davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
NITROGEN is OF IMPORTANCE
Large Sums Of Money Are Expended
Yearly Tor Fertilizers Contain
ing This Element.

One Of the most important plant
and tree foods is nitrogen. Large
sums OF money are spent every year
by farmers and fruit growers for fer
tillzers containing this element. The
air we breathe is the greatest known
storehouse of nitrogen, but the. nitro
gen in the air is not in a form which
can be directly used by the plants. II
can, however, be converted into a
usable form by the action of soil bac-
teria-those microscopic organisms
which exist in soils and materially af
feet the growth of crops. Cultivation
brings these soil bacteria into direct
contact with the air from which they
take the nitrogen and convert it into
food for the adjacent plants and trees.
Without cultivation this beneficial ac-
tivity Of these minute organisms is
greatly restricted, and consequently
uncultivated orchards are not as well
supplied with the food materials re.
quired for the prolific production OF
fruit of the best quality. Cultivation
too. keeps in the moisture Of the soil
and give the rain and sun a chance to
produce the best results.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
LOSS OF FEBRUARY LITTER
Wisconsin Swine Breeder Makes Fall
ure by Feeding Corn Meal to
~ Youngsters Too Soon.

A Wisconsin swine breeder, in an
iendeavor to get his pigs in market
condition as early as possible in the
fall, had several sows farrow In Feb.
lruary The sows and young ones
We're confined in small breed ug pens
in a large barn which was kept warm
by steam heat.
The little pigs grew Justify, but the
breeder began feeding them corn meal
before they were weaned This fat
tening food. in Connection with the
lack of exercise not only disabled the
sows but brought the youngsters
down with the thumps. The litter was
almost a total loss
This loss might easily have been
prevented. Had the little pigs been
provided with a large. roomy pen and
forced to take exercise. and had they
been FED on heterogeneous foods rather
than corn. they would have entered
the spring pasture In fair condition
for summer gains. not as good. per
ohaps. as the later farrowed litters. but
good enough to justify the extra trou-
BILE entailed In raising them.
II a swine breeder cannot provide
early ltters with warm accommoda.
tions and an exercising place Il
would be cheaper in the end to kill
them as soon as born.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
LEARNING TEXTURE OF SOIL
Interesting and Valuable Experiment
May Be Made by Use Of Three
Old Discarded Cans.

II any one wishes 10 prove TO him
self how much more water some soils
viii hold than others let him take
three tomato cans Of the same size.
With nail punch a half dozen holes
in the bottom of each Then ill all
three cans, one with sand. one with
still clay and the other with a rich
loan soil well filled with humus.
If such soil as the last cannot be
had, then fll the can with the dark.
rich top soil from the woods lot,
after scraping away the leaves and
other coarse materials Pack the soil
in all Of them down solid. and put in
all they will hold. Put these cans OF
soil in some place where they will
,dry out thoroughly A good place Is
IN the kitchen behind the stove.
When they are all well dried, pour
a half pint Of water slowly over the
top Of each can Of soil Repeat this.
putting the same amount Of water on
each soil. until the water begins to
trickle from the holes in the bottom
Of the cans.
The water viii begin to run from
the can containing sand FIRST, and II
this can be placed so that the water
can be caught and measured It can
be told how much less water this
sand will hold than the clay soil. and
by the same method it may be seen
how much more water the soil full
OF humus vii hold than even a heavy
'clay soil devoid OF humus.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
LIVE STOCK MEANS SUCCESS
No Better Place for Farmer TO Market
Corn and Roughage Than to
Give to Animals.

On nearly every farm live stock
raising is merely a side line where it
should be the main thing. There is
no place where the farmer can market
his corn and roughage so profltably as
feeding it to good live stock. The mar
ket is right at home in the feed lot,
and no long hauls to town are neces-
sary. If a farmer can feed his 6O-cent
corn to good hogs which will pay him
so cents for it. does he not make an
advance on the price of his corn and
a profit in the fertility returned to the
soil as we'll as a saving of expense in
hauling? Breeding pure-breds live
stock is a business which should be
entered gradually and retired froam
reluctantly. Improving the common
stock a little each year will lead up to
the pure-bred business. There can
exist no permanent system Of agri-
culture without live stock and, on high
priced land, pure-bred stock is the
only kind to have.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
.=.sstess. ~ -ssssss75.sa7-
5Jl----ssrS --',l[ lll-
Fig. 1-chaln Bob sIeds.

