Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume], June 17, 1909, Image 5

About Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916

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BITTER AND ROPY MILK
The Source and Nature of the
Bacteria Which Make These
Conditions Possible.
BT L. A. ROGERS,
United States Bureau of Animal Industry*
The distinct bitter taste which some
times appears In milk may be caused
by (1) certain weeds that the cow has
eaten, (2) an abnormal condition^ of the
Udder, (3) an advanced period of lacta
tion, or (4) the actioh of certain bac
teria. Only the fourth cause of bit
ter milk will be discussed In this
paper.
It Is probable that the bacteria caus
ing bitterness are not at all uncommon
ana that they could be found in many
lots of milk showing no bitterness.
Some of these bacteria form acid and
Bour the milk the more common forms,
however, form little acid and are
checked by the growth. of the lactic
acid bacteria.
Nearly all of them form spores and
thus survive heating, which destroys
the lactic acid bacteria. For this, rea
son bitterness has been most frequent
ly observed in pasteurized and imper
fectly sterilized milk.
The few remaining spores germinate,
and as they are unhindered by the
presence of lactic acid bacteria they
soon reach unusual number and the
bitter flavor appears.
Bitter milk may appear as an epi
demic, persisting day after day, and
causing great trouble. This may be
due to some constant localized source
of Infection which adds each day un
usual numbers of bacteria to the milk.
In some cases It has been found that
the udder of a cow was infected. This
should be determined by carefully
cleaning the udders of all cows and
milking from each quarter of the udder
of each cow into fruit Jars or bottles
which have previously been cleaned
'with boiling water
In case one of these samples shows
a well^develop'e'd "bitterness while oth
ers remain normal, it may be assumed
that the source of infection is the ud
-ider of the cow. la .that case there
should be injected into the udder after
(each milking a solution of one part of
•hyposulphite of soda in 100 parts of
'water.
It Is possible, in many cases that, the
source of infection is not localized. If
through some combination. Of clrcum
•Btances the lactic acid bacteria are
-••suppressed, other kinds, become pre
dominant.
The utensiis, the milk room and the
Stable gradually become Inoculated
f'With these bacteria or their spores and
s, each new lot of milk is thoroughly, ln
at
The bitter-milk "bacteria may be one
~of the new forms. In this event It may
be necessary,' after thoroughly' clean
ing everything'coming in contact with
the milk, to introduce some good sour
milk from a neighboring dairy.
In this way the normal fermenta
tion may be restored and the objection
able. bacteria suppressed.
Ropy milk Is, so far as known, in no
way detrimental to health. The fa
mous Edam cheese Is nearly all made
from milk which has undergone this
termentation.
Most people, however, object seri
ously to milk with any tendency to
as form threads. This trouble frequently
affects the milk of a'dairy day after
day and Is removed only by the most
drastic measures.
Outbreaks of this nature frequently
occur in the cold months, because the
bacteria of this group thrive better at
low temperatures .than the lactic-acid
bacteria which hold them in check un
tier normal conditions.
In one case it was found that these
bacteria were abundant In the dust of
the stable. The trouble was removed
by thoroughly cleaning and white
washing.
In!another serious and persistent out
break it was found that the milk as
It came from the dairy contained few
sr no 'ropy milk bacteria, but they
ivere abundant in the water tank In
which the milk was held overnight.
The small amount of water occa
sionally splashed Into the cans' acid
id sufficient bacteria to make the milk
ropy in a comparatively short time.
The utensils and floor had become
so thoroughly impregnated with this
organism that milk exposed In the
room or strained through the wire
itralner became ropy without contam
ination with the water.
The trouble was removed by thor
oughly scalding all the utensils, dis
infecting the floor with a 5 per cent
sulphuric acid solution and destroy
ing the organisms In the ice water by
adding potassium bichromate—in the
proportion of one part to 1,000 parts
of water.
FACTS WORTH KNOWING
The first English bushel measure was
fixed at eight gallons of wheat during
the reign of Henry VIII. The bushel
now legal was regulated by parliament
In 1S24 and is the same in the United
States.
Butter is never used by the Greeks,
Romans or Chinese, oil being preferred.
In Africa, at Kebba, vegetable butter is
made from the fruit of the shea tree
and is said to be of richer taste than
any butter made from cows' milk.
When mourning for their dead the
Israelites neither washed nor anointed
themselves. Greeks and Romans fasted.
In Europe they wear black, in China
white, in Turkey violet and in Ethiopia
brown.
Cattle were first brought to America
by Columbug on his second voyage.
