@ / . 1M fiégiewz. YT PUBLISH ‘7/ [A a 6 7 7, / ED \‘\‘\ ' \ :\,.\\\\\\ \\ \.\§ //:7¢////‘ The Only Weekly Agricultural, Horticultural, and Live Stock Journal in the State. DETROIT, MICH., SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1915. VOL. CXLIV. No.18 :.Whole Number 3833 50 CENTS A YEAR. 52 FOR 5 YEARS. Small Fruit for the Average Farmer. By CHARLES E. COOK. Y experience with the small fruit business and also with the attitude in general which the average farmer takes towards this Subject, leads me to believe that the less they can do with this branch of farming the better they are satisfied. Be that as it may, the average farmer does not have the variety of small fruits on his table that is his family’s due, nor could he invest a few hours each summer to better advantage than in a line of this kind where a Small area carefully planned and ex- ecuted properly can be made to pay a much larger revenue per acre in satis- faction and comfort than any other piece of land of like area on the farm. '.A good fruit and vegetable garden not only takes a comparatively small amount of time in proportion to its value, but an excuse in this line often stands between the family and some purchased material of this type for the simple reason that “we have a garden of our own.” Some members of many farm fam- ilies have time that'can be used to ad- vantage in some line of garden work if they are given a little encourage- ment. Work in the small fruit garden is usually very fascinating if efficient- ly done. A small tract of land made rich and receptive to good varieties of small fruit and protected from the in- trusion of poultry and other farm stock becomes a great item of delight as Well as pecuniary value to the farm family. ‘Fruits are much cheaper and far more sanitary than drugs and while the American people are becoming cel- ebrated as habitual dopers it is not a line that is solving the problems of life more than to emphasize the cry- ing need for a better balanced ration for the average family. Fruits are among the most healthful articles of diet that can be produced anywhere and where grown at home they come to the table in the best possible con- dition if we do our part. Under the present system of canning fruit by the cold pack method so thoroughly and practically worked out by Prof. Ben- son, of the Agricultural Department at Washington, for the home at a nomi- nal expense, fruits of this kind can be WNW..." . «- --. 13"- . _....‘..........V._ W. . . had in the best possible condition ev- ery day in the year, and extra mate- rial can be worked up for the home market to splendid advantage. Many homes in all parts of the country are demonstrating the value of home can— ning from the commercial end of the lever and many boys and girls in can- ning clubs or under the direction of elders in the home are maikng splen- did revenues in this line. The system eliminates waste on the farm, furnish- ing an enjoyable occupation to the younger members of the family and so teaches them the value of time at climate that becomes ideally adapted to the small fruit, business and fruits of the very highest quality can be grown to perfection. Starting with strawberries, the War- field and Dunlop for early, and Aroma as a late variety, will give a lot of high-class berries for a long season. A row of ever-bearing sorts can be set if desired, and berries in the fall of the year can be easily grown. Fol- lowing this class of fruit, black and red raspberries are popular and well worth while. A lot of good varieties of blackcaps are found on the market Strawberries Should Have First Place in the Farm Fruit Garden. an age when good habits of industry well formed are worth a fortune for the work of tomorrow. This system also cuts out the long gap between the producer and consumer and makes it possible to get these home-made pro- ducts of freshness and quality direct from the soil to the consumer with lit- tle expense. A succession of fruits is always worth while, and only those of high quality should be grown. In Michigan the splendid lake front has made us a ‘ 72H“. : p1,. . A. . Q . . "\ vw “’ . r ' _l . , . o 1, and for reds, I susgiect the old—fash- ioned Cuthbert still holds its own as a favorite with the masses. Blackber- ries must have a place in this home garden if we would get the best from our efforts and hardy varieties of good quality should be selected. Varieties that appeal to me as worthy of trial are Snyder, Taylor, Ancient Britton, and Eldorado. Many others of special quality for special localities are to be had on all hands. Currants and goose- berries must have their place in the home garden. They cost little, and with a few sprayings at just the right time the worms and mildew can be easily controlled in the home garden for the area is small. The common varieties so generally sold on the market at this time are to be recommended in general. They all have more or less admirers, so I hesi- tate to select any special ones in this list. This whole fruit plant, after having been grown one year, can be heavily mulched down with straw or other coarse litter, and can be maintained with a surprisingly little amount of care, save to see that the mulch is re- newed when necessary to keep out grass and weeds, to keep the vines properly trimmed and the fruit. picked. This last operation is not a very great hardship as a rule, but in cases where this essential operation is neglected we would advise the operators to go out of this line of business as we fear the fruit plant might be condemned as a failure. (The twenty-sixth of 52 special arti— Cles to be published in consecutive is- sues—Eds). OUR IDEALS lN FARMING. Everyone who owns or improves a farm has an idea of how he would like to have that particular farm look, and of the magnificent crops he would like to see growing upon it, of the bountiful supply of choice fruits, veg- etables, etc., for family use, and a hundred other things of like charac- ter. Accordingly he plans for big crops, plenty of money, a good com- fortable living and an improved ap- pearance of his farm and the farm buildings. In a word, he plans to real— lze his ideals. There certainly is noth- ing bad in planning for something bet- ter than that which we already pos- sess, hence we are always wishing for something better. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we do not. But it is the ones who never plan, and have no ideals in their farming, that are con- tinually and steadily going down hill. It is true that the farmer has to contend with innumerable obstacles that come between him and his ideals. ,3, 3's? 522 --2 THE ,MICHIGAN FARMER; MAY ,1» 1915. He fertilizes a piece of ground, gets it in excellent condition. puts'in the seed at the proper time and hopes to get his ideal crop. But what happens? The seed fails to germinate, or the frost nips the young plants. . Cut- worms come along and get their work accomplished in great shape, potato beetles make their appearance, and later comes blight and rot. At the end of the season the farmer finds that in- stead of his ideal crop, he has one of the poorest he ever grew. But notwithstanding all~ these ob- stacles, we farmers must not get “down in the mouth,” but stick to our ideals—even if we never reach them ———we will be better off for it some day. It is a very Old saying that “he who aims at the sun, although he will not hit it, his arrow will fly higher than if he aimed at something on a level with himself." So it is best for us to form our ideals and do all that we can to realize them. This applies to the general business of farming, the appearance of the farm and its build- ings, as well as the growing of crops. Form your ideal of just how you want your place to look and then as you have the means and opportunity get to work and invest in accordance to the plans you have mapped out. There is no greater asset on the farm than originality. Unless you have the ready money with which to hire labor it may be a somewhat slow process, but don't worry about this, do a little this spring. more next fall, and what you can next winter, always keeping your idea in mind and if you never fully realize it, your farm, at any rate, will be much improved and you will cer- tainly be paid in some manner for your efforts. ' In forming our ideals they must be based upon good common sense. It is never a wise plan to form ideals which we know we can never accom- plish. son in all things,” and ideals are no exception to the rule. If we want to grow good crops. if we want to have a fine thoroughbred herd of cattle, if we want to raise poultry successfully, or any other branch of farming that we want to specialize in, the first and most essential thing to do is to form our ideals and then go about the work cheerfully and it won't be long until we begin to realize that we have been fully paid for the efforts put forth. Penn. H. W. Sworn. ‘A PLAN FOR DRAGGING LAND. The first time that a plowed field is dragged, it is a good plan to follow the furrows. After that, in order to work the land down into a good seed bed, one may follow any plan he chooses, but the “herringbone" meth- od is considered by the many farmers who use it to be the most convenient of all. By this method, the dragging is done in a zigzigging direction, diagon- ally back and forth across the field. Suppose, for convenience of discus sion, that a field twice as long as wide and with the greater length extending east and west, is to be dragged. The teamster starts in the southwest cor~ ner, and drives to the middle of the north side of the field. At the fence, he turns to the southeast corner. Here he retraces his course, parallel to and a drag-width to the west of the last track made. As this zigzagging is repeated, it will be found that when the work is well started, no turns at any angle greater than 90 degrees will be required. When the work is com‘ pleted, the field will have been drag- ged twice. The same method may be adapted to other shaped fields. If the field is a long one, more zigzags may be in- troduced so that the angle at which the fences are met is always 45 de- grees. If the field is square, or nearly so, a start may be made on the diag- onal, always making turns of 90 do? It has been said, “there is rea- grees; when the work is finished, the first diagonal travel will become noth« ing, while the entire length of the op- posite diagonal will be traversed. Among the advantages of this meth‘ 0d are the fact that since no about- facing is required, the horses are spar- ed the chafing of legs against tugs. Incidentally, a saving of time results; one man who timed himself on a field dragged back and forth- as compared to zigzagging found that the first method took two days while the last took but a day and a half. Then, too, the field after being drag- ged in this manner is in condition for marking out the land for corn, pota- toes, etc., to the best advantage. since the diagonal direction of the marks of the drag teeth will retain a line left by the marker, without any possibility of confusion of the two. It is also claimed by those who have tried the herringbone method that the land along the fence row is put into as good tilth as almost any other part of the field. This is because of the fact that the horses and drag do not need to stop at the fence, and that the drag is bound to slew around at the turns and do more work than would be the case with the back and forth method of dredging. While this method of dragging is as old as the hills, yet when it was brought up at the Benzie County Po- mona Grange, it was surprising to see that not a few old farmers were not familiar with the plan. Attention to such details as this is bound to con- tribute towards that success which can only be obtained by efficiency in farm operations. Benzie Co. E. H. Bnowx. PRESERVATION OF FENCE POSTS. Those who have not access to the more desirable kinds of fence post timbers, as red cedar, black locust, and osage orange, will find it profit- able to treat the poorer species of woods to lengthen their period of use— fulness. The cost of cutting and set- ting of posts is the same whether they are cedar or basswood, so after all, the real cost will depend upon their durability after being set in the ground. According to the experiments completed by the United States De- partment of Agriculture a few years ago, any fence post properly treated with creosote will last twenty years. Surely, any method as effective as that ought to be worthy of considera- tion and trial. Of tWo methods commonly used one is charring posts in an open fire, and the other is painting them. These are of some value but not sufficiently ef- fective to be worth while. It has been found on examining un~ treated timbers that they rot first a few inches above the ground or a few inches below the surface. ,This is due to the fact that bacteria and fungi or plant organisms that cause decay have here the proper conditions for growth. To live, they must have air, moisture, and food materials. The wood is their food; this can be poisoner and water can be kept out to a certain extent. The best agent for this purpose is a product of coal tar called creosote. Before the wood is treated with this solution it must be seasoned and the bark peeled off. Timber will season best if cut during the winter because it will dry out more slowly then, thus preventing the splitting and checking of the wood which occurs when it dries out too rapidly. It is also a good idea to bevel the tops of the posts with an axe, for drainage. Round tim. hers are much better forptreating than split ones because the creosote pene- trates evenly. Where the ' heartwood is exposed as in" the latter case the liquid penetrates it more slowly. The following is the process found to be most effective and economical. The butts are placed in a tank of hot creosote for one hour and then trans< fered to a tank containing cold creo- sote, for two hours. This cold bath causes a deeper penetration of the preservative. Creosote evaporates somewhat when heated, so to lessen the expense crude oil, which does not evaporate readily when heated, has been used for the first bath. The results have been prov- ed to be the same. The Massachusetts Agricultural Ex- periment Station have found that the treatment of posts in this way would cost on an average of five cents for each post. At this reasonable price, and with this efficient method, farm- ers who have only the inferior species of woods will undoubtedly find that it will pay to preserve the posts. lngham Co. A. A. SHILLANDER. FERTILIZING CUCUMBERS. I notice in your issue of April 17 an inquiry from L. M. H., relative to raising cucumbers, and also advice in regard to same. When I commenced the business nearly a score of years ago I thought just as you advised about putting a small shovelful of manure in the hill before planting the seed. This I did in the following,manner: I first al- lowed the manure to be thoroughly rotted before using, so as not to have the disadvantage of chunky manure in the hills. I then hauled out a load, and as I dug the holes about a foot deep with my spade, I threw in a small shovelful, worked it Well into the soil before planting, and then dropped my seed onto fresh dirt, be- ing careful to give it a good seed bed. I found that this method worked well, providing we had a reasonably wet season; but if the season happened to be dry the plants would flourish well for a time, and then dry out, on ac- count of the moisture having been ab- sorbed by the ground outside the hill. I then tried commercial fertilizer in the same way, and used about a table- spoonful, which I thoroughly mixed into the soil, also using fresh dirt in which to plant the seed. I also found that in a dry season the seed either did not grow, or if started soon died from contact with the excess of pot- ash in the fertilizer. I then replanted, being sure that the hill was outside the old seed bed. Remember that these experiences were during dry seasons. The results would have been far different had the seasons been fairly wet. I then tried enriching the ground by plowing under a liberal supply of good barnyard manure, and since then have had a fairly good crop even in a dry season, when others utterly failed, and bought their yearly supply from me. I carry on an annual city trade, and my customers speak boastingly of my cucumbers, and often ask me how I can raise them when all others fail. Now, in regard to the use of hen manure, it must be sparingly used; as the excess of potash will injure the plants, or kill them entirely. It is a splendid fertilizer, but must be used with caution in order to bring goo results. - Eaton Co. - J. L. CUPIT. FARM NOTES. Flues for Barn Ventilation. .With the King system of ventila- tion will an out-take flue made of gal- vamzed roofing be as satisfactory as one made of matched lumber double boarded, with paper between the lay- ers? Kent Co. , - F. L. Y. Any kind of material can be prop- erly used in the construction of out- take flue for ventilating a stable, pro, viding it is made essentially air-tight. Where galvanized iron is used for this purpose, it is desirable to make the‘ fine of somewhat larger capacity ”than would be the case where made of some material which is not so good a conductor of heat, since the cooling of the air during its passage will slow up the air current in proportion to the loss of heat. This handicap can, how- ever, be easily overcome by slightly increasing the capacity of the out- take fiue. Galvanized metal is un- doubtedly the cheapest available ma- terial for the construction of out-take fines, and will give very satisfactory results if properly installed. Beans After Corn on Heavy Clay. I have a field of nine acres, clay loam, with the exceptionof an acre' or gravel and half an acre of the heaviest kind of red clay. This was an old timothy sod, heavily manured last spring, put into corn and pota- toes. The ground was kept clean and I had a big crop. What I would like to know is, would it be profitable to plow this ground and put it in to beans this spring? I have been told I could not get a crop because ground would pack down so hard. I have another field of about the same soil but not so rich, this was corn also and kept clean. How would it be to cultivate this field and sow it to oats and rape for pasture? If not this, what would you suggest for pasture? And is it best to keep the cows and horses on this pasture all the time? I have six acres of new ground, have used for sheep pasture the last twelve years; this was never plowed, and is a heavy June grass sod. Would you advise beans for this field or corn and potatoes? If not these, what? Oakland Co. J. N Beans can be planted after corn with fair results on a clay loam soil. Probably the heavy spot in this field would be pretty hard to grow a good crop, although the manure and sod plowed down last year should make it less liable to bake down than if this vegetable matter had not been incor- porated with the soil. Oats and rape will make a fairly good pasture in the other field men- tioned, but this would in the writer’s opinion, be improved by the addition of some field peas, if sown early in the spring. A crop of this kind will not stand as close pasturing as will a good grass pasture, and much will de- pend upon weather conditions as to the best method of handling same. The new land covered with heavy June grass sod would perhaps be more suitable for corn and potatoes than beans, although if plowed early and a first-class seed bed prepared, an ex- cellent crop of beans might be expect~ ed: This crop would have the advan‘ tage of enabling the sowing of this new ground to wheat this fall. The only reason why the other crops men- tioned might do better on this still sod is that they have a longer grow- ing ‘season in which to utilize the plant nutrients from the decaying or- ganic matter. The wheat crop, how- ever, will profit by this store of plant food to an extent which would perhaps make the beans as profitable a crop as could be planted on the land. Beans After Beans. I have a five-acre field, the soil of which is medium light clay; in 1911, 1912 and 1913 the field grew a good fair crop of timothy hay and in 1914 it produced a good crop of beans. I am wondering if it would be advisable to plant it to beans again in 1915. In 1914 the crop of beans was slightly blighted. Would this have anything to do with the 1915 bean crop? If beans will not rotate on this field, to good advantage, what will? Isabella Co. J. L. C. It is not ordinarily good practice to plant the land two years to the same crop in any rotation. It would be a better plan, in the writer’s opinion, to sow this field to spring grain as cats or barley and seed to clover, as this will restore it to a better mechanical , condition. As the bacterial blight and anthracnose of the beans are fungus diseases, there is no doubt a possibil- ity of an infection of the next crop through the soil, but the more com- mon method of propagating the the ease is through the medium of diseas- ed seed. - .|i' .E‘ : MAY 1, 1915. Reclaiming Swamp Land. ECLAIMING swamp or bottom land by dredging and draining is a subject which may be of in- terest to a considerable number of Michigan Farmer readers. Dredging a stream or making a channel through a strip of low land is a matter in which much labor and expense is nec- essary, and unless those interested have had experience in, or knowledge of, this line of work, many of them may question the wisdom of the enter- prise. Knowledge Gained from Experience. I have gained such knowledge from having lived in this community long before and since the St. Joe river was dredged, which work was completed in this township and one and one-half miles into Ohio three years ago, our township being in the southern tier of towns in Michigan. The stream was shallow, very crooked and much of the land it passed through quite level. OverflOWS and floods were frequent. The stream, when within the banks, was 25 or 30 feet wide, but often dur- ing high water reached a width of a half mile or more. Since the dredg« ing was completed the water has over- flowed the banks but once, and then for only a very short time. When the question of dredging was proposed most of our people thought it necessary, but that it would be so expensive that it would put a burden on the people affected, which they could not well bear. James Kelley, an interested farmer, appointed himself a. committee of one to fully investigate the matter. He went to Ohio, where similar work had been done, and came home satisfied that it was the thing to do. He, with others interested, se— cured the necessary signatures to a petition to the drain commissioner, who, with surveyors, was soon on the job. But several citizens, believing it would work hardship and possible ruin to many, signed a remonstrance against it and emp10yed attorneys to oppose the dredging. Those favoring also employed attOrneys in defense. The final decision of the litigation was in favor of the petitioners. The oppo- sition carried the case to the supreme court, Who sustained the decision of the lower court. The fight added sev‘ eral thousand dollars to the cost of the work. Besides, each party had to pay their attorneys. The Cost of Reclamation. All went well until the Ohio line was neared. Ohio threatened an in junction and to compromise one and one-half miles was dredged into Ohio. The new channel was made 40 feet wide and averaged six feet deeper than the old one. But little attention was paid to the old channel in making the survey, the object being to make the stream as straight as possible, in one instance going in at the northeast corner of a section and going in a straight line, coming out at the south- west corner, disposing of one bridge at each corner, one three-way bridge taking the place of two; The whole cost, including five new bridges, was $48,000, which amount was raised by taxing all, land that drained into the river, either directly or through other streams. This tax was spread on land six or seven miles back from the riv- er, which was supposed to have been taxed according to benefit derived. One man whose land it passed through, and who had asked damages, believ- ing he could not pay the tax, sold the farm. The buyer received the amount of damage which was $5 more than the tax. The tax was all paid and the writer knows of no person who was obliged to mortgage his land to meet his part of the expense and we think that nearly all will admit that it is one of the greatest if not the greatest single improvement ever made in the township, having drained or given an outlet for thousands of acres of land that without it was of little value. THE MICHIGAN FARMER which is now classed with the best in the state. Ohio carried forward the work the next season. Dredging the river made it practical to drain much swamp, which otherwise could not have been done. Crops for Muck Land. At this writing there is but little swamp land in this community that has not been drained and cropped. While nearly all kinds of crops are grown on muck land, some crops do‘ much better than others. Peppermint, celery, potatoes and tomatoes do well. Oats, timothy and redtop fairly well, while beets have failed with us. Corn is harder to cure than that grown on upland as it contains an excess of moisture, but grows a large tonnage and makes fine silage. Tile should be laid deep in muck land, it being composed of decayed vegetation which continues to decom- pose and settle, each year bringing the tile nearer the surface. Three or four feet is not too deep. Without? good drainage the land is cold and crops do not succeed or are very lia- ble to be cut by frost. The effect was plainly marked in our field of corn last season. It was grown on muck and about one acre which was not yet; tiled frosted badly, while that on the: balance of the field remained green. , It is often remarked that some muck ’ land is good and some not, the black being good and the brown flaky and not good. The latter will become: black as it decomposes, which is hast-i ened by being broken up, cropped and] marked, exposing it to sun and weath- er. We do not think that marsh hay, plowed under would be of benefit to? muck land for it has an excess of; humus, although it will be seen by the 1 analyses of swamp hay that it has a? higher feeding value than wheat or; cat straw or timothy hay, and is also! more valuable as a fertilizer. l Hillsdale Co. W. G. BOYD. INOCULATION FOR SOY BEANS. I am going to sow two acres of soy beans. My ground has never been inoculated. The seed houses want $2 an acre for the culture. .Will it pay to inoculate the seed at that price? Mecosta Co. E. A. B. All legumes will grow and produce good crops without inoculation, pro- vided the soil contains an abundance of available nitrogen. After a time the plants become self-inoculated. This is when they begin to feel the need of more nitrogen than the soil is then furnishing them. But if we allow le— gumes to feed upon the nitrogen al- ready in the soil from the want of in- oculation, then we are not improving our opportunity, because we nowadays ‘ grow legumes for one reason, to ac— cumulate some of the free nitrogen of the atmosphere. I cannot tell you how well it will pay to inoculate for soy beans, but will say that I would not plant them without inoculation. Last year I pur- chased soil from a man down in Ohio, paying him 60 cents per 100 pounds and then paying the freight. This year I got what a soy bean grower terms “concentrated inoculation,” that is, the nodules arevstripped from the plants, together with a little dirt, and then pulverized fine and the seed in- oculated by the glue method. I advise trying the commercial culture on one acre and carefully noting results, you can then tell whether you think it pays. CONSERVE THE MOISTURE. The Indiana Station has issued a warning to the farmers of that state to profit by the experience of last year and conserve the spring moisture by good cultural methods, in anticipation of another dry year. This is a wise precaution in any season and should _ . be practiced by Michigan farmers. 3—523 WAGONS BUGGIBS HARNESS. THIRTY-FIVE YEARS I OF FAITHFUL SERVICE \ In the fall of 1878 we needed a wagon to haul our wheat. Mr. Smith arose early one morning. and riding one horse. led the er to Eugene. ten miles away, and bought a Stude- baker wagon from A. V. Peters. the Studebaker agent there. I well remember his getting home at midnight. for I sat up and kept his supper warm for hnn. My eldest child.'born in June. was three Inon old. The old Studebaker is still our favorite wagon. It is in g con- dition. Mrs. W. T. Smith, Natron. Oregon Her “Baby” is now 35 years old— born year Studebaker was bought RS. SMITH of Natron, Oregon, well remembers the day her hus- band drove home the Studebaker, for her little one was three months old. And during all the years he was passing through babyhood, boyhood and on to full-grown man's estate, that faithful wagon was at work making money for the family and cutting down the cost of the investment. Built with a reputation for durability Such durability would not seem sur- putting wheels, gear and body together. prising to you if you knew the methods, A wagon must hang right and ride right. the material and the men on which the It must be built to stand rough work, to reputation of Studebaker wagons is based. carry all sorts of loads and to travel over Studebaker wagons owe their long life all kinds of roads. to the manner in which they are built, and Studebaker has been building farm the materials built into them. Air dried, wagons for sixty-three years, and they selected lumber alone is used. Steel and know how. Skilled Workmen. a model iron are tested for ability to stand strain plant that covers over l00 acres. and ex- and stress. Even the paint and varnish traordinary purchasing facilities all help to used on a Studebaker wagon undergoes make the Studebaker W on the best. a chemical analysis. Studebaker also manu actures Buggies And there is a great deal more in man- and Harness of the same high standard ufacturing wagons than the mere fact of of excellence. STUDEBAKER, South Bend, Ind. CHICAGO DALLAS KANSAS CITY DENVER SALT LAKE C” Y SAN FRANCISCO FOR I LANI1.dOl;°I;; V- Studebakers last a lifetime NEW YORK MINNEAPOLIS Z‘rfiBQ Metal Silos have come to stay 4 'Otl‘llzy - «2.. They are guaranteed not to crack 01' col- \ lapse, are storm- and fire-proof. Keep ensilage in most wholesome condition. Many prominent farmers praise the“ZYRO”- Silo—pronouncing it “ THE MOST PRACIICAL SILO MADE ”a. Made of exce tionally pure, rust-resisting galvanized iron. Easily creole with most common tools. Sections are of convenient size for easy handling. Doors cannot shrink or swell, hence are absolutely air-tight.-‘ ..—_.. ‘, . ;' ',' For other exclusive "ZYRO" points gel; /’ f\}‘ > .. rug, . '.. -.‘. . \‘o o ' ~ »_ ,- -~ Book of Metal Silo Facts FREE “game: .9“ J ‘ ix; x: , ' My dmcribm the unique advantages of “ZYRO” Metal Silos and shows them s \ \ fiI-LRI-u- /. nfiorkc on many Enelmrms glad?! sent on rgiuest. .,Writo a post carod today. \ “afimv h ‘ e anton u vert Si 0 Co. on 220 Canton hio ‘r" ' . . ’ ' MIerQBBOSlVEi‘ \ Cur DITCIIING Costs With a Martin Ditcher and Grader Wonderfully efficient and amazin ly sim- . pie. Cuts V-shaped ditch up to 5 feet in . , depth. Ideal for levee work, terracing. , and cleaning out old ditches. N0 WHEELS \OR mavens Nothing to break or get out of fix. Weighs only 300 pounds. Does all, and more than the big, intricate bmac'illinei'thlirice’ onlyfone-flfth. You chan’t afford to ’ - - e M on s genuine arm necessity. W ich will save dItCh 1n Glide day Wlth No. its cost in a few hours’ use. Write TODAY for illus- one man an one team. 4 trated booklet with full particulars and factory prices. OWENSBORO DITCHER 8r. GRADER C0., Inc., Box 639- Owensboro, Ky. 10 (lay: trial. Honey-luck guarantee. Cuts 1,200 yds. 2-foot A New Seeder— Between Rows Reduces Labor and Assures Better Results Than From Any Other Method or Machine For seeding and covering seed between rows of corn. etc. Sows clover. alfalfa. timothy. rye, wheat, oats, buckwheat. etc. 17 flat teeth cover the seed to any depth desired and leave the field level. Wind does not interfere. Seeder mechanism and teeth same as used on our largemachmes for 11 years. Accurate and adjusts for various quantities. Shipped from branch near you. Eureka One Horse Mulcher and Seeder 3 feet wide also forms dust mulch and kills weeds. It is an ideal cultivator for farm or garden. Works close to small plants. Any of the teeth can be removed. Light weight with greatest strength— all parts of steel or malleable Iron, except Easily operated. Low price. Send for free catalog. EUREKA MOWER C0., Box 1226. Utica. N. Y“ O. H. Lloyd. 5 ringport. Mich. says: I have use the 8-tt. Eureka Mulcher and Seeder to seed In standing corn and consider It a perfect tool for that purpose. It seeds even and accurate and covers same properly. handles. BEE lIIVES. SECTIONS, BEBIIY BASKETS MID ‘ IO QUART GRATES. comb Foundatlons, Smokers, etc. Both mod and paper haste“. Bend Ifognggtalggealt. ghorough 200‘sraxlilned paper baskets post- red an ueen . Ask for catalog B.“ ' q s pask {addtn'liig pd zones for $1. ‘ M. H. HUNT l- SON. Box 525. LANSING. MIGH- 0' E way other furrow-4? WHEN a man harvests only the con- centrate corn, leaving the stalks and leaves and shucks in his fields, he wastes half his crop, because half the food value is in the stalks and leaves. But you get _ your full profit from everyfurrow when you store your corn from ground to tassel in an [Ngifii‘A Better a twenty-acre field with an Indiana Silo than forty acres with only a crib. Better to culti- vate every other furrow and store its entire yield in an Indiana Silo than to waste your time and labor working every furrow only to preserve half a crop. Plowing time is the right time to plan for. erecting your silo. Write today for our free catalog. THE INDIANA SILO C0. 582 Union Bldg, Anderson. Ind. 58? Exchange Bldg. ‘ Kansas City. M0. 582 Indiana Bldg. Des Moincs, In. 582 Live Stock Exchange Bldg. Fort Worth. Tex. $40 fora 500-Pound Capacigy Guaranteed Cream Separator THAT’S what thousands of farmers have been wait- ing for-s high-grade. modern. guaranteed cream separator of lame capscxty and approved design, at the RIGHT price. And that is the Dairy Queen, which costs as much to make as any se orator possibly can. for it can 't be made better. But it oesn't cost as much to sell for you buy it direct. There's no middleman. Simple, durable, sanitary, a close-skimmer, and light runner. Supply-can lower and crank-shaft higher than others. The women know what this means. Bowl and tinware on opposite side from operator. and out of the way as in cut. All gears enclosed. and run in oil. Full guarantee. Shipped prepaid on approval. 30 days trial. Write today for full details and booklet. “ The Dairy Queen. " THE DAIRY CREAM SEPARATOR C0. £§°§A’l€3fi"‘i‘l§ifi?§i Fifty Years Experience in building good milk cans -- is represented in :l STURGES “Guaranteed Correct Capacity" MILK CANS A seal on the wrapper of every can bears a guarantee that the can is “true to measure" and free from leaks. This big feature makes Sturges Cans worth more to you —but they cost no more. If your dealer hasn't “The Cons of Guaranteed Capacity " - write and we’ll direct you to one nearby who hos. Want Catalog No. 46? Sturgesd: Burn Mfg.Co.,508 S. Green St., Chicago, III. R 0 s s Ensilage Cutters and Silo illerswith Blower sue: eszsgmnamm' Especially dulgnod for steam power and .: onlrnordIu-rlly heavy work. Steel is 5 known to be stronger than cast iron. The J Ross is not an ordinary fodder cutter but a ‘ opoolol mode machine lol- lllllng olloo. We have .. manufactured the for GI yours. and ' . v today it will b its own actions prove V its superiority. rite for catalog. ‘ We also manufacture the Ross Wood and II‘DE-STR-UG‘FO Kohl Sllo. THE E. W. R055 00.. In 114 Sprinfielll. ll. 4 Guaranteed free from defects for life of machine. Corrugated. V-Qdmped. Standing Seam. and all standard patterns of Formed Roofing and Sldhw' Products—specully adapted to all classes of farm buildings. Made from the well known APOLLO Best Bloom‘Galvanized Sheets. Sold by weight by leading dealers. APOLLO Best Bloom Galvanized Sheets are also unexcelled for Culverts. Silos. Tanks. cisterns. etc. Our booket “Better Buildings" sent free. Hm . AMEWSIIEE‘I’ AND TIN PLATE OOMPMY. W 0““..ny m THE MICHIGAN FARMER Grooming the HE horses used on the farm are man's most intelligent and faith- ful servants. The'horses are re- lied on from the beginningto the end of the war to perform such services as the horses alone can perform, and yet appearances in many cases indicate that there is a lack of appreciation of what the horses are, as far as necessi- ties for work are concerned, and they are not given in return the care and treatment that they deserve. In some cases they are wilfully, and in others they are thoughtlessly, neglected. No matter for what reason the neglect comes, the