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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1917)
THE 8EMI.WEEKLV TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. Malawi Worn Out Soil URGES INCREASED CORN PRODUCTION YEW STATE HOME FOR DEPENDENTS n NEARLY 100 ARE NOW READY rroouce Secretary of Agriculture Makes Strong Appeal to Farmers of Ten Counties. FOR ADOPTION OARD LEASES MURE GROUND rr fj 1 I iuu uusneis $ Ills 6y Robert H.Moulfcorx i4 enterprising Indiana, far mer followed advice given by the department of Agri culture and planted' sandy vetch on dead soil T IS rather unpleasant to see t lint tho world Is bulng Invited to face the cold, raw fact (if u gradually Increasing scarcity of tlio prime necessaries of llfo. Agricultural figures Just pub lished In Homo by the Inteniutloniil Institute of Agriculture show that the procewH of scrapping tlio most esson- tlnl of all our foodH, grain, goes on apace. Steadily the arable land of the world shrinks as the nrcn under permanent grass, often a eu phemism for land that Is derelict, extends Its frontiers. At the present moment the United States Is dependent on Imported supplies for an nppreclablo amount of wheat and for different cereals consumed In this country. There Is not only a tremendous shortage of wheat In tho United States today, but of corn inlso, as Is testified by tho price of $1.20 per bushel paid In a number of Instances recently for the latter grain. This Is about three times ns much ns tho farmer has received for It In normal times. Figures posted by the Chicago board of trndo Indicate that tlio visible supply of com In this country today Is less than half what It was, n year ago. Of course, tho war has had niuch to do with tho depletion of our stores, and n con flequcnt rl ho In price. Hut even granting that tho demand has been phenomenal, the fact re mains that our farmers aru not producing ns much corn as they should. Evidently something Is wrong with our system of growing corn. Most farmers understand tho Importance of good seed for planting, nnd the majority of them employ scientific methods of cul tivation. The trouble, then, would appear to He with the soil. Hveryono knows thnt, unintentionally perhaps, most farms In this country have been robbed of much fertility of tho soil. In overy stnto thero nro thousands of farms which formerly produced big crops but nro now so worn out that tho lnnd will not return enough to pay for tlio labor of tilling It. Many n farmer says, as ho gazes over Ids broad acres: "I remember when I was a boy ' that field was lino for corn, but now It's only fit for pasture." "Hut If ho only knew, that field Is capnblo of producing Just as much corn as It did In tho old days; It Is oven probable that It could lie made to break tho records established In Its earlier prime. This, at nny rate, Is what William C. Smith, an Indiana farmer, says, and Mr, Smith ought to know, for ho has performed some seenl-' lug miracles with worn-out land down Indiana way. Farm Journals, agricultural colleges and the United States department' of agriculture lmvo leen doing n wonderfully good work in telling tho farmer how to Increase tho fertility of his soil, liut Mr. Smith, apparently, has discovered tho easiest, simplest and most Inexpensive way of all. Almost anyone can toll how to spend a hundred dollars per aero on fertilizer, crushed limestone, ,otc and In tho end Improvo tho land. Hut It Inkes n practical, successful farmer like Mr. Smith to demonstrate how n field "never known to have on It a crop of any valuo" could bo mndo within ono year to produco 72 bushels of corn per ncro nt n cost of ?!l.f0 per acre, nsldo from labor. Tho how nnd why of It all has been put Into n book, 'IIow to Grow 100 Hushols of Corn on Worn-Out Soli," which Mr. Smith has dedicated to the Amer ican farmer. And he believes that any other itu-mcr who will follow his teachings will bo equally successful. It nil sounds like a fairy story, but Mr, Smith has facts to back up, all his Mntcmcnts. Furthermore, ho Is known nationally for the rcmnrkablo experiments ho has mado, , In 1000, Mr. Smith, purchased