Southern
Farm No
Sjrawberry Growing.
It is about time the strawberry grow
ers of the South are giving dose at
tention to one point that is often over
looked. We all know how determined
many varieties of strawberries are to
set plants, If the conditions are favor
able to their growth. This is all very
well, within reason, but there often
comes a time when they are unreason
ably well. This we must not allow if
"we want to get big berries, and those
are really the only ones that pay to
gather. It is berries that we want, and
not plants. Six inches is close enough
to let plants set in the matted rows,
and these should not be more than
twenty inches or two feet wide.
In cultivating, the runners that are
long enough to be in the way and be
dragged along in line with the rows
should not be allowed to root as they
are left by the cultivator, but placed
where they are really needed, so as
to make an even stand over matted
row. After this is done so there are
enough plants, no more should be al
lowed to set in that space, if possible to
prevent it. Instead of giving the atten
tion to the space between the rows,
where no plants are desired, let it
alone for almost two months, unless it
is likely to get very weedy or grassy,
and give the attention to the bearing
rows. Use a fork hoe or something
that may be easily used to pull loose,
dig up or drag between the rows. If
they are cut off, others will come, but
this may be necessary sometimes. The
plants that set in the middle will do
no harm and will be destroyed in due
time.
When fall weather comes and the.
runners are about done starting out
from the main plants the plows and
cultivators should be set to work in
the middles and the bearing rows
trimmed down to two feet wide, or
less. These middles should be kept
perfectly clean until growth stops. If
a light mulch of hay or something that
has little weed seed in it is applied
over the plants, they will repay the
cost in clean berries when the fruiting
season comes.
Dairying in the South.
( Dairying in the South progresses
slowly, because farmers were not pre
pared for a revolution in farm methods.
Corn and cotton, from the first opening
of the country, have been the great
staples, and the only rotation was cot
ton and corn and corn and cotton al
ternately. There were few farms and
fewer cows suitable for dairy farming,
and though great improvement has
been made, these chief factors are too
few now. But dairying must become
popular In the South on account of
favorable natural advantages. The
climate is such that good grazing can
lie had every month in the year. With
Bermuda, our numerous excellent whi
ter grasses, alfalfa, lespedeza, burr
clover, crimson clover, winter vetches,
sorghum and cow peas, there will be
fio need for butter color. Besides these
silage and hay crops can be grown and
utilized at small cost and to any de-
fired extent. Costly barns are not re
quired, for the winters are mild, and
for the same reason less food is re
quired, and a less expensive kind of
tfood will be needed. The milder the
winters the less grain food is neces
sary. With the proper division fences
and adjustment of crops cows may
crop the green herbage summer and
winter. Then it is not necessary to
end the product a thousand miles to
market, for the people of the South are
Jiungry for good butter fresh from the
jdairy or creamery, and will take all
Ithat can be produced for many years
1o come. Then we have near our back
'doors the best foreign markets in the
world Mexico and the West Indian
Islands. We will be compelled later
if we do not voluntarily sooner, go
largely into dairying for the preserva
tion of soil fertility, for if we do not
our fertilizer bills will equal in amount
;the total net proceeds of the farm.
Farm and Ranch.
To Make South Cattle Centre.
Plans that were first taken into con
sideration about a year ago have been
-developed within the last few mouths
to the point where Swift & Co., and
ethers of the great packing establish
ments in Chicago have begun experi
ments on what may prove a revolution
f the cattle industry of the country.
I The project involves the settlement
of several hundred thousand, acres of
what is at present nearly valueless
land in Northern and Northwestern
Florida and Southern Alabama, the
cultivation on a large scale of the
'assnva roots and Its use in feeding
cattle and bogs.
If the plan develops as it is now in
the minds of th loading packers, the
Southern States s.'ill become the centre
of the cattle raising industry.
; The cassava roots was originally a
product of South Africa. Its value as
ji food product was long ago discovered
by the natives, who made from it tapi
tca. However, it was only recently
Topics of Interest
to the Planter,
Stockman and
Truck Grower
es
that the adaptability of the plant to
Florida soil was discovered aud the
great value of it as a food for cattle
and hogs was demonstrated, lieceutly
t!:e agricultural colleges in the South
took up the study of the root, and de
clared it to possess wonderful proper
ties as a food for animals and man.
Value of Sorghum Forage.
Sorghum is one of the most valuable
forage crops growu in the Southern
States. It yields two good, dry forage
returns every year aud supplies much
fall and winter pasturing in addition.
