THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
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around their homes.
Two or thrco inoutlis Inter theso thrifty lnteu
lvo agriculturists were selling hundreds ot
Ibunchca of celery, radishes or lettuce about the
neighborhood, and receiving tlio full market prlco
for their wares.
IIousuwIvcb uugmcutcd Ute family lucouiu with
u Btrlp of garden land 15 or 20 feet In width and
HO or 50 feet In length. The amount of vego
ttnbles that can bo grown on sucli u lot, when In
ttelllgently cultivated uud carefully tended, Is as
lonlshlng. Thero Is a threefold lncentlvo to city lot gar
dening. The first In n hnndsotno saving If tho
(vegetables aro consumed by tho family, or a neat
profit If they aro sold In tho neighborhood. Tito
taecond Is tho incomparable superiority In crisp
ness and flavor of garden-grown produce. Tho
variety purchased after several dnys of transpor
tation und exhibition lu stock Is often tough,
leathery and flavorless.
Mr. Albnugh Is authority for tho statement that
ithreo squaro rods or u spaco of ground, say 18
by 45 feet, can bo made to produco a largo part
of all tho vegetables needed to supply the tablo
f a family of flvo or sir persons, throughout
(tho season. Ho, himself, has repeatedly produced
on such a plot, but containing four squaro rods,
tho following:
Thirty dozen grceu onions, ono bushel dry
.onions, ten messes green peas, 15 dozen beets, 22
"dozen radishes, 200 heads flno celery, 23 cholco
legg plant fruits, 25 extru lino squashes, CO messes
lettuce, 20 messes cndlvo, ten messes kohlrabi,
iclght dozen sugar corn, ten messes green beuus,
125 heads finest cnullflower, 25 heads cabbage, 20
uncases spinach, ten messes chard, 20 messes as
paragus, ten messes salsify, ten dozen carrots, ten
idozen parsnips, CO flno muskmelons, 200 pickling
'cucumbers, ten slicing cucumbers, flvo bushels to
auutoes, two liushcls early potatoes, eight quarts
lllma beans, thrco bushels turnips, three quurts
okrn, nnd thrco dozen sweet mangoes.
At a low t'stlmuto theso crops wero worth well
.over $50. Often thoy would cost much moro to
buy. Yet tho plot wnB cultivated In Mr, Albuugh's
and help increase the national food
supply so that lijving costs may be
reduced and a victorious peace be
assured : : :( This is a matter of
vital importance to every one of us
RahErQil.Moultoii -
Alt MAY end that great American
anomaly, high cost of living In a
land of plenty. It probably will
bo tho means of bringing Into
cultivation practically untouched
arable Innd, of nwakenlng the
country to tho value of native
food staples of which mnny aro
still Ignorant, nnd of enforcing
a system of distribution which
will supplant tho wasteful and
Inefllclent methods now In vogue.
It Is unlikely that tho United States will ever
bo In tho position of the belligerent countries In
Europe, especially Germany, where Innd Is senrco
ns coin pn red with tho farm acreugo, on this con
tinent. Tho problem of feeding the moro than
300,000,000 of Inhabitants of the United States
ns well ns supplying Great Britain nnd Franco
can bo solved by means of tho enormous agricul
tural resources at thu disposal of the American
cation. Prudcnco, foresight and efllclcncy aro
needed.
National policy decrees that there should bo a
Mg Incrcnso In our ncreugo, and this being so,
tho nation as n whole nnd not tho farmer as a
class should nnd must assume thu major part of
tho risk Involved. Each section of tho country
must become ns nenrly ns practicable agricultural
ly Independent. This Is a good policy In time of
ipeaco nnd Is n vitally Important policy now thnt
Kvo hnvo entered tho war, with every prospect
Ithat our transportation systems will eventually
!e chiefly occupied with tho transportation of
soldiers nnd military supplies.