a farm that hnd Iho reputntlon of being ono of tho poorest In In diana. It had been kicked and buffeted nbout as trading stock. Much owner no sooner got' Into possession of It when ho found ho had purchased n gold brick, and never rested until ho succeeded in unloading It upon some other victim. It novor seemed to occur to any of Its owners that tho farm had simply boon handled by oll robbers and was pnylng the penalty by withdrawing Its boun-, ty. Mr. Smith purchased tho farm because of Its cheapness, location and possibilities, nnd was glvon tho laugh for bo doing. Tho eptlro farm In Its enrly history was cov ered with largo walnut, poplar, oak and other tim ber, tho timber on the snndy land having been ns Jieavy as on the other portion of tho farm. Tho lnnd wns n portion of an Indlnna reserve, set apart by tho government to tho Indians In 1818 and by tho Indlnns sold ngaln In 18M, and was cleared more thun 00 years ngo, and for many years produced largo crops. It had always been formed upon tho principle of getting out of It all you can each year and putting nothing back Into tho soli. Under this system of farming the soil Jiad becomo so poor that In tho best season It produced but IB to 20 bushels of corn to tho acre, whllo In bad seasons tho crop wns an entire fail ure. Mr. Smith had rend In ono of the bulletins of tho department of agrlculturo that tho valuo of an ncro of "Snndy Vetch" plowed under wns equivalent-to putting into tho ground $20 or ?40 worth of conimorelnl fertllizor, nnd stralghtwny decided to try It on ills farm. Accordingly, ho ordered tough seed to plant two acres. Tlio seed wns planted in August, upon tho of Com per Acre By Can Be Grown Successfully Over Wider Area Than Any Other Cereal and Furnishes Nutritious Food for Man and Beast. Items of General Interest Gathered from Reliable Sources Around tho State House poorest nnd most rolling two acres of snnd land on the farm. It grow rapidly, nnd by winter tho ground was so completely covered with Its foli age that washing of tho land was entirely pre vented. An exnmlnntion of the roots showed them set thick with nitrogen nodules. Early In tho spring, before nny other gruRs or vegetation be gan to grow, the vetch plants were pushing out their summer foliage, and by May 1 they were four feet In length. About tho first of Juno tho two urres were cut for hay. Seeing thnt ho hnd found n vnlunblo plnnt for the farm, Mr. Smith plnnted 25 acres to vetch tho next year, the sowing being dono .on tho poorest and sandiest land of tho farm. It was decided to seed 21 acres of this land to field com and leavo tho other for pnsture. Tho vetch grew luxuri nntly. Tho spring of 1008 wns very wet, nnd It wns May 1 before tlio ground was In condition to break for corn. Delays were bucIi that tho 21 ncres reserved for corn were not entirely broken until, May 25. The vetch bad grown to a height of five feet, and the mass of vegetation was so henvy that It was almost Impossible to turn under. A half dozen makes of plows were tried with com plete failure, when llnally success wns obtnlned with n double disk plow, nnd the field wns finished. The prospect did not look Inviting, for bunches of vetch showed hero nnd thero sticking out of tho ground. Tho field wns worked down to fnlrly good condition for planting by dragging nnd rolling, nnd on Juno 3 nnd 4 was plnnted to yellow corn. Dlro were tho predictions mndo ns to the out come. Mnny contended thnt tho henvy mnss of vegetntlon would absorb nil the moisture from the ground nnd the corn would die. Hut Mr. Smith gritted his teeth, held his counsel nnd awaited results. The corn enmo up n splendid stand. Dry weather set In, which ndded no little discomfort to tho sltuntlon. The corn grew slowly, nnd ns soon ns It wns sufficiently largo the cultivators were set to work, nnd were worked with n little dlfllculty on account of bunches of vetch Insuf ficiently plowed under catching on the cultivator points. The neighboring farmers enmo around, leaned over the fence, and indulged In sarcastic remarks. Tlio gist of these remarks wan that they had never In nil