r
THOSE AWFUL
MAKE SUCCESS WITH SWEET POTATO CROP
GiWPS
SUGGESTIONS FOR TURKEY BREEDERS
FLOCK OF
(Bv B. A. AIIREXS. Foultry Department
Oklahoma A. and M. College, Siill
water.) The bronze is the pant of the turkey
family and can be easily grown with
proper care.
The parent stock must be strong ami
vigorous, just the same as for chick
ens. liens are in profit until five years of
age.
Gobblers should be changed every
year.
Hens must not be allowed to become
too fat before the breeding season.
When the gobbler becomes too fat,
infertile eggs result.
Kemomber that turkeys are of a
roaming disposition and must not be
kept in confinement.
It is estimated that a breeding llock
of six should produce from 73 to IaM
young.
Two-vear-old toms to four-year-old
DISEASES OF TURKEYS
Fowls Are Subject to Same Trou
bles as Chickens.
Blackhead Is Most Destructive Ail
ment and Is Firet Indicated by
Sluggishness of Gait Place
Birds on Fresh Soil.
Turkeys are subject to the same
diseases as chickens, but to a much
greater extent.
Blackhead, which prevails to a
slight degree in the chicken yard is
a destructive turkey disease. Chlck
enpox, canker and roup are treated
.as for chickens.
Gape worms are treated by giving
camphor in the water, or dusting a
little lime for the poults to inhale
through a cheesecloth-covered box.
This causes the birds to sneeze, and
so to expel the worms.
Blackhead is first Indicated by a
sluggishness of gait. The poult does
not look ill, but is slow In coming in;
will linger for an evening or two,
sauntering in at the end of the file of
stately birds. From lagging behind,
the affected bird drops out entirely,
and may be found standing with
drooped wings.
A slight yellowish-white discharge
about the vent indicates the dis
turbed condition of the liver. The
chances are, when a bird reaches this
condition, that it will give opportunity
lor a post-mortem In another day.
This will show the two blind pouches
of the intestines the caeca, or "blind
guts" as they are commonly called
filled with a thick whitish discharge,
and covered with ulcers. The liver
will be spotted, covered with circular
yellow ulcers or depressions.
When blackhead is discovered In
a tlock, the birds should be placed
on fresh ground, and great care tak
en to prevent contamination of the
water through the droppings. A dose
vi epsom salts from a scant tea
spoonful each to adult birds, to a tea
spoonful to every six poults should
be given. Turpentine in mash, or
stirred through scalded wheat Is a
good thing. Give a half pint in three
doses to 40 adult birds, on three suc
cessive mornings, and follow with a
I'. ise of epsom salts.
Give all the onions the birds will
-at chopped onion tops, roots and
yen onion tea. For individual treat
rvnt, take one egg, one teaspoonful of
' :.rp'ni .ine : boat well, and give a tea-spi-onf
ui oi the mixture night and
i.mrniiig to a poult three months old,
half as mudi to a poult the size of a
quail. If the bird won't eat, put the
i:irj ''iitine and egg on a piece of bread
Mud force down throat. Destroy the
droppings.
PREPARE FOWLS FOR MARKET
Just ?a Important to Fatten Poultry as
It Is to Fatten Beef Cattle
or Other Animals.
It is just as important to fatten
chickens sent to the market ns It is
to fatten hogs or beef cattle. In fact,
when the chicken cornes from the
range it is in the proper condition to
put on economical gains. Students in
the poultry department of the Uni
versity of Missouri found In re
cent tsts that chickens will gain
about 23 per cent in 12 to 14 days'
feeding. That this gain is economical
was shown by the fact that the grain
required to put on a pound of gain
was approximately three and one-half
pounds
j JmM
PRIZE-WINNING TURKEYS.
hens make the most reliable breeders.
Turkeys are reliable for both In
cubating and brooding.
It is a noted fact that If the gobbler
is present when the first clutch of eggs
is laid, the second clutch will be fertile
without its presence.
In catching turkeys, avoid rough
handling.
The presence of the tapeworm may
be noted by droopy condition of the
birds. Small pieces of the worm may
be found if the voidings are examined
carefully. An authority says that pow
dered male fern is a good remedy for
tapeworms. It may be given in doses
from 30 grains to one dram of the
powder, or from 15 to SO drops of the
liquid extract. Give night and morn
ing before feeding, allowing the small
er dose for the youngest stock, but in
creasing the doso as they grow older.