Tobacco was introduced into England
by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1586. Pota
toes were also carried to England by
Raleigh.
Wedding rings were first used by the
ancients and put upon the third finger
of the left hand, from a supposed con
nection of a vein there with the heart.
They were first made of iron. Wedding
rings in England are of standard gold
by statute, 1855.
JUNE WORKING NOTES
Notice little white spots on the pear
leaves? This is leaf blight. Bordeaux
sprayed about three weeks after the
blossoms fall and twice more at In
tervals of about two weeks will pre
vent it.
The leaf-eating insects are busy in
the orchard now. Give them paris
green.
The June heat Is the most enervating
of the season. Go slow with the horses
and take It easy yourself till hardened
to the work.
Now the sprouts on the trees are
sprouting vigorously. Better rub them
off now than cut them later.
When you plant canteloupes sow a
bit of radish or turnip seed In the hill.
These will come up first and keep the
bugs busy till the vines get a start.
Don't neglect to plant sweet corn at
least three times—six is better.
Now Is a good time to give the poul
try houses a thorough cleaning—not a
partial ono and whitewash. Mites
thrive in hot weather.
Remember that flies breed In filth
and dust and carry more disease than
rats. Clean up every breeding place
and screen them out of the house and
dairy.
It is a mistake to let bee hives stand
in the hot sun. Place them under a
sheltering tree or vine with a good cir
culation of air.
If you do not have a hive ready the
bees will surprise you by swarming
when you are the busiest and you may
lose them.
If you have no range for the poul
try you must give them green stuff all
summer. Sharp grit, too—not sand.
Better burn all the old berry crates.
Fruit iii nice, clean boxes will bring a
price enough better to pay for the loss
of the old crates.
If the cabbage root maggot Is at
work lit a piece of tarred* paper close
about the base of the plants. It will
help.
If you grow late maturing crops in
the peach' orchard they will keep the
wood growing too late to make them
safe for winter. Clean up the ground
this month.
BEES ARE INTERESTING
The most Important product ob
tained from bees is the honey. This
Is scarcely different from the nectar as
secreted by flowers, the honey from
different plants being so little changed
by "the process of storage and curing
In'the hive that the honey from each
kind of plant retains its particular
color and flavor. In collecting and
storing it the bees simply pump it into
the honey sack and from this it is
forced back through the proboscis and
deposited in the cells of comb in the
hive.
Wax Is a product of the bees, and
Is-produced- from-glands and'Is used
in. the formation of comb. The archi
tecture .of the bee is therefore depend
ent. upon a particular kind of material
produced by the bee Itself, and Is dis-
ft, Antenna or feeler I, Tongue
b, Spoon of the tongue
HEAD OF A HONEY P.KE MANY TIMES
MAGNIFIED.
tlnctly different from the structures
built by ants or wasps, which use
earth or wood or some material ready
at hand for their processes of build
ing. In another way bees are very
important to the/ human' species, be
cause many plants—such as the apple
Zoology, Ohio State University-
&
The Dorsets are very popular as
twin-lamb bearers and are a hardy
breed.
ACQUIRING HONEY BEES
A farmer who always has a number
of bee hives has been losing a number
when they would swarm. He took an
empty hive and placed it 40 feet high
on one of tho large oaks growing in
his forest. The bees discovered the
hive and he soon had a hive of bees
in it that he would have lost had he
not placed that box in the tree. If
you have no bees and want to start in
honey growing, put up a small hive in
one of the largest trees about your
home. This plan has been known to
succeed a number of times in captur
,r ing a lost swarm of honey-makera.
STOCK EAT PRICKLY PEARS
Results of Experiments Made
at New Mexico Experiment
Station Show This.
BY PROFESSOR B. F. HARE.
New Hexioo Experiment Station.
The Increased use of the prickly pear
(the flat-Jointed members of the genus
opuntia) as feed for all classes of ru
minants, especially for range and dairy
cattle, makes it'important for the pro
per preparation of a» ration that the
feeder know how much digestible nu
trients to expect from feeding a given
quantity of the plant either alone or
mixed with other feeding stufts.
Experiments seem to show that when
prickly pear is fed with cured fodders
or grains, the digestibility of both Is
increased.
The nutritive ratio is very wide for
this feed, and in feeding it to all
classes of animals, for whatever pur
pose, much better results should be
obtained when It is fed with some sub
stance of high protein' content.
