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THE 3EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
TOOLS, TflC TEAM,
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AO PLOWING
S. M. CLINTON t t
LTIIOUOII the plow Is tho first Im
plement used by man In flold
farming, real progress In Its devel
opment has como only within tho
last fifty years. First mention ot
tho plow in tho Old Testament
Is by Job where ho says: "Tho
oxen plowing and the asses feed
ing bosldo them." In Job's tlmo
tho plow was probably a crooked
stick drawn by oxen, with a straight stick
bound to their hornB to which a grass ropo was
attached.
This kind of implement was In uho for thou
sands of years afterward, and oven now In Old
Mexico, within a hundred miles of tho border
land of America, tho crooked stick Is still used.
About a hundred, and fifty yoara ago a plow
with a wooden mold board was dovlscd, and this
hold sway for fifty years, when somo genius of
a blacksmith put an Iron edgo on It, and it was
then thought that tho perfection of plow making
Jmd been reached. Then camo tho plow with
tho Iron mold board and woodon framo. This
was followed by tho all-stool plow, which now
reigns Bupromo.
Tho aristocratic offspring of tho all-steel plow
is tho disk, and this Implement, In connection
with tho plow Itself, Is doing such good work that
It does not soom possible that wo shall soo any
docldcd Improvement In this instrument for somo
time.
Good plowing doponds as much upon the kind
or plow used ns upon tho mnn who directs It. A
great mnny farmors havo yet to learn that one '
plow will not do satisfactory work In all kinds
of soil and under all conditions'.
Perhaps tho best plow to use Is tho one with
tho chilled sharo and point. I think It is a mis
tako to uso a plow point that has to bo con
stantly renowod; for ovory tlmo a blacksmith
tlnkors with It ho turns out a different kind of
plow, and this Is ono reason why thoro is so
much poor plowing dono In this country. When
a man gets a plow which doos tho work t his
cmtlro satisfaction ho should stick to It, and
novcr permit Its shape to bo changed, If pos
sible. Wltlr a soft point that has to bo con
stantly ronowod this Is not possible, and that is
why I prefer tho chlllod point.
Daniel Webster onco essayed to bo a plow
maker. Aftor years of (loop thinking and experi
menting, ho turnod out n most wonderful Imple
ment. It was ovor twolvo foot long, built of
wood, with an Iron point, and roqulrod four yokos
of oxon to pull It. It turnod a furrow olghtoen
Inches wide, twolvo Inches deep, which rcsom
blod the Irrigation ditches of today. This did
not last long, howovor, and was nover usod out
stda of Massachusetts.
To do good work tho plow must scour woll;
QOOPpP il"MRS' NIC0LL A REAL warnurse'
that Is, the boII must slip from tho mold board
evenly, leaving tho surfaco bright and clean.
Poor scouring Is duo to many causes. Tho mold
board may bo too soft to tako a good polish, or
It may bo Imperfectly ground, or slight Imper
fections may have boon loft in the surface.
To tost a good mold board Is an eaBy matter.
By running tho lingers ovor the surfaco from
tho bottom to tho top one can easily toll whether
tho, plow has tho right shape, and whether Us
surfaco Is perfect. A plow should havo a hardenod
edgo and point tho harder tho bettor because
upon tho wearing qualities of tho plow depend
buccobs or failuro to a very largo degree
For breaking now sod, a plow with a long,
sloping sharo and mold board should bo used, but
for stubblo or woll-tlllod ground tho plow with
short, steep mold board Is hotter. Tho breaking
plow turns tho sod ovor cvonly, nnd covers all
growth so that It rots and forms humus In tho
soil.
Upon tho shape of tho plow also deponds tho
draft. A plow unsultod to tho soli on which It Is
usod will causo a much greater draft than Is
necessary, wearing out tho strength of tho team
and tho patience of the plowman. Tho moro
abrupt the curvature ot the mold board tho moro
pulverizing tho action upon tho furrow slice.
Tho use of a colter reduces tho drnft materially,
particularly on tough soils, clover sod and the like.
Some larmors claim that tho only first-class
plowing that can bo done Is with tho walking
plow, but I havo seen some ot tho best plowing
dono with a sulky plow. There Is not much dif
ference In the draft. A sulky plow carrying a
man will be about as easy on a team as walking,
because tho friction of tho mold board of the
walking plow Is eliminated to somo extent.
Tho draft of tho walking plow doponds largely
upon tho way In which It Is set. If properly
adjusted with a steady pull so that tho heel or
wing docs not press too heavily against tho
soli, the plow will run easily, smoothly, and with
very little attention from tho plowman. I havo
seen tho men follow tho plow round after round
without oven touching tho handle, except at tho
turning point.
Another Important thing in plowing Is to have
tho width of the furrow Just right. If tho plow
1h sot to tako a larccr land than it can turn
over properly, It will leave much vegetation un
covered, and tho field will bo ridgy. Tho plow
should bo sot to exactly cut and cover all that It
entors, and no moro. When a plow runs properly
it should sot exactly lovel.
No man is a good farmer unless he 1b first ot
nil a good plowman. Upon tho skill with which
ho plows his fields depends to a considerable
extent tho facility with which ho can cultivate
his crop, and, in fact, its yield.
Tho question ot deep or shallow plowing Is ono
which must bo studied by every man, and
adapted to tho needs of his soil and his crop.
Deeply plowed soli contains moisture longer,
affords better homo for fertilizer and all kinds of
plant food, Is moro easily cultivated, and is al
ways to be desired.
Mrs. Do Lancoy NIcoll, tho beau
tiful darling of Now York society and
tho moBt famous woman genealogical
oxport in tho United States, was as
serious whon sho took that swift
course In hospital nursing last winter
as sho has boon with everything clsa
oho has ovor undertaken.
Sho Is now in tho French war
zone, dressed In her bluo and white
nnd seriously giving her services
whorovor thoy aro needed. Sho Is
only ono of that bevy of society wom
en who took up rapld-flro coursos in
nursing whon It became tho fashion
to carry through her announced plans.
Sho not only knows fundamentals
ot nursing, but is a. flno cook as woll.
And as convalescent soldiors can thor
oughly enjoy appotizing food, sho la
bound to bo popular among tho pa
tients In tho army hospitals.
Boyond this, sho Is so exceptionally
good looking when In street or eve
ning garb that sho must seem liko a
ministering angel in a nurso's uniform. Mrs. NIcoll was temporarily ma
rooned In Germany during tho early part of tho war. She was taken for a
spy boforo sho got out of that country, and only her ability to speak tho
German tonguo fluently kept her out of prison. In moro than ono way she is
a capable and remarkable woman.
ANSBERRY WAS SILENCED
Representative Timothy Ansberry
of Ohio is a talkor whose voice pene
trates to tho deepest recesses of tho
capltol, and when ho speaks tho roof
reverberates with his booming. A
whisper from Ansberry is equivalent
to an ordinary man's talking, so tho
feat of tolling a Joke In an undertone
Is ono which ho will be obliged in fu
ture to deny himself.
One day Ansberry was telling a
good story to a fellow-member in
what ho imagined was, liko tho voice
of Annie Laurie, "low and sweet."
But It resembled the echoing of dis
tant cannon from tho flold at Ma
nassas. Tho gentleman who was speaking
showed his annoyance at tho sound,
and Speaker Clark thumped his
gavel. Clark, who was onco a school
teacher in his days of callow youth,
know just what to do, so ho called
Ansborry up to tho desk.
"Tim," ho said In a low tone as ho
roso to roach that gontloman's car, "Tim, if you don't stop talking when
I am having a recitation I will keep you In during recess."
That was an awful threat. Visions of sitting on a hard bench and writing
out 300 sentences in parliamentary law while tho other fellows wero smoking
and joking in tho cloakroom rose before Ansberry, who for a while kept so
quiet that tho silence In his vicinity was audible.
MEXICO'S DARK HORSE
CHATS WITH THE
AMBITIOUS FOLK
i
By ORISON 8WETT MARDEN.
NEVER TOO LATE FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT.
I A Now York millionaire a prlnco
'among merchants took mo over his
palatial rosldenco on Finn avonuo,
ovory room ot which waB a triumph
ot tho architect's, of tho decorator's,
and of tho upholstoror'B art. I was
told that tho decoratlonB of a slnglo
Bleeping room had cost $10,000. On
'tho walls woro palntlngB which cost
fabulous prices, and about tho rooms
wero pieces of massive and costly fur
niture and draperies representing a
small fortune, and covering tho floors
wero carpets on which it Boomed al
most sacrllego to. tread. Ho had ox-
ponded a fortune for physical pleas
ure, comfort, luxury and display, but
Mmrn was scarcely a book In tho
house.
It was pitiful to think of tho physl
cal Biirfelt and mental starvation of
tho children of such a homo na that.
Ho told mo that ho camo to tho city
a Door boy, with all his worldly pos
sessions dono up In a llttlo red ban
dana. "I am a millionaire" ho said,
"but I want to toll you that I would
'clvo half I havo today for a decent
education."
Ono of tho sad thlngB about tho
neglected opportunities tor self-Improvement
Is that thoy put people of
great natural ability at a disadvan
tage among those who aro their men
tal Inferiors.
1 know a pitiable case of a born nat
uralist whoso education was so ne
glected In youth that later, when ho
camo to know moro about natural his
tory than almost any man of IiIb day,
he could not wrlto a grammatical sen
tence, and could never mako his Ideas
llvo in words, perpotuato them In
books, because ot hla lgnoranco ot
evert tho rudiments ot an education,
Think ot the suffering ot this splon-
did man, who was conscious ot pos
Housing colossal scientific knowledge
and yet was absolutely unablo to ex
press hlrosotf grammatically! It Is
difficult to conceive of a greater ralB
fortuno than nlwayB to bo embar
rassed and handicapped Just becauso
of tho neglect of early years.
Many a girl of good natural ability
spends her most productlvo years as a
cheap clerk or In a mediocre position
becauso she uovor thought It worth
whllo to dovolop hor mental facultlos
or to tako advantngo ot opportunities
within roach to, fit herself for a su
perior position. Thousands of , girls
unexpectedly thrown on their own re
sources havo been hold down all their
lives because ot neglected tnslcs In
youth, which at tho tlmo wero dis
missed with a careless "I don't think
it worth while." Thoy did not think
It would pay to go to tho bottom of
any study at school, to learn to koep
accounts accurately, or lit thomsolves
to do anything In such a way aa to
bo ablo to mako a living by 1L Thoy
oxpecled to marry, and nover pre
pared for being dopondentent on
thomBolvoB a contingency agalnBt
which marriage, In many Instances, Is
no safeguard. v
Tho numbor ot porpotua) clerks Is
constantly being rocrultod by those
who did not think it worth whllo aa
boys to learn to writo a good hand
or to master tho fundamental
branches of knowlodgo requisite In
business caroor. Tho lgnoranco com
mon among young men and young
womon In factories, stores and of-
Ucob, ovorywhore, In fact, In this land
ot opportunity whoro youth should bo
well educated, Is a pltlablo thing.
How often stenographers aro morti
fied by tho ubo of somo unfamiliar
word or term, or quotation, because
of tho shallowness of, tholr prepara
tion! It Is not enough to bo ablo to
tako dictation when ordinary letters
aro given, not enough to do tho ordi
nary routlno of office work. Tho am-
bltlouB stenographer must be pre
pared for tho unusual word or expres
sion, muBt havo good reserves of
knowlodgo to draw from In enso of
emergency. If sho ts constantly slip
ping up on her grammar, or Is all at
Bea tho raomont sho stepB out of her
ordinary routlno, her omployor knows
that hor preparation is shallow, that
her education Is limited, and her pros
pects will bo limited, also.
Everywhere wo go we see men and
women, especially from twenty-fivo to
forty years ot ago, who aro cramped
and seriously handlcappod by the lack
of oarly training. I often receive let
tors from such people, asking if it Is
possible for them to educate thenv
solves bo lato In llfo. Of courso it is
There aro so many good correspond
ence schools today, and institutions
liko Chautauqua, so many ovenlng
U. S. BATTLESHIP READY FOR
SEA
schools, lectures, books, libraries and
periodicals, that men and women who
aro determined to improve themselves
havo abundant opportunities to do so.
Ono trouble with neonln wlin nm
smarting under tho consciousness of
aoncient education Is that they do
not realize tho Immense value ot util
izing spare minutes. Like many boys
who will notsnvo their pennies and
Binuu cnango because thoy cannot see
how a fortune could ever grow by
tho saving, they cannot see how a llttlo
studying here and there each day will
over amount to a good substitute for
a college education.