Some of the best sorghum growers re
port harvesting fifty tons of green food
per acre. If left to seed an acre pro
duces from twenty-live to thirty-live
bushels of line poultry and hog fatten
ing food in the seed. When mixed with
peas or some of the leguminous plants
sorghum forms the ideal muscles mak
ing aud fat producing food. It is the
plant for the dairyman, stock raiser
and general farmer. In many dis
tricts the plant re-seeds annually, thus
making a perpetual pasture and forage
crop. Farmers' Home Journal.
Angora Goats an Browsers.
A close observer will notice there are
many upland or mountain farms that
have some pieces of pasture too dr.v
ah
and nerhans too rockv to yield a nrofi
The past few dry seasons have brough
in bushes, briars and weeds that hav
robbed the land of tame grass for 1h
making of good quality butter. Sue
cheap land pasture is where the Ai;
gora goats will thrive best, as they pre
fer bushes and briars to grass and wi
thrive and grow fat where sheep wi
starve and cows cannot live. Angor
goats are very prolific, will live abou
three times as long as sheep, and thei
mohair will bring about three time
i he price of common wool. G.
Bloodgood.
Value of a Poultry Pasture.
Too much cannot be said as to thl
value of a poultry pasture. It is thtl
cheapest feed and the chickens do uo
want to he ted, but uo their own
rustling, Lvery larmer who raise
poultry, should prepare a piece o
ground for a winter rye pasture. El
careful and do not have it too far front
ttie poultry run. itye is an exceiien
winter feed, and chickens, ducks an
geese thrive upon it. Another great ad
vantage in rye is that it balances th
grain ration and reduces the amount o
high priced corn, wheat and oats tha
would be necessary in the absence o
the green food.
Pecan From Seedlings.
Pecans grow anywhere that a hkl
ory nut will grow. The larger, t-bii
shell varieties pay best to grow, be
cause they bring better prices. The
should not be crowded. From fort
to fifty feet apart seems best on goo
laud. We have known a seedling t
bear at three years old, but that was a
exception. Others of the same lot bor
at five and six years, but usually the
do not bear much before eight or re
years. Grafted buds bear earlier tha
seedlings. For many reasons, Ave lik1
seedlings.
Finishing Up the Ytork.
Work should be done with judgment.
No roots should be cut or broken.
Harrows, plows or cultivators should
be run very shallow just deep enough
to break the crust and destroy grass
and weeds. Dust boards should be
used on all crops now. Corn will ear
heavier if plowed often and shallow.
Cotton will fruit better if treated in the
same way. We have found it pays us
to continue plowing cotton until it
begins to open. Southern Cultivator.
Stock-Growing Possibilities.
Stock growing is certain to become
one of the leading industries of the
South. The progress that has recently
been made in this direction has dem
onstrated that the Southern farmer is
alive to the possibilities that can be
achieved in this direction. The abund
ance of water and grasses, the mild
winter season and the short season iu
which stock have to be fed, make a
combination of advantages that cannot
be surpassed anywhere in the world.
Xnt a Land Improver.
We see the advice given frequently
to sow turnips (cow-horn turnips) as an
Improver of land. Do not listen to this.
It Is a fallacy. We have grown hun
dreds of acres of turnips but never yet
were able to do so without first making
the land rich with manure and always
finding that the crop had largely ex
hausted this when harvested. Turnips
add nothing to the land but what they
take from it, and are therefore not im
provers. Florida Agriculturist.
Sow Rape In How.
Rape for a sheep and hog pasture Is
best grown in rows like turnips and
cultivated once or twice, but will mak
a fine crop sown broadcast. Sow twu
pounds of seed in rows, or three ta
four pounds broadcast.
g
AMERICANS LIKE FROCS.
They Now Eat Twice us Many as the
French, So Cafe Proprietor Suy.
"The eating of frogs' legs is consid
ered a la Francaise," said an up-town
restaurateur, the other day, to one of
his guests, '"but as a matter of fact
more fro.s at the present time are
killed for the table in this country
than in France. I have no means of
estimating how great the business of
killing frogs for the market has grown
in this country, but I am warranted
when 1 say that twice as many are
served for the American palate every
day as on the tables of the French.
"In France the frogs are raised for
the tpost part In what have been
termed froggerles. Here they grow in
our creeks and ponds, and are caught
by the hook or speared. By the way,
did you ever undertake to catch a
frog?"
"Never did." answered t lie guest.
