Newspaper Page Text
* M
,w - , ^ :r iiii j.fMiiii i Mrtf
ONIONS FOK MARKE.T.
Wow to Prepare Them—A Topping
Board—The Crate System.
’Die old way of topping onions by get
ting down on your knees or Bitting
down on a low stool nil doubled up is
fey the emto system of storing the i al
together done away i ith, says ail union
grower who gives some lnfomution ill
Aincricnn Agriculturist on preparing
them for-market. I have made for top
ping purposes a topping bench of seven-
eighths Inch spruce lumber (1 feet long
iby 4 feot. Tnko tWo four Ingh^pleww
(four feet tong and place them fourtfeet
apart Ob these nail the six foot strips,
attttmr.
BOTTOM OP TOl'I’ISO BUNCH.
[which are also four Inches wide, one
Inch npnrt. Nall firmly and clinch the
(nails, placing the outside strips flush
[with the ondB of the crosspieces, ns the
[first cut nhows. Around the edge nnil a
ntx Inch stnlp, and the topping bench la
Hone.
[ When rendy to begin topping place
s bench on top of two crates If you
ih to sit at your work or on top of
’b barrels If you wish to stand, in It
imply the onions from the crates. As
you pour out onc-h crate rustle the
nitons around, and all tho dirt and
or small atulf which may have been
lathered up with them will pass
rough the slatted bottom. The ms-
ng will brighten up the onions won-
orfnlly. The bench will hold when
eaped up six crates, or nine bushels,
laeo one of the crates you have oinp-
od at your left, and, sitting erect on n
rate, you are ready for operations.
To begin with, you must huve n Blinrp
knife, and keep it sharp, ns a dull one
will surely tear the akin of the onion,
and ns soon as that is done it begins
to rot It may seem a simple operation
to cut off an onion tpp, but there is a
right way and h wrong one. The wrong
way is to selsso tho onion and cut tho
top off by drawing the knife toward
the body. This cuts the top off on tho
opposite side from your body and tears
the onion down the other side. The
right way to top Is to bold the onion
firmly In the left hand and with the
knife seise tho top an Inch from tho
bulb and cut up. This makes a clean
«ut through the top.
Never top onions close to the bulb
(union you want them to begin to grow
(at oiicef and do not top them until you
[want to market them, aa they keep bet-
iter with the tops on. In tho old way,
junlcss aprond thin, this rule does not
Inpply, as the tops draw moisture,
Iwhlcli causes' the onions to heat and
[(mold, so that, they rot and spoil. With
the crate system tho onions never heat
or mold, not oven If they are put In
[-with the tope entirely green. They
-will dry out and come out splendidly
«ny time before tho next summer.
Handle onions ns you would eggs nt
1 times, for a bruise or out will make
rob By this way of topping a
spry boy will top six bushels an
,r, and he will not feel half as tired
In the old way.
There is a large atirlnkage in onions
keeping, not only from rob but
iy shrinkage of the bulbs themselves,
link It is quite ns much or moro
potatoes.
My crates -were made in « box shop
cost $10 per 100, Wit I Have not
NATIVE PLATINUM.
The "Noble" Metals Extracted Proa
This Peculiar Substance.
On tho slopes of the Ural mountains
and In Brazil. California, Australia,
Can idn and many other countries u pc-
t-ul.ur substance knuwn na native plu.i-
num to found. This Is an alloy of the
niutnla platinum, palladium, li’ldtum,
osmium, rhodium and ruthenium, to
gether with n lit 11 • gold and-t on. All
of thcKc exr-lit , . * last mentioned are
the “nbblo' metals. They do not tar
nish in ;!-c a..' and are not soluble In
any sliu. In ••• Id. The most plentiful
metal a: i-urrin-.; in unlive platinum If*
that fro .i v inch It lakes its intuit.