their experience seen so unpromising n prospect for corn ns this Held presented. Tho weather was dry. and the corn grow five or six Inches, and mado no further growth for more than n week. At tlje end of this time It seemed to tnke on new life, and grew with such rapidity thnt even Mr. Smith wns astounded. When the com reached waist height the pro phets who bad predicted Its early demlso on ac count of the great mass of vetch turned under tried nnnthor tack: "Walt until It begins to ear," they said, "and you will see It lire nnd wither up." But tlio corn refused to side with these chronic croakers, and grew up nnd up until it readied tho height of eight to ten feet, silked, tassoled, and bore Its ears of golden corn. It wns subject to six weeks of dry weather after It bad silked, nnd yet It had not tired nnd overy hill wns bright and green. Across the rond n neighbor's corn fired clear above tho ears of the corn, nnd did not make more than 20 bushels to tho acre. Hut Mr. Smith's corn llnnlly reached Its harvesting stage, sound and solid. It was gathered, hauled to market, and made by weight 72 bushels to the acre, and brought a money value of $35 per acre. The planter used to plant the corn wns set to drop three grnlns to the hill, and never missed putting three grnlns In the hill, but too often dropped four grnlns, which mndo tho corn too thick, nnd this condition reduced the yield fully ten bushels or more to the acre. Hut think of 72 bushels of com being grown on land that had not for over 20 years produced more than 20 bushels to the acre, and this font accomplished In'so short a time nnd with so little expense, as the cost of the vetch seed was but .$3.50 an ncre. This experiment with vetch made Mr. Smith a vetch enthusiast. The following yenr he plnnted ten ncres of better nnd higher land to vetch, and tlio yield of corn on this land after the vetch was over 00 bushels per acre, tho cost of the vetch seed for this field being only $3 per acre. Similar experiments were made with tho growing of sweet corn nnd potntoes on land thnt hnd first been plnnted to vetch, and tho results were equally successful. Vetch, according to Mr. Smith, Is no respecter of soils. It settles down and makes Its home with tho rich or poor clay as well as the rich or poor sand, nnd commences its business of soil restora tion nt once. It has no terrors of frost or draught. Winter will grasp it with Its hand nnd hold It In Its Icy clnsp for months nnd months, nnd when tho wnrm sunshine of spring rclenses it, It smiles with Its freshness of green nnd continues doing business at the old stand. Tho drought of fall, spring or summer will blow Its brenth upon it, but it heeds It not, nnd continues Its business of stor ing fertility In tho soli ns though it were being con stnntly caressed with refreshing showers. Big Elephant Butte Dam Will Curb the Rio Grande Floods Tho United Stntes reclamation service has com nleted by tho building of the Elephant Hutto dam a reservoir capable of Impounding 802.200,000,000 gallons of wnter. Thnt Is to say, within nn nrtlll clal lake 45 miles long nnd with a shore lino of 210 miles, water cnouch will be stored to bo spread a foot deep over an area of 4,285 square miles; or, If twlco that depth, It would cover tho state of Delaware. The purposo of tills water Is to Irrigate 185,000 acres In four valleys lying bo- low the atorago basin In New Mexico and Texas, While tho dam Itself Is not so high as others in tlio United States for a kindred service, still the massiveness of tho structure and the capacity of the reservoir mnko tho project not only the big gest thing of Its kind In the United States but tho most ambitious In the world. Tho fiunous Assuan dam In Egypt Impounds only two-thirds ns much wnter nnd cost $14,000,000 more thnn tho Elephnnt Hutto structure, or $10,000,000. Elephiyit butto Is In New Mexico, nbout twelve miles west of Engle, nnd In order to carry ninterlals to the dam site It was necessary to build a branch railway nearly thirteen miles long tapping tho Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line. The government con structed