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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1915)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. Y EVENTS OF THE DAY HELD TO FEW LINES. LATE EVENTS BOILED FROM MA ""lion l"u!ttrTlZiy ahteM B M m M place peopled with tho memories MXWMXBmtS i of days gone by. with largo room. M i AjSk open fireplaces, the well of puro .r-Mg JtS&j water, fruit trees very much nog- CfvCk .x-oSsSiVj ... l.w?-' - " - 'H "Wf j lected but quickly brought back to ii-ZT'' : r-- ' -J productive vigor, tho barn greon rr1 sT&Xs S. JT -r L i III with age and many storms, sound In Its original timbers as of yore, fence corners overgrown to bush and shrubs, n general air of sad neglect, yet having the appearance of having once been a productive and carefully tended farm. To othors they signify till that tho namo Im plies run-down places abandoned by owners who could no longer make them pay or even fur nish enough money to koc them up In repair; places with old, dilapidated houses, dlsusod wells, tumble-down barns and unproductive lands. Thero nre many farmB to fit both descriptions, those of tho latter description being the truo "abandoned" farms, while there aro many of tho former which, while- run down, can bo brought back eventually to tho "near" equivalent of their onotlmo value. These old housos havo that peculiarly disagree nblo smell of aged wood, and If very old will have those fireplaces of antique pattern, entirely unsultcd to present-day needs, but perfect dis tributors of soot. In most places whoro those old fireplaces and chlmnoys exist, It wore hotter far to havo pulled down nnd replaced with chimneys built on ap proved modern linos, which would bo not only safer, more sanitary and moro pleasing In ap pearance, but probably add room to tho house to bo utilized as a hallway or vestibule, gaining a two-fold advantage. Theso old chlmnoys har bor rats and mlco, and prove delightfully convon lent for theso peats to travel at will over tho entire structure. I am convinced that tho man of moderate moans buying a farm should not move on to tho placo until early In tho spring, for those rea sons: Tho cost of living through tho winter with a comparatively small income, buying vege tables which tho land should supply another year, keoplng up tho payments on Insurance, taxos, lntorest, etc., becomes a serious drain on a small capital, and should bo very seriously considered. In my lgnoranco I thought living on a farm would be cheap, as compared to that of the city, but I found I paid higher prices for all commodi ties, owing' to there bolng no competition, and no chanco to study bargains. One's nolghborB de mand market prices for produco and ono pays top prices for nil farm stock purchasod. Tho main question was to obtain a monthly income whorowlth to moot expenses through tho wlntor, and my thoughts turned to cows. Hero again I lost out Buying flvo head of cows for $310, I cpont con Bldorablo money for oxpenslvo food before I saw any returns at all from tho sale of tho milk. Ono cow was fresh when purchased, two wero to calve the following month, the fourth In two months, and tho fifth In four months, though at that tlmo she was giving about eight quarts of milk per day. As a matter of fact, two wore fed two months and ton days before calving, tho fourth, a heifer, was fed threo monthB, and tho fifth six months before freshening. The man I bought from gave mo a square deal, as far as ho could, but ho was uncertain of his freshening dates. Tho cows wero fed liberally, a well-balanced ration, and threo months after purchase milk was sold to tho town creamery on contract at 32 cents per can of olght nnd one-half quarts, and as tho maximum of milk production was flvo caiiB, the profits, If tho flvo-can production could bo maintained, was largely mythical. Had I bought ton or twelvo cows ns good as thoso I did buy, my profits would havo boon moro tangible, and had T bought cows just fresh, oven paying $10 more per cow, I should havo sustained no loss. About fifteen tons of hay had been cut tho provlous Bummor, which, being stored In the barn, wont with tho farm, so that only tho corn moal, bran, linseed meal and roots used wero paid for In cash. Figuring tho feed at the mar ket prices, there was a posBlblo profit of 3 per month per cow during tho period of greatest lactation. This Is not taking Into consideration tho cost of tho Ico during tho summor or tho labor of caring for oven bo small a herd as flvo cows. Where the arrange ments for feeding and watering aro incon venient, but little tlmo is left during winter days for any other work, as the milk must be carried to tho creamery, the barn and cows thor oughly cleaned every day, feed nnd roots cut up, milk cans scalded, and many other small chores to bo done. Ono could handlo twice the num ber of cows with little more work. Ono must bo pre pared to feed full rations up to Juno, or after, and ns hay becomes more oxpenslve just before grass time, It is advisable to buy such additional hay as may bo needed while the price is low. Boar in mind that a cow needs to bo fed liberally of mllk-formlng foods. Meager feeding will very materially reduco the mllkftow and make it dif ficult, perhaps Impossible, to bring tho cow back to her former output. Usually tho fences on these old New England farms consist of stone walls considerably out of repair, which afford convenient homes for wood chucks, skunks and rabbits, the lawful prey of the hunter or trapper. The hunter rarely re members to rebuild where he has pulled down tho stones In his quest for game. Those walls are supplemented with one or two strands of wiro along the top, fastened to driven posts, and If examined closely will bo found to need a great deal of repair before they will ef fectually turn stock. Tho walls have such odd lines that they convey the Impression of having been tho result of a haphazard disposal of the rocks and stones taken from tho land, rather than that of a well-defined plan of dividing Into meadows and pastures. The wisest plan Is to take time enough in tho early spring to put the pasture fences In good repair, as at that time one can work to better advantage among bare treos, and enn see moro clearly where tho walls need extra attention. If this 1b left until tho stock get tho "wander lust," time will have to be taken from planting or haying, and it then becomes moro tiresome and expensive Personal, Political, Foreign and Other Intelligence Interesting to tho General Readers. FARMING FOR TERRAPIN By A. D. HART A few ycarB ago, It looked as It tho famous diamond back terrapin was doomed to extermination. Tho eupply was rapidly decreasing and tho prlco was becoming prohlbltlvo. Then tho experts of tho United States bu reau of fisheries bogan their Investi gations, and as a result of a number of years of study and experiments, a profitable Industry has been Baved to tho 8outh and another aourco of food nupply saved from extinction. This valuablo work haB boon carried on largely at tho laboratory of tho bu reau of fisheries at Beaufort, N. C. It was begun In 1909 with tho establish ment of a small pound on tho shoro of an Island In tho harbor, In which C5 maturo terrapin were placed. In building tho pond a very favor ablo location was obtained, contain ing tho groatcst variety of natural environment, including dry sandy ground, always abovo wator, suitable for crawling and laying, grnsBy ground usually abovo wator, farther down a muddy tidewater marsh, and still far thcr a soft muddy bottom covered with never Icbb than two foot of con- Btantly changing salt wator, with tho rise and fall of the tide. During tho past flvo years tho pound haa boon enlarged from tlmo to tlmo, to ac commodato tho ever-Increasing family of little terrapin. A houso, 25x15 foot In Blze, for use In winter, has aUo boon built, with glass sldo facing tho south. Hero many of tho youug aro Kept in wooden tanks with sloping bottomB, the lower end containing two or threo inches of water. Theso terrapin nro fed twlco a week, with llsh, fresh or salted, while others of tho stuno hatching nro al lowed to hlbornate In certain sections of tho pound, ns thoy would do undor natural conditions, From among tho first hatchings of 1909 a few havo attained a growth of Hvo InchcB, measuring along tho plas tron, or lower shell. Theso were turned loose during tho paBt summor among tho older ones In "ho gonoral breeding ground. From tto hutch of 1910, 295 young wero socured; 420 In 1911, and 9G0 In 1912. With tho closo of tho breeding sea son of 1913, 1,450 llttlo oneB wore tak en from tho hatchory. As In former years theso havo been distributed to smaller compartments containing salt wator and Band. By protecting tho young In this way a very largo per- contago nro saved that, undor natural conditions In n wild state, would have been destroyed, being proyed upon,. especially during tho first year whon tholr shells are soft by all manner of marsh fowl, as well as by ratB, crowB, mink, hogs, crabs, etc. Information furnished the bureau by fishormon, natters, shell llshermon, terrapin hunters thoso who mako their living from theso and kindred occupations, nnd who are always on tho lookout for tho highly prized ter rapin, confirm tho statcmout that it Is exceedingly rare to find a diamond back terrapin undor two years of ngo In a wild state. Owing to tholr do fensolessness during tho first and bcc- ond years, it is fair to nssumo that a greater percentage aro destroyed than Burvlvo. In captivity tho records of tho laboratory show that 96 por cont of tho young nro Bavoa. Provlous to tho season of 1913 nil terrapin hatched on tho laboratory grounds had been from natlvo stock takon In tho immediate vicinity of Beaufort. For experimental purposes, during tho lato summor nnd fall of 1912, over ono hundred adults from widely dlfforont sections of tho coun try wero added, some coming from tho Chesapeake and many largo ones from Toxob. Among tho latter la ono female meaaurlng moro than olght Inches on tho lower shell. The ad dltlon of this stock accounts for the groat lncrcaso over former years In tho number of young nlrcady taken from tho hatching beds. Tho mothods employed by tho government havo necessarily boon along tho slow and tedious road of research, invostlga tlon nnd experiment, until tho life his tory and hablta of tho nnlmalB havo been learned. It then beenmo possi ble to formulate plans for propaga tion and cultivation of tho speclea un dor consideration. By tho addition of the now stock, a now terrapin variety has been pro duced. On omorglng from its sandy bod ono day in August last, tho new comor proved to bo a plnk-oyed al bino, with upper and lower shells, head, feet and tall a puro whlto. It's a wlso terrapin that knows Its own mother, and all that tho officials know about it la that It camo from tho beds containing tho mixed stock. Encouraged by tho government's successful experiments In rnlBlng dia mond backs, a company has recently beon incorporated In Beaufort, N. C, for a similar purpose. A short front near the termlnuB of the Inlund Wa terway canal, containing about four acres, was obtained, and this was In- cloaed on threo sldea by concroto wnllB. Tho water front is 340 foot In length, and the depths of tho grounds 190 feet. Within tho lnclosuro nro threo separato pounds, with amplo wire grating on tho outer sldo to In Buro puro and constantly changing salt wntor with tho tldo. Slnco tho completion of theso pounds, thoy hnvo been stocked with 3,200 terrapin. Eleven hundred of these aro maturo females of laying slzo nnd age, the remainder being from two inches to flvo Inches In length. Theso torrapln havo beon pur chased from tlmo to time, many of thorn out of season by special pormlt from tho stato authorities, for breed' lng purposes and to encourngo propa gntlon. It Ib Interesting to learn that 820 young wero takon from tho hatch lng beds during tho past soason. Pursuing tho samo policy adopted at tho government hatchery, this com pany allows tho old stock to hlbernato whllo tho young aro warmly housed and fed. It bus beon noted at the gov- ornmont pounds that hlbornnUon usu any begins about October 20. ThU. howevor, la not a hard and fast ruin, as many of tho older ones aro seen during warm days lator In tho fall, crawling lazily around, oven after they havo beon for a tlmo In their win ter quarters. Another fact In connection with the artificial raising of terrapin la Inter estlng. WhereaB tho averago number of eggs during a season from ono fe malo In tho natural stato baa been olght, the females In tho government hatchery havo averaged fourteen eggs each. It Is well known that turtlos of all spccleB can oxlst for a long tlmo on very llttlo food If forced to do so. By being woll fed and well cared for, not only a larger number of eggs aro obtained, but It is found that they often mako a doublo laying: this la especially tho case in tho Carollnas, whero tho temperaturo and tho wator remain warm much longer than In waters farther north. It will bo recognized that, In a prl vato ontorprlBo of this character, to in sure success and pormnnency, nbso luto clennllnoss is imperative, for it will bo seen from tho govornmont re searches that tho natural habitat of tho terrapin la on tho open, tldo-swopt marshes, far removed from anything of an unBanltnry nnture. Every thoughtful citizen will appreciate tho fact that broad scientific methods heretofore used on lnnd rathor than on sea, aro to bo employed to enablo ub to reallzo from tho water nn Ira provod food aupply. The watera can bo fnrmod almost as systematically as tho land. Man bus beon farming tho land for 5,000 years. Now, largely through tho in telllgcnt admlnlatrntlon of tho bureau of tlahorlea, constwlso residents of the United States nro beginning to dls cover how to promoto increase of or gaulzed llfo In tho adjneont waters That this can bo nccompllahed by In Ulllgontly directed effort Is no longer a matter of theory. Not only through artificial aide In propagation, but a properly arranged protective system for tho young, almost evory fish that swims, or that lives in a shell, caii bo mado moro abundant. WAR JNEWS. General Antonio Cnntoro has boon killed in battle on the Isonzo front. Ho is the first ofllcer of that rank lost by Italy. French diplomats in Paris believe negotiations for Rumania's entry into tho wnr on the side of tho allies has been arranged. Throe persons wero killed and twenty injured by nn explosion of a British army dirigible in a hangar at Wormwood Scrubs. " The casualties In tho British army nnd navy have reached a total of 330,995, according to a printed state ment issued by Premier Asqulth. The Empress of Germany has vis ited von Ilindcnburg's quarters at Al lenstein and It is believed that Em peror William has arranged to mako state entry Into Warsaw. German submarines, according to a telegram received In Amsterdam from Berlin, have sunk In tho war zone up to July 25, 229 English vessels, thirty other hostile ships and six neutral craft. Amsterdam dispatches to London sny It is ofllciaUy stated in Berlin that threo allied airmen appeared over Freiburg and dropped several bombs. Ono civilian was killed and six civilians wero wounded. The first live months of the , war cost France exactly G,G43;000,000 francs ($1,282,099,000). This is shown by tho rOpprt of the Budget commit tee on supplementary military' and naval credits just issued in Paris. The new Dutchlands bill adopted by the Netherlands first chamber pro vides for an eventual increase in tho total trnlned soldiers of Holland to approximately 550,000 officers and men, instead of 330,000, who are now under arms. The French submarine Mariotte was destroyed by a German subma rine on July 26 in the narrows of the Dardenelles, according to dispatches from Constantinople. Thirty-one members of tho French submarine's crew wero captured. A dispatch from Madrid to Berlin News ncency says the Spanish news- paper, A. B. C, reports from Rome that tho pope Is preparing a great action through tho Episcopate of the belligerent countries with the object of securing an nrmistlce. Tho American steamer Leelanaw has been sunk by a Gorman subma rine off the Orkney Islands. The commander of tho submarine stopped the Leelanaw and, finding that she was carrying contratnyid, ordered her crew off and sent the vessel to the bottom. Two American bluejackets wero killed In an nttack by nativoB on Port Au Prince, Haiti, hold by Rear Admi ral Caperton with 400 mon from tho cruiser Washington. Ton of the 131 guards arrested la connection with strlko riots at Bay onne, N. J., wero hold for tho grand Jury on chnrges of inciting to riot after a hearing in Jersey City. Former Govornor Eugeno N. Fobs, president of tho Becker Milling Ma chine company and a committee of tho striking cmplcyes of the plant conferred again at Boston without reaching a settlement of their differ ences over wages. Kansas farmers will harvest 115, "00,000 bushels of winter wheat this year, according to the estimate based' on conditions July 24 In tho July re port of the Knnsas State Board of Agriculture. Continuous rains and hall during the harveBt sonaon hive cost the stato 23,000,000 bushels of wheat. A spot six times the tlinmeter of tho eartli was observed upon the sun by astronomers at Christian Brothers college at St. Louts. The spot appear ed on the edge of tho disk recently and will bo vlslblo until August 10. It first appeared last February and now Is on Its seventh rotation with thjo sun. . Washington is making elaborate preparations for tho forlj-nlnth an nual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic to bo held September 27 to October 3, next Government officials and people of Washington are extending invitations to the peo plo