This liiotul - oft a grayish color and
with one exception Is the heuyiust sub
stance known. Its fusing point fis ex
tremely htgji, and this -property, to-
geluer with Its freedom from tcrcnisli-
iug, (.11111108 It to be lurgely used for the
manufacture of crucibles and other
vessels required by scientists to stand
a very high temperature. It Is also
sometimes used ns a substitute for gold
In photography, and when deposited In
a thin film on the Interior of the tubes
of telescopes It forms a dead black
surface, which prevents the light from
being reflected by the polished sides.
Palladium Is of u lustrous white
color. It Is the mont easily fused of
the metnls found In platinum ore, and
can oven be volatilized. A curious
quality which this metal possesses Is
that when heated to redness It Is
porous to hydrogen gas, allowing it to
pass through somewhat In the same
manner that blotting paper permits the
passage of water. The silvery white
color of palladium nnd its freedom
from tarnishing render it useful for
making scales nnd division marks on
scientific Instruments. A mixture of
this metal with mercury is sometimes
used for filling teeth. Osmium'Is a
motnl which iiosscsscs two remarkable
properties—it Is the most refractory
of the metals, resisting fusion at ttw
most intense heat, and It is also the
heaviest substnneo known, being twen
ty-two nnd n half times heavier than
water. Together with iridium, It oc
curs principally In a peculiar variety of
native platinum called osmlridlum.
This mineral differs from ordinary
platinum oro In tlint It contains a
larger proportion of osmium and irid
ium than platinum. Osmlridlum is
found in small particles, varying in
weight from one-sixth to one-third of
a grain. Those particles are extremely
hard nnd aro used for pointing non*
wearing pens.
Metallic Iridium possesses a white
steel-like nppenrance. The knlfo edges
of doltcnte balances nnd other bearings
which require extreme hardness are
often made of lb An alloy of 10 per
cent Iridium nnd 00 per cent platinum
has been found to bo very little affected
in volume by changes of temperature
and la the! substance of which the
standard moter kept in the internation
al metric bureau at Paris is made.
Rhodium and ruthenium are metals of
little practical use. The former occurs
in platinum ore to the extent of 6 tp 6
per ccnb The latter Is found only in
osmlridlum and nverngos about 5 per
cent of that mineral. The metal which
ranks next to platinum In price is zir
conium, which occurs In hyacinth and
somo other rare minerals. Uranium is
reninrkablo for its high atomic weight,
tho heaviest known,—Chambers’ Jour-
pal.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES.
TOri’INO BENCH COMPLETE.
een able to get them made for that
; Srico since. Some of my neighbors had
1 ' oe made last year nnd had to pay
cents each for them. With decent
age tticy will last at least ten years.
I'hey are not an expensive outfib
Inoreniitns (lie Value at. Subtc.
It will pay well to give more atten-
.on than is done on the average farm
the preservation of barnyard ma
uve, first, by guarding it from :hv
purees of loss which occur In the ordi-
ry open barnyard, ami, second, by
eating It with materials calculated
reduce the losses from escaping am-
inia on the one hand and to Increase
content of phosphoric ncld on the
her. To accomplish this purpose acid
osphnte appears to he a material pro-
lctng large and profitable immediate
creuso in effectiveness of the mo
ire, and experiments strongly suggest
ife possibility that the finely ground
loSphatie rock from whfeh arid pilos
is made :u:-.y tic found an oco-
mical substitute for the latter, by
S It ns an n'isnrheef in tho stnbles
thus securing an Intimate mixture
Philadelphia’s Literary Tastes.
“I have come to the conclusion
that most people who talk learnedly
of the classics are frauds,” said the
bookish young woman. “Take Bos
well’s ‘Life of Johnson,’ for in
stance. I have good reason to be
lieve that the work is never read and
that the people who hove a smatter
ing of it get their knowledge at sec
ondhand and then make a bluff at
knowing all about the most famous
biogrnphv in English literature. Be
fore I arrived at this conclusion I
was rather ashamed of myself for
never having read it, and the other
day when I was in the Mercantile
library I asked for it. After a long
wait the volume was forthcoming,
covered with dust. ‘It doesn’t look
as though there was much demand
for Boswell/ I said. , ‘No/.replied
the attendant; ‘that is the first time
in thirty years that the book 1ms
been out of tho library/ ”—l’hila-
j delpliia Record.
Tanning Under Umbrellas.
If you want a good coat of tan
carry r.n umbrella on hot, sunny
days. Of course the umbrella keeps
the sun,from beating down directly
overhead, and it is an apparent pro
tection for this reason. But on
streets where there is asphalt pave
ment or concrete sidewalk the rays
of the sun are refracted with almost
vertical intensity. They are p'rae-
tically collected under the dome of
the umbrella, and sunburn is the re
sult
It has been found by experiment
that a person will be more severely
sunburned under nn umbrella on
the water than ho will if entirely
unprotected from the sun’s rays.—
New -York Pvaoo _
How Mr. Froggle Sheds His Cosrt
Once Each Year.
Frogs change their skins after the
winter is well over and there is no
more danger of sharp winds anil nip
ping frosts. And this is the way
theyjfcj it: A froggie whoso skin is
“ripe”’ will go off all by himself and
sit under u big, broad plantain or
burdock loaf in the shade, just
blinking Ids eyes for an hour or
more. Sometimes ho will shiver,
nnd Ids s^in will scorn to creep, and
presently he will “hunch” his back
nnd sit Vn the funniest round should
derail fashion. Then a. "big cni(ck
will appear- i.n the. thin, dry oeridb-
njost covering of ' his' skiiy,. eftfep
from»<he middle of his-.fiat.-
the tip end. of his > broad bWcfy. Als
soon us he feels this he begins to
wriggle, and the dry, husky skin
splits wider nnd wider and rolls
back further nnd further until he
can reach the ragged edge of it with
one i f his feet. Thou lie begins to
scratch and nt last peels it off his
legs and tovur his head just ns little
people peel off thoir tight fitting
flannels sometimes. And then—
dreadful to relate, though Mr. Frog
gie enjoys it hugely—he rolls it all
up in a little bunch and eats it!
How to Make Big Soap Bubbles.
It is groat sport to make soap
bubbles, but it is twice as much fun
if the bubbles are big ones, strong
enough not to break when they aro
floated to the floor. Bubbles twice
ns hjg ns your head or as big as tho
biggest kind of football enu be
easily blown by uny one who knows
how to mix up the soap bubble ma
terial. To make these big bubbles
take a piece of white castilc soap
about ns big as a walnut. Cut it up
in a cup of warm water nnd then
add a teaspoonful of glycerin. Stir
well and blow front a small pipe.
This will make bubbles enough to
last all afternoon, and this is all
you really care to make in one day.
Hunt the Whistle.
Play this in small numbers, ex
cluding the majority of the party
till the trick—for trick it is—has
been performed upon all* who de
clare they don’t know the game.
Blindfold one of the party nnd let
the rest sit in n circle. While the
blindfolding is being done tie a
whistle to some portion of the dress
of the blindfolded one. Let it hang
at the end of a long piece of string.
The game consists iri'the circle of
players getting hold of the whistle
and blowing it, while the blindfold
ed one has to guess who has it. Of
course directly he has discovered
tho trick it may be played upon an
other less wary.
Elsie’s Spelling.
One day when little Elsie came
home from school her mother asked
her wlmt she had learned that day.
Elsio replied:
“I lenrned to spell man.”
“Tell me how you spell it, dear,”
said mamma.
“M-a-n, man,” replied Elsie.
“And how do you spell boy ?”
“You spell it tho same way, only
with smaller letters,” replied Elsie
after a moment’s thought.
Drapery For the Bed.
For the young housewife who is
ever struggling for pretty effects
and yet has to think of her packet-
book a charming way of adding to
the daintiness of hdr bedroom is
suggested.
A simple nnd graceful drapery
whit'll adds to the beauty o£ any
style of beil is easily arranged.
It consists of one length of what
ever material is chosen.
This is passed through a large
ring of wood or brass hanging from
a staple in the ceiling or from a
rod projecting from the cornice at
tho head of the bed. The ends of
the material are drawn apart i» cur
tain fashion nnd carried to the sides
of the headboard, where they are
held back by means of bands or
chains.
A few rods of cretonne in one
length will permit this style of drap
ing.
featlier bunch grass (Stipa viridula),
western wheat grass (Agropyron spte-
ntuni) and brame grass (Bi'.omus iner-
mls) are considered useful In range im
provement. No satisfactory yield of
bay has so far been obtained from any
of the perennials. Sorghums, corns
and millets In the order mentibned
nre recommended for winter forage.
Cultivated rape produced fourteen tons
of green fodder per acre. Manuring
aud pulverizing overstocked pqairie
lands largely lucreused the yield of
hay.
Harrows, Disc Plows, 2-horse Plowg, Sub soil and
all kinds for good servlca and saving labor
All Kinds of Hardware.
W. E. Va»CE,
And here Is tRe place to get It.
Montezuma
a* **
| as
CONDITION OF THE PEACH CROP.
Reports from Various 8tatss.
The reports upon tho peaoh crop
conditions given below have been re
ceived from the deportments of agri
culture of various statee and they
show the conditions that existed about
the middle of April. Press dispatch
es indicate that the more recent freez
ing weather has changed the condi
tions In Borne sections a£l that the
general prospects are much more dis
couraging than formerly.
These reports may ba summarized
as follows:
California, April 22.—Peaoh crop In
this state In a normal condition, with
promise of an average crop, taking
the peach districts as a whole. The
Indications are that all early fruit
will be unsually late In ripening and
will reach the market some two or
three weeks later than noq^al.
Delaware, April 18.—From present
Indications less than half a crop will
be produced and extremely unfavor
able weather prevails.
Illinois, April 17.—There will be no
peaches In central and northern Illi
nois this year, and but part of a crop
is expected In the southern portion of
the state.
Massachusetts, April 18.—According
to best information hardly a peach
will be harvested throughout the state.
The sudden and lntenso cold in the
first week of December following tho
almost summer temperature of No
vember not only killed all peach buds
but doubtless damaged the trees as
well.
Missouri, April 16.—The prospects
generally not good amd In many sec
tions even the most hardy varieties
a*>e killed. However, in the southern
counties where the bulk of the peach
es are grown, 25 to 50 per cent of
a crop Is Indicated. Taking the state
as a whole, not more than 10 per cent
of a crop will be produced.
(New Jersey, April 16.—General re
ports indicate 25 to 50 per cent of
an average crop, although at that date
It was too early to determine the ex
tent of damage.
North Carolina, April 16.—‘No defi
nite Information at hand, but general
reports show something like 60 per
cent of a crop.
Ohio, April 17.—Reports made by
township correspondents on April 1st
showed the peach crop in Ohio to be
about 77 per cent of an average.
Texas, April 17.—A late freeze dam
aged the fruit materially and only
half a crop is indicated.
Virginia, April 17.—Reports coming
In at this date were conflicting, but
nothing like a full crop will be pro
duced.
West Virginia, April 18.—Not more
• than 16 per cent of the usual crop Is
expected and the indications are that
all other fruits havo been greatly
damaged by the cold wave.
Georgia—At present the crop in this
state is more promising than was in
dicated by reports received some few
weeks ago. In the northern part of
the state the yield will be very light,
although some Individual ore-hare in
this section are quite well fruited.
About 25 per cent of a normal crop
may be expected from the Middle and
Southern sections. Although the per
centage of a crop will be small, a
large quantity of fruit will be produc
ed, owing to the enormous number of
trees in bearing.
W. M. SCOTT,
State Entomologist for Department of
Agriculture of Georgia,