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Omaha Sunday Bee Magazinb Page
Copyright, 111!, by the BUr Company. Great Britain Rights Reserved.
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I-Cabbages; Can Be Raised as Big as
Hogsheads? Trees Can Be Made
i to Bear Fruit in TwoYears? Plants
I Can Be Pollenized by
Machinery? Pota
to toes Can Be Grown
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In
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in
Swamp
s?
The United States
Government Is Doing
Jill These i2ectce
the Cost of
Living.
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kins and turnips are being burled in .
deep pits and kept all Winter.
Watermelons and. cantaloupes are
being buried Inside corn" stalks and '
kept until after Christmas.
By soaking seeds in water, they .
will germinate more quickly,, and
three crops can thus be grown where
one was Derore. ' -
There are many new vegetables
being brought here from other
countries. There Is the i'yautia,"
from Polynesia, which is closely re
lated to the "elephant-ear" plant of
our gardens. It has a large, fleshy
and starchy root, and possesses the
notable advantage t growing pro
fusely In boggy land. It is. in fact,
n wet-land plant, and is calculated
The Giant Cabbage
as udo, in Japan, is already appear
ing in our' markets. It lookssome
what like celery, is grown 'like it, Is
delicious and should-be cheap.
' The explorers attached to the De
partment have introduced- a giant
cabbage ' from China, a- single head
rought from China. It. Is Found That It Grows as Prolificly in This
Country as in Its. Native Land. I ' ' . f ' :''
The giant radishes, ' introduced
from China, are now appearing in
our city markets, and are, pro
nounced far superior to the radishes
we have hitherto known.. From the
same country comes an. -edible
brushes. The platform is so ar
ranged r.s. to be adjusted at any
height that may be desired, and the
brushes, passing over the clover
blossoms, distribute the pollen and
accomplish the fertilization of the
Plants m Paper Bags to Prevent Cross Pollenizing to Perpetuate the Strain.
r-i-iHE Arricultural Department of Directly across the Potomac from
I the United' States Govern- - the city of Washington is an ex
rr, la ,ir!n mn.t.nii perimental farm, maintained by the
ment is working constantly
on experiments that may result, it
is hoped, In reducing the cost of liv
ing. The department has already
made discoveries that will, in time,'
not only introduce new articles of
food to Americans, but will reduce
the prices of many foodstuffs al
ready on the market Science in
all its branches is being made to
help the farmer, and, incidentally!
the consumer, The newest and
- . most Interesting discoveries show
marvellous strides in scientific farm-
ing, and we find by visiting the ex
:i perimentaj stations that:
t The department is experimenting
3 ' with goats to Bee if these animals
f. can be made to take the place of
2 the expensive beef and .mutton.
T.7 Goats are the cleanest of all anl
mals, they are the least expensive
to feed and care for and they are
eatea by the people of many coun
tries, v. . - ,
Goats' milk can be produced much
? . cheaper than cow's milk, and it is
j. already used in large quantities in
Z " the hospitals of the country.
Department of Agriculture, where
farming novelties of no ordinary
'kind may' be observed. One finds a
one-acre vegetable garden designed
to be an object lesson in intensive
farming.
Twenty-eight kinds of vegetables
are produced on one little patch, be
ing planted in proper succession
with the progress of the seasons, in
order to keep the ground busy the
idea being to show what can be ac
complished in the raising of garden
truck on an acre1 of land when the
latter Is properly handled.
The Department is breeding vege
tables with a view to standardizing
them. In other words to establish
definite forms of tomatoes, radishes,
beets, potatoes, cabbages, etc., so
that the same seeds will always pro
duce the same . form and size of
vegetable.
Ordinary cabbagesK for instance,
do not yield more than fifty per cent
of marketable heads during the
season. One-third of a field of po
tatoes will frequently be lost be
cause the seeds r re not standard
ized, and so it goes all the time
with the farmer. The Department
hopes to develop plants that will
invariably produce 90 to 95 per cent
and this will be an important factor
in reducing the-cost of living.
The potato, like everything else
in agriculture nowadays, Is being
scientifically controlled. Thus, in
the irrigated valleys of the West
this vegetable is grown in such
fashion that water is never per-f
mltted to come Into contact with
its leaves irrigation "laterals" run
ning between the rows at a depth
just sufficient to moisten the roots.
Potatoes raised in this way are safe
from rot and remarkably perfect,
commanding an extra high price.
