The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1935-09-26
Questions Pertaining To
Agriculture and Home
Problems Confronting Farmers and
Homemakers Answered by
University Farm

University Farm
Do lice kiln baby chicks and
duclxlings?
Yes, lice will kill baby chicks and
ducklings. Dust them as soon as
they are Matched with Pyrethrum
or Persian insect powder. Grease
their heads with vaseline or cot
tonseed oil, putting a little under
the wings. The ducklings should
not be troubled with lice, but may
be If they habe hen mothers.-A. C.
Smith, Division of Poultry Hus-
bandry.
I am going to build q barn and
plan to use . stone foundation.
Could you give me some sugges-
tons?
A stone foundation should ex-
tend at least 8 feet into the ground.
1t may be as high as you wish, but
many like to have the wall stop at
the bottom Of the windows. To give
the inside surface a smooth finish,
temporary studding may be erect
ed and braced in place. Then a
board or plank can be placed
against these studding and raised
as the wall Is built up. This will
give your wall a smooth inside sur
face, while the outside will be fac
ed with rock.-H- B. White, Divi-
sion of Agricultural Engineering.
Every spring some of my lambs
are born dead, while others are
weak and unthrifty. These lambs
seem to have q swelling In the
throat Can you explain the trou-
BILE?
I am of the opinion that this
condition is goitre, and is due to
lack of iodine in the ewes ration
while she is carrying her young. To
prevent the trouble in future, start
feeding iodine to the ewes not later
than October and continue until
the lambs are dropped. Perhaps the
most satisfactory way to provide
the iodine is to give the ewes iodiz-
ed block salt, being sure that you
get a reliable product. Putting po-
tassium iodide or sodium iodide in
to the drinking water is another
way to supply the iodine.-W. L.
Boyd, Division Of Veterinary Med
icine.
Please tell us how to disinfect
potato cellars that are infested with
dry rot.
Since dry rot always starts
through some bruise or injury to
the tuber, prevention should begin
at digging time. Care should be Ia
ken in digging and handling to
avoid damaging the tubers more
than absolutely necessary. They
should be thoroughly dried before
they are put in storage. Before po-
tatoes are stored the storage cellar
should be thoroughly cleaned out,
and the walls and the floors should
be sprayed with a solution of cop
per sulphate (blue vitroD. Use 1
pound Of the copper sulphate to 10
gallons Of water. The common
knapsack sprayer is a good thing
to use in applying this disinfectant.
The temperature Of the storage cell
lar should be maintained some
where between 35 degrees to "a de-
grees F., and good ventilation
should be provided. The potatoes
should not be piled too deeply, and
If possible, false floors and walls
should be used, so that air may cir
culate under and around the tub
ers.-J. G. Leach, Division Of Plan.
Pathology.
What Is the best way to store
eggplant. cauliflower and broccoli
These vegetables are not consid-
cred storage crops and there is no
method Of keeping them in the
fresh state for any length Of time.
The season of broccoli and cauli-
flower can be extended a short
time by storing them at tempera-
lures near freezing but. they soon
lose their desirability, both as to
quality and appearance. Elephants
may be kept for q short time un-
der the same conditions as toma-
toes, but the flesh soon becomes
tough and pithy.-A. e. Hutchins,
Division Of Horticulture.
Should I cover my asparagus bed
during the winter?
Asparagus usually does not re-
quire covering in regions where
there Is plenty Of snow cover.
Sometimes the tops are left stand
ing until spring to aid In holding
the snow. A light covering Of straw
or marsh hay, however. would do
no harm and might insure the crop
against an open winter. Winter in
jury is usually caused, not by the
severity Of freezing. but by alter
nate freezing and thawing which
causes the heaving Of the roots and
consequent drying out and killing.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES