davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-05-19

F A r M A N D
O r G. H A r d


able one This may be rather force
full way OF putting il. but IL is never
theless true, and we believe il would
be greatly 10 the advantage OF farmers
il they would view this subject from
our standpoint, and remedy the evil,
for evil il is.
This can be done by growing quick
cash crops, both tree and small fruits
are annual crops. that are more or
less permanent, and few crops can be
grown on the same land with them,
although apple orchards can be crop
ped with hoed crops until trees can
eight years old Peaches can be crop
ped for two years after planting, pears
and plums for four years. Small fruits,
such as raspberries. strawberries and
blackberries, require all of the land
upon which they are grown, and will
not admit of inter-cropping. Currants
and gooseberries can be grown i'm APP
pie orchards. greatly TO the benefit Of
the currants and gooseberries and not
detrimental TO the apple orchard. /
know of one such arrangement which
the past season produced $500 worth
of currants on two and one-quarter
acres, averaging at the same time very
nearly ten barrels of first class apples
per tree.
In urging farmers to plant more
quick cash crops, ] would not want
them TO grow less apples, peaches,
pears and plums, or less wheat, corn,
oats or hay, but do mean that i'm adj
dition TO these staple crops they
should grow more potatoes. beets,
cabbage, celery, beans, cucumbers and
tomatoes, such crops which mature
in 60 To 90 days from planting.
Under proper conditions there is
always a good market for any of
these crops il they are properly grown
and marketed Such crops will turn
an investment quickly and therefore
form one OF the chief planks in the
new agricultural platforms.
In places where intercropping has
been practiced for considerable time
and where two or three crops have
been grown on the same land in "A
Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-05-19
Good Roads Department
Conducted Especially for the Banner by Hon.
T. Colgrovc President of the Michigan
Good Roads Association.

which estimates they shall add 10 per
cent 10 cover the contingent expenses.
G. Commissioners shall then make
their first or preliminary order that
the work be done. attaching a copy OF
the specifications 10 such order. These
specifications shall not be final but
may be changed by the commissioners
signed, but not after the hearing OF
objections hereinafter provided for
without further notice.
z. Commissioners shall give notice
of public hearing by advertisement
and by posting, at this hearing all
persons are required To present their
objections, ii any, To the Improvement
At this hearing the commissioners
may make any changes in the specih-
cations deemed advisable, provided
such changes do not increase the es-
Inmates. If they do increase the es-
Inmates, then a new hearing shall be
had.
s. After hearing objections, if the
commissioners still deem the proposed
Improvement necessary, for the bene-
fit of the public. they shall make their
final order i'm writing under their
hands determining that the proposed
Improvement shall be made according
10 the final specifications adopted by
them, and copy Of which speciflca-
tons shall be attached to said order
(To be Continued
Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-05-19
NEW HIGHWAY LAW