It is thought by the Department
that profltab' , use can be made, by
crossing, of a "water potato" so
called because it grows In moist
places recently discovered along
the banks of ,the Mercedes River, in
Uruguay. Ono important advantage
it possesses is ths' It replants it'
self, the plant being reproduced
from such fragments of rootlets as
are left in the ground after the
tubers have been gathered.
Melons, cabbages, potatoes, pump-
m
gourd, grown on trellises, which is female b'ossoms.
said to be al most excellent vege- ! The Department is also expert
table, stewed, and most reasonable., menting in food for the well to do.
In the way of fruits, we shall soon It has discovered things that will
come to know a new blue - rasp- .increase, the cost of living for those
berry, which has been fetched from who can afford luxuries.
India; an unfamiliar and delicious Thv are erowine sweet corn un-
citrus variety, " called the . ."finger ' der glass--a thing hitherto deemed
The Artificial Pollenizer,r or Mechanical Bumblebee, the
Newest Invention for Pollenizing Plants.
to prove highly serviceable in ex
tensive districts of the South un
available for any other kind of agri
culture. Ah acre of it will furnish
an astonishing quantity of whole
some and nutritious food.
The new Japanese lettuce, known
of which will fill an ordinary wheel
barrow. One might expect it to be
of coarse texture, owing to it huge
size, but the fact is that it is far
more delicate and delicious than any
kind of cabbage with, which we
have been hitherto acquainted.
lime," and certain kinds of oranges,
irom China,' with which we are
wholly unacquainted.
Southern China, in the coast re
gion, seems to be the original home
of the orange, and our agricultural
explorers have found there some
eighty ,kind3 of oranges which peo
ple in this country ,have never yet
heard of and which can be grown here.
Many wonderful things are being
done with plants native to American
soil. Our plant breeders are devel
oping new kinds of alfalfas, which
are expected to prove of enormous
value tq the farmers. ,
A.t cheap and" ingenious scheme
has been devised to protect orch
ards against frost Large paper
ibags are filled with, shavings which
have been previously soaked in
crude fuel oil. These sacks are
scattered at intervals among the
fruit trees, on the ground, and
when the temperature falls to the
danger point, fire is set to them.
Burning rapidly, the contents send
up a iiense smudge of smoke, which
forma a sort of artificial cloud and
acts as a blanket, preventing too
rapid radiation of heat upward
from the earth.
. Artificial pollination will materi
ally increase crops. A most inter
esting recent invention is a machine
that might be called the mechanical
bumble bee. Drawn by a horse over
a field of clover, it carries In the
rear a small platform, provided un
derneath with several hundred little
imDOssible. . It seems, however, to
be simple enough, the most import
ant requirements being plenty of
sunlight (the glass must not be
shaded) and a temperature of 75
degrees or higher by day. Green
houses similar to those used for
lettuce .and tomatoes, but t high
enough to give the Btalks room,
serve the purpose admirably. The
thermometer is never allowed to go
under 60 degrees at night. The
seeds are soaked In water, to make
them germinate more quickly, and
the requisite pollination is accom
plished by cutting a tassel here and
Vtnt nrA io4vtr If iitti tha all Ira
In eighty-eight days the ears are
ready to be picked, but their growth
may be ccelerated 10 some extent
by supplying more heat. They are
worth from $2 to $3 a dozen in May
and June.
Another miracle of gardening, ,
hardly dreamed of until recently,
is that of producing choice canta
loupes for market all through the
Winter, beginning in December.
The secrst cf it, however, is simply
high temperature, with plenty of
water and a very rich soil the
melons being sown in pots and
transplanted later. The temper
ature of the greenhouse is never al
lowed to go below 70 degrees, and
the . melons are raised on the
"vertical" plan, the vines being
trained on wires, up and down. This
saves space, and keeps the melons
away from contact with the 6oiI,
First Aid in the Fa:
mily
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A DISCUSSION of first aid in the fam
ily does not concern the treatment
of serious injuries like drowning,
overheating," sunstroke, epileptic convul
sions, apoplexies, etc., - but should be re
stricted to slight Usabilities or ailments,
says the Journal of the American Medical
Association. It certainly Is unwise, and is .
sot advocated in this article, to encourage
a layman with a small, ii any, amount
of . medical knowledge, to treat a. patient
for even twenty-four hours before the
physician is summoned.
If It Is advisable in cities, or if, it Is a
necessity in a small community remote
from immediate medical aid, for a. family .
to be. prepared to treat simple injuries;
lainilng; tuniple gastro-intealinal distur
bances "as vomiting; constipation or
diarrhea; beginning colds of the nose,
throat or bronchial tubes; or some sudden
rise of temperature, it is well to' outline
w hat the family may safely use and should
have In some cabinet or closet.
