davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

(covercd with fat. Vent dry and hard. layer in good condition usually accu- mulates fat on abdomen, producing plump appearance.
 Others characters: Comb pale or dull red. small, shrunken and covered with fine scales or dandruff. Ear lobes and wattles pale, shrunken, hard and dry. Ear lobes eyelids and beak yellowish.
 SAVE THESE HENS
 The indications of good production are as follows:
 vigor: Indicated by full. well developed breast and body general alertness; bright full eye; well developed broad comb; short, heavy beak and work toe nails. A hen must have vigor and capacity to be A good layer. Such a hen usually has good appetite and goes off the roost early in the morning.
 Late mott and bleaehed legs: The late molter, one that does not begin to mott until after September l. is usually a good producer. During the late summer these hens are noticeable by their ragged and dirty plumage. The plumage of the good producer in the winter and spring is usually smooth and bright, giving neat trim appearance to the fowl. The legs ot theseS good layers will be neary white, with all the yellow gone. After a hen molts, she gets this yellow color - ! bleaches as the laying season advances | ,Pelvisa Points wide apart, from three | to five fingers, depending upon the breed. l Arch wide apart, from three to SIX 1in- l gers distance between pelvic points and end of keel or breast bone. Pelvic points soft and pliable. Vent soft, moist and
 pliable.
 Other characters: Comb full and red.
 Ear lobes and wattles red, of good size, soft and pliabIe Ear lobes, eyelidS and
 beak of bleached or writish appearance. !: HENS THAT HELP THE ENEMY l Every hen that does not lay except
 for little while in the spring consumes more than she produces
 Such a hen not only does noening to-
 wards winning the war, but actually aids the enemy.
 l In times of peace and plenty the sla cker hen might be tolerated but she
 must be handled ruthlessly now. 1 Go over your flock carefully and con tinuously Eliminate until you have got
 rid of all except the good egg pro- ducers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
EEP UP GOOD DOCS, GET RID OF OURS, RAISE SHEEP
Corn Oil<as a Substitute

Corn oi! is the newest product of corn and is TOW recommended as a substitute for lard and ether fats as a measure of wartime conservation.
 ''The food administration has asked that vegetable oils be used to save fats" said M. F. Landauer of the corn division, United States food administration. "I do not know of any vegetable oil that can recommend more highly than corn oil It is pressed from corn hearts and refined to an edible oil of enormously high shortening value. Comparative tests have been made of it's use in place Of butter. lard, olive oil, or shortening compounds. These tests have proved that it makes more digestible, more eco nomical and much richer foods thansany other cooking product. The analysIs from a nutritive standpoint demonstrates that it combines more nourishing quail ties than butter or any other fat.
 fCorn oil is much cheaper than lard. about one. third as cheap as good butter and about one-half the price of olive oil in normal times Because of it's richness only two thirds as much corn oil is used for shortening as would be used of but ter or lard.
 For deep frying corn oil can be used over and over again, as it does not ab- sorb the cdor of foods cooked in 1t. It may be used to fry fish and then, after straining, to fry onions, and later some sweet deicacy. For frying crullers, fish. meat, and croquettes nothing as yet has equaled corn oil.
 "A matter of significance to the house. wife is that corn oil will not smoke. with resultant bad odors,> until heated to over 65O degrees Fahrenheit while butter burns at 2s0 degrees, lard at 425 degrees and cottonseed oil at 530 degrees. When food is cooked at low temperature. lard and other fats soak into it, making U greasy and indigestible and the flavor escapes into the greases. In using corn oil at high temperature the surface juices are instantly coagulated, sealing the food so that no taste or smell escapes into the oil, thereby cooking the food In it's own juice and retaining all the flavor aroma and succulence.
 .'The low congealing point in corn OH makes it very desirable for salad dress ings and condiments. Corn oil remains fluid down to IA degrees, while other table soldify at g degrees.
 ..Corn oil is absolutely pure. 1t is ster- ilized and purified by steaming and fll- tration This steaming also destroys the ferments, which would cause rancidity' and thus insures the keeping quality.I
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
Soy Bean Bread Substitute

