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HOW TO CONSTRUCT *!. ' I v. Detailed Illustration The safest and surest way of getting an early start with many plants is by the use of hotbeds. These can be constructed by two-inch planks nailed or bolted together in tlm form of a rectangular box, generally tax feet wide and as long as desired. The box should be so made that when the bottom is level, the sash will slope one ' * Ul-V ...411 MA1.A 14. JUV.U tv IUC 1UUI, WHICH will Ulttttc Ik six inches higher on one side than on 9 the other. This slope permits the sun's rays to enter more freely and allows water to run off quickly. The bed should be located on a southern slope if possible and run east and west, with the lower side of the frame toward the south. If a southern exposure t cannot be secured, a windbreak may be constructed on the north side and the ends to shut off the cold winds from these directions. The beds should also be near the bouse and near a plentiful supply of water in order that the plants may be carefully and easily cared for. Common stable horse manure con" taming no litter, mixed with from onethird to one-half the amount of straw or leaves, is used for providing the artificial heat Straw or leaves should be added to prolong the heating pe* ripd of the manure and to keep it from heating too violently. The manure is gathered fresh from the stable, piled up, and allowed to heat. When heated through it is forked over and allowed to heat again. During the heating it should be kept under shelter, as heavy drenchings make it almost worthless. After it is well heated through the second time, it is put in the hotbed excavation almost to the sash level, care being taken to spread it evenly and to have the corners well filled. . After the manure has again warmed up it should be firmed by tamping. The bed is now ready for the soil. , FIGHTING THE CROP INSECTS One of Beet General Preventives of injury Is Rotation?Discourages r?* - ? .. Cornstalk Bocst_^_ Rotation is one of the best general preventives of Injury from insects affecting field crops. Experience has shown that where corn haB followed itself upon the same field for two or more years there has been , a mtich greater loss from cornstalk borer than where an annual change of crop has been practiced. This is especially noticeable where stalks or stubble from the previous year have been al lowed to remain unaisiuroea unvuguout the winter. The moths, upon emergence In the spring, finding themselves surrounded by the young corn. begi". egg laying at once, and escape tfhe dangers encountered in searching for another field of corn. A forced journey in search of young corn results in many . of the females being eaten by birds or being destroyed because of rain, cold, or failure to find the object of their quest. A few moths *111 always % succeed in their search, but the successful proportion will be greatly decreased by persistent crop rotation. 1 HARROW FOR WINTER GRAIN Not Advisable When Work Cannot Be Done at Right Time?Reasonable to Expect Dry Period. Harrowing wheat is advisable if the work can be done at the right time, and if there is a crust on the surface ot the soil, and the soil is dry. It is not advisable to harrow wheat when K is wet, or if the work cannot be done at the right time. The best way *- J- 4 v ~ """.if to tn 11 sa a hpc IU UU IUC nuin .o w _ toothed harrow and run lengthwise of the drilled rows of the wheat. The work is best done when the wheat first begins to grow in the spring or before it Ij much more than six inches high. if the grain is too thick, harrowing will frequently give a good increase in yield, particularly in dry seasons. In favorable seasons when there is plenty of rainfall, harrowing will have little effect. It is safest to take this precaution, for no one can tell what the weather conditions will be, and it is reasonable to suppose that there will be a dry period before the crop is matured.?Department of Agronomy, Oklahoma A and M College, Stillwater. DIVERSIFIED FARMING SURE Delieved That Acreage Can Be Re-1 duced to Betterment of Land and Profit to Farmer. Intensive farming carried out to the letter calls for specialization, and there is danger of not being successful one year with another.. Diversified farming is always the surest. Under these circumstances It is helieved that on many farms the acreage can be reduced to the betterment of the land and a larger profit obtained by the owner. AND USE A HOTBED I WK.... ' ? . of Plan for a Hotbed. Five or six inches of rich soil c tainlng much humus and sand i then placed upon the manure, a after the temperature of the soil t dropped to 90 degrees F. the seed it be sown. The bed should be prepai early In the spring. A good soli hotbed purposes may be prepai eight or nine months before it is to uBed, by making a compost heap c slsting of layers of grass sod and ba yard manure. This gives a loose, rl soil very well adapted to hotbed wo On warm days the bed should ventilated to make the plants gr stocky and prevent them from wilti In watering the aim should be water thoroughly, but not often. 