davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16
EXPERIENCE IN WOOD SAVING

CWritten Specially for The Bulleti1ll
 Well. the winters f1rewood is down off the mountain. and all sawed up in- to StoVe-leugthS. Not this winters wood, if you please but next winters. This winters, is in the woodshed; has been there since last June, drying out and curing into a fuel that beats your coal all hollow. We always try to keep a year ahead on the wood supply for several reasons One iS the cf1arao- teristic old-fashioned New England habit of getting ready for emergencies before they arise. One is, that we can't afford to stop in late summer or early fau to go after wood to start the first cold days sWith%5l So, as we have to have some aolv hand, aft comes handler 10 have it all on hand. Another is | ttlfatsvYe get better fuel that way. This wood which has just been sawed up will nov be split and plled-not Ileaped-outdoors -where;it will remain 4il winter and spring seasoning, i e., having the sticky sap washed and soaked out of it by melting SHOWS and spring rains. Then, when the sap is thus removed, it will be replied in the covered wood-shed where it will re- main through the summer drying, 1. e., getting the water out Of it.
 For 1t must never be forgotten by those whoswant good frewood that sap and wateT are two different proposi- [C sap out Of it; drying wood is getting the wateTP out of it. When cut green it is apt to have good deal of both. It can be dried with the sap in. in which case it will burn slowly and rather ineffectively, cllawring. rather than flaming and making what the housewife calls a dead" fire. Also, it can be seasoned but not dried, in which case it will again burn slowly as any other wet thing does, to the ex- rNF her tea-1ettIe to boil quickly.
 to begin Wlth. is first thoroughly sea- soned and then well. dried, it makes a fuel which, for handiness. managea- biIity, cIes5Iiness and comfort dis counts any coal that ever was picked out of a mine.
 It's all sawed up ncw and the split ting and piling can be done at my when other things are out of the way. it. I don't cut my wood to cord lengths in the forest because, first, it costs mare to cut it with an axe than with a buzz saw, and, second. because the axe kerf wastesaa great deal more wood in big sticks than the saw kerf does. I cut it into 'sled-Eengths,' = about. eight feet, which when of any size are as long as can be handled comfortably on a saw-frarne But of course there are some pieces that are shorter than that, and some that are longer. Consequently there is no way
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16
Houses of Driftwood.

Port Stanley the capital of islands off which England's latest naval vtc- tory was won,j is 9. small, clean town, very mulch resembling some of the
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

Now, the saving takes one short day, and the splitting and piIing about three more. Then it's done with. And, if you're Sshrewd. yourcan usually pick good weather to do 1t all in. You don't ordinarily. need to work in either sncW or mud. <.
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

5 It was as bad a day, business. wire, as I happen to remember. Yet bad as. It was, that one days poor busi- saving up my wood -pile. That is, one days work on the. road. and that an exceptionally poor d ay, more than paid for the work which. if I had tackled it alone in the. old -fashioned. way. would have taken me fully two weeks curlstances. e
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16
Mesn. this n,ax eaan1. lIl..1 a .las as

Now. this may sesr1. He q let ef rather thin -apun talkee- -taIlxee about a very small. matter. Truly itsis. a small matter. Truly 1t Is, . small one in actuality. But the inferencss which it conveys and the suggestiona It in-. wolves are not small matters. <
 There's q double implication, i44 Sha& advice of fefae apostle to the Thessa- slpniRrs. Prove all things; hold fast that which ifs goods" v = Therein is The very cssehces Of true con servatisna. which consistA In "a
 nainte-aHce of everything old which Is Eood.' ?" a .snnintennnee of 1t. not be- caliae 1t is old but because It is gone.
 Therein. also, Is Che very eaGeaoS of true radical aii6nl which coHslst& in prov-; ing all new things firgt, and 4tffen ad-. hArtrg oAIy &e such as Es1 zSsaA i,es
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16
remember thatI came from a De,

