DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD; DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
America's Worvde
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Cotton Crop
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Government experimenters
have found it has high food
value for both man and
beast : : A gold mine for
the South, it has become
one of this nation's most
'profitable "war brides'
OU can out cotton" lmH become the
Vv slogan of thu forces engaged In en-
" W llii-nnliif cflll tnnrn llrmlv the Kollth's
chief agricultural product. Tho
South litis been thrilled with tho vi
sion of u farm crop which cannot
only clotho Hie world and provido
I In base for huge quitntltlcs of powerful explo
res but enn supply food as well.
Everyone- knows tltb Important pswt cotton Is
playing In tho making of tho high explosives
needed to win titanic battles on land and sea. In
receiii years an ever Increasing numbor of Im
portant uses have been found for cottonseed and
iher Haste. Cottonseed meal has been used for
j ears In tho preparation of food for animals and
In the making of cooking compounds, but experi
ment made recently In Oklahoma and in other
parts of tho Scnith have demonstrated that cot
toifnecd meal when properly combined with other
materials makes an acceptablo flour, nnd can also
serve as a substitute for meats, owing to Its rich
ness In protein. Tho hulls arc now being used n
preparing feed for live stock, and are consumed In
enormous quantities.
Another by-product which Is serving the country
ivcll at this time is llnters, the short lint removed
from tho seed In the course of Its preparation for
eating purposes. Llnters are almost pure cellu
lose, Which Is tho base' of ono of tho high explo
sives used in most of tho armies nnd navies of
tho world. And pound for pound, cottonseed will
provide as much Inrd as any hog, the seed from
a bale of cotton yielding as much high-grade Inrd
ns five average hogs.
The enormous increase Jn the demnnd for cot
ton, combined with conditions In America nnd
other parts of tho world which have reduced tho
nviljlnblq supply, nssures the South a period of
prbsperlty. When newspapers printed stories re
cently regarding tho spectacular feat of cotton
In climbing to 27 cents, the highest point slnco
1871, they gnvo but a hint of tho prosperity which
has been, brought to tho South by Its war bride.
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Almost everyono recalls tho slump In cotton
which followed tho opening of the war and how,
with cotton sefllng as low as Jive and seven cents
n pound, tho South arose as one man In nn organ
ized "Iiuy-a-bnlc-of-cotton" campaign which en
abled the cotton producers to tide their Industry
over the llnanelal doldrums which resulted from
the chaos of war. The manner In which cotton
rebounded from this low mark makes It one of tho
huskiest war brides In America, with the possible
exception of the munitions and allied Industries.
When cotton 'had reached 38 cents last year
there were certain optimists who wer predicting
25-cent cotton, and they did not have to wait long
for that mlraclo to come to pass. When King
Cotton passed the 27-cent mark recently It marked
tho highest level of prices since the days Imme
diately following the close of the Civil war, when
Southern pMnnters were able to obtain almost any
price they asked for their cotton.
It Is believed that this prosperity will contlnuo
long after peace Is restored. Until the world's
greatly depleted supply of cotton Is replenished
at least there should bo no material change In the
situation. Tho latest avalluble estimates as to
this year's crop srijow nn Increnso of approximately
4-
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Hotels Copy Army Meal:
HW'W-WW'M--M'W
A few weeks ago tho quartermaster general's
department, faithful to Its complicated task of
supplying everything from shoes to sugar to n
rapidly forming army of moro thnn ono million
men, telegraphed an appeal to r8 leading hotel
proprietors throughout tho country asking tho
loan of 3,810 chefs and expert cooks to teach tho
sclenco of gifstronomlcs to tho kitchens of our 10
new cantonments.
Now, the "browned In tho oven" old mess ser
geants of our regular army cooking schools of
which four hnvo flourished for many years aro
willing nnd nnxlous to Bit at tho feet of tho capa
ble wizards who have fed Fifth avenue nnd Tre
mont street; but so great Is tho faith of the
mess sergeant In tho "Mnnunl for Army Cooks,"
Issue of 1010, that they pause reflectively in their
scientifically arranged pantries nnd allow quite
unofllcluUy that maybe u few of those fancy
chefs will go hack to their hotels with one or
two cholco recipes well worth trying on tho fa
vored fellow who always gets by the plush rope
nnd calls tho head waiter by his first name.
Ah n lhnttor of fact, M. l'anchard, famous chef
of the Ilotol McAlpln, Now York, was "lent" a
while back In order to gain sufficient knowledge
of army cookery to Instruct National Guard kitch
ens In various New York armories. l'anchard
.pent two days at Washington barrncks, where he
studied the cuisine for enlisted men; he went
back to Now York with his observations, together
with a copy of the month's menu.