appearances indicate a lack of interest on the part of the caretak- er, and display a depreciation in val- ue, both in a monetary sense, and in lack of capabilities of service. I am aware of the fact that many who have a good estimate of the value of the services of the horses under their charge, fail to realize the full benefits derived from carefully and in- telligently grooming theri horses. It is usually looked upon as a perfunctory task, and only external appearances are considered. There are many ben- efits derived from properly grooming the horses, and i will mention some of them. Appearance Not the Only Object. If it were to only gratify a love for good appearances, that alone would pay for the trouble; but that is not all there is to the matter. The zip pearances are improved, because the hair is made to lay down and in the direction in which it is desired to have it. After a few groomings administer- ed thoroughly and regularly, there is a glossy appearance to the hair. Why this change? There are good reasons for it. By rubbing and using friction on the surface, there is an increase in the circulation of blood to and under- neath the skin. There is a greater supply of nutritive elements taken to the capillaries at that point, and there is exuded through the skin oily sub- stances, and they cause the hair to lay down and put on a glossy appear- ance. The skin is more active in per- forming its functions, and the general health of the horse is promoted in sev- eral ways, as we will observe it we give the matter due consideration. Rubbing or grooming the muscles attracts better circulation to them, and assists in building them up, while they are growing, and also aids in re- storing them to their normal condition of usefulness after the horse has be- come fatigued by continuous efforts at work, or by traveling on the road. Fatigue is caused by wornout myocyte (muscle) cells, and the animal is not relieved until the wornout material is carried away through the circulation of the blood. The waste matter is carried off, and gotten rid of. through the renal secretions, (kidneys), and the skin. Rubbing and grooming as- sists the circulatory system in getting rid of wornout tissue and, as we ex- press it, helps the horses to get rest- ed. We can see why rubbing the mus- cles of the legs and grooming the body at night gives the horses a double ben- efit. It aids them in getting rested and when they come out in the morn- ing, they have a better appearance, and better action, than when the grooming is deferred until morning. Groom at Night as Well as Morning. If we groom the horses at the prop- er time and in the proper manner, we not only promote the circulation of the blood, but the nervous system is greatly helped. The nerve and brain cells are only refilled during the time the animal is sleeping. The sooner the animal' becomes rested, the longer will be the period of sleeping, and the more thoroughly he will be restored to his nonnal life and voluntary ac- tivity. No other animal manifests dis- tress from» loss of sleep as does the r4. 44444 4 line lib-595"?!” .wm prove MAY '1... 1916. Farm Horses. the correctness of this statement. Grooming regularly and thoroughly not only improves the general appear ance of the horse, aids in restoring strength and life, but digestion of the food consumed is aided and the assim- ilation of the nutritive elements is more thorough than is possible with out it. Some of the observing horse- men of years ago, when horses were the center of attention and considera« tion, and not the automobile as now. used to say that good grooming was worth as much as an extra four quarts of cats per day to a team of horses. We have reason to believe that the real value of grooming regularly and thoroughly was under-estimated even in those days. Considering the benefits that can be derived from giving the farm horse better care and more reasonable con- sideration, we can see that there ought to be a revival of interest in the horses kept on the farm. There ought to be more attention paid to system- atic and thorough grooming. It will not only add to their beauty, which always has its value, but it will add to the capabilities for service during the whole working season of the year. All the benefits add to the efficiency and the term of years for which the horses can be useful on the farm, and to the actual value during the term of years for which they are kept for useful service. Wayne Co. N. A. CLAPP. BREEDING QUESTIONS. . I wish you would answer the follow- ing questions in an early issue of your paper: Is a filly at the age of two years too young to breed? Does it spoil the shape of them to breed them at that age? Does it make any differ- ence as to whethexuyou breed a young mare to a light roadster stallion or a heavy draft in regards to trouble in foaling? I have a filly rising two years old that is out of a western mare. weighing between 1200 or 1300 lbs, and from a sire of the roadster class. weighing 1200 lbs. She is tall, built in proportion. Do you think she will raise a good colt from a Belgian sire weighing between 1700 and 1800 lbs? Chippewa Co. Sunsnnrnnn. Horses do not fully mature and get their growth until they are five or six years old, therefore, I do not believe it always a good plan to breed a two4 year