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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1915)
t v IIOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION The Agricultural College Is a Valuable Friend to the Farmer Bulletins and News Notes From the Staff at Pullman. v gb " " "v." " " r rT" v- f'M - I . J3JL3J&&.V "I'' 1-,-.. n mm 1 A .1JU4A.2J. Jh f 1 w w-' VIEW OP WASHINGTON AGHICLLTCRAL COLLEGE! AT rtLI.MW, WASH. ITS SOLE AIM IS TO AID ACRICULTl HISTS. Cause and Remedy for Hens Laying Soft-Shelled Eggs THE frequent laying of soft-shelled eggs occasions a considerable market loss In the Spring of the year. Mrs. Whitaker, of the poultry department of the State College of Washington, offers the follow ing explanation of the causes and the remedies: The yolk of the egg is fully formed when it breaks from the hen's ovary and drops into the funnel shaped mouth of the oviduct. It is at this point that fer tilization of the egg takes place, prob ably within a few minutes of the break ing loose of the yolk, and in about three hours' time the formation of the thicker albumen is completed. The next section of the oviduct se- rvet.es the fihpll mpmhrane whlrh ordina rily requires about three hours. By the expansion and contraction of the walls of the oviduct, the egg is forced forward into the shell gland, where the lime of the egg is deposited, and within 12 to 24 hours the egg is laid. One can readily see that anything that would have a tend ency to make the egg pass too rapidly through the lower two-third of the ovi duct would cause the hen to lay soft shelled eggs. The first and usual cause of soft-shelled eggs is that the bird is too fat. The mus cular movement of the oviduct is hind ered by layers of fat, and instead of the egg being controlled by firm muscles it merely slips through a flabby mass with out getting its shell on. The difficulty will vanish if the birds are made to scratch hard in a clean, dry straw litter for all their grain, and the ration fed is not over-fattening. Sprouted oats will be a valuable food, as they are less fattening than either wheat or corn. In some cases it might be advisable for a few days to omit all mashes, especially moist mashes, from the ration. The second source of soft-shelled eggs Is lack Of lime in the hen's ration. In this case the shell-secreting part of the ovi duct fails to'do its work because of lack of material. Clam sheli is not so readily soluble as oyster shell. What is commercially known as beach shell Is preferable to clam shell. It is claimed by'some poultrymen that the use of a limestone grit also helps to Bup ply shell material to the hen. It is often recommended that old plaster be broken tip and thrown in a box in the, pen for birds to pick at as a source of lime. The third cause' of soft-shelled eggs is the forcing of hens for too frequent egg production. A second yolk breaks off from the ovary and drops Into the funnel of the oviduct, and the firBt one Is forced too rapidly on its way for it to be com pletely formed when laid. , The fourth cause of soft-shelled eggs comes from scouring, that is, from feed ing a too loosening ration to your birds. Beets or mangels will sometimes produce this result. The droppings, normally, should be a dark slate or dull black color, firm enough to maintain a spiral shape as seen on the dropping boards. The Honest Merchant. "No," said the old gentleman sternly, 'I will not do it. Never have I sold any thing by "false representations and I will not begin now." For a moment he was silent and the clerk who stood before him could see that the better nature of his employer was fighting strongly for the right. "No," said the old man again, "I will not do it. It is an inferior grade, of ehoe and I will never pass it off as any thing better. Mark it 'A Shoe Fit for a Queen' and put in in the window. A nueen does not have to do much walk Jug." - A pane of IntereaUog Items from the Orejnn Agricultural College at Corvallle will alternate 111 the farm weekly with a page of notea from the Washington State College at Pullman. Thle will afford an Interchange of view from the two big Agricultural colleges of the Northwest that hould prove of benefit to the reader, for the Institution! deal with eimilar problems. Growing Field Peas on a Wheat Farm BY GEORGE SEVERANCE. FIELD peas have long been a standard crop among the dairymen of Western Washington, where the rainfall is abun dant, but very few of the grain farmers of Eastern Washington realize that they may be grown successfully in the moister parts of Eastern Washington and North ern Idaho, or know their real value. The numerous trials with field peas on the Experiment Station Farm at Pullman have seemed to justify their very general introduction on the moister soils of the wheat belt. There are several reasons for intro ducing this crop. Nearly all the older wheat soils of Washington are becoming more or less depleted in nitrogen. This depletion is strikingly shown by the ranker growth and