The day of Civil war hardtack and Spanish war
embalmed beef Is "long gone." Emergency ra
tions, of course, the soldier must curry to tldu him
over bad situations where the enemy Are Is hotter
thnn the buko ovens behind the Hue. lJut for
feeding his armies In barrack and trench, Undo
Sam hns become a domestic scientist who thinks
In terms of nutritive values nnd a psychologist
who realizes that the stomach's digestive Juices
will not respond unless tho palate telegraphs Us
npprovnl to tho brnln.
In the mouths to come, when our Amuilcnn
"rolling kitchens" are perched reasonably out of
range on scarred Held somewhero In Franco and
our boys from home are emptying their plates of
n generous helping of "El ltaiiclm" stew, they
niny lift their bullet-proof helmets to tho printed
consoler, comfortor and friend which has followed
them to the trenchesthe "Manual for Army
Cooks," lssuo of 101(1.
As a matter of history, tho present volume oi
official recipes Is about n dozen years old. It has
been collected from many sources by many wise
men udorued with uniforms and backed by gen
eral orders; but Kb choicest nnd best originated
In the Instinctive Inimitable mothods of Aunt
Dlnnu, who concocted her champion waflles by
"Jes' tnstlnV
In fact, a largo mojorlty of tho good and flno
points In Uncle Sam's dully menu for his Sammies
Is duo to an old commtssury sergennt of Fort
nilcy Ills muiiB was Dunne, and ho was one-of
those' "born to the griddle," who has tho same
udvnnlago over the ordinary aspirant to kitchen
honors that Kubellk had from birth over tho lit
lo girl next door.
Tie was not a man of education In tho or
hnory acceptance of tho word, but ho wus a first-
class army cook. On scraps of wrapping paper or
old bills he kept a copy of every recipe he hud
over tried. These wero edited by Colonel IIol
brook, then In command nt Fort Riley, and pub
lished In a llttlo book called "Methods of Handling
Army Ilntlons," which was developed Into fho
"Manual for Army Cooks" tho textbook In the
army schools for cooks nnd bakers started In
1000 by General Sharpo, now quartermnstcr gen
eral. There Is n legend to tho effect that there aro
several amusing musical diatribes against the
army food, but questioning of officers nnd men at
tho Washington llarrncks school does not reveal
them. One sergeant ono of tho threo "noncoms"
In line for their commissions said that when the
food was bad the men "got the growl" and
wouldn't slug- at all, and when It was good they
"felt line and sang the prettiest songs they knew."
It Is rather heartening to think that the men
can hnvo tho sumo food In the field as they (to in
bnrracks. This Is accomplished by tho bakeries,
which are portable, easily tnken down and set up,
and by thu very renuirknblo "rolling kitchens,"
which cook a meal as the nrrliy marches, having
lunch or supper ready, when the order comes to
pitch camp. All of theso kitchens havo stoves for
burning oil and also arrangements for the use of
qoal or wood. One model, of which tho govern
mont has ordered a great many, has two double
hollers, where oatmeal, for lnstnnco, mny bo
cooked as tho big stove on wheels trails on supply
wagon or truck. Also there nro direct heat boil
ers whore coffee may be made, or one of tho many
delicious stows, the familiar Irish, tho savory "El
Ituurhn" (containing everything entable on ,u
ranch), or tho very delectable American Mew,
vented on the Mexican border and tho flcs
vorlto nt Sammies' table.
There Is also an oven where a roast may be
brought to a turn, and, as a surprise to you, a big,
smooth pinto whore flapjacks come to life. One
kitchen will feed 200 men, a war-strength conf
pnny, nnd It will need threo men to operate It.
Trailing each kitchen Is a llreless cooker with
four large compartments. Those nro very conven
ient In that the thi receptacles (It either the stove
or the llroless department nnd can be transferred
without the bother of emptying of food from one
vessel to (mother.
Thcro are now four regular schools for army
cooks at Fort Sam Houston, Tox.; Fort lllley,
Kan.; Monterey, Cal., and Washington barracks.
The cantonments Increased these schools many
fold. It takes about four months of rigorous in
struction to muko u llrst-cluss army cook, but un
der the Intensive method tho cantonment cpoks
will bo educated In half this time.
There nro many very delicious and exceedingly
olllclent recipes in the "Manual for Army Cooks,"
and Uncle Sam gives his boys all threu of their
excellent meals for nn u,ymgo of 40 cents a day.