The steers, experimented upon sel
dom drank water when fed prickly
pear alone. In fact, in feeding a ra
tion of 100 pounds of this feed per
day the animals obtained from the
feed over eight gallons of water, which
is more than was usually drank by
them when fed cured fodders alone.
While no digestion experiments were
made with any of the cacti other than
prickly pear, the digestion coefficients
of the latter could probably be safely
used for all- other members of this
family, since their composition and
other characteristics are similar.
Animals scour quite badly when fed
prickly pear alone besides, other feeds
are needed to supply the proper
amount of of protelds for these rea
sons it is better not to feed it alone.
A ration for a 1000-pound milch cow
of fifty pounds of prickly pear, ten
pounds of wheat bran and ten pounds
of alfalfa would furnish about the cor
rect theoretical amount of nutrients,
in which the ratio of protelds to car
bohydrates would be 1 to 5.46.
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE
F, W. Fane, the state forester, Is In
viting tho people of Massachusetts to
turn over their waste lands to the
state to be reforested. The owner is
given the privilege of buying back the
land in ten years for the actual cost of
the improvements put on by tho state
plus a low rate of interest. The state
sets out seedlings on these tracts of
swamp or other waste places and care
fully cultivates and protects them un
til they are ten years old.
tree, clover, etc.—are dependent upon
them for pollination, and without their j»°r
assistance the crops might be much! forestry business for her health. Her
reduced.—Herbert Osborn, Professor of officials estimate good Profits from the
nORSET SHEEP
But it isn't the New England idea
of thrift to do something for nothing.
Is Massachusetts going into the
industry—not as big perhaps as they
get from hogs and alfalfa out west, but
still good, comforting profits.
They deal figures out something like
this: An acre of good timber at forty
years is worth $300. The state has
nearly 3,000,000 acres of forests and
waste land, leaving out the parks, and
it Is figured that if these 3,000,000
acres forty years from now are cov
ered with nice trees they will be worth
something around $800,000,000.
Of course much of the timber will
have some tangible value after five
years' growth from the seedling, but
the big results will come after pretty
much all the timber in adjoining states
unless they wake up—will be gone.
At any rate the people of Massachu
setts are beginning to sit up and take
notice—as they always do at any sound
like a dollar—and the reforestation
scheme seems to be pretty firmly
grounded.
SOME POULTRY YARD HELPS
Save the earliest and best pullets for
winter layers. If one or two are not
so thrifty as the rest, get rid' of them
Keep your chicks tame. It is a nui
sance to have to use a shotgun to
•atch a chicken. Incubator chicks
have this advantage, they are accus
tomed to being handled and are never
rendered unmanageable through fright,
Count your flocks as you feed. A
missing one may be found and rescued
from some trouble if it is looked for at
once.
THE BRACE THAT HOLDS
BY J. W. GRIFFIN, WARSAW, KY.
Material for the brace, If sawed stuff,
should be 2 by 6 Inches if poles are
used they should be heavy enough to
fill tho notches in corner and' brace
posts.
First out notches for the brace In the
posts, then set corner or end post good
and deep tamp well. Next set brace
post six feet from end post. Cut the
braces, two of them fasten a piece of
Inch board between at each end tem
porarily nail the braces lightly to
hold solid while wiring them to the
posts. Take some of tho fence wire
and wrap several times, as shown in
the cut. After tho fence is up put
an Inch block between each two wires
between the braces.
A SPLENDIDLY ARRANGED BREEDING HOUSE FOR DUCKS
The above shows a duck house with wire-separated water runs. This Is an admirable plan for farmers who
have running water on their farms.
THE PEAR ORCHARD
The first three or four years after
setting It is best to cultivate the pear
orchard in vegetables of some sort,
but never in wheat or rye. The veget
able crops require both manure and
cultivation, which benefit the young
pear trees.
When the pear tree makes a fine
growth the fifth year the orchard can*
be put in clover and left two or three
years in that crop.
The first crop of clover may be
taken off, but the second crop should
never be taken off, but should be left
to rot on the ground to enrich the soli.
While the pear orchard is' in clover
it is beneficial to hoe or grub around'
ejicli tree in the spring and keep the
soil loose around it this destroys
many insects and also keeps them from
nesting there.
Each spring and fall wash down the
trunks and larger llnibs of the trees
with a solution of soft soap and water,
about half and half. This will destroy
insects and keep the bark smooth and
healthy.
Keep down all suckers from around
the roots and remove all sprouts from
the trunks. The pear, however, needs
but little pruning if the trees make a
strong and vigorous growth for sev
eral years, unless there is a tendency
to grow too much in height at the
expense of the width.