The draft-chain being entirely indie
pendent of the tongue. the latter may
be made light. If used much on the
road. it should be heavier, and set
stiff.
The bobs are coupled together with
forked cable chain in place of a
reach, with a grab-hook on each end,
and ring in the center. This ring is
put into a clevis at the rear end of
the saddle-plank Of the front bob, the
other ends of the chain to rings on
the nose of the rear bob. The rings
are large enough for the chain TO
double through, so as to let them out
or draw them together. and by which
logs of any length from s. to % feet
may be placed equally on both. The
rings, properly put on, cannot catch
tree or brush; and the chains playing
up and down. permit the rear bob to
20 over the toughest ground, logs or
brush
The shoes of the runners are made
of the hardest dry wood, sawed slight
ly across the grain, so as to wear with
It. They will last a whole winter. The
lower figure in Fig. 2 shows how they
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
Apparatus for Determining the Starch
Contents Of Potatoes.

may also be used in various household
appliances, both for lighting and heat
ing purposes with much more safety
than either kerosene or gasoline. It's
cost previous to the enactment Of laws
making 1t tax-free was such as to pre-
vent its use in engines and motors,
consequently very little was done
toward their adaptation to its USE II
is, however being successfully used in
both statiosary and traction engines
in other countries where il can be had
at moderate price, and under similar
conditions of economic manufacture
would undoubtedly be so used in this
country.
Potatoes have been successfully
used as a source OF cheap alcohol in
other countries and conditions in this
country indicate that large quantities
of potato culls with the necessary
starch content are available for this
purpose at a price which would permit
of the profitable manufacture of alco-
hol therefrom. Experimental work of
the agricultural department distillery
has shown how potatoes can be
economically handled and practical
instructions in the method of manu-
facture can now be given. This work
has been done in a small distillery
such as would be suitable for large
farms or communities OF farmers
working in cooperation. Farmers
may, if they so desire. obtain from the
government data which will enable
them to convert frosted or inferior
grades Of potatoes into a source OF
revenue, as it has been shown by ex
periments that these may be made
into alcohol at fair profit.
The percentage of starch in pota-
toes may me easily determined by
means OF specially prepared instru-
ment. An average sample Of the
potatoes is washed and thoroughly
dried. Exactly ten pounds are placed
in the wire basket Zone potato may be
cut II necessary to get the exact
weight. The instrument with the
basket attached is foated in a tank
containing clear water at $50 de
grees Farenheit. The stem is so grad
uated that the percentage Of the
starch can be read directly from II
Potatoes average from IA to 20 pei
cent. of starch and one pound Of
starch in practice yields about O.O1l
gallon OF absolute alcohol. OF 0.079 gal
Ion of denatured alcohol at 1S0 degrees
proof. One hundred pounds Of an av
erage grade of potatoes containing i
per cent. of starch would yield approx
imately 1.s gallons Of denatured alco
hol.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
New csbbsoo Variety.

The Enkhuizen Glory cabbage is
receiving more attention perhaps.
than any other variety introduced in
recent years. says a writer IN an ex-
change A few DAYS ago talked
with a central Pennsylvania farmer
who Is most enthusiastic regarding
its merits. The points OF special in
terest and value which he mentioned
are that the heads seldom burst and
that they are almost as solid as Dan
ish Ballhead. The plants are also
certain headers. The variety should
receive general trial throughout the
country. for it may replace some Of
the wellmown standard varieties.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
FUNCTIONS OF TILE DRAINS
Farmer Cannot Afford to Wait on Ma
ture and Must Provide Artificial
Means Of Drainage.

Drainage is the limiting factor on
many farms where the hand of man
has not assisted nature in the re
moval of free soil water, says Farm
Press. Nature has furnished us with
a surface drainage system in our
rivers, creeks and rivulets. In some
places she has provided subter-
ranean drainage in sand and gravel
subsoil
II allowed to take its time, the
water would follow small passage
WAYS to some natural outlet, but the
agriculturist cannot wait. Where the
soil is underlaid with a heavy clay,
bardpan, sand or limestone rock, it is
necessary for man to assist nature.
He resorts to digging a trench from
two and one-half to three feet in
depth. above the impervious stratum,
and place therein a tile drain. This
tile rapidly carries away the free wa
ter that rises to or above the stratum
of hard clay or rock.
The function Of the drain is not so
much to remove water as it passes
0OWnWaru as IL ls W Sdily ~ away "o
is rises to the tile level A good
crop is dependent upon a large root
system. Since the root system of the
plant will not develop in free soil
water, the shallow laying of the drain
tile means a small crop. Deep laying
Of the tile provides a large feeding
area for the roots of big crop. Deep
drainage and frequent shallow cultiya-
ton smile at droughts.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
Fowls REQUIRE GREEN FOOD
Turnlps, Cabbage, 6eets and All Such
Furnish Change That Is Appre-
cated by All Birds.
puring the spring. summer and IAN