If tho economy of -10 gepts a kitchen could bo
brought Into all American homes wo would hear
llttlo of food fgnservatlon, for tho utilization of
every edible nmlOculo Is nothing short of mnrvel
ous, as Is the system of accounting for every In
gredient that comes out of tho storeroom. Wo I
luce Irwin In Louisville Courier-Journal.
on .a
ew, In
lest ill-
2U0.U00 bales over the
crop of last year, but
this Is 4,500,000 bales
less than the record
breaking crop of three
years ago.
Two new conditions
In American agricul
tural life arc responsi
ble In the main for the
failure of this year's
cotton crop to meet or
even pass the record of
1011. 1'erhaps the ono
felt moro commonly
throughout tho South
has been the acuto
shortage of labor, duo
to the fact that many
thousands of negroes
have been enticed
"North Into the muni
tions plants and factor
ies by the lure of high
er wages. It is obvious
that any general at
tempt to Increase the
cotton ncreage would have resulted In an even
moro serious predicament for the cotton planters
during the, summer season.
Another reason for the decline In production has
been the strong pressure brought to bear upon
tho South to practice diversified farming. This
has resulted In some states in a considerable de
crease In the cotton acreage In order that more
corn, wheat, oats, hay and other food crops might
be grown, though these conditions are more or
less local. The government Is engaged In a cam
paign to Interest the South In feeding itself, nnd
many thousands of farmers who planted cotton
almost exclusively have embarked In diversified
farming In the last two years.
Tho Idea back of the diversified farming move
ment in the South Is to ninke cotton the money
making crop, and to utilize corn nnd other staple
farm crops to pay the expenses of operating tho
farm and to enable the South to produce enough
foodstuffs to leed Itself. Thus, a tenant farmer
who has 40 acres In cotton would, 'provided ho
practiced diversified farming successfully, mnko
from $2,500 to $5,000 a year, all from the sale of
his cotton. This would bo net profit, but would
not, of course, Include the Increased value given
the land through the enrichment of tho soil by
the crop-rotation plan. The average tenant farm
er who practices crop rotation well can double
his cotton production within two or three years, It
has been demonstrated.
This gives food for speculation ns to the possi
bility which would follow tho general adoption
of crop diversification throughout tho South. The
average tenant fnrmer enn grow barely more thnn
one bale of cotton to tho acre, though with
proper farming nnd fertilization he can Increase
this yield to three bales an acre, according to
farming experts. However, not all of tho South
ern cotton fields are soil Impoverished and It
would be doing the better-class cotton planter
nn Injustlco to say that by proper farming ho
could double or triple his cotton crop. Of tho
35,000,000 acres planted In cotton this year, a
largo percentage of the acreage could bo so In
creased In fertility as to double the yield by
1010, provided crop rotation was followed out
along the most modern lines.
With better farming the South will thus bo
able to make Its .'5,000,000 acres or more do the
work- of from 45,000,000 to 50,000,000 acres under
the old plan. Any Important reduction In acreage,
therefore, Is not to be looked upon with alarm
for there Is certain to bo n consequent Increnso
In production, barring unforeseen weather calami
ties. To this Incrensed production must bo added
tho millions of dollars added to the wealth of tho
South by the other farm products grown In In
creased quantities.
The slogan, "The South Must Fcell Itself," Is
the outgrowth of this campaign for crop rota
tion as practiced In tho North and West.
The realization of this dream would add hun
dreds of millions of dollars to the wealth of tho
South alone, for almost all of the states will be
come producers instead of consumers. Despite
the enviable cllmnte nnd the good soil possessed
by Alabama there are many counties which spend
one million dollars or more each year In Import
ing outside foodstuffs. With tho practice of, di
versified fanning It will bo possible for every
county In the stnte to export as much corn and
other farm crops as It now Imports.
Some observers hnvo taken the view, especially
slnco the entry of the United States Into tho
war has resulted In Increased activity In the di
versified farming campaign; that a serious blow
,1s Intondud at King Cotton, but such Is not tho
case. The whole Idea of tho cnmpnlgn Is not to
uproot the chief Southern crops for tho Northern
crops, but to rotnto such crops ns have soll
enrlchlng values, so us to ennblo tho Southern
soil to produce even greater cotton crops. Ile
cause of Its revolutionary chnracter, the diversi
fied farming campaign has not mnde much prog
ress except In Alabama, Georgia and neighboring
states, which have been adding tens of millions
of dollars to the value of their farm products
each year In recent years.
