Winter Months on the farm How to Improve Them Feeding Hens for Eggs Winter Feeding and Giro of Finn Four's to Get Egs When Price. Are Hi!i By PROF. J. G. II A LP IN Wisconsin CoOcge of JlgtiaiStan WHILE WIFE WAS AWAY Copyright, 1910, by Western Newspaper Union Many poultry raisers make radical mistakes In changing their fowls from umnier to winter rations. They do not appreciate the Importance, of maintaining the proper proportions of meat and succulent feed In the win ter ration and above all of supplying these constituents to the birds Imme diately at the beginning of cold weather. During summer the birds catch and eat an abundance of grass hoppers and In addition have a large upply of green food constantly avail able so that all their wants are satis fled. Just as soon as extensive ranging Is prevented by cold weather the feed er should begin to supply succulent feed, such as alfalfa, roots and clover hay and beef scraps In the ration so LONE MAN'S EXPERIENCE WITH BAKING OF A CAKE. A Hopper for Grit or Dry Mash. that it will correspond as closely as possible to the summer feeding. The feeder should not wait until after Christmas to begin this system of feed ing but should commence It as soon aa the fowls are off the range. Feeding a Wet Mash. Changes In the system of feeding hens should never be abrupt, but should bs very gradual, slowly accus toming the birds to the variation in their ration. Where a wet mash has been fed to the young fowl It is pre ferable to continue to food the older birds with this variety of mash. Al though a wet mash 1b more palatable than a dry mash, It is also more trou ble to prepare and has to be fed more carefully. There Is always a danger of it scouring or freezing. A wet mash should be thoroughly mixed and al lowed to swell and expand. This mash should be uniformly spread in the troughs so that each bird receives an nqual allowance. Otherwltte the strong er birds will gorge themselves while their weaker mates will starve. An excellent wet mash ration con sists of one part alfalfa meal, one part wheat bran, one port middlings, one part oornmeal and one part beef eoraps. If possible these concentrates should be moistened and mixed with skim milk and allowed to stand for several hours before feeding. Five per cent of oil meal Is used advantageous ly in this ration, due to its value ns a laxative and general tonic and stimu lator. The wot mash should be fed once daily, In amount never to exceed what the birds will clean up readily in ten mlnutou, preferably at the noon hour. How to Feed Dry Mash. The dry mash Is not so palatable and accordingly can be fed to the hens at any time although the stock usual ly eat more and thrive more rapidly If allowed access to this feed for three to tour hours each afternoon. This mash. The main advantao of this method is the extra labor Involved. Ja a well-arranged house when a dry mash Is fed In hoppers one man can feed 2,000 hens in about a half hour As ordinarily fed a wet mash for 2,000 birds requires at least two hours for mixing and distributing the feed. Roughage for Hen. Where alfalfa meal is fed the de mand for a succulent roughage Is de creased. Even In this cose, however, the addition of succulent clover or al falfa hay is beneficial. Root crops play an Important role in the dietary of poultry. Mangels may be fed en tire once a day In troughs. Cabbages are best fed by suspending them by cords to keep them clean. An addi tional advantage Is obtained here through the extra exercise nf.cessary for the fowl to Becure the feed. Where available sprouted oats can be fed. Carrots in small amounts are very palatable and tempting to the flock. Clover chaff can be fed wet or dry and Is a very economical egg producer Begin to feed the green stuff and mangles as early In the autumn aa pos sible. Clover Good for Poultry. Steaming clover hay Increases its palatability greatly. If free from long fiber, clover is an excellent feed to mix with bran, table scraps, or with a reg ular mash. A convenient way of hand ling the poultry flock Is to thoroughly bed down the house with straw in the fall and then to add a forkful of clover or alfalfa hay every day until the Ut ter begins to get dirty. The house should then be cleaned, the straw re placed by cloan litter, and the dally forkful of clover or alfalfa continued. The importance of litter cannot be overestimated as a means of com polling the birds to exercise In ob talning their food. A generous allow ance of corn mixed with the litter works out excellently for winter feed- fSfP 7 EARLY 