During the spring, summer and fall
it Is not difficult to supply variety
of green food for the fowls, as any
kind of tender growing vegetation is
relisfed by them. but when cold
weather sets in. it is very different,
and things must be set aside during
the fall season.
Turnips. cabbage, beets and all such
make good food and furnish a CRATE
ful change, which the fowls appre-
ciate.
The scraps and peelings may be
fed raw, or they may be put in a pot
on back of the stove and allowed to
cook gently during the day, and then
thickened at night with equal parts
Of cornmeal and wheat bran, and to
be fed next morning as a mash. using
care not to give too much. as when
the fowls are satisfied they will stand
about and refuse to scratch and take
sufficient exercise.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01

Proper and Improper soil gradlnqs
a, Soil TO be graded; b, improper grad
Ing, showing exposure Of subsoiI; c,
proper grading.
fetal means a soil which will ap-
proach in texture either Of the types
recommended Our effort should,
nevertheless, be directed to attaining
as closely as possible these ideals. &
Where a pure sand or Hight
sandy soil is the only foundation for
the lawn a top dressing of two or
three inches of clay should be given
and incorporated with the first four
to six inches of the sand, and after
this. " possible, the area should be
used for the production OF some crop
which gives an abundance OF vege-
table matter In ATTITUDES south OF
Washington. ID. c., COW peas and soy
beans, and in districts north of this
red clover. vetches and Canada peas
are suitable for this type Of soil inn
provement. These crops If allowed TO
occupy the land until their maximum
growth is attained and then plowed
under. win act very beneficially upon
the structure Of the soil in making il
more retentive OF moisture. better
able to hold fertilizers applied to IT,,
and less liable to allow the green
sward upon it to be killed out in
times OF drouth.
In establishing lawns all grading
should be done while the land is in
the rough, just after the first break
ing Of the soil by plowing. When the
surface soil is deep and the grading
slight no special care is required. but
where the soil is shallow or the re-
grading 70 be done considerable. care
must he exercised so as not to mako
the surface soil 80 shallow as to pre-
vent the proper growth OF grass.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
GRADING SOIL FOR LAWN
EMERGENCY SHOEFOR HORSE
BEES IN GENERAL FARMING
BOB SLED FOR HEAVY WORK
One Shown in illustration Has Ad-
vantage Of Turning Short Cor
ners With Big Load.

In reply to a query for a plan and
description of bob sled. suitable for
hauling wood. fodder and other heavy
work, the Country Gentleman makes
the following reply
The. following account Of bob sled
was sent us years ago by d. b. Ray
mond. he used IT fer years for logging,
and it has the advantage that it will
turn short corners and enable a team
to draw one-fourth more than any
other sled
The tongue is not set stir, but is
fastened to the nose-piece with two
clevices-one on the tongue, and one
on the crossspiece, making a sort Of
universal joint, permitting it to turn
at right angles, and allowing the team
to turn half around without moving
the load, and to clear trees and logs.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
|LVE STOCK7I
E6aA440FES~ sA 4

A good Shropshire flock should aver
age nine to ten pounds Of wool.
DO not attempt TO winter more sheep
than can be done without crowding.
Many good. careful farmers find Il
practical to hog OFF some Of their corn.
The use of silage for sheep feeding
purposes has been tried out to a lin
tied extent.
Keep the hogs quiet. clean and
comfortable if you expect the best gain
from the food supplied
Be sure the flock has plenty Of fresh
water If the sheep drink from springs.
keep the approaches dry.
Select steers with short legs. for
short legs decrease the amount of Of
fal and increase the killing percen-
tage.
II from a well-nourished dam and
q healthy strain Of animals the pigs
rarely need attention at farrowing
time
Hogs should not as rule be turned
into more corn at one time than they
can eat up clean in two or three
weeks.
AS a general proposition it NAV be
said that the SOW that has pigs before
she is a year old will disappoint her
owner
Get pure bred sire II some kind
this season. Start to make a specially
OF some breed Of cattle. swine. sheep
or poultry.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
P0pEE2gggYNTES

