Nebraska Newspapers

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DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD, DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
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rF""1"" I ITU the entrance of American troops 1K8SK?hHIw
iTSSMpTri Into the front-lino trenches the rifle liWllff iTTTIWiryfilii 1 1 1 i iiTffilfflriMnrTr
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FOUR DISTINCT METHODS OF MAKING
HAY-EACH FILLS PARTICULAR NEED
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ITU the entrance of American troops
Into the front-lino trenches the rifle
is coming luto its own in the Eu
ropean war. Hitherto, lexcept with
the Canadians, it hns not played the
part thut might have been expected
of it.
Already the deadly accuracy of
American marksmanship has tnken
Its toll of German victims, for the
rlflo is the favorite weapon of our
troops.
The reasons for this arc several.
'The American Is a hunter by tradition. It is in
'Ail blood because his father and grandfather bo
fore him won the wilderness with the old muzzle
Iloader. Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett and
IClt Carson are all old friends of his. The wild
"West is familiar territory, even though ho may
never have crossed the Mississippi. For ho has
trend tho talcs of trappers and hunters and prac
ticed them on n small scale in the woods out
:shle his village.
Tho American Is u mnrksinan by training.
"What boy has not spent long days In the woods
with a gun in his hands? What youth, excepting
only some born nnd reared In the largest cities,
'has not come home at night In triumph with n
Ibag of cottontails?
The third reason why Sammy sticks to his rlflo
in the trenches Is that It is the best military arm
Jin the world.
For these three reasons, then because tlio rifle
Is his weapon by tradition and by training, and
because the one he carries is the best manufac
tured our infantryman backs tho rifle against the
Ihnnd grenade and the bayonet. He can use any
of the three, but for choice give him a clenn 000
;ynrd shot at a moving spot of gray outlined
ngalnst tho dun Flanders background of a senr-
itorn hill.
It hns been acknowledged for years that the
-American regular army, small though It was prior
-ito 1917, is the finest body of mnrksmen in any
mnny. Our teams competing nt Camp Perry nnd
cat Risley against the best shots of Europe nnd
itho western hemisphere, proved conclusively that
-the superiority still rests with us.
Tho United Stntes government has made for Us
mrmy the most perfect military rifles ever pro-
duced. These are tho Springfield model of 1903
:nnd tho 1017 model, both of which are beyond
question better guns than those used by any other
army in the world. The cartridges for these
weapons nre tho best now In use. Orders have
w ""been plnced for 2,920,000 rifles. The production
tiow averages 50,000 a week, sufllclent to equip
three divisions. One billion cartridges hnvo been
-ordered for practice In the training camps. Our
manufacture of rifle cartridges excels In amount
that of any other country. One Arm alone turned
-out 125,000,000 during one month.
The policy of the government has been to np--proprlate
about $13 a year for the rifle practice
-of each soldier in the army. Target ranges havo
"been built In all parts of the country. Theso
were available not only for the use of the army
mid the National Guard but also for rlflo associ
ations. Germnny has not been able to do this. With
-a standing nrmy so great as tho ono maintained
'by the kaiser In peace times, such an appropria
tion would have Interfered with other plans. If
$13 a year hnd been spent on ammunition for the
rlllo practice of each man in the German standing
army nnd reserve, the Teutons would be far bet
ter shots than they are today. But this gain
would be at tho expense of tho funds necessary
tor the supply of munitions tho general staff wa8
.v-w&umulatlng against the dny of need. Prior to
the war the German soldier fired only about 12
tbnll cartridges a year on the range.
Tho rifle ranges in Europe nre few and Inferior.
Lnnd is far too vnluablo to permit of much be
Ing used for such purpose. Scarcely any of theso
-ranges nre sultnble for practice nt n distance of
over 400 yards. An appropriation of $13 to the
nnnn for ammunition would not have made Eu
ropean soldiers anything like ns expert as ours.
The lack of opportunity to shoot under tho field
-conditions, which are the foundation of a good
rifleman's work in actunl battle stress, would
'necessarily have debarred this.
The American Is n hunter. lie used to bo a
Tlflemnn from necessity, since his safety and his
food depended on his skill. Ho is now one from
-choice. There ore few of our yungsters who do
not own or have access to a .22 rifle, nnd but few
who do not get an occasional chance to uso n
shotgun. The hunting Instinct Is still strong In
ms. It Is estimated that about 3,500,000 sports
men In this country hunt every year with a rlflo
or n shotgun.
Even In thickly settled districts gnmo Is still
plentiful enough to offer enticing sport. The li
cense fee Is smnll, araountlug usunlly to only SI.
Ammunition Is cheaper here than elsewhere. Tho
llnest nnd least costly mnchlno-mndo guns nro
produced in this country. Most Important, wo
'imve no established aristocracy which controls the
bhootlng preserves, to tho exclusion of the gen
eral public.
The conditions In Europe are totally different.
Land ts owned by tho aristocracy, and since
feudal times hunting hns beep a privilege peculiar
to that class. Unless he secures employment as
a gamekeeper, the poor man hns no chance to
learn to shoot. Nor have tho middle classes nny
bettor opportunity. Ammunition is expensive.
The license fee is excessive, running ns high ns
$25. The only good guns nro hand-made, for the
reason that gunsmiths look only to tho upper
clnss as purchasers. Henco no good, cheap, mn-chlnc-mnde
rifles nre manufactured. Lastly, there
Is no open land upon which to shoot.
For nil these reasons, the worklngman of Eu
rope knows very little about firearms.
Man for man, the total number of troops In
the field taken into consideration, our Civil war
was the bloodiest ever seen. Tho operations in
Europe during the present struggle have always
been over a wide front. The numbers engaged
havo been enormous and tho total losses stagger
ing. Yet the wastage of human life has been rel
atively small compared with that of tho Union
and Confederate armies. There has been no Get
tysburg, no Bloody Anglo In the present conflict.
Why? Neither the forces under Grant or Leo
attained the perfection of training acquired by
the armies of today, with the exception of n few
star corps composed of picked regiments. The
heavy casualties were duo to the individual fight
ing ability of tho troops, to their expert uso of
the rifle.
From the days of tho mlnuto men of tho Revo
lution, the superiority of the American rlflemnn
has been conceded by nil. Morgan's backwoods
men proved their efllclcncy as marksmen in the
War for Independence. Tho raw frontiersman
demonstrated It again at New Orleans under
Jackson ngalnst Pnkenham's trained regulars. At
the Alamo, Crockett and Bowie, with n little
handful of riflemen, held tho hordes of Santa Ana
at bay. Our history Is full of Incidents In which
a little bnnd of grim men, their backs to the wall,
hnve held off many times their number by sheer
tenacity nnd deadly rlflo execution.
The reason for this Is not far to seek. In early
days America was a virgin land peopled by no
madic tribes with an amazing skill nt woodcrnft.
These natives had to be outwitted and outfought.
No country In tho world, with the possible ex
ception of British Southeast Africa, ever had such
a wealth of game as this. The first settlers were
Anglo-Saxons, the greatest sport-loving people on
earth. With them they brought llttlo but fire
arms nnd stout henrts. They had to defend them
selves against tho Indians and to live by the
chase. Gradually they learned to raise grain,
fruit and vegetables nntlve to the land of their
adoption. But for a long time their main source
of supply wns wild game.
It resulted that every boy grew up with n rifle
In his hands. Inevitably theso frontiersmen,
faced with nn opportunity bnsed upon necessity,
developed the keen eye, the steady nerve nnd tho
woodmanshlp that made them the best shots ever
known.
With the growth of tho country tho tide of
civilization rolled westwnrd. CInrk opened tho
great Northwest. PIko led the wny to tho Rock
ies. Always the adventurous son pushed to tho
more remote frontier. Tho greatest trek In tho
history of tho western hemlsphero wns on. For
50 years It continued. Almost every foot of tho
West wns won by toll nnd hardship, at the cost
of sacrifice from which men and women emerged
strong nnd self-reliant.
The trndltlon of tho hunt pqrslsts with us. The
man used to tramping tho hills for big gamo en
dures hardship and privation for tho sake of tho
sport. Ho learns to shoot nt fast-moving game
under difficulties of dlstnnco nnd visibility. It
follows that when ho Is tnken out to tho rlflo
range and Instructed ho learns In n few lessons
the proper sighting and method of using tho mili
tary rifle.
These once acquired, he Is In a clnss by himself,
for ho Is used to shooting under the snmo condi
tions, though with less danger to himself, that ob
tain nt the front. No amount of prnctlco nt tho
rlflo range can servo as a fit substltuto for his ex
perience?. It Is this fundamental training which lies back
of target practlco that Is responsible for tho
mnrksmanship of tho American nrmy. Tho ma
rine corps holds the finest record In tho service.
Fully one-third of this organization wears the
mnrksmanship emblem. At lenst one-half of tho
marines nro first-class riflemen.
To win tho expert emblem n mnrksmnn must
shoot over tho qualifying course nt all ranges from
200 to COO yards In both
rapid and slow firo and
must make above 2J3
points out of a possible
300. Tho shnrpshootcr
must average 238 out of
300 on the snmo course.
It Is no unusual record
for a candidate of cither
of these classes to hang
up ten consecutive bulls
eyes out of ten shots nt
the 000-ynrd range.
Tho German does not
rely on his Individual abil
ity with tho rifle, no la
Inclined to shoot wildly
and nt random. Reports
hnvo reached us of Ger
mnn companies frnntlcally
wasting great quantities
of nmmunltlon after n
feigned attack on the purt of tho foe.
Tills Is In pnrt due to the German theory that n
certain percentage of hits will result from a giv
en number of shots. The Bocho Infantryman, ex
cept nt short rnnge, docs not direct his nlm nt a
particular adversary. lie fires for general re
sults. A German officer, for Instnnce, learns thnt there
nro n certain number of the enemy In n given
zone nbout 100 ynrds square, 500 yards in front
of his position. He estimates thnt if his company
sprays this zone for a half-hour n certain pcrccnt
nge of casualties will be Inflicted, dependent upon
the rapidity of fire, number of marksmen nnd slzo
of zone.
An American fnrmcr boy could tell him how er
roneous this theory is. He knows, because ex
perience hns taught him. Time and tlmo again
he Jins fired with n shotgun Into n flock of ducks
or n covey of grouso on the wing bunched appar
ently so closely thnt a miss Is hardly possible.
There nro 150 or 200 Individual shot in tho load,
yet such an nttempt nearly always scores n com
plete miss. Nnturnlly this percentage of failures
must be still higher in rifle shooting.
An nttacklng party may be advancing In what
looks like a dense mass. There Is to tho eye very
little space between tho men. A "general results"
shot ought to score n hit. In point of fnct, It
usually does not. Spaces between the moving men
nro constnntly opening. Very llttlo of tho front
offers n vltnl target. A shot through n knap
sack, n helmet, through bnggy breeches, or thick
leggings, even through tho fleshy part of tho body,
will not stop n charging foe. Tho only wny to
make sure of a hit Is to pick an individual tar
get, aim nt dead center, nnd fire accurately. ,An
Infantryman in full equipment Is n good deal like
n hawk on n fence post. You nro likely to get
n lot of feathers from your shot and very llttlo
hnwk.
The ability to shoot accurately has made tho
American rifleman dangerous. This same skill Is
making our Infnntrymnn superior to his foe on
tho western front. General Pershing recognizes
tho need of maintaining this ndvnntnge, for In his
reports he recommends that tho greatest care
be taken In rifle instruction nt the cantonments
since this- Is the most vnluablo weapon both In
offense nnd defense.
Put a compnny of crack German troops against
nn equnl number of ours. Let them direct their
flro bnsed on the "general results" theory nt our
men while our boys follow tho American method
of selecting nn lndlvldunl tnrget. An average
company of Sammies would contain nbout ten
experts, 20 sharpshooters, 85 marksmen and n
lnrge number of first-class riflemen. The result
would not bo hurd to determine.
It Is because of tho deficiency of tho Germans
ns riflemen thnt their general staff hns resorted
so largely to the hand grenade. For tho same ren
son tho French and British have dono tho same.
We rend stories of infantrymen chasing troops
n quarter of a mile to get closo enough to throw
hand grenades nt them. Well-directed rifle flro
would havo been far moro effective. Thero nro
times at short rnngo when tho grcnado Is a su
perior weapon. Ono tossed Into n group of men
will do moro dninnge thnn a single rlflo bullet,
but the supply of grenndes n mnn can carry ts lim
ited and tho dlstanco at which they can bo used
effectively is short. Since tho French nnd British
nro better shots than tho Germans they send
moro riflemen over tho top nnd fewer grenadiers.
Tho British regulnr nrmy had a great reputa
tion for shooting. Most of theso hnd seen serv
ice In Egypt, Africa or other colonies where con
ditions In n degree resemble ours. Tho work theso
veterans did In tho first bnttlo of Yprcs and at
tho retrtat from Mons, where with practically no
artillery they held four or five times their number
shows what mnrksmanship can do for un army.
The Latlu Instinct is to uso the knife. For
this reason the French and tho Italian revert
often to tho bnyonct. Because tho German docs
not like closo hand-to-hand work ho prefers tho
grenade.
The Canndlnn Is our born brother nt arms. Tho
conditions thnt havo mado uu made him. His ef
fectiveness as a soldier Is fmo to his Individual
Initiative nnd to his skill with tho rifle. What Is
truo of him Is true of our soldiers. Already theyj
show n tendency to stick to tho rifle. When they
get golqg well tho Germans will prny to bo put
against any troops except Americans nnd th
chief reason for this dread will bo Sammy'a ex)
pertness with the rifle. .
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Hay Loader In Operation Loader Saves Time and Puts Hay on Wagon Mora
Cheaply Than It Can Be Done by Hand.
Prepared by tlio United Stntes Depart
ment of Afrrlculturc.)
There nro four dtstlnct systems of
mnklng hny, each of which is divided
In actual practlco into several meth
ods. Loading by hand Is tho oldest
system nnd tho ono most generally
used In the older hny-growlng sections
of the East. Its retention in theso sec
tions Is duo largely to tho fact thnt
It requires n minimum amount of
equipment, which makes it particular
ly suited to farms where only n lim
ited ncrengoof hay Is grown.
Tho equipment required Includes
only mowing machine, rake, pitchfork,
wagon and rack, nnd, In most cases,
unloading nppnrntus such.ns hny forks
or slings.
Nenrly everyone Is fnmlllnr with
this system, which consists merely of
pitching tho hny on tho wagon with
hand forks and hauling to stnek or
barn, where It Is either pitched off
by hand or unlonded with horse forks
or slings.
While it can be used under almost
any conditions, this system involves
n lnrgo amount of irksome hand labor,
and for this reason, ns well ns tho
greater expense of labor, It should bo
replaced by some other system when
ever practicable.
Loading With Hay Loader.
Tho second system consists of load
ing tho hny with n hny loader. This
method Is used most largely In tho
timothy nnd clover hny nren. It Is
used to n certnln extent In Now York
nnd Pennsylvania, nnd to n grentcr
extent In Ohio, Indlnnn nnd Iowa.
In some localities thero exists n
prejudlco against tho loader. Tho
first loaders put on tho market were
not mechanically perfect, and there
fore did not always glvo satisfaction,
and tho delay caused by break-downs
Influenced mnny to abandon their use.
Moreover, the londer often hns been
used on uneven or stony ground, with
a resultnnt frequent brenklng of vital
parts. Tho uso of this loader, under
conditions not recommended by tho
mnnufneturers, nlso has tended to lim
it Its populnrlty.
Another, nnd perhnps tho most Im
portant, reason for the loader not be
ing used moro generally Is thnt to uso
It economically tho men on tho wngon
must work very hard while the load
Is being put on. A study of tho uso
of the londer In several states has re
vealed tho fact that tho hired men ns
n rule do not like to work on tho load
er, nnd for this renson push rakes nnd
stackers havo supplanted It on some
farms In tho middle West.
On ono fnnn It wns noticed thnt
when the owner was absent five loads
were hauled In one afternoon, but
when tho owner was present and
working on the wngon, seven londs
wero taken from tho field In tho snmo
length of time.
At present thero nro two types of
loaders. Ono picks up the hny with
n revolving drum studded with spurs
of spring wire nbout six Inches long.
The other typo tnkes up tho hay by
means of n forkllko nrrnngement fas
tened to long wooden or Btcel nrms.
Tho bed of the carrier Is now mndo
solid, so that thero Is little likelihood
of losing leaves from alfalfa, clover
nnd other legumo hnys.
The hay londer, under ordinary con
ditions, will Increase the capacity Of
a crew nbout 30 per cent over thnt of
tho snmo crew pitching the load on by
hand forks.
The loader Is n vnluablo Implement,
and Its saving In labor cost will bo
considerable, especially on farms
where labor Is Bcarco and expensive.
Push Rakeo and Stackers.
In system three push rakes and
stackers are used. This system came
Into general uso n number of years
ngo In the region from nbout tho nine
tieth meridian to tho Irrigated sections
of tho West.
A lnrge percentage of tho hay In this
part of the country is stacked; and
tho comparatively largo nerenges
grown, plenllfulness of horses, scarc
ity of form labor, and desire to mnko
hay with tho lenst amount of hand la
bor were Incentives to tho uso of theso
two mnchlnes.
Push rnkes, nlso known ns "bull
rakes," "go devils," "sllp-nrounds,"
consist of whcelless, two, thrco nnd
four-wheel types. They nro capable
of handling from COO pounds to a ton
of hay, depending upon tho' type, tho
skill of tho driver and tho team.
Thero nro Foveral kinds of stackers,
tho overshot nnd swing-around being
tho most common, nome-mndo stack
ers arc of various kinds, such ns "gin
Doles," derrick stackers of different
kinds, nnd Inclines for handling hny
from tho largo one-ton push rakes.
Tho push rake nnd stacker make an
admirable combination, since nearly
nil of tho work of getting the hny from
tho field to tho stuck Is dono by horse
power. The push rako takes 'the hny
from tho windrow or hunch to tho
stnJr, where It Is dropped ou tho
stacker nnd elevated onto tlio stack
by horses.
Theso Implements enn bo used with
smnll crews, consisting of two men, up
to crews of twelve or moro men.
Baling Hay In tho Field.
In system four tho hny Is baled In
tho field and push rakes nnd n power
press nro used.
Tho practlco of baling In tho Hold
from the windrow began In tho scml
arld middle West, where there Is but
llttlo dunger of rain Interfering. It
has long been believed that hay is not
In condition to bo bnled until It hns
gone through tho "swent" In tho barn
or stack. This process Is usually fin
ished from thrco to sir weeks from tho
tlmo tho hny is made.
In tho West, growers of pratrlo and
ulfalfn hay for tho market realized
that If it wero possible to balo hay
from tho windrow n considerable sav
ing of time nnd labor could bo made.
This saving would consist of n lnrgo
pnrt of the cost of putting tho hay
Into tho stnek. They nlso began to
doubt tho necessity of allowing the
hay to go through tho "sweat" before
It could bo safely baled. Repeated tri
als and enreful study hnvo shown that
a good quality of hay can bo mndo
when bnled from tho windrow under
certnln conditions. At tho present
time hay Is being bnled from tho cock
In pnrts of tho South.
Conditions Should Be Right
Ilay baled from tho windrow often
spoils so badly that it becomes unfit
for feeding. This troublo Is some
times experienced by beginners nnd
moro especially when alfalfn or other
legumo hny Is baled. Thero ure thrco
causes for this. First, tho hay will
not keep unless It Is well cured In tho
field, It being necessnry to cure It out
moro thoroughly than when It Is to bo
put Into tho stnclc. Spcond, hay that
Is baled when pnrtly wet with dew or
rain Is very Hnblo to spoil. Third, hay
Is liable to spoil when tho bales nro
Improperly . stored by being pneked
away closo together. In many cases If
tho boles nro placed on edge with an
nlr spnee of nn Inch or two between,
nnd tho next layer placed crosswlsa
with spaces there will bo much less
danger of heating and spoiling.
CAN HELP FARMERS
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(Prepared by the United Slates
Department of Agriculture.)
Each town, under tho lender
ship of Its most uctivo spirits,
such ns Its chamber of com
merce or county council of de
fense, Itself should immedlnto- J.
jy mni0 n survey or all able
bodied men who huve had farm
experience nnd obtain pledges
to spend n day or two out of
each week, or a week If need be,
out of tho month at tho periods
of greatest demand, in order to
help tho farmers. Thero nro
mnny men working In tho towns S
whoso places can be taken by
tho women. I havo In mind par- J
tlcularjy men waiters, elevator -
boys, and clerks whoso work
can bo well substituted, If tho
business sentiment of the town
will net resolutely and persundo
employers to uso women tem
porarily In order that tho men
may be released for farm labor
as tho occasion niny require.
Clarence Ousley, Assistant Sec
retary of Agriculture.
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PLAN PRODUCTS FOR MARKET
Cans, Jars and Other Containers'
Should Be Uniform In Pack, Ap
pearance and Quality.
(Preparod by tho Up'.tod States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
Ono of tho first essentials to sntls
factory marketing nrrnngements Is
standardized products. Cans, Jars, and
other containers should bo uniform In
pack, appearance, quality, and condi
tion. Every container which Is fully
up to tho standard represented by tho
label or brand will then bo an adver
tisement In itself nnd often a guaranty
to further purchases.