8PRING WORK. Prepare Now for Big Harvests-.Don't Leave It all to Luck. The first steps in any undertaking cay rapidly. After green manure has nat .ritical onet) Knn ninwerl nnrler thfi land should are generally u . -7,-"A tho nq affectinK later suix-eon. :De uioruusmj uicu say about April 1 to IB, when It is from 12 to 16 inches high. At this staee it is still lush and green, so when it is plowed under it will de- Recipe In the Women's Home Guldt Was Simple Enough, but the Re sult Was Far From Sat isfactory. "I think it said a slow oven," saiu the man. He knelt on the spattered kitchen floor and peeped into the jven. "What'n thunder's a slow oven, anyway?" As he looked within, the oven began a curious movement, and he watched it fascinated. Something in a square pan had been ballooning out several Inches, and even as he looked It began to recede, even a DUDOie grows smauur wueu a child cautiously removes a finger from the spool with which it Is blown. Huh!" said the man; "that's funny." Then It occurred to him that a draft of cold air had struck his cake. causing it to fall, and he hurriedly slammed the oven door and heaped wood on the fire in order that it rise again. It Is not necessary to say the man was alone. It might be well to say, however, that his womankind had gone off on a visit, and lest some think him insane, to state that he had been reading recipes in the Women's Home Guide until his tongue hung out The Home Guide was explicit in say ing that such a cake was easy to make, and the man, searching the kitchen, found all the ingredients. The temjaatoin was too great, and he began 'taking a cake. It should have been a good cake, for he had been very careful. True, he couldn't remember the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon ful until he had put three tablespoon fuls of baking powder In heaping spoonfuls but, as everybody knows, that should make the cake lighter. One of the eggs looked a bit pale and washed out, and he rejected that, using only two, and he had added a lit tle sugar to the quantity, because he uaea caae sweet, nut, generally Bpeaa lng, he had made the cake according to directions. He cautiously opened the open again, and with a cloth jerked the cake out and slammed it on the table. Then he stood back and looked at It. Some thing was wrong, that was certain. It was of a curious dun color, and had a great bulge in the middle, while all about the bulge was a dip like a surrounding valley. Also the edges were not dun color, but black. The bottom also was black, though much of the black stuck to the pan. Then the man tasted his cake. Yes something was wrong. It was soft as library paste and gummy beyond be lief. The man did not hesitate. He open ed the back door and cast the cake Into outer darkness, and with diligence began washing up the dishes, for there were dishes that seemed to in dicate that he had been trying to make a cake, and the folks would be back in the morning. And, when all was clean, he lighted his pipe and took up a magazine. Cake? Not much. He never wanted to see a cake again. The Magazine was not the Women's Home Guide. Qalveston News. Trough for Feeding a Dry Mash. Slatted Front Prevents Waste. gives the "underlings" plenty of chanoe to oat and lessens the possi bility of the mature fowls stuffing themselves. The dry mash has the lame composition as the wet mash the only ilUToronce being that It la fed in a dry form. Where ground oats and barley are plentiful they can be added to the dry mash wtth excellent results. Grau bone la an excellent constituent to use in the ration tor egg production. It must be fd In moderation about one ounce per hen three times a week and then gradual ly increased until one ounce is sup plied dally to each hon. Several prominent poultrymen have recently attained remarkable success by using a combination of wet and dry mashes. Their system includes a noon feed of a light, well-scattered wet mash and then during the afternoon erivlojr the birds free access to a dry Two Views of a Simple Drinking Ves sol for the Small Hen House. lng. Corn may be fed either shellea or on the ear broken into small pieces. It Is of great Importance that a little grain bo left In the Utter over night so that the hens have some thing to eat Immediately after leaving their porches in the early morning. This accounts for the generous allow ance of grain which is absolutely neo esHnry In the litter. If no grain li left in the litter the birds should re ceive their first feed by daylight for bent returns. A very detrimental prac tise