darker color of grain wherever manure has been dropped or where an old fence has been broken up. Like alfalfa and clover, peas add nitro gen to the soil through the action of cer tain bacteria storing the free nitrogen ot the air in nodules on the roots of the peas. Upon the decay of the roots this stored nitrogen comes into available form for succeeding crops. Peas have the advan tage over clover and alfalfa, as a soil renovating crop in wheat farming in that they may be grown during the year of rest from wheat, while clover or alfalfa must occupy the land two or three years it grown profitably. They are inferior to clover and alfalfa as a humus producing crop, where the tops are removed, for the root system of peas is not nearly so ex tensive as of clover or alfalfa and will add little if any more humus to the soil than is broken down in the soil during their growth, Giving Stability. That the more general introduction of dairying into our system of agriculture would give stability by distributing our rsks, helping to maintain our soil in a high state of fertility, and developing a more intensive system of agriculture, is generally recognized; but one of the great est drawbacks on most wheat farms is the shortage of feed during July, August and September, even though alfalfa is grown for pasture. Peas are unsurpassed as a soiling food tor cows and will supply this need from about July first to the middle or latter part of August, after which corn that may be grown on otherwise Idle sum merfallow, will supply extra feed the bal ance of the dry period. Peas grown with oats will produce heavy yields of hay, rich in protein and much superior to wheat or oat hay for cattle, sheep or colts. Peas resemble al falfa and clover In feeding quality, but offer the advantage of producing a full crop of hay In about three months from seeding, while the land must be set aside two years for a full crop of clover or alfalfa. ' ' . Swine production offers exceptional re-, numeration to the extent that hogs may be used to pick up the waste of our grain fields, but with no other provision for Summer feed, Spring litters will not at tain satisfactory size during one season. If alfalfa pasture Is used to start thera on, Jt becomes pretty dry long before the grain fields are ready to turn Into. A ' patch of peas will tide over this period and keep the pigs growing rapidly. With a field of corn to turn into for finishing in the Fall they will go onto the market in excellent condition, With land values in many cases ranging from $75 to $100 per acre, it becomes in creasingly Important that we discover some crops that will enable ug to keep . the land producing all the time. Peas may be grown on the better parts of the ' ' summerfallow, thus aiding in the more complete utilization ot capital invested. -Pointers on Growing. 1. Field peas will produce profitable crops of hay or seed on good average land, in the moister part of our wheat belt. 2. Peas are annuals and may take the place of the summerfallow. where there Is a fair rainfall. 3. Peas are nitrogen gatherers, hence will increase the nitrogen content of the soil, but will not increase the humus ot the soil like clover or alfalfa because the root growth is too scant. ' 4. Peas will aid in keeping more" live stock by furnishing green feed for soiling during July and August or grain to be hogged off, or high-class hay for Winter feed. ... 5. To prepare for peas plow deep in the Fall, leave rough over Winter, pre-- pare deep, mellow seed bed as soon as Spring opens. 6. For seed sow as early as ground can be prepared, about two bushels per acre with grain drill, seeding three to five inches deep. 7. If seed is not desired sow one bushel oats per acre among the peas one week later, seeding shallow to avoid digging up the peas. 8. Begin using peas for soiling (green forage) when, first pods are full grown. 9. Begin pasturing off with hogs when peas are nearly all well formed. 10. Cut for hay when the oats are in the stiff dough and first pea pods are turning yellow, cure and handle like clover. 11. Cut for seed when the bulk of the peas are hard. 12. A good crop of peas and oats on good land, well prepared, will yield one and one-half to two and one-half tons of cured hay per acre. A good crop of seed will yield 15 to 30 bushels per acre. ' 13. Peas leave the soil In nice condition to prepare for wheat without plowing. Distillation Experiment in Douglas Fir Is Begun THE Bistrfct Forester at Portland," Or., announces that the forest service has just begun, at their semi-commercial dis tillation plant at the University of Wash ington, Seattle, an exhaustive series of experiments in an endeavor to settle, for all time, the feasibility of distilling, not only Douglas fir sawmill waste, but also Douglas fir stumps. For many years it has been advocated, in the Douglas fir region, that the cost of land clearing could be reduced by utiliz ing stumps through a process of distilla tion, and that an additional revenue