If the flock is not culled every year
It will deterioriate rapidly.
Attention to detail often means sue
cess in the poultry business.
The merits of the scratching shed
are shown during bad weather.
The incubator should be in readi-
ness before it is time to start II.
Overcrowding is one Of the worst
and most frequent mistakes made by
poultrymen.
Allow chickens of all sizes a good
dust bath. They enjoy 1t, from the
smallest to the largest.
Dry mash. charcoal and grit can be
fed in box covered with half-inch
poultry netting, without waste.
Don't keep unsightly OF crippled
chickens, even though they have been
valuable birds IN their day.
Some tell the sex OF the guinea fowl
by its wattles. Those OF the male are
double the size OF the female.
Some Of the causes OF roup are sud
den and extreme changes in tempera-
ture, damp houses and draughts.
A good poultryman is industrious,
not easily discouraged. filled with
pluck and grit and full of ambition.
Have your fowls so tame that you
can go among them without causing
fright. You will get better egg pro
duction.
Excited men and women make ex
cited birds, and that has bcd effect
on the reproducing mechanism oi
the birds.
Do not put males IN adjoining pens
with Only netting between Them. Have
a twelve.ireh board at the bottom o.
each partition.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
n.s o. Ntfrt - - M
:. k|'Tt+|f..+..||ffItI| |.|#|f|t :: !:
A Missouri Flood Gate.

posts. We put a three-quarter inch
bolt through where they cross. For
Stats use old rails, poles or 2 by Of
good material spiked to the logs. Then
the Job is done.
The best OF it is it stays put. There
is no cost to speak of at the start and
no trouble afterwards wading around
in the mud cleaning it and getting it
stock-proof again. The middle being
lowest, the main current naturally
stays there and so all logs, stumps
and trash Of any kind go right on
down the stream.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
ALCOHOL FROM POTATO CULLS
"Denatured" Liquid Suitable for Man.
ufacture Of Varnsh and Other
Commercial Articles.
CBY A. o. VENTED

Alcohol is a substance produced by
the fermentation Of sugar. In practice
there are two possible sources OF sugar
for this purpose: First, plants natur-
ally containing sugar ready to be con-
verted into alcohol by simple ferment-
alton, such as sugar cane. sugar beets,
sorghum, fruits, etc; second ma
terials containing starch which may
be changed into sugar by the action Of
malt or acids and then fermented,
such as potatoes. grains. etc. Alcohol
has been and is now being made from
sawdust, but as the processes EN-.
ployed are trade secrets this material
will not be discussed.
The so-called "denatured alcohol"
is prepared by the addition Of such
ingredients as will make the alcohol
unfit for drinking purposes It is used
extensively in the manufacture OF
varnish, explosives, chemicals, and
many other commercial articles. II
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
SOME COMMON HEN DISEASES
Treatment Prescribed for Several
Kinds Of Allments-slckIy Birds
Should Be Isolated.
All diseased birds should be isolat

All diseased birds should be isolat
ed
Colds and Roup.-Disinfect the
drinking water as follows To each
gallon of water add the amount Of
potassium permanganate that will re
main on the surface of a dime.
Chickenpox. Apply a touch OF 10.
dine and carbolated vaseline to each
sore.
Gapes.-New ground and vigorous
cultivation WIN very often remedy
this trouble
Scaly Legs.-Apply vaseline TO the
affected parts, and after twenty-four
hours soak in warm. soapy water.
Repeat treatment until cured.
Diarrhoea in Hcns.--iow grade
wheat flour or middings is good for
this trouble
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
Sec In eeneraI Earmlnu.

A few of US realize how important
bees are to our farm. garden and
orchard crop. II the bees were ter
minated this year there would be a
failure OF the clover seed crop; the
same would be true of many vege-
tables and fruits.
Many flowers must be cross fertil-
ized. and it often REQUIRES some in
sect to do this. The apiary may thus
serve a double purpose. furnish the
family with sweets and increase the
seed, vegetable and fruit production.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
sulkv Plows.