on the general farm Is to finish all the morning chores before feeding the poultry. The hens as a result remain on their perches too long, so no in centive urges them to get down and exercise. Thh common mistake it one of the fundamental errors which results in a diminished egg produc tion. Orlt for the flock should be fur nished by putting a load of gravel in the house each year. Oyster shell should also bo constantly accessible for the flock. It may be placed In an inexpensive hopper where the birds can ooally reach It. Charcoal Is an other article of Indispensable value around the poultry house. Clean, pure water in sanitary dishes should al ways bo available for the fowls. Feed a Generous Ration. An essential factor In poultry feed ing is to furnish a liberal, correctly balanced, fattening and growing ra tion. To merely supply the flock with a maintenance ration is not sufficient Besides maintaining bodily vigor and health the hen must produce eggs and on this account requires an amount of feed in excess of that required for mere maintenance. Where a well bal anced ration Is supplied In abundance, and where the flock have plenty of ex ercise, the birds will not become over tat, but will maintain good thrift and will produce a quantity of good qual ity eggs, Didn't Think Bride Necessary. "A queer thing happened here re cently," said Lawyer Nathan 0. Pos ter. "A few weeks ago a fellow and girl came here and asked me to marry them. They did not know that a li cense was required, so I went with them to the clerk's office and they ar ranged the matter. I told them to come back at a stated time and I would marry them. "The day designated the fellow came alone and said he was all ready to be married. 'Where's the young lady? I asked. 'Why,' replied the fel low, 'has she got to come, too?' The fellow thought it queer that I could not perform the ceremony unless the lady was present, but went out and soon returned with her." Rumford Times. Waste of Meat Through Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis in hogs was offered as one of the causes of the increased cost of living in an address by Dr. Burton R. Rogers before the convention of the American Association for the Advance ment of Science. Doctor Rogers said that of the 30,- 472,921 hogs killed at United States packing houses in 1900 the govern ment Inspectors found 836,848 affected with tuberculosis. This he said was 130,802 more than in 1908. He said that during the last ten years 2,648,520 tuberculosis hogs and 212,340 tuberculosis cows had been found. This, he said, decreased the meat supply and increased the cost of living. Almost Escaped. John R. Morron, the president of a great cement company, was praising cement at the New York Cement show. "It is the fashion now, too," he said. It is as much the fashion as the new fangled decollete gown from Paris. There will probably be the same diffi culty about it. 4 "One man said to another at a ball the other night: " 'Do you have any trouble keeping your wife in clothes?' "'Rather!' the other answered. 'Haven't you noticed the new French decollette gown she's wearlngl especially true of farming' operaUona having to do with crop production. To obtain maximum crops in Oregon, it is extremely Important that prepa ration begin at once. This is espe ioiiv iniA In Oregon, owing to the scantiness of the rainfall during the latter part of $ the growing season. This condition prevails in every sec tion of Oregon. While the annual rainfall in practically every part of Oregon is sufficient to produce ex cellent crops, yet, since most of it comes during the winter, it is ex tremely imoortant that it be carefully husbanded. In Eastern Oregon, of course, where the rainfall averages from six to twenty Inches, the need of moisture conserving methods of tillage and cropping has long been recognized as vitally important. In Western Oregon, where the rainfall ranges from thirty to sixty inches or more annually, the value of moisture conservation has not yet become fully recognized. When it is remembered that the rainfall in Western Oregon during the months of July, August and September seldom exceeds two inches, less, in fact, than falls in manv semi-arid countries at tni3 time, it is not difficult to understand that maximum crops can be produced only where special methods of mois ture conservation are followed. There' Is little question that as far as plant food content is concerned no more rich or productive soils ex- is than(are found throughout Oregon It is not plant food, but soil mois ture which