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VALUE OF LEAF MOLO Especially Important Ingredient for the Soil Quality of Fertilizer Secured Depends Very Materially on Sort of Leaves Composing lt and Manner of Preparation. (By W. R. GILBERT.) This term is applied to leaves when they are so thoroughly decayed as to readily separate small particles. Leaf molds is a valuable manure In many instances, especially on heavy soils, and one of the most im portant ingredients for the soil used in the successful cultivation of the majority of plante. It may be used freely, particularly with the tender seedlings and cuttings of sofe wooded subjects, provided it be of good quality and free from in jurious growth. The production of roots in young plants of this description is induced and accelerated with more certainty by planting in this material than by the use of any other. . The quality of leaf mold depends very materially upon the sort of leaves composing it and in the man ner of preparation adopted. It is found from experience that the best leaves are those collected from a wood or other place where the prin cipal trees ara beech and oak. and where their leaves fall over a large surface each year, and naturally de cay slowly, until those beneath the surface become changed into a light mold. Leaf mold of good quality may be used to the extent of about one-third in composts of azaleas, greenhouse rhododendrons, and many of the flne rooted, hard-wooded plants of this de scription. It may also with advantage be In corporated along with peat in the preparation of the beds for nearly all plants of the health family which are grown cut of doors. Further, nothing is better suited for improving flower-beds, or for adding to soil of any description, for plac ing around trees, shrubs or plants whose roots it is desired to encour age. SLED BRAKE RELIEVES TEAM Considerable Weight ls Taken From Horses in Descending Hills Runner Catches in Snow. A sled brake can be made as shown In the accompanying illustration that will take the load from the team when descending hills. To make this brake a round bar A is fastened to the front bob with heavy eyes as shown at. B, says the Iowa Homestead. A square head should be formed on the outer A Sled Brake. end, over which is placed the lever C. by which the brake is operated. A lug D is made fast to the bar A and ?drops down four or Ave inches with a hole in its lower end. to which ls bolted the bar E, which? In turn is ibolted to the dog r. By pushing for ward the lever C the dog P is lowered ?below the runner and catches in the scow or ground, thus acting aa a ?brake. Old Meadows. Old meadows generally are lacking in nitrogen, which ls most easily sup plied by the application of nitrate of ?soda at the rate of 300 to 600 pounds ?per acre. The only way to be sure ?of the kind of fertilizer to : pply ls to .make trials of different mixtures and find out which gives the best results. Un most places the application of iharnyard manure and cutting up the meadow with a disc will be more .likely to give profitable returns than will the application of commercial fertilizers. Feedings Pigs. There should be system in feeding pigs that are to be used for breding, and that system should contemplate and have for its purpose rapid growth and early maturity of the animals; but, at the same time, they should be fed for a growth of frame and bone -not fattened on corn, but expanded by a feed rich in protein. Vegetable Gardens. Every country home should be well supplied with vegetables and every effort should be made to have a good i garden. It requires rich soil and plenty of work and nothing should be ^neglected that will make things grow if there is a good supply of vegetables at reasonable cost Hog Shedtw Hog sheds need not be expensive, but they should be dry, tight enough to exclude raina and snows, and also eapable of being well ventilated in aummer when the weather is hot aaa* shade is needed. OAT-SPROUTS FOR POULTRY Green Food Problem for Wintor Solved In Ingenious .md Original Manner by Easterner. (By D. 3. BURCH, lit tb? Farra and Fire side.) A New Hampshire poultryman has solved the green-food problem in an ingenious and original manner. From an old box about three feet long and of the proportions illustrated he con structed double trays provided with a handle and mounted on short legs. The trays were then filled with rich soil thickly planted to oats and the box placed in^ warm, light place near the kitcho nrange . An abundant growth of oat sprouts soon appeared which were relished by his hens to such an extent that he For Growing Oa'?-3prouts. makes a regular practice of growing oat- sprouts as a regular winter feed and the principal part of their ration j of green food. The sprouts are fed when about four inches long, and the sowing is regulated so that one tray can be harvested and replanted when the other is about half grown. The num ber of trays which can be grown is limited only by the amount of avail able space that is light and warm enough to cause a good growth of green oats. USE AVAILABLE PLANT FOOD Each Crop Grown of Necessity Must Take Something From Soil Which ls Not Returned. The fertility of the soil is not like a bank account, which is tangible, in sight, can all be drawn out at one or more times or at will of the pedoslt ors, says the American Cultivator. The soil is an investment with many qualifying conditions, viz: Available plant food, physical condition and moisture. These are in a great meas ure under the control of the farmer. Inasmuch as no plant has the ability to make something out of nothing, j each crop grown of necessity must take available plant food out of the soil which never comes back in most cases. In figuring the cost of produc tion the value of the plant food taken should be charged against the crop just as much as that added in way of manure of chemicals. In our experi ence in footing the cost of production we have charged the loss of plant food against the crop grown in proportion to the yield. In the legumes we have credited the crop with the added nitro gen. And that ls not all-the improved physical condition of the soil has a value that cannot be measured. If we are not going to charge the crop with the lost fertility then we should not credit it with the added. Rotation of crops may enable us for a time to grow profitable crops, but sooner or later our children or their children will pay the penalty. Fertil ity means a valuable asset in the farmer's hands. Forcing Llly-of-the-Valley. If your lily-of-the-valley