1 practice of adding a small amount water each day should never be I lowed, as it encourages the growth insects and diseases, and benefits I plant but little, since the moiBti does not reach the roots. A week or ten days before the ti to transplant into the field, or earll if the weather permits, the si should be removed during the da7 harden off the plants. It is also good plan to stop watering at t time, and then wet down thorougl just before taking to the field. Different materials are used for c ering hotbeds. A cheap and qu common one is light canvas or hei sheeting which has been oiled, more substantial covering is the t bed sash, which is coming into \ more and more, as it is more relia to control the temperature with m< certainty. . A cold frame differs from a hotl in that no artificial heat is used. Tl are usually started and t^e seed so the last of March or first of Ap Otherwise their construction and ? is the same as that given above hotbeds. POPULAR TREE IN THE SOU' Persimmon Attains Greatest Perf tion in Eastern Tennessee?Ciosel Resembles Apricot (By A. D. DART.) Id England the persimmon tree often cultivated for the beauty of dark green foliage, but the fruit s dom reaches maturity in that clima The long, warm summers south Mason and Dixon's line, followed several frosty nights, render this fr very sweet and palatable. Both in color and shape It closi resembles the apricot, being about inch and a half in diameter, w a bright orange-yellow color. In eastern Tennessee the fruit said to attain its greatest perfectic rrw Fruit-Bearing Branch of Peralmm Tree. there, in the autumn, 'Simmon be 'possum and 'simraon sauce, aro garded with the same favor that t key and cranberry sauce are in Ni England. ? Many animals, both wild and dom tic, such as cows, horses, dogs, rabbi raccoons and opossums are very fo of the fruit. It is a well-known fact that dogs w sometimes camp by the hour undei persimmon tree waiting for "sob thing to drop." FIELD PEAS AND COWPEJ Latter Crop Requirec Hot Climate a Conditions of South for Proper Development (By ALV1N KEYSER. Colorado Expc ment Station.) A great deal of inquiry comes the agricultural college in regard cowpeas. It may be well to call tention to the fact that there is i t ference between cowpeas and fli | peas. Cowpeas are really bea: v,uwpeas is a ciup wuiwu is giunu the South. It requires a hot clima and hot conditions for its developme It will not thrive at all in cool wea er and the least frost absolutely ki itField peas on the other hand t true peas and will stand a very gr< deal of cold. They are not injured slight frosts. They grow better cool climates where the days are r atively cool %nd the nights quite co LIVE-STOCK-FRUIT - DAIRYINB-fiAMEHI Now Wrinkles FAR a " - AND Progresslvs Agriculture J FIEI TOLD IN ?N INTERESTING MUNEI El ' WRONG PRACTICE WITH SOWS To First Psre-Bred Sow Is Usually Put - Ohi on- \ ,n Pen by Her8e,f? Petted and ire ^ Generously Overfed. ? J It seems almost natural for me pur- y ia8 chaser of his first pure-bred sow.jjln his desire to give her extra care, to the e overfeed her, to keep her away from tair the other hogB, put her in a close ity, ? pen, where she is petted and fed at ter regular meal times, and lunch be* and on" tween in some instances, in thelc^ tur< ra* anxiety to do the very best for her y* possible. per; This method of treatment is sure to jnR be ruin the sow, both in the feeding and ied ow la the close confinement, preventing, Dg* her from taking the necessary exer- -ai^ 110 else, so needful to the proper strength* pro he ening and building up on a solid g ?' foundation and to harden her in de- ??ga r?l* veloping her, giving her a good cone of stitutlon, broadening her and strengthening her with the exercise, ^ lr0 which is also imparted to her comiiia jng litter. t3or m? The parlor sow, with her pettings er? and care, is nearly always a failure, jt j, ish and the party is wondering w^y it la,. E t0 