Low heads are more desirable. How
ever, when pruning Is necessary It
should be done to conform to tho hab
its and natural shape of the tree
R. B. Rushing.
RAIL FENCE PHILOSOPHY
Among the promising forms of farm
ers' organizations is Insurance. There
is no reason why life and fire Insur
ance-should not be conducted with tre
mendous benefit and profit to share
holders. It is work for the National
grange.
Tho community that will not main
tain good roads does not deserve the
benefits of rural route postal delivery.
If a railroad train kills a man or his
horses or cows the company has to
pay the damages. Owners of automo
biles should be held equally liable.
James J. Hill continues to preach
soil fertility wherever lie goes. It is
good gospel and cannot be too widely
spread.
Young man, better a successful
fanner than an unsuccessful clerk In
a city store.
Here Is something for every farm
boy to consider It is a fact that only
one out of every 300 farm boys who go
to the cities rises above the drudgery
of clerkship with its poor pay and
downright' slavery.
If a 'man wants a hard Job, let him
go out in search of a real' good farm
team. He will find many for sale, but
not one in a hundred will prove to be
right in all respects. There seems to
be an unceasing demand for this' class
of work teams in all sections of the
country, and the man who will con
tinue to raise high-grade work horses
will always find a paying market for
them.
NEW USE FOR CORNSTALKS
Government's Experiments for
Making Paper Out of These
Likely to Be Valuable.
Professor B, T. Galloway of the Ag
ricultural Department at Washington,
who has been experimenting with
cornstalks as a material for making
•paper, announces that^ great progress
has been achieved along this line.
While he does not say that the experi
ments so far prove that the thing Is
actually accomplished and is a com
mercial success, he is very hopeful that
it will work out satisfactorily.
The paper workers are greatly inter
ested in the experiments because, if it
turns out that this great product of
the farm can be turned into good paper
It will have a marked effect on the
paper making industry.
Cornstalks are about the cheapest
product grown on the farm, and while
not entirely useless as stock food, mil
lions of acres are allowed to go en
tirely to waste every year.
Paper-niabtng wood Is becoming
somewhat scarce, although there Is no
such famine In the northern woods as
some alarmists would have us believe.
If, however, the government succeeds
in making good paper out of corn
stalks, the wood will last longer and
the price of paper will not be advanced
to a point where Its use would neces
sarily be restricted.
The government has done many
great things for the benefit of the
farmers, but if the cornstalk experi
ments prove successful this achieve
ment will rank among the most ben
eficial.
It will be a great day when the
farmer can read the news printed on
paper made from the cornstalks grown
In his own field.
SEPARATORS AND CALVES
There is no doubt but that calves do
exceedingly well on separated milk.
The calf that sucks the cow will do
well until weaning time comes, but the
calf that gets its warm, fresh, sep
arated milk will flourish the whole year
round. For the sake of a few more
pounds of butter the calf is often
starved to a gaunty, unsightly little
dwarf and never comes to maturity
and is c'ways poor property to its
owner. By allowing it fresh, warm
milk from the separator you will have
a big, strong calf In such a condition
that will give the best results for the
extra care and labor, the same as other
stock kept in a thriving condition.
Sweet skimmed milk makes bone and
sinew for the calf. We are looking
after the calf that is to be raised to
maturity and there are cheaper foods
than 2o-cent butter fat upon which to
raise calves. That is, buy centrifu
gal cream separators. If you do not
have one already, and feed your calves
the milk as soon as run through the
separator, while it yet contains the
animal heat and In the condition Just
suited to the needs of the calf. We be
llevo that every farmer who keeps from
three to ten good cows and
wisheB
grow good calves will find It to
EDITORIAL DICTUM
Many claim that travel Is apt to
make a man discontented, but with
me travel breeds contentment. A trip
among fellow farmers ii» other sec
tions shows mo how I may improve my
own methods. The more I travel
among successful farmers the more
thoroughly I am convinced that it Is
more in the man than in the farm or
location. I have seen men on eastern
farms that were naturally thin soil
who were making good money on their
investments, while on tho other hand I
have seen men who were losing money
every year on some of the most fertile
farms of the west. It Is the man more
than the location.
Ever know a man to scrub his l)ogs
unless he was Intending to take them
to a state fair? Well, I have. I have
a friend In central Ohio who keeps his
hogs as clean as his Jersey cows. He
declares If two lots of hogs are treated
alike in every respect, except that one
lot receives a thorough scrubbing with
soap suds once In a while, there will
be a marked difference In favor of the
hogs that are washed when the time
for slaughtering comes. A clean bed
of straw, with a dry house, so as to af
ford them comfort at night, will also
promote thrift and growth. There may
be something In that argument.
Certainly a hog cannot be too clean
if he tried. I do know, that naturally
a hog Is a pretty clean sort of animal
and. he enjoys a ^bath as much as
man docs. If the hog is considered
filthy animal that devours filthy food
it Is because of the treatment given
Hogs will select clean and wholesome
food always if given the opportunity
to do so.
The time is not far distant when
people will place a higher estimate
upon the value of skim milk as a hu
man food. Many of our scientlflo men
have devoted much study and atten
tlon to this phase of the dairy busi
ness until they have solved the prob
lem of preserving this liquid food in
a solid form, and already there are a
number of powdered milk plants in
operation and the demand for the
product is rapidly Increasing.
MAKE BUTTER FREE FROM STREAKS
To prevent the streaks In butter,
which are so' annoying to dairymen
who sometimes experience this trouble,
the butter should be taken from the
churn when it Is In the form of small
grains not larger than buckwheat ker
nels.
to
his
ad­
vantage to buy a good cream separator
and use it Intelligently.
LITTLE HELPS FOR FARMER'S WIFE
Never wash tan or Drown hose lii
hot water or in water that has been
used for other clothes. Use tepid wa
ter and white soap, washing carefully
with the hands, rinse thoroughly and
lians at once to dry, and they will re
tain their colors.
A basin of cold water placed In an
oven that is too hot when baking will
bring down the temperature more
quickly and to better purpose than by
leaving the oven door open.
A vessel of boiling vinegar kept on
the stove when cooking cabbage, on
•lons or other vegetables will counter
act the odor, which is often offensive
when the house Is closed.
Kerosene is excellent to clean en
ameled bath tubs, marble wash.bowls
or marble tables. Rinse well with
strong soap suds to destroy^ the odor
of the kerosene.
Never put hot food of any kind into
a refrigerator or meats or poultry
without a plate under them. Neither
leave meats wrapped in the papers in
which they are brought from market.
—Aunt Emily.
The buttermilk should then be
strained off and clear water, fresh and
cold, poured on the product through
a strainer until the water runs' quite
clear of buttermilk.
Then put the butter in a bowl* or
worker and spread .sufficiently ,tl)in
so that fine pure salt may be sprinkled
evenly over It.
Turn in the edges and press the but
ter without drawing the ladle over It,
but simply pressing it to get out the
surplus water, and cut it in pieces with
the edge of the ladle.
Pour off whatever water runs from
It, then cover with a clean cloth. and
First prize Holstein calf, owned by J.
B. Iroem, Minneapolis, Minn.
set it away in a cool, dark place. In
a few hours the salt will dissolve, the
surplus brine drain oil, and the Sftlt
becomes absorbed all through it.
When this stage has been reached,
work it over by pressure only until-It
Is as dry as can be made, then mold
it Into rolls or cakes, or pack it into
pails or tubs.
In the latter case press the butter In
solidly and pour over it a little water,
which then pour oft and sprinkle a lit
tle salt over .lt.
Exposure to light when the bUttefr is
set away to drain after salting is one
cause of streaks In butter. Also lime
in hard water which is used in wash
ing the butter, or impurities in cheap
salt are well-known agents in bleach
ing butter.—J. H. Vincent.
PERPETUATING A FOREST
In 1892 the first example of syste
matic forestry in the United States
was begun at Btltmore, N. C. It Is still
In successful operation. In felling a tree
#Y
great care is,exercised to prevent un
necessary I Injury to young trees or
crushing in its fall the seedlings oh
which the future of the forest depends.
A successful- sheep raiser comes to
tho rescue of those suffering loss from
ticks, lice and worms in lambs. He
says that the use of sulphur In the
salt will rid the animals of these pests.
A large tablespoonful of sulphur to
about a pint of salt is sufficient. Worth
•rylng, anyway.
CLOVER ON SANDY LQAM
Especially Valuable as a Rota*
tion Crop and Will Grow
Nearly Everywhere.
Slf
BY C. H. MILLER. 'S
A farmer in Sedgwick county, Kan
sas. who says ho is afraid to try al
falfa becauso some of his neighbors
havo not been successful with it, want*
to know whether clover would not
better on his soli, which he describes
as a good black loam, "a llttle sandy."
'I have never tried clover," he writes,
"but I notice that It grows In places
along the roads In the vicinity of my
farm."
There can be no doubt that clover
will do well on "good black loam, a
little sandy," because, the growth of
vagrant clover alongside proves that
the proper bacteria are present in the
soil.
Clover is a great -crop for a rota* j„
tion, and wo suggest the following
Corn, wheat and clover or, when It
is desired to grow a cash or market
crop, such as potatoes, beans and cab
bage, the 'rotation may be lengthened,
and the, crop will thus receive the
benefits from the rotation and be han
dled with the same labor and teame
required to perform the general farm
work, thus decreasing the cost of pro
duction and eliminating the fertilizer
bills.
Clover sould be grown every third
or fourth year or, where this crop
falls, some other legume should be
utilized. Of all the plants with which
we.are acquainted clover seems to be
endowed with a power to recuperet*'
soil more than others.
It Is superior to other grasses be
cause it sends Its roots down deeper,
thus feeding upon mineral and vege
table substances in the soil that are
out of reach of the surface feeding
plants. It also Increases the nitrogen
and humus content of the soil and is
an excellent food for all kinds of live
stock.
There Is no forage crop, excepting
alfalfa, that possesses as many valu
able qualities as our common red
clover. AH ruminants prefer it to
other hay.
Clover thrives on almost all forme
of soil and It is especially valuable
on sandy soil, as it draws Its nourish
ment from the subsoil and from th«
atmosphere and brings back to the
surface .many soluble elements of fer
tility that have been washed down
through the soli by leaching.
Alfalfa ought to grow well on thle
Kansas -farm and simply because some
other farmers haye not succeeded with
It' ib' no reason why our young friend
should not try it. Sow on high or roll
ing land, well drained, in a perfect
seed bed, thirty pounds to the acrek
and it ought and doubtless will do
well. It is successfully grown In
nearly all of tfie eastern states, but Is
particularly well adapted to western
soils. .,
GOOD MONEY IN BEANS
There Is good profit in white field
beans, and they are a pretty sure crop.-,
If the soil is too rich the vines will
grow rank, or if the soil Is loose and
gravelly there will be difficulty In re-,
talnlng sufficient moisture. A good
ioam corn land Is the right soli. I
use beans In a four-year rotation—two
years clover, one year corn, followed
by beans.
Plow after corn planting Is done and
make a good, fine seed bed. Planting
occurs May 15 to July 1—perhaps the
most being planted In the first half of
June. I use from one-half to three
fourths of a bushel per acre. I drllV
In rows 28 inches apart.
Up to the time of blossoming the
cultivation of beans is practically the
same as for corn. It must be frequent
to destroy the weeds and preserve the:
surface mulch, thereby conserving thej,
moisture of the lower'soil. The branch
roots are so far developed at the time
of blossoming that further cultivation
.will hurt rather than help the orop. It
is a good plan to plant a part of th«
crop early and a part late, as cultiva
tlon and harvesting are better dis
tributed and leaves days of scarcity
of farm help. This is a valuable fea
ture.
Fertilizing Is an Important raattet
in raising beans. If the soil is toci pool
it will not raise good beans and 11
will not do to apply barnyard manure
directly to the crop. It pays better tt
apply manure a year in advance, and ii
the farmer will give this crop propei
attention he will find It will give hire
as great returns for money and time
invested as anything he can raise.—EJ
L. Griffin, Michigan.
BUCKWHEAT AS A CATCH CROP
We sometimes lose our seeding 1*
the oats or wheat and rather than re
seed we plow the ground as soon aftei
the harvest as possible and sow t«
buckwheat Buckwheat is an exhaus
tive crop, but I occasionally use it te
further my grass seeding plans. I havi
never failed In getting a good catch ol
grass or clover, though sometlmei
buckwheat falls in making a good crop
When weeds grow in the wheat stub
ble after harvest you may be sure thai
the clover seed Is gone. It takes onlj
about sixty days for buckwheat te
grow and ripen. It will usually yield
10 to 20 bushels per acre, so it payi
well for the labor involved and at tht
same time makes a fine shade and
irotectlon. for young grass and clovei
own at the same time with buck
wheat. I sow about three peclis pel
acre, with 150 pounds of phosphate,
Much nitrogen Is leached through th«
soil If there Is not some growing crop to
preserve it. Buckwheat consumes but
a small amount of nitrogen, while the
clover gathers an abundance of thle
necessary element.—E. S. Keasey,
Michigan.
Milk Is plentiful now and' the heni
ought to have their full share of it,