"It is great sport," replied the pro
prietor of the cafe. "You think that
you have got a whale 0:1 the end of
your line. A fly or a piece of red rag
will do for bait, and for that matter
the bullfrog will grab at anything red
with more avidity than an animate ob
ject. He is like his namesake in his
inclinations toward this particular
color. But when you have him on the
hook don't let him drop into the water
again, or the chances are that he will
get a foothold and it will be impossible
to extricate him. I have often hauled
in a bullfrog which had in his mouth
the broken ends of old hooks and other
similar reminders of past attempts on
his life.
less dogs. The dog farm is on the side
of a fine hill, near the reservoir, and
there is plenty of ground for the friend
less animals to run around in, as well
as comfortable buildings to shelter
them when the weather is bad. Admis
sion is easily gained. All any well be
haved dog has to do to get in is to
run away from home, and wag his
tail when the policeman asks him if he
lias an owner. But such a dog goes in
the free portion of the farm. For the
dogs whose owners can afford to pay
their board there is a large field sep
arated from the free farm by a close
wire fence. At night each dog boarder
has a compartment all to himself. His
meals are more elaborate and better
cooked than are those of the charity
guests. Every month or so the ladies
who are interested in this charity give
a dog party. The grounds are illum
inated with Chinese lanterns and the
visitors are told to be there at feeding
time. The society people think it great
fun to watch the charity curs tight
for bones. At the last party over 500
persons were present.
Safest of All Safe Places.
The fact that a bed in one of our
great hospitals is the safest of all safe
places for any one who is 111 has been
driven home among the working
classes in London by personal experi
ence. The people who know best, those
who have again and again been in the
hospitals themselves, are found In an
ever-increasing crowd bringing up their
sick to be cured, and clamoring for
admission. London Hospital.
Sweden's Death Rate.
Sweden's last census records the low
est death rate yet attained by a civil
ized nation.- During the last ten years
it only averaged 10.49 per 1000. F''l
tuk'Iphia Public Ledger.
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By G. T. Palmer, M. D.
!'XSii&&iJ3111'' liiunu body contains
vA no sonons and
T
ing. and jeopardizing the health, says Invention. The same
rule which applies to municipal sanitation will also apply
to personal sanitation, aud the danger of disease ' may
be forestalled by Hushing out this sewerage system with.
58
an excess of water. Just as truly as the gathering of tilth front
the city in the "sewerage veins" endangers the lives of the .in
habitants, so the poisons generated by the bodily metabolism, collected
In the excretory organs, will jeopardize the lives of the millions of in
habitants of the body the living cells. Every action of muscle or of nerve-
Is accompanied by the destruction of cells, which, if not eliminated, will,
accumulate, like clinkers.
Aside from the mere "choking of the flues," we must bear in mind that
the body is constantly generating poisons, which, if eliminated freely, will
do no harm; but which, if retained, will be productive of disease. Such a
poison is uric acid, which is charged justly with causing rheumatism, gout,
constant headaches, dizziness, and a train of other symptoms, and it must
be seen that If the accumulation of refuse is the cause of such conditions,,
the logical means of cure is its elimination. Other "products of mat a holism"'
create their own types of disease, and all may be prevented by the free use
of water. 1
A beginning of kidney trouble lies in the fact that people, especially
women, do not drink enough water. They pour down tumblers of ice water
as an accompaniment to a meal; but that is worse than no water, the chill
preventing digestion, and indigestion being a direct promoter of kidney
disease. A tumbler of water sipped in the morning immediately on rising,
another at night, are recommended by physicians. Try to drink as little
water as possible with meals, but take a glassful half an hour to an hom
before eating. This rule persisted In day after day. month after tnorth,..
the complexion will improve and the
with meals should be sipped, us well
ng a
Why B01I1
By Allc2 Dynes Fjaling, B. S.
often hear the remark
boil potatoes." The truth
ti & a 5ii
The girl who understands science knows that the potato
not boil. The water boils and the heat conveyed by this
r. - - SB-
medium cooks the starch
tfcyt,' tato. Fhysies has taught her that, under ordinary pressure,
water never becomes any warmer after the boiling point (212 degrees.
