davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
:s''ESRIC ~ i SHOULDN
N1s1n 80 - oiiOULD : Il
IMPROVED VARIETIES.
POTATOES.

Washington, ID. C.-American prog
ress in the development of improved
varieties of potatoes has not been
satisfactory as compared with the
progress of leading European coun-
tries, is the statement OF the Bureau
of Plant Industry of the Department
of Agriculture In Department Bulle-
tin No. AZ, Lessons for American
Potato Growers from German Expe-
riences."
The best European varieties possess
better flavor, color and texture, par
ticularly for boiling and frying but
these do not succeed when introduced
into the United States. If private
growers would engage in this work
as they have in Great Britain, Ger
many and Austria, they would find it
fascinating industry and would un-
doubtedly make notable achievements.
In America we have much to ac-
complish breeding a potato with a
greater starch content. Our potatoes
are now lower than the German vari-
cites by from to 8 per cent.
Our climatic conditions in America
are so diverse that we need varieties
of potatoes adapted 20 special locali-
Ties. L VIC iCCN a
resistant strain that can more sue
cessfully withstand the high summer
temperatures. Disease resistance is
another quality that has been bred
into certain foreign sorts, but is so
lacking in ours that we have to quar-
antine absolutely, CERTAIN foreign
types that may bring disease with
them.
The breeding of potatoes for diff
ferent kinds of cooking might even be
found profitable. A variety specially
suited for baking is needed; another
for frying; a close-textured tuber is
in some demand for salads. The
housewife today finds it necessary to
waste much good material in prepar
ing her potatoes for the table, partic
ularly the irregular, deep-eyed sorts.
The use of commercial fertilizers
universally in Germany, is unknown
in our western potato districts. Ger
tain of our districts in Maine, New
York, and the Atlantic trucking belt
have already found it to their profit
to use more fertilizer and potato
growing is most prosperous in these
sections. This should become more
universal.
Crop rotation is of fundamental i'm
portance to the potato crop in con-
trolling diseases and maintaining pro-
duction, but in the United States only
the beginning Of an ordered system
has been made. Germany has a ro-
tation of from three to seven years
between potato crops. Nor has the
importance of green manuring yet
been fully appreciated in this cOun
try.
The problem of securing disease
free seed has been met in Germany
by an official inspection which re-
suits in certificates being issued only
to owners of disease-free crops. Such
a plan for the United States would be
better if carried QUE by the co-opera-
ton of potato growers associations,
the state experiment stations, and the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, rather than through legal enact
ment.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
Poultry in the Suburbs

cleats inside the box, allowing the
cloth to sag upon the backs Of the
chicks. Extra cloths fastened at one
edge of the frame can be turned down
over the backs of the chicks for adj
ditional warmth or turned back to
give more ventilation. The hovers are
ordinary soap boxes and shelter from
% to so each according to age. There
are four A-houses beside the two used
for brooding Each of the laying
houses is 1882 feet on the ground,
and cares for 100 layers. Next year
force increased to 500. All the space
not occupied by building and by the
small yard IS planted to clover, and
fowls get an abundance of it daily.
Fruit trees and raspberry bushes have
been added, and the house has been
painted and put upon stone founda-
ton, with a full basement The pull
lets have been laying since February
from 100 to 200 eggs a day. Each
days laying is separately boxed, so
the eggs will not age, and the eggs
are delivered several times a week as
desired. Shannon went in debt to
buy and stock the place, and has add
ed several hundred dollars in improve
ments, but is steadily paying off the
first cost, maintaining the plant, to-
gether with its increase, and expects
in a few months more to be laying
away money, all the result of careful
encouragement of 800 pullets. He de-
votes his whole time to the fowls but
does no Matching, buying his|snck
at day old.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
POSTMA STER HITS
NOVEL IDEA FOR BOOSTING

Howard City, Dec. 12.-Postmaster
Haskins has evolved a new plan for
helping along the Western Michigan
Development program. He has decid-
ed to set aside the big corner display
window in the new postoffice building
for agricultural exhibits. During the
various seasons of the year, there will
be displays of the biggest and incest
apples, the finest potatoes, the best
corn, grains, grasses, etc, grown on
Montcalm county farms. Placards
will be printed and placed under each
exhibit showing where the same was
grown. This idea as applied to post
office window is original with the To-
cal postmaster, although a score of
banks in western Michigan have been
holding apple shows and other exhib-
it's in their Hobbies with surprisingly
beneficial results all around.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
MARKET SUPPLY OF
HARDWOOD LUMBER
In Some Lines Greater Than 1t Was
Last Season.

