Purdue Untvwsft^
VOL. LIX.
INDIANAPOLIS, JAN. 30, 1904.
NO 5.
Oxters ami _% nsxo zx.
It after _ paper is notified to stop they continue to send it, and the carrier puts lt in our
box,   what  shall   we   do   with  it?      Subscriber.
—Tell your postmaster to send it back
to the publisher.    If you take it out you
must pay for it.
At what aire is a gobbler In his prime? How
old ls lt profitable to keep him in the fl-Ck?
Also the same with turkey hens? People dirter
hflre. A poultry dealer says not to keep a torn
over two seasons; after that the eggs are apt to
prove unfertile. A turkey breeder told me the
older the better. Will some experienced breeder
please  answer. D.   M.   A.
Rome,   Kans.
Oan the land in the southern counties of Indiana be made to produce by sowing cowpeaa? Will
other crops grow on ground where broom sedge,
or sag*, grass grows*' Is the soil there naturally
poor  and   unproductive,   or   was   it   once   fertile?
Kokomo. A   Reader.
—Cowpeas are used to bring . up the
old broom sedge lands in many parts of
the Southern States, and with fair success; so we may infer that they will do
the same for our sduthern counties. Those
lands were once productive, but being
hilly they hare washed, and become almost worthless for such crops as corn
ond hay. By the liberal use of commercial fertilizers they iire made to yield paying crops of wheat, most seasons. Before investing ther you ought to go and
see for yourself and talk with the farmers.
Please tell us how to pot. rid of red sorrel, a
pest   that   infests   this'i locality., J.   H.
Vincennes. I'      i
—If you can break up the ground, and
put it in some cultivated crop, you can
clear it out in a year or two; if not,
smother it out with a heap of straw.
Bring the subject up again next Slay, if
this is not satisfactory, and we'll get
more help on it,  if possible.
Hare  toti  any   account   books,   and   price?
■ English. W.   W.   S.
—We once published a farm account
book, but after selling one edition we did
not think best to publish another, the demand not being very brisk. We can bny
you a largo Farm Account book at $2.50,
if you want one, but advise you to purchase a good blank account book, for
.Oc, and headings to suit yourself. It
can be easily done. We will give you a
form if you desire.
I am a farmer noy and read and enjoy your paper. I wish to broaden my experience a little by
attending the St. Louis Exposition next summer,
and here is where I want your help. So, to open
the question, I will ask: What positions are open
ln the wav of guard or something of the kind,
ln the Indiana Building, and how can I secure
such a position ? Please give what information
you  can  and  oblige J.   M.   T.
—There are numerous such appointments to be made, not for tho Indiana
Building, but for the public buildings and
the grounds generally. We recommend
you to address W. W. Stevens, Salem.
Ind., our State commissioner, enclosing
stamp. He will give you the addross of
the official who makes the appointments.
Please publish in next issue of the Farmer the
date of the silver dollar for which you get a free
trip to the World's Fair at St. Louis, and who
It  must  be .ent  to,   and greatly oblige
Pendl'.-.J-i,   Ind. A  Subscriber.
—We aie not able to tell you, but you
can get the information by addressing The
Publicity Department of the World's
Fair, St. Louis, Mo. At that ofi_c_ any
kind of information regarding the great
exposition will be promptly furnished.
Please   let  me   know   where   I   can   get   White
China geese. G. W. Q.
—Does  any  reader know?    Some  one
ought   to  advertise   them.
My chickens are afflicted with a dl_ease in
many respects like roup, except that they become lame. I have bad roup among my chickens-, bnt it did not make them lame. Symptoms are those of roup, except that the head
does not swell so badly as ia former cases of that
disease, and they become very lame. I would
like lo know what the disease is, and a remedy
i.jr it. Mrs.  F.  M.  B.
Stockwell.
—Overfed chickens sometimes have an
ailment called leg-weakness, with symptoms like your hens. Stop feeding corn
and meal and give them bran mashes,
morning and evening. Meat scraps and
crushed bone, or bone meal, fresh, will be
good for them, a little quinine in their
lood or water, as a tonic. They have
probably taken cold somehow, and that
gives them the roupy symptoms.
Dr.  A.  D.,   Carrollton,   Ky.,    asks    if
there is  a  skunk  farm  in  Indiana,  and
A Successful Home Institute.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Last year Carthago had a Farmers' Institute, and with such great success it
was felt there must be another this yi.ar.
Very early correspondence was opened
with those in control in the Stato work,
but we were informed that help from them
was due to others at this time. However,
those most interested, recognizing the inspiration such meetings are to the farmer,
undismayed, went to work with vigor and
steadfastness of purpose. They saM, "We
will have meney and we will have the
best speakers that can be procured," with
ihe result that on January G and 7 was
On Bear River, near Walloon Lake, Mich.
wants information about fencing in and
caring for the interesting little animals.
We aro sorry not to be able to enlighten
the doctor on either point. Perhaps some
reader can help us. Who knows of such
a farm?
J. Jl. T., Kirklin, wants information
as to getting position as guard at tlie
World's Fair, St. Louis, next summer.
Probably W. W. Stevens, Salem, Ind.,
can direct him how to proceed.
A subscriber enquires how to cut his
corn stalks for the best disposition of
them before breaking up the ground in
spring. Will some of our old experienced
farmers help us out on this query? We
would advise breaking the stalks down
with team and heavy pole, and then running a rolling cutter over them, if he
has  one. •
J. S.. I lwood, asks why everything
freezes in his winter store house, that is
double-walled, double-windowed, has cement floor and 18 inches of sawdust in
the loft. It scen_3 frost-proof from his
description, but if we could see it wo
could tell him where the cold gets in.
Keep a small lamp burning in it on zero
nights, under a large pan of water, and
the frost will keep out, if ..11 is 'ight
above and around.
If a man could use his legs proportionately as fast as an ant ho would travel
somewhere about eight hundred miles an
hour.
held an institute, well nttem ltd, and which
was universally pronounced a gratifying
success.
For speakers, there were Mrs. Virginia
Meredith, whom Carthage always welcomes, .Mr. Alva Agee, a man of thought,
careful in statement, genial in manner and
of broad culture, and Mr. S. F. MeMahan,
ligorous in thought ami action, but whose
stay of a few hours was all too short, to
satisfy those who heard him. Was not
that a trio. There wtas enough good music for variety, but for the most part the
exercises wero down to the business in
hand.
At the evening session Mrs. Clem Stevens gave a delightful recitation from Ui-
ley. Mrs. Meredith spoke very pleasantly and profitably, and Mr. Agee made this
quiet Quaker town forget its usual self-
possession in appreciation of his well-told
stories. We had three excellent displays
in fruit. Possessing such a citizen as
Thos. W. Newby, we were assured of ihis,
and no doubt his interest stimulated others.
The display of corn was not so extensive,
but of more uniform excellence than last
year, showing we are confident that the
lessons of last year, upon what constitutes
a good ear ot com, wer; not lost. 'J'h-
displays in butter and in bread were
..-small. The latter we fini1 difficult to
judge satisfactorily, and on the former we
need no instruction in practical butter
making and a standard by wnich to score.
Carthage has shown ability to help herself, but will not for that reason, expect
the State to despise   her need of a reason
able share of encouragement and help
irom the State. Now, "ga and do likewise." Put a man of integrity, determination and excutive al.ili'y in the lead;
give liim the support of a*few iaino.t out's
wlui ave willing to work, and success L.
assured. One surprising nnd unpleasant
ftature of this work is that farmers an-
not more liberal in the financial support of
those institues, but we believe they are
awakening to the need. We heartily agri'o
with that enterprising young farmer who
says that "the man to whom the institute
is not worth at least one dollar a day is of
very limited capacity." A. E.  H.
Lightning Strikes Harrtware Store.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I have just read Walter S. Smith's article on the lightning rod, and I am pleased
with the answer he received. He says:
"The question is not clear scientifically,
that no railway train, no hardware store
or depository of old iron is ever struck,"
and calls for some one to explain. We
have electricity to use, but no man can
toll what it is. The steel rails act as a
conductor to protect the train from lightning. The hardware store in Carmel, Indiana, has been struck by lightning, and a
small building, containing a large pile of
old iron, was struck in Westfield, Indiana.
If Mr. Smith will look on page 0, third
edition, Circular of Informati6n on Protection from Lightning, by Alexander Mc-
j-uie, U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Weather Bureau, he will see the following:
"It is very evident, therefore, that the
damage done.by lightning is no inconsider-
tjble matter, to be lightly passed over or
turned off by replies such as the one given
by the Glasgow manufacturers. It is certainly worth while to erect the proper protective apparatus."
I will say in conclusion to Mr. Smith
that I admire a man who tells only what
he knows to be a fact.
Hamilton Co. Jas. F. Hinshaw.
Are Teachers' Institutes a Benefit?
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In the January Oth issue of the Farmer
I see that Chas. Danforth, Elizabethtown,
has a new way of fighting saloons. I wish
to say thar you will hear from me as soon
us we get through fighting the one saloon
now on our hands in this township, and
fighting it under tlie present remonstrance
law; but kindly ask you to publish in your
paper the following question asked for information, and would like to hear from the
readers of the Indiana Farmer: Are
teachers' institutes a benefit ami are they
considered a benefit by the citizens of the
country? n. p. w.
Press bulletin No. 13 from North Carolina agricultural experiment station is devoted to the silk growing interest. It
says steps are being taken to establish a
school similar to that at Tulltilah Falls irr
western North Carolina. Silk culture in
America has oome to stay. When carried on as recommended, as a household
industry to occupy spare time of the women, children and aged or feeble members
of tho family, silk growing can not fail
to fill an important place in our social
economy. It will furnish useful and
remunerated employment for labor otherwise unproductive. It will add to tho
comforts and happiness of tho aged and
young and poorer- classes of our population.
It will make country life more bearable
to the young of both sexes who now look
everi to life in the factory towns as a
relief from the hardships of the farm.