VOL. LVII
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JANUARY 25, 1902.
NO.
ttQxim} and Answer.
I uw sowethlug lo the "Farmer" about tbe
sale of old culii uiid write jou, I bave several
pieces, ooe a ten cent piece dated 1800, and
another a fifty -sent piece dated 1834. whleb reads
around tbe edge fifty cents or ooe bslf dollar.
Both pieces sre United Ststes coin. Can you
tell   me   tbe   vslue  of   them? **.   H.
White  Co.
Q and A NO. 2 222
Fletcher M. Noe, this city, deals in old
coin. Write him; but we doubt if your
coins are of much value.
Stock, and Stewart on Feeding Animals
Then there are books devoted to each
breed of stock, ami several on dairying.
You should stato just what kind of book
you wish.
WUl yon kindly give me sll the Information
you can ln regard to orchard grass ss a forage
grass; would lt be advisable to sow lt on badly
worn, sandy Isnd? How much seed to the acre
should be sown? Whst time of tbe year should
lt be sown? Also would like Information ln regard to rape, as a forage plant. W. M.  W.
Lawrence Co.
Orchard grass is an excellent pasture
grass on the proper soil as it comes early
in the spring and affords a large amount
of nutritious food. It also withstands
cropping well. It is recommended for sowing with timothy; it blooms only a little
earlier than that grass, or about with red
clover. It is also a ^ml mate for the
latter plant for permanent pastures.
Cases are known where Orchard grass
has yielded more than five tons of hay
per acre, but to do anything like that it
must have just the right kind of soil,
rich sandy loam, deep and moist. If
sown alone from two to three bushels of
seed should boosed, for unless sown thickly the stalks areconrse and make poor hay.
It would not pay to sow it on worn land.
Clover will do better, and cow peas better
than either. It must be sown early in the
spring to get a good start. If late the
drought is apt to damage it seriously. It
is best adapted to moist, and partly
shaded locations, and does well in the orchard or open woods. Rape is used for
cattle, sheep and pigs, as a forage crop,
during late summer, or early fall, when
the grass is often dried out. The seed
should be sown or drilled in July or August, and in si* weeks it is ready for pasture. In an- experiment at the Michigan
Station this record was made: One hundred nnd twenty-eight lambs, pastured on
Dwarf Essex rape for eight weeks, 10
acres, showed a gain of 2,890 pounds, or
three poonda to each Iamb, each week;
nearly half a pound per day, showing it a
very nutritious food. Hogs and cattle
are said to do equally well. A few of our
readers have experimented with rape for
a year or two past and aro well satisfied.
The seed is scarce yet, and therefore high,
but the plant will no doubt be more extensively grown in the future, and the seed
will soon become less expensive. It rates
now at 10c a pound, or $3.50 per bushel,
but six pounds will sow an acre .or half
as much is sufficient if you drill it in
rows two feet apart.
Amendment to Game Law Suggested.
Editors  Indiana  Fanner:
Apropos the discussion now going on in
your valuable journal regarding the game
law, permit me to suggest that Sectiou 8.
be amended at the next session of the legislature by striking out the word "enclosed" occurring before the word "land."
As the law now stands any one is per
il was when put up, and we have to regret that ive did not put up more, but as
we are better on the hind sij:ht than foresight we will remember it next time.
Apples must be clean and clear from rot to
make goodcider.thisall will admit. Strain
through a tine cloth before fermentation
begins to show, and after settling well
pour off carefully and bring just to a boil
end no farther. Skim close and jug or
.bottle while hot, and cork and seal well.
i.nd keep In I cool place, and the cider
will Ik- all right, nnd not be hard cider.
either. That is our experience. Some
may wonder how long eider will keep in
fruit we formerly  did.      Every bird  liko
mankind,    has    its    faults.       The   robin
and red head alike are condemned becaus-
they help themselves to cherries occasionally. The swallow is condemned for building his neet about our houses with mud.
The crow  and  back  bird  pull  up  a  few
spears of corn aud are condemned with a
vengeance for It.     The hawks and  owls
have  been  seen  to  catch   up   o   chicken,
perhaps not once a year, yet with gun in
band they are sought after, and dispatched when found.     The blue jay nml blue
bird nre much sought after for their beautiful plumage.     Their wings are used by
the ladies for decorating their hats.   The
law should impose a fine on persons using
them   for   decorating,   this   might   have
some   influence   in   protecting   the   birds.
The king bird is also condemned because
he snaps up the honey bee, aud last, but
not least, our poor little friendless  sparrow's are sought after, not only with the
gun,   but   with   poisoned   wheat,   and   the
general  cry  is exterminate  them  because
.they work on the farmer's grain; the greatest  complaint  against  them  is  their   un-
,> i habits in marring the looks of build-
7*      But little do they think and credit
j*. vith his work in keeping the insects
"_   e  crops.      Let  us  not  be  harsh  in
«j ; judgment ou the birds, for God iu
5 -'iii-ito  wisdom  made them  and pro-
'•"".j     •  them  good.      If  we  destroy  the
Ila J,      ill He not let the multitude of in-
sc'j;*;       the destruction of our crops as a
ptWshment  to   us   for  their  destruction 1
Would we not better consider well before
we  decide to  destroy  the  birds  that  He
created for our happiness? J. D. B.