Many farmers have the mistaken
idea that sulSy plows are not for rock
soils. II is on such soils that we find
their economy the greatest. Only the
driver is required and the weight OF
the plow holds the share to its work
where often three men-one at the
beam-would not be able to do half
the work Of the sulky nor nearly as
well. Their draft will be from 5 to
10 per cent greater than that Of the
walking plow, dependent upon the
skill in adjusting the center of draft
right
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
FINDING A "sPADE.v

There's an old proverb that
says, "He who wants to dig will
find a spade" In these days of
active business competition there
. are spades" on every hand.
= It is not SO often the lack of
work that offers the problem of
. finding a job" for the unem-
. ployed. so much as the method of
= finding It,
. The first answer to the ques-
. tion of how to get in touch with
. chances for work is-keep close
. track of the Want Columns.
. The wants represent the
. "spades" of the world of bust
. ness activity-they tell where and
> how jobs may be secured.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
FLooDGATE is VERY SIMPLE
Missouri Man Has One Arranged on
Plan Of Railway Stock Guard
II Costs Little.

In describing a simple and success
full floodgate II. S. Terrell of Saline
county, Missouri, writes the Breeders
Gazette as follows:
My fioodgate is made on the plan Of
a railway stock guard. We start by
using two small logs or poles extend
ing down the creek as shown, the low
er ends sunk in the creek bed and the
upper ends resting against trees or
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
How to Break Up sroodIna.

The best and quickest method Of
breaking up broody hens is to build a
cage entirely OF laths. without any
solid floor to IT, and hang or fasten
the cage up outdoors where the air
can pass through it A hen treated
in this way will be broken from set
ting in a very few days and it is not
necessary to deprive her Of food or
water nor 10 nearly drown her in tub
OF water as is done too often. Broody
hens should not be starved. but fed all
they viii eat. Heavy feeding starts
them laying quickly after their broodi-
ness has been ended Starving them
delays egg production much longer.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
49, j {
5t5tP =
EIa. 2-sIed shoe and eoIster.

are put on. The bolster of the rear bob
is 4 by inches. The bolt heads which
fasten it should be "let in so as to be
out of the way. The bolster Of the for
ward bob is shown in the upper figure
of Fig. 2, and has rings to bind the
load. The saddle-plank, on the front
bob should be 2ik inches thick and
foot wide, to support the king-bolt and
whole load.
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
GRADING SOILS FOR A LAWN
Lesumlnous Grey Of Some Kind
Should BE Planted to Furnish
Vegetable Matter Needed.
az ]. J. sK1NNERl

The ideal soil for grasses best suit
ed for lawn making is one which is
moderately moist and contains con
siderable percentage of clay--a soil
which is somewhat retentive Of mois-
ture, but never becomes excessively
wet, and is inclined to be heavy and
compact rather than light. loose and
sandy. A strong clay loam or sandy
loan underlald by a clay subsoil is
undoubtedly the nearest approach to
an ideal soil for a lawn It. therefore,
should be the aim In establishing a
lawn to approach as near as possible
to one or the other of these types Of
soil. In many localities it will be
very difficult to produce by any arti-
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
vENTlLATOR KEEPS OUT RAIN
Device for Use In Building or Cave
May Be Constructed From
Joint Of Stoveplpe.

It is often desirable to have a build
ing or cave. well ventilated, and still
have Il so that no rain can enter
through the ventilator. Such a venti-
lator may be constructed from a
joint of stovepipe and a can. which
is az least an inch larger in diameter
than the stovepipe it is to cover, and
several inches high. A brace, made
from a piece OF strap iron, should be
constructed as illustrated in Fig. ]
Evening journal., 1913-02-01
GARDEN and
FAPNf NOTES

Filth and health are arch enemies.
Recklessness is a short road to
failure.
The garden acre should be the best
on the farm.
Cut the cost OF production by using
machinery wherever you can.
The thing that counts is to make
every foot Of land a producer.
Thanks to scientific methods. the
drudgery of farm life is being forced
back into the limbo Of time.
It doesn't cost any more 10 be
cleanly than otherwise. And there's
more profit and satisfaction in il. too.
ScIentifc farming has joined hands
with practical farming in the great
work OF feeding the nation and the
world
Water containing sufficient mineral
to be detected by the naked eye is un-
TT for either man or beast to take
into the body
The manure that is taken from the
barn yard to the field is out of the
way before spring work and it makes
great improvement in the farm sur
roundings.
Root crops, such as parsnips, beets
and carrots. may be prevented from
shriveling in the winter II they are
covered slightly with dry sand in the
bin or box
A plump, heavy kernel viii produce
a stronger plant and nourish 1t bet
ter than a shrunken, light one, OF
than one which has size without pro
portionate weight.
The farming business is getting tc
be a big proposition. Farm life Of to
day means more than the daily round
Of chores. with the long. idle winter
spent reading the almanac