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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 1914)
THE SEMIAVEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRA8KA. WORK WITH THE SUMMER POULTRY FLOCK -ir-CARL CfflJRZ VRGDMAN 'PUBU3HED OY COURTESY 0fJtmYA,mf1Ck COJIMHYt 'Mik ' &P&$&Ps& Wl I T D A Mil BSafeM ,m,mmmgm zmmmm &Mrmmmmm, d&Gsr ra&rr 'I I I I -ra gWHMaMB . JMKiiag ,4 -fig T'av i P$M&. r- 4 N SWITZERLAND the way to got lib out tlio country, if one' has tho time and energy, 1b .not by moans of Us railways, nor of Its splendid system of diligences, nor yet by automobile, but simply and Joyfully on foot, for, In order to seo Switzerland aright, one must ubo bis foot ns well as bis eyes. Ono summer which wo dovotea to doing Switzerland, or rather ti part of it, in this primitive fashion, I still recall with a keen sensu of exhilaration and delight.' Early ono morning about the middle of Juno, with heavy hob-nallcd bootB on our feet, stout walking sticks in our band3 and knapsacks on our backs, wo Bet forth to walk from Thuals over tho .Tuller pass Into tho Engadlno. Toward noon wo snatched an hour's nap at n wayside inn, after lunching on brook trout fresh from ' tho water and vegetables fresh from the earth. Wo Btoppcd for the night In tt little mountain vlllngo wlioro tho charge at tho hotol for brenkfaBt and a largo corner room with polished hard-wood Hoar, hand--woven and hand-embroidered linen sheets and three daintily curtained windows framing mag nificent panoramas of snow mountains and cas cades, amounted to 48 centa each! Tho pic turesquo little proprietress apologetically ex plained that tho extras which wo had so recklosalj incurred in tho way of eggs and Jam for break fast woro responsible for the swollen proportions of tho bill. , i It seemed llko (lying In tho fnco of Providence to hurry awny at oiico. so,' yielding to tho protest of olir tired feet nnd the combined charms of tho place, tho proprietress and tho prices, wo stopped another day In thl Uttlo patch of paradise and etartcd oft next morning refreshed in body and bouI, for our threo dayB' trip by easy stagoB down iuto the vnlloy of tho Engadlno. Making our hoadnuartors In St. Moritz, we walked all over this enchanting region, soolng It in Its most glorious season, tho month of flowers, when the floldB aro shot with ovory color of tho rainbow and Alpine roses run riot over all the hills, while starry gontlatiB make tholr part of tho earth as bluo os tho aky and panslos and but tercups in tho valloy spread a cloth of pure gold for one's foot. From St. Moritz wo sot out for a week's walk ing trip to Andontiatt through ono of the least tourist-spoiled regions of Switzerland, stopping en routo at little chalet hotels, whoro wo ato, Orank nnd Blopt with all the Joy and Borne of tho power of tho virile, voracloiiB racos of primi tive man. At tho top of tho Oberalp paBS the proprietor of tho hotel welcomed us ns Noah might havo wolcomod tho dove that rqturndd to tho nrk with tho first sign of dry land. Thus far, tho poor man told us, his season had been so superlatively bad that his family had boon obliged to oat meat! As we woro somewhat puzzled by this para doxical utterance, he hustuncd to explain that In tho absenco of guests (and I might add, cold stor age facilities) there was nothing to do with tho meat on hnnd but to allow tho family to oat It. Judging from his attitude wo could lnmglno tho Bort of chastened pleasure with which hla house hold must havo partaken of this feast which, whllo undoubtedly ministering to tholr carnal ttmtlsfactlon, betokened tholr financial undoing, From the pass wo made a side excursion to lit tle lake Toran tho source of tho Rhone on our way down to Andermatt, 'where wo Inspected, as much ns Is allowable to forolgners, the nptendtd fortifications which tho Swiss promptly erected on tho St. Gothnrd pass when Itnllnu imperialism threatened to rob them of tholr Itallan-Bpeaklng cantons. Tho Swiss army Is ono of tho most remnrkablo of her institutions. It is the Ideal toward which iho common pooplo of every European country, weighed down with taxes for hugo standing ar mies, turn with louglng and hopo. Tho SwIbh havo ft wonderful syBtom of militia which b&vos millions of money to tho taxpayors and yonro of freedom from military sorvlco to tho soldiers. Practically all Swiss servo In the mllltln and re nerves. Tho training thus received would be in nultlcient woro it not preceded and supplemented hy military trnlnlug for boys In school,- nnd rlfio practlco every yoar by virtually the entire mule population. In this highly original and economical way lit tin Switzerland, with n population of leas than three millions of pooplo. actually bus at her beck and call an army of 3117,000 of the moat martial ooldlora in Europe, armed, equipped and ready U take tho Hold at nn hour'a notice. Leaving Andermatt wo" crossed tho Furka pass Into the Rhono valloy and In tho course of the summer to walked over a number of puasos, tho Albula, Brunlg, Qop'tnl, Moldcn, Augstburg und 'CfmtJ. If I I M ! lH ' i II dmpfJ&z-grf&iDjra? j&ZXZJS, 