l remember tFatI came from a. ped ding trip, one day last summer quite disgruntled and a little discouraged It was .one5of those, days when every thing seemed to go wrong. First, a horse castEa shoe and had to go off my route and wait an hour at a, blacksnitf1's shop to have that reset Then, stepped onN 8 miserable little cobbie ;ins getting. off the e;wagon and turned my. ankle. sos that I. had to. hob ble on one leg till I could get to a. drug store and have an ankle supporter strapped on. Moreover, something seemed to have gone wrong with. ali nay. best customers, One was sick abed:a another had .gone,,to rtoWua9f for the day, one wanted red potatoes- which Iididnt happen to have that day and couldn't be hired to take white ones: one found fault because the Crosby corn wasn't sweet 5ehough and one. because. the Golden Bantam was so sweet as to be :e.sickishs:''' one who had ordered a dozen carly cabbages had changed her mind and wanted. in : stead, something hadn't brought her. and'sso on and so on: Oh, it was a. blue day sa.ll round, and T. came home with half my load unsofd and a
 mighty small amount of money actual ly taken in .-'-
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

There were lots of really good thinqs about the good old days which some of my gray haired contemporaries praise so highly and regret, so keenly But bUcking up wood by hand wasn't one. of them Not by long shot.
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16
.stiII hava nnv hunk ..au,AanI :.

still have my buck saw and my saw horse I use them. occasionally, to saw up old stuff which has more or less nails in IT,. and which the caraful sawyer declines to put up against; his buzzef., But; I don't want to go back to It for, aereEular winters companion. No. thank you. ..It is, handy for emer- gencies, but I prefer the newer way. That newer way. Is .ch eaper. easier, In every way more satisfactory.
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

Indeed, therein is the essence of common sense, which seldom goes to either extrenlesbut holds the middle of he road.
 It's a common fault among farmers that they are apt to be extremists. one way or the other. Some are either so mighty proFfessive that their farm income can keep up with their out go far the latest novelties and newest nostruns; or. else they arc so rooted
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

to the ignorance of the intelligent com positor It is time that the party who Is to print that book finished the job
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

Tie Jesfisr seotieRs wiI permit Of AIderntpn 1MIneRs plans being eaFrlss' 3inte effect with the aid fof the park comHntgsicnef9;-
 ,sectioa 10. Ths board of park com ruiEst tGneys sof the sotty of New; EoRdor ailaA De Increased by two Hsaalhsrs. who wS3alI be nhngea a& sthe HIaaSlng of tese ssszs q q se4ssEEEEs5g ssszE ssla
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

to tell with exactneSS how much there Is in any certain pile. We; guess at it, which prevents any disputes and makes 1t tpieasaneer all round.
 | have no saw-ria offn1y owns and so hire ono from the village. The man has 8. good little gasoline engine saws pretty nearly all the time winters for various customers. and is, therefore, expert not only with his machine but in the handling of the wood He can sense 1t 1T anything is beginning to go wrong with engine or belts or saw, and remedy the trouble before. 1t. de velopes into a disaster. Moreover, he can handle crooked sticks so as to turn them into very! creditaibly straight fire wood. What is still more import ant. he has. trained his eye so that, being tolds that you want the sticks to run about sixteen inches, long he will saw most of them that length. I have had wood sawed by inexperienced handlers SO uneVen1y that it was next to impossible to pile 1t, sticks varying from four inches to two feet long. That makes a bad job in many ways.
 It takes two men besides myself to manage the saving with such a ma chine; the sawyer to handle it on the frame, one man to take 1t from the saw and throw it out of the way, while pass L11C HulISdNEO- St1CAS. tO tI1S SEW yer. Saving by the hour. as we did, 1t took five hours to clean up tue pile. Cost for saw and helper $6. We picked a good. fair, warnaish day, one without snow on the ground or on the wood to make handling cold and nasty. The job went off smoothly and comforta- blY. It was done almost as soon as it was begun.
 But it was not always thus. Years ago there were no gasoline engines and no travelling saws going from one farm to another to cut up wood we had to saw it with the buck -saw across the old Saw-horse. And. if ever there was a dfscouraging job. for farmer man it was to start on a stwelYe-cord pile of wood with that pesl1y buck saw! RaSp, rasp: grate, grate. the saw pinching in one stick and run ming in the next; the wood generally snoW-covered and dirty, so that the knee holding the stick on the saw buck soon got wet and chilled; the saw-dust regularly. once in so often blowing up into your eyes and tenn porarily binding you; arms aching with the Sconstant push pull, of the saw; spine, crealzing with the intolera- ble bending back and forth-oh, say, it was work, and don't forget it!.
 - When a short winters day had come to end and, you looked at the huge pile still remaining, and the teenty- weentys little heap of sawed. sticks your steady labor had effected-well, it made you inclined to be impatient when your wife put a fresh stick into the stove. You wondered if, she'd use it so recklessly, if she knew how. much sweat and soreness and weartness had gons into the bucking up What with other things to do, with the short hours available for work, with the oe ca'sional necessity of filing up the esold saw, with the interruptions Of bad weather, etc, I've known it to tal;e this particular John Farmer a full month to get his. winter wood sawed and split and piled. s. .sF ~
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

