The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-03-05
STIMULATING NATURE


STIMULATING NATURE
! Man in this age is taking nature in hand as
never before. Burbank inveigles her to turn
her productive energies along novel and sur
plising lines, and even the domesticated ami
mails are now being jockeyed Or cajoled into
activities undreamed of until now One farmer
with a vision of new possibilities in egg pro-
fduction walked up his hens at nlidnig ht by an
electric light, reasoning sagey that they would
i think that morning had dawned, and begin to
lay. He says they did and that the egg output
was thus increased, but until we know, as we
do not yet, what reputation for veracity he en-
Joys in his community, his statement is given for
what it is worth And it might be that he was
honestly deceived and that his plan may rather
expedite than increase the production of his
flock.
And other farmers are thinking, throwing off
the francis of tradition and reasoning their
way to new conclusions Of their own. Farmers
from immemorial time have noted that calves
were hreless and persistent at the maternal
|fount They never limited their. demands upon
it to institutional meal or waited for second
until the west unfinished and evening stars came.
out. They solaced themselves at midday and
between meals, and the supply was always
equal to the demand. This has been noted by
observant cattlemen ever since Abraham s
herds "darkened the Asian plain, but it re
NAMED for thoughtful farmer Of our own day
to draw an inference from these patent facts
which may prove of much Importance to man
kind. Why might he not milk three times a
day, he reasoned, as well as his calves, and
would not the milk producing mechanism re
spond to the new demand Being no mere
dreamer but practical man, he tried it, with
result as he says of fifteen per cent. increase
in the lacteal yield.
If this proves to be a maintained flow and
not a mere temporary augmentation due toI
the bewilderment of his COWS, it is clear that
a discovery of value has been made. How far
it will inure to the benefit of the farmer, the
consumer or the COW is not yet clear. A three
pail cow may be ravenous rumlnant and eat
up all the profits of production The single
safe assumption based on present knowledge is
that if the milk flow is thereby increased the
middman viii find some way of getting the
added profit into his capacious pocket
Admiral .Jellicoe in a book on the naval
operations of the war settles at last the mys-
terry of Lord Kitchener's death by stating
that the cruiser Hampshire sank after striking
a mine of the type laid by German U-boats |
In spite Of this pronouncement OF authority,
however, for years to come the story that
Kitchener is alive will be given credence by the
people who still believe that S3Doc' Cook dis
covered the north pole.
1t is dispiriting to think of the large number
of splendid poets, writer's, musicians and art |
lists who so gladly gave their lives that free /
dom and decency might not utterly vanish
from the face of the earth, but we should not
despond. Think how tenderly our government
mas watched our baseball players and the
paladins of the pugilistic ring.
Now that the United States is deporting
J. W. " agitators and other dangerous aliens, |
why not get rid Of Victor Berger and other
men In high places who gave aid and comfort
to the enemy when our country was at war;
William Jennings Bryan says that national
and state governments should divide railroad
ownership. That would be way for poll |
ticiahs to keep the home fences IN repair.