The Benson signal., 1918-04-06

washington. - The federal farm
loan board has issued the following
rules for the guidance of the land
banks in determining what area con-
stitutes a farm for loaning purposes:
'First, Generally-The farm must be
of sufficient area to yield at the hands
of an ordinarily capable farmer, put
ting it to the use to which it is gen.
orally adapted and using average meth
OdS, an income sufficient to maintain
the family Of the applicant and dis
charge the interest and amortization
payments.
Second, Specially.-Where through
intensive farming or the practice Of a
speciality a sufficient income has been
regularly derived from tract de-
ficient in area for ordinary farming,
or where the application of the pros
pective borrower shows that he is by
experience capable of producing such
an income from such tract, such area
may be accepted as sufficient, provid-
ed the land has stable and perma-
nent market value sufficient to warrant
not apply to fruit and orchard lands
which have already been the subjects
of definite rulings by this board"
Under the first paragraph of this rul-
ing loans may be made to the ordinary
farmer on the basis of average skill
and efficiency, and no tract Of land
will be accepted as a farm eligible for
loan under the federal farm loan act
unless it is large enough to support
the family and take care Of the loan
under the average farm conditions Of
the neighborhood.
But under the second paragraph Of
the ruling the intensive farmer or the
man who practices profitable special
ty. or who shows himself able to do
so, will be given financial support by
the federal loan system, even though
his farm may be too small for ordinary
farming purposes, provided that the
land quite apart from its use has a
stable and permanent land value which
will make the loan safe whether it is
we'll operated, or badly operated, or
not operated at all.
Qualified men registered under the
selective service law may be inducted
into service to fill the call for 10000
skilled mechanics needed by the avia-
tion section of the signal corps, by
applying to their local boards. Men
not registered may enlist at recruit
ing stations.
The present call is particularly for
machinists, auto mechanics, engine re-
pairmen, gunsmiths, chauffeurs, car
penters, blacksmiths, tinsmithts, sheet
metal workers, propeller makers,
wireless operators and constructors,
tailors, tent-makers, sail-makers, truck
masters, vulcanizers, welders, and ex-
perts on magnetos, ignition systems,
cameras, watches, and clocks.
Men will be sent to San Antonio,
Tex, for segregation by trades, fol-
lowed by brief course of instruction
at flying fields or factories, then Or
ganized into squadrons mostly for
service overseas Additional infOrma-
ton may be secured by application to
the air division, personnel department,
Washington, D. G.
The present war has brought forth
new kind of ammunition for airplane
use in the form of special cartridges
containing bullets for arnor-piercing,
tracing, and incendiary purposes. All
of these cartridges are Of the small
rifle calibers, according to a statement
authorized by the war department.
The three-tenths of an inch diameter
and short length of the bullet left lit
tie space for the armor-piercing ele--
ment or for tracer and incendiary COM
position, but such combinations have
been made.
The bullets developed by the United
States ordnance department have been
tested on land and from airplanes to
see if there is any difference in their
performance when fired from a quick
ly moving airplane in the upper atmos-
phere and when fired on land. These
tests indicate that the United States
has developed class of special
cartridges with a performance fully
equal to or surprising that attained
abroad.
More than 1000 tons of anthracite
coal were condemned in Pennsylvania
markets by representatives of the fuel
administration recently in the cam
paign to compel the delivery of clean
coal.
Following the plan adopted for Cal
ifornia and Colorado, the food admin
istration has appointed a commission
to determine the cost of producing
sugar beets in Nebraska. The COM
mission has no power to fix prices,
but it is expected that its figures will
serve as the basis for voluntary price
agreements between growers and pur-
chaSerS of sugar beetS.