ROAD & FARM IMPROVEMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3535, 15 June 1905, Page 4

ROAD & FARM IMPROVEMENT.

gate.

That Will Stay In Place the Tea* Around anil Tarn Stock from Adjoining Fields. ■ Those who have large ditches oi running through their farms desirous of getting a good, serv-flood-gate, one that will star ’ace all times of year, and ! Ht.xocl: from adjoining fields. The outHoned flood-gate, hung by the toj Ho a foot log, was always being pusha Hqpen by hogs and calves, unless stukec H’ anu then the first heavy frc.S'.m ■ nire to burst it from its fastei Hi. incl carry it down stream. i lie gate shown in cut can be mad. Hupon any farm, and when in p!ac Hwill take care of itself. Two posts ar. Hsct near the outer’ banks of the chan- ■ ' m

EFFECTIVE FLOOD GATE. nel; an oak log ten to fourteen inches in diameter is fashioned like a windlass and attached to the posts, as shown in illustration, with clamp bands made from heavy iron and fastened, with lag" screws to posts. The roller then bored full'of two-inch auger oles, the desired die' • ■ ■ apart. i« receive the pickets, «*.’ ! are split f rom tough oak. A weight shown al A completes the job. This weight is intended to .ccep the gats a’--■ y" in an upright position, am - should be plr.-.d upstream, i. e., above the flood-gate. When heavy freshets are in evidence, the force of the watei raises the weight and allows easy pas. sage of water, driftwood, etc., and as the water subsides tae weight settles back, leaving the gate in proper post tion, where hogs cannot root it 1 nor other stock trespass into adjoining fields. The weight must be made to corre.-.pond with height and weight • " --iic.’ If the weight be too hen’ • so that the force of current does it" open it, saw a piece off of weigh ■ Only actual test will determine this D in the illustration is the surfac< line of the water. —George W. Brown in Ohio x armer,

PHILIPPINE ROADS.

A Million Dollars to Be Sp«*< *» «*»• f - Improvement of Roads «t Near Manila. The Philippine commission ha* apt propriated $1,()00,<)(K) for the improvement of the roads in the island of Luzon. If this sum be wisely and eco- , nomically expended in constructing highways connecting important towns, so as to enable the inhabitants to have easy communication with each other, even during I lie rainy season, it will have a beneficial effect upon lihe people of the territory through which the roads pass probably great cr than could hare been secured by any other expenditure. The Spaniards did not. seem to regard a road as necessary or even desirable f unless it would serve a military purJ pose. The railway from Manila to Dagupan gave them ample means of transporting troops, ammunition and stores between those places, and beyond Dag- ; upan they built a line, broad macadamized boulevard as far as Vigan. There is a similar highway across the island near its southern extremity. Generally speaking, however, Luzon has no roads, except these two, that can be traveled- by a vehicle in the rainy season, and few of them are navigable on horseback. Naturally the Filipinos do not stray far from their home village*, and news ns well as merchandise dbc* not circulate freely. It is no uncommon thing to find a variety of dialects spoken by the natives in traversing 30 or 40' miles, and this diversity of language has been perpetuated by the difficulties in the way of travel. ? f ar f ii as bf € n made by the t’micd States officers in Manila, whei\r the streets have been greatly ■improved, and this feature of American progress has been one of the most popular of any introduced by our people. There seems to be a noticeable connection between the means of communication of a country and its progress toward civilization. Bodily motion appears to stimulate movement mend ally and spiritually. If, therefore, the sl,000.000 Just appropriated for good roadls in Luzon is devoted to the making of satisfactory -highways and is not partly diverted into the pockets of shiftless or dishonest contractors who give no equivalent t herefor, it is probable that, whatever may be the ultimate fate of the island future generations of Fili- . pimvs will applaud the first legislative act of the American commission as one of the wisest steps it could hare taken. —Chicago Record. Philippine Foront Pr«*ervea. Upon t he recommendation of the vmr department the agricultural department is preparing an order setting apart as forest Reserves the island of Kombkm, which is north of the island of Panay; also the island-’ of Pauitani, which is one of the extreme groxip of the Join isk - • °'c "Philippine group. Ollier.- . my who hare been investigating the islands have found that these are the richest lands in the world for rubln'r trees, and it is !h, ic- . '■■.ll of the Washington au- ■ have the trees preserved tuua cured lor.

VMBEJU-* ■ i " ' ‘ ' ABOUT BELGIAN HARES.

Breeding of Thin Animal «» a* Safin*** fry Began, Bt 1« Now Claimed, Ten Teaxa Ago. la answer tc a number of inquir*-" in regard to th>e Belgian bare, we find, upon investigation, that me breeding of this animal in this w try as an industry began ahou years ago. The btreeclers are na.. ly enthusiastic mad possibly areoptimistic in their rlew of the in of this constantly enlarging bn ■ It is claimed by them that nc ■ : lints of breeding offers anything the profits that the breeding ■ TMgian hare does. Both the and the hide arc valuable. The of producing the meat, it is clan, is not over five cents a pound a? most, and we have been inform breeders in the vicinity of Den Col., that the meat in that nur' sells from 15 to 25 cents a - The m.r.' of a young Belgian i highly extolled by thosw who a quainted with its quality, and al unite, in saying that as. a toarticle of diet it canncut be e by any mefl that comes- to our —•- The ‘ ' ■ exceedingly prolific doe so'mes producing 35 to young --a*. s in the course of year,'arc -Tms beg?n to breed at r • n<-- - '■ ; months. ■ n- that vt'hich is comn-mn-I h.<vep, shoid ’ i, -ii cava reathly be pro--, r • s clover, roc'ts. bread a l '-! Ml the shelter thn* a open slier! tti a< alw dry and must he cl-m. in the hutch itwist be maint d"-d. Three by four br five feet is i-’-ge enough for a hutch*. Jhe neff' ' -’v which must be priW’dd f P - ’bur doc, should , f,. feet ii ) . .-lion of the cage sbr be crei-d with wire netting. Co* er ' the bottom with fine straw. A I’tU r ip f- ~ix tm a dozen. When d>n;n‘ <... . . -'d the young are wear--1 am t... >• s separated. The weight of a Bt’.g'an, if pure bred, at maturity is from eight to ten pounds.— Epitomist.

LOW POULTRY HOUSE.

It Costa Bat Little More Thw B •*tbe4” Roofed Affair, SBd la Prettier by Far. In colfl climates the poultry quarters be built low to co~--i,o heat. The cut shows an exceLt-nt house of this sort. The rear is but

LOW POULTRY HOUSE, 1 four feet high, but in the front there is height enough for even a tall person, and the work can all be done in the high part. Such a building looks much better than a “shed roofed affair, and costa but little more. * By removing the sash and substituting netting, or slats, it may bo converted into comfortable summer 1 quarters. —Farm Journal. AMONGTHE POULTRY. Keep one cock for ten to fifteen hen®. 1 Let the fowls fast a. few hours before killing. Hens lay best at the age of one to two years. Always give fowls plenty of it*A, pure water. j Si tting he ns must have a daily win to insure them good health. There is no danger of the poultry business being overdone because the demand is rapidly increasing. • If a scratching place is provided • where you car. bury corn, your fowls will receive much benefit from the exercise. A quick way to fatten geese is to put . a few in a darkened pen and feed a p uiim jf oats per day to each one. 1 They fatten in two weeks. —Farmers’ Voice. i j Proper Handling of Boor. 1 If you know how to handle bee* yon can e*rn good pay overhauling the apiaries of farmers who are too busy in spring and fall to put their colonies in shape for the season. Many swarms are worthless- now that might bring good profits to the owner if cleaned up and perhaps combined with another. Wormy hives and hives with old brood might as well be burned orl-htowi; c - the sea as to be kept in their present ' condition. Let a man get a reputation i for knowing how to handle bee* and •• mg willing to do it for ointn-. ■:■ :-c r.-ouid not find time to fill his erects. He would soon carry a large stock of bees and bee goods as well as honey to ■ sell, and should make it all turn in good profit*.—Midland Farmer. Varied Rations for Hogs, I feed my hogs corn and oat® principally. Bulk of the feed, corn. Make i swill using corn and oats ground together one-third corn and two-thirds ;ats, and add to that a little wheat shorts. Hogs have run of pasture. Have access to salt at all times; plenty of water. Pumpkins- are fed in th« fall, also small potatoes- and waste apples and such stuff from the garden not usable in the house. In fact any and all things raised on the farm that .-'A tempt their appetite and be conceive to their health.—F. G. Barfoot, tu Farmers’ Review.