this road and operated something like a fourth of It, and In this wny saved $130,000 In freight charges alone. The dam is built of great rocks hurled In n mnss of concrete and blocks a canyon on the Rio Grande. From the lowermost point of tho parapet wall the dam rises 318 feet, and nearly a third of this Is below the river bed. At Its top the struc ture has a length of 1,074 feet nnd on it runs a fine roadwny 10 feet wide. The dam Is 225 feet thick at Its base and the entire mass, which called for 010,000 cubic yards of material, represents n dead weight of 1,000.000 tons. This strength nnd inertia are needed to halt the onrush of tho orratlc and the torrential lllo Grande and to hold the accumulated waters so that they may be supplied slowly and safely to the widespread acres reach tng for 171 miles. Work was begun In 1011, nnd half of the sue ceedlng six yenrs was taken up In preliminary operations before the great bulwark could ho reared. This preparatory work called for tho con structlon of a great sluice to divert tho river's flow and enormous bulkheads or subsidiary dams above and below tho permanent dam. The climate Is an callable ono In the region opened to tho farmer, and tho soli Is abundantly productive when properly watered. A practical husbandman with $5,000 working capital has splendid chance. Washington. Tho sccretnry of agri culture has Issued the following state ment: Corn Is America's most Important cereal. It can be grown successfully over a wider area thun any other, and furnishes nutritious food for mnn ns well ns the staple grain feed for cattle and drnft nnlmuls. The production of corn should be Increased fids' year to the fullest extent, taking Into consider ation seed, labor, and existing eco nomic conditions, nnd the availability of good land In corn-growing regions not needed more urgently for other crops. Tho acrenge may well bo In creased In most of the country east of the one hundredth meridian, ns corn, In general, thrives In this region. An appreciable Increase In the corn crop Is most feasible, however. In the sections of highest corn production. Favorable growing conditions exist In such regions; farmers there are famil iar with corn growing; they have the necessary equipment available, and have adapted corn production to pre- nlllng economic conditions. Areas of Maximum Corn Production. A list of the leading corn-producing counties In the principal corn-producing states marks roughly the area In which efforts to Increase the produc tion of corn should bo most successful. Such a list of counties for the ten leading corn-producing states follows. The states and the counties within them nre named In the order of their Importance In corn production. Al though early plantings have been com pleted or nre In progress In some of tho counties, late additional plantings may be advisable In such regions. ILLINOIS Counties: Chamnalirn. Iro quois, LaSalle, Livingston, McLean, Bu reau, Christian, Edgar, Henry, Lee, Lo Kan, Macon, Sangamon, Shelby, Vermilion, win, Adams, coles, ueivaiu, uewitt, Donglas, Fayette, Ford, Fulton, Grundy, Hancock, Kankakee, Knox, McDonough, Macoupin, Mason, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria. Piatt, Pike, Taze well, Warren, Whiteside, Woodford, Madison, Marshall, Moultrie, Wayne, White, Greene, Jasper, Jefferson, Kane, McHenry. Marlon, Stephenson, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cook, Hamilton, Henderson, Kendall, Menard, Winnebago, Cass, Clin ton, Crawford, Kfflngham, Franklin, Rock island, St. Clair, Schuyler, Stark, Washington. IOWA Counties: Harrison. Plymouth. Pottawattamie, Sioux, Woodbury, Adair, Benton, Blackhawk, Boone, Buunu Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cherokee, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guth rie, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Johnson, Keokuk. Kossuth, Linn, Lyon, Mahaska, Marshall, Mills. Monona, O'Brien, Page, Pocahontas, Polk, Poweshiek, Sac, Shelby, Story, Tama, Washington, Webster, Wright, Audubon, Buchanan, Ccrro Gordo, Delaware, Fayette, Ida, Iowa, Madison, Marlon, Montgomery, Clay, Clayton, Floyd, Hancock, Henry, Jones, Scott, Tay