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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1917)
THE 8EMI.WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. ACTICE The farmer should study conditions causing poor drainage on his land and find remedy for it then he should plan drainage system to overcome the trouble J&MMMBv "ti LA j $WsW&t I ; i -Carf--fL THE HUMAN COCKTAIL H I f I I . I .1.-11 I IHI I II- By JOHN T. 8TEWART, C. E. Agrl cultural Engineer, University of Minnesota. T IS not n n uncommon thing for a landowner to light a drainage assess ment, on land which hus n mnrkct vnluo of from $120 to $30 per ncrc, nnd nt almost the Hiune tlmo buy another tract of similar land, at tho mar ket price. IIIh deslro In to acquire more ncrcB, under tho fnl.se Idea that his prosperity will be fo notcd by the amount of land In his possession. Ho does not ronllzo that ono ncro of thoroughly-drained land may bring him n grcntor Income, with half tho labor and expense of cultiva tion, than tw6 acres of tho undrnlncd land; or that It could bo acquired at one-third to one-half tho cost of tho newly-bought aero. This extra land Is purchased with the Idea that land values will rise. As tho real value of land Is regulated by Its Improvements nnd productiveness, tho landowner whoso only object Is to ncqulro moro acres, rather than to Improve the land already In his possession, Is an "un dcslrnblo citizen," ns ho expects to bo tho gainer through his neighbor's Im provements. Tho Idea Is popular, especially among tho owners of wet lands, thnt tho removal of surplus water by drain age would bo of great benefit to tho stato or community at large. While this Is true to u certain extent, nnd whllo wet Innds belonging to tho pub- cost of only 501.00 against $litt.72 por acre, paid for tlllablo land nnd In the original purchase. But this added value of $082.20 does not represent all the benefits which havo come to the Tumi from tho in trbdiictlon of undcrdrnlnage. .Tho (lis nppeitrnueo of tho sloughs, nnd of the superlluous water In other places, per mits tho division of tho lnnd Into reg ular, and therefore more easily cul tivated Holds. Such fields, having now a uniform soil, can bo cultivated In less-time, nnd crop rotations can be ar ranged to better advantage, than where tho land Is broken up by non cultivable nrcns. A dry, loose soil can bo worked more easily than n wet, sticky soil. Furthermore, a Held which In some seusons Is productive, and In others non-productlvo by renson of exccssjlvo moisture, may bo moro detrimental to tho former's success than swamp lund ; for such lands nro often plowed, planted, cultivated, and then the crop Is destroyed by nn Influx of water; whereby not only are they made non productive, but labor and seed uro lost. Drnlnngo not only removes tho risk of such losses but Improves tho Inndscnpo by substituting broad, fully-cultlvated-arcas for such as are dotted with sloughs, breeding frogs and mos quitoes and giving forth 111 odors from dead fish and decaying vegetation. It Is a first stop In good rond-bulldlng, and, as a permanent Improvement, It Increases tho valuo of all neighboring lands, nnd benefits tho entire com munity. All of theso benefits nro Illustrated "ji tg- Lpu-1 ii " hap- t 1 i nitA.ttJtL.HHtr - - ' i ! 300 rtzr i OBTAINING. TRUE GRADE LINE BY GRADE LATH METHOD. The line of sight la five feet above the grade line and parallel to It. By set ting the lath stakes at the sides and lining up the' cross laths tho grade may be fixed beforo the trench Is dug. lie mny bo Justly hold chnrgeablo wltli, their shnro In tho cost of Improve ments, tho facts do not Justify tho In ference that tho stnto should pay It nil. Tho correct Idea, In raising funds for drnlnngo works, Is that tho aero moro directly benefited Is tho ncro to pay tho expense. Many landowners will opposo a drnlnngo Improvement for tho renson thnt tho ditch will, In part, bo located on their land. They will do this, oven In' tho faco of tho fact thnt from ouo fourth to three-fourths of tholr lnnd, because It Is too wet, produces only about half Of what It should, In tho ordlnnry year. They actunlly prefer to atanu tho yonrly loss of half a crop or moro, rather thnn allow ono-flftloth to ono-clghtloth pnrt of this wot lnnd to bo occupied by n ditch which would so thoroughly drain tho wholo tract thnt It could bo cultivated up to tho banks of tho ditch. The benefits accruing from drnlnngo nro well Illustrated In tho Improve ment of a small farm, of 72.80 acres, recently purchased by tho stato of Mia -nesota, Six hundred and fifteen dol lars were spent In draining this farm. 'Xlio land had boon bought by tho stnto V p of a Tile Drainage System Used In Wisconsin. fo tho specific purposo of cultlvn Unit, Tho 72.80 ncres cost $7,053.15, Uut of this area there wns used for highway purposes, four acres; non yroductlvo lnnd in sloughs, flvo acres ten acres producing half u crop, equal In uon-produclvo land, to flvo acres; or total of 14 non-tlllablo acres. This left n tlllablo area of 50 acres, cost ing tho stuto $120.72 per ncro. A Bys tciu of undcrdralnlug was Introduced, by which the uvo ncres of non-productlvo land in sloughs, nnd tho ten ncres which produced hnlf u crop, aro mado equal Ui productlvo qunlltlcs to tho same area of tno oiner tiiinuio inuu, The total cultivable arcn Is thus la creased from 50 to 00 acres. Tho re turn to thu fnrm, then, is $1,207.20, a ii cost of $015: or a net gain of $082.20, In other words ten additional acres huvu been added to tho farm at In tho caso of the stnto fnrm referred to; nnd tho management feels that they fully Justify tho cost of tho Im provement, without considering tho aHio of tho land reclaimed. Tho planning of a drulniiKo system should bo dono with tho samo careful ness thnt Is bestowed on other Im provements. When a largo building Is to bo constructed, nn architect Is con sulted, plans nro carefully drawn, all tho dotalls aro looked Into, and mnto rlol Is selocted which will bo sultabl'o for tho location, tho climate and tho purposo for which the building should bo used. During Its construction, In spectors boo thnt tho details uro car ried out and tho requirements of the specifications enforced, rcgurdlcss of tho fact that tho contractor may bo losing money and cheuper materials might bo used. .But In drnlnngo en terprises, tho ovldcnccs of such enro aro too often painfully lacking, oven though tho cost be us grent or greater Hum that of u Inrgo bulldlug. In mnny enses nn engineer Is employed to stnko out a drain on a routo which has been selected only because It is "supposed to bo" tho best ouo. No examination Is mado for anothor routo or outlet; tho area of tho watershed Is uot tnensured. As n result, tho size of tho ditch Is determined by a moro guess. Time may develop tho fact that tho best routo wns not se lected, unu unit tlio Ultch was too lurgo or too small, and consequently does not perform the work sntlsfuctorlly. A ditch, being Improperly located, either does not drnln nil, tho land It should or It Is expenslvo to construct ud maintain. One thnt Is too largo will not clean Itself properly; whllo ono thnt Is too small will not curry re quired volume of water. A dralnugo system, open or under ground, works by gravity, and that It may removo tho water Uioro mustbo n Huiiiui.Mii inn; www is, a stimclent and continuous descent, from n lovol somewhat lower than tho lowest point on tho land to bo drained, to tho point where tho water Is discharged from tho outlet. It Is a common practice to start a drainage ditch from a slough ut practlcully tho buiuo depth as tho bottom of tho slough. Such "drain ngo" will uot give sutisfnetion, ns tho ground-wntor will not bo lowered, and tho bed of tho slough will continue to bo swampy. Kor satisfactory drain age, tho wntor-chtinnol must bo deep enough In tho lowest land, nnd of suf ficient breadth and depth, to carry tho water without uu overflow. Dltch'Constructlou, Uko enrpontry or masonry, lu n business In Itself; nnd for satisfactory results, Contracts should bo lot in similar munnor. Tho bidder's competence, as shown In his record In connection with similar un dcrtnklngs, should be taken Into con .(deration as well as tho slzo of his bid. Ditches aro usually dug In soli tho wettest and most dlfllcult to handle, and It Is necessary that construction bo carried on during the wettest sen- sons, consequently, the contractor should base his calculations ns to tlmo and methods on tho worst conditions. To let a contract to tho "lowest hid- dor," regardless of his experlenco or equipment, Is often to Invito serious disappointment nnd loss. Delays, especially, are expenslvo to landowners, for riot only is money in vested In Incomplete work, but often times a failure to have the ditch cotn- plcto nt the tlmo fixed means the loss of a crop. In tho drainage of swamp land, which cannot bo plowed until nftcr tho work Is completed, It ineuns n dcluy of ono or. moro yenrs beforo tho cultivation will be a paying Invest ment. With senrccly an exception, where losses hnve accrued to agricul tural Interests through tho delay of n year In the construction of proposed drnlnngo works, these losses havo been renter than the cost of tho Improve ments. Tho nttempt to suvo ono or two cents on the cubic yard for ditch ing, or on tho rod for tllo trenches, by giving the Job to n poorly-equipped man, often becomes nn expensive pro-, cecdlng. Better pny moro to n com petent man, and be sure of u good Job, completed "on time." Tho kind, slzo nnd completeness of tho drnlnngo works needed In n given locality, the methods of doing tho work nnd adjusting tho costs, must be de termined by the local conditions. What Is good prnctlco In ono place may not bo practical In another. Tho char acter of the ground, surface slopes, crops raised, and valuo of land, all have n bearing on tho subject, iu any locality tho first consideration Is nn outjot or channel by which tho wa ter may bo carried away. In some localities nature has provided such un outlet. In others, It may bo necessary for severul landowners to bnnd togeth er and construct a channel, of suf ficient slzo and depth to servo as tho main outlet of a network of ditches which will glvo relief during wet yenrs. In mnny pnrts of tho state, whero such outlets naturally exist or aro already completed, crops havo suf fered from an excess of water In tho Immedlato vicinity, for tho reason thnt tho wnter from tho cultivated fields could not readily escape. Consequent ly, for complcto drainage, It Is neces sary to have, on tho Individual farm, n thorough system for collecting tho water as It falls and currying It to tho mala outlet. Unless tho ground Is very flat, tho location of proposed drains can bo best determined when tho ground Is free from vegetable growths. A heavy growth of crops or weeds may cnuso low plnccs to look high nnd high plnccs low. A field . freshly plowed or sqwn Is In tho best condition for locnting lines of drainage. If such a field is examined Immediately after a heavy rain, thcro will bo little danger of making n mlstnko in locnting tho lines. If theso nro nt onco marked out by a furrow or stakes, It will save much tlmo when It Is desired to begin lay ing tiles. Any drnlnngo system should bo plunncd with refcrenco both to tho work It Is to perform nnd to Its future maintenance. Expense should not be spared In securing accurate datn on which to base tho plan. It Is well to maintain the shallow opcn-dltch system, In use beforo the tile nro Inld. These surfnce-drnlns ns slst In quickly clenrlng tho lnnd of wnter from heavy rains, In amounts for which It would not bo economical to provide tllo of sufficient slzo. to do tho work so quickly. In Minnesota, spring floods are often carried off by tho surfaco drains beforo tho frost Is out sufficiently to permit tllo-dralns to work. Tlmo spent In opening sur- l ...... . . . . . i.'M.'I'ttt y-J0.. i w si L..., r A k " i o rotMl King Constnntlno Is one of the strangest figures of tho present upside down time. Ilnrdly three years ago ho, was the Idolized hero, king of a re-, born, united Greece, nnd now King Constnntlne's chnrncter Isi brusque and stubborn. To a remark nblo degree Is he void of that superior Intelligence nnd conquering nmlnblllty which chnrnctcrlzed the lnte Klnff George, nnd which helped him lend tho' little country through many trying nnd dlfllcult yeurs to robust development, extension and honored position. From his very childhood the pres ent king, like his queen (the kaiser's sister), has shown a dangerous lnck of self-control. Ills fits of uncontrollablo tempests of rnge were always n sourco of concern to Ills parents, brothers nnd sisters. And tho outburst did not grow less ns years passed ,by on the con trary. On the other hand, tho king Is he-, Ing prnlsed for his grent loynlty, for fnlthfulness townrd friends and for his, kindly behavior townrd tho soldiers ho has often led to victory. A handsomo and manly nppenrnncc, a courugeous, energetic general, a man whose unusu ,nlly hard and sullen fnce Is at times lit up by an nlmost boyish s'mlle thnt. loaves big dimples In his yellow face. "Ills majesty Is a sort of human cocktail," remarked an American Journnllst after nn nudlcnco with tho king. ' LABOR'S MAN IN WAR CABINET A FARM PROFITABLY TILED. On this 80-acre field three systems of tile drainage were necessary. This shows the advantage with which two neighbors can co-operate in putting In a line of tile. An obstacle so trivial as a line fence should not be permitted to prevent economical drainage. The owner of this land says that tile pays for Itself every year and that $200 expended op tile has raised the value of the 80 acres $1,000. fnce-drnlns is not, therefore, lostt even when It is Intended to later introduce an undcrdrainngo system. Tho Individual farmer with small means should first select tho area tho tiling of which will drnln the most lnnd at tho least expense. In n rolling country, whero sufficient fnll can bo Representing labor In Premier Lloyd-George's, war cabinet Is Arthur Henderson, minister without portfolio, who has risen from tho state of an .ordinary day worker to this high place. Arthur Henderson was a Glasgow lad who served his apprenticeship ns raolder In the great steamship works of Robert Stephenson & Co. at Newcas tle. What education he has was ob tained at night after his day's work was done. He never had the advan tage of an elementary education in schools. He went Into locnl politics ns a young man at Newcastle, was a mem ber of the city council nnd 12 yenrs ago served ns mayor of the little town of Darlington, near Newcastle, which proved a stepping stone thnt snme yenr to tho house of commons. Ho never .touches nlcohol' nnd Is nn nctlve work er In the Wesleynn church. Last year had for outlets near tho surfaco, or ho became secretary of education In without expensive open ditches, small tiles call bo used around the sides of drainage areas outlcttlng on n hillside or nt tho edge of n slough. This method often Improves lnrgo tracts ut smnll cost, nnd as the improved Innds Increase in productiveness, funds will be supplied by which tho tllo lines enn bo extended, connected, nnd the expensive mnlns flnnlly put In. This method has been used In many of the best tiled countries. In somo Instances It has been twenty years froni the lay Ing of tho first laterals to the comple tion of tho last main. Immediately after construction, p"ro vision should bo made for annual maintenance. A drainage Improve ment, properly curried out nnd mala talncd, will add its Initial cost to tho valuo of tho land nnd pay a dividend on tho original Investment Asqulth's cabinet, nenderson has the heart and the unpretentious manners of the class into which he wns born and as well the Instincts of conservative judgment and refinement of taste which make him, on the ono hand, per sonally llknblo whether with the high or the -low, nnd, on the other hnnd, extremely susceptible to the subtle nppenl of responsibility In political office and of the charm of cultivated society. Henderson Is broad of view and, courageous in the counsel ho gives tho workers.In relation to the war. That ho will develop into another John Burns, quite alienated from the principles of tho worklngmnn which ho formerly avowed, Is considered probable, though ho will doubtless retain the plain life of his youth. CLARA RUTH MOZZER n ' H.I. n jraua UT"' T H S.3L SC. K 2 C . 