Bread and meat both are included in flour. This is no wild statement. for the United States government has had it's department of agriculture to test and experiment with the new product.
 The bread is made from a mixture of 30 per cent soy bean flour and 70 per cent wheat flour. The protein element in 1t is extremely high and it is really a sub
 1t is expected that it will be used as not only a partial substitute for flour, but for meat as well.
 The scy bean is not new product.
 For many centuries it has been used In China and Japan as starch food. Just recently though has it become of any
 importance in the commerce of the world. and only in the last few years has
 1t been recognized in the United States
 as having any special food value.
 Not only as flour can this product be
 used. but as bean. too, The oil ob tained when it is pressed is valuable The pressing also produces cake that human beings, as we'll as animals, can eat. The flour is made when this cake is ground up. To make it available in large quantities the department of agri- culture is encouraging the cotton seed
 manufacturers to use their plants nn the, making of it when the cotton seed season is over. The department believes that there will be enough flour to sip- ply any demand Meanwhile it is issuing ina terials to inform the people uf the food value of the soy bean flour and how to use it. Some of its uses are to make hot or quick bread and biscuits, muffins, griddle cakes, yeast bread. mush, C. O. quettes. meat loaves and omele.tcs.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

what are you going to do about win ning this war, anyway?
 Of course, you take conscientious interest in 1t, but are you working at 1t just as diligently as though it were your own personal war, and as though your own personal salvation depended upon it-which it does?
 Homefolks have got to do little bit more than strangers. You bought some of our own Liberty Bonds? Of course you did. But a blessed old pagan away over in the heart of Asia, entirely out of touch with us and owing us no duty whatever, bought $100,000 worth of those bonds by cable
 You buy War Savings Stamp now and then. Certainly But a bunch of
 poor, helpless human beings in exile who
 can never profit by the liberty that is
 to be won-to-wit, the lepers at Molokai bought 5000 worth of our War Savings Stamps.
 Now, you, to square yourself with yourself, have got to do more than a prince in Persia, or an outcast at Mo lokai. It doesn't mean a great deal to give away a little money, and to lend money to the government on the best security in the world means no sacrifice at all. It just means thrift and good sense. To do your part in your own war you have got to give up some of the trifling little things, some of your per- sonal fads and fancies that to you prob ably do mean good deal.
 YOUR DOG
 Take, for instance. tnat dog, silver co.lared, silver leashed, pampered, petted, and persiflaged with pet name. Or maybe he isn't collared or leashed or named. Maybe he is just a plain dog that runs where he pleases, even though he may not please where he runs. But one way or the other he is your dog, and undoubtedly means great deal to you. New, think it over. A dog eats as nuch as a man-more, if he gets a chance Every dog absorbs a ration that would feed a soldier. Either you feed it finds it for himself. Also, dog demands | man. A man may get along very com l fortahly and cheerfully on cabbage and corn cake, parsnips and prunes, tomatoes and tabasco, but a dog has got to have his meat. It may be beef and bacon from 1 your table, or it may be five sheep from your neighbor's pasture. If you feed him his meat, he probably consumes about what a man would require If he goes and takes it himself he destroys pretty nearly enough to feed regiment of men. | One dog in a single night has been | known to destroy $100O worth of sheep. | More sheep is one of the greatest needs toward increasing the nations meat sup ply, and there is only one sound reason why the farmers of the United States I do not raise more sheep. That one reason l is the dog. It may not always be the actual physical dog, but it is the ghost | of the dog, the fear of the thing that bides always in the heart of the farm | CT. He knows that one dog, absolute
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

