davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Trimming Tomatoes

Does 1t pay to prune tomato vines to single stem and tie them to stakes or to trellis? This question is asked every year by thousands of home gardeners. It does pay, according to specialists, es- pecially if the space for garden purposes is limited, and it is desired to make the best use of it. Tomato plants. if left to themselves have a habit of spreading all over the garden, and of producing their fruit right on the ground, where 1t becomes covered with dirt every time there is rain.
 Advantages of pruning and stalking to- matoes are that a larger number Of plants can be set on Q given area than by the ordinary method: rne rruit will ripen 8 little earlier on the plants that are pruned and staked; and the fruit is held off the ground. is clean and easy to gather.
 While the individual plants do not pro- duce so large a quantity of fruit as when they are allowed to spread upon the ground at least three times as many plants can be set on given area. there by actually increasing the quantity of tomatoes produced. The quality of the fruit is usually better on the plants that are pruned and tied to stakes.
 Small round poles about four feet n length. sharpened at one end, make the most desirable tomato stakes for the home garden. The best proof that stalk ing tomatoes pays is found in the fact that the best home gardeners follow the practice.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Supplies for Its Family

In a series of sixteen tests show whether or not southern farm Is ef- ilciently managed, the United States department of agriculture gives first lace to. this one;
 "Is the farm producing in ample quantities for the welfare of the fans- .-y such of the family foods as ara adapted to local conditions"
 The value of the family living fur .ished directly from the farm, 1t is stated. is one of the important factors determining the amount of the income of the farm and the degree to which the farm business is safe and profit able. This is true of all farms, but more especially of the smaller one.
 The garden and live stock supply the larger part of the family food and gre usually cared for at times that Interfere comparatively little with the regular commercial enterprises. and by labor which otherwise would not be utilized. Up to a considerable size of farm business, it has been found that the family food, plus fuel and shelter furnished by the farm, equals the rent fer the entire farm or the interest on .he whole farm investment. These statements are supported by the re- suits of surveys made in Brooks and Troup counties, Georgia; Gaston coun- ty, North Carolina, and McLennan county, Texas.
 The well-managed farm, 1t is shown, should be planned in such way that Y will produce for home consumption garden vegetables and fruits, cereals, s'rup, dairy and poultry products and meat for family of five adult per- sons, or their equivalent. the require- IF ents are vegetable garden of two thirds of an acre, a fruit garden of One-half an acre one-third of an acre for winter supply of white potatoes. one-half acre for late sweet potatoes. 'ene-half acre of sugar cane for sirup and sugar, and an acre of corn for corn meal. These items make up a total of three and <one-half cares for riant products to supply family food.
 The xxteen tests. with an explana- ton of the methods for applying them. are contained in United States de- partment of agriculture circular No. S3 '"resting Farms in the South for Efficiency in Management" copies of which may be had free by writing to ihe department Washington. D. c.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Buried Treasure

Buried treasure always has been a phrase to conjure with in America. but those who have become rich by finding it are almost unknown. Many farmer, whose blow point has turned up an old coin has dropped the handles of his blow and left his fields implanted while he dug unprofitable holes for buried silver. The wealth was under the blow point, but it was not in the form of pieces Of eight, but lay in the cultivation of the soil itself
 The whole coast of the United States, from Block Island to Sabine Pass, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been dug over by treasure-seekers hunting the buried loot of Captain Kidd and Lafitte but the only discovery thoroughly authenticated was that made near Montauk Point, l.. l., where part of the wealth taken by Kidd from the Quedagh Merchant, treasure ship, was found. That money went into the treasury of the Colony of New York,
 When you sell or trade your Liberty Bonds and War Savings Stamps for get. rich-quick stocks you are hunting buried treasure and you have just about as much chance to get rich at 1t as those people who have dug up tho Atlantic sand dunes along the coast.
 Around these offerings as around pirate treasure, a cloak of mystery is thrown 
 mysterious sound, but there Is no mys- tery about pirate treasure. Pieces of eight were just plain, common. ordinary Spanish dollars made up of eight reales or bits. Like our own dollars they were compiled by adding one bit or 121a cents to another to form two bits or a quar- ter, and adding two quarters to form four bits or half dollars, which, placed together, made pieces of eight. They did not become pirate treasure until pirates had taken it from those who earned and saved it by trickery or force
 Your dollars. earned by hard labor and saved through care and self-sacrifice, will be changed into pirate gold if you sell or trade your money or government secnri- ties for wildcat stocks. But the promot- CTS and salesmen who are as truly pi- rates as any who scuttled ship, will get the treasure not you. You will never get rich hunting for their hoards. You can both find and keep your treas ure by putting the results of your labor in safe and sound government securities.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Shaping the Ground