When tho war sent corn and wheat to sky
high prices along with cotton, It proved much
easier to enlist the sympathies of tho Southern
farmer, and ninny thousands of farmers nre mak
ing more money growing high-priced corn and
wheat than they did In growing cotton. This Is
duo chiefly to tho relief given the soil by crop
rotation, and such conditions will bo oven moro
common next season, when the soil rebuilding
process adopted by naturo is given time to get
well underwny. Impetus hns nlone been given
crop diversification by tho shortage of labor. Tho
most of these crops require less labor than cot
ton und con bo tended moro efficiently than cotton.
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Dainty Gift Aprons.
For the holidays there are some
things that are always the order of
the day, certain gifts that bloom per
ennially, like the evergreens and holly
that crown tho gUiry of the passing
rear ut Chrlstmns time. Among them
aprons of grotty mnterlal, small
enough to be dainty, that are made
for serving and sewing. The serving
aprons do more tlmn dress up the
morning or afternoon frock In which
the hostess or her nlds, serve her
guests, for they express n pleasure In
Fervlrtg. The little sewing aprons nre
n convenience and n protection. Their
brottiness makes them a joy.
Tho shops are showing many of
these little belongings for home wear
this year. They are made of nil the
Hue, sheer cotton goods that nre used
for lingerie or midsummer dresses,
that will stand laundering and occn
Blonully u quaint apron in silk lends
the mind back to those yesterdays
When they were prized possessions of
our great grandmothers. But the
modern woman seems to want every
thing made of washable stuffs.
A sewing upron made of printed dot
ted swlss figured with prim lltte
roses nnd leaves Is shown nt the left
of tho picture and a serving apron of
organdie and val lace appears at the
fight. Figured voile would do ns
well for tho serving npron, or lawn or
mull, although voile has the best wear
ing qualities. The apron Is tho sim
plest thing Imaginable to make,
being merely n straight piece of the
goods with n hem run In across ono
end of the waistband, with n similar
strip half as long set on nt the bot
tom for n pocket. Narrow, gny-col-ored
satin ribbon Is run through the
hem nt the waistline, leaving long
ends to tie nt the side and allowing
the material to bo gathered Into a Ht-
rtle fullness. Ribbon run through the
top of the pocket Is finished nt tho
sides with loops nnd ends, or some
times with rosettes. Tho pocket will
accommodate the sewing and the tools
for sewing, so thnt this is a con
venient apron for use with the sew
ing circle as well as at home.
The ten, or serving npron, Is bor
dered with a narrow Insertion In a
cluny pattern nnd edged with val lnco
edging. A val lace Insertion set Into
the material, simulates a true-lovers'
knot. The bnnd and tics nre of tho
organdie or whatever mnteriul Is used,'
finished with very nurrow hems nlong
the sides nnd n deeper hem ncross tho
ends. They tie In the back. 'A small
ribbon bow In some light shade or a
flowerlike rosette sets off the dainti
ness of the apron nnd Is used nt ono
corner or the pocket If there Is one,
"In Time," Dress of Satin.
It appear that a new nnme was
Deeded for a garment thnt Is not ex
nctly n negligee, but Is made strictly
for Indoor wenr, on classic or oriental
lines. Casting about for something to
Ut this new offspring of the designer's
brnln, fnllcd to reveal a word to suit
nnd so two were chosen In n phrnso
that Is very matter of fnct. The "In
tlmo" dress Is tho best we have been
able to do In describing n robe thnt is
nt onco easy and dignified nnd Intended
to be worn by the busy woman of to
dny during such time ns she Is In her
home. It Is, in fact, something between
a tea gown and n lounging robe, and
makes opportunity for long flowing
lines, drapery and picturesque effects
that women love.
If you decide upon nn "In time" dress
you may borrow its stylo from what
land- you will Turkish trousers, or
Japnnese robes, or Greek draperies, or
what you will. All colors nro yours to
command, but tho "In time" dress is
not to be fussy.
In tho picture a very excellent ex
ample of this new claimant for favor
is shown. It Is made of sapphlre-bluo
satin and bordered with a stenciled
pattern In several colors. AVlde fig
ured or brocaded ribbon might be sub
stltuted for stenciling nnd set onto tho
body of the dress with pipings of sntln.
Tho style suggests classic Greek
draperies, but follows them so vaguely
the new dress cannot bo Identified as
Grecian. In the same model long full
sleeves of crepe georgette might bo In
troduced without appearing Incongru
ous. Just whether the "In time" dress has
been inado to meet a demnnd or to
mnko n demnnd for It only time cun
tell, but chances are In Its favor. Wom
en of tnsto who are dressed In quiet
street clothes much of the time, like
the picturesque In house gownn, nnd al
ways there is an Increasing call for
Individuality In styles and clever orig
inality In dctnjls of construction and
finish.
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