am asked to give a synopsis OF
what Is known as the Covert Bill. SEN
ate Bill No. $50. which passed both
branches Of the Legislature and will
become the law of the state within the
constitutional period.
/. The title of the act is bin to
provide for the construction and inn
provement OF highways TO issue bonds
for the building thereof and the as
sessment and collection OF taxes there
for.
2. This act is intended TO provide
an additional method for improving
the public highways. The act contem-
plates that the money necessary to
build and complete the road petitioned
Tor (not less than two miles in lengthy
snail be paid according to benefits re-
ceived, on the same plan and along
the same lines that sewer or pave
ment in city is paid for. The law
follows the drain law to a great ex-
tent. II creates an assessing district
and provides that each land owner
within the assessing district shall paw
his portion according To benefits re-
eeiVed. To illustrate: A man might
own piece of land a mile from n
main drain. by running a lateral from
his farm, however. into the main drain
ne might he able TO drain his entire
farm and should therefore pay accord
ing 20 benefits.
To make more practical illustra-
uon. Here is "A road ten miles i'm length
running from near the center of the
county TO the county seat; farmer
living eight miles out by travelling
two miles would be able TO make use
OF the Good Road into the county seat
six miles. He should pay therefore
according to the benefits he receives:
instead of travelling eight miles
through the mud he would have but
two miles Of bad road and six miles
or improved highways. Perhaps the
foregoing Illustrations will make clear
the general plan, as To assessment ac-
cording to benefits received
The cost Of building and maintain
ing roads under this act falls not less
than one-half upon the people within
the assessing district, and the remain
der upon the townships and county. To
give the reader the required informa-
ton to understand the law, il is nee
essary to say that the bill as origina-
ally drafted was intended to apply to
counties working under the County
system and therefore all petitions dir
ected To the County Commissioners
The act, however, as finally passed
provides that any county not under
the County Road System. must direct
all petitions to the State Highway
Commissioners. Indeed the State High
way Commissioner has Jurisdiction
of the whole subject matter in coun-
ties that are not under the County
system, the proceedings. however, are
the same
The law as. amended provides that
no tax shall be spread on the county
at large and only ON township or
townships benefited by the improve
ment in counties not under the County
System
J. Petitions To he presented signed
by freehoiders constituting a majority
OF the frontage of the highway propos-
ed to be improved
I. In case proceedings are dismiss
ed FOR any cause, petitioners will be
liable for costs incurred
.. Commissioners examine the
road, and if in their opinion il ought
TO be improved cause a survey and
specifications to be made, and es-
Inmates of costs 10 he filed by them. to
Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-05-19
DfSINFECTING HOUSE AND
YARDS
a snbscriber Mrites !:


What is the best way 10 disinfect
n hen house and small yard %
The best way To disinfect a hen
house is with a good coat of white
wash. in which is added a spoonful of
crude carbolic acid, diluted i'm about
a pint of water, to each pailful of
wash. For inside use, il may be made
by shaking in boiling water. then thin
to the proper consistency for use i'm
the spray pump or with a brush.
The best way to disinfect a yard is
to grow "A crop on it--oats. rye. or even
weeds If this is not practical. scat
ter lime that has been thoroughly air
slaked over the yard. and spade il up
well. A load or two of coarse gravel
in a small yard is greatly appreciated
by the chickens.
Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-05-19
Terrible Group Attack
Quickly Repulsed
By Old Reliable Remedy
Well known Georgia store keeper has mas
tered Group and colds for his family of ten with
Folsy's Honey and Tar Compound.

The minute that hoarse terrifying
croupy cough is heard in the home or
II. j. Barber, OF Jefferson, Ga, out
comes Foleys Honey and Tar Com
pound-there's always a bottle ready.
Here's what he says: 1.-TWO of my
children, one boy and a girl, aged
eight and six years respectively, had
terrible attacks of Group last winter
and / completely cured them with
Foleys Honey and Tar Compound
have ten In family and for years I've
used Foley's Honey and Tar Compound
and il never fails"
Danish worry and save doctor bills
keep Foleys Honey and Tar Com
pound always on hand, in your home.
One bottle lasts a long time--it's reliable and
gafc-and the last dose is as good
as the first. Get the genuine.
Mortley ~ French
Conncll's Drug Store
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05
F~orty.eight Carloads Of
Explosives Shipped
Daily---U, S. Building
Its ReserveW Wi Much
of 1t

when sealed In silk or hunting nars
for the big guns. The corditc has lie
appearance of an elastic Opaque SUBJ
stance. and the smaller kinds arc not
unlike thin rubber bands in cross Sec
ton. The diameter OF tho Cord.'e m
a in size as the cal IRE of %
gun grows or which it is made. T. =
not commonly known, but Il Is a feet,
that smokeless powder Is somewhat
sluggish in taking fire. Thcref 20" :
small charge of back powder. N...l
flashes very quickly, is VOL hsA
uniformly used to send It's 'lams
thn. ugh the smokelcss powder - =
to cause its general guliior. y $
the smoke from this black poWdor ''t:
Is most conspicuous when SMOKE 50
powder Is fired. hut because q 10
small quantity OF the former used 10
telltale cloud Is quickly 5'spci co.,
Cordite, lik. own s'uo,' 80
powder, has TO go through a d'Nrg
process after the rods or C1rl' 0'Ns
been formed. but this STAGE =
making calls for less time thar does
our accepted propellan:. Acc1~a.r-''
under stress of war cord.'e can q
turned out more quickly and 81" "a
safe for service in the guns,
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05
German disappearing gun.