In Some Lines Greater Than 1t Was
Last Season.
At the latest meeting of the Michi-
gan Hardwood Manufacturers asso-
citation the reports submitted showed
that despite the conservative condi-
tion of trade due to national legisla-
ton, the hardwood lumber trade of
Michigan is in a general satisfactory
condition. 1t was shown that the
local stocks of hardwood lumber in
the hands of Michigan manufacturers
and dealers October last were but
3H per cent greater than the same
period in 1912, a time when stocks
were considered unusually low and
would not have been enough to supply
a period of general good business
activity. Maple in the grade of No.
2 common and better showed an in
crease of about 100000 feet, nearly
all of which was in the hands of
maple flooring manufacturers, who
produce their own flooring stock, but
the stock of these grades was 10000
900 less than that of two years ago
and the maple flooring conditions
good as compared with most other
years. Stocks of No. 3 common
maple were 100000 feet more than
year ago, but they were 100000
less than 1911, 100000 less than
1910, and 100000 less than 1909.
Stocks of maple unsold in both No. 2
common and better and No. 8 common
were less than 6 per cent of year
agv and much less than those of any
year since 1907.
Stocks of ash where about half
what they have been in previous
years. The stock of Eastwood was
about SO per cent of the 1911 and
1912 stocks and identical with that of
1910. Beech showed but 100000
feet total stock, as against 26,000,000
for 1912, 35,000,O00 for 1911, and
AZ, 100000 for 1910. Birch and soft
elm stock show very slight increase
over the stocks of last year, but much
less than either 1910 or 1911.
There has been a decided slump
lately in the yellow pine trade in the
south and manufacturers in that sec
ton, who could not well shut down
their mills, have been showing their
surplus lumber into the northern mar
ket. Yellow pine to considerable
extent comes into competition with
northern hemlock and to meet this in
creased yellow pine competition from
the south, which has invaded many
northern markets, the hardwood and
hemlock manufacturers and dealers
in Michigan have reduced the whole
sale price of hemlock boards and piece
stuff 50 thousand feet, the quota
ton now being $18 and $40 instead
of $50 and $22, as before October /.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
BANK CONTRIBUTES TO
CHAMPIONSHIP CORN GROWER

Elk Rapids, Dec. 12.-The Savings
Bank at this point, finds itself 'stuck"
for SIS. Last spring the managers
announced that if a member of one of
the boys corn clubs in this vicinity
captured the state championship this
year, that they would contribute $75
towards the expense of trip to
Washington The bankers thought
that with the entire state of Michigan
interested in the corn growing, the
chances of a local boy whining were
slim. They did not know that north
ern Michigan can really produce bet
ter corn than the corn belt region of
the south, because there are more
hours of sunshine during June and
July in northern MicnigafA than in
southern Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Hi
nois or Iowa.
The result of the Michigan contest
is now known, and Grant Wi Ncrs.
who lives comparatively close Il e
village, won by growing corn ht
made a return at the rate of 81 bVsh-
els of grain to the acre. The second
and third honors ALSO came to this
part of the state, which fact ought to
convince all, that we would be grow
ing wonderful crops of corn, but for
one fact, which is that it is more prof
liable to devote our land TO the rails
ing of fruits.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
MARKER SET BY JEFF DAVIS.
Mystery of Post at Junction of Three
States Explained.