The foilowlng suggestions are AioH' the office of extension work in the south, United States department of agriculture:
 Experiments conducted by the bureau of entomology for several years show quite definitely that late season applica- tions of poison in the form of calcium arsenats or other forms of lead arsenate give a pronounced degree of boil weevil control and a material increase in the yield of cotton. The poison in the form of fine powder is applied as a dust spray. Many details regarding number ans method of application. and time of day and period of growth when applications should be made, remain to be more definitely determioed by further exper- iments.
 The results of all experiments however seem to indicate that from three to five applications at the rate of about pounds per acre made at weekly periods begin ming late in July will give the best re- suits. From about p. m. until a. m. seems to be the most favorable period of the day in which to make the appii- cation. Apparently moisture is important in securing any considerable degree of mortality from the application of the poison.
 NOW IS THE TIME
 Nov is the time 10 plan for the fall garden. Plan to grow all of the vegeta- bles needed during the growing period and to have a surplus of root crops and cabbage to store for use during the win ter. If the spring and summer garden did not furnish sufficient vegetables for canning and drying to meet the needs Of the family during the winter, plan to produce them in the fall garden. As fast as the slring- planted crops mature the available space should be planted 10 other crops. In other words. keep tae garden land working all the time.
 In the cooler portions of the south 1t IS now time to plant late cabbage, late DO, tatoes, swee, corn beans, beets, carrots. cauliflower celery, kohl .rabi. and brus-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
The Bull Calf

The primary reason for castrating bull calves and making steers of them is that the quality of the flesh of steers is superior to that of bulls, and ball calves that are allowed to run too long without being castrated lose the refinement desired in feeder steers.
 A very important result of castrat-- ing, aside from the increased value Of the animal from beef standpoint IS that it removes inferior of scrub bulls from the herd.
 It is very important that bull calves be castrated before they become troublesome and before they begin to look "staggy." Calves from week to six or eight months old may be safely castrated If the calf Is too young. however the testicles are undevelored and may be difficult to secure. while if more than eight months old severe hemorrhage may terminate fatally. The usual time to castrate calves is when they are about four months old.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

By MRS. JOHN c. MOSES
 Get rid of the stacker hen. The poul- try keeper cannot afford at any time to keep hen that is a poor egg producer and that is particularly true now when feeds are unprecedentedly high in price. The summer and early fall is the best tinle to cuH the poor producers from the laying stock It is best to start as early as possible removing those hens whose appearance indicates that they have stopped laying. As a general principle it is wise to cull out about the first of August all hens over two years old, unless they are laying or are exception ally good breeders.
 Hens will usually begin to mott in Au- gust The stacker hen is an early moulter and can be readily distinguished at this time.
 The indications of high egg production are most pronounced in September, and if the flock is to be culled only at one time, September is the best month to select the good producers. The better plan, however, is to cull gradually, be- ginning somewhat earlier.
 A number of factors have to be con- sidered in distinguishing the good from the poor layer, and certain allowances have to be made for essential differences between the small the large breeds.
 GULL THESE HENS The indications of poor production are as follows:
 Lack of vigor: Indicated by lstless actions, dull, sunken eye, small shrunken pale comb and long toe nails. The pooi producer is usually one of the last hens to leave the roost in the morning, ane also goes to roost early in the evening Early mott and yellow legs: Hens which mott before September 1, espe cially those molting in July and early in August, are usually poor producers These hens will usually have yellow legs during August and September, as tho yellow colors returns to the iegts after fnolting. The time of melting and the color of the legs are very important characters in selecting hens by their ap pearance
 Pelvis Points close together, only ons | to two fingers apart, depending upor the breed. The space between the pelvic points varies according to whether ol not the hen is laying. Arch from pelvic points to the end of keel or breast bone | only two to four fingers wide. |felvit points either small and hard or coarse
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
Give City Worker Chance

