CROOK OOUNTT JOURNAL
Pa If
PLANTING ONION
SETS IH PRILLS
May Be Set Out as Early in
Spring as the Land Can
Be Prepared.
GIVE SHALLOW CULTIVATION
Whin Tops Begin to Dl and Bulba
Art Full Grown Onlont Should
Bo Pulled Leek Thrive on
Any Good Soil.
(Prepared by the United SUtae Depart
ment of Afrtculture.)
For very enrly bunch onion It l
the common practice to plant t In
drill 12 to 14 Inche apart and 2 to
8 Inches apart In tho row. The aeta
may be put out at early In the spring
a the In ml cun b prepared.
Far dry onion. ew tho seed thickly
In drill about 12 to 14 Inche apart In
the spring, a aoon aa danger from
hard from la ovit. For early bulb
tho seed may bo planted In a hotbed
or coldframo and the young plant
transplanted to tho open when condi
tion ar favorable, l'lniit 4 or S
I lichee high are of good alzo for triina
plnntlng. Onion require frequent, shallow
cultivation, and It may ho nccessnry
to reiiort to hand weeding. When the
topa begin to die and the bulb are
full grown, tho onion hould be pulled
and left In the Held for a few day
to dry. Then the top ahould be
clipped off and tho built placed In
crate or bag and stored In well
ventilated place to cure.
Early Green Onion.
Early green onlona may also be pro
duced from -the multiplier 'or potato
vntiette planted In the autumn. The
large bulbs of throw onion contain a
number of "heart," or bud, and If
planted will produce a number of
amnll onion. The amall onion have
tiut one "heart" and will produce largo
hulh. A few large bulb ahould be
planted each year, to produce acta for
fall planting.
The top, or tree, onion produce a
number of bulbleta on top of the stem.
These small bulba can be planted In
tho autumn and will produce onion
the following spring.
Varletle recommended: Soulhport
White Globe, Kouthport Ited (ilntie,
IVinvera, Hed Wetliernfleld, AuKtralliin
Onion Are Easily Grown on Good
Soil and Require Little Attention
Besides Weeding.
Ilrown and Prlae Taker. In aome sec
tion of the South the Creole la grown
and the I.oulKlnnu, or Hed Creole, la
a popular variety. The lierniuda 1 a
good type of mild-flavored onion and
la desired by many. The Important
varieties of the Ilcrmuda onion are
Crystal Wax, White Bermuda and
iteu ucrmuuu.
Leek.
This plant belongs to the same class
as does the onion, but requires some
what different treatment. Leeks can
be grown on any good garden soil and
are usually sown In a shallow trench.
The plants should be thinned to stand
about 4 Inches apnrt In the row and
the cultivation should bo similar to
that for onions. After the plants have
attained almost full Blr.e, the earth Is
drawn around them to the height of 6
or 8 Inches In order to blanch the fleshy
stem. The leek docs not form a true
bulb like the onion, but the stem Is
uniformly thick throughout. Leeks are
marketed In bundles, like young onions
and they may be stored the same as
celery for winter.
Leeks nre used for flavoring pur
poses and nre boiled and served with
a cream dressing, the same as young
onions.
Garllc.ls closely allied to the onion,
but will remain In the ground, from
one year to another If undisturbed,
Garlic Is planted by setting the small
bulbs, or cloves, either In the autumn
or early spring. The culture Is prac
tically the same as for the onion. The
bulbs are used for flavoring purposes,
CLEAN UP ALL WASTE AREAS
Before Alfalfa Seed Crop la Grown
.All Plant Along Fence Line
Should Be Cut
Every farmer In an alfalfa seed'
growing district should cut all of the
standing alfalfa along fence lines,
ditch banks, and other waste areas
at the time of cutting a hay crop and
before a seed crop Is grown.
INSURE LARGE CROP
OF EARLY TOMATOES
Select Seed of a Quick Matur
ing Variety.
Young Plant Should B Transplanted
When They Reach Height of Vt
to 2 Inch Beet to Prune
and Train to Stake.
(Prepared by th United State Depart-
mant of Agriculture.)
To Insure an early crop of tnmatoea
the teed of a quick-maturing sort
should be atarted eight week before
the time for setting the plant In the
field. When only a few plant are
needed, the seed may be sown In a
shallow box In the house. For the
best result In growing tomatoes the
young plant ahould be transplanted
a soon a they reach a height of 1H
to 2 luetic. Transplant these plants
to stand 2 Inches apart each way fn
Tomato Vine Tied to Stake Produce
Clean and Htalthy Fruit
a hotbed, coldfraaie, or box In the
house. When the plants begin to
crowd, It la a good plan to transplant
them to flower pots, plant bands, old
strawberry boxes, or tin can from
which the bottom and topa have been
melted.
Tomato planta ahould be set In the
open as aoon as danger of frost tins
passed. If the plant are to be pruned
to one or two stems and tied to stake
they should be set 18 Inches apart In
rows 8 feet apart. If the plants are
not pruned or staked they may be
planted 3 feet apart In row 4 feet
apart It Is advisable, however, to
pruno and train to stakes, especially
for the early crop, as plants so treated
will be healthier and more easily cul
tlvnted and will produce fruit which
Is earlier and more uniform In size
and shape than that produced by
plants which have not been trained
and pruned. Soon after setting tho
plants In the field a stake should be
driven near each plant, to which It
may be tied. Care should be exer
cised to tie the plant so that It will
not be Injured by the string. A good
plan Is to loop the string around the
stake and tie It under a leaf stem. Go
over the patch once every week or 10
dnys and remove all shoots starting In
the axils of the leaves.
Varieties recommended: For early
tomatoes, Enrllana or Chalk's Early
Jewel are recommended, preferably
the former. For medium and late
varieties the following are suggested:
Greater Baltimore, Ited Rock, Globe,
ltenuty. Acme, and Stone. The Stone
ta usually preferred for canning.
Give the garden a fa'r start
If soil Is "sour" lime It for clover.
There Is always a demand for early
sweet corn.
A farm without records Is like a
ship without a rudder.
. Weeds probably cause more trouble
than any other pest that bothers pas
tures. v
Most of the weeds that Infest the
pastures are the annual and perenni
al ragweeds.
In applying manure to the soil It Is
Important to get an even distribution
over the field.
,
Practically no clover seed Is ab
solutely pure and one is taking a
long chance In buying any but the best
seed obtainable.
Hay crops should be cut carefully
so that no stems will remain stand
ing to develop lu advance of the reg
ular seed crop.
Keeping a machine or vehicle In
good repair and well oiled not only In
creases Its efficiency, but lessens the
power required In using It
Sweet clover makes .first-class pas
ture, especially during the fall of the
first year It Is seeded, and the early
summer of the year following.
Attempts to grow second crops of
alfalfa seed In a single season will
meet almost certain failure because
of the Increased abundance of chalcls
flies late In the summer. .'. .-
3tx
CLUB WORK PAYS BOYS WELL
Many California Member Repaid
Loan for Purebred Animal
Out of Flrit Litter.
Agricultural club boy In Eldorado
county, Calif., borrowed $!02 In MarcB,
1018, from local bunk to start their
pig club project. In August, 1010,
an Inventory showed that these boy
owned or had sold $3.82(1.23 worth of
swine. Eight gilts, exhibited by the
Eldorado boy at the Stale fair brought
an average price of $.'ifl..10. They were
from the first litter out of the original
now.
Owing to the high price of port
last year, 03 per cent of the 1019 en
rollment In the California agricultural
club went Into either the ow and lit
ter or the pig feeding contests. Many
club member In the State paid high
price with borrowed money for pure
bred animal, end In moat case hav
more than repaid the loana out of the
first litter, say the United State de
partment of agriculture.
Occasionally the purebred pig club
In California have found difficulty In
securing adequate price for the stock
they raise. To eliminate Oil trouble
they have retorted to the mean used
by other purebred breeds, and have
organized auction sales. Two were
held In the past year, one at Letnoore,
King county, and one In Fresno
county. At Lemoore 38 animal brought
a total of $2,751, or an average or
about $72 a bead, which la about the
Pig Distributed to Club Member,
market price for purebred animals In
California. In Fresno county 20 head
of purebred I'oland-Chlnna brought a
total of $081.50, or an average price
of $03.30.
TREATING PIGS FOR WORMS
Sanitary Cement Wallow Should Be
Provided and Oil or Dip Added
to Kill Vermin.
Before, starting spring pigs on sum
mer feed, the entire lot should be
treated for worms unless the owner
Is certain that the premises are clear.
Santonin or American wormseed oil
treatments are good. 1
Hogs ahould have a sn.nltary cement
or frame wallow. Into the water
should be put some crude oil or a dip
to destroy lice, keep the skin In good
condition, and promote gains.
A maximum use of pasture la desir
able. If present pastures are poor or
Insufficient they may be supplemented
with rape. A good rape pasture should
carry 20 pigs to the acre for the sen
son, according to It. O. Ashby of the
Minnesota station.
Wherever pigs are given a full
feed of grain the self-feeder should
be used to save labor." Corn should
be supplemented with i feed rich in
protein.
The hogs should hog-off enough corn
to finish them for the market, unless
they are to be put behind cattle.
SHEEP AS SOURCE OF PROFIT
Close-Grazing Animals Will Thrive on
Short Grass and Rough Land
Worthy of Trial.
Sheep would be a source of profit
on many farms where they have not
been given attention. They are close
grazing animals and as such will
thrive on Bhort grass and rough land
where other animals would find It dif
ficult t live. Why not get a few
sheop and give them a chance on your
farm? '
EARLY PIGS REQUIRE GRAIN
Young Animals Cannot Be Expected to
Get Heavy Enough for Market
From Cornfield.
Pigs farrowed In late April, May
and June can be fed on the same gen
eral plan but cannot be expected to
get heavy enough to be marketed to
the best advantage from the cornfield,
but' will require grain feeding up to
late December or January at least
before they will he heavy enough.
0
S3 s4L u
Y 1 f ' "
GOOD
ROADS
ESSENTIALS OF GOOD ROADS
Rule Outlined for Construction of
Stone Thoroughfare Drainage
I Important
The essential requirement of good
stone road construction may be con
densed Into the following rules:
1. Cut the blgh place down to
grade not exceeding 1 to 20; fill op
flat or low place' o as to bav a
minimum grade of 1 to 200.
2. Construct subdraln to carry
away alt seepage water; also make
enough cross-drains to dispose of surface-water.
Fig. 1 show subdraln
of drain-tile covered with atone. Fig.
2 shows (iibdraln made of log, and
Fig. 8 shows one made of field staoe.
8. Make the suhgrade firm and solid
and give It the tame curvature a the
surface of the finished road.
4. Spread the bottom course of
stone evenly, then roll and add a little
Subdrains and Cross Section of Road.
fine material for a binder, and con
tinue the rolling until the atones cease
to sink and creep In front of the
roller.
6. Spread the second course and roll
It with the addition of binder and
water until the whole surface I hard
and smooth, carefully filling with
stone any depressions that may ap
pear; then finish the whole with a
course of three-quarter-Inch stone and
screenings. This must be soaked with
water and rolled until the surface Is
hard and unyielding. Always be care
ful to commence the rolling at the
sides and gradually work toward the
center; by so doing the crown of the
road will be preserved. If this work
Is well and thoroughly done the result
will be a road that la smooth, bard and
convenient for travel at all seasons of
the year. Fig. 4 shows a cross-section
of a macadam rood, with layers of
stone compacted In place.
For a fanning community the width
of macadam need not be greater than
10 or 12 feet The width of stone sur
face should be sufficient to take care
of all the travel on the road; but on
the other hand It should not be so
great as to require unnecessary ex
pense In the construction or main
tenance of the road.
When water has to be conveyed
from one side of a road to the other It
should be taken under the road by
means of a culvert A stone culvert
Is, of course, the best, but a vitrified
tile pipe or a corrugated metal culvert
may be used.
Lastly, give the road a good coat of
suitable road oil to prevent dust and
retard much damage to automobiles.
PROBLEM OF GOOD HIGHWAYS
Becoming One of Increasing Impor
tance Because of Changes In
Method of Travel..
' The road problem of the country Is
becoming one of ever-lncrensing Impor
tance, largely because of the changes
in methods of travel which enable the
city man to reach farther and farther
Into the country 'listrict. He does
this first from a business or economic
standpoint, and, second, from a pleasure-seeking
standpoint In an exactly
similar manner, the farmer Is getting
fully aroused to the Importance of
better and better roads. They enable
him to get to the city markets with
his produce, whether that produce
may be something requiring frequent
trips, such as milk to a creamery, gar
den truck to market, or staple prod
ucts to be hauled In their proper sea
son. The better the roads, the cheap
er he can haul his produce and the
quicker he can do so, resulting In a
saving of time, and the better choice
he has of market conditions.
ESSENTIAL POINTS OF ROADS
Concrete Highways Reduce Pull, In
crease the Load and Shorten
Time of Delivery.
- Concrete roads reduce the pull. In
crease the load and shorten the time
three essentlnl points In modern
road construction. With the quality
of permanence added, the price paid
becomes an Investment Instead of a
loss.
BEST FOR MARKETING CROPS
Farmer Enabled to Haul Produce
When Prices Are Highest If High
ways Are Improved.
Good roads give a wider choice of
time for marketing crops. If roads
were kept In condition to permit travel
and hauling at all times and In all
kinds of weather, farmers would not
have to rush their produce to market
In seasons of good roads, but could haul
It when prices were highest and when
their crops did not demand, attention,
INSPECTION AIDS EXPORTER
Federal Certificate of Importance a
.They Guarantee Shipment Meet
Requirement.
An Illustration of the Important
service which Inspectors of perishable
food, representing the bureau of mar
kets. United States department of
agriculture, are able to render export
era, la found In the work recently done
In connection with the shipment
abroad of 4,000,000 pound of butter.
This butter was destined for one of
the European countries, but because
previous uninspected shipment bad
not come op to specifications, the ex
porting house, to protect Itself against
further complaints, requested United
States government inspection. This in
sured delivery of butter of the quality
called for in It contract. The bu
reau of market' inspector were called
on to certify the grade of the butter
Which was held in Minneapolis, Chi
cago, Boston, Philadelphia and New
York warehouses. These are the
points at which butter inspector are
regularly stationed.
The Inspections were made as re-'
quested, and such lots as did not come
np to the stipulated score were with
held, while the rest wa started on
its way. From this incident It ap
pear that federal inspection certifi
cates are proving of value to export
ers, since they guarantee that the
shipments concerned fully meet spe
cific requirements an Important fac
tor In promoting foreign trade rela-
rf i -vr,
' .-. It- . . j.; aV-- N---tit,-..- '-TOK-V-.s- .
ttons. Likewise, the Industry as a
whole benefits from federal Inspection
because through it the produce ob
tains favorable standing In foreign
markets.
COWS REPAY GENEROUS FEED
Animals Take Raw Materials and
Work Them Over Into Milk Dis
pose of Shirkers.
The cow must be regarded as a sort
of living machine. She takes the raw
materials given her In the form of
feed and works them over into milk.
If the supply of proper materials is
small, the output will be small. The
cow that will not repay generous feed
ing should be disposed of and one
bought that will. There are, of course,
certain Inbred characteristics or nat
ural qualities which even liberal feed
ing cannot overcome.
BALANCED RATION FOR COWS
New York Farmer Feed Oats, Gluten
Bran and Cottonseed Meal In
Combination.
A balanced ration for dairy cows,
used largely by New York farmers
who feed sllnge, hay and some corn
fodder for roughage, consists of 200
pounds ground oats, 200 pounds gluten,
100 pounds bran and 100 pounds cot
tonseed meal. Considering nutritive
value it is about the cheapest ration
a farmer can buy.
TAKING CREAM TO CREAMERY
Should Be Done Early In Morning and
Not Less Than Three Times a
Week in Summer.
Deliver the cream to the creamery
or cream station early In the morning,
and not less than three times a week
during the summer, and twice a week
during the winter. Protect the cans
of cream from the sun by covering
with canvas or with a wet sacl while
en route.
WHAT MAKES THE GOOD TURN.
A scout leader gave a very good de-
scrlDtlon of a itood turn when he said
It was "To do something for someone
that causes you to go out of your way
or diverts you from your regular course
of action."
Remember, to do vour dutv or to
aid without inconvenience to yourself
is not a rem good turn, rutting tne
good turn above one's self Is the real
thing that counts In scouting.
BEST CROPS FOR
SPRING GREENS
Spinach Is Most Excellent and
Should Be Found in Every
Home Garden.
RICH LOAM MOST ESSENTIAL
On of Uood Point About 8wlss
Cl.srd I That Leave May Be
Cut Without Injuring Plant
Dandelion and Kale Are Good.
(Prepared br the United State Depart
ment of Agriculture.) .
Spinach la one of the best crop
grown for green and should be found
In every home garden. In the North
It may be planted In early spring, or
it can be planted In the autumn and
carried over winter by mulching with
straw or leaves. Sow the seeds of
spinach In drills 1 foot apart at the
rate of 1 ounce to 100 feet of row or
10 to 12 pounds to the acre. To pro
duce good spinach, rich loam which
will give the plant a quick growth
is required. As ordinarily grown,
spinach occupies the land during the
autumn and winter only and doe not
Interfere witl summer cultivation.
spidbco is an easily grown garden
crop, and there Is, perhaps, no other
of its kind that will give as good sat
isfaction. Three or four ounces of
seed planted in the autumn after a
summer crop baa been harvested from
the land, will produce an abundance
of greens for the average family dur
ing the bite autumn and early spring.
In gathering spinach, the entire plant
Is removed and not the leaves. The
larger plants are selected first, and
the smaller or later ones are thus
given room to develop. No thinning
is required If this plan of harvest
ing I practiced.
The Savoy la the variety most com
monly grown.
Chard.
Chard, or Swiss chard. Is a beet
which Is grown for its foliage Instead
of Its root. The leaves are cooked
and used in very much the same way
as asparagus. One of the good points -
about this vegetable is that crop afte
crop of leaves may be cut without In
juring the plant
Chard is planted about the same
time and In the same manner as beets,
but as the top grows larger it should
be given more space than the garden
beet The edible part of this plant Is
the root, which somewhat resembles
the carrot and Is used In the same
manner. The leaves are used the same
as parsley for garnishing and In fla
voring soups.
New Zealand Spinach.
The plant known as New Zealand
spinach is not a true spinach but
grows much larger and should be
planted in rows 3 feet apart, lth
the plants 12 to 18 Inches apart in the
row. Some difficulty may be experi
enced In getting the seeds to ger
mlnntp. find thev shniild he sonked one
or two hours In hot water before plant-
I, I
Swiss Chard Has Been Bred for Foil.
' age for Salads Instead of Root
tng. New Zealand spinach is satis
factory for growing In warm climates,
as it withstands heat better than the
ordinary spinach. The fleshy leaves
and tender stems are cooked the same
as spinach.
Dandelion.
Sow the seed of dandelion In spring
In drills 18 Inches apart, covering It
one-half Inch deep. Thin the plants
to about 12 Inches apart and give
good clean cultivation throughout the
summer. In the colder parts of the
country It may be desirable to mulch
slightly during the winter, to prevent
the plants heaving out of the soil.
Early the following spring the plants
will be ready for use ns greens, but
they are greatly Improved If blanched
by setting two boards In the form of
an Inverted V over the row. The
blanching not only makes the leaves
tender but destroys a part of the bit
ter taste. Dandelion greens should
be boiled In two waters to remove the
bitterness.
There nre a large number of forms
of kale, and thesa are thought by
some to be the original type of the cab
bage. Kale does not form a head, and
has convoluted leaves and thick stems.
It may be set In rows and cultivated
the same as cabbage or may be sown
broadcast, but may be set somewhat
closer. This crop Is very hardy and
will live through the winter In the
open ground In localities where freez
ing Is not too severe. The flavor ot
kale is improved by frost.
Kale is used for greens during the
winter and as a substitute for cabbage.
v