nigh impregnable-a veritable second
Gibraltar.
Heligoland is the strategic key TO
two great waterways-the Elbe and
the Weser. and, to a lesser degree, to
the r gion If the Ems. Germany's
foes know that Heligohtnd cannot be
carried by a cup de main. and II Is
equally certain that the island would
prove a very awkward antagonist to
any craft venturing within the zones
Of fire Of its great howitzers and long
range rifles True. IL lies off shore
about forty miles, put because OF the
shallowness of the waters reaching
seward from the coast it is, in a mill
tary sense. only about fifteen miles
in front OF the open sta zone off the
German coas.. Therefore its power
full ordnance would be able to cut ef-
fectively into the field of operations
of a hostile feet passing between He'll
goland and the mainland. Equally
important would be the islands part
as a support for the German feet fall
ing hack before the attack of a SUI
perior force afloat.
The Germans have done what the
British never thought of doing. they
have sought to protect the rocky
foundation OF the cliffs from the ero-
sive action OF the battering seas.
While IL has In n measure a part way
natural bulwark against this attack
in the form OF outlying reefs that sap
the pillows of the worst of their vio-
lence, still cement and other corrective
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05
Than $50, 900, 600 Spent on Key
to Fatherland's Commercial Cities
and Chief Waterways

Of an artificial harbor. and since. ,b.,
thousands of vessels OF trade az
fishermen have run in there undor
stress OF weather. resulting in a prs.,
saving Of life and property.
H~eligoland Is bound hereafter IN l..
a veritable bone of contention. Enc
land a III afford to have that island
dominating the paths OF some Of bsr
shipping. In fact, the bone is No,
a big one. but its size Is Of triain.
consequence. The rocky h.rhla,A
that caps the island has n modes,
area of but ia acres. Tie soil 10
good only for the raising Of pota,oa,
and for the grazing Of goats and
sheep. The east coast drops nrs.
cipitously and forms a barren wall
while the west shore is irregular a
contour and is indented with deem
assures and small BAYS. Toward tba
southeast lies the we'll protected lov.
land. which is but a few yards aboy.
the sea level.
The shape OF the island has haer
likened to that of n mutton chon
It's maximum .ength is something
short OF n mile. while It's grca,e.t
width is less than loo feet. nlcligo.
land has been for a great MANY
years a favorite summer resort. and
thousands have fiocked there annually
in the past because of the sea AIR
and the islands excellent beaches
These visitors. however, do not STAY
on the overland or plateau. hu' are
accommodated at hotels and the like
lnnataA In thn tuyn 1ittIa .,a..
the lowland. In time Of hostlliticy ths
top of the steps-the only climb hy
which the crest OF the island can 70
reached-is blocked by a massive cat.
and commanded by rapid fire guns
As the world well knows, Heliro.
land in the last year has been N,
haven for a good many of the Ger.
man U-boats that have worked havoc
among British and neutral shipping.
and. while its great gum have not yet
scored In any action. still their la,en,
power a commanded tho respect ~
their foes. The British feet in tina
home waters has been belligeren,'y
inactive largely because. 50 We al.
told. for lack Of a target worthy II,
metal. Heligpland has moi moved, and
yet tHc EnkilSU SiudII pllN NAYS
deemed II wisest TO give the Island
a wide berth. They want 10 preserve
their full strength for a day Of reck.
oning with the Eaiser's battle craft;
they don't care to risk damage and
perhaps serious loss by tackling He'll
goland In the meantime. This fact
alone gives us a good idea Of what
England has lost and Germany gained
by the transfer a quarter Of y century
ago. No wonder the Fatherland re-
joices. The silver Jubilee might we'll
have been made a golden one, So FAR
as the advantages are concerned hat
have followed upon the accession 0.
that sea flung rock.
Poets are sometimes prophets. Il
was while Heligoland was still Brit
ish soil that August Heinrich EIoT-
mann Won Fallersleben. soiourning
upon the island in 1S41, wrote hs
famous n deutschland. Deutsch-
land Ceber Allies" Possibly rs
dreamed then of days that have fol-
lowed.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05

