The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-05-26
THINGS DOING.
An Attempt to Ascertain If the Coffee
Tree Can Be Grown Here.
d., IN NrADCIAJT.


BY ]. T. MARSHALL.
It has been an idea of some of the
people of the department of agriculture
that a hardy species Of coffee tree
might be naturalized here by growing
it from seed of the original wild coffee
tree, as that grows in nature, unculti-
waited by man, and it is thought that
the coffee tree of Abyssinia would re-
spond better to the environment of the
western hemisphere than the Arabian
stock from which the coffee trees of
the world at present originate. Consul
Skinner, who has just returned from a
trip to Abyssinia, completed arrange
ments by which seed of the wild tree
of the country will be forwarded to the
United States as soon as it can be Sc
cured from the interior of Abyssinia.
Whatever it's prospect of success, this
project is certainly an interesting one
to the great army of American coffee
drinkers.
Corn Growing Interests.
The corn school was one of the most
popular features of the Illinois farm
ers' institute meeting and drew big
crowd. Professor Hume Of the Illinois
college was the instructor, and L. b.
Close of Indiana judged the exhibits.
'MOre good bushels per acre." says
Professor Hume, SIS the object of the
study Of corn" The discussion follow
ing Professor Hume's address pointed
toward a prevailing opinion among the
farmers present that seed corn this
year is low in vitality. Thorough test
ing before planting was urged by Pro-
fessor Hume. An unusually fine corn
exhibit was brought out by the prizes
offered for the best corn to go as Hi
nois' representation at the st. Louis
fair. The first prize went to the MeSsrs.
Sutton for white corn Of the variety
Farmers Interest, which will head the
Illinois list at st. Louis.
stockmen Make Their Wants Known
At Des Moines 800 members Of the
Iowa Meat Producers association ap-
peared before the legislature with pc
tition in favor of the DelanO stock ship
ping bill. At the hearing given by the
house committee on railroads of testi-
mony against the bill the railroad men
advanced the arguments that high
speed of stock trains tends to danger
and that fast traffic had so increased
the cost of moving stock that the re-
duction of speed, with consequent re-
duction of cost, had become a measure
of necessary self defense. The Delano
bill establishes a minimum speed of
twenty miles an hour for stock trains
and ObligeS the railroad companies to
issue return tickets to cattle shippers.
In the discussion before the committee
the stOckmen not only demanded the
passage of this bill, but asked that
the State Agricultural college to teach
young men the trade. The annual
meeting of the shippers association,
held the same day, ratified these de-
mands
A New Range Country.
It would appear that stock growing
Is to find a fresh territory in Alaska
which may in time rival the glories Of
the old ranges. While the temperature
Is frequently very low, it is claimed
that the absence of severe storms
makes the climate more kindly to stock
than that of the plains. Present plans
Of Washington stock growers contem-
plate the transformation of some Of
the Aleutian islands, with their wide
areas Of rich grass, into great ranges
for cattle and sheep. One thousand
sheep have already been successfully
wintered there. Eight thousand sheep
were recently sent by a company
which intends to ship large numbers Of
both sheep and cattle.