This family cabinet might well contain
such articles as a graduate, medicine drop-,
pers, .water bags, a fountain syringe, a'
Davidson .syringe, some simple antiseptic
for external use (as advised by the family
physician), simple laxatives and cathartics,
a pure castor oil (with instructions as to
the best method of administering it), boric
acid, hydrogen peroxld solution if fre
quently renewed, tincture of lodin1 in an
- airtight bottle and not too. long kept,
some simple emetic as mustard or syrup
of Ipecac, some simple antiseptic, a sooth
ing ointment (as suggested by the family
physician), good whisky or brandy, aro
, matic ammonia in an air-tight bottle,
smelling salts, pure sodium bicarbonate.
perhaos essence of peppermint, oil ot
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TO SAE YOUMfflQGTOl'S bills
cloves for a sore gum or an aching tooth,
some simple mouth mouth wash or gargle,
etc.; in other words, simple external and
harmless Internal drugs 'or preparations.
The cabinet should contain several 'sorts
and sizes of . bandages and simple ap
pliances for minor injuries. Printed in
structions should describe the best "first"
treatment for a burn, and picric acid
( should not be part , of , this emergency
treatment Picric acid can do a great deal
' of harm when misused on burns, and the
exact way it should be used, and the
amount, should be determined by the char- .
acter of the burn and what" the surgeon
deems advisable. Picric acid should not -be
a household remedy. , v
The family should not have or use, with
out a physician's instructions Jo ..some
certain person for. some specific reason, .
any strong cardiac, narcotic or soporific .
drug. Some of these preparations may do
' harm; others are' useless, and the laity
should not be encouraged to have faith in "
a preparation or drug that Is worthless. It
Is much better to teach, them )a' mental .
Bdence cure, or give them psychic treaty
., ment i t ' ' ,', ' ;
The following "don'ts" apply to drugs ;
'n which have at times been recommended
to families for use in emergency, or have '
v become household remedies through their
having been frequently, ordered by fphy-;
slcians; it is as good a rule for the layV
man as for the physician never to do any -harm
whatever else may be done:
1. It is unjustifiable to allow a layman
to use a drug like aconite in any form es
pecially in the form of a- strong tincture
of the root, to say nothing of the fact that
the solution might become stronger by '
evaporation of alcohol if- long kept, or
might deteriorate in other respects. If a
physician thinks that a given family should
J
a
have an aconite or cold tablet preparation,
he can furnish it with his pet "rhinitis"
or "cold tablets," with full instructions
how they shall be taken. The only pos
sible use to which the family could put, or
should put, aconite would be in a begin
ning cold. No one wohld advise its use by
a layman in a possible beginning pneu
monia. 2. The same discussion under aconite
will apply to gelsemium. The only excuse
for a family having gelsemium .would be
that a member of it had recurrent pain
in a nerve and gelsemium had been found
to be of value. This then is not a family
remedy, but a specific one for an indi
vidual. " 3. A frequently used substance is swet
- spirit of niter. In the. first place, it mre
or, less rapidly deteriorates, depending- on
the temperature and ,the frequency, with
which the bottle is opened. To be of value
as' sweet 'spirit -of niter, it must be freshly
prepared. When freshly prepared, this '
solution is neutral to litmus . paper, but -when
-long kept especially if exposed to
air and light, it acquires an acid reaction.
It readily .loses, its nitrous ether, and then :
could have no -action for good, even if its
; activity when pure and fresh is considered
efficient, , j ., ;vv,! , '
'While -many physicians, believe that
sweet j spirit oL'.niter has valuable dia- '
phoretio and diuretic activities, others be-"
lieve that such action Is largely a matter
of hereditary belief. If pure, it certainly
does no. harm, and may do some good.
' Small doses given frequently in hot watef
or hot lemonade, with the patient warmly
covered up or in a warm room, certainly
. tend to promote sweating. Whether the
hot lemonade would not' work as well is a
- question for each physician to decide. On
the other hand, if it is given in larger
doses, at less frequent intervals, in ice
water, with the patient in a cool room and
kept cool, diuresis may be caused. Whether,
this also has much to do with the action
of the drug, or is due to the ice water and
the rest of the treatment is another ques
tion for the physician to decide. Certainly,
as a remedy to retain in the household '
cabinet it is inadvisable. It should be
freshly obtained from a trustworthy drug
gist 4. A much lauSed preparation for use in
various upset conditions of. the stomach
Is the official mixture of rhubarb and soda.