n good idea may he formed Of the mag
nitude ami the productive character Of
the Du Pont company's plant at Hope
well.
Every day the factory sends away
three trains of sixteen cars each loaded
with smokeless powder. but all of the
product IL not going abroad, The
United States Government is quietly
appropriating quite one-half of the
present output. and thus building up
our WI reserve against n possible
hour Of need. This is not commonly
known, but II gives Hopewell an added
domestic importance.
The smokeless powder used in the
guns of our army n navy Is unlike
the cordite which is Employed in some
-, services abroad, and much of the pro-
pellant which is now being made on
the James River is of the latter a
riety. Both OF them, however, use
cotton for n base. Cordite is composed
of g%uncotton, nitroglycerine n "A
small percentage of vaseline. our
smokeless powder is %Euncotton, treated
by a solvent consisting OF a mixture
of ether and alcohol. Pound for pound
II Ia hii 'lh'N Ni'lo 6iNfNNi
propulsive energy than our nitro
cellulose powder, hut, on the other
hand, the United States authorities
have persistently refused to adopt
cordite because OF certain qualities
! which they deem undesirable.
In 1915 Christian Friedrich Schoen-
bein, a professor OF chemistry at
Basel, discovered the explosive char
acter Of cotton that had been acted
upon by nitric acid. That was the
birth of what has since been com
monty called guncotton. The nitric
acid transforms the cellular flaments
J of the cotton and by charging them
with concentrated oxygen makes them
burn fiercely and smokelessly when
ignited. GunCotton also goes off yio-
lently when struck a sufficiently heavy
blow. This method OF eN~citation IL
called defamation in contradlstlnction
to the slower process of ignition and
more gradual general inflammation.
The modern maker of smokclcss
powder. then. starts with cotton in
some form, In the beginning raw cot
un n deemed essential, but research
prompted by economy has since found
out that the tangled waste from cot
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05

ton textile mills will answer quite as
well.
This refuse from the spindles is
cheaper than raw cotton, and the
powder makers first c Is 20
cleanse IL after he has "teased" or torn
il into shreds by a mechanical render.
4 soda bath followed by another OF
pure water sufflces to remove all dirt
and grease. Next the shredded cot
ton is dried by being placed in rooms
heated by steam coils to boiling tenn
p~erature. The human body. strange to
say. can survive this heat, but II
makes one gasp and every pore run
freely. In the drying house the cotton
is packed in alright cans and thence
taken "a the nitrating house, where
the innocent Cellulose or cotton is
changed into a high explosive. After
being sufficiently nitrated-this is
commonly indicated by the stun
giving OFF a sluggish. dense yellow
smoke-the acid soaked cotton is
partly drained by n mechanical
wringer OF the steam laundry type
and then thrown into zinc lined bins.
where II Is Crowned" or drenched
with a stream e water.
Having worked his wicked will. so
t. speak, upo the harmless cotton,
the chemist now tries to remove every
trace OF free acid. and he begins by
stewing the %guncotton in big watts for
many hours. This does not eliminate
the acid completely. The nitrocellu-
lcse, for so II now IL technically,
passes next to the pulping mill. which
49, L. .l,AAlt,A.a- AA --,,lN
ment found in that part Of a paper
mill. Here the guncotton Is not only
freed of the last remnant OF acid but
it is pulverized and broken up so that
the tiny tubes OF the cellulose fila
ments are substantially destroyed.
This is necessary in order TO make
the wee particles formless and the
reader to dissolve and acquire a solid
gelatinous character. 1t Is largely
upon this nature of ~nitrocellulose that
its proper burning progressively sub
sequently depends. Up to his point
the making OF either cordite or the
United States Government smokeless
powder Is fundamentally alike.
The Government takes the nitro
~cellulose and treats 1t with an ether
hlN'll'i S'AN'hN ullb mus HlNtS ~ us
plastic form. which. under pressure,
Is moulded by means Of dies into per-
forated rods that are cut into suitable
lengths or grains prior to drying.
These various operations have been
described many times before.
Cordite is manufactured somewhat
differently. The pulped nitrocellu,ose
Is freed OF its water by suitable means.
When dry enough a given proportion
Of nitroglycerine is poured over this
guncotton and the two are kneaded
together, with the addition OF a%cetone.
which converts 1t into cordite paste,
Acetone is a Colorless liquid prepared
from acetate " lime, Next vaseline is
added and the whole thoroughly
worked. after which the dough. so to
speak, IL put into a press from which
the Cord,te-called Cordite because OF
it's Cordlike form-issues In a rod OF
yellow white color and is cut up into
the desired lengths.
For the British service cordite Is
finished in fairly long sticks and is
packed in the cartridge case like
macaroni. or is made UP in fagot form
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05
German Gibraltar, Within the Genera
ton. Was Safely in England's Pos
session, but Was Traded

