Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-07
FARM ITEMS AND IDEAS
and

President Van Hise OF the Univer-
sGty Of wisconsin says: I'VE must
conserve all the phosphorus upon the
earth plane, as science has developed
the fact that It is very essential to the
life of plants and animals" And when
the apple was mentioned as one Of the
foods valuable to man. due to the
phosphorus 1t contained, he said: "Oh,
but there IS another food that contains
hundred times more phosphorus for
mans use than the apple, and that is
the whole wheat grain" When. will
man recognize that fact and retain
within bread the essential elements,
and not eliminate many of them by the
milling process? Why not use some of
our criminals doomed to die for exper-
lmentation with human food?-Nora
n Dunlap.
Those TeIttaie Bonfires. Forty re-
ports secured by the writer from all
parts of Illinois show that both north
ern and southern Illinois are practic-
ally exempt from the practice of burn
ing cornstalks in the spring, while CEN
trail Illinois from Henry county on the
north to Macon county on the south
very generally follows this custom of
destroying large quantities of nitrogen
and organic matter. both of which are
seriously needed in the soil But it is
very significant and promising that at
least seven localities IN LaSalle, Will,
Ford, Vermilion, Menard and Sanga-
mon counties reported that many or
most of the farmers had abandoned
the burning of stalks. These spring
Eonfires that light the cornfields
across the whole state are tnexcusabIe
almost arson-an advertisement
that we do not know or do not believe
the serious and needless loss to the
soil in these fires-loss of essential
elements that must be returned to the
soil in full Ample experience has
shown that the stalks can be cut or
hsked and plowed under successfully,
and on the average there is large
benefit to the soil and crops.
Manual Training In rs Rural Schools.
s. Van Duesen of Bradley !
Institute, Peoria, a teacher
OF boys and who has made manual |
training a large success in their de- |
showed his equipment and |
explained a carefully considered plan |
OF putting manual training in the rural |
schools. in speaking to the rural school |
conference at Urbana. He says it |
would give boys new interests and tend |
to keep them on the farm; would |
give technical knowledge for handling |
farm machinery.
He proposes one supervisor in wood |
work to instruct % rural schools; plan |
the course, provide material, have gen. |
typewriter instructions, direct and |
the work of the boys, and |
spend an hour in each school once a |
week. He showed a definite schedule |
for these classes, naming tool process
es and list Of objects to make and |
what special training each piece of !
work would give. The bench would
cost 81, and the list of &c approved
tools, SO. This supervisor would cost
81 800 a year, including his travelling
expenses. and he would so manage the
material problem that it would be no
expense to the school. The cost per
school would be $50, increasing the
school tax about one-tenth. The only
question is to get % schools thus to
cooperate. The part of this plan per
tanning to one school is actually being
ried out by a teacher near Peoria.
Five Counties to Have Thirty Inst-
utes. - Woodford, Livingston, Ford
Mclean and Logan counties (the 18th
listrict) held a typical institute con-
'erence" at Bloomington. when 26 in
,titute people, including State Superin-
endent F. H. Hall, District Director
J. B. Mason, President David Flemley
If the Normal university, three
county superintendent of schools,
i've county farmers institute presi-
tents, five ladies representing four
domestic science organizations in
three counties and other institute
people were present. Dates were set
md the state speakers requested for
line Institutes at as many towns in
Voodford county, IL Institutes at II
owns in Ford county, six Institutes
It six places In Mclean county and
wo institutes each in Livingston and
logan counties-S0 Institutes in five
ounties, perhaps the record.
This district is following the line
# the greatest success in Illinois in
titutes the past two years, and the
.dvice of the state institute in pro-
fding a large nu:nber of one-day
neetings at many places and small
,laces instead of having a few meet
at only one or two points in the
ounty, often the largest towns and
he same ones year after year. One
f these meetings is farmers short
curse to be held five days at the
tate Normal university in Normal
/ similar course will be held at each