Try oil of turportine for the worms
that inhabit the digestive tract.
LET POULTRY HELP WIN WAR
Threatened Hunger Period May Be
Warded Off in Great Measure by
Attention to Chickens.
The hunger period which threatens
the United States and its allies in the
present war may be warded off, in part
at least, by attention to the lowly
chicken, says A. C. Smith, head of the
poultry department of the Minnesota
College of Agriculture.
The hen is the only producing crea
ture that can be profitably kept oa
small areas such as city and village
lots, that will transfer table waste into
a highly edible product. She selects
from waste material, bugs, weeds and
grasses a large part of her living for
several months in the year, and dur
ing this time is usually a high pro
ducer of very fertile eggs. She re
produces her kind much more often
than any other productive animal.
She can be cared for by women and
children and often by invalids and
convalescents.
For these reasons, Mr. Smith urges
that every well-selected hatchable egg
should be set at this season when eggs
are lower in price than at any other
time of the year.
Other poultry including ducks, geese,
and squabs should also receive careful
attention in view of the present and
future food situation.
CAUSE OF CHEEPING CHICKS
Either Head Lice or Too Much Grit
Before Feeding Use Salty Grease
to Kill Pests.
When chicks stand and cheep, either
they have head lice or have had too
much grit before feeding and are
passing sharp pieces in the excreta.
Investigation will show these chicks to
be humped up, sleepy-eyed, sometimes
tilted back like unhappy kewpies.
Catch them, and the chances are that
head lice are boring into the little
heads, and gorging about the throats
of the victims. Treat with salty
grease, melted and rubbed in well,
to prevent using too much. Too much
grease will kill the chicks, especially
if they are exposed to the hot sun.
Grease the head, throat, a bit under
each wing, and about the vent.
Give the hen a good treatment for
lice. When a chick gets out of order,
lice multiply much faster on it. Many
cheeping chicks usually indicate some
thing is radically wrong with the care
: and feeding, as well as having lice.
DON'T CROWD POULTRY HOUSE
Allow From Two o Four Square Feet
of Floor Space f&r Each Bird
of Small Varieties.
Do
From
space
exact
breed
As a
not crowd the poultry house,
two to five squure feet of floor
per bird should be allowed. The
ratio should depend upon the
and the extent of the yarding,
rule it will be found advisable
to all
the li
ow about four square feet for
ghter breeds, such as the Leg-
horns
CARRY FINE FOWL PROPERLY
Allow Bird to Rest on Forearm With
Its Head Between the Carrier's
Arm and Body.
When carrying a fine fowl, hold the
legs with one hand and allow the bird
to rest on the forearm with its head
between the carrier's arm and body.
i This, will prevent Injury to the wings
! and tail, while making the bird com
1 lortable and giving the can.er a firm
I hold on it.
VENTILATION OF DAIRY BARN
Better Health of Animals Is Assured
by Supply of Fresh Air King
System Described.
More of us every year are building
barns with ventilating flues or put
ting flues into stables already built.
Fresh air means better health in herds.
The system described by F. II. King,
the Wisconsin authority on ventila
tion, never has been outclassed. It is
the natural way.
Ia illustration, the movement of the
air is shown by arrows. The pure air
comes in above the animals and the '
foul air is taken out through the out- i
take shafts which have their openings j
down near the floor and extend up i
through the roof or to the cupola. !
Some builders run the shafts straight '
up through the roof, others run them '
up to the. roof and then over to the j
cupola, and some join the lower shafts 1
at the ceiling and then use but one
main shaft to the roof at each end .
as shown here. i
The galvanized metal shaft is pre- i
f erred by most dairymen who have
used this sort of ventilating system, i
Air Pressure Is Shown at D. D. Forc
ing Air in at B. B., and Cut by Sue
tion at Top of Shaft A.
A general rule seems to be well tried
out that thirty square inches of out
take and intake area are about right
for each grown animal housed in the
stable. This being true, there would
I be needed two shafts, each 10 by 15
j for a herd of ten cows. The intake
' openings should be of the same area.
A damper in the ceiling at C can
j be opened if the temperature of the
stable grows too warm. There can be
no regular circulation unless there are
as many and as large intakes as out
takes. Also, the intakes should let the
air in at the ceiling, or above the level
of the lower openings in the outtakes
or foul-air shafts.