lor, Warren, Wayne. NEBRASKA-Countles: Custer. Buffalo. Gage, Knox, Lancaster, Saunders, Antel ope, Blaine, Boone, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Clay, cuming, Dawson, Dixon, Fillmore, son, Johnson, Lincoln, Madison, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pierce, Platte, Richardson, Saline, Seward, Thayer, Wayne. Webster. York. Adams Hurt, uooge, lTaiiKiin, rneips, I'ouc. iieuwmow. -rnursion. vaiicy. uree ley. Hall. Harlan. Howard, Kearney. Nance, Nemaha, Pawnee, Sherman, Stan ton. MISSOURI Counties: Bates. Nodaway. Vernon, Atchison, Audrain, Barton, Calla way. Carroll. Cass. Harrison. Henry. Johnson, Lafayette. Macon, Monroe, Pet tis, Saline, Boone, Charlton. Dekalb, Holt, Ray, St. Clair, Andrew, Caldwell, Clinton, nniilaaa i"nnt-, 3Aa..A T..I,..- Jasper, Knox, Linn, Pike, Stoddard, Ben ton, ceaar, uaao, uncoin, uvingston, Mississippi, Montgomery, New Madrid. Tlnll. Ow.llm a.tlll.,nn 1 Jn- Ti I Clark, Clay, Franklin, Grundy, Lawrence, Lewis, Mercer, Newton, Ralls, Randolph, ucotiana, scon. INDIANA counties: Benton. Knox. Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Boone, Clinton, Madison. Shelby, White, Hamilton, Hend ricks. Randolph. RUBh. Warren. Allen. Carroll, Delaware, Fountain, Gibson, urant, Henry, jasper, i-rfiporio, Newton, Posey, Sullivan, Wayne, Bartholomew, Cass, Daviess, Greene, Hancock, Howard, Johnson, Kosciusko, Marlon, Miami, Mor gan, Parke, Putnam, Tipton, Vigo, Wells, Adams, Decatur, Elkhart, Fulton, Hunt ington, jacKson, lako, Aiarsnan, l'orter, Pulaski. St. Joseph. Spencer. Wabash. jay, warncK. TEXAS counties: uouin, t anntn, Gray- a n T.amnt T"Va ntnn Hunt Mnvafrn Tinll Cooke. Hill.' McLennan. Milam. Red River! Dallas, Falls, Hopkins, Limestone, Mon tague. Smith. Wise. cass. Cherokee. Clav. Coryell, isuia, iayeue, uonzaies, Kauf man, Rusk. Van Zandt, Wilbarger, Wll- 1 amson. Anderson, hqwio, uaudalupe, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Lavaca, Nacogdoches. Parker, Robertson. Wash ington, Wichita, Bastrop, Dewitt, Fort Bend, Freestone, unmes, panoia. Shelby, Tarrant, iravis, upsnur, wnarton Wheeler. Wood. KANSAS Counties. Butler. Jewell, Mar shall, nemana, iicno, uepuDiic, secigwick Smith, 8umner. Washington, Barber, Brown. Clay, Cloud, Correy, Cowley, Craw ford. Decatur. Dickinson. Graham. Green wood, Harper, Jackson, Jefferson, King man, iJiDette, L,yon, mcrnerson, Marion Mitchell. Morris, Osage, Osborne, Phil llos. Pottawatomie, Rice. Stafford. Bour bon. Cherokee. Franklin, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Shawnee, Wabaun see. Allen, Anderson, Harvey, Norton, Pratt. Riley. Rooks. Ballne. Wilson. Atchl nn. uonlnhan. Douglas. Elk. Johnson Ottawa, Sheridan, Barton, Chautauqua, Kiowa, Leavonworin, uncoin. OHIO Counties: Darke, Wood, Madl son, Pickaway. Clinton, Fayette. Frank II- n.a.n. Piitnnm Ttnna Tllltlar Phnm riaicrn. Clark. Hancock, Henry. Highland Mercer, Miami, Paulding, Preble. Van Wnri Auelalze. Falrneld. Hardin. IJrk Ing. Logan, Marion, Montgomery, Seneca, fllT-fl... ITnlnn rn.n A.lnma A II .n OIIOIUJT, UUlUlli 4u.,,0, AUCII Brown, Clermont, Delaware, Milton, San dusky, Wyandot. Crawford, Dortance. Hu ron. Knox, Richland, Stark, Wayne, Wil llama. nitLAHOMA- Counties: Caddo. Cnna dlan, Comanche. Garfield, Grady, Grant Tr ilfntfn Tllntn llrvun ter, Onrvln. KtnKflBhor, Lincoln, Osage, mepnenn, xuiiiiuii. titanium, ueway, ijo Kan, McClain. Major, Noble, Payne, Pot tawatomie, Tulsa. Woodward, Mcintosh, MUSKOgee, umnnoms, j-nwnee, tiogei Mills. Woods, Cleveland, Ellis, Jcfforson Kiowa. Ottawa, uogers, wagoner. KENTnCICT Counties: Graves, Hen Mnn. TTurdln. Ohio. Pulaski. Warren. Bur, ren, Breckenrldgo, Calloway, Crittenden Hopkins. Logan, aiacuson, AO Mr, Bal lard, Butler, Hart, Hickman, Lawrence, T.lvlnrnton. Marshall. Muhlenberir. Nel son. Plko, T6dd, Trlgif, Wayne, Webster, wnmey. Western Newspaper Union News Service. With tho completion of tho new homo for dependent children in Liu coin, and the roturu to this institu tion of lifteen bablos which huvo beon boarded out, tho state board of control announces that it