From Washington comes tho cnll of tho nation
al emergency food gnrden commission, which
fwould boo n million food gnrdens planted through
put tho United Stntcs. This plan is similar to
(thnt which wns followed In Germany when tho
pawns of private houses, tho parks nnd tho
grounds about hospitals allka wero subjected to
(the spado and hoe. Tho Germans aro given to
tho lntcnslvo development of every Inch of soil;
Ins for that matter aro other European nations.
ITho cnll to tho gnrden, however, will undoubtedly
havo sotno effect In providing food for thoso who
nro thrifty and patient enough to look after their
own gnrdens.
Benjamin F. Albnugh, known nationally as an
tcnthuslnst In tho subject of city lots gardening
Und nuthor of severnl books on tho subject, snys
tthnt tho "gnrdenctto," or back yard farm, Is ono
lot tho surest means of combating tho rnpld rlso
In tho prlco of foodstuffs. In his book, "Tho Gar
denctte," Mr. Albnugh has pointed out tho possi
bilities of unoccupied building lots, nnd ho Is now
(taking an nctlvo part In tho general campaign
rwhlch has been Inaugurated to cducnto tho city
dweller up to tho potcntlul worth of n few squaro
Tods of ground.
If ono has an unoccupied area In the rear of
Ihls homo, oven If It Is only 25 by 60 feet In size,
Itlien ho has tho means of cutting down the cost
of summer foodstuffs almost two-thirds, snys Mr.
Albnugh. Tho soil need not bo particularly fertile
)to yield satisfactory returns In garden crops, if
ttreated right. And tho soaring equations on nil
varieties of vegctnblo foodstuffs mnko tho effort
well worth while.
Tho bncklot garden has been tried successfully
In tho East and In mnny other sections of tho
country. At flrst tho backyard gardening In tho
larger centers of population wus undertaken by
pcoplo of foreign birth, who from a dcslro to
effect practical economics, or from an Inherited
gpouchnnt for tho work, began Industriously spad
ing up tho small areas of unoccupied ground
odd moments, without In any way Interfering with
his usual pursuits.
For tho business or professional man, who
tolls nil dny In ofllce, bnnk, factory jor shop, the
change to tho light physical labor In tho open
air nnd sunshine, gives Just the needed change
ncccRsnry for health of both body nnd mind. Such
employment will be found restful and soothing
to tho overtaxed and wearied mind nnd nerves.
For city lot soli thnt is hard, Impoverished or
rocky, Mr. Albnugh has Invented n new system
of gardening. From It he has achieved such sur
prisingly favorable results ns to augur a great
future for tho new "sandwich" method of city
lot cultivation. The "snndwlch" garden Is, In a
sense, an artificial creation. It may bo construct
ed on brick or cement pavement, or oven the tnrred
or tllo surfaces of tho roofs of buildings. By
this method of growing vegetables, tho products
of tho garden arc always earlier, and nt tho samo
timo of better quality than can possibly bo pro
duced In any other way.
In making a "sandwich bed," Mr. Albnugh flrst
pluccs a lnyer of straw or stable litter or leaves,
about live Inches thick, upon the surface selected
and then tramps or packs It rather smooth nnd
Arm. Over this he spreads about ono Inch deep
of rich, flno stable manure. Another lnyer
of stable munuro nbout two Inches thick
goes over this, after which a hose Is turned on
nnd tho mass given n thorough soaking, caio
being exercised to stop before leaching begins.
The next step Is to spread evenly over tho
bed nt least four Inches of street scrapings, nvold
Ing, howover, streets that have oil or asphalt lu
their make-up. If street scrapings cannot bo
readily obtained, a composition of cqunl pnrts of
flno river sand, rich garden soil und old, lino
stable manuro may bo used instead. This should
bo thoroughly mixed by shoveling over in a heap,
and then, after It Is In place, tramped until It is
Arm. Tho bed Is then ready to plant.
