THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
M m LHEiiiff
GREATEST OF TOWN BUILDERS
'msmc .. mri
Zfte world needs more wool and
to obtain the necessary supply of
this commodity the country must
raise more wool producers there
should be a flock of sheep on
every fart
Plll'i remnrkuhle success recently
ucjiiuvud uy Air. I. u. nutnsiioni 01
Endlcolt, Washington, In fatten
In;.'; ri'voral hundred head of sheep
on the Australian salt-hush Iiiih
created an Interest In this once
despised weed, which Is rapidly
spreading throughout the north
west states. Ono result of air.
Mnnsflcld's experiment Is that other
farmers on whose acres the weed
iffows hnvo come to look upon what was for
merly considered absolutely worthless land as n
real bonanza, and they are now preparing to
turn their attention from the raising of hogs and
wheat to sheep, with the assurance that, under
ordinary conditions, they can hardly fall short of
Mr. Mnnslleld'a success. They see opened before
them what Is practically n virgin field of sheep
raising, offering wonderful possibilities.
As soon as the value of tho salt-bush ns n for
age crop become generally known It undoubtedly
will bo cultivated In other sections of tho West.
As n matter of fact, It Is now found along all tho
highways from Arizona to Washington, hut very
few people know Its truo nnmo and fewer know
that It Is n valuable plant. In eastern Oregon It
la generally known as tho Pendleton flood weed,
and has been looked upon ns such a pest that
there Is a law In the state against allowing It to
go to seed.
According to Mr, Manslleld, however, It Is rcnl
ly of moro value to eastern -Oregon than tho al
falfa plant for not only Is It a far better feed for
sheep, but It will grow on the most arid laud,
and practically requires no attention after onco
getting a stand, ns It grows In hard, Arm soil bet
ter than on loose, well-cultivated land.
Mr. Mansfield's experience, ns related by him to
tho writer, who wns fortunate to visit tho farm
nt a timo when a thousand head of sheep had Just
been turned Into a new pasturo of the saltbush,
when tho accompanying photographs were taken,
renda almost like n fairy story.
For Hovcral years Mr. Manslleld farmed 8,000
acres of land, all of which was wheat land
with the exception of ICO acres, which were sub
Irrigated nlfalfa land. Finally tho land became so
foul with Russian thistles and Jim Hill mustard,
that this, together with tho high cost of labor and
tho low price of wheat, made It Impossible for
AUSTRALA SALT-BUJH CtrfOflSAY
SHOWSfcr EAVY SOLAGF OF Ttf JALT-GlJH
him to longer continue In tho growing-of wheat
alono without also keeping live stock to help pay
the living expenses.
Accordingly, two years ago, ho decided to In
vest In n flock of sheep, and It was while driving
these home that he made the discovery which ho
has since turned to such good account.
Along tho road near tho Manslleld farm tho
salt-hush grew In abundance, and to Mr. Mans
field's Infinite surprise the sheep began feeding
upon It greedily. Ho figured upon the spot that
ho had destroyed $500 worth of good sheep feed
that year, besides wasting a great deal of labor,
In trying to get rid of the weeds.
Last summer ho pastured his entire llock of
1,000 sheep on the salt-hush with the most ns
tonlshlng results. Tho sheep were not only ex
ceedingly fat, but their wool was of n superior
quality. Several neighboring farmers with small
flocks of sheep followed Mr. Mansfield's experi
ment and their sheep, also, were In much better
shape than those that wcro taken to the moun
tains during tho summer.
During n period of two weeks last summer Mr.
Mansfield's llock of 1,000 sheep was kept on less
than llvo acres of ground that wns growing Aus
tralian salt-bush, and they did not clean the feed
all up at that. These five acres of land were two
feed yards where ho had fed stock for years and
consequently they grew nn Immense amount of
tho weed, but ordinarily dry land which practical
ly will not grow anything else, will produce this
weed. Later In the mimmer Mr.