could be obtained by disposing of mill waste also by distillation. In spite of the fact that the experimental work thus far done has indicated but little or no margin for profit, there is still a somewhat general feeling that such distillation could be made to pay under the right conditions. -The forest service propbses to experi ment not only with Douglas fir mill waste and stumps, but also with Western yellow pine. Preliminary experiments on thlhat-' ter Indicate that the stumps and waste dt this species contain a higher percentage of valuable products than Douglas fir. Tho Origin of Onyx. When waters charged with carbonate of calcium derived from limestone are allowed to evaporate tbey deposit their load in the form of sinter, or tufa. This process can be observed at many thermal and "petrifying" springs and also in the formation of stalactites and stalagmites in limestone caverns. In this way large masses of compact carbonate are formed, some of them of great beauty. The so-called "onyx marbles," of which the Mexican "onyx" is" a familiar examplo, are formed in this way. Some rock of this class is stalagmltic, in caverns, and some of It iB formed by springs. Its variations In color and texture, to which its ornamental character is largely due, are commonly produced by Impurities or inclusions, such as oxide of iron, or even mud and clay. Pittsburg Dispatch. ' Didn't IIke the Sign. : A Western horseman tells of a jockey at Windsor, across the line from Detroit, who was recently indisposed. "If 1- don't get rid of this cold soon," said the youngster,. "I'll be a dead one." "Didn't you sea Dr. Spinks, as I told you?" asked the friend. "No. The sign on his door said '10 to 1,' and I wasn't going to .monkey with a long shot like that." Explaining the Two-Fold Uses of Manure Spreaders THE following is taken from the Farm Management Monthly, of the United States Department of Agriculture, and will be of interest to any farmers of the state who are coining to use this import ant agricultural Implement. Some of the Implements which are found on almost every farm are used tor very short periods of each year. The length of service may not include more than three or four weeks. For the re maining part of the year such pieces either remain in the open, or they may be given the best ot care in a first-class im plement shed. Where they are exposed to the weather a rapid decline in value Is the result. In vestigations have proven that the depre ciation for the manure spreader is ap proximately 11.67 per cent annually. Ow ing to the fact that this machine is re quired to carry a by-product which con tains more or less moisture, a part of the depreciation Is undoubtedly due to the decay of the wood In the framework. If this and similar pieces could be utilized to a greater extent they should last almost as long, and in doing the ad ditional work the yearly charge In con nection with operation could be met more fully or completely. Ordinarily the mau ure spreader is in use at seasons of the year when the field work Js not demand ing attention. While the harvest is In progress It will be found idle, hence it is available for other work. In districts where field roots such as mangolds, sugar beets, or turnips are grown, the manure spreader may serve as a wagon In transferring the crop from the field to the root cellar or pit. A sim ple adjustment will enable the operator to save considerable time, as well as the task of unloading with the aid of a shovel. The cylinder or spreader is first re . moved from the end of the box and a suitable end board is set In place, the lat ter being held by an iron bar or rod. When the load is taken to the cellar, the end board can be lifted out readily and the roots may be rolled Into the trap door merely by putting on the crank which connects with the apron shaft and turning by hand until the entire lot has been dis charged. It requires only a few moments to de liver the load. If the farmer does not have wagons enough to move the crop readily, this difficulty may be overcome by following the suggestion which has been offered. The needle of the thorny cactus Is . now being used in phonographs as a sub stitute for the metal point on the trans mitter. It produces a softer and more natural tone. THIS COUPON Filled in and mailed to us does not oblltcate you in any way, and will anmire you of wnoi,rcsI.E PRICKS on your plumbing supplies, pipes and fixtures. SUrk-Davi5G.?.15rtlT.hd,:aor,,i encloso rouijh keteh of bathr.iom, In cluding floor plan ot house and a Hat of what I need, Quote approximate wholenalr price, and tell how to In mil it myself and save the plumber'i bill. My Name Addrew . , : SAVE YOUR TEETH COMB IN and have your mouth ex amined while In Portland. I lire the very latest Scientific palaleaa Method. DR. A. W. KEENE Ueatlac. Addrraai Mnjentlo Theater Mulldlnir, aSl WnnliliiKtiD St., rortlnnd, Or. 8. (J, BLACK MINOKC AS AND IIAKRKli 1HKK8. Stock and cgva for sale. Good loylng strain. N. L. WILEY, Du 2, Rex, Or.