The federal farm help specialists for the southern states, who held "council of war recently at Birmingham, have re- sumed in their respective states theii work of helping to assure sufficient labor for the harvesting of the south's biz crops of cotton and corn and other food stuffs.
 To do this they are going to use dozens of methods that already have worked we'll this year, and they are going to try some new ones of promise.
 They will try to convince every farm CT that this is the best time for his best licks in doing his own work or in snow ing others how; that he should not only be ready to accept help from his neigh bor but strive to help his neighbor; tna he should be ready to go into intelll- gent cooperative schemes of buying ma : chnery or bringing in labor that ne should try to make farm life attractive to his workers, so that they will stay or come back; that any tender handed city people will go to the country to nelp harvest should be given fair chance at least to show what they can do, ana if they make good they should pc pau the wages of regular farm hands, ana should be encouraged to keep up the good work.
 The 1arm laDOr men are ioohliiS No s towns and cities for the reinforcements that will win on this part of the nattie line. They will not only send out oc- easional volunteers, but they will get stores some mines and factories to close at critical times so that their men, many Of them experienced in farming, can go back to the soil One noticeable thlnS about the labor shortage IS that It 's showing the rest of the country just now important the farms are-that 1T 1000 production fails we all fail-and now the city and eountry must help each other out
 The first thing for the farmer With harvest labor problem to do is to ma out if he can handle it himself or with the help of his neighbors If he must have outside help he should get in touch with his county agent state farm help specialists, chamber of commerce or otn, or civil organization. State agricultural college, extension director, the nearest office of the United States employment service. or the United States department of agriculture.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
Warehouses for Cotton

T
 That licensed warehouses for cotton
 are attracting increased attention is in-
 dicated by more than 300 inquiries re-
 gently received by the bureau of mar
 kets. To secure licenses, warehouses
 must comply with certain requirements as to construction and operation which are intended to put the business of
 warehousing on firm basis. Uniform receipts are feature of the licensing and these enlarge the field for discoun&- ing cotton, paper. Another feature is the reduction of insurance rates which may result under federal license. Rates now vary from 25 cents to $2.50 on, $100 worth of cotton in storage. Reasonable storage rates. made possible through economies on insurance and manage ment would, it is said, encourage grow CTS to store cotton and so decrease the amount of Country damage" caused by keeping cotton on the farm without adeQuate protection.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
New Cotton Seed Crop

The cotton seed division of the United States food administration at Wash ington has sent these instructions to all state food administrators in the cotton belt states by wire:
 "Grant necessary permits movement new crop seed prior to August l. No sue gestions or restrictions at present as to prices mills may pay for new crop seed. However, keep us closely informed, as to price they actually pay for seed and instruct them they must sell products at not exceeding $13 per ton oyer and above cost of seed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
Soldiers and Food
Torman Hapgood, in Leslie's.. !.

Norman Hapgood, in Leslie's..
 Our own efforts to care for our sol-
 diers after the war can best be fui-
 filled if we keep up with what others
 are doing. The British empire as a
 whole is taking long steps toward pro
 viding for the soldiers after the war in a way to increase the supply of food. In England. Wales and Scotland some
 land has already been bought for the purpose, by the board of agriculture and fisheries. Canada has set aside
 land and arranged to lend 5000 to each applicant. as per cent first mort gage. running Is years. Applicants much have had previous farm experi- ence, though intending farmers can go
 to demonstration farms and be paid
 current wages while they obtain the required experience In New Zealand
 the rules are much like those in Cam ada. Australia has set aside $100. 1000, 900 for similar work. and others besides soldiers may apply. The capital of the government will be used in all enter lprisine countries after the war to set- |tle men on the land. It is the way not only to mitigate the threatened unem-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

