davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
Fertilizer Resources
OF The United States
Utilization of Kep Coal ByPoducs

Washington, ID. C.-In discussing
the fertilizer resources of the United
States the Bureau of Soils, United
States Department of Agriculture, in
it's annual report for the fiscal year
ending June so, 1914, says in part:
While the extraction of potash
from such natural silicates as the
feldspars is quite feasible physically,
less some other salable product is pro-
duced in the same operation. An in
vestigation into the use of feldspar in
the fxation of atmospheric nitrogen
showed promise of practical method
of producing ammonia simultaneously
with potash from feldspar. The most
promising American source of potash,
however, is the annual crop of giant
kelps on the Pacific coast. Working
maps have now been made of nearly
all the commercially available kelp
beds from the Cedros islands to the
Shumagins, off the Alaskan coast. The
area of these beds aggregates nearly
400 square miles, capable of yielding
annually, either as dried kelp or as
pure potassium chloride, over six
times the present consumption of sol
uble potash salts in the United States,
or something more than the worlds
present total production. The devel-
opment of a great American indus
try, based on the conservation and
utilization of this important national
resource, of fundamental importance
to the national agricultural interests,
seems now to be matter of time
only.
If all the coal that is now cooked in
the United States were treated in
modern by-product ovens and the am
monia thereby saved, the nitrogen
tonnage would be about that now
consumed in the fertilizer trade Of
the country. While the transition
from the old "beehive" to the modern
furnace method is steadily progress
ing, the greater dependence for nj
trogen CARRIERS yet remains in cotton
seed meal, slaughterhouse by-prod-
ucts, fish scrap, and some other less
important materials. The growing
and insistent demand for more nj
trogenous feeds to support the meat
production demanded by the dietary
customs of the American people is
gradually, but steadily, withdrawing
these organic" carriers from the
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16

sumner should secure a better article
than ordinarily at the same price or
an article of the same quality at
somewhat lower price.
The cost of marketing a family
sized quantity of any commodity is
greater in proportion than that of
marketing a lot of 10 or % barrels
or a carload, and this must be con-
sidered in adjusting the price. Mel
Their the producer nor the consumer
should expect to have all the differ
ence in price on his side; it must be
divided equitably between the two,
taking into consideration the cost of
container, the postage, the ordinary
or local price obtainable by the pro-
Queer, and the retail price which.
would have to be paid by the con1
sumer-as we'll as the extra bit of
work or attention required on the part
of both parties to the transaction.
This fixing of a proper price is an
important item in making start and
has much to do with the continuance
or permanency of direct-marketing
proposition, once established.
The quality of articles supplied is
also of much Importance in making
parcel-post marketing satisfactory.
The supplying of a good-quality ar
ticle will insure not only the good will
and continuance of the customer but
will virtually advertise itself and the
shipper by being well spoken of by
the housewife to her neighbors and
friends; while the supplying Of an un-
desirable or poor quality will have
precisely the opposite effect.
Personal acquaintance between pro-
Queer and consumer is very desirable,
and if it does not exist at the start
it should be cultivated at the very
earliest opportunity. They should
establish their business relationship
upon basis of mutual trust and con-
fidence as soon as possible; honest
representation and fair dealing are
requisite to its satisfactory contin-
uance.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
JIl1 Sr1ITH
Observation-Disclosures Success

He had arranged for the minister
to come out in the afternoon. The
little cottage was decorated with flow
ers and ferns. The lace curtains were
at the windows. The alfalfa fields
were knee-high, and the garden yield
ing the best of everything.
The two young lives were Joined,
and they started for their new home
in the city, full of JOY and hope, with
the blessing of the two parents who
had taken each other for better or
for worse twenty-five years before.
AS Jim and his wife returned to
the house which now seemed more
lonely because of the daughters alb
sence, he seated himself in the big
chair before the little fire which was
burning on the hearth to take off the
September evening chill, and drew
his wife down upon his knee.
Dear heart" he said, edo you wish
you were going back to the city fiat
and all that it would mean?"
She put her arm around his neck
and there was a light in her eye which
Jim had learned to love, as she said /:
Jim, the fiat was where we lived I'M
til we moved to another. This is our
home, and now that | can do my part
| am contented."
(The Enid
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16