way. as pioneers. for the rest Of Ger
many's maritime commerce. As far
back AS the fifteenth century many
hundreds OF German craft traversed
the seven seas. They were welcomed
everywhere. in fact preferred. and
rarely had to go begging for a re-
turn cargo. So long as these peaceful
conditions prevailed the Germans gave
no thought to providing armed pro-
lection for their merchantmen: they
saw no need Of n navy. But there
came a day OF rude awakening after
centuries OF undisturbed friendly in
tercourse with distant lands.
In 1S4s the Danish fleet blockaded
the German coast. made prizes of it's
ships OF trade and crippled Teuton
commerce ~grievously. Then II was
the veil dropped from before the eyes
Of the Germans. They realized the
need OF an armed feet and loud was
the cry for a navy. Then for the
first time the red, gold and black en-
sign waved aioat. Early in June.
lS49, three German fighting craft. the
Barbarossa. Lubbock and Hamburg,
offered battle to the Danish blockad-
ing vessels then lying off Heligoland.
No sooner had the first shots fired
at the Nalkyrien broken the silence
than the boom of a gun from lleligo-
land was heard warning the Germans
that England considered the n~eighbor-
ing waters hers. \ few days later
Lord Palmerston declared that II any
more craft were seer in the open sea
flying a red, gold and black flag they
would be taken by the English m"n-
o'-war and treated as pirates. The
Germans had then TO submit To that
indignity. but. nevertheless. they were
bent upon making themselves strong
enough TO cop In the future with any
possible enemy. Prussia determined
TO make herself a sea power. and
within her own boundaries she dis
covered in Prince Adalbert a man nj
to lead in such n task.
Once more Heligoland doomed UNI
happily In the background when the
tide Of battle turned against the Ger
mans; the British flag offered the
Prussians no protection. on MAY ..
1864. the Rssilisk. Blitz and Adler
engaged n Danish squadron off He'll
coland. The German ships were
strengthened by tho Austrian frigates
Schwarzenberg and RadetZky. The
Danish force consisted of the frigates
Niels Juel and Upland. together with
the corvette He.mdal, a total OF 104
guns against the % cannon OF the
allied craft. Weight Of metal won the
day. and the Austrians and Prussians
were forced to retire. The Germans
realized then the part that Heligoland
might play as a base of operations or
as a haven should proper guns he
mounted high upon the towering
cliffs. but they wisely r~efrained from
noising abroad the strategic value of
that rocky island.
But domestic events brought this
aspect Of Heligoland to the fore after
Kaiser Wilhelm II. had begun the
digging Of his famous canal designed
to unite the Baltic and North Sea
via the Elbe. What would be gained
by this shorter and safer water route
II the converging paths Of German
oversee trade could be dominated by