writes William Carruthers fin Orchard waf 1 a and Farm. It is the wrong method throughout. It is unnatural anrf al* bl_: My most certain to reBult in failure of t^6 the sow. t0 ov* Feeding when properly done, com- ^ 'ite blned with exercise, is the proper ^ ivy idea. Feeding of the right character . j A is essential; it needs to be regular, tot* at uniform times, and with plenty <jf use water and proper exercise, is the power PA 0,0 that is depended upon 10 aeveiop ?uu ore improve the breed. The feeder is as Dev important man in the destiny of the. >ed hog and should understand the busi- ; ley ness and act according to reason and < ' wn the experience that is taught from Ij ril- those who have made a success of it.i any *r?; ' j ter COMMON DISEASE OF SHEEPjjJjJ ~ Animals Afflicted With Foot y?bli In Should Be Removed to Clean, Dry Lands and Trouble Attended To. y The first thing to do for sheep wftfalSfc foot Jot is to get them on to hlghflry finds. Thelr"*fwfsPWP jg^l |8 then be examined and any foreign matJtg ter between the tpes, which may be ag- \al iel gravating the case, removed. All toT te ulcers containing pus should also bq |M Qf opened and the pus drained off. by The next thing to do is to apply uit strong disinfectants to kill the trouble some parasites. Ointments made of a ?1 j lard or lard-and-flour body, with caran bolic acid or sheep dip in generous ith proportions incorporated, are sometimes used for this purpose. This is..^ is applied after the foot has been thoi^ in; oughly bathed and cleaned up. This \ treatment requires considerable time and effort and is not practical In large < flocks. * r | TRIMMER FOR HORSE'S FEET Tool, Resembling Pair of Pliers, Invented by Idaho Man, Neatly Re- | moves Superfluous Growth. For the neat and expeditious trimming of a horse's hoof, an Idaho min recommends a tool that he has patented. It resembles a pair of pliers with an extra joint. A pair of cutting ^ jaws are pivoted together and to each of the jaws an arcuate rack is pivoted. ^ I These racks, which constitute the in- arrj S ner ends of the handles and have stop | shoulders beyond them, mesh with . ? each other on their inner faces. The ? ' ^ rack members are held together by a on yoke that has rollers on both sides, . so that it moves readily back and . forth. This allows complete freedom er, of movement of the various parts of g&n re- the tool, yet keeps the intermeshed . ur- teeth of the racks from slipping out of can ew place and making the implement use- arfi less. The cutting jaws are operated es- over the top of the hoof. t?. ? AV Dl EXCELLENT HINTS ON HORSES Tw ill a Intelligent Management Is Essential Qe. Point?Don't Sacrifice Quality to Size?Time for Water. * uut The essential point in using pure- jf \S bred draft mares on the farm is intel- per ligent management. mu! nd The last 200 pounds we can put on fou a young draft horse is the most profit- p0U able 200 pounds of meat we can pro- pou duce on the farm. p irl* No drawing card holds out quite to ?uch strong inducements to good hired fat to men as the farm that maintains high- pou at- class work horses. H lif. It is a great mistake to sacrifice this al<j quality to size. rec< ng. A horse is worth just what he can tha in endure for his owner. the te. Many farm horses get more hay nt. than is good for them. It is a poor th plan to keep their feed racks or i lit manger full of hay all the time. equ A horse watered the last thing at a ^ ire night and the first thing in the morn- j iat ing is not going to take too much. to , by atn in In the greater issues now occupying el- public attention, the passing of the to * oL hobble skirt hardly attracts a com- inv ment on its well-deserved doom. 8et: IN8-FIIL0 CROPS-SILOS-PIGS M Making the I I Farmers' Business jj^ Profitable (PRiSSLY FOR OUR READERS W TEMPERATURE IS BEST . \ im Should Not Contain More Than Two-Thlrde of Ita Capacity to Insure Good Butter. fhen ready to churn care should be en not to put too much cream In churn. The churn should not con* i more than two-thirds of its capacMuch weak and short-bodied but* is caused by overlpading the churn I! churning at the wrong temperaJ. Salvy, mottled and streaked ter is often due to on uneven temature of the wash water used dur* vthe working process. A good bodbutter is usually Inspired by a low iperature, but a. high temperature is oat sure to cause a weak bodied duct ometimes butter is difficult to ther," especially when a combined rn is being used. The grain of the ter seems to be worn out by the is of partly gathered butter poundand pouring over the inside ports of the churn and by the worker, whpn the butter Is finally worked * brittle and weak bodied. ?o not have the temperature of the ih vary very much from that of the ter, but if the butter comes at so h. a temperature as to make it soft, wash water must be cold enough harden the butter, so that it will r working without overworking or troylng the grain of the butter and ing it a salvy appearance. 