The Huttig news., 1914-06-20
Commissioner Pages Weekly Letter.

One thing that Arkansas needs is more open land, developed and improved We must have it to make room for the increased popu- lation we want and expect to have. Clearing land is hard work, winter or summer, but in the summer when 1t is intensely hot, it takes a man. with pretty good grit to go into the woods where the leaves are thick and no breeze stirring and put in a hard days work clearing land. To clear land is hard labor if you do it yourself and expensive if you hire the labor. A good way is to deaden the timber a couple of years ahead. Now is good time to begin the work whenever you have spare day or two. Deaden everything that is large enough to deaden. The bushes and saplings can be cut down. It is good idea to hack the saplings off about two or three feet from the ground, letting them fall and hang by the back. The limbs on the trees will die and fall first, Some of the trees will then fall. The grass, weeds. vlnes and briers will come up. In the late fall after about two years have elapsed you can set fire to the whole mass, and most likely will burn up the most of it. You can then go in with teams, chains and canthooks and soon finish up good
 ob of clearing and your land will be in good condition, as the roots will be dead and partially rotted. This is cheaper method than talk ing the timber down green. Now l am going to tell you secret about deadening timber. Make solution of arsenic and sal soda. Dissolve the arsenic at the rate of one pound to a gallon of water. Put the ar senic in the water and heat and stir until 1t is dissolved. If any of the water is spilled or evaporated, replace. Then dissolve the sal soda at the rate of one pound to gallon of water Then mix the two solutions. Put the mixture in a coal oil can or something with a small spout. Pour a small stream around the trees deadened where they were hacked. By this means you poison them and they die sure ly and suddenly and begin to rot clear down into the roots. In a short time the worms begin work on them and the trees disappear much sooner than by the old way. Besides, it is not necessary to cut out the chips nor to go so deep in deadening. Be careful about the mixture and do not let any stock get to it, because it is poison, Wash out the vessels good and do not poue any of the fluid on the ground where it will poison stock. You will find this method valuable in saving time and money in clearing land. It is a good idea to pu. in some new ground every year. It soon counts up.
 The good women need some helpful suggestions in their work At this season of the year they are bothered about moths among the Wooens. Moth balls are nuisance in use and a source of annoyance on the day of resurrection of the woolens in the fall. A perfectly good way to protect woolens against moths is to get some good brown domestic and make bags and put the woolens in these bags. Then tie or sew the mouth of the bag so tight a moth cant get in. If you will sew the bags so we'll the moth can't get in through the seam. he will never bother your woolens, and you can put them away much more conveniently instead of re- sorting to the old time methods of moth balls, cedar chests, etc.
 Let the mothers and girls can all the surplus fruits and vegeta- bles. It will save many dollars. You can buy home canning outfits f~1.~, e,.x Sll ~, .,,, e s%,.,o,,