Mansfield made some hay of tho
weed, but on account of tho
scarcity of lnbor was nut able to
haul It In out of the shock. Ho
had to turn his sheep through
this hay to tho stubble field,
wiiero there was plenty of other
pasture, and they would stop and
eat this hay. They cleaned It
all up and saved tho trouble of
hauling It In.
Mr. Mansfield Is not only very
enthusiastic about tho saltbush
as a food for sheep, but believes
It is good feed for other stock
also. Hogs, cattlo and horses, he
states, ent it soon, and he be
lieves that they would learn to
like It as weil as tho sheep do If
thov were confined n short time
on It. Sheep, he ndds, must be confined on It a
day or two before fhey relish It. Then they go to
It with avidity. They do not, however, eat
enough of it to make them sick and die,, as they
do on alfalfa and a great many other plants, but
they get exceedingly fnt on It.
The Australian snltbush Is described as n much
branched perennial, which forms n thick mat over
tho ground a foot or 18 Inches In depth, the
branches extending from five to eight feet; one
plant often covering an nren of 15 to 20 square
feet. The leaves aro about an Inch long, brondest
at the apex, coarsely toothed along tho margin,
fleshy and soiuewhnt mealy on the outside. The
fruits aro tinged with red, flattened and pulpy,
hut become dry as soon ns they fall from the
plant. Tho seeds germlnnto better If sown on
the surface, which Bhould be.plnnked or firmed
by driving a flock of sheep across It. When cov
ered to any depth tho seeds decay before germ!
nation. The plant will grow on black alfalfa land that
Is really of no value for anything else on earth.
Mr. Manslleld states that there are millions of
ncrcs of such land In tho United Stntes, which, If
sown to this seed, undoubtedly would keep sheep
enough to produce more wool und mutton than Is
now raised In tho entire United States.
Mr. Mansfield adds that if cut for hay the salt
bush should be cut while the branches are soft
and tender, and the second crop will make con
siderable pasturo and rc-secd tho ground.
I DECIPHERING WORLD'S OLDEST LOVE LETTER AT j
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA i
f"Tr- 1113 world's oldest lovo letter and tho np0n nn obscure law In tho great law codo of
I world's oldest map, so far found theso Ilnbylonla, which bears tho name of Ilammurnbl.
inro two Interesting discoveries Just brought in It wo hnve reference to tho custom of blowing n
tn 1 1 If lit lV TV. Htnnlinn Herbert LanCdon linrn fit llln vlllnrrn rniinn n nnllfn t tin alinntinrita
to light by Dr. Stephen Herbert Langdon
of tho University of Pennsylvania's Museum of
Arts und Sciences.
The lovo letter, on n tablet of clay, was, accord
ing to Doctor Langdon, written about tho tlrao of
tho patriarch Abruhnm,
It la truo that In the translation romanco gives
way to commercialism, but nevertheless thero Is
nothing ot the kind In any other museum. Tho
tablet waa deciphered and translated by Doctor
Ungnnd.
Personal letters of this typo written by tho
nnclcnt aro generally found Inclosed In clay en
velopes, so fashioned that while they cover tho
"writing completely and hold tho tablet Itself so
curo they do not obliterate tho symbols, but rather
protect them.
So much for tho lovo letter, but Doctor Lang
don, leading Sumerlnn scholar of nil time, seems
snuch moro interested In the nnclent Bnbylonlun
inap which ho has JUHt finished reading.
Tho map proves conclusively that tho compre
hensive city plnnnlng, heard so much of In recent
years, Is almost as old ns civilization.
Not only did the Babylonians plan tho building
of their towns and cities, but, according to this
map or diagram, they laid out villages i.nd ham
lets along preconceived plans to glvo residents
"all tho nilvantngcs of city life."
Nothing like the map Just discovered nt the
university ever has been found hoforo by arch
cologlsts, and evidently It Is only ono of many. If
It can be taken ