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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 1907)
Breeding Clay And Morgan Types. Writing In Country Gentleman on , Clay and Morgan types, a well known Kew Jersey breeder says: j "I send you a photo of my stallion Americus with six close crosses of Henry Clay. His get are satisfactory as roadsters and saddle horses of great endurance, spirit, cheerfulness and tractability, which I consider of great er worth than the sprinting ability for t which high figures are often paid. In a rery few years these are among the ' "have beens." Then what have you ' for the years to come? "The most inbred family in this Country is the Morgan. Because of this close breeding they have a dis- CLAY STALLION AMEBICUS. tlnot, fixed type, as have also the Clays, but not so marked, as they have not been so much inbred. To fix a type Inbreeding must be resorted to. A un ion of Clay and Morgan blood, with an Infusion of Arab, would, I think, pro- duce such horses as the government needs more surely than any other com bination. By careful selection of sires and dams the requisite size of the product, according to the uses assigned them, could be had. The Percheron Was a large, HI formed horse until a little Arab blood was Introduced. He Is now an attractive animal, of better disposition, more spirit, more endur ance and not reduced in size. This has been brought about by inbreeding from careful selections, exercising judgment In the use of sires and dams In the breeding stock. "The types above mentioned are un deniably good. Why not use them, rather than throw them away and lose with It what the country has been nearly a century in securing?" Device For a Three Horse Hitch. The three horse hitch here described has proved very satisfactory for haul ing heavy loads on an ordinary wagon, says a writer in Breeder's Gazette, Chicago. A is an ordinary wagon tongue. B is a piece of wagon tire four or five Inches wide and about twenty inches long, with a hole at F to correspond in size with a hole In the tongue. C C are strong Iron straps fastened to the back end of the tongue with a bolt and also to B with strong rivets. Drill holes through B and the straps C at E and D, making them eight Inches from the hole P. Countersink the hole F and have an Iron pin to go through B and A, with the head made to fit and not project A THREE HORSE HITCH. any about B. Put a hammer strap on one of the straps C. Now cut the evener as long as will work between the wheels of the wagon and divide it In the ordinary way. Flace it on the plate B and fasten at either B or D, as you may desire, using a bolt and hammer strap. Use singletrees about thirty inches long and a doubletree to correspond. By working the evener at E or D the middle horse is placed far enough on one side so the tongue does not inter fere with it in any way. There Is no side draft to speak of, and the plate B keeps the evener balanced nicely and up to its place at all times. Use an rdlnary neok yoke on the two horses eext the tongue and arrange lines on the third horse any convenient way. The scheme is all right You have to get to one side to hitch or then use an evener so long that it will not work between the wheels. I have used this to haul hay with loader and on ma nure spreader, and It is all right Take off the three horse evener and take out the pin in the plate, and it is ready for an ordinary two horse doubletree. Keep Lambs From Their Dams. "In feeding I have had best results from beginning to feed a grain ration when the young lambs were about a week or ten days old," writes a breeder In American Agriculturist "Adjoin ing or in the sheep barn there should be an apartment where the lambs may be fed by themselves. It should be separated from the apartment where the breeding flocks are kept by a Iamb creep, made by nailing narrow strips' or bars with rounded edges perpendicu larly and having them just far enough apart so that the young lambs can pass readily through, but through which the Old sheep cannot pass. If the sheep has no milk for the lamb, three times out of four she will care nothing for the lamb, and if a lamb Is not hungry It will care no more for its own mother than for any sheep in the flock, and the . lam''? will always do better If this feeding room, separated from the main flock. Is large enough so that they can psnd a large part of their time by ; themselves." A HEALTHY HERD. The Successful Dairyman Weeds Out ',, the Unprofitable Cows. Many dairymen are losing their rightful profits , because they have some cows that are costing more than they produce, and these eat up the profits of others. Too much cannot be said about the Importance of weeding out unprofitable cows, but too often we overlook the fact that they are unprof itable because they are not well fed and cared for. With high priced feeds and labor a short sighted man is liable to cut down these expenses beyond economy. It Is no exaggeration to say that there are thousands of cows now main tained at a loss that would be giving a profit if allowed a fair chance. Pro fessor Wing and Mr. Foord of the Cornell experiment station have clearly Illustrated this point. Ten cows owned by a dairyman living near the station were Included In an experiment which lasted for a period of four years. The first year the herd was visited regular ly on Its home farm, and careful rec ords were made of food consumed and milk fat produced. The cows were then taken to the university farm and given good care and abundant and good feed. Increase Shown. This treatment continued two years, when the cows were returned to their old home and again received the care and feed that they had had before coming to the university farm. The first year at the university showed an average increase of 46 per cent in milk yield, or 55 per cent in fat yield. The large production was continued throughout the second year at the uni versity, but it fell back to about the original amount when the cows were returned to their former home, care and feed. After the cows had become accustomed to fair treatment at the university they gave milk and fat at lower feed cost than they had done be fore, when the total cost of feed was less. In other words, the average food cost of a pound of fat fell from 12 cents at the home farm to 10 cents at the university. In the case of one cow It fell from 14 cents to 9 cents. These ten cows were not selected, but were taken at random, and a study of their Individual records shows a surprising uniformity of gain due to good treatment The experiment points the way by which many dairymen could change losses to gains. Similar experiments have been performed by Professor Smith of Michigan and oth ers, and similar results have been ob tained. It Is not Intended to claim that any and every cow would be profitable even If given the best chance. There is a great difference, aad this Is showD only by keeping individual records. R. A. Pearson, M. S., Professor of Dai ry Industry, Cornell University, in Kimball's Dairy Farmer. DAIRY WISDOM. It takes a little more to rig up a dairy with scales to weigh individual messes and a Babcock tester to find out If each cow la doing her share,, but the returrs more than overbalance the extra outlay. No man is willing to keep a cow after he knows she is not making a profit, but he never can find out until he goes at it In a prao: tical manner. Get thoroughbred cows, then give them thoroughbred care, says the Farm Press. The one is just as important as the other. Thoroughbred cows re quire more individual attention, but they are willing to pay for it Never churn in a cold room. The butter will be cheesy if you do. The churning room should be about the temperature of the cream. Because the cow falls off In milk It does not always follow that she is sick. There may be something wrong with her feed. Look Into that Often it Is the man and not the cow at alL The best cows, as a rule, have the most sensitive udders, and harsh treat ment is the very last thing to practice. Any harshness will cause an increase of nervousness and a decrease In the milk flow. Eight good cows warrant a silo and a separator. Eight poor cows warrant a sale at a sacrifice. Following is the lesson of the gilt edge milk farm: Get the best cows, feed them well and keep them healthy. Have the milk pure and clean. Put it up attractively and take it to the choicest retail trade you can find. The reward is sure. Have a fixed time to begin feeding and milking both morning and even ing. This is Important When a cow expects her feed and doesn't get it she is restless and worried, and any thing which annoys her lessens her milk production. His cows were scrubs, his food was scrimped, and his care was scant No wonder his dairy farm didn't pay. Some large, coarse framed cows seem to be profitable until yon measure what they eat When you look at the milk pall, don't forget to weigh the hay and grain consumed. The amount to feed depends upon the characteristics of the cow and the amount of milk she Is giving. It Is a very poor cow that will not respond to good care, generous feeding and comfortable surroundings. The best cure for a kicking cow Is to find why she kicks, then find the rem edy. A cow will kick from a hurt or a sudden fright Keep milk and cream where no bad smells can get to them. A good stone jar with close fitting lid Is a good thing In which to store cream. Feed a good milker a balanced ra tion. She deserves It Be as clean In caring for the stable as you are in caring for the pails and cans. t CORN ROOT ? APHIS.- Treatment of Seed Corn That Protects , the Young Plants, r n ; . In view of the importance of practi- 'cal measures for controlling the corn jroot aphis. Dr. S. A. Forbes, Illinois I state entomologist prefaced his ad dress at the Quincy meeting of the state farmers', institute by a brier synopsis of the experimental work of his office on this Insect last year, and described a treatment of ' seed corn which he had found surprisingly effect ive as a protection of the young corn plant against this Insect His experi ments showed an Increased yield of 27 er cent in number of ears borne by plots of corn grown from seed treated n the manner described, as compared with adjacent plots planted with un treated seed. As both stalks and ears ivere visibly much larger and better in the experimental plots than In the heck, the actual difference in yield nust have approximated 50 per cent,. mt conditions for which the office was jot responsible prevented a final com parison of the total product of these ilots. The Remedy. The substance found most effective i'or the treatment of seed corn was a mixture of