Sioux Falls, S. D.-After inves-
legations, continued at intervals for a
period extending over several years
by DR.. w. Germain and Joe Kirby of
this city, an iron post situated in the
middle of road east and south of the
village of Rowena, east of Sioux Falls,
has been identified as mark set by
Jefferson Davis, later president of the
Southern Confederacy, to designate
the junction points of Dakota, Mime
sofa and Iowa.
At the time of placing the historic
post in its present position Jefferson
Davis was the head Of the Federal
army in the northwest, and was sta
toned at a military post situated on
the present site of Prairie du Chen,
Wis. This was several years before
the commencement of the civil war
Davis was directed by the war de-
partment to establish the boundaries
of Wisconsin. Minnesota, Iowa and
Dakota territory. The post was driven
into position in 1859 and has remained
there ever since, the government
never finding it necessary to change
the boundary, so accurate was the
work.
In his report to the war depart
ment concerning the survey Jefferson
Davis wrote that within a radius of
100 miles of the point where he set
the post was the richest soil in the
world. The prediction doubtless
looked like a wild one at the time,
but the excellence of his judgment has
been fully proved during the years
which have rolled by since he penned
his prediction, for the territory refer
red to by him now each year adds mil
lions Of dollars to the wealth of the
nation in the annual production of
new wealth in the form of crops of
all kinds, live stock and other indus
tries.
John Powers, one of the earliest
settlers in the region near Sioux Falls,
states that he remembers seeing the
post as far back as 1865, but never
knew until the present time that it
was placed there by Jefferson Davis.
No white man of that time knew any
thing concerning the iron post, and it
is considered somewhat remarkable
that the Sioux Indians, who then
roamed the prairies of Dakota, did
not steal it for its value as old iron.
DR.. German had the mystery as to
the post in his mind for thirty years.
He commenced years ago to trace its
llApry. Every early settler was ques-
Aand no possible clue was left
waited. Even the Sioux In
in the early days made
jim this part of the territory
oned, but they knew moth
hen or by whom the post
aced in its present loca-
lby, who is a Sioux Falls
appeared on the scene
hant for investigating
Icts set him to work on
II the post.
le attention of DIR. Ger
Kirby was directed to
usty records in the war
Washington, and after
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27

an exhaustive research the origin Of
the post was discovered from the re-
ports made by jefferson Davis to the
war department at the national CAPT
tai, the old reports yet being in a
good state of preservation. Thus the
mystery of more than half a century
was Solved.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
Fourth Article.


No man ever loaded bricks in a
wheelbarrow or hay on wagon who
did not find out the Importance of bal
ancing his load. If he puts too much
of it on one side-well, you know
what happened. So did he. We learn
a great many things in that ordinary
prosaic way, things that often have
a much wider significance which we
find out as we get older and which
we can apply to other matters besides
bricks and hay.
Here we can apply the principle to
agricultural education, the principle
of balancing our load. The opportun-
ities of the farm have been so glow
ringly portrayed by agricultural enthu-
siasts that they have attracted to it a
horde of professional men ana pthers
who have no idea of rural life except
as it is sung by the poets. These
men, the would-be farmers, not the
! poets, when they have given it a
brief and sorry TRIAL return to their
city office with its rusty weathered
sign and proceed to give agriculture
l. black eye. They have not found it
pat it was cracked up to be because
wasn't cracked up" right.
hen the WORKOUT lawyer, the dis
ed physician, the tired dry
SSsrnan cry out for the wings
hat they might fly away
rest, the spirit of rural
old of them and watts
20 green pastures and
is beside still waters.
lie easy existence, COM
at of the city with its
fusion! They load too
ide and the same old
bat happens to the
the bricks or the
".
OF the observation
e of our farm pa
to buy a piano
IS likely as not, the
from a fit of en-
instrument he is
tile dream he is
return to the
certain he will
I'm that you are
Fe country and take
with you. Not only
Iade instinct prompt
music with farming,
to reyeal) the hidden
gricu tural knowledge.
a warning that the
OF an getting rich, he
is because they lack
enee; they do not ap-
work; they do not
ISL Principle of the
ose or aim of the
cation TO portray
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
Minus His Crouch.

"Saw my husband downtown today,
but passed him. / didn't recognize
him."
"How was that?
."He was smiling. City
Journal.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
Slight Mistake.