People who feel their lack of educa
tion, and who can afford the ontlav
can make wonderful strides In a yoar
by putting thomsolves under good tu
tors, who will direct their reading and
study along different lines.
There Is ono special advantage In
self-education you can adapt tho
studies to your own particular needs
better tnan you could in school or col-
lege. Everyone who reaches middle
llfo without an education should first
read and study along tho line of hla
own vocation, and then broaden him.
self as much as possible by reading
on otner lines.
Every well-ordered household oucht
to protect tho time of thoso who do-
Biro to study at homo. At a fixed
hour every evening during tho long
winter tnoro should bo by common
consent a quiet period for mental con-
contratlon. for what is worth whllo In
mental discipline a oulet hour unln.
torrupted by tho thief callors. There
Is a dlvlno hunger In ovory normal
bolng for self-expansion, a yearning
for growth or enlargomont. Uewaro
of soiling this craving of nature for
self-unfoldment. There Is untold
wealth locked up In tho long winter
evenings and odd momentB ahead of
you. A great opportunity confronts
you. What will you do with It?
(Copyright, 1515. by thn McClure Nowspa-
No Longer Room at the Top.
Prof. Scott Noarlng nays tho motto,
"there Is plonty of room at tho top"
Is no longer truo 'n this country on
account of Uio fact that In ovory great
Industry only throo of every ono thou
sand employees havo n chnnco to rise
to tho top. Tho professor's statement
1b no doubt literally correct, but ho
will probably not deny that tho motto
still applies to thoso spheres ot activ
ity which cannot bo considered under
tho head ot Industry. Washington
1 Herald.
Manuel Vasquez Taglo seems to
bo tho "dark horso" in tho contest of
tho presidency of Mexico, and thero
are many who believe ho la one of tho
fow men who can save that distracted
country.
Tho namo of Taglo disappeared
from publications on current Mexican
affairs when Victorlano Huerta leaped
ovor tho back of Pedro Lascuraln into
tho presidency or tha dictatorship.
Taglo had been minister of justice un
der Francisco Madoro and ho not only
rofuscd to accept office under Huerta,
but ho declined to tako tho man by
tho hand. Yet tho man lived there
after In Mexico City, walked tho
streets, wont to tho theater, enter
"talnod his friends at hla homo and was
not harmed.
He has lived in Mexico City over,
slnco and no ono olso has harmed him
or tried to harm him, whether ho bo
Zapata, Villa, Carranza or what not.
Tho moba havo nover looted his home,
novor stopped his automobile in tho street and, indeed, it Is said, Taglo haa
gono on attending to his business affairs throughout calmly and without com
promise. That argues him a unique individual in tho blood-drenched re
public decidedly a man out of tho ordinary.
Taglo was born In Mexico City in 1854 and educated in preparatory and
law schools of tho capital. Ho had no sooner been admitted to the bar than
Diaz mado him official defender, but his zeal In dofending tho young nows-
papor mon who had dared to suggest another candidate for tho presidency
soon led to his resignation. Ho at onco wont Into prlvato law practlco and
did not again nccopt public offlco until Madoro becamo president.
JIM MANN, KING OF DETAIL
mimi t ii wm urn i
James R. Mann, the Republican
floor leader, la tho King of Detail.
Nothing is too small or too numerous
for him to know all about. Ask Mann
what woro tho amounts of tho princi
pal Items in tho agricultural appro
priation bill seventeen years ago and
no doubt ho could tell you without
pausing to movo nn oyo-wlnkcr. It Is
almost safo to say that ho can skin
a gnat and that ho can toll offhand
tho day of tho week whon each of tho
house pago bova was born.
No minuto detail escapes him.
He knows everything. Also Mann
novor lacks for a word. Tho person
who willfully engages Maun In a battle
of repartoo has much the. samo fool
hardy point of view as tho lad who
monkoys with a buzz saw.
Roprosontativo Johnny Garner of
Toxaa was tho only person at tho last
session of congress who nakod Mann
anything that ho didn't answer.
Mann got up ono day to criticize
tho Moxlcan policy of tho prcsont administration. Then Garner asked Mann:
"Just without going Into details, how would you dispose of tho Mexican
situation?"