command of the fertilizer manufac-
turers, while the demand for nitro
gen carriers is steadily increasing.
The necessity for artificial methods of
fixation of atmospheric nitrogen in
the United States is not imm ediately
present, but is approaching rapidly.
1t would be premature to announce
the results of the departments inves-
legations as yet, but the types of ma
terial which are of commercial prom
Use for American conditions have
been pretty well worked out and sub
stantial progress has been made in
the investigation of the fundamental
technical factors which must control
the production of these particular
types. At the same time investiga-
ton is being made of other possible
sources of nitrogen. Following up
previous investigation of the posi-
bilities in the fish-scrap industry of
the Atlantic coast, already developed
study has been made Of the posi-
bilities on the Pacific coast, including
Alaska. The waste fish and fish re-
fuse approximate annually 10000
tons and can be made to yield about
10000 tons of scrap (fertilizer) and
100000 gallons of OIL worth, per-
haps, S1,S00,000 A study is also now
under way of the possibilities under
American conditions of utilizing gar
bage and other city wastes.
Although improvements are being
made, the wastage of phosphate rock
at the mines is still disconcertingly
large. In Florida, where the most
actively worked fields are situated, in
designations of the Bureau of Soils
have shown that practically pounds
of phosphorus goes to waste for every
pound produced in merchantabe rock
Studies are now being made looking
to the recovery or prevention of some
of this wastage by mechanical meth
DDS, while several chemical methods
have been carefully investigated One
of the latter is modification of the
well-known sulphuric acid extraction,
but by "steps." Extraction by cleo
trolysis has been shown to be econ
omically impracticable, but the use
of the electric current to produce tenn
peratures necessary for volatilization
methods appears very promising, and
at least two such methods are now
being subjected to factory trials by
outside commercial organizations.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
Taking Contract For
marketing BY Parcel Post

regularly, and by making inquiry Of
a number of city physicians arrange
ments could doubtless be made not
only for eggs but for many other
articles as well.
CD A small advertisement in a
city paper might produce satisfactory
results. A number of city and other
papers are making a speciality of a
section, which might be tried.
(4) The post Office department has
instructed the postmasters in a num-
Der of cities throughout the country
to issue list of producers, showing
what each one has to offer for sale by
parcel post, these lists being dis
tributed free to the patrons of the
office. Detroit and Chicago are near
est cities for this section, designated
to conduct parcel-post marketing
campaign.
60 Producers who desire to de-
velop marketing by parcel post on
more than a small scale might find it
desirable to go to the city, select the
proper kind of residential section.
make personal canvass of the house
wives. and arrange for trial or sam
pie shipments.
City housewives may find some of
the foregoing suggestions useful in
making contact with producers from
whom they can secure such articles
as they desire. In addition to this,
they could doubtless obtain ready re-
spouse to an advertisement in some
county or agricultural paper circulat-
ing in section where they know they
could secure the kind and quality of
produce wanted.
Much dissatisfaction has resulted
from farmers asking unreasonable
prices for the articles they offer for
sale. 1t is necessary to have know
ledge of what the various kinds of
produce sell~for in order that proper
prices may be fixed. 1t is a little
more trouble to the farmer to sell
through parcel post than in the ordi-
nary way, and it is also somewhat
more trouble to the city housewife
to market by parcel post. She has to
attend to the ordering, the returning
of empty containers or market bas-
kets, and the making of remittances
In consideration of these facts the
producer must receive a better price
than he ordinarily does, and the con.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16

A study of these figures will help
counties to avoid the common error
of first fixing the sum to be spent
and then demanding an exorbitant
mileage in return for it. So called
macadam roads have been built with
bond money by simply spreading
broken stone in the mud. The newt
able result Of such shortsightedness is
that long before the bonds have been
paid off, the improvements for which
they were issued have ceased to exist,
and the county has nothing to show
for its increased debt. In the same
way, it is manifestly poor policy to
build an expensive surface, on defec-
tive grades with poor alignments and
short lived drainage features.
Even when much of the money ex-
pended upon a highway has gone into
the permanent features, there is still
danger that the cost of repairs and
maintenance will be overlooked, or at
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16

