The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-27
The Farm and
The Farmer
STOCK YARDS FIRE
BY William r. sanborn

over fires at the stock yards during
the holidays. The fire which destroy
ed the 300-foot south wing of the
exchange building early on Sunday
morning was in line with what has
come to be known as the city's an
nual holiday fire in Packingtown. The
alarm was rung in just before three
O'Clock on Sunday morning, and at
once the fight was on.
Thousands of Indiana farmers have
visited the old Exchange building and
have consigned millions of animals to
the commission firms who had offices
there. The center section of the old
building of which the south wing was
destroyed, was built with the first
cow pens back in 1867, and still
stands Whether some careless
smoker and handy waste basket, or
crossed electric wires caused the
blaze, is not known. Watchmen rous-
ed some sleeping live stock shippers
and there was no loss of life, the night
forces of the telegraph companies all
escaping.
Forty-f1ve commission firms were
burned out and the fire ate its way to
the walls of another section where
155 firms are housed, but got no
further. The Live Stock EXCHANGE
National Bank building will care for
number of these concerns and firms
in adjoining buildings in the yards
will care for the balance, so that busi-
ness may continue as usual. Whether
the Producers were housed in the
old south wing was not stated in the
press report
The big fire in the yards on the
morning of December % 1910, was the
most disastrous of the holiday sea
sons fires. Twenty-four firemen were
lost and damages amounted to $780,
900 at that time. The Sunday MORN
ing fire less is estimated at under
100000.
Favors Helping Europe.
Senator Borah is greatly in favor of
the United States calling a world eco
nomic conference. He pictures Eu-
rope with credit restored buying Am
erican farm products on large scale
Senator Capper says: 81 am strong
for it. Economic adjustments should
be made. The farmers must have a
market for their products. The Borah
proposition is not synonymous with
the league of nations, has nothing to
y do with it. We can adjust economic
matters without involving this coun-
try in political ENGAGEMENTS, or com
hitting it to the use of force"
The keeper of a back yard poultry
flock in the heart of Chicago keeps
his drinking fountain from freezing
by keeping an electric light bulb just
below it. His fountain holds two gal
Ions, and is set on an iron drum
eight inches high, which is lined with
asbestos. His house is warm because
of double floor and walls, between
which are layers of tar paper The
little flock of but % laying hens are
repaying his care with hundreds OF
eggs per month, and have been doing
so since October. 1t takes plenty OF
water to insure lots of eggs, no matter
how well the hens are fed. Farmers
who neglect to see that their chickens
have all the water they want to drink
both summer and winter, are throwing
away money.
Where the Ears Form.
Whether an ear of corn grows close
to the ground or high on the stalk, is
not much concern to the farmer
What he wants is the corn, but admit
teddy wants it at an easy height tc
husk from Most of our farm readers
20 years of experiment at the Uni
versity of Illinois, plant breeders have
developed strain of corn that ears {
foot or less from the ground, ant
another that ears at an average heigh
of eight feet The experimnt show.
tn effect of the law of selection q
applied to the breeding of plants, and
presumably that was why the expert
1nentS were conducted.
The Saturdays average price of hog:
at Chicago at $40 was as high as a
any time since October and 40 cent:
above the Saturday price one weel
earlier. The price was $1.15 above tina
of the same date in 1921. Receipts fel
off 10000 head, as compared with th'
week ending on December 16.
Dairymen's Committee
The National Dairy association ha
started work on the organization of
"plan and scope" committee, with tn
aim of looking into all phases of tn,
business of the industry The bigges
men in the dairy world will be selected
for the committee which will study al
dairying problems, including those o
production. creameries, milk dealers
condensed milk production, etc.
1t is claimed that the most success
full dairymen are those who raise thel
own COWS TO increase their herds, or t
replace those which are sold or die
Proper care in breeding insures choic
mixers from year to year.
Freight Rates and Prices
While the leading railway manager
and financiers are claiming that tn
railroads are in no shape to reduc
commodity freight rates and tina
weekly or monthly fluctuations a
market centers frequently are create
than the farmers entire freight bill
farm editors, the farm bloc and numel
Gus writer's are of different opinion
They believe that rates on farm proc
ucts should be reduced at once. Eve
some of the railroad men agree in thi!
as note the recent statements of e,
Governor Cornwell of West Virgini;
general counsel for the B. & O., VIII
has frankly acknowledged the pligf
of our farmers and stock raisers, tn
country over. Mr.. Cornwells idea
the same as that of Secretary Howe
who insists that produce schedule