because they are new but solely. when they demonstrate themselves worth while.
Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-16

to tell with exactness how much; there is in any certain pile. We guess at it, and then have it sawed by the hour, which prevents any disputes 4 and makes 1t tpieasanter all round.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
WHY NOT BUY SCHELL'S
DREDGE BOAT?
w F1Y

The Clarion understands that the Union
Irrigation Company's Marion dredge boat
has been offered for sale to the parish of St.
Landry for less than half of the initial cost,
and we think that it is the desire of the
majority of taxpayers that the police jury
purchase this boat, as then we would be in a
position to drain our thousands of acres of
low land at a cost of less than four cents per
cubic yard.
In the event that the parish should buy
this boat the taxpayers of this parish would
have a great advantage in creating drainage
districts throughout the parish; the parish
could let these drainage districts have the
services Of the parish engineer and the
dredge boat. thus eliminating a heavy ex-
pense on the taxpayers of ST. Landry.
The people in this parish are in favor of
drainage, but they will not tax themselves
for this work, unless they are assured of the
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23

said in the public prints about these modern
highways which are being inflicted on the
travelling public in the territory contiguous
to Opelousas. People no doubt are prone te
suffer or grumble in silence and let the
powers that be do as they please with the
tax-money collected. We opine, however,
that there will be considerable kicking of q
vigorous sort when the final load of so
called gravel is laid and the bill for the en-
tire road mess published for the informa-
ton of the poor taxpayers who will have
to pay the freight.
1t does seem, even to a man up a tree,
that there is no real responsible head to af-
fairs, particularly this modern road build
ing; and somehow one begins to believe that
those who are really responsible are endea-
voring to shift the burden on some goats
shoulders. The cost of our venture in mod
ern road building will no doubt foot up a
pretty penny, and the worst of the thing is
the great big pile of bond-issue money will
be almost a total loss. Does anyone think
that, in the face of this beautiful expert
ment by the parish police jury, the tax-pay-
ers will have much incentive to vote a huge
bond issue to continue the placing of those
|eight-toot streams of Rapides clay down the
center of our roads? Why, bless your soul,
Mr.. Editor, we would like to make Rapides
a free gift of our own clay; but it seems the
joke is reversed and Rapides, or some of
its stirring business men, is selling us a
part of its own supply of that material.
Finally, Mr.. Editor, it appears that this
entire road business has been sadly "balled-
up'' by somebody in authority. This par
ish is not getting one cent from the State
good road fund and every taxpayer knows
we are paying our prorata into that fund.
We expect the local authorities either could
not or would not comply with the require
ments of the State highway board and con-
sequently are rot entitled to any part Of
the State fund. Maybe our local folks
knew, or thought they knew. more about
modern graveled roads than does the State
outfit, and, thinking such, concluded to go
it alone. who has the buck?"
'FARMERS.n
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
Clay, Gravel and Good Roads.