1L AND STOOL COMBINED dee Recently Invented Acts at Receptacle for Milk and Good 8eat for the Milker. x the dairy where the herd is/of considerable proportions tbe matof getting around among the anils at milking time is one of some gnitude and anything of the nature in innovation, which will facilitate i operation and at the same time Ice for cleaner milk, will get a %elie. A combined stool for the milkend receptacle for the milk has been Mjtly Invented with this object A jy^gewfl^^larger than a buqfcq^ ropporto^ett four legs and reSm :ed for the purpose of supporting weight which it is called upon dp. The top is covered and the acts as a seat for the operatdh Pail and S?at Combined. oduced near the top is a funnel ingement having an outlet spout 1 an inlet opening. As the milk irawn from the cow it flows into can through this funnel extension, s apparatus relieves the dairyman the necessity of carrying both the >1 and milk can, as he must do unordinary circumstances and at the ie time the milk passing so directfrom the source of supply to the i, the possibilities of contamination greatly reduced. ERAGE PRODUCT OF A COW 0 Hundred and Forty Pounds of Butterfat Should Be Produced in Year From Animal. 1 good dairy animal should pro e 240 pounds of butterfat a year, she produces a milk testing five cent fat her production of milk 3t be 5,000 pounds. If the milk is r per cent it is equivalent to 6,000 inds and if three per cent to 8,000 :nds. I the cow is dry six weeks out of year her daily average of butterwill be about three-fourths of a ind. f the herd can be made to average i amount daily it is an excellent ord to maintain. There are herds t will average more than this, but y are few and far between. Dairy vs. Poultry. 'he cows will return money, or its ivalent, each day in the year, and in ay it will be less worry than to get from poultry. A cow isn't as easy 9top in her milk flow as a hen is to p in her egg flow, nor is she as hard jet back to the normal. The money ested is much greater, so this off 3 that to some extent. HOW TO CARRY LIVI W^r Right and Wrong V "A. bird in the hand" is an ancieni phrase?but it makes a lot of difference how the bird is handled. Especially is this true with the poultryman who breeds any of the heavier strains of hens, ducks and geese. It is just as easy to carry a fowl properly, and much safer and wiser besides. Here are a few suggestions by J. O. Halpin, secretary of the Wisconsin' Poultry as soclation: -Carry a duck by the neck as indicated in the picture. Don't grab it by the wing or the feet Ducks, like pup pies, can stand being handled by the scruff of the neck better than to have their weight suspended from one wing or their feet, which are rather frail. Pekin, Rouen and Aylesbury ducks and MMHIiMi Right and Wrong VI t/WN/WVW\AA/WWW>A/V\/VNAA^/V nni^rnn finnpacHiOK? Care 8hould Be Taken V> 8ee That the Little Fellows Have Coops of Proper 8lze. As the chicks Increase In size, care should be taken to see that they have the right accommodations; they grow rapidly, and a coop that has beeu large enough for them when young soon becomes too small. The chicks at this time do not require the close care that they did when younger, and so this danger may be overlooked, in which case ill health, malformations and stunted growth among Individuals will probably result. The writer has found that the best way to overcome this difficulty is to have larger coops of brood houses to replace the smaller coop'p; these are made big enough to accommodate two or three broods of the growing chicks, says a writer in an exchange. Threefourths of the front, thiB being the upper section, is covered with mesh wire netting, to allow of plenty of fresh air; but the back and sides are closed, so there can be no drafts. A small door is provided In the front of the coop for the purpose of shutting up the chicks at night This saves the trouble of closing two or three coops, as wouia De necessary u a larger coop were not used. SOUND ADVICE FROM MAINE Pertinent Remarks From Experiment Station on Poultry House Hygiene and