of tho country to visit the na tional capital during G. A. R. week. ri-INERA L. Tho California board of control asked tho state board of agriculture to permit no moro automobile or mo torcycle races on tho track at tho Btate fair grounds at Sacramento. Louisville, Ky., was chosen at San Francisco by the North American Gymnasium Union, for the 1917 con vention city. Brooklyn, N. Y., was named for tho next national turnfest, the dato of which will be llxed by the national board of directors. Governor H. D. Hatfield granted conditional pardons at Charleston to live former members of the West Vir ginia legislature who were convicted In Auguat, 1913, of having accepted bribes to vote for William Seymour Edwards for United States senator. ' Charles Becker, former police lieu tenant of New York, twlco convicted for instigating the murder of Herman Rosenthal, paid tho penalty of his life in tho electric chair In Sing Sing prison. Ho protested his innocence to the very ln8t. Hibbing. Minn., with 10,000 popu intlnn. 1ms asked tho stato militia to run tho town because mln lng companies havo refused to pay taxes. The town is $1,000,000 in debt. United States Marshal Mlddlebrook nnd Deputy Marshal Hawley began serving notlcea for foreclosures upon 105 persona in Danbury. Conn., and vicinity, named na defendants In tho foreclosure proceedings instituted by n i! i-iiowo nnd company in tho Danbury Hatters' caso. Snnn with ingredients valued at $40,000 wont into tho sewer nt the United States appraiser's building in San Francisco. L. B. Andorson clerk In chargo of customs solzuros and his assistant poured it In. SPORTINO "Gunboat" Smith of Sail Francisco, defeated Tom Cowlor of Vancouver, James J. Corbett's protegee In a ten round bout la New York, on points. The Chicago Americana have first claim on the services of Jack Ness, lirst baseman of the Oak land (Cal.) club, who established a- new world's batting record. At Savage, Minn., tho homo of Dan Patch, George Gano, owned by M. W Savage, paced a mile undor saddle In 2:1191, beating the previous world's record of 2.12 made by Kruger at Lexington, Ky., October 1C, 1907. The annual Hamburg Grand Prix, tho second most Important turf event of the year In Germany, was won by Baron Alfred Von Oupenheim's Mash er, ridden by Archibald. The Grand Prix is valued at 100,000 marks ($25. 000). Manuel Cooper, star long distance runner of the Chicago Hebrew insti tute, will be one of the competitors in tho marathon run to be held In San Francisco August 28 in connection with the Panama-Pacific exposition games. For attacks on Umpire Tommy Cor coran at Kansas City President Gil- more of tho Federal league fined Man ager Stovall of Kansas City, $250; Manager Mageo of Brooklyn, $150; and Benny Kauff of Brooklyn, $50. Magee and Stovall, besides, were in definitely suspended. A temporary injunction against President James A. Gllmore of the Federal league nnd ownors of Federal league clubs, restraining them from tampering with players under contract to the Kansas City American Asso ciation team, was granted in the clr cult court of Kansas City. WASHINGTON. That tho United States Is planning a deflntto step with respect to Mex ico, and that it will bo taken soon, was authoritatively announced at tho state department Iowa ranks first in the union in tho value of drain tile, according to the United States geological survey, pro duclng In 1914, $3,180,83(; worth, an Increaso of $382,020 over 1913. . r In the middle west, It -was admitted by government officials, unexpected opposition Is developing to President Wilson's army and navy expansion program. Nevertheless data is bolng gathered concerning tho capacity of America's private arms, ammunition and ship building plants Figures on record-breaking Ameri can export commerco of the fiscal year ended Juno 30, mado public, show the trade balance In favor of tho United States the greatest In Its history was $1,094,422,792, an in crea80 of $G23,S00.000 over the year preceding. Exporta totalled $2,70S, G43.532, and Imports $1,G74,320,740. Secretary McAdoo directed tho withdrawal of $3,970,500 from tho govornment deposits at national banks, the money to bo remitted to the treasury between August 10 and 25. A complete Investigation of the cano sugar Industry is in progress by tho burenu of foreign und domestic com merce, and a force of four special agents are now in tho Hawaiian islonds making-a three months' study of conditions there.