In Bomo Instances tho real "sandwich bed" Is
not possible or practicable. If this be tho case,
and tho soli Is yet reasonably fertile, and lu good
condition, excellent results may bo obtained by
tne following method:
Procuro one load of rich stablo manuro for each
squaro rod of ground (a squaro rod Is 10 by 10
feet) und dump It near where the beds aro to bo
made. Then with a spading fork, beginning nt
one end of tho bed, spado a furrow across tho
bed. All tho furrow nearly full of manure, nnd
trump It down ilrmly. Now spado another fur
row throwing tho dirt from this over tho tramped
down manuro In tho flrst furrow. Fill tho second
furrow with manure nnd trump It down ns before,
nnd throw over this tho dirt from tho third lino
of spading, and so on until tho entlro bed ts
spaded.
Finest vegetables, says Mr. Albaugh, can bo
grown on hard, stony, or alkaline soils, where or
dinary cultivation would bo utterly fruitless: For
best results plunts need aeration ut the roots. If
air cannot penetrate to the roots tho plant lan
guishes nnd dies from suffocation. When the sur
face of tho ground Is covered with water, tho
plnnt suffers In the snme wny and for tho same
reason. Tho "sandwich beds" enn neither be
drowned nor smothered. Tho nlr circulates
through tho several lnyers of material, nnd If too
much water Is applied, It readily pnsscs through
the fibrous beds nnd does no harm. Other ad
vantages of these beds nro thnt the fertility is
placed Just where It can bo easily absorbed and
assimilated up earlier than does the natural soli,
nnd tho decaying mass of fibrous material retains
molsturo to such an extent that only a nominal
quantity of hydrant water Is required.
A steel garden rake, spading fork, smnll garden
trowel, n long handled shovel, n mnnurc fork,
and a small hand sprnyer aro nbout nil tho tools
thnt need be purchased. Mr. Albaugh uses a
small hand sprayer which Is cheap nnd very
satisfactory. It has n qunrt Mason glass Jar
for a reservoir, and has the advantage of blow
ing tho spray nt right nngles from the bnrrcl of
the mnchlne. With It the under side of tho leaves
can bo effectually renched, and this Is often es
sentlnl to success. Tho barrel should be of brass,
as many spraying compounds nro corrosive on
Iron. With this llttlo mnchlne, nnd a supply of
bordeaux mixture, hellebore tobacco extract or
tea, parls green, nphlne, etc., tho careful gardener
is well fortified ngalnst attacks of Insects nnd
fungi.
Tho provisioning of tho country will bo much
aided by the educatlonnl work among boys and
girls of the United States which hns been cnrrled
on through tho co-operation of tho department of
agriculture and the rural school garden clubs of
tho vnrlous states, Tho younger generation hns
been stimulated In the raising of vegetables and
fruits on wnsto Innd and In tho bnckynrds In
tho cities nnd towns.
An exnmplo of what can bo accomplished by
tho pupils of rural schools was strikingly demon
strated last year by tho Cook County, Illinois,
Gnrden club which hnd a membership of 2,387.
The club cultivated over 200 acres of land, upon
which grow nearly $48,000 worth of vegetables,
After deducting expenses tho club members had a
not profit of $11,020.28. If theso 2,387 bpys nnd
girls had not grown these gardens, probably 75
per cent of them would have been Idle doing
nothing throwing nwny time and energy. The
gardens gnvo helpful exercise, stimulated Interest,
and encouraged thrift and ownership.
Tho economic side of the problem Is nston
Ishlng, but grentcr still, and of far moro ira
portance, is tho wholesome, moral Influence
brought to bear upon tho lives of theso young
pcoplo who aro receiving most excellent training
In doing worthwhile things.
WW
SUFFERING CATS!
Enemies of Tom and Maria Accuse
Them of Many Serious Crimes.
"Suppress tho catl" was a recent demand modo
on tho legislature ot Now York stato according to u
bill for licensing felines. Connecticut and other
commonwealths also aro, crusading against outlaw
Grimalkin.
Millions of cats aro leading Uvea of vagabondage.
They room tho wilds, seeking what they may de
vour. Birds aro slain by them In largo numbers.
They do harm In other ways.
Tho cat has an ancient history. Tradition has It
that tho creature appeared In Egypt ubout 1500 B.