HANDLING MILK IN SUMMER
Whether Intended for Table, Cream
ery or Market, It Must Be Sweet
to Bring Best Price.
It is no trick at all to keep milk
sweet in cold weather. It may stay
in the sun half a day in December
without any damage, but In June and '
July it must be handled very care
fully. Whether the milk or cream is
intended for the table, the creamery,
or the milk market, it must be sweet
if it is to bring the best price.
To keep milk sweet just two simple
things must be very carefully looked
after: (1) it must be cooled as com
pletely and quickly after milking
as possible, and (2) absolute cleanli
ness of pails, pans, and cows must be
secured. If this is done, thunder
storms will no longer sour the milk.
The warm, damp weather which we
have just before thunderstorms really
does tend to cause milk to sour if it
has not been properly cared for.
This souring takes place because lit
tle invisible plants called bacteria get
into it In dirt or by lurking in the cor
ners and seams of poorly cleaned pails
and cans. The remedy is plain. Keep
the bacteria ot by using seamless
palls and cans and seeing that abso
lutely no dirt or dust gets into the
milk in the .stable or anywhere else.
DAIRY PRODUCTS IN DEMAND
Impossible to Buy First-Class Dairy
Cows at 20 Per Head Breed Up
the Common Stock.
The great demand for dairy prod
ucts has caused the price of good
dairy cows to be very high. Iteports
from associations of dairymen show
that it is impossible to buy first-class
dairy cows at even $30 a head. With
dipll o (L-I'l'infl -fi' fiwu in lotitr '
districts, there will be few good cows
moved into new dairy territory. So,
the only way new districts can be sup
plied must be by breeding up the !
common stock by the use of good dairy- I
bred bulls. !
ALFALFA FAVORED FOR COWS
Amount of Protein Necessary to Feed
in Form of Expensive Concen
trates Is Reduced.
(By PROF. J. C. KENDALL.)
"Where alfalfa is available for dairy
cows the amount of protein that is
necessary to feed in the form of ex
pensive concentrates is materially and
profitably reduced. For cows that do
not give large yields of milk, a bal
anced ration ean be made by feeding
alfalfa hay and ensilage. This makes
a home-grown ration that can be pro
duced cheaply, a very important factor
In the economical production of dairy
nroducts.
4& "
.. ... f n
It Z
': - .
TRACTOR HAULING PLOWS OVER POTATO FIELD
(Piepareil by the United States
Depart-
merit of Agriculture.)
Sweet potatoes may be grown from
either draws (slips, plants) or vine cut
tings. If extra early potatoes are de
sired, draws "diojl I be used, but for
later crops vine cuttings are generally
preferred. When vine cuttings are to
be used draws are set in the field as
early as possible, and after the plants
begin to send out runners, cuttings are
made to plant the additional acreage.
One acre uf early set plants under
average conditions will furnish enough
cuttings to set six to ten acres.
Plant Beds.
I 'raws are produced ly sprouting
medium-sized or small roots in warm
pltmt beds. These beds are usually
heated by using fresh horse manure
or by means of lire carried in flues
underneath the bed. Wherever steam
or hot water is used on the farm it
may In? economical to heat the beds
from this supply.
In some instances plants are grown
In cold frames covered with glass, the
heat from the sun being the only heat
secured. Plants for a late crop are
often grown in the open without any
heat or protection.
The hotbeds should be located on a
well-drained southern slope, in a place
where they will have protection from
cold winds. If a natural shelter does
not exist u windbreak may be con
structed of boards, pine boughs, corn
fodder, etc. The beds should be lo
cated near a good water supply and as
convenient to the farm buildings as
possible.
Covers of Beds.
Plant beds need some form of cov
ering, not only to retain the heat, but
to shed water. The ideal covering is
glass sash, but where this Is not avail
able canvas or oiled muslin Is used.
Many growers in the South practice
covering the beds with hay or pine
straw, but where early plants are de-
. sired this covering is not satisfactory.
I Sweet potatoes are usually bedded
j in plant beds about six weeks before
I they are desired for planting, but if no
I source of heat is supplied plants cannot
! be secured under seven or eight weeks.
' Care of Plant Beds.