the threatened food shortage. That food shortage will be met successfully, ployment situation but also to meet if we are wise. Our consul at Trinidad, British West Indies, points out that in a boys reformatory 50 per cent of the Cost of feeding has been saved by using only locally grown food. Another inter- esting step in this direction is being taken in Canada, with great possibflf- ties in the future. Land is secured near Ia town or village. the cultivation is supervised by an expert farmer, and under him the work is done by men from the town factories and industries. Sometimes this work is cooperative. In any case it is an answer to the sea- sonal aspect of unemployment. In this connection we may recall the state- ment by Victor Boret, the French food minister
 ''The allies should be grateful to two men after victory has been obtained. First, to the general who leads the soldiers to win the decisive battle, and second, to Herbert Hoover. who ren- dercd it possible for t. soldiers to eat so that they might fight"
 And Mir. Hoover is one of those who realize that the food problem of he war should not be separated from the food question after the war.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

which hay will probably be saved is sub mitted, showing total of 1,660000 for all hay to be saved in the state, which includes peanut vines, cowpea vines, all grasses, clovers and grains and also some 35,000 acres of wild grass made into hay. This aggregate compares with 1,4S3. GOO last year, and is 1O7,O0O acres in excess of the preliminary estimate made on the 1st of May for this year. The increase
 is due to the addition acreage planted to peanuts and cowpeas, as well as the gradual increase in clovers and the ad ditional cuttings of Johnson grass areas. The condition of hay is expressed in about equal terms with last year, and
 the yield in prospect should give Ala
 bama a comparatively enormous out
 turn of hay, for which efforts should begin looking toward profitable disposi- tion.
 The hay acreage for the United States is slightly less than last year, and the condition of the crop is 2.3 per cent un- der the former crop.
 Pastures still are good, but not quite so luxuriant as last year at this time
 Field peas, meaning cowpeas in Ala
 bama, are up to the average condition
 but not so good as last year, the present figure being 25 against S9 last August
 Field beans velvet. are slightly above the average, but per cent below last year in Alabama, a condition of S3 be-
 ing shown as compared with go last year SORGHUM CONDITION LOWER Sorghum for syrup shows condition of S2 in Alabama, comparing with 4 last year and an average of 80, due to dry weather Sugar cane in south Ala bama is noticeably under the average, seed cane having been damaged and re- sulting in universally bad stands while the. plant is quite small. < The prospect is for much less than the large produc- ton of syrup of last year.
 Apples and peaches in Alabama both ! show a splendid condition, the former be- l ing 15 and the latter 30 per cent above last year. The peach crop has been harvested and proved to be very heavy l and of fine quality. In the United States at large both these crops are far short l of normal. Peanuts. notwithstanding rather ba stands and dry weather, still present a high condition, due to good preparation of soil, fine cultivation, and extra fer 1 tilization. The condition in Alabama is | 90, compared with theS same figure last year, while the condition for the whole peanut area is S1, compared with S5.5 last year.
 l Altogether, in spite of insufficient rain-
 fall the prospects of production in Ala | bama this year are excellent, there be- | ing no indication of any serious short age in any crop. The drouth was broken 1 in time to prevent this, and the rains have contributed to the probable pro duction of harvest which will tax the
 labor supply this fall.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
Light Peach Crop


 The 1918 peach crop will be about two-thirds of that of 1917, according to special peach forecast for tho United States recently made by the bu- reau of crop estimates of the United States department of agriculture. It Is estimated that the 1918 peach crop for the United States will be 20,754,0o0 bushels, as compared with the yield of 1917 of 29,042,000 bushels In some peach-growing sections an increased production this year over 1917 Is re- ported. The crop in Georgia is esti- mated to be the heaviest ever produced in that state. Up to and including July 6, over $500 cars had been shipped from the state and 1t is estimated that the total will reach S4so cars. The crop in Texas is estimated at about 1900 cars. as compared with So0 last year Beginning in New England and continuing southwest as far as Ms souri and Arkansas an unsuually light peach crop is reported.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

The smoke screen has been found very effective in aiding captains Of vessels to evade the torpedoes of ene- -.v submartnea
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

Girl workers in German factories are getting $1.20 in cash out of their wages weekly and are compelled to use the rest to buy war bonds.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15

Approximately 30.000 women have been placed in positions through the federal employment service eineo 1ee- ruary l.