There are many farmers who would
like to market various kinds of pro-
duce by parcel post, and there are
also many town and city residents
who would like to receive produce of
different kinds direct from the coun-
try. One of the principal difficulties
in getting parcel-post marketing
started, so far as the producer is con-
cerned, is finding a customer for what
he has to market, and, with the city
housewife, the finding of farmer
who can supply what she desires. The
question with both producer and con-
sumner is, "How can | make a contact
in order to market by parcel post 2"
The producer may get into touch
with persons who desire to market
by parcel post in several ways:
% A start may be made with an
acquaintance in town or city, or such
town or city acquaintance may put
the producer into touch with some one
who desires to market by parcel post.
(2) 1t is suggested that many
town and city physicians have pa
tients who need strictly fresh eggs
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16

resting on a concrete foundation, are
generally regarded as permanent, but
it is not yet definitely known how
long the best concrete surface will
last The best vitrified brick surfaces
may last number Of years, but even
with them repairs will be required.
To sum up, the authors of this bull
letin point out that the initial cost of
a road is never the final one; that no
surface is permanent, and that re-
pairs and maintenance charges will
always be necessary. On the other
hand, many features of a good road
are to be regarded as permanent in
vestments. When roads are built with
borrowed money, the distinction be-
tween the permanent and the tempo
rary improvement must be carefully
observed, in order that the county
may have something in exchange
when the time comes to repay the
loan.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
Mistake to Spend Bulk of Road Money
for an Expensive Surface on
Bad Foundation of Poorly
Drained, Graded and Laid
Out Road.

Washington, u. C.-An important
factor in the financing of good roads
by county bonds is discussed by the
authors Of Bulletin No. 1876, of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, entitled Highway Bonds"
In this bulletin the authors point
out that in expanding money raised
by the sale of highway bonds the
highway commissioners should dis
tinguish carefully between the perma-
nent and the perishable features of
the road. Foundations, drainage
structures, alignment and grades, are
permanent features which should be
looked upon in the light of an invest
ment. If these features do not COM
ply with a certain standard, it will
be poor economy to spend money on
transitory Improvements such as hard
surfaces, which must be renewed at
considerable expense from year to
year.
Local conditions, of course, deter
mine to a great extent the proper
standards for the permanent features
of any highway. Twenty years expe-
rience in modern road building has
shown, however, that there is a min
imum which any road built on borrow
ed money should comply with. A close
study Of 244 different types of road
shows that to meet this minimum
standard, the following sums will
probably have to be expended for
three standard kinds of highways:
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
Relation Of Size Of Business
To The Farmers Income

By labor income in this case is
meant what remains of the net in
come after deducting 6 per cent for
invested capital and working capital;
in other words, what the farmer him
self receives for his years work and
supervision.
In a group Of 80 of these men, who
had small farms and an average capt.
tai of $5,345, the average labor in
come was 1895. One out of every five
received nothing for his labor and
made less than per cent interest on
his farm investment. With high
priced land this amount Of capital
gave him too small an area to utilize
TO advantage. If land were cheaper,
so that a much larger area could be
obtained with this same amount Of
money, then $4,000 might be suffi-
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
cient investment to give the farmer
N s,,h nt;aI incona

clent investment 10 give the FARMER
a substantial income.
In the central states, where wheat,
corn and oats are the prevailing crops
and where land is from $3.50 to $3.50
an acre, $4,000 would be entirely too
small an investment to yield the own
er good income, for the reason that
40 to so acres-the total amount of
land he could possibly buy with this
amount of money-would not utilize
his teams, machinery, or labor to the
fullest advantage.
On the other hand, the number of
acres is not always a true measure,
as a big business can be conducted
on small area; 20 acres of truck
and small fruits may equal 200-acre
farm devoted to grain, hay, cattle,
and hogs. 1t is the type of farming
that determines the number of acres
necessary for efficient operation.
Many persons have made the mistake
of buying too high priced land for
successful general farming. In other
words, they paid understanding prices
for land which, on account of market
relations, should be used for only
grain and general farming.
The proportion OF the total invest
ment that should be used as working
capital is equally as important as size
of investment. Generally speaking,
about rs to SO per cent of the farm
er's investment is in real estates, the
other II to 25 per cent being in live
stock and other equipment. This pro-
portion will vary according to the
type of farming followed. In regions
where dairying is the main enterprise
the amount of working capital may
represent one-fourth of the entire in
vestment..
A third point in the consideration of
the farmers investment is the quality
of material in which working capital
is invested. This is especially true
in regard to live stock. Investigations
relating to profits in farming show
conclusively that the efficiency of the
animals to which the crops are fed
is one of the most important factors
in determining the farmers net in
come. This is TO be expected, since
on many farms in this country the
bulk of the crops is in reality sold
to the dairy herd or to meat-produc-
ing animals. If these are of such
poor quality that they yield low. re-
turns for their feed, the income to
the farmer must be correspondingly
small. Hence, no matter how large
the total investment, if the quality
of the equipment is deficient financial
failure is inevitable.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16

A careful study by government ex-
perts in regard to the profits made
by a large number of farmers in diff
ferent parts of the United States
shows that the size of the farm bust
ness is one of the most important fac
tors controlling the farmers income.
The problem of how large an invest
ment is needed in order TO carry on a
certain type of farming to advantage
IS of the utmost importance. The
amount of this investment will vary
according to the type of farming and
TO the region selected.
In a survey Of over 100 farms in
an irrigated district in Utah only
three farm owners, with less than
$4,000 total capital, received labor
income of more than $1,000 for their
years work.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
CHAPTER *.
Where Rest and Peace Are Found.
Vacation Farm.


