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This newspaper page contains 28 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Monticello Express
Location
Monticello, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Mar 28, 1918
Page
6
United States Department of Agriculture outlines silage as the best economical roughage for finished stock, boosting daily gains and health. It notes open-shed feeding can yield larger, cheaper gains than barns, with silage aiding feeding during droughts and market periods.
Horse owners widely fed alfalfa to work animals by letting them eat all they want. While prairie hay causes no major issues, alfalfa leads to excessive urination and weak, winded horses that cannot endure hard work. The fault lies in feeding methods, not the hay itself.
A short editorial warns that breeding for trotters leads to poor outcomes and urges breeders to rely on experienced horsemen. It counsels focusing on versatile farm horses rather than specialized racing stock.
Instruction on training young colts to behave properly when placed in a barn setting. Emphasizes gentle handling, calm routines, and consistent cues to promote safe, orderly stall manners and reduce stress.
The article recommends a grain ration for a young colt during its initial winter. It outlines feeding emphasis on energy and growth while maintaining balanced nutrition to support development and health through cold months.
USDA advises growers of Progressives and Americas varieties need very fertile, high humus soils with good moisture capacity. These overbearers require more moisture and avoid rich nitrogen levels to prevent excessive vegetative growth. Superbs perform best on lighter nitrogen soils to avoid late-season leaf and runner overgrowth.
The U S department of agriculture says women may help farm wives and perform light labor if labor shortages threaten harvests. It stresses male labor first, guides female workers to light farm tasks, and outlines ways to recruit and compensate women equitably while maintaining health and morals.
The piece advises on early garden care including feeding young calves with milk or gruel for three to four months and suggests an affordable buck et pump for spraying. It promotes using a new tool to improve the garden, sowing lettuce onions and peas after frost, and notes cold weather may delay but not harm plants.
The rag doll seed tester is a simple method to judge seed corn viability. Described in Farmers Bulletin 948, it uses a bleached muslin strip 16 inches wide and 8 to 5 feet long, marked into numbered squares for kernels from each ear.
The United States Department of Agriculture urges farmers to order lime fertilizers and machinery early due to transportation problems. Delays risk missing the spring rush and scarce materials.
Federal officials note rising volunteer interest from women to aid food production. The Agriculture Department urges limiting women labor to tasks that release men for heavier farm work, deeming men and boys sufficient if available.
Shed for implements urges readers to construct a cheap storage shed to protect machinery from rust and rot, noting that equipment costs are high and neglect is costly.
Study notes that better seed choices improve yield and grain quality. It asks why plant serrb corn and suggests selecting high performing varieties for stronger harvests.
The article argues that weak trees and vines are more prone to insect attack and can be salvaged with nitrogen fertilizer and proper pruning. It stresses thorough soil cultivation to reduce soil-borne pests like plum curculio and cankerworms, and suggests removing infested fruit during thinning to improve quality and reduce pests.
When trimming limbs the parent branch covers the wound with callus tissue. Cut limbs close to the main branch and paint the exposed surface with thick linseed oil to prevent decay. Do not leave stubs as decay can travel into and destroy the tree.
The article notes cherries plums apples and peaches ripening in sequence from earliest to latest varieties. It adds that apples can be planted to ripen on demand.
Guidance on handling plant roots during transplanting advises to avoid damage and to trim bruised root sections and shorten the top growth accordingly to maintain plant balance and health.
The Department of Agriculture urges expanding sheep flocks to boost wool for the war effort, especially in Eastern and Southern states. It notes U S wool output covers only about half peacetime use and outlines breeding, pasture, parasite control, and market readiness to enlarge supply for soldiers and production needs.
Guidance emphasizes clean milk handling over barn size, noting hard washable floors reduce waste, and warm bedding assists cows. It describes gutter dimensions for waste, ventilation friendly stalls, and surfaces that minimize dust and dirt buildup to keep dairy operations sanitary.
Weeds with little market value can be profitably marketed by feeding them to livestock. The best stock should be bred to the best to prove superior in purebred sheep production. Sheep act as scavengers keeping farms weed free and providing cheap feed not fully utilized by cattle, though not as a sole diet.
Many older farm structures fail today’s sanitary rules with dark damp bank barns and stables lacking ventilation. Tiedt enclosures and exposed beams harbor dirt and flies, yet most can be remodeled at modest cost to meet required standards.
County agricultural agents assist farmers through group demonstrations and record keeping to measure labor income and each farm’s contribution. They study successful neighbors and advise on improving management practices. Farmers are urged to cull unproductive ewes and prepare ewes for breeding.
A call to boost U S wool production for 1917–1918 urges holding 20 sheep per soldier to supply 206 million pounds of wool. It notes that last year the United States produced about 291 million pounds and stresses growing more wool for the army and navy.
The Bronze turkey is described as the largest domesticated variety with cocks weighing 86 pounds and hens 20 pounds. Other breeds listed include the Nir maginsed White Holland Black Buffy Shite Bourbon Red. Breeding quality is emphasized as essential for profitability with emphasis on vigorous healthy hens over one year old, and two to three-year-old hens for breeders.
With spring arrivals, poultrymen should wear overalls and set things right. Clean cut houses disinfect and whitewash fences inspect and mend yards rake spade and sow rye or onts brooders brooding coops and colony houses need painting cleaning and setup for the season.
The article notes sour milk aids turkey health by reducing blackhead-causing organisms and keeping birds in good condition. It emphasizes free range and not overfeeding as key factors in proper care.
Hens that are frightened or disturbed lay poorly, so caretakers should calm flocks and keep dogs and strangers away to protect the birds’ laying.
A regional health note warns damp housing weakens ducks causing leg illness and cramps with no reliable remedy. The item then mentions Mrs. J A Sullivan of Moundsville West Virginia having 23 relatives in the war.
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