Fahrenheit, 100 degrees Centigrade) is reached; therefore she allows the
water to remain at boiling temperature until the heat has penetrated aud
cooked the verrphiMe. Klip then removes ilip iv.it pi .ir nnco Jim! hns n mnilv.
rJk i4",tyt fii'Yl fiu'.i
llaky potato. True, without her knowledge of science, she might obtain
the same result accidentally. But she is quite as likely to continue the
rooking until the starch is partly dextrinized and a gummy, sticky potato
i tha l'Ptclilf rPlm nnonlnnHfi n rrnlr Its nntfu 1 H.- n 1 tt 4 i nnoirnw r li-ic nn tha
cooking process by adding fuel to the fire, thus causing violent boiling,
believing that she is thus attaining her object. She may cause the vege
table to break by the mechaKical action of the water, or the liquid may
splash over on the stove or pass off in steam, but in no case is the cooking
flf-rnmnlishoil In ipsa timp Time n knmvlpilirn nf tViu slmnla Inrrc nf nhi'iica.
x. ......
prevents a waste of fuel, a point
The Praise of
By Garrett P. Serviss
times; Daniel Webster in
Thus writes Dr. Edward Everett Hale, iu praising some of
j? ttv iaG Srcai ot our country.
8 ) T Consciously or not, he has put into one pregnant sc
1 y praise of science.
' d For, if you ask yourself: "Why does Franklin's n;
the great men of our country.
G) r or, il you ass yourseu:
In histories which omit the
v-f-ir cau e: "Because Franklin's scientific investigations and discov-
T
TT cries have made his name a household word in every civilized
land, while Webster's political services, great lis they were, affected car
rower interests and stirred the minds of fewer people the world over,"
nn fYnrnss;!nn nf n srpiiflrnl law.
cr nrwl nnt nnlv n mndpvn timps. "Rut
occupied by the leaders in scientific thought and achievement.
Alexander's name Is not more widely celebrated than that of his master,,
Aristotle. Homer has not lived longer on men's tongues than Euclid.
reason claim him than any other branch of human effort.
Is Shakespeare, .with his universal popularity, after all more widely
known or respected than Newton? Would uot more, histories leave out the
nimp nf T.nthf thnn th.nt nf Pnnprnipns V
Does not Galileo's fame tower as
Angelo? If no account of the career of mankind could ignore Napoleon and
his victories, as little could it omit Laplace and his mathematics.
Put yourself in the place of an Intelligent reader 500 years hence looklng;
back unon the nineteenth century. Would ho behold anv ficrure amonr men
towering higher than that of Darwin?
iub piesiucuia auu iuua, uuu. jyuuiivi.ms ant; uguiers, uuu spinners OI
literary gossamer, and blowers of metaphysical bubbles, and hoarders of
cold and banknotes will then present almost a dead level, a little tumbled
perhaps with the excrescences of vanity, above which Darwin's fame will,
rise like a pyramid.
Especially let the j-oung man, stirred by an honorable ambition to make
the best use of this world's time and opportunities, remember that as the
ages roll by the poorest figure of all is cut by the mere money-bags, the
"king" of this, that or the other form of "industry" and greed. Into the
neaven of lasting fame and honor it Is indeed harder for the rich man.
to enter "than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle."
The hope of humanity on this earth is based upon the advance of science..
The human mind instinctively recognizes that fsct, and this is the reason,
why the name of Benjamin Franklin is familiar In lands where that of
George Washington is seldom heard and that of Daniel Webster is forgot
ten. American and Journal.
To Hang a Scythe.
During one of their college vacations
Daniel Webster and his brother re
turned to their father's farm. Think
ing he had a right to some return for
the money he had expended on their
education, the father gave them
scythes and requested them to mow.
Daniel made a few sweeps and then
stopped to wipe his brow and rest:
"What's the matter, Dan?" asked
his father.
"My Scythe don't hang right, sir."
His father fixed it and Dan went to
work again, but with no better success.-
Something wi'S wrong with the
Bsst Means of Health.
a complete sewerage system in watch.
disease-nroducinsr refuse is constantly gatnei-
general health likewise,
as taken sparingly.
Water drunk
otato is m Jvrt
that some would-be cook "cannot
is, few cooks prepare this dish prop
and softens the cellulose of the no-
..UV .V.Q., - ' JJ.V- V
in economy well worth consideration.
Science,
any history of America.
sentence the
v uy ooes r ranuiin s name appear
name of Webster?" your only reply
All throiierh human historv It haa hppiiv.
a vow v nf thp forpmnst: nnpfs find
hich as that of his rnnntrvm.nn Michael
implement, and it was not long before
it needed fixing again, when bis father
said Impatiently:
"Well, hang It to salt yourself."
Daniel, with great composure, hung,
if sn o ii n ii m n ,1 4 1 . m
' utai ucc, uuu reureu. rrom we
field. Philadelphia Times.
Thick as Leaves. .
In Liverpool, which is the densest
and'unhealthiest district In England.,
the population is G3.S23 to the square
mile. All the heroes are not married, but
all the married men are heroe3.