairy Farmer published at Des
Moines, Iowa.
Noon Lunch Stops August Egg
Observation-Disclosures of the extension
division, department of agriculture,
University of Minnesota, says that
the feeding of a SPECIAL noon lunch
to laying hens will do much to pre-
vent the annual August slump in egg
production.
The slump is one which is felt all
over the country and is usually re-
fected in a rise in the price of eggs
in August.
For Minnesota conditions, N. E.
Chapman, poultry specialist of the
extension division, University Farm,
advises the use of two parts of mash
to one part of scratch feed at this
season. For a mash he suggests
one bushel of wheat to two of oats,
finely ground. For the special noon
lunch, he recommends crumbly
mash made of three quarts of dry
mash and three quarts of butter
milk or skimmilk, for each 100 hens.
Mr.. Chapman provides noon
lunch for his own hens. He insists,
also, on the thorough ventilation of
the hen house, shade for the range,
and fresh, cool drinks available at all
times.
-"Uncle Norton" Chapman, poul-
sion, Minnesota College of Agricul-
ture, says it is easy to detect the
Stacker hens in a flock.
When the daily egg production at
this time of the year falls below so
per cent of the number of hens in a
well fed flock, then some hens are
1OdIlng on Ine JOD. Inc numDef OF
loafers can be determined by null
tiplying the number of eggs obtained
daily by 2, and subtracting this from
the number of hens in the flock.
The next thing is to pick out the
slackers. Here are five signs of guilt:
Yellow instead of white beaks, ear
lobe folds, evenings, and, sometimes,
legs, indicating that no coloring mat
ter is being used in egg yolks.
Shrunken, pale, and small comb
and wattles.
Melting or falling of feathers from
neck, body, and wings.
Hard fat abdomen, with pelvic
bones and keel bone close together.
Loafing on the back roosts, scarf
ness and wildness.
With these signs as guides, Mr..
Chapman says, it should not be diff
ficult with little practice to Gull out
most of the loafers.
D
Hay Grading Is Ancient Practice
The announcement by the federal
government of grades for prairie, al
falfa, and johnson grass hay, in adj
dition to those of timothy and clover
hays, beginning with the current fiscal
year, suggests the fact that hay grad