is the limiting factor in crop production. Good rotation meth ods will maintain and increase plant food supply. Thorough tillage meth ods to conserve moisture will un questionably make ample crops pos sible. The attention of the Oregon farmer should be called particularly to the effect of early spring tillage upon moisture conservation. When the soil is filled with moisture from the sur face down, following the winter pre cipitation, the first warm, sunshiny days of spring will cause a higher loss of moisture through evaporation than is likely to occur even in the hottest, windiest day3 of midsummer. While moistur;-'. is most readily lost during the month of April, it may be more largely conceived at this time. The winter precipitation has run the surface soil together, forming a com pact crust on top of the ground, from which the moisture is very rapidly lost. By breaking up this crust as early as possible In the spring, trans forming it into a soil mulch three or four inches in depth, moisture losses can be stopped. In Eastern Oregon it has proved a most profitable prac tice to harrow the fall-sown ground two and even three times in order to break this surface crust. Where the ground Is In stubble, both in Eastern and Western Oregon, it is of the greatest Importance to get on the land as early as possible with the disc harrow; this early discing can be done long before spring plowing can be started. This early cultiva lion before plowing has the advantage of changing the soil crust to a mois ture conserving mulch and, In addi tion, will make the spring plowing much easier and more effective. The stubble and other trash on the sur face of the ground is cut up and worked into the soil and the clod making crust is broken, so that when plowing is done both clods and stub ble will no longer be in the way When the furrow slice Is turned a perfect union between the seed bed and the ground underneath, where the winter moisture is stored, is made, so that this tored moisture may ascend into the seed bed during the growing season. The early spring discing before plowing also has the advantage of germinating the weed seed, so the young weeds may later be turned under by the plow. The next step in the spring work, especially. in Western Oregon, is ma nuring the land in preparation for such crops as corn, kale and mangels. The farmer should not forget that every ton of manure applied to these crops will give a return of five or six dollars at harvest time. The third step is the spring plow ing itself. This should . be done, of course, when the ground is mellow and not so wet as to smear. The spring plowing should not be as deep as the fall plowing, but in Ore gon should not be less than five or six Inches. In Eastern Oregon, of course, in the dry-farming wheat belt it is important to follow the spring plowing with the sub-surface packer in order to make a more perfect con nection between the plowed ground and the ground underneath it. The plow, of course, should be followed by the harrow in order to prevent moisture loss, which is rapid from newly plowed land until the harrow mulches and protects it. The fourth step, especially where late-sown crops are to be grown, Is the frequent narrowing of the plowed land, especially after a spring rain has formed a surface crust. This harrowing, of course, will conserve moisture, thoroughly pulverize the soil, and get rid of weeds. The most effective time for weed-killing is dur ing this period. This frequent har rowing, following the spring plowing, will have a marked effect in prepar ing the land for alfalfa, corn and field beans. These crops, of course, are not seeded until about May 1, since they require warmer weather and can not endure late frosts. By the time they are seeded, however, the spring rains are practically over, so these late seeded crops must be carried through the dry season on the mois ture already conserved. There is no more common cause of failure or low yields from these crops than lack of early spring tillage. Where cover crops, such as rye or rye and vetch, have been grown on the land to protect the soil from leaching or washing through the win ter, the early spring is the proper time to plow this cover crop under as a green manure. To be of the greatest benefit as a green manure it is vital that the cover crop should be plowed under early in the spring, GetThis Hobby Easter Suit soil of the ground layer and to cause its ranid decay. Where a cover crop is allowed to grow late in the spring it becomes too mature to decay rap idly and in