has be tween ninety and 100 babies which may be adopted into good homos. Tho plan of bourding babies out will bo abandoned. Chairman .Maytlold of tho board of control says that among tho babies ready for adoption aro many kiddies that aro really beautiful, and that U of them are healthy and well- behaved. Mr. Mayflcld is paying per sonal attention to the homo for de pendent children, and asks all wish ing a boy or girl, of nny ago from a few months up to 14 years, to come to Lincoln, visit tho homo and mako thoir selections. Nono but healthy children aro sent out, bo says, and a complete record of each is supplied. State Board Rents More Ground To feed and maintain tho 5,000 in mates of tho fifteen state institutions of Nebraska, with 800 odlcors and attendants, Is going to require tho mobilization of the best resources of tho state board of control, In tho face of the present high prices des tined to go higher with tho war with Germany on. Tho board has already sent out or ders to Institution superintendents to use every effort to cut down ex penses, dispense with luxuries, utilize overy available foot of ground for garden truck and crops and retrench generally In all lines of expenditures. The big question now with tho board Is to get each institution to raise as much produco as possible on its own institutional grounds. To this end the board has rented 100 more acres of ground at tho state penitentiary in addition to the 295 acres of its own. A hundred acres of wheat, killed tho past win ter, will be put into corn, so that tho corn acreago thero this fall will be 200 acres. Will Help Conservation of Resources Chairman E. O. Mayfield of tho state board of control says that tho board appreciates Governor Neville's expressed wish that every citizen mako a special effort to husband ro naurccs and Increaso wherever possible tho products from field and garden. On its part, tho stato board of con trol will seo to It that every avail able acre of land is planted and care fully looked after, with tho end in view that expenses at the various institutions may contribute as muck as possible to the expense of their operation. Wherever thero is land, attached to ono of the institutions, no matter how small tho amount. gardens will bo planted more ex tensively than in tho past, If possible. The Revised Compensation Law Tho committeo of the whole, with. Splrk In the chair, has finished con sideration of tho employers' liability and workmen's compensation law. It was a substitute bill offered by tho Benate committeo on labor. After it had beon amended somewhat by Morlarty of Douglas it was ordered engrossed for a third reading. Morlarty's amendment to provido that in case an injury should tako place as a result of tho violation of a safety law by the employer tho employe could elect to tako under tho compensation law or suo in court for damages under tho old law. This was opposed by friends of tho bill as destroying the very spirit of the compensation law and would result in ambulance chasing lawyers getting enployes to sue under tho old com mon law and In many such cases the employe would lose his wages and get nothing and perhaps bo per manently injured. For Council of Defense Without a protesting voto tho house adopted tho conference commit tee report on H. H. 423. the bill placing tho Nebraska national guard under tho provisions of tho national dofenso act and raising tho salaries of members of the adjutant gon oral's staff. The measure had been amended to conform with Governor Neville's request for a state council of dofenso. This council will consist of eleven members, each member to draw J5 a day during actual service. Change District Judaea. Governor Novlllo signed tho Judicial reapportionment bill giving one addi tional district Judge to tho Fourth and Tenth districts and shifting several small counties In northwest Nebraska. Simultaneously with this announce ment tho governor stated that ho had appointed W. M. Morning, of Lincoln, as Lancaster county's fourth Judgo. Mr. Morning was a presidential elector nt tho November election. Ho has practiced law hero many years.