Jim Smith never realized the large
amount from his farm which he had
figured before he bought the land but
he raised enough to supply all their
wants and a little more. The land
was paid for. The little shanty had
become a neat little cottage, where
Margie had room large enough to
permit her to dress without standing
on the bed. There was cozy fire
place in the sitting room which gave
out good cheer as the pin stumps
sent out their fragrant odors while
Jim and his wife sat in the freight
together, thinking of the past and the
future.
Jim had grown thinner. His face
had changed from the bright red to a
dark tan and to use his own words, he
felt "like an OK"
One day young man came out of
the woods where Jim had said there
we're so many. But he did not fright
en- Margie at all, for she ran to him
with open arms. He was her Jack
and he had come to take her back to
the city.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
Spend A Good Percentage Of
ROor6 rJOpoxy For The Enduring Features
si ~ tOiiSy OF The ROadbed

least sighted, in the calculations of
the road-builders. When roads are
built with borrowed money it is, of
course, especially important to avoid
this error. On the other hand, how
ever, it is not necessary to regard the
total cost of surfacing a road as a
temporary improvement. Much of
the surfacing may be classed as a per-
manent investment, for it is becoming
more and more common to have sur
faces built in two courses, the lower
of which is as much a permanent fea-
ture of construction as the grading
itself. This is particularly true of
these types of road that are built with
concrete foundations for bituminous-
macadam, brick, or asphalt surfaces.
1t is probably conservative, indeed, to
regard 40 per cent of the surfacing
cost of macadam or more enduring
pavements as a permanent invest
ment. 1t is seldom nowadays that
hard roads are permitted to wear into
the foundation course of the surfac-
ing.
Probably it is safe to say that an
average of about 81 per cent of the
total cost of "A well-built macadam
road should be put into the permanent
features, and with bituminous-mac
adam roads, about Sc per cent. This
method of estimating cannot be APP
piled to any gravel or natural soil
road in which no part of the surfac-
ing can advantageously be considered
permanent, for under most systems
of maintenance it steadily deterior-
ates.
Roads built with surfaces entirely
of concrete, or with brick pavements
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-01-16
Observation-Disclosures
- FOREST SERVICE =
- T.. ). Department of Agriculture -
7IIIIilIIIIIIllIIlIIIIlE

The timber industry represents 81
per cent of the annual production of
wealth i'm British Columbia.
White pine and yellow pine are the
woods most used for boxes, and each
contributes more than a billion feet
to the box industry annually.
The annual cut of British Columbia
timber is approximately billion feet.
There are 420 mills and 100 logging
camps in the province, employing
about 10000 men.
The Massachusetts forestry asso-
citation offers as a prize the planting
of fifty acres of white pine. to the
town which gains first place in con-
test for town forests.
Boxmakers in the United States use
more than four and a half million
board feet of lumber each year or
more than one-tenth Of the entire lum-
Der cut of the country.
In addition to his own fire detec-
ton system, the supervisor of the Pal
isade national forest, Idaho. was no
titled of each fire by from five to ten
different local settlers, who thus
showed their cooperation in working
for fire suppression.
The Boise national forest in Idaho
had 80 fires during the past summer,
yet % were held down to less than
10 acres, and of these Is were less
than one-quarter of an acre. The su-
pervisor says this success was due to
a lookout tower, and to efficient tele-
phone and telegraph service.
The Uinta mountains of Utah, in
cluded within the Wasatch, Uinta, and
Ashley national forests, should be-
come a favorite recreation region, be-
cause Of the many small lakes within
depressions scooped out by glacial
drifts. Seventy such lakes can be
counted from Reid's peak, and one
particular township, 36 miles square,
contains more than hundred.
Because of the war, English man
ufacturers and consumers of wood
pulp have been caused considerable
uneasiness. Production is at stand
still in the countries at war, and in
| Norway and Sweden, principal sourc-
es of supply, mills have been greatly
| hampered because of lack of coal and
of chemicals. England has practical
ly no domestic sources of pulp.