addition saps the son oi moisture and plant food that should be reserved for the main crop of the season. The fifth step in the early spring work is the seeding. The best stands of clover in Western Oregon are se cured by broadcasting the seed on fail-sown wheat as early as it is possible to get on the ground, say not later than March 15. This early seeding, if the soli will permit, should be followed by a light harrowing to better cover the seed, tieia peas, hnth in Western and Eastern uregon, depend nearly altogether for success fiii v olds unnn tneir ueius ccuo at the earliest possible date the weather will permit, say the latter nart nf Fpbniarv or early Marcii, When the land has been plowed the nu noaa mnv he drilled in to a depth of three Inches at the rate of two bushels per acre. If pea hay Is desired, oats should be seeded about two weeks after the peas have been if ftoiH neas are sown later than 'March 15 their yield is greatly reduced. Mangels and other root crops should also be seeded dur ing March, as should tne mousanu-ucaucM kale. Kale, where seeaea eany i" March, is ten to twelve inches high and ready for transplanting by the first of June. Spring oats, of course, give the highest yields when seeded during March. Potatoes generally give the best crops when seeded be tween April 15 and March 1. Corn alfalfa and field beans find the best seeding time from May 1 to 10. Tho aivth sten in the soring work refers especially to the growing of legumes, such as vetch, auaira anu ninvpr in Western Oregon. The cor rection of acidity for alfalfa growing is absolutely essential. This is done hv limine the alfalfa ground the lat tfr nart. of March. Water slaked iw at. the rate of 500 to 1500 jiminris tier acre, should be used The vetch, clover and alfalfa should receive a light dressing of from 40 to 60 pounds per acre of land plaster about April 1. Land plaster, of course, does not correct acidity, but, by making uotash available, legitimately increases the yields of leguminous crops. Land plaster can be broad casted either before or after seeding. or directly on the growing crop, but should preferably not be applied later than ADril 15. as It must be wasnea into the soil by the last spring rains. Finally, none of these early spring operations may be successful unless good seed is used. The enormous losses suffered by the farmers of Oregon each year from the use of Inferior seed is not realized. Seed low In vitality or containing large amounts of noxious weeds are all too commonly sown, but seldom does the farmer stop to think how easily this continued and costly waste may be prevented. A representative sample of the seed to be purchased or used can be secured from the seedsman, and this sample placed In an en velope and mailed to the Seed Test ing Laboratory at the Oregon Agricul tural College, where it will be imme diately examined as to purity and ger mination and reported upon free of charge. If the seed is inferior It need not then be purchased or sown. It is especially vital that all the grasses, clover and alfalfa should be examined before purchasing and sow ing. A tablespoonful sample is suffi cient. The month of March is the Ideal time for the farmer to maKe arrangements for purchasing seed for the year. All the foregoing costly operations and labor on the farm may be thrown away if this step is neglected. We should have some record breaking yields this year. Seasonal conditions have never been better. If the Oregon farmer is to get maxi mum crops, however, he must re member that it will depend very largely upon the careful observance of these first important steps in the early spring that will bring results. The Crop That Failed. James A. Patten, on his arrival In New York last month, predicted short harvests all over the world. "And if we don't prepare for these short har vests," he said to a reporter, "we'll all be as disappointed as the Evanston capitalist was. "An Evanston capitalist, going over his farm at Des Plaines the other day, stopped in a field and said reproach fully to his foreman: " 'You ought to have been more careful, Harris, in raking up your hay. Don't you see you've left little wisps lying all about?' "Little wisps?' the foreman stam mered. 