Mr.. Editor:
We have heard considerable lately o.
the good roads propaganda and we have
hailed the information with JOY and much
acclaim. Our lot as farmers, travelling ovel
muddy and Doggy roads at all s~easonsa Of
the year, is non of the best. and when we
learned, some few months ago, that the
parish was to build some miles of modern
graveled highways we thought that al
least part of our road troubles would soon
be at an end.
Well, the 'sgraveled roads''-or most OF
them-have been built and in many places
our vehicle wheels are vainly searching
daily for a small speck of graveli in the high
cost imported clay. It seems to US that we
are worse off than we were before and we
know that the taxpayers who will have to
foot the bill for the gravel" are, or will
be, considerably worse off when the bill has
to be met. Of course some stretches of
these modern gravel highways are in
fairly good condition, but in many others,
where the clay predominates. the roads are
worse than they were before the imported,
high-cost stuff was put down.
Along with the general public, we
would like to know who is responsible for
acceptance of Rapides parish clay to be
added at a considerable cost to our already
too big supply of the same material? Any
one who travels the roads at all seasons of
the year is aware that where the natural
clay is exposed that spot gets bad first.
Then why buy imported material Of the
class? It seems there has been little
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23

manner in which the money will be spent,
into whose hands it will go and what kind Of
work can be expected. Should the parish
Of st. Landry buy the Schell dredge boat,
which is practically new and the various dis
tricts place the job in the hands Of local con-
tractors and engineers. then the taxpayers
would feel confident that they would bepay-
ing a great deal less for the work than II
they should employ foreigners to do the
work and at the same time better s~atisfac-
ton would be given all around.
The Clarion heartily approves the pro-
posal of purchasing the dredge boat for work
in this parish. This machine can be used at
any time of the year., from year in to year
out, and within a reasonable length of time,
we will be in possession of the very best
drained parish in Louisiana.
The fact also that the police jury can
secure this boat on reasonable long terms,
with very little if any money to pay down,
also makes the proposition very enticing.
The parish, therefore, would pay for this
useful machine without making it a burden
on the shoulders of the taxpayers.
During the past year able writers in
every section of the state have been singing
the dement's Of our taxation law, proclaim
ing that the people of this state are too high
Iy taxed and that taxes should be lowered.
Still, with all of that, we will never have
enough money to drain our country; we need
drainage in order to meet our annual taxes.
In fact we are paying an extremely high tax
for bad drainage, since thousands of acres
of fertile land cannot be titled because of a
bad system of drainage. By purchasing this
dredge boat the police jurors would greatly
assist the farmers in reducing their taxes,
because with this parish drained, farmers
will raise more crops, lands will go up in
value and everybody in in general will be
more prosperous than at the present time.
The Clarion certainly would advise the
police jurors to consider this proposition at
its next regular meeting and we hope that
they will arrive at the same conclusion as
the Clarion.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
COUSIN BOB, PLEASE EXPLAIN.

The Clarion has waited for the long de-
layed and as yet unfinished reasons Of the
Honorable Senator Robert F. Broussard's
treachery to the Democratic party in the
Third Congressional District fight.
1t is true that St. Landry is not in this
district, but it is in the state of Louisiana,
and as an exponent Of the Democracy St.
Landry, it is felt incumbent to ask the Hon
orable Senator, the reasons that impelled
him to drive the stilleto of the political as
sassin into the palpitating heart of the
Third District Democracy, which resulted
in a moribund aggregation of political BUSH
whackers getting in their dirty work and
%.slapping the National Administration in the
face, with the same effect, for good bien en-
tendu, that water has on a ducks back.
Perhaps Cousin Bob depends on the
know patience and long, suffering of Louis
ianians and their VIGOROUSLY short memo
ries. But take it from US, the memory of
his ingratitude, sank deep in the hearts of
all loyal Louisiana Democrats, not only in
North Louisiana, but right here in the
Sugar Bowl" where many Democrats be-
lieve, that if the sugar planters had con-
sistently lived up to the Democratic princi-
pie of tariff for revenue only, instead Of
to the idols of high protection,
WOULD not have been confronted by a
United States wide demand for free sugar.
So Cousin Bob please explain-as you prom
lsed you would right after the election.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
LONG ON ADVICE, SHORT ON CASH

Monroe News Star: Monroe has pro.
crossed far ahead Of all other towns in the
country, irrespective of location, and will
continue to go forward, in spite of the
Knockers who seldom, if ever, contribute
one cent to the development Of the city.
These Knockers are not taxpayers-that is.
they are not owners of property accumu-
lated by their own efforts, yet they discuss,
with rare %profundity, what should not be
done. They are liberal dispensers Of adj
vice, but when it comes to putting up the
real cash. they are mot there"
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
ARE YOU GUILTY?"