2&tzutfrj3 vmrzszz Tote Nolr, each with Its own special vnrlety of Alpine scenery. None of these, however, opened up n viow that could compare in grandeur of form and mass and mysterious beauty of color nnd Bhado with that which stretched out beforo us as wo reached tho summit of tho Furkn and looked westward ovor miles of glaciers, inter twined with green valleys nnd surrounded on nil sides by chain after chain of snow-covored, cloud capped mountains In an ocean of sunset glory. On our walking trips It was Interesting to watch tho faces of people who passed us In dili gences, carriages or automobiles; some as they whirled by looked down upon us with plutocratic Bcom, others with Indifference or surprise, but thofio who realized what they wero missing must have envied un as wo strode nlong, Inhaling great drnughts of puro ozono, stopping to rost or read, or oat or sleep, whenever wb wished, and always carrying with us tho exultant sense of personal, physical triumph ovor this proud old Alpine world. Hut wo woro by no means total abstainers from tho pleasures of occasional drives, whlclv, lent added zest to oifr tramps. Ono drlvo which wo took ovor tho Grlmsol pass Is lndollbly Impressed on my memory. Having blistered our feet on tho trip to tho OrlmBel Hosplco wo limped ig nomlnously Into tho hostelry and requested tho proprietor to send us some liniment. Quick to triko ndvantngo of tho situation, he Inquired whether wo would not llko a carriage for the rest of tho Journoy to Molrlngon. "It Is not much moro expensive than tho dili gence" he explained, "nnd of course thoro aro many advantages In "having one's own private equipage" The picture ho drew of us rolling nlong In luxury proved so attructlvo that wo at onco fell In with his Buggcstlon. When our turnout was announced we descended in state, preceded by tho porter, tho concierge, tho proprietor and tho head waiter, all of whom had lent their distinguished services In tho mat ter of the carrlago transaction and had beon re warded accordingly. ' So great was our constornatlon on bolng told that a rlckoty victoria drawn by a braying mulo was dur much vaunted "equlpago" and so ludi crous was tho wholo situation that wo woro too nonplussed to protest. Moreover, tho mulo waa braying so vigorously that uny remarks wo might havo inndo would havo beon hopoleasly swallowed up In tho noisy confusion of our exit. Such a ride as that would bo hard to duplicate at any price. The road twisted and writhed along tho precipitous side of a deep gorgo through which pouivsd a mountain torrent. This gorgo waa sufficiently awe-inspiring oven when contom- dioff-Typj?or rowszr&wmrr vaiis plated from a safe distance, but our mulo had no Idoa of safe distance. His one thought seemed to be to leap the precipice, while tho driver's frantic efforts to frustrate these suicidal nnd homicidal attempts were badly seconded by a pair of feeblo and worn looking reins and a brake, which, at critical moments, refused to work, thus precipi tating the carriage upon the already overwrought and almost hysterical mule. Every time wo rounded a corner we held our breath In terror, for turning corners In this vehi cle was a painfully precarious performance. When tho prancing mule had safely negotiated the turn tho crisis was by no means past, Blnce the currlage wheels were Buffering from some Internal disorder that made them slide and slip, wabble nnd pitch forward rather than roll, while the hurness, being pieced with ends of rope and bits of string, was In imminent danger of collapse. About an hour utt er we had started, hearing tho diligence with its six Bure-foot-ed horses coming up at full speed, we mod estly directed tho driver to turn aside, hoping tho passengers would be enjoying the scenery too much to havo any eyes for us. Hut just as the dili gence came abreast of our "equipage," the mulo, having no tasto for obscurity, lifted up his voice high above the noise of tho waters and the .star tled tourists, turning with ono accord to look back at us, passed speedily out of our sight in a gulo of laughter. I)y this time, suffor i.ig moro from wound ed pride than from blistered feet, we me chanically repeated the words of tho ho tel proprietor: "A carriage is not much moio expenslvo than tho diligence and of courso thero aro many advantages in having one's own private equipage." The last days of summer wore now gone, and, according to our original plan our pedestrian tour had come to an end. But when tho time came to get into a stuffy train at Melr Ingen and return to tho Bmoke and bustle of civilization we de cided that It was Impossible to leave Switzerland without at least one snow mountain to our credit. Accordingly, Instead of securing railway tickets wo engaged two guides nnd set off for the Ewlg schneehom, a mountain which is only 11,000 hijgh, but which commundH one. of tho finest pano ramas in tho high Alps and, In good weather, ac cording to Baedeker, "presents llttlo dlfflculty to adepts." Unfortunately, however, by thus starting from n point only 2,00p feet above sea level, wo gave oursolvoB a climb of 9,000 feet, which Is over 2.0.W feet moro than from tho Eggjahorn , hotol to the top of tho Jungfrau. Wo slept thnt night on straw between huge woolen blnnkets in an Alpine hut built by the SwIbs Alpine club for the freo use of nil passers by. As we woro drenched from walking nil day in the rain and there was baroly enough wood on hnnd to mako tea and heat our canned soup, wo wero forced next morning nt four o'clock to get into ley clothes. , ' There is nothing more dangerous on such trips ns this than now-fallen snow, which conceals tho crevnsses yawning In the glacier beneath. Wo woro all roped together and as tho head guide Eounded tho snow with his ice axe at every Btop, our progress necessarily wns slow and monotonous. Hut when tho Ice nx suddenly re vealed that we were on tho brink of a snow, covered crovasso which was a veritable death trap, we realized thnt our guide's precautions woro neither perfunctory nor excessive. A few minutes later nn avalanche, carrying tons of biiow, Ico and boulders, came tonrlng down about five vnrds to our right, bit so stimulated wero we bv the altitude and the novelty of the situation that we felt no emotion save a sort of Intoxica tion of ecstasy and awe. In every direction, as far as tho oye could reach, was a region of dazzling white of llfoless, endless winter. Wo wero tired and cold nnd hungry nnd wet, but our keenest nnd dominant sensation was ono of exhilaration. A now aspect of nature hud been opened to our viow. Cold she was, and cruel. In this mood, but Incomparably bouutlful and puro. And when at last wo turned our faces toward the fumlllnr lower levels, It was with n feeling of exultation that this onco, nti least, It had been our prlvllego to trend these cor ridors of (lowing lee, to hoar the thunder of the avalanche, to gazo fnco to fucu upon tho Jungfrau. the queen of tho Bernese Alps, with hor court of snowy giants nnd to enter, ns it wero, tho vory holy of hollos of this mighty temple of na ture to which pilgrims Hock frcm tho ends of tho onrth n temple not built with hands, whiter than mnrhlo as enduring as the world itself an.! reaching to tho .ery heavens. Poultry Farm Showing Houses to Accommodate 25 Birds on Each Sldo, ' With Lots Set Out In Young Apple Trees and Corn Growing Between tho Rows. It docs not require much hard work to keep n flock in good condition in tho summer, but absolute neglect will often completely destroy tho winter egg producing qualities of not only tho old hens, but tho pullets as well. If you havo not removed every win dow in tho chicken houso and substi tuted wire netting in order to provide perfect ventilation, do so now. Better that tho chicks roost in tho trees than that they should bo con lined in a vermin ridden building. Body lico will worry a flock to death, or so nearly so aB to destroy its use fulness. These can be killed but not easily. Persian insect powder will do tho business. It should bo applied with n powdor given by ono person whilo another holds tho fowls by tho legs so that tho powdor may reach every part of the skin through tho disturbed feathers. The youngsters should bo ex amined frequently now for slgnB of tho big head lice, because unless they aro disposed of they will kill tho chicks. Tho only thing necessary is to rub tho heads and under parts very gently with a tiny bit of lard or some other kind of grease The red lice aro even worso than PROPER HENS FOR HATCHING Select Those Which Have Proved Good Mothers and One Which Has Just Commenced to Sit. (By ELIZABETH PUTNAM.) If hens aro used for hatching, select whoro possible, those which have proved good mothers. As a rulo thi3 maternal ability will provo tho samo from year to year, and those which havo debcrted or broken eggs careless ly will in all probability prove unfaith ful to tho end. If a hen has already been broody for a week or two, sho may grow tired before tho eggs hatch. Choose preferably ono that has just commenced to sit. Fill tho corners of her box with road dust or ashes. Lay In a heavy sheet cf paper saturated with kerosene. Add more dust or ashes, and lastly straw snrinkled with insect powder. Give her the eggs at night. It is sometimes advisable to throw an old piece of car pet over tho nest for a day or so until she is fully settled. Keep food, grit, water and dusfc bath whero she can havo access to them dally, but watch that she does not leave her nest for moro than half an hour at a time unless the weather is vory warm. Tho shipping of day-old chicks has come to bo quite a business. As they need not feed for tho first 48 hours this plan is feasible and those having no facilities for hatching and yet de siring well bred chicks are glad to nvail thcmsolves of tho opportunity, tho usual price being about ten cents each. Tho average brooder will safely handlo just about half the number of chicks for which it is claimed to bo mado. Crowding Is almost certain to bring dlro results. Bo chary of the home-mado brooder with lantern heat. Thero is danger of asphyxiation unless it is properly constructed. Cull out tho scrubs and unprofitable members of the