'Why, boss, that's tha crop!'" 111 of your Wtndt wr olothtni; why n(makedwmbuTthtir.uitrm yt'ut . uv uionev fur them cd doublt nroma Don'twT Ju can't , or fter tot s suit for ?oui wlf . int luit thai u all ou hnvo V do. Yi-u ill b iUrpriNMl now euj miu tnkft ordert wheo Jm pmvc to jourrriollUBtimiTnu cun mm mi mcin wimi """""i v ... itH-ftsKw" f'-rloi Kiane.v i. n thi'V ",tW I'avniR tor r.iit.f niit'to, irw-uf-dttte cl:htnK TUr miibt Jiiit ftcitn sou :n order to K't exclunivfl tvloa. ifs and raniim mw -iwem-h ut mnU OV.T iu:i'l TVo IWti of thrneonlrri arvl i-tir profit will pJ l,jr vitr own tuift Eny W taho m-a-tirea with ir wirtHiriH'JU. fur nish ft tri ."ilio Cfui"inin 00 hatiu wnia MuiI'I nd w : rtiffou-nl tulfia ot cati. and n'l nectary kU th.i.ory and Ultimatum that w.ll start you at ft pnifi'oblo, itaiaaut hnsiiu'es triniUt to irfc v..u a perfect At run oomk. We thtn on apiv.ival, mlijwt to 24 b-urs' uxnintnatKtn 'ir curtuincn miuthe i.iti..ii'i wtth nlvl. Kt and qoal Ut Wf"io pavmif. .ml 1") I 'orr-fl We pay the Express on tverythtrg. j, u want V reprPMiit Hw 1 $uIrY or BoiniHiiie ole will tako ad '.nntuwa of thi irrfat OIlIwirUimtT. PARAGON TAIlCRlKOOMi'ANV, 0H-34, CHICAGO Benton's Withdrawal. After the death of John C. Calhoun a frlond said to Senator Denton: "I suppose, colonel, you won't pursue Cal houn beyond the grave?" To which he replied: "No, sir, when God Al mighty lays his hand upon a man, sir, I take mine off, sir." 1 "NO ONE IS STRONGER THAN HIS STOMACH." HOSTETTER. WHEN YOU ARE SICKLY and run down and sub jected to spells of Stomach trouble and Biliousness you cannot take a better medicine than Hosteller's Stom ach Bitters. It re- , t 1 moves tne cause oy. ton i Tiar the entire di gestive system. 1 it and see. i ry I EUT INSIST CN iostelter $tecc!i Hers Lamb With Only Three Legs. An agricultural curiosity in the shape of a three-legged lamb has just been born at Send, Surrey, England. The offspring is in perfect health, ex periencing no apparent difficult in get ting about. INFLAfr MATION AND PAIN Whiskbroom for Ccrn. The shopper who knows just what she wants and Insists upon having it unearths many a department store se cret. A senrch for a whiskbroom of unusually fine straw took one persist ent buyer Into the kitchen department of a big store, where she saw a coun ter full of brooms labeled, "whlsk brooms for silking corn." Inquiry brought out the Information that many housekeepers whose families are fond of corn on the cob have dis covered that a fine whiskbroom is the best thing known for brushing silk ;,from the ears and that It pays to keep a supply of extra fine brooms in the regular kitchen department The Funny Way of Girls. Young Woman "Did you see the way that man looked at me? It was positively insulting?" Big Brother1 "Did he stare at you?" Young Woman "Stare! Why, no; he ran his eye over me and then planced off at some one else, just as t I wasu't worth a second thought." Cured by Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. Creston, Iowa." I was troubled for a long time with inflammation, pains in my side, sick headaches and ner vousness. I had ta ken so many medi cines that I was discouraged and thought I would never get well. A friend told me C, Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable 'Com pound and it re stored me to health. I have no mora pain, my nerves are stronger and I can jo my own work. Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound cured me after sverything else had failed, arfd I rec ammend it to other suffering women." -Mrs. Wr. Seals, 605 W. Howard St., Creston, Iowa. Thousands of unsolicited and Penn ine testimonials like the above prove the efficiency of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound, which is made Dxclusively f roia roots and herbs. Wometi who suffer from those dis tressing lls should not lose sight of these facts or doubt the ability of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound to restore xueir neaita. If YOU want sneH.nl nrtvlrfi write to Mrs. Pinkham, at Lynn, Mass. She will treat your letter as strictly confidential. For 20 years she has been helpiner sick women in this way, free of charge. Von't Hesitate write at once. Constipation "For over nine yer I suffered with enronte constipation nd during this time I had to take in injection of warm water once every M hour before I could have an action on my bowela. Happily 1 tried Cascareta, and today I am a weU man. During the nine year before I ued CaacareU I suffered untold misery with internal piles. Thinks to you. I am free from all that this Morning. You can use this In behalf of suffering humanity B P. Fisher. Roanoke. CI Pfeaaant Palatable. Potent. Tasta Good. Do Good. Never Sicken. Weaken or Grip. 10c the GOe. Never sold in bulk. T. irsn ine tablet stamped C C C QuaranMsd ta care or tout money back. tpisr$t for Co u cm"! 6 Couds IT