The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1911-08-25
TIMELY TOPICS.

of the Navajo Indians OF AfiNoua
and New Mexico, with view Oh
trade. Letters have been
addressed to traders in those ter
ritories as well as the Indian sup
erintendent asking date on the
number of blankets sold, the num-
Der of Indians engaged in the WORK
whether the weaving is done chiel-
" by the men or women anu
whether home or bought wool and
dyes are used The Indian offlce is
contemplating changing the breed
of sheep raised by these Indians
and wants a strain which will pro-
duce wool suitable for the blankets
The data sought may guide in the
selection of the breed.
New purposes are constantly en-
tering into the breeding of plants.
We are producing corns containing
an extra high content of starch
and other forms with high con-
tent of oil. The German people
breed potatoes for alcohol produc-
ton and other special uses we
need peaches and other fruits for
extra long shipment. We have peas
and swceI com specially adapted
To canning We are beginr'n. TO
breed for disease resisting Qualities
and especially are we interested IN
the subject of blight-prCof potatoes
We shall probably breed blight-re-
sisting pears, disease-free oats ana
blight-proof tomatoes. We are con-
stantly giving more attention TO
securing plants that have the de-
sired gu" Nties inherent in them
selves rather than in obtaining these
qualities by means outside the
plants.
The Atchison, Topeka santa
Fe railroad has filed three suits IN
equity in the federal district court
against the commissioners treas
ures and assessors of Pueblo, Otero
and Ell Paso counties to restrain
thsee counties from collecting what
IL terms excessive taxes from the
railroad company. The plaintiff in
the suit alleges that the county
assessors of the safe and the
state board of equalization met in
Joint session March /. 1910, and
agreed that all property in the
state should be assessed at 33 -
per cent of its actual cash value
/ despite the fact that the statutes
| provide that all property shall be
l taxed at its face value. They aver
that they are uniustly charged $685.
OS6.O2 in Otero county; S2O,S3S.-
SO in FL Paso county and S26, sos
in Pueblo county. They are asking
in their complaint that the counties
be restrained from collecting more
than sl7.635 in Otero county; sl3,
1852 in FL Paso count. and S14
so in Pueblo county as one-third
of the cash value of their road in
the respective counties. The take:
are for 1910.
Every living plant in the field
is water pump or at least is con
tinually pumping the soil dry o
water. These plant pumps do no
work on exactly the same principle
as the common suction or liftin!
pump, but they do the work jus
! the same. Their power of working
is through capillary action, tn
same power that draws oil VI
through the lamp wick and tina
which makes a towel absorb water
| Every grass plant, every wild flow
| er and weed, all shrubs, bushe
and vines and all trees are YER
} steadily at work during the sum
: mer and more or less at other sea
sons in pumping up the water da
and night, from the ground in whiC
they grow. Any Colorado ranc
that contains a weed this DIR
year is harboring n robber. MoistuI
is too limited to waste any of
on anything that cannot be turne
into a crop profit. The law is yer
explicit in regard to trimming tn
weeds from the highway and ditc
banks but no one seems to pa
much attention to it. This ha
been a very busy season with a
farmers and they have been littl
dilatory in getting out with tn
scythe to remove one of their wor:
enemies-the weeds that rob tn
fertility and sap the moisture frol
the soil.