W. E. YV.. Marion Co., asks for the
titles of a feyv of the bestlate works on general agriculture nnd stock breeding. Nothing of a comprehensive character on the
Bubject of farming has appeared very recently. Allen's Xew American Farm
Book, is noyv somewhat old, but is still
very valuable nn many branches of the
subject. It is a large work of 500 or
more pages and sells for $2.50. The
People's Farm and Stock Cyclopedia, by
AY. F. Brown .contains more than 1.200
pages and soils at $4.50 or $5. according
to binding. It was published IS yars
ago. but is very complete and reliable.
There are several works devoted entirely to
stock breeding, feeding and marketing
Among them nre Sander's Breeds of Live
mitted to hunt during the open season
on unenclosed land, as the written consent
of the owner or tenant is only necessary
for those that hunt "upon any enclosed
land". Very few formers down here
have their land enclosed. No stock is
allowed to run at large, and, after securing this privilege, we are now compelled
to enclose our land against pot hunters
and city sportsmen, who trample down
our growing corn, or do other damage,
yvithout having any redress. I am fully
aivare of that section of the law regarding
the injuring of property while hunting
but ns in nearly all cases the hunters, as
a general rule, are strangers, and tenants,
who have nothing but their corn crops nre
not always able to first secure "the express consent of the land-owner before
instituting a criminal prosecution. For
that reason, and in justice to aH, make it
unlawful for hunting upon any land without first securing the written eon-sent of
the owner or tenant thereof.
John  Smith.
—This is the yvay to amend this or anv
other   law,   take   it   up   long   before   the
legislature is elected.
To Keep Cider Sweet.
Editors  Indlsns  Fsnner:
I  want to tell  your many  readers  how
to keep cider for winter use,  having had
some experience on that line the past fnll
and   thus   far  in   the  winter.      The   first
. We?ek in October I gathered winter apples.
Genitins. ami ns there were a good many
1 small  ones   I  had   them   made   into  cider
and my gootl  wife  jugged   up  most  of it
1 for yvinter use.  nnd  today.  Jan.  12th.  we-
tested some of it and found it as good as
the way indicated. I can't see any reason why cider can't be kept as long as any
kind of fruit or garden stuff. We will
try keeping some cider over summer and
report in the fall or winter
later      on. Apples       are       generally
cheap, and as work is cheap the luxury is
within the reach of every farmer who is
the oyvner of an orchard, and those that
may have to bny will find a small outlay
in cider apples is money well spent, es-
pet-i.-illj when the good wife or daughters
want to flavor mince pies and pastry of
many kinds, thus doing away with the
devil's beverage, brandy; or any other
kind of intoxicants. Henry Baker.
Greene Co.
Protect the Birds—No. 1.
Editors  Indians  Farmer:
Spring is approaching and with it the
birds will return to greet us with their
songs. What is there that adds so much
to the cheerfulness of spring and summer
as the birds? Of all our song birds, the
robin is the most familiar to us. It arrives among the first in the spring nnd
remains until late in the fall. In the early
morn, at the break of day, his song can be
heard to cheer us on our way. Yet he is
condemned because he takes some of our
frnit. How anxious nre we in the spring
to see and hear the blue bird, for their we
think the end of cold yveather is here. But
for all this there are men who seek to
destroy them. For a number of years
the birds have been gradually decreasing.
until there are but few left. I think we
ere all able to see the result, as the in-
-'■ts are liccoming so numerous that we
are   scarcely   able   to   raise   the    perfect
THE PLUM CURCULIO.
The plum curculio comes forth from winter quarters usually in May. The egg-
laying mark of this insect is so characteristic that this curculio is commonly known
as the little Turk. The snout is used in
cutting the deep crescent mark, while the
spot representing the star of the Turkish
emblem is partly made by the ovipositor.
The egg hatches and thc small, footless
maggot begins feeding on the plum under
the tiny wilted flap yvhich formerly pro
tected the egg. As the larvae grows it
eats its way to the pit of the young plum
and there it sets up an irritation which
eventually causes the immature fruit to
drop. The larvae soon leaves the fruit
and enters the ground to pupate, emerging
in a few weeks as an adult beetle. It is
reported by growers of European plums
that the curculio can be controlled by the
use of arsenical sprays alone, the success
of the operation depending entirely upon
the thoroughness of the application. It is
advised by way of preparation, to prune
the plum tree so that no cross or parallel
branches remain. The tree must be sufficiently open to allow the nozzles to be
used freely in all parts of the head. The
plums must hang free from the branches.
Shortly after the blossoms fall a very thorough spray of Paris green should be
thrown from the Inside of the tree outward, as well as from the outside inward.
In case of rain the poison must be renewed. When the mark of the little Turk
is noticed the strength of the spray should
be doubled and sufficient lime added to
protect the foliage. This mixture should
be put on the plums themselves, drenching them thoroughly, the object being to
fill the incisions made by the insects in
the egg-laying process. I am assured that
if this is done carefully the larvae i.s usually killed shortly after hatching, the
yvound gradually grows together and the
fruit develops perfectly.—Prof. Green.
Ohio Experiment Station.    .