8OR005 1 DIAGRAM OF A LINE OF LEVELS. BEAVER AN EXPERT WORKER Little Animal' Excels Lumber Jacks as Tree-Fellers and Is a Prize Dam Builder. "Tho most expert lumber Jack Is In ferior to tho beaver ns a trco-fellcr. Ho cuts down trees in tho most scientific way. Ho can fell n tree so It will fall toward tho pond whero ho wishes to construct his home, thus saving him self unnecessary work. "After tho trees aro felled the con struction work begius. Ho works chief ly by night; for ho Is n nocturnal prow lor. Tho moon Is his lantern, tho quiet of tho night his Inspiration, his sharp teeth nre his hatchet and chisel, and his llttlo pcvTs nro ills means of conveyance, his trvmde, hJfl hnmmor and his trowel. His hard, flat, hairless and scaly tall Is a propeller when swimming nnd n balanco when ho Is cutting timber, for ho stands on his hind legs whllo gnawing down trees, "Tho ucavor is a strict vegotarlun and his diet consists chlefiy of barks, tender shoots nn water plants. Tho trees which furassh tho bark ho most likes nre tho cottonwood, poplar, elm, willow, birch, nspon and boxelder, TKo blirk of tho oak, ash nnd hickory he docs not eat. "To flood low grouud, tho bonvers somotlmes nnvo to uuuu a uam ex ceeding 60 feet in length. Thoy usuul ly lay It out with tho curvo fuclng hp-stream. Tho foundation Is built of poles, four or fivo feet long by nn Inch or two thick. These tlicy lay crosswise, filling nil crevices with mud. "Tho beaver digs up mud with his foro feet, then holds it close to his breast with his foro legs, swims to where he has started his dam, and, having deposited It in its proper place, beats tho mud down with his paws- not with his tail as has been believed." St. Nlcholus. Clnra Ruth Mozzer, attorney nnd former newspaper girl, recently ap pointed assistant attorney general In Colorado, Is the first woman in the' country to hold that position. Her np polntment by tho nttorncy general elect, Leslie E. Hubbnrd, was the re sult of a campaign on the part of Colo rado women, nnd she even obtnlned the Indorsement of Mrs. Hubbard, wife of the appointing officer. Miss Mozzer, when she passed her legal exnmlnntlon In 1015, wns tho youngest womnn ever ndmltted to tho bnr In Colorndo. When only thirteen she sold signed nrtlcles to tho Sundny magazine section of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. At the age of fifteen, when a Junior in the high school, sho attracted atten tion by organizing settlement work in, the Jewish settlement of West Denver. Sho wns graduated from the East Den ver high school, tqok her bachelor of, nrts degree nt Denver university nnd grndunted In Inw from the University of Colorndo. Friends await her exhibition of prosecuting ability cnthuslnstlcnlly. SENDS MAILS TO BELLIGERENTS Comparison. "Dr. Isaiah . Scott, Methodist blsh- on of Afrlcn." snld a Methodist divine. "collected In Monrovia a great deal of valuable ethnological matter. "Talking about cannibalism one day, Bishop Scott declared: "Your cannibal is not wicked. Ho cats other pcoplo as you and I go to church lu ordor to lraprovo himself- for ho has been taught that ho will ac quire tho virtues tho bravery, beauty, wisdom nnd whnt not of all thoso whom lio ents," Bishop Scott chuckled. "A srtvngo cnnnlbnl," ho ended, "Is n saintly chap alongside ot a civilized backbiter.1 " Too Severe. Doctor Your husband needs ' some good exercise to restore htm. Mrs. XLIko playing golf? Doctor Moro violent thnn that. Mrs. XI havo It I I'll send him down to mako 11 few purchases at the bargain counter durlug tho rush hours. When tho great world war started In August, 1014, It meant a great deal more work for Uncle Sam, postmaster. It meant that ho would havo to study over tho midnight olj for a long tlmo figuring out how to get the malls delivered safest, quickest, and cheap est, to tho belligerent nations. Thero wns n ring of steel about Germany how would she get. her American mull? Holland, tho Scandinavian countries, Turkey, all wanted mail, quick and un impaired. ' In tho postnl service, however, was ia man who was trained to tnko care of emergencies of this chnrncter. A qunrter of a century of work in Uncle Sam's division of foreign mulls had fitted Robert L. Maddox for Just such work, and for thu last three years ho hits been mnnzlnfe the higher postnl officials by tho efficiency with which malls were tllspntched to belligerent countries. Twenty-flvo years ago Mad dox cntored the post service as n clerk at $1,000 a year. Today he Is super intendent of foreign malls, and has to look after tho dispatch of postal mutter across the water to tho nations battling so vigorously. Nor Is this all he Is Interested in. He is on n mission to tho Isthmus of Panama, to arrango for greater expedition and safety In tho handling oC mulls to South America.