! In sprouting potatoes a layer (four
to live inches) of sand or loose soil
is
put in the bed, and the potatoes bedded
tirmlv in this, close together, but not
touching. After the potatoes are
placed a layer of two inches of sand
is spread evenly over them and water
applied until the soil is well damp
ened. When the plants begin to break
through the surface another inch of
sand Is spread on the bed. The bed
should be watered when dry, thorough
ly moistening the soli, but not soaking
it. When the plants appear the bed
should be ventilated whenever the
weather penults, and a few days be
fore planting the covers should be left
off entirely to harden the plants.
The soil for sweet potatoes should
be thoroughly prepared before plant
ing, for this extra labor in preparation
will be repaid by the ease of later op
erations. The depth of plowing has
considerable influence on the shape of
the potatoes produced. A deep soil
produces roots that are long and slen
der, while a more shallow soil tends to
product short, chunky roots which are
more desirable for market. A soil of
medium depth (five to
x inches) is
usually best for potatoes,
should be done when the
Plowing
soil will i
break up fine and mellow, and the har
row should follow immediately after
the plowing. If the soil is very cloddy
it should lie rolled, anil the best re
sults are obtained after a light show
er when the clods are moist.
Sweet potatoes aie sometimes grown
on ridges made by throwing two or
four furrows togeth"i A planker or
float is then rim over the ridges to
flatten them down and compact the
sol!. Low. flat rMjes are generally
preferred to hiub ridges. There are
machines on the market that will mark
the land, distribute the fertilizer, and
form the ridges all at one operation.
Planting.
When the sweet-potato plants have
developed three or four leaves they
are ready for setting in the field. The
bed should he thoroughly watered be
fore pulling the plants, ami the potato
should be held In pbjee with one hand
while the plants are pulled with the
other.
The plants may be set by hand or
with transplanting machines. In ;
planting by hajid a small hole is made j
with the finger or a pointed stick, the
plant inserted in he hole, and the soil
firmly packed around the plant. When
the soil is dry a small quantity of wa- i
ter is poured around the roots, and
after the water has soaked In loose
artli is pulled up around the plant.
Tran-planting machines open the fur-
vows
apply the water, and firm the
't !
soil about the jjants all at one opera
tion. A notched stick is sometimes
used in planting. The plants are
dropped where they are to be set, the
stick is placed on the plant at the base
of the root, and the plant forced Into
the ground to the depth desired. The
soil Is then firmed with the foot.
The distance for setting plants de
pends on the variety grown. The
usual distance is 14 to IS Inches apart
in rows ;?ia to 4 feet apart. Large
growing varieties should be planted
in rows four to six feet apart.
Cultivation.
Sweet potatoes should be cultivated
soon after the plants are set, to loosen
the soil that was compacted during
planting. Cultivations should be given
after each rain, to break the crust ana
keep a surface mulch. The latter cul
tivations should also work the soil to
ward the row to maintain the ridge.
Hand boeings are necessary to loosen
the soil between the plants and to
keep down weeds. When the vines be
gin to interfere with cultivation they
may be turned Into alternate rows by
means of a stick, and after the soil has
been cultivated the vines are turned
back and allowed to grow undisturbed.
Large weeds that appear after the last
cultivation may be pulled by hand.
Harvesting.
Early sweet potatoes may be har
vested ns soon as the roots are large
enough for market. Late sweet pota
toes should be harvested just before
frost is expected or as soon as pos
sible after frost has killed the vines.
When frost has killed the vines and
it is not possible to dig the potatoes
at once, the vines should be cut from
the plants to prevent decay from in
juring the roots.
Digging.
A spading fork may be used for dig
ging small patches of potatoes, but for
larger areas a plow or regular potato
digger should be used. Potatoes should
be harvested with as little bruising as
possible, for bruised potatoes do not
keep well. The Implement used for
digging should be one that will not cut
or bruise the potatoes. An ordinary
plow, fitted with a rolling colter to cut
the vines, may bemused for digging po
tatoes, but a much more satisfactory
implement is a digger made for this
particular purpose. A good type of
digger is one that is equipped with
iron rods In place of a moldboard to
separate the potatoes from the earth
and vines. The digger should also be
fitted with rolling colters to cut the
vines.
After plowing out, the potatoes may
be scratched out by hand and left ex
posed long enough for the dirt to dry.
They should not be left exposed to the
hot sun for any long period of time or
left in the field overnight. Digging
should be done when the soil Is dry
and the weather clear.
Gathering.
Sweet potatoes should be gathered
In padded harvesting baskets or
crates, and every care should be used
to avoid bruising them. Never handle
potatoes in sacks, for the shifting
causes severe bruising. A good spring
wagon should be provided for hauling
the potatoes to the storage house or
to market to avoid excessive bruising.
It is also a good plan to gather only
the marketable roots at first, then
later to go over the rows and pick up
tjie cuiis. The strings, or very small
potatoes, may be left In the field for
hog feed. The various lots of pota
toes should be stored separately, for
this will save much time and loss
when removing them for market.
MOST POWERFUL OF HORSES
Large Muscles Give Power and Deep,
Broad Animals Are Strongest
Height Gives Speed.
Deep, broad horses, with bodies
close to the ground are powerful
horses. Tall, slender ones are capable
of greater speed. These conditions
are not mainly due to shape and
weight. It also depends upon the
muscles, which are the source of all
motion. Large muscles give power;
long muscles give peed.
EXAMINE TEETH OF HORSES
Something Is Wrong With Digestion
When Animal Does Not Thrive
on Ordinary Feed.
When a horse does not thrive on
ordinary food, and does not "gain when
additional food is given, something is
wrong with the digestion.
First, have the teeth put in order
by a good veterinary dentist; then
feed molasses on wheat bran and cut
, hay, and note results.
Suggestions that may save
Much Suffering
Maryiville, Pa. "For twelve year
I suffered with terrible cramps. I
would nave to stay
in bed several days
every month. I
tried all kinds of
remedies and was
treated by doctors,
but my trouble con
tinued until one day
I read about Lydia
E. Pinkham's Vege
table Compound and
what it had done for
others. I tried it
and now I am never
troubled with cramps and feel like a
different woman. I cannot praise
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com-
!xund too highly and I am recommend
ng it to my friends who suffer as I did."
Mrs. George R. Naylor, Box 72,
Marys ville, Pa.
Young women who are troubled with
painful or irregular periods, backache,
headache, dragging-down sensations,
fainting spells or indigestion should
take Lydia E. Pinkham's vegetable
Compound. Thousands have been re
stored to health by this root and herb
remedy.
Write for free and helpful advice to
Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co. (con
fidential), Lynn, Mass. Only women
open and read such letters.
SEA SOLDIERS GOOD SHOTS
There Is a Story From Vera Cruz That
Tells of the Marksmanship of
Uncle Sam's Marines.
The marines know how to handle a
rifle; 50 per cent of the force are qual
ified, listed shots. There is a story
from Vera Cruz that tells of good
shooting and a sure eye, Henry lteu
terdahl writes in the Youth's Com
panion. Our bluejackets were marching up
i the street from the plaza between rows
of low two-story houses. A well
dressed Mexican, with a newspaper
over his knee, was sitting on the bal
cony of his house, apparently intent on
watching our sailors advance ; but hld-;
den under the paper he held a big rel
volver, and as our men went by he
fired. The bullets were striking, but
our officers could hardly suspect a
well-dressed Mexican, reading a paper
and looking peacefully on from his
own house, of being the sniper.
Dropping his paper, the Mexican
went inside to reload. When he came
out again on the balcony the glint of
the gun caught the attention of Lieu
tenant Colonel Neville on horseback in
the plaza, 1,000 or more yards away.
Through his eight-power neldglass the
colonel saw plainly the flash of the
shots under the newspaper.
"Get him," he said, turning to his
orderly.
The man raised his rille, pressed the
trigger and the Mexican fell out of
his chair.
"Got him, sir," said the marine.
Self-Evident.
'Tlease, lady," begged the very dirty
tramp at the back door, "can you help
a poor man that lost his job' three
weeks ago and ain't been able to find
no work since?"
"Wrhat sort of a job was it?" asked
the lady.
"I was workin' in a soap factory."
"Well, It's plain to be seen that you
were not discharged for dishonesty."
Always.
does your electricity
"Wrhat
you ?"
cost
"Oh, I pay current prices."
Transcript.
-Boston
If you have talent for criticism, don't
fall to use it on yourself.
The Danger
Zone for Many Is
Coffee Drinking
Some people find
it wise to quit coffee
when their nerves
begin to "act up.
The easy way now
adays is to switch to
Nothing in pleas
ure is missed by
the cnange, and
greater comfort fol
lows as the nerves
rebuild.
Postum is economical
to both health and purse.
"There's a Reason"
i
I" mm
Instant
Posttim
LI
X