O., and being highly regarded thcro ns n flresldo
Sphinx snuggled down near thu scats of tho mighty
and mndo himself very much at home. Mummy
cats aro found In thu pyramids.
Tho flrst cat Is believed to havo been of African
origin. Travelors from Greece seeing tho cats so
comfortably ensconced In Egypt saw to It thnt somo
of them wero brought to Athens, and from tho nn
clunt sent of culture tho cat Is supposed t6 havo
spread over Europe The animal In Europo was
adopted by man as a pet about tho ninth century.
There Is something so Inherently wild nbout tho
cut that oven when ho reposes on silk cushions and
has his fur combed with celluloid nnd hns cream
every day ho has within him tho old spark ot
savagery,
Tho cat Is of tho race of tho saber-toothed tiger
and Is credited with an Insatiably bloodthirsty dis
position, Ho torments his pre). lie bus no nbld
Ing affection for thoso whoso hands havo fed him.
Chateaubriand said to his friend, M. do Mnrccllus,
that there Is In tho cat an ungrateful spirit which
prevents him from being nttached to anyone.
Tho principal goad of tho nationwide crusado
against tho "villainous, false cat" comes from the
friends of tho birds. Tho cat Is n crafty bird
catcher by nature. Cats havo been seen lying In
wait for the winged victims which aro attracted to
the feast so bountifully spread. They havo even
been nccused of decoying birds within tho reach of
their paws by imitating tho noto of tho feathered
Mougsters. They climb tho trees by night and day
lu quest of eggs and fledglings.
.Tohn Burroughs declnres that cats kill moro
birds than do any other anlmnls on this continent.
It Is also charged that tho cat kills squirrels
and hares and rabbits, moles nnd shrews and fish
and useful Insects, while ns a ratter ho Is greatly
over-rated.
Hat traps, when well handled, nro credited with
surpassing tho cat In efficiency. Tho other dny
thcro wns put on exhibition an Illustration of the
efllclcncy of tho cnt. Tho cubln of n stenmshlp wns
fumigated with tho result of a mortality of ono cnt
, nnd 24 rats, which tho cat was supposed to keep
away. When tho cnt Is right on tho premises tho
mlco piny Just ns much us when ho Is nwny, sny
tho enemies of tho cnt, only they keep out ot sight
"Few persons In a normal lifetime," Insists Dr.
A. K. Fisher, who Is In charge of economic Invest!
cations for tho bureau of bloloclcnl survov of tho
United States department of agriculture, "run
ncross moro than half n dozen cats that habitually
attack rnts."
When tho cnt Is permitted to run wild tho ex
porta decllno to glvo him tho slightest excuse for
living.
Tho known fnctfrnre that tho domestic cat, stray
Ing Into tho fields nnd woods, whether n pet, a
vagabond or n wild dweller In tho ocn, Is n mennco
to wild life and a detriment to tho general welfare
As a further argument ngalnst tho cat tho chargo
Is made against him thatho disseminates disease
by becoming tho playmate of sick children and that
ho carries microbes In his fur, lockjaw lu tho
scratch ot his claw, and rabies In tho bite of his
teeth. Now York Sun.
PROTECTOR OF WILD LIFE
Thero Is no moro resolute nnd In
defatigable defender of wild life than
Doctor Ilornaday. Tho campaign be
gun by hlra lust fall to prevent the Im
minent extermination of tho sago
grouse, other grouse, and qunll In the
states west of the Mississippi river has
met with gratifying success. Seven
legislatures out ot nineteen have
heeded tho warnings and appeals ad
dressed to them by the Permanent
Wild Life Protection fund, of which
Doctor Ilornaday is a trustee, to save
their valuable upland gamo birds
from totnl destruction. In five states,
Tova, Utah, Nevnda, Idaho and New
Mexico, tho laws demanded hnvo been
passed, and In two others, Montana
and Washington, measures for protec
tion in part have been enacted.