While it can do no harm, it seems unwise
to recommend it for family use. -
The official mixture of rhubarb and soda
contains: ; '
gm. or c.c.
Sodium bicarbonate'. 35v gr.lxiv
Fluidextract : of rhubarb. "''. Ij5 " mxxx .'
Fluidextract of ipecac... 03ormvi
Glycerine... 350. 11.3 xii
Spirit of ". peppermint. . . ... 315 m lxxli
Water, enough to make.. lOOjo - fl.5lv
This is a mixture that has for many
years been largely used in most hospitals.
The -young doctor starts out in his in
dividual practice with an enprmous
amount of faith in this disagreeable-tasting
preparation. No one can question that
the ingredients are valuable, and If any
physician wishes to use this preparation
in preference to some other gastroin
testinal treatment nothing can be said
against his decision.- On the other hand,
some patients are nauseated by it, largely
because of the glycerin, perhaps; the rhu
barb may be too active, orslnefficlent
and another laxative must be given; and
the amount of alkali may be totally in
sufficient for what is desired. The scien
tific physician, who thinks, it is as wise
to fit his prescription to his patient as it
is to make scientific examinations posi-
. tively to determine his diagnosis, will
rarely find it advisable to use this' mix
ture.. If the' patient needs a cathartic, he
needs it at once. If he needs a laxative
(three times a 4ay, or more frequently, as
above is generally administered), the mix-
' ture 'is generally unsatisfactory. ,As such
it either does not act at all, or it causes
too frequent movements. If it does . not
aet at, all and is useless, why have the
disagreeable-tasting rhubarb in the prepa-
ration? The minute does, of. fluidextract
of ipecac, each teaspoonful or 5 c.c. con-
taining but 0.015 gm., or about one-fourth
'minim, makes its addition an absurdity,
and it is quite probable that most phy
sicians' who order this mixture have for
gotten that it contains a fluidextract of
ipecac. But why continue to use a mix-
' ture. Or why require its officialization In"
. the Pharmacopeia, when . it contains in
gredients, that hav no activity, especially
, in the dose presented T J
If a gastro-intestinal condition requires
. an alkali, it is better to give it in an
amount that is of value, possibly combined
. with a bismuth.
That glycerin is of value as a laxative
and as an antiseptic, and 'that peppermint
is a good carminative, there can be no
. question; but glycerin is rarely ordered
except in a mixture to be taken internally,
perhaps not frequently enough. Probably
few physicians remember that the mlxtur
r of rhubarb-and soda is really a glycerin
medication.
The matter resolves Itself into the fol
. lowing sequence of events: The patient
requires some gastro-intestinal treatment
He is given a cathartic, his diet is regu
- lated and a prescription is written for the
- mixture of rhubarb and soda. The patient
improves' or recovers, and the physician
is sure the rhubarb and soda mixture did
it. As a matter of fact, it is probably
the glycerin, or at least the treatment did
' him no harm. In otner words, it is the
prescription plus faith and glycerin.
This digression in the discussion ot
household remedies is not to ridicule
either the preparation or the treatment,
but is to urge the physician to analyze
the mixed preparation that he orders to
see what its actual value is, and to de
cide if that mixture is really just what
he desires, for his patient, and to urge
him not to order by hospital routine.
5. Favorite cough syrups vlth druggists
and with physicians, and therefore used
by many people for coughs and colds, are
the compound syrups of white pine, of
which there are a number on the mar
ket Some contain sedatives, as heroin or
iodein; others do not All are sweetish,
stomach-disturbing mixtures. It cannot be
too frequently repeated that the presence
of a cough is no reason for upsetting - a
patient's stomach by sweet, syrupy cough
mixtures, and it Is. always inadvisable. If
ammonium chlorid Is needed it should be
given in a sour mixture or administered
in lemonade. If terpin hydrate is advis-
, able, it should'be given In sufficient oose
to be of value; the dose in liquid prepara
tions is insufficient for adults. , Terpin
r hydrate is very Insoluble, and no tea
spoonful of liquid can contain more than
0.12 gm., or 2 grains. If it contains that
The adult dose Is 0.3 gm. (5 grains) every
. four hours. As It Is tasteless, It can be
administered in a tablet to be crushed, or
in powder. It is a question whether there
' is any ral good pharmacologic or thera-
peutic reason for administering a syruD of
white pine.
(To Be Continued Next Week.)