oil of lemon and wood al ohol. To one gallon of wood alcohol ldd a pint of oil of lemon and sprinkle nd thoroughly stir three fluid ounces -that is to say, six tablespoonfuls-of his mixture into each gallon of corn shortly before plantfng, making sure that the fluid is equally distributed and that each kernel of corn has its proper share. A thorough stirring after the application of the mixture Is all that is necessary. The Cornfield Ant. The odor of this compound, which will last for weeks in the ground. Is extremely offensive to the cornfield auts, and these insects will not enter corn hills as long as it continues. As the root lice cannot get access to the corn or maintain themselves there ex cept by the aid of the ants, the hills remain virtually free from both In sects for at least six weeks. The wood alcohol should not cost above $1 a gallon or the oil of lemon more than $2 a pint The above amount of the mixture will be suffi cient to treat the seed for forty-five acres, making a cost for materials of less than 10 cents per acre. Care should be taken to buy these" sub stances from thoroughly reliable drug gists, the oil of lemon especially being subject to adulteration. If the mix ture Is not entirely clear when shaken up, the materials are Impure. An Experimental Strip. Every fanger was earnestly advised by Dr. Forbes to plant at least an ex periment strip fifteen or twenty rows wide through his cornfield and to com pare the growth and yield, particularly of the central part of this strip, with those of the rows beside It states Or ange Judd Farmer. This will be espe cially desirable if corn is grown on ground in that crop last year, and more so If the field was heavily infested with ants. Even corn planted after some other crop may be profitably treated in this way, since it is liable to become Infested by winged root lice early in the season and may be badly damaged before the summer Is over. FINE PEARS. Where More of the Fruit Might Be Grown With Profit. The fact that New England might grow more pears was emphasized at the annual meetings of the different PRIZE SHELDON PEARS. state horticultural societies. Eastern and central Massachusetts particularly were mentioned as giving ideal condi tions for pear culture. Vermont is producing only a fraction of what pears might be produced profitably, says Professor William Stuart, horti culturist at the State Agricultural col lege. That New England can grow pars is attested by the accompanying Illustration from New England Home stead, which shows the Sheldon varie ty as grown in Strafford county, N. H. They were displayed at the Rochester fair last fall a.ud won first money. Land Partly Idle. The average wood lot is understock ed. This means that the land Is partly Idle. If an old pasture Is coming up slowly to forest growth very likely trees can be profitably planted. The farmer will gain by this, although he may not himself live to cut the timber, for land fully stocked with young tim ber will be salable at a much higher price because of its prospective value. This Is already true In many regions. It will be far more generally true as timber Increases in value. Furrow Irrigation. There are few Irrigated farms In the ' western states where furrow Irriga tion in one form or another Is not prac- ' tieed. In regions devoted chiefly to the production of fruit It is usually the most common mode of irrigation. In other colder regions, where the staple crops are grain and hay, it 13 mostly confined ' to root crops, veg etables and small'orchards. THE VANILLA PLANT. Beam From Which We Get the Popu - lar Flavoring Extract " The best variety of vanilla comes from vanilla-- planif oli&, which re quires a mucky, porous- soil. The plant thrives up to a height of about j 1,600 feet above sea level, and as its fleshy toots do not penetrate deep into the soil it requires only a pro portionately thin layer of soil. The i plant bears merchantable fruit in the third year, sometimes even in ; the second year, which requires ' from seven to eight months to ma- I tare, and the harvest takes place j from April to June. Five to seven harvests are made from the same plant before it is exhausted. New plants must not be planted in the same place as the old. Protection against "Vind, also shade, is of great importance for the growth of the plant, and therefore the fields must be surrounded by trees and hedges. Grubs and" snails are enemies of the vanilla plant. The former eat the roots and the latter the young sprouts and beans. While in the third year only about . one-tenth part of the plants blos som, the percentage increases from year to year up to the seventh. . The cultivation of vanilla in German East Africa is impeded by the ab sence of insects which are instru mental in fructifying the vanilla blossoms. Each separate flower has therefore to be fructified by human hands, the cover of the stigma be ing raised by means of a thin little rod, and the pollen, which is just above the cover, is pressed against the stigma. When the young beans have grown to the length of a finger they must be closely inspected, and all defective ones must be cut off. The beans mature from seven to eight months after the fructification proc ess. The ripe beans have a yellow ish green color. ' The way of preparing the beans varies, but an ever increasing tem