In Iowa tho friends of wild life,
after a three months' battle with tho
organized hunters of the state, won a
sweeping victory in the legislature in
the enactment of n flve-yenr close senson for quail and prairie chickens. In
Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and New Mexico the sage grouso gets n five-year close
senson, nnd In Ohio the qunll hns been placed In tho list of song birds entitled
to protection. These measures of conservntion havo been adopted none too
soon. The sage grouse, which, except the wild turkey, Is tho largest nnd finest
uplnnd gnmo bird of America, has many natural enemies. Tho automatic
guns used by mnny hunters, the large bag limits allowed In most of tho West
ern states, and tho long and early open season, have wrought havoc.
j STANCH FRIEND OF AMERICA
Brazil has two motives In deter
mining her course toward Germany.
Tho torpedoing by tho German subma
rine of tho Brazilian stenmer Tarana
is one; a matured international policy
Is another. Brazil's diplomatic note,
In response to Germany's notice of un
restricted submarine wnrfare, wns
sufficiently vigorous to indicate that
the destruction of Brazilian vessels
under such circumstances would be
sufficient to cause the breaking off of
diplomatic relations, with the proba
bility of n state of war to follow.
In this respect the situation Is ex
actly parallel to that of the United
States. Brazil, In tho torpedoing of
the Pnrnnn, has tho samo reason that
we have to regard Germany as rank
ing wnr upon her.
Brazil has the further motive for
taking warlike action in thnt this Is
In pursuance of her settled policy In
International nffalrs, which Is to line up
with tho United States. This policy was determined on in a general way
when Secretary Root made his visit to South America ten years ago. It has
been affirmed repeatedly during President Wilson's administration. Minor
considerations have not been allowed to stand in tho wny of accepting full
fellowship with this country.
Tho Brazilian policy of lining up with the United States In international
affairs was developed by Foreign Minister Brnnco, the great constructive
Brazilian statesman of the present generation. Since his death his successors
have adopted his views.
Dr. Lnuro Mueller, Brazilian minister of foreign affairs, who has been a
frequent visitor in Washington, nnd Is especially sympathetic toward us, has
taken every occasion to strengthen tho good relations of the two countries.
TAKES UP CENSOR'S DUTIES
Control of publicity in connection
with the government's wnr activities
has been placed by President Wilson
In the hands of a committee of public
information, whoso task will bo to
safeguard secrets of value to the
enemy nnd nt tho same time to seo
that all affairs of tho nation are laid
before the people as fully and frankly
ns possible. The committee named by
the president Is mnde up of Secre
taries Lnnslng, Baker and Daniels,
who recommended the step, with
George Creel, a magazine writer, as
civilian chairman. Announcement of
its creation wns mnde in this executive
order mnde public at tho White
Houso:
"I hereby create a committee on
public information, to be composed of
tho secretary of state, tho secretary of
war, the secretary of tho navy, nnd u.
clvlllnn, who Bhnll bo charged with tho
executive direction of tho committee.
As civilian chairman of the committee, I appoint Mr. Georgo Creel. Tho sec
retary of state, tho secretary of war, and tho secretary of tho navy nro
authorized to detail nn officer or officers to tho work of the committee."
Mr. Creel has accepted his post
SAILOR GOVERNS ISLANDS
Rear Admiral James n. Oliver,
chief of naval Intelligence, Is now gov
ernor of tho new United Stutes posses
sions heretofore known as tho Danish
West Indies. The ceremonies of trans
fer took place at S' Thomas, and In
Washington on the samo day Secretary
McAdoo delivered to the Danish min
ister tho government warrant for $25,
000,000 in payment for tho Islands.
Importnnt fortifications will bo
constructed nnd the islands used ns n
naval base for further protection of
the Paunma canal ind for general
military purposes, tour Admiral Oli
ver will servo as governor until a per
manent form of government is fixed
by congress. Two naval vessels, tho
transport Hancock und cruiser Olym
pin, took pnrt in tho transfer cere
monies. Cnpt B. B. Blcrer, command
ing tho Hancock, officiated as the rank
ing naval officer.
Tho actual acquisition was marked
by tho brief und formal memory of tho lowering of tho Duntsh flog nnd the
raising ot the Stars and Stripes and firing of salutes by tho two ships.