SUGGESTIONS FOR CURING HAY IN SOUTH a Haying In Comfort f Prepared by ths I'nlt.d Slate* Depart ment of Agriculture.) The cure given the hay crop baa mucb to do wttb it* selling price on the elty market. One of th* greatest obstacles in the way of producing bay in tb* great agricultural sections of tbe South, which Import* more than one-flfth of all the hay It uses, Is the matter of curing. Rains are heavy In the South, and often come at har vest time. Weather-stained hay. un less badly damaged, Is quite satisfac tory as a feed for farm stock, but there is a strong prejudice against it In tb* city markets. Tbe following suggestions for curing southern bay are contained In United States Depart ment of Agriculture Farmers' Bulle tin No. ?77. "Growing Hay In th* South for Market" The curing of grass hay in favorable weather Is a simple process. Curing is really a combination of three proc esses, drying, fermentation and bleach ing Tbe first two processes are nec essary and desirable; the third is un desirable, but In field curing it' can not be entirely avoided. To secure tbe best quality of hay the drying proc ess must not be too slow. To avoid uneven drying the familiar processes of tedding and cocking are commonly employed. Tedding is simply tbe turning or scattering of tbe cut grass after It Is partially dry on top. It may be done by hand with a pitchfork or, pref-' erably, by a horse-drawn machine called a tedder. When the crop Is very heavy, the grass is sometimes tedded when In the swath, but usual ly not until after It has been raked into windrows Cocking consists of putting ths par tially cured hay Into small piles. Tbe object Is twofold: (1) it reduce* tbe surface exposed to moisture that may tall upon it, either ai dew or rain, and (21, It evens up the dry ing, for tbe reason that the relatively dry leaves continue to draw water from tbe molster stems. Incidentally, cocking also reduce* the amount of bleaching. curing hay la much Increased, as the cock, antll sufficiently dry. should be spread at eaeb favorable opportunity and recocked again In the evening or when rain threatens. If ha- that Is not sufficiently dry be placed In the barn or stack It Is likely to become moldy and dusty. Cut hay should never be handled while wet with rain or dew. As the surface of the hay. If lying In the swatb. Is the part which was best cured before the rsln. lt is In the best position to dry- promptly. If In the windrow, the stirring of the hay would bring the surface moisture In contact with the tlrler hay beneath, by which It would be readily absorbed. Bale Hay Only When Sweating Is Completed. Tbe fermentation of hay takes place during the process of drying, and be cause of It the characteristic sweet odor Is developed. The process Is accompanied by tbe formation of beat, which. Is particularly noticeable 1n the ^ater stages rf curing In tbe cock, the stack. 0/ mow. The final stage of fermentation fl~caRtf sweating. The process of swearing continue! for a considerable period an\ bay should never be baled until tbe sVeating hak ceased. If for any reasonVur,lng be long protracted the hayvMweomes bleached or. weather-stained md loses most of Its aroma. Legumes, with the exception of lespedesa. are far more difficult to cure than grasses. This Is due large ly to their solid, more succulent stems, and to the fact that the^Jeaves shed readily If the curing process Is delayed, so that much of the leafage, tbe most nutritious part of the hay. 1s lost, furthermore, legume hay ab sorbs rain or dew more readily, both In the windrow and In the cock. Pin ally. legume hay la very apt to heat excessively In the sweating process If put In the stack or mow when not sufficiently cured. This heating la often sufficient to char the hay in the center and sometimes to cause fires. Legume hay should therefore never he put Inter a barn when half cured. Curing may beconsldered completed when the sterna are apparently dry. In thli atate a wisp of the hay Is dry enough to rattle If gently shaken hnd breaks readily when tightly twisted In tbe hand. Special Device* for Hay Curing. To hasten the drying of hay and to prevent the Injury of half-cured hay by rain, several devices often used are helpful and are here described, but each necessitates additional labor. Various forms of hay Caps to protect . . n < -i -1 - - rocks from rata bar* been used. The simplest la a piece of canvas about three feet square with a weight at each corner. A perch la simply a pole or stake about six feet long, prefer ably with one or more cross arms three to four feet long The stake' Is driven Into the ground and the green or half-dried plants are hung upon It so as to make a tall, narrow cock. Perches are much used In curing pea nuts and cow peas A pyramid con sists of three or four legs, usually six to eight feet long, pointed at the top. and commonly sharpened below, so they can be fastened firmly In the ground. Crosspteees Joining the legs are also useful. A pyramid permits the building of rather large cocks with a hollow space In the middle, wtycb helps greatly In drying the bay. The objection to all of these devices Is the additional labor and cost In volved. They' are considered more useful for legutcos than for' grasses. Additional Information on growing hay 1l the 8outh Is contained In this bul letin, No. (77, and may be had upon application to the editor and chief of the division of publications. United States department of agriculture, Washington, D. C., as long as the de partment's Supply lasts. HANDY BAB-FILLING 1EVICE By Means ef Arrangement Shewn In Illustration One Man Can Work Satisfactorily While Alone. A handy device for fllllng bags can be made by following the plan given herewith: Set np three posts, as shown In pic ture. The apex should be about six feet from the ground Screw Into each part a stout hook at the height that will let the bag rest lightly on the Device for Filling Bags. ground when filled IT'thejr are too high the bag will tear out Bjr meant of this arrangement one man can do the work of one man and a boy. It can easily be moved from one place to another, at the potts can easily be inade of 2 by 4 Inch pine material, light enough for a man to carry easily. Poor Methods at Fault What we need today Is better farm ing, better system of rotation and more land In grass. Under such man agement we can put stock raising on a money-making basis and gradually bulld-uiorour soils. The great trouble today Is not that of poor land so much as It Is poor methods of soil handling. Much of the trouble la due to the fact that we do not measure up to the pres ent-day requirements as farmers. Protect the Machinery. Some of the Implements which are found on almost every farm are used for very short periods of each year. The length of service may not Include more.than three or four weeks. For. the remaining part of the year, such pieces el'her remain In the open, or they may be given the best of care in a first-class Implement shed. Where they are exposed to the weather > r^pld decline In value la the result , 8pray for the Onion Maggot The onion maggot, which does a lot Of mischief, may be fought with a new spray compounded to kill the fly which lays the eggs from which Qie maggots come. This spray should be applied, before the maggots appear, with a coarse spray. The mixture constats of one pint of New Orleans molasses, one-sixth of an ounce of sodium arsentte and one gallon of wa tor. Good Old Bed Clover. Don't give good old red clover the go-by entirely. We can remember when It was as much lauded as alfalfa and seemingly as hard to get. No doubt of Its food or sotl-bulldlng quali ties. Fertile Egg*. Upon placing a male with bene which hare not had a male with them, the eggs become fertile In about three days and remain rertllo for 15 to 20 days after the male haa been re moved. ) Stick te the Cow. Stay by the cow. She produoee butter, skim milk, a good calf and manure to fertilise the land Seme of these products will remain high ta dince. Average Life of Mule. It la claimed that the life of a mule la an average of flvt yeore longer than that of a horse, and 1t will do work tl.at much longer. The mule's keep Is reckoned at a third less than that of a horse. ^ Disinfect Ceops Between Brood*. After taking one brood of chicks from a coop move R to another patch of grcrand hirers putting in suouier brood. It Is also a wise safeguard to disinfect coops between broods. LIVE-ST0CK-FRUIT-DAIRYIR6-GARDENIRQ-F1ELD CROPl-SILOS-PIM Htm Wrinkle# FARM M*kl?f th* '? 1 M n '?"IW* FIELD ***** tZZZZHZD tzzzzzzzj TOLD W M IRTE1ESTIH0 MARRER EXPRESSLY FOR OUR READERS BREEDING FOR MILK SUPPLY Breed* Improve the Thing for Whloh They Are Selected?Germany k Make* Increase In Vleld. Cattle need to be bred chiefly for ?ork Therefore the oows did not five much milk. Breed* Improve the thing* for which tbey are selected. If eows were used tyr stepladders we should by this time have them aeveu feet high. I>< 1730 the work eows of Oenfiaay gat s an afsrage of a pint and a half a day. Interest In milk Increased, and by 1100 the average yield was a quart and a half. Breeding went on milk ward. and In 1110 the German cows averaged two quarts of milk each per day. In 1820 three, la 1830 four?and there the gain stopped for 80 year*. Dwiii Cows. But In 18(0 the production had In creased to six quarts, and by 1870 to eight The breeders of the trotting horse found it tremendously hard to make their steeds go any faster after the 2:10 mark was reached, and It took years end years to get below two min utes?and at about the two-minute mark in all probability the record will always stand. So with the milch cows, as the yield Increased it grew more difficult to breed record breakers, or to better the average; but now the aver age dally yield of all German cows la said to be ten quarts. A thousand per cent gain in a cen tury and a quarter; that is what long period breeding will do. It Is such work as this which alone will keep the world big enough for Its Increas ing numbers of people. QUALITIES OF POLAND-CHINA Breed Considered Ideal of Lard Typo of Hog?Olvsa High Per Cent of Marketable Meat <Bjr D. U ORAT.) The Poland China breed of hoge originated In the atate of Ohio. This breed-fa considered the Ideal of the lard type of hog. The Individuals are broad on the back, compact, low, and dreae a high per cent of marketable meat. The back la broader and shorter than that of the Berkshire, but the latter has the advantage of the Poland-China In length of aide. The face of the Poland-China Is longer and not dished ao much as that of the Berkshire. While the Ideal ear of the Poland-China hog stands erect. H?ad of Poland-China Sow. atlll the tips of the eara should droop. The large, over-hanging ear Is very objectionable to Poland-China breed ers. In color tkq_ Poland-China Is Mack, with six white points?on the face, on the tip of the tall and on tba feet The Poland-Chiaa was originally a very large hog. but has been bred for refinement and compactness so long that at the present time it will not weigh as much as the Berkshire. Poland-Chinas are good feeders and early maturers. They are suited rather to lot feeding than to pasture feeding, as they have not the rustling qualities as some of the other breeds. Still they will make good use of pas tures. The meat of this breed Is ten der and 4ne-gralned, but there la more fat than the average consumer likes and the fat Is not sultsbly distributed ? with the lean. The Poland-China la not quite as good aa the Berkshire or Duroc-Jersey la. breeding qualities. HANDLE THE BULL CAREFULLY Quiet Animal That Haa Never Harmed Anyone Uatially One to Attack .Unauapecting Attendants. The ball should always be handled kindly and Ormly. and should under stand that his attendant Is his master. It is always advisable to train the bull calf to lead, and a ring should be placed In his nose at an early date. Never permit the bull to have his own way about anything where you may differ with him and Insist upon prompt obedience. it Is very easy to spoil the dispo sition of a bull by permitting children, old aa well as young, to play with him or tease him. The man who is al ways prepared for trouble never has any. It la the quiet bull that has never horned anything that usually does tbe damage, suddenly developing a vi cious spirit and attacking bis unsus pecting attendants. * Working In 8alt. If you use a barrel churn, sprinkle -he salt In on the butter after you have drawn off the buttermilk and washed the butter Tt)en turn the churn aa you do to gather the butter. You will And that you have worked In the salt more evenly than you can by the old method, and this way la easier and quicker. Pasture Extravagance. But ohe of the most absurd pasture extravagances Is the feeding and tramping thereon of an unprofitable cow, for even tbe cleanest and best, most luxuriant pasture cannot feed profit Into a cow that haa pissed her calling. Watar for the Cows. Cows should be given all the pure water they can drink, not less than twice a day It has a decided effect upon the milk production. j ????? Know How to Raise Cows. Better than knowing how to pick good cows out of the sale ring Is know ing how to raise them. Good Investment. A high price for a good bull Is a bet ter Investment than a low prloe for a poor bull. . Feed Growing Heifers. Growing heifers should be fed very much as milch cows are fed, exoepl that the rations will be smaller, o' course. Faulty Method et Feeding. Poor results sometimes obtained It feeding skim milk are due nine times out of ten to faulty method of feeding Improper Feeding. Milk fever and caked udder ma] both be brought on by Improper feed tag before calving time. ALFALFA SILAGE FOR STEERS Animal* at California Experiment Sta tion Made 8atlafactory Gain* and Brought Profit. California experiment station made silage out of their first cutting of alfalfa last summer. The field was foul with weeds, there being much foxtail which was nearly ripe, with beards already hard. It was decided that the cutting was practically value less for hay, and therefore the crop was put Into the silo. The steers were fed on rolled bar ley, alfalfa hay, and the alfalfa sil lage. In two months they made a satisfactory gain, and were sold at a profit of about $5 per head. The silage as fed out was about half foxtail, but It was always eaten up clean. The experiment shows that silage may be made from weedy al falfa which would make but Inferior hay. that such silage will be eaten without waste, and that it can be used as a supplementary food for fatten ing on alfalfa hay and barley. It Is suggested that where the first cutting of alfalfa containing foxtail Is to be used for silage, the work should be done before the foxtail beards be come hard. CHEAP SHELTER FOR STEERS Posts 8*t Eight Feet High on One 8lde and Six on Other With Roof Will Answer Purpose. A cheap shelter for stock is made by setting posts 8 feet apart, 8 feet high on one side and 6 feet on the other side, making the shed 12 feet wide and 40 feet long, writes D. Slskel of Merrick county, Nebraska, In Missouri Shed for 8teare. Valley Farmer. Roof runs one way, and north side and ends are boxed, with a gate at each end and rack run ning the full length of shed on south side. Straw may be used for the roof to still further cheapen construction. A shed of this size will shelter 25 or 30 two-year-old steers. 8heep Keep Weeds Down. One can easily tell while driving along the roads the farms on which sheep are kept. The absence of weeds Is always noticeable. A few sheep on a farm Is a sure tnesns of letting the bova do something else on a rainy day than wield the scythe on the weed patches. Sheep Respond to Care. 8beep respond to every little extra attention, and the owner should move among them, talking to them quietly, every day. tf-i lb ?-' %3. Tjfii.. ?' ? i MEAT QUALITIES OF RHODE ISLAND REDS Single-Comb Rhode leland Cockerel. (By K. T. DE GRAFF.) After 16 years' experience with fowls, 1 have concluded that Rhode Is land Reds combine more practical qualities and fewer undesirable ones than any of the 20 varieties I have kept Their popularity la due to their rap Id growth, oblong bodies with wide, plump breasts and yellow skins. Besides their early maturity they are hardy and lay large eggs, espe cially In winter. As mothers, they compare favorably with Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes and are free from the objectionable fattenlng-up behlnd characteristics of these breeds. In raising these birds to table sizes, the following Is my regular practice. In a corner of the house cellar la an asbestos-lined Incubator room. When a hatch Is made, 60 of the liveliest chicks at about thirty hours old are removed in the afternoon and placed In a thoroughly clean, painted louseproof brooder, each chick hav ing Its bill dipped In water to teach it to drink. The other chicks remain In the Incubator until next morning.' The first feed consists of stale bread, soaked In either sweet or sour milk, and squeezed out. i The second day they are given the range of, the brooder soratchlng floor, upon which are scattered sand and charcoal dupt with some litter. Until they are six weeks old they get mostly chick feed In the litter and charcoal, grit and meat scrap in a hop per. All utensils are kept scrupulously clean; they are boiled once a week. Oreen food Is always given tbem when there Is no grass run. The out door brooding li In a clover-covered pear orchard with running spring va ta. A very good food la made by adding some charcoal and meat scraps to johnny cake. The chicks are also fond of dry wheat bran which Is always before them. Feed little and often Is the rule. ' Milk Is often given In addition to water. AI1 liquids are protected so the chicks cannot wet themselves. I know of no breed that possesses more vitality right from the shell. One of the reasons for this Is the chicks feather out rather slowly un til about two months old. Most of the food goes towards mak ing flesh, bona and muscle Instead of' feathers. Ip this respect the reds are superior to those breeds that feather out young. When three weeks old the chicks weigh about eight ounces, and when they reach the first broiler stage at six weeks, they weigh about one and one-fourth pounds. Two weeks later they weigh about two pounds. At this stage the cockerel Is com mercially more profitable If plump, and batched at the right season than he ever will be afterwards If feed and care are considered. In the roasting stage at three months, they win weigh three pounds and will gain a pound per month thereafter kintil they weigh five pounds. In this stage they appear awkward because of their rapid growth and de velopment of their second feathers; but ? their well-shaped bodies, long, plump white breasts make them very attractive when dressed for market. PROPER TIME FOR MOLTING Period Commence* Earlier In Young Fowls Than In Old?Valuable Ad ditions to Bill of Fare. The proper months for molting are August. September and October, but In young stock It Is apt to begin a month earlier and in old a month later. .! The older the fdwl the more de layed will be the commencement of this period. 'If not already done, the sexes should be separated until the fowl has com Flock of Wffjte Leghorn*. pleted her new feather growth. In fact It I* not advtaable to remate be fore the first of the new year Any weakness a fowl may hare Is pretty sure to develop at molting time. Molting Is not a disease, but the strain In growing the new feathers Is apt to weaken the fowl, making It more or leu susceptible to sickness. ? It is generally supposed Ulgt It Lakes one hundred days for a fowl to change Its coat of feathers. -- The Van Dresser method of semi starring and then orerfeedlng fowls to make quick molt has not stood the test expected. Poultry men, as' a rule, are more farorable to old nature's method. Both sunflower seed and Unseed meal are Valuable additions to the bill of fare at this time of the yeajf. The bill of fare should be rich in nitrogen. Green food Is Important. Unless the material In the food Is of a feather-making nature, the fowls cannot shed the old coat When a hen receives a large supply of carbonaceous food she Increases her fat without supplying the necessary elements needed In the renewal of the feathers, and there Is a general wasting away, Inactivity of the bird, and death. When ho stimulant Is giv en, the shafts of the new feathers seem to stick on too long, not split ting open freely. USE CLEAN FEEDING BOARDS Many Poultry Dissasas Caused by Chicks Eating Over Droppings? Extra Work Gives Reward. Keep plenty of smooth boards on which to feed the chicks. Never feed a chick twice on the same side of the board: turn over to the clean side, and next time get a clean board. Give all these boards a scalding off each time washed. From white diarrhea ,on through many poultry diseases the contagion Is carried because the chicks eat over the droppings. This extra work gives you Its reward In saving you many chicks that otherwise would get sick and die. Never feed poultry of any age on dirty ground. GAPE WORMS CAUSE TROUBLE Beat Preventive Measure It to Remove Rune to New Ground?Separate All Infected llrde. Gapes In chickens are' ctused by the gape worms which live from year to year to the soil of the-ground where the infected chickens havr been kept. The best preventive measure Is to move the runs to ground that hat not been so ooeupled for two or three years. If the chickens are kept until they are six weekp_ old on ground that Is free from wotms, the trouble will be over for that yeat A good plan Is to move the entire chicken plant to'new ground and devote the old ground to vegetables, grain or grass. About the only remedy for the In fested chick is to extract the gape worms from Its throat with a looped horbebelr or a very One wire. The hair or wire should be disinfected In a solution of a tablespoonful of creo lin "In a pint of cold water each time before Inserting It In .the windpipe Affected chlclu should' be asperated from thb well ones, and the quarter* where they are kept ahould be sprln kled daily with alaked lime. Put a few cryetala of permanganate of potash In the drinking water?enough to turn It pinkish. By this means you may be able to save a good many of your chicks, but an ounce of prevention la