Waiter, what does this mean-25
francs for two hard boiled eggsV"
Every sorry, sir. Slight mistake, \
sir. I've given you the bill intended
for the American at the next table. y
Pele Mele.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
EXPERT Advice.

The Novice-Would you advise me
to give my wife a weekly allowance ?
The Old Timer-No, indeed. If you
do she'll behave like a millionaire
until Tuesday and like a pauper for
rest of the week.-Judge's Library.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-27
Success in business.

The path Of success in business is
invariably the path of common sense.
Notwithstanding all that is said about
lucky hits" the best kind of success
in every mans life is not that which
comes by accidents. Smiles.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

ment of potatoes will move in a dull
market, while such shipments that do
not have these good qualities, drag
or are discarded.
Now as to specific qualities, which
constitute market ideals, the first of
Importance is size and shape. Diff
ferent varieties, of course, differ in
shape. The popular shape for baking
and table use is a somewhat oval po-
tato, about inches wide, about to
5 inches long, and about 2B to in
ches thick, weighing about to 10
ounces. Such potato should have a
smooth, clear skin, absolutely free
from disease and from injury. The
eyes should be comparatively shall
low, since in pairing deep-eyed po-
tatoes, such a per cent of the tuber is
loss. OF course, this may seem a very
small matter from the standpoint Of
the use of patatoes in the home, yet,
when buyers are purchasing carloads
of potatoes for large hotels and res
taurants, the percentage loss is an
important factor. The cooking quail
ties should be as nearly perfect as
possible. When cooked, the potato
flesh should be clear and white. 1t
should be fine in texture, not coarse,
soggy, but fine and fiour-like. 1t
should be dry and flaky. Above all,
when the potato is cooked, it should
have a good flavor. "The proof of
the pudding is in the eating" and the
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

Successful potato growers of Maine
find it profitable to use from 1000 to
1000 pounds per acre of fertilizers
supplying from to SO nitrogen, 8 to
1919 phosphoric acid and z to 1919
potash. AS a general rule, one-half
of the fertilizer supplied is worked
into the ground at the time it is be-
ing disked or narrowed; the other half
is dropped through the fertilizer at
tachment of the potato planter. Care
should be taken, of course, to see that
the fertilizer is mixed with the soil
before the seed potato drops in the
row. After the soil has been prepar-
ed, the most important point in in
creasing the yield and improving the
quality of potato stock is the judic-
ious choice and wide use of an abun-
dance of available plantfood in the
shape Of fertilizers.
| feel that / cannot emphasize too
strongly the Importance of growing
one or two suitable early varieties
and one or two desirable late varie-
ties. The growing of promiscuous
stock and the mixture Of material
offered to the commercial market is
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06
Extracted Honey

What have said in regard to
supers going on early in the pro-
duction of comb honey, applies just
as we'll in the production of extracted
honey. This is simply a general prin-
cipal in handling bees. But the pro-
duction of extracted honey is very
much more simple for you have al
most no trouble at all to keep the
bees from swarming, about all that
is necessary being to see that they
have an abundance of room at all
times and if the hive has good venti-
lation the problem is nearly solved.
Perhaps the hardest problem of the
extracted honey producer is to put
out a good grade of honey. And yet
this is very simple for all you have
to do is to leave the honey on the
hive until it is thoroughly ripened and
you will have the quality. Of course
you don't want to put on combs for
the nice white honey that are already
partly filled with inferior honey for
this will, of course hurt the quality
of the good honey. Neither do you
want to leave the white honey on un-
til the late fall honey has been put
in with it. A pretty good plan is to
put on enough super room the first
thing to last all through the white
honey flow, and then when the white
flow is over and the fall flow begins it
should all be taken off and extracted
and the combs returned for the late
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