Sanitation. The Maine experiment station, in a very excellent bulletin on "Poultry Diseases and Their Treatment" makes some very pertinent remarks about poultry house hygiene and sanitation, in which the spraying machine finds a use. The thing of paramount importance in the hygienic housing of poultry is cleanliness. By this is meant not merely plain, ordinary cleaning up, in the housewife sense, but also bacteriological cleaning up; that is, disinfection. All buildings and structures of whatever kind in which poultry are housed during any part of their lives should be subjected to a most thorough and searching cleaning and disinfection at least once a year. This cleaning up should naturally come for each different structure at a time which just pre cedes the putting of new stock Into this structure. Select for Hardiness. Selecting for hardiness should be the main object, health and vigor to be given the preference in selecting each individual. The weakest and most useless of a flock should be weeded out as soon as possible. Proud of His Job. An old rooster will settle the scraps amotg a pen of cockerels and appear proud to do it E POULTRY PROPERLY ' b V ILli m W- \ ,: : . y^gM . WfcM* . /Mjff/K W jsA KjI|\iL l/av of Carrvina a Duck. : all such heary market types should always be handled In this manner by careful poultrymen. * i Heavy hens with full crops should i never be seized by the legs and swung ; head down. Neither should they be I tilted up In the clumsy way shown. In i the picture. They should be so grasped , that their wings are confined closely A and securely under the arm of the per* son carrying them, but above all / > things an easy and natural position means more comfort and less strug* . gllng and Injury to the bird and poi* ' * i slbly the man as well. Flopping wings i and scratching claws often do harm ^ ; human skin and eyes. A little careful / f. . handling will do away with this dan { v" ' ger. f ray of Carrying a Hen. | KEEP PmHTBJf HOUSE CLEAN / Thorough Overhauling Needed to 0? troy Uce and Mltee?White waabIng la Recommended. i To get rid of lice and mites and stay \ * i rid of them the poultry houses must ' be kept clean. Take out the roosts, . nest boxes, dropping boards and other ; fixtures and give the houses a thori oughly good whitewashing. Qet it Into 1 \ the cracks, for that's where the mites 1 stay, when they are not on the hens. i Paint the roosts, nest boxes and other i fixtures with kerosene before putting i them back. If crude carbolic acid Is added to the whitewash and kerosene ; it will be so much worse for the ver} min. Use it at the rate of about a pint i to five gallons of whitewash, and about > the same amount to a gallon of keroi sene. If the house has a wood floor scatter air-slaked lime over it and . sweep it well into the cracks. Don't i use fresh lime, because the hens may pick some of it up and it might kill ' them. i < This thorough overhauling of the hen houses should be repeated at Ini tervals of a month or so until the ver- * min are destroyed. And it should be done three or four times a year anyhow, because lice and mites will get into a hen house if it is neglected. Swallows going in and out of the houses provide one source of "infection." LURE OF POULTRY INDUSTRY Care of plrda Is Inherent and Attractive to Wealthy People a? Well as ins rooren. . " * There is something in the care of birds, from a canary to a goose?or it may be even an ostrich?that attracts people. Why, we cannot telL It la simply inherent and is attractive to i all kinds of people, and this is why poultry raising is taken up by the rich man as an agreeable" way to invest money and some of his time, and the business and professional men a* an ; exhilarating change from their respective duties, and after a time a source of profit. The poultry industry is a * ' great proposition today. Some writer declares that our emblem should be the "Industrious Hen," not the "Warlike Eagle." But, after all, be the ' poultry keeper a wealthy man of leisure or a washerwoman with a back yard scarcely large enough to v : hold her washtub and her poultry, the keeping of poultry resolves itself at 1 ??a Ar/Hnei^r nvnfvjlav Knaf. littSL 1111U lUl' wiuiuoi ' v...,, ness of keeping aright, buying and selling, if there be any progress connected with it?and there should be. ' , - } Warm Nest Is Best ^ A warm sheltered nest adds much * to the chances of the early sitter hatch* ing well. ' ? ; ;'c Please the Customers. Study the wants of each customer* and plan to meet them. 'y ' 1