If your thrift. garden spot was worked as a garden last year, its preparation for this years planting will be compara- lively easy. First, any remains of last years crops should be either burned or hauled away. They have a slight value as manure, but often are carriers of dis ease, and it is best to destroy them The next step will be to give the land a thor ough coating of manure if 1t can be procured. It is then ready for blowing or spading.
 In case the land was not planted last year, but is what might be termed new land, the first step will be to removeN any weeds or trash that would infsrs fere with blowing or spading Some times the land is covered with stones or broken bricks, and these must neces- sarily either be hauled off ot piled to one side or one end of the plot In some cases, good substantial stone fences have
 been built along the sides of the plots from the stones picked from the land In the war devastated zones of France, gar dens are now growing inside the founda- tions of ruined houses. Every foot of ground is being utilized by these people for producing something to eat.
 The third type of land that will be en- countered is that which. has been in sod for number of years. Early and thor ough blowing or spading is about the only method of getting this type of land into condition. Sod land is filled with the green roots of the grass growing upon it, and unless these roots are thoroughly broken and started to decay, garden crops will not do well upon the land.
 For this reason fall blowing is advis- able, and if an application of manure can be made, either to be plowed under or as a top dressing after blowing, it
 win assist very materially in the de-
 composition of the roots In the soil, After this decay is partly accomplished another stirring or turning Of the soil will aid materially in bringing it into the proper condition. In cold sections of the country, freezing and thawing play an important part in the preparation of this class of soil, and if the land is turned up to the clements during ,he autumn it will become pulverized and mellow by the time it is in shape to work in the springtime.
 Where a group of gardens are being located on sod land, 1t is g. good plan to tear up the sod by means of disk harrow before blowing. Then, in the spring preparation of the land, the disk may again be used to advantage cutting in both directions so as to break up the
 roots and other material in the soil. Splendid gardens have been grown on sod land where the proper methods of soil preparation and cultivation have been provided.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
THE COMMUNITY DRYER SAVES

two sheets (24 gauge) black sheet iron inches apart-air space to prevent ire The radiation is secured by ordinary stovepipe attached to furnace.
 The house Is heated after the plan of tobacco barn-a small furnace of roc:s brick is built at one end and a stove pipe carries the radiation 10 the oppo- site end of the house and back, with an elevation of feet above the furnace. This stovepipetmay extend outside of the house sufficient space to escape the caves and an elbow and three or four joints may act as a chimney. or if chimney is preferred, it may be built at cost of $f of 8 additional,
 There are three lattice partitions in the house, making four sections S2 inc-ss
 wide for drying trays 12 inches awe the sill place across piece by 4 inches on which the center uprights 7 by inches and the back upright by 4 inches rest. CPut upright pieces the 2- inch way) The tray bearers, 1 by 5 inch strips are fastened to the uprights The space bet>'een the tray bearers is filled with 2-inch strips to act as guides for the trays and to force the draft to circulate between the trays. If these spaces are left open it will act as a flue and carry off the heat. The s,0es of the trays are of s4 by 8 inch lumber making the tray 3 inches deep. The bot tom of the tray is made of lattice strips % by IF inches, with 1 inch space &s- tween the strips running lengthwise The trays have a center partition to support the bottom laths and cheesecloth is used to cover the laths. There are inches from the top of ont tray to the top of the next The trays move on the bearers like a bureau drawer.
 A small opening must be left at top of the house just above doors-an outlet for steam A Finch opening at front foundation must be planned to let in G6ol air to keep the fruit from sweating,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
REPORTS ON STOCK OUTLOOK

The Farm Bureau News for Summit and Morgan counties, Utah, publishes the names of local live stock owners who have enrolled in the federal-state Bet ter Sireg-Better Stock movement. Six teen names are included in the list pub lishod early in March. County Agent Stephen R. Boswell is cooperating &C., lively with state and federal officials in encouraging live stock improvement in the counties mentioned.
 Tn a recent circular, Better Sires for Virginia" the following statement ap- pears: The question which the farmer is asking is not, Gan I afford to use a pure-bred bull?" but, Gan I afford not to use one" The point raised is directed principally at the replacement of inferior beef sires with good pure-breds. High grade steers, the circular explains, dress out higher percentage of beef and a larger part of it is in the region of the expensive cuts than is true of scrub steers.
 Scrub live stock, 450: grades 430; pure breds, 173. This is a typical farm exam animals and toward those of better breeding. Pure-bred sires bring this change about rapidly.
 The figures mentioned represent the live stock on a Florida farm whose owner is enrolled in the Better Sres-Better Stock" movement. Of the total number of animals listed, A were sres-all of them pure-bred. The use of pure-bred sires of good quality is the goal toward which the better-sres) campaign is di- rected.
 Pure-bred sires. 50; pure-b bred females, IA: cross-bred females, 762; grade fe- males, 790; scrubs, none This is the breeding of live stock on Florida ranch just enrolled in the campaign. The f1g- ures represent cattle, horses, swine, goats, sheep and poultry. There is no- ticeable tendency for persons who use pure-bred sires to acquire considerable number of pure-bred female stock also.
 The value of domestic animals of im- proved breeding is shown most conclu- sively. perhaps, by the rapidity with which persons who keep some good and some inferior live stock dispose of the latter. The case mentioned is believed to be typical of this tendency.
 Tn support of the Better Sires-Better Stock' campaign, Milton P. Jarnagin, animal husbandman of the Georgia State
 College of Agriculture, has furnished
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22