perature, is required to dry them and obtain the well known brown black color. In this way the thin skinned bean, with its fine aroma", is produc ed. If hot water is used for heating the beans they are placed in baskets and immersed in it. The water has a temperature of 80 to 84 degrees Reaumur. Afterward the beans are packed into wooden boxes, which are lined with woolen cloth, and closed. Next day they must have a glassy appearance. They are then again wrapped in dark woolen covers and laid in the sun to dry. If the weath er is rainy they must be dried in a dry room at a temperature of 50 de grees Reaumur, but an after drying in an airy room of from two to four weeks is necessary. After that the dry beans are packed in boxes. New York Herald. Eldest Sons. According to some curious inves tigations conducted by English sci entists, eldest sons tend to be crim inals and youngest sons paupers. A great many thousand school chil dren and many family histories have been examined to yield these re sults. Firstborn children were found to be, as a rule, taller and heavier, with greater ability and en durance than the others. This is in accordance with the popular feeling in many countries that the oldest child is superior to the others and deserving of special privileges. It is a well established fact that among men of genius an undue pro portion are eldest sons. Warding Off a Catastrophe. A fat woman entered a crowded street car and, seizing a strap, stood directly in front of a man seated in a corner. As the car started she lunged against his newspaper and at the same time trod heavily on his toes. As soon as he could extricate him self he rose and offered her his seat. "You are very kind, sir," she said, panting for breath. "Not at all, madam," he replied. "If s not kindness. It's simply self defense." i Force of Habit. A physician started a model in sane asylum, says the New York Sun, and set apart one ward espe cially for crazy motorists and chauf feurs. Taking a friend through the building, he pointed out with par ticular pride the automobile ward and called attention to its elegant furnishings and equipment. "But," said the friend, "the place is empty. I don't see any patients." "Oh, they are all under the cots fixing the slats," explained the phy sician. Rather Mixed. - In the course of her first call up on one of her husband's parishioners young Mrs. Gray spoke feelingly of his noble, generous spirit. "He is as nearly an altruist a3 man may be," she said proudly and affectionately. "Is he an altruist ?" said her host ess, with mild surprise. "I thought from the tone of his voice that he ' probably was a bas3." j ; A LITTLE NONSENSE. ! What Attracted the Attention of hO Solemn Faced Man. One of our southern salesmen brought home the following from bis last trip: The proprietor of a tanyard built a stand on one of the main streets of a Virginia town for the purpose of selling leather and buying new hides. , When he had completed the build ing, he considered for a long time what sort of a sign to put up to at tract attention to the new establish ment. Finally a happy thought struck him. He bored an auger hole through the doorpost and stuck a calf's tail into it with the tufted end outside. After awhile he saw a solemn faced man standing near the dooT looking at the sign. The tanner watched him a minute and then stepped out and addressed him. "Good morning, sir !" he said. "Morning !" said the other, with out taking his eyes off the sign. "Want to buy leather ?" asked the tanner. : "No." "Got any hides to sell?" "No." "Are you a farmer?" "No." "Merchant?". "No." "Lawyer?" "No." ."Doctor?" "No." "What are you, then?" "I am a philosopher. I've been standing here for an hour trying to figure out how that calf got through that auger hole." Boot Strap. Necessary Then. "It ain't true," said the milkman, "that we always put chalk in our' milk." "Do you mean to say," demanded Mrs. Houskeep, "that you never do it?" "Well er never except after a heavy rain when the water gits brown and muddy." Ohio State Journal. Fine Time. "I hear you attended the Tough Mug ball the other night. Did you have a fine time ?" "No; I had it next moning. Ten dollars and costs." Philadelphia Press. Why He Was Happy. "I'm afraid there will be a seri ous falling off in the attendance to night," said the happy manager. "Then why are you so jovial?" in quired the popular star. "Because we have sold so many seats that I'm afraid the people will be falling off the gallery into the balcony." Cleveland Plain Dealer. Proof Positive. Crowells That man at the bar is a perfect gentleman. Howells How do you know? Crowells When we were intro duced the other day and I began to tell him my troubles, he didn't butt in and try to tell me his. Chicago News. The Measure of His Success. Hicks Your friend Marryat tells me he's got his wife pretty thor oughly trained now. Wicks Yes; he's got her trained so that he can make her do pretty nearly anything she wants to do. Catholic Standard and Times. Heard In the Greenroom. First Actor Congratulate me, old man. . I have been married just ten years today to one woman. Second Actor That's nothing. I've been married twice to my pres ent wife in five years. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Admiration. "Bliggins is always repeating what his children say." "Yes; I admire those children. They are the only people I know of who can make Bliggins keep quiet and let some one else talk." Wash ington Star. . . A Kiss. "What is a kiss?" Heaven knows! Not II And yet, with humble wit. Now that you've asked me I will try To give nay view of it. A friendly grimace, pleasing quite; A drooping of the eyes. The thrilling of a moonlit night. Or, better, starry skies. A rare Havana sacrificed, A breath upon the lips, The spirit of red wine enticed . To sparkle in long sips. i A contact either short or long, A dozen thoughts or less. Tee question. Is It right or wrong? And then Just fooUshness! Lurana W. Sheldon in New York Times. 1 THE ANCIENT BO TREE. ' Oldest Living Thing of Which Ma Has Kept Record. This bo tree (the Ficus religiosa) is probably the oldest living thing in the world of which record has been kept by man and, with the pos sible exception of the sequoia, the oldest of living trees. It was brought from India by the Princess Sanghamitta and was planted by. King Dewananpiya Tissa in 288 B. C. It is therefore 2,195 years old. The preservation of this tree has been an object of reverent solicitude to successive dynasties, and either through superstitious reverence op because of its worthlessness to a plunderer it has been spared amid all the havoc of repeated invasions. As recently as 1739 A. D. it was en dowed with lands by Kaja Sin ah, a .Kandian chief. , The bo tree's age and identity are matters of absolutely faithful rec ord, and when one recalls that ia the rigorous climate of northera Germany, in Hildesheim, there grows a rosebush which is a thou sand years old it does not seem so remarkable that in the balmy cli mate of Ceylon this tree should have lived twice as long. It is gnarled and unsymmetrical, because many of its branches have been cut oil and sent to distant temples. This bo tree is a branch of the tree under which Guatama Buddha sat when he attained Nirvana, and Buddhists say the passion through which he pass ed communicated itself to the tree and caused all the leaves to tremble. Each of the millions of pilgrims who have toiled along the sacred way which leads to this shrine has hoped to bear away with him a leaf from the sacred tree, and happy is he at whose feet one falls. The leaves hang on a slender stem and are easily stirred by the slightest breeze, so each petitionei is rewarded for his pilgrimage by feeling that the tree responds to the fervor of his soul, but few take home a leaf. Many bring offerings to the tree, and on a number of the lower leaves are sheets of gold plac ed there by jewelers and other wealthy worshipers. Rosalie S. Morton in Century. -J Wood as Strong as Iron. Recent official tests of the many valuable hard woods native to West ern Australia have made known the extraordinary properties of yate, be lieved to be the strongest of all known woods. Its average tensile strength is 24,000 pounds to the square inch, equaling that of good cast iron. But many specimens are much stronger, and one was tested up to seventeen and-one-half tons to the square inch, which is equal to the tensile strength of wrought iron. The sawed timber of yate ia. probably the strongest in the world. The tree grows to a maximum height of 100 feet and- has some times a diameter of two and one half or even three feet. A New State Lincoln? There is at the present time in ! the northwest a movement that promises to assume respectable pro i portions, looking toward the remod ! eling of the three states of Wash I ington, Idaho and Oregon in such a ! manner as to create a newand fourth, ! 6tate out of what is now ordinarily j termed in that section of the conn ' try "the inland empire." So far j there seems to have been three pos ' sible names suggested Lincoln, Jefferson and Whitman, with a pre- ponderance in favor of the first.- St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dehorning Calves. It Is more humane to dehorn calves by the use of caustic potash when the horns are just starting than it Is to use the saw on the horns after they have developed; also the task is easier at the earlier period. The operation with the caustic potash should made before the calf is nine days old. The better time is when the calf is from two to five days old. The hair should be clipped away from around the horns. A stick ef caustic potash should be rolled in paper, with one end of the caustic bare. This should be slightly moistened and the tips of the horns rubbed for about fifteen seconds' or un til the potash has made a slight Im pression on the center of the horn. The treatment should be given two, three or four times; according to the age of the animal and the size of the boras, about five minutes being allowed to elapse between applications. If a little blood appears In the center of the horn it will then be necessary only to give a slight rubbing with the potash. It It believed that the caustic potash meth od is nearly or quite painless. West ern Life. ! . 4 An Improvement. "My dear," said Mrs. Newlywed, her face flushed with the excitement of her afternoon in the kitchen, "I want you to be perfectly frank with me now. What would you suggest to improve these doughnuts I made today?" "Well," replied Mr. Newlywed, lifting one with a slight effort, "I think it misrht be better if you made the bible bigger." Cincinnati Timesr Star. ' - . ,J