Evening star., 1916-12-03

the interest on the investment, the
salable value Of the timber proaoces:
which will follow the disappearance OF
the timber must all be taken into ac-
count.
Obviously. the higher the price OF
land rises the more ;S inesnslss Hvsste % in tbs rs
utilization Of 1t. 1t is signincant. now
ever, that the Investigations OF the
Department of Agriculture nave SHOWN
that. irrespective of the price, tenants
put greater part OF their iAno 70 pro-
ductive use than owners.
The departments oflcials, VINO have
Just recently completed an exhaustive
investigation on the subject. calculate
that farm Of 100 acres selling at
500 an acre will cost the purchaser
actually $111.11 an acre II 80 per cent
Of it is productive and 5000 an acre IL
only so per cent of it is: AS a matter
Of fact the study and II Farms ees
of the Mississippi is only 5S.5 and west
of that river only sos. Improved land,
however, it should be remembered, Is
not always the same as proouctiye
is not improved. but 1t may be highly
productive, and farm buildings and
fences stand on land that Is improved
but produces nothing. In the hnal an
alysis, 1t Is the amount OF productive
land that determines the earning ca
pacity Of farm, and that should there
fore determine its price.
X
The weather bureau has been increas-
ing the amount Of Information pertain
ing to snow condi-
Weather Bureau tions in the far
western states re-
snow Reports. Gently by securing
greater number of reports from the
higher mountain districts. These addi-
tional reports. it is hoped. will furnish
an index to the character and amount
of the snow in the regions where it
remains unmelted until late In the sea-
son, and enable estimates to be made
Of the probable waterflow in the
streams used for irrigation and power
purposes.
Through the cooperation of the bu-
reau Of lighthouses, Department Of
Commerce. there has been introduced
an entirely new class Of weather sta
tions aboard 1ightships equipped with
wireless apparatus. These stations are
to report twice day to the weather
bureau upon weather conditions via
wireless. Each is to be equipped for
measuring pressure, temperature and
wind velocity.
Officials of the bureau feel that it is
highly desirable that reports received
from the Pacific ocean should be chart
ed in the same manner as those of the
Atlantic. Owing to the growth of ship
ping on the Pacific in recent years 1t
has been possible for the bureau large
ly to increase the number Of vessel re-
ports from that ocean, that the
preparation of synoptic chart is now
believed to be warranted. Plans to ac-
complish this are now being formulated
by experts of the bureau.
W CT NJ tn fIa c;f fr
ocean has a two-fold purpose. Not only
is 1t designed to throw light on coming
weather in the United States-weather
changes. as is we'll known, moving
with concerted and widespread move
ment in all branches of science to in
augurate special study of the Pacific
with the object of adding to the worlds
general knowledge Of this vast area.
X i:
Country roads paved with vitrified
brick are becoming quite common in
many of our states and they
Brick are holding up well. accord
NJ, ing to experts of the Office
ASoo'' of public roads and rural en-
gineering. who have recently completed
a special study along these lines.
our present-day brick, was among the
earliest materials used for paving
streets and roads. The first brick pave
ment constructed in this country, how
ever. dates back no further than 1872
and to Charleston, W. Va. belongs the
distinction of having been the first
American city to employ brick for paw
ing.
Officials making study of brick paw
ing for roads say that for number Of
years after being introduced into this
country the use OF paving brick was
principally confined to city streets. and
owing to the frequent inferiority in the
quality Of the brick and lack Of care in
construction. very few of the early
pavements proved satisfactory Even
now, they say. after an experience OF
forty years has demonstrated that it is
entirely practicable to construct satisfac-
tory brick pavements when proper care is
exercised and that much waste results
from the use of poor materials or faulty
construction. instances can be found
whore compa ratively new brick pave
ments have wholly or partially failed from
canses which might have been prevented.
The principal advantages which brick
roads possess. the experts say, are:
First. they are durable under prac-
tically all traffic conditions: second.
they anord easy traction and mod
erate1y good foothold for horses, and.
third. are easily maintained and kept
clean.
On the other hand. their principal dis
advantage is the high first cost. The
defects. which frequently result from
lack of uniformity in the quality Of the
brick or from poor construction. are
usually to be traced indirectly to an
effort to reduce the first cost or - a
popular feeling that local materials
should be used. even when of inferior
quality.
The geological survey now has
corps of trained biologists working
throughout this country
Oil and Gas to obtain information
n.n.,;+, that will assist in de-
Deposlts. welcoming our oil and ras
resources. but its work, unlike that
of the geologtsts in the employ of oil
and gas companies, is done for the
benefit OF the country as a whole, and
the landowner as well as the oil man
can make use of the information it OBJ
tains.
1t is now generally conceded that the
work Of locating places where oil and
gas are likely to be found by drilling
is task for painstaking and scientific
geology. Although geoiogists do not
brag that they can positively deter
mine whether oil and gas can be found
in any special region. they can locate
the geologic structures-the rock