the department of agriculture with the following striking example of improved breeding:
 At 15 months of age heifer from a native scrub COW, sired by a pure-bred Shorthorn bull, weighed 61O pounds. Its r.ine-y -year-old mature dam weighed 605 pounds. Although the heifer was but kalf-bred Shcrthorn it quickly exceeded it's dam in weight because of better breeding.
 The organization of boys and girls az ricultural clubs, including poultry clucs, pig clubs and goat clubs, is having a constructive influence on the live stock industry of Porto Rico. Purc-bred live stock for breeding purposes is being inn ported from the United States, and ttere is an increasing interest in agricultural work among rural schools. One of the newer activities was a meeting at which the Better Sires--Better Stock move
 oent was presented in Spanish to live stock owners. !,
 Twenty county farm bureaus in Ne- braska have adopted 'pure-bred sizes only'' work as one of their major proj- ects for 1920 and it is probable that more counties will take up the same activity. The purpose is to bring the importance of improved animals to the attention of individual farmers and to raise the stand ard of live stock in the state. A survey of cattle in Gage county, Nebraska showed that only 34 per cent of the bulls were pure-bred. The pure bred slres only campaign Is to be con ducted in support of the national move ment for better sires and better stock. l How a Virginia farmer marketed pigs heavier and more profitable than he Lad l raised in the past is told in circular, Better Sires for Virginia" recently is- sued by the extension division of the Vir-
 ginia Agricultural and Mechanical Col lege.
 T used to raise scrub pigs" the farm CT declared. T didn't think there was much money in the hog business because I didn't make much. Since using pure- bred sires I have changed my mind. As result of using pure-bred sires my pigs weighed 215 pounds last fall, when tho average scrub pig would hardly weigh 150 pounds. Consequently my pigs
 went to market early, while prices were high, while the man with scrub pigs had to keep his longer and feed them
 high-priced grain while prices kept going down."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Points to Remember

Manure Is scarce in and around cites. Commercial fertilizers must be depended upon primarily for adding fertility to garden soils It pays to use the best grade Of commercial Ter tiiizers. When the home gardened buvs fertilizers he pays for nitrogen, nhosphoric acid and potash. and If h. can secure the required amount or these clements in 8 small quantity or material so much the better, as ne will avoid the handling of greater weight upon which freight ana o.her costs have been paid. A fertilizer containing from to 6 per cent Of nitrogen. 8 to, 10 per cent of available rhosphoric acid and or per cent rotash is generally recommended TOT ,se on home gardens by specialists or inc United States Department Of Az rieulture.
 One pound to thirty feet of row Is equivalent to an application, Of quo pounds to the acre. One pound 10 llt- teen feet of row is equivalent to an application of 1000 pounds to the acre. aud an application of one pound to eight feet of row is practically equivalent to 1000 pounds of fertilizer to the acre.
 Commercial fertilizers are high at present and no more than Is abso- lutely necessary should be used Care must also be taken in their applica- tion as there is constant danger of burning the roots of the plants, espe- ctally where the fertilizers are ap- piled directly in the rows. The best results are generally secured where rhe fertilizers are applied and raked :n a few days before sowing the seeds or setting the plants, In this way they become more or less mixed with the soil and there will be little eanger of doing the plants an in- jury.
 In many sections Of the country nitrate of soda is used as a stimulant to force the growth of the plants after they are started. Nitrate of soda is a concentrated fertilizer furnishing nitrogen, that element which makes the green and vigorous growth in plants. and should be used sparingly fo avoid injury The usual custom Is to scatter a little Gone pound to 100 feet) nitrate of soda along the rows and mix it with the soil by means of a hoe or rake. Another method is to dissolve a tablespoonful of the nitrate ef soda in pailful of water and use :hs solution for watering the plants teking care that only a small quantity of the water is applied around each liant It is vastly better to make frequent light applications of the ni- trate rather than to apply too much ct one time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
South American Markets

