42 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



The opportunities afforded for infection during the distribution of 

 the ice supply are many. They start with the infection by the ice- 

 men handling the ice and include infection from the dirt and filth 

 gathered while the ice is deposited ; the dirty ice broom, the water 

 with which it is washed, and, finally, the handling just prior to 

 placing in coolers or ice chests. To be sure, these sources may be 

 largely avoided and wholly eliminated by final and careful washing, 

 but here, as in all daily habits in the preparation of food, sanitary 

 precautions are not always observed, and the dangers may often be 

 more real than apparent. (N. H. Col. Bui. 53.) 



Notwithstanding there are many possibilities of ice infection, 

 investigations of the subject show that the number of diseases at- 

 tributable to ice is small. The reason for the small mortality from 

 ice infection is due to a series of natural agencies or safeguarcjs which 

 tends to a process of successive eliminations, to reduce or entirely de- 

 stroy the bacterial or germ life that may have been ordinarily pres- 

 ent in the polluted water, or have infected the ice after its formation ; 

 perhaps the greatest , influence in the self-purification of ice is the 

 effect of low temperatures upon the life of the bacteria. Bacteria 

 exposed to low temperatures near the freezing point very soon lose 

 their vitality, and if exposed for a sufficient length of time are either 

 killed or become so attenuated as to be practically harmless. Gen- 

 erally farmers do not put up ice nor use it during the warm months, 

 but there is not a farmer in the land that would not like to have it, 

 can have it at light cost, and should have it as a matter of comfort, 

 of use in case of fevers and of health. All that is necessary is to 

 co-operate, build a house, put up the ice when the time is not needed 

 elsewhere, place it under the care of a member who would keep an 

 account of the quantity used by each member. Do it. 



METHODS OF CULTIVATION.* 



Methods of cultivation vary between different sections of the 

 country, and between individual farmers in the same section. No 

 hard and fast rule can be applied as climatic and soil conditions, as 

 well as crop systems must largely govern. 



Fallowing. The losses of nitrates from soils are greatest from 

 wheat harvest to spring sowing, and least during the summer months. 

 This fact teaches a most important principle, i. e., that ground should 

 be kept in some crop as much of the time as possible, especially dur- 

 ing the fall and winter. 



Corn land should never be left fallow through the winter. The 

 same is equally true of tomato and trucking land. Either these 

 crops should be followed by wheat, or some cover crop put in to con- 

 serve nitrates. Of the latter there is none better than the well-known 

 crimson clover. 



In some sections especially in semi-arid regions summer fallow- 

 ing is pretty generally the rule. Three reasons are usually given 

 for the system: (1) To conserve moisture; (2) to eradicate weeds. 

 The weeds rob the growing crops of both moisture and plant food. 

 (3) To get the soil into such condition that it will produce satis- 

 factory crops. In some sections late plowing with no cultivations is 



* For illustration, eee page 429. 



