THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 525, 11 December 1912, Page 6

THE RURAL WORLD.

THE VALUE OF THE LEGUMES, Every farmer knows the value of leguminous plants, but few realise the fact that there is a lefinte law of association between these and- nonieguminous. Recent experiments have shown that when , these plants grow together, so that their roots intermingle in the soil, the nonlegumes, such as maize, wheat, oats, and barley, are influenced to take up more nitrogen from the soil than when grown alone. As nitrogen, or protein, is the, most valuable and costly element;in the feed of animals, and as it is mostly secreted in the grain, the importance of the latest discovery will be readily' understood. Summed up, it means that the stock feed bill can be reduced by growing legumes and non-legumes in the same paddock.

COOLING MILK BY WATER. The use of cold water on the farm for refrigeration or cooling is of much importance. The ordinary well water, at least ' until Augsut Ist, range* in temperatures from 45 to 56 deg. Fab?., and perhaps nine farms out of ten in the western rnaizs belt are not supplied with ice and 'depend on cold water or deep cellars for cooling purposes. Thß universal use of the windmill and the abundance of good water makes water cooling an easy proposition. By constructing a tank made of wood, that will hold from two to fourteen gallon cans, the dairyman can easily keep cream or milk in verv good condition for two or three days, especially if he has a windmilll which will 'supply an abundance of cool water, easy by pumping two or three times a day. The water can pass through the cool ing tank, and then by an overflow into the stock tank. In this way no water will be wasted. It is not difficult to arrange a .water system to supply both house and barnyard through a supply tank; this should be elevated high enough to give a force that will supply all rooms of the house, cr ever throw a stream of water ss high as the house, in which ease it could be used as a fire protection. * Cold water can be pressed through a box or tank in which vegetables, milk, butter, meat, or other perishahle food products are kept. In this way a vers good refrigerator can be designed, and will serve the purpose well. The increasing amount of cream produced annually throughout the maize belt is demanding means of preserving and taking care of this valuable product, and water can be used until a better means i 3 found. _ Where ice ear; be obtained cooling tank for the cream and milk and a commercial refrigerator for domestic use will serve the purpose, but by wafcev alone splendid results can be obtained, provided it is used properly. In constructing a tank for cooling milk or cream the tank should be delivered at ihe bottom and the overflow at the opposite end at top. In this way the tank will always contain cold water, and all that passes through will serve to carry off • the warm water, re member in g°that warin water rises to the surface and the cool settling to the bottom. A cover should be provided so that the cold can be retained. —A. L. Haecker, in Twentieth Century Farmer.

TILLAGE. Some ' experiments recently carried out at the Cornell University go to emphasise the truth that tillage is manure. Some plots of potatoes were cultivated as many as eight times, and in every case the greater number of times the plants were cultivated thß larger the yields compared with plots cn which fewe r cultivations were given. The level culture was better than hilling. Two lots, cultivated eight times, left perfectly level through the season produced at the rate of 384 bushels and 357 bushels per acre, and three lots, cultivate five times, produced 349 bushels, 325 bushels, and 288 bushels, could not be expected from all of the last lot being hilled at the final cultivation. The different varieties used showed that the same results could not he expected from all of them, but sufficient evidence was secured to demonstrate that level cultivation, and keeping the ground loose, were important matters in growing potatoes. Also that spraying the leaves in order to prutect against potato beetles, at the proper times, largely influenced the yields, as less damage to the vines resulted. Some lots that were, cultivated only three times showed a large falling off in yield. DRIVING THE COWS. Care should be exercised when driving the cows home for milking. A boy and a dog, if not looked to, may soon work havoc amongst herds laden with milk. Boys do so like to see cows run, so do dogs that are under the control of Dbys. I have seen boys make cows run just to see for what is called the fun of seeing the milk spurt out of the teats as occasioned by the udder wagging violently from side to side. The heavy milking cow is seldom a scare-brained, mad-paced animal. She.is generally docile and steady going, in fact, these latter are essentials to her good qualities, and if such a condition be encouraged by gentle treatment, their advanced milk giving powers stand to be maintained for a longer period between their calving times than the powers of chose that have been carelessly hustled about.