To encourage trade in pure-bred ani- mals with South America the UnisSd States department of agriculture is send ing two specialists for six-months' trip through Brazil. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. They are L. B. Burke of the bureau of markets and E. z. Russell of the bureau of animal industry. They will leave Washington about June l. Their work is in the nature of a follow up campaign of work done by depart ment specialists last year and prior to that time toward establishing relation ship between the United States and South America that will result in increased trade in all classes of pure-bred animals, They will go directly to Buenos Aires and from that point will cover the four coun- tries mentioned. While Messrs. Burke and Russell will return to Washington probably in November. it is likely that a branch office in South America will be established through which for the next two or three years the importation of pure-bred live stock from the United States will be encouraged.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Keep Garden at Work


 By the exercise of care and forethouRht in planning succession crops and rota- tions and by the utilization of every foot or suitable available space 1t is possible to grow considerable quantities of vege- tables on limited areas and so supple ment the family food supply. The prin- cipal factors in accomplishing this are the use of seed boxes and hotbeds to give plants an early start in spring before seeds may be planted outdoors. the use of outside seed beds to carry plants for main season crops while early crops are oc- cupying the garden space. and the plant ing of late or succession crops as soon as earlier plants have been removed. The United States department of agri- culture believes that the home garden is just as essential this year as it was during the war years. and is offering the advice of practical. scientific gardeners in helping to solve the problems of those who want to cultivate home gardens
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Chicago Horse Market

Men experienced in market conditions state that t.lere never before has been so strong demand for good draft horses nor such high prices paid in the history of tEc Chicago horse market
 The denard is strong fvr al kinds, sit the preference is much m favor of 5rafters standing sixteen three hands end over. weighing HOO pounds or more Prices range from s275 to s450. depending on the merits of the animal This con dltien has Irevailed steadily for the past four weeks.
 Buyers from Boston. New ork. Phila- de,phia aud Pittsburg. here in num- bers. state that the heavy storms in the cast this winter. which tied up all but horse traffic. have influenced transpor- tations lsers 70 increase their number of teams. when adding to motive power. so as to be prepared for any other such emergency.
 Another contributing element is the rise in the price of gasoline from 9ik cents in 1915 to 2S cents at the close of March. 1920. and tie end not yet in sight.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-22
Arsenicals Effective
 Against Cabbage Worm

Arsenicals are being generally used t( control the cabbage worm There arj now few instances of the total destruc4 'loh s' or crops of. caDbages as was formerly often the case. Nevertheless. n. com seryative estimate would place the ,oresl ent annual loss from this pest to cab pases alone, net including cauliflowe1 ana other related crops. at $1 50OO00. oi one-tenth the value of the entire crop. |
 The cabbage worm is not difficult tt control, and it should be borne in mind that most other cabbage pests, more often present than not. will be controlled by the same methods
 Repeated experiments made bv inc de. partment of agriculture have shown that arsenate of lead and Paris green art preferable to other arsenicais in commoa use. If Paris green is used, it may bd applied either wet or dry, preferably however, as a spray. at the rate of l pound to 50 gallons of water The planA should be free from insect attack when they gre set out and should be sprayed few days later to make sure that th( poison reaches the young caterpillars beI fore they have hurrowed far into tho heads. Other applications should follow as inspection of plants shows that they are EeceSeary.
 These applications of arsenicals can bd nlsiue Witn ar Soiule SdIety even after tho ns,ds are formed. as sls Ieison disapl peecs from plants almost completely within two 10 three weeks after applicaI ton, and even earlier in event of re- psated CT heavy rainfall.
 Scarcity Of Paris green has increased t,ss cost. Arsepate of lead has bee4 rapidly superseding Paris green and ctiier arsenicals as an insecticide, and has not increased proportionately IN price. For many reasons it is preferl able.
 It serves the same purpose as PaSfi green nc is applied in the same manner. IL is sold both in paste and in dry powde1 form Two pounds of dry arsenate to 5(| gallons rf water or Bordeaux mixtur3 will make solution of sufficient strength to destroy cabbage worms ant similar insects. The paste form must bI used at double strength, pounds to 5l gallons of water.
 The number of sprayings depends od local and seasonal conditions. So1so. times single spraying will suffice, Nd usually two or three are necessary. Yhl adhesiveness of the spray material il promoted by the addition of about thl
 sarue amount by weight of resin fish ol
 soap as ef the arsenical used.