honey. 1t often happens that the
white honey flow ends about two or
three weeks before the dark flow be-
gins. Where this is the case it gives
a good chance for the white honey
to be left on until thoroughly ripened
and it can then be extracted when
the first of the late honey begins to
come. Of course this applies to the
man who has one yard only, as the
more extensive bee-keeper must be-
gin earlier or he will be caught with
a lot of fall honey in his light.
Where one mas only three or four
colonies of bees he, of course, can
hardly afford an extractor and other
tools that are needed in extracting
but he can often have access to
neighbours tools and if this is the case
he will be much better than to try to
run for comb honey as it is much
easier to handle the bees and the
profits are nearly always larger. Ii
one keeps ten or more colonies of bees
he can afford an outfit for extracting
which will cost him about $12 to $15
as all that will be needed for a small
number of colonies is an extractor or
an uncapping knife more than you
will need for comb honey. Of course
there are lots of things you could use
to advantage but you can get along
with these. You will need plenty Of
combs, these will cost no more than
the comb super and fixings. One rea-
son great many people run for comb
honey is that they prefer comb honey
to eat and they expect to use most of
it themselves so they naturally pro-
duce that kind. To such / will say
try the extracted for while on your
pancakes, on oatmeal, yes, and to
sweeten acid fruits with on the table
and If you are anything like the most
of them you will soon swear by the
extracted honey instead of the comb
honey.
Concluded next week.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

also, to draw up a little of the soil
around the plants SO that as the tub
ers grow and press outward, they will
not lie exposed to sunlight. Sun
burnt potatoes are rank in taste and
are very detrimental to the sale of
the stock.
The next important point, and one
which | shall not elaborate, is the
necessity of spraying. 1t is poor prac-
tice to argue that potato diseases will
not do any harm to section because
they have not heretofore appeared.
Anyone who knows the life history of
potato blight, knows that it can infest
and destroy very large areas of po-
tato crops. Of course, the potato
beetle should be held in check by
spraying with a poison. When a good
crop has been grown, it should be
dug with great care so as not to in
jure the tubers and should be stored
carefully in a cool place.
! am convinced that greater care of
the points mentioned above will not
only greatly improve the quantity of
yield, but will make the quality such
that the potato raiser of Michigan
will find his stock in demand.
Important Points in Potato Growing.
l. Use we'll drained soil.
2. Pick we'll shaped sound seed of
an established seasonable variety.
3. Prevent scab by treating seed
with formalin.
4. Prepare seed bed we'll by plow-
ing under some green crop preceding
potatoes and thoroughly working the
soil.
5. Use a liberal amount of fertil-
izer, supplying about 3 to per cent
ammonia, 6 to 8 per cent phosphoric
acid, and to 10 per cent potash.
Apply q broadcast and 4 in the
row or hill, being careful to cover
the latter with soil before seed piece
is dropped.
6. Cut seed into pieces, weighing
from l to 2 ounces. See that each
has one good eye.
7. Begin to cultivate the potatoes
as soon as they are up. Continue
until tuber is formed.
8. To keep down potato bugs spray
with Paris green made as follows: 1
pound Paris green, 1 pound lime to
one barrel of water.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

humus may be produced by turning
under a crop of rye or a second crop
of clover. This organic matter may
also be produced by blowing in strawy
manure, although the use of barnyard
manure on a potato crop is not favor
ed by prominent growers in America.
This humus or organic matter forms
the home of innumerable bacteria
which are constantly at work in the
soil.
Fourth: Inc soil should be we'll
supplied with plantfood. The great
farm sources of plantfood are from
legumes which assist in storing nj
trogen in the soil and barnyard man.
ure, which supplies considerable of
the elements of plantfood-nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash. On the
potato crop, as indicated above, the
use of fresh barn manure is not fav-
ored because it produces conditions
suitable for the growth of bacteria
which causes scab. Lime and wood
ashes produce the same conditions.
By blowing under clover, there is pro-
duced the slightest indication of acid
ity. The soil in such condition is
not favorable for scab. AS a result
potatoes which follow a clover crop
are usually free from this disease.
Let it be understood that the lime
and ashes and barnyard manure do
not produce scab, but they do make
conditions favorable for its reproduc-
ton. Fertility OF the soil should be
balanced by properly suited plantfood
in the shape of fertilizers if best re-
suits are to be obtained from the po-
tato crop.