worth many pounds of cure. Qood Poultry Food. Bcreei Ings, the small grains ot ' wheat. If not moldy or musty, make as giod poultry food as the large grains, and can often be purchased at one-half the cost of good wheat Supply Some Animal Food. Th? hen must have some anima food In order to produce auccessfully She gathers this In the summer time, but In the winter It must be provided. Milk Relished by All. Milk In an} form Is good for hot' old and youn_ stock. Bulky Food Is Best Bulky food serve* to promote digee ; tlon and health. WIMD DORMANT PRUNING IN FAVOR Work on Conelderable Seal* During Summer 8eason Is Not Advisable ?Difficult to Boa. In practice, summer pruning, on ? considerable scale. Is not advisable. It Is difficult to see, when the leaves are on, )ust which branches should be re moved. except In the case of dead branches. One must be on the guard, also, to avoid peeling of the bark when It peels rapidly. Pruning is less ex peditiously done In summer than when the trees are dormant There are occasions, however, when one desires to complete work of prun ing begun early in the season. There need be no fear of Injuring the trees by taking off a moderate number of r??r . is. .. .n..ji...<iia Pruning Psach Tree In Dormant Sea ton. branches when the leaves are on, tn spite of the fact that the removal ot leaves debilitates a tree. If lose early in the summer the Injury is less than after the summer growth Is nearly completed. The removal of dead branches can not affect the vitality 'Of the tree, no matter when done. Nor can there he any serious effect If here and there branches, which are too close or which cross, are removed. The thinning. out of small, twiggy branches for the par pose of thinning the fruit Is not a harmful process in early summer. The drain on the tree la less than It would be to bear an abnormally heavy crop ot fruit There are a great many trees which might be relieved of a surplus of fruit during May and early June to good advantage. SPRAYING IS NOT DIFFICULT Know Enomy You Aro Fighting and Mix Materials Properly?Haphaz ard Work Will Not Do. It does not pay to spray, aa spray ing la done by half of those who try It Yet proper spraying Is not dllBcalt Harp first a clear Idea of what you want*to do. Know the enemy yon are fighting. Then mix your materials properly. Study the formula and fol low directions carefully. No haphaz ard work will do. The details given for the mixing are all necessary. Spraying well done pays, and It pays big. Apply it right, with a strong pres sure so as to make a very fine mist You can do It right If you try to and yet It Is no easy Job. It Is work from first to last, but it is work that pays. RIGHT SITES FOR ORCHARDS Well-Known Fact That Cold Air Set tles to Lower Levels Is Often Overlooked?Loss by Frost 1 It Is a well-recognised fact, though one too often overlooked to selecting sites-for orchards, that cold air set tles to the lower levels. For this rea son It Is often colder at the lower ele vations than It Is at higher points In the same locality. This is what Is meant by "atmospheric drainage." ' The occurrence of frost In low places when there is none on ele vated areas Is thus explained. For the same reason peach buds dke often winterkilled or the blossoms are Injured by frost in the spring In low places when nearby orchards on higher elevations are Injured much less, or even escape entirely. Bees Help Fruit Tress. In a recent experiment at the lilt nols station It was found that tha bees In the neighborhood work prin cipally on the outside rows of the or chard, and this, with other factors, are the probable cause of this part of the orchard bearing more fruit With hlvbs located In the center of the or chard, the trees nearest the hives J were better pollinated than those far ther away. Pruning Bush Fruits In pruning bush fruits the principal object Is to shape the bush and do away with all unnecessary growth, This can be overdone, however, and should not be carried to extremes. Check Wood Growth. Summer pruning has a tendency to check the wood growth and encourage the setting of fruit buds, and also to aid In their development and matur ity. This aids In keeping np the bal ance, and an orchard once in the habit Of bearing will be less likely to over bear one year and produce little or no fruit the next. Cut Off Cedar Apples. Either cut off say cedar apples est trees near the orchard or cut oat tha

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