A Mississippi man committed suicide
this week because his wife accused him OF
not telling the truth. Lord, Lord, what
thin-skinned people there are in Mississippi!
If every mar in Louisiana whose wife had
accused him directly or by implication OF
lying to her, killed himself, there would not
be enough left to fill the offices. Lake
Charles American-Press.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
CAN WE HOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT

Madison Journsl: The first considera-
ton should be directed to a fair analysis Of
the present constitution, and those who adj
vocate a change should be forced to set
forth the defects that require amendment.
louisiana has been surfeited with efforts to
change the organic law. Before starting
into another attempt it would be wise to
consider if we can expect any improvement;
whether the men to be called on to formu-
late a new law will be better qualified or
more patriotic than those who made the
present constitution, and whether such a
convention will be free from political in
huences.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
NOT so MUCH ROOM TO KICK

While business men and farmers from
nearly every section of the United States
are bowling hard times let US reflect a
while to see whether or not the farmers OF
this parish have room to register such a cry
Of hard times, which prevails in many por-
lions of our blessed country.
According to the United States Agricul.
/ tural statistics st. Landry produced over
seven thousand more bales of cotton during
the year 1914 than in 1913, nearly doubling
the average output for the past three or
four years.
1t is true that our farmers did not re-
ceive the same price for their staple which
they did last year, but taking all in all the
cotton sold in Opelousas since the war has
averaged over seven cents per pound. Last
year very few if any farmers received four
teen cents per pound for their cotton, many
receiving under ten cents. 1t would there
fore appear that St. Landry farmers re-
ceived as much money for their cotton crop
this year as they did last year. since the pro-
duction is over one-half more than that of
1918.
The corn crop throughout St. Landry
was much more favorable in 1914 than for
many years and all those who desire to sell
their surplus prohibition of this crop can re-
ceive a handsome price for it. The largest
sweet potato crop ever raised in St. Landry
parish was produced in 1914, more than
double the output of any other year. Our
rice crop, while rather limited, brought a
fabulous price.
Hence our farmers, when it is taken in
to consideration the financial depression ex-
listing throughout the money-world, are not
as bad off as the farmers of other sections.
Why, then, yell hard times to everybody?
Why not be satisfied that we have
made a better showing than any other par
ish in Louisiana?
1t is true that if cotton would have de-
manded better prices the farmers and bust
ness men of this parish would have thou
sands of dollars more than they now have,
but why not leave well enough" alone?
We have realized practically as much off our
crop as we have during the past several
years, when we did not kick as much as we
do now about hard times.
Those farmers in st. Landry who pro-
duced all of their can goods. meat, eggs,
and butter are not worried over pres
emit conditions. They realized enough off
surplus production to defray the run
ming expenses Of the house. Why, there
fore, can not every man who styles himself
farmer in St. Landry do likewise; why
cam we raise everything we need to eat and
make surplus production pay our coffee and
,ther things which we are compelled to buy?
Everybody would be better off, the farmer
would rot owe his entire crop to the mer-
'hant and the merchants in time would not
lave to pass his profits into interest for
money he borrowed in order to carry on the
armers, who find it hard to meet their bills
t the end of the year.
The year 1914 has taught a valuable les
on to the farmers of Louisiana. We have
t last realized that it is a dangerous thing
0 depend on others for the necessities of
lfe, especially when we can be the most in
~ependent people in the world, by raising {
verything we need to live.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
Louisiana Press Opinion.

Shreveport Journal: Former Governor
Jared Y. Sanders has returned to his first
love-the newspaper game-and is editing a
weekly at Bogalusa. Jared ought to give US
something picturesque in the editorial col
umns all right.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-01-23
ONE EVIL THAT WE ESCAPE

Shreveport Journal: Louisiana ought
to be thankful for one thing, at least. It
isn't in as bad shape as its sister states Of
Arkansas and Texas, both Of which have
legislatures on their hands at the present
writing.