bed is get ting beyond bounds-as it is liable to do-take up a good-sized clump and wash off ail the soil, then pack the pips tightly in boxes or pots six inches deep with sphagnum moss, which the florist can sell you. Wood moss washed clean would do, as the purpose is to hold moisture. The pips must be frozen either before or after they are potted, for unless this ls attended to they will not do well. When the pips are ready to be forced place them where they will get strong heat; on the top shelf of the kitchen range or on top of a hot water tank. The secret of success ls to keep the mose soaked all the time. In about three weeks of forcing the flowers will bloom. Feed for Eggs. With the present good prices for fresh eggs it will pay well to do the best possible for their production. Feed liberally with a variety of food, especially such as stimulate egg pro duction and supplying clean drinking water and not snow. Save all the scraps from the house, meat or vege tables, as it will all be well liked and duly turned Into eggs. Keep the quarters tidy and clean and the fowls free from vermin or disease. Put Profits Into the Farm. It is better to put $10,000 in im provements on the farm than in the : bank for your son. He will develop himself in obtaining the financial pro- I fits from such a farm. He can be as honest man. alert mentally, developed socially, and of a class which is moially the bulwark of the nation. Silage and Bran. Dairymen sometimes debate wheth- j er to feed their cows silage or bran. A little ot* both is better than either alone, and is most circumstances more economical. Bran supplies pro tein, an element in which corn silage is rather deficient. The two make a balanced ration. Tillage of Crops. The fertility of many farms has been reduced by improper systems of tillage and crops and commercial fertilizers are useful and even neces sary in the economiacally improve ment of such landa. NoticcfTrustees^and Teachers The clerk of each district board of trustees is requested to write in ink, the words "Final claim" on margin of duplicate pay warrants when it is presented at close of any school, whim or colored. Teachers will take notice that their final claims will not he approved unless accompanied by a correct annual re port. W. W. Fuller, Co. Supt. Ed. , Make the Old Suit Look New We are better prepared than ever to do first-class work in cleaning and press ing of all kinds. Make your old pants or suit new by let ing us clean and press them. Ladies skirts and suits al so cleaned and pressed. Sat isfaction guaranteed. Edge?eld Pressing Club Y.'ALLACE HARRIS PROP. Dr. King's New Discovery. Soothes irritated throat and lun<rs, 1 stops chronic and hacking coughs ! relieves tickling throat, tastes nice. Take no other; once used, always used. Buy it at Penn & Holstein's W E Lynch & Co. A certain workman in a Newark factory seems to be constitutionally opposed to the institution common ly known as a bath. It is this man's custom to appear each morning wearing the grime he carried as he left the shop the previous night. He appeared one day last week with a touch of the yolk of an egg upon his lip-a trifle extravagant, but nevertheless true. Seeking to have a little fun, a fellow employee observed. "Hello, Jake, bet I can tell what you had for breakfast this morning." Words wero bandied back and forth, aud finally a wager was made, the loser to set 'em up to a ?roed cigar or something of that sort. Then came the climax: t"Eggs." "You're wrong," said Jake. "We had eggs yesterday morning." Newark (Ohio) Advocate Are You a Cold Sufferer?^ Take Dr. King's New Discovery. The best cough, cold, throat and lung medicine made. Money refund ed if it fails to cure. Do not hesi tate-take it at our risk. First dose helps. J R Wells, Floyd ad a, Texas, writes: "Dr. King's New Discovery cured my terrible cough and cold. I gained 15 pounds." Buy it at W E Lvnch & Co. Penn <fc Holstein. Hb Wager. Two friends-a Scotchman and an Englishman-met in a smoking room of a hotel and the English mar, at once proceeded to monopo lize the conversation, as he usuallv did. The Scotchman bore it for a long time, then he broke in quietly: "I say, old chap, PU back you and meto tell more and bigger lies in half an hour than any other six men I know." He paused and then went on gently. "And I wouldn't speak a single word the who!? time.'*' Surprise Your Friends For four weeks regularly use Dr. Kiug's New Life Pills. They stimu late the liver, improve digestion, re move blood impurities, pimples and eruptions disappear from your face and body and you feel better. Begin at once. Buy at Penn & Holstein's, W E Lvnch & Co. Full line of house paints of all kinds. Get our prices before buy ing. Tiramons & Morgan. IVery Serious I It is a very serious matter to ask h for one medicine and have the ? wrong one given you. For this reason we urge you in buying to rn be careful to get the genuine- I BL?CK-DDR??GHT liver Medicine The reputation of this old, relia ble medicine, for constipation, in digestion and liver trouble, is firm ly established. It does not imitate other medicines. It is better than others, or it would not be the fa vorite liver powder, with a larger sale than all others combined. SOLD IN TOWN F2 Superiority of The Advertiser's Job Work We Have Been Doing Job Printing For Nearly 78 Years The fact that we have been doing job printing in Edgefied for over three quarters of a cen tury is notable. Our job depart ment has grown steadily during ail these years, and today our work stands out among the best, 'the old-time printer, old style typo, and old-fashioned machinery are all gone, and to day our plant is nearly all new. Why the Superiority of our Work? This question may arise, but it is easily an swered: We employ workmen who have ideas and can put them in type; new type, bearing the latest faces, has recently been laid, and our machinery is the new-fashioned kind. mmnmwMmwmmmmwmmmwtHwmwmw?????mwmmmmEMmmmammnwmmmwmmwmmmm Quickness of Delivery and Quality of Work are two features of our job department. When we receive an order it is printed at the quickest time possible, consistent with good printing. Each line and portion is brought out as it should be, thus bringing about smoothess and harmony, which appeal to all lovers of pretty printing. What We Print We can print anything from a visiting card to 44 x 30 circular. It matters not how small the job may be it receives our earnest efforts to make it neat. Won't you try us with an order? Established 1835 Eagef?eld, S, C. New Style Printers,