flock. Breed up con tinually. Feed well and in variety. Supply grit and oyster shell, and re momber that clean water ie a neces sity. Keep the fowls comfortable and freo from vermin. And then if they aro not pro'lltable, do not rest satisfied un til you havo hunted out tho reason for thero surely is one. tho big fellows and must bo continual" ly fought. They will quickly sap tho, vitality of a flock and bo weaken, it that it is practically useless. Tho interior of tho chicken houso should bo thoroughly sprayed over ev ery squaro inch with kerosono into at gallon of which two tablcspoonfuls of carbolic acid should bo mixed. If this job is thoroughly done and, the out3ldo heavily whitewashed and, tho work ropeated beforo the flock hasi settled for tho winter, no trouble 1b likely to result. More harm results to flocks during; tho summer months than at any othen time, owing to tho neglect of their! owners to keep the house and tho1 bodies of tho birds clean. Let tho fowls havo as wide rango as; possible, but if they must be cqnfined.i give them plenty of shade and dig up tho ground frequently. Supply thom with fresh leaves andj grass, clean drinking water and the! right kind of feed and your fowls will! go Into tho winter months in good form. This work must bo done every day, not two or threo times during tho summer. You cannot hopo for tho best with fowls unless willing to givo them necessary attention. HAWKS, CROWS AND SKUNKS, Three Most Dangerous Enemies of, Chicken Fancier, But They Can Be Trapped or Frightened Avay. It is pretty safe to say that at leasti one-tenth of tho chickens hatched arof destroyed by some specle3 of carniv-, ora. I used to lose on an average 100' chicks a year by hawks until I got a, dog and trained him, a writer in New York Sun says. After that I did not f lose any, so as a euro for hawks I placo a good dog first; second, a gun, and third, a steel trap fastened by a. chain to a polo jn tho chicken yards.- Shoot ono or two hawks and hang. , tho carcasses on toll poles, and they " i aro a warning against others. Thoj) hawk wants his meat alive, so you i have some idea how to fight him; but , tho crow is not particular whether lt " is dead or alive. He takes it any way' that comes handy and is more ingen ious in his methods of getting It. It lsi generally a caso of watching, with tC f shotgun handy, for Mr. Crow, as ho is. much too cunning to bo caught in aJ trap. j Tho skunk can bo caught with a, trap, and if ho has beon in a chicken' house and left undisturbed you cant count on your gnmo if you go to that trouble. Leave tho houso with chick-, ens in it just as it was, but closo upi all entrances to it but right whoro you! are going to set tho trap. Then set tho trap, securing it to a stout stako and covering with grass or haj'. Mr.', Skunk surely will como back and walki riglit into tho trap unless your neigh-; bor has caught him. INFERTILE EGGS IN DEMAND- Absolutely No Necessity for Keeping, Roosters With Hens After Breeding Season Is Over. Allow Free Range. Both hen nnd chicks should bo al lowed freo range after tho chicks aro a few days old, to pick up a largo sharo of tholr living, but in addition it Is a good plan to feed them at night and to givo them all thoy will oat, a3 they will grow faster and will either bo marketable at an earlier ago or volgh moro, and consequently bring more, nt a given time. Care of Water Vessels. Fill tho water fountains at least twico a day this hot weather. Scald them out frequently, for even fresh water leaves a stale scum on vessels nt thla season. A fresh pleco of char coal should ho placed in tho water vos eel onco a week all summer. ' Poultry Essentials. Feed plenty of clean, wholesome food and water, and provldo plenty of clean dry nests la a clean poultry house. (By J. A. IIELMREICH, Colorado Ex periment Station.) Thero is absolutely no reason for keeping tho male birds with the laying hens after tho breeding season is over. Some people seem to think that the rooster has to bo with tho hens in or der to get eggs; this is not true. On tho contrary, careful experiments havo proven that a flock of laying hons will actually produce moro eggs without tho malo birds running with them. Infertile eggs are always in demand, for they will stand shipping, keep in hot weather and bring top prices oa tho market. It is also a mistaken idea that fortllo eggs havo to bo In an in cubator before tho germ grows and develops. Tho growth will tako placo, no matter whether tho egg3 are in an Incubator, In a hot country store, In a hot living room, in wagon en routo to mnrket ovor a hot country road, or ox posed to heat in any other manner or placo. Eggs aro among tho most per Ishablo of all foods. A fortilo egg kent Nn a warm room will becomo unfit for human food almost as quickly as milk, because of tho germs developing, whllo nninfertilo egg will keep for two woeks undor tho samo conditions whlch will causo a fortllo egg to bo come unfit for human food in twenty-, four hours. Charcoal and Grit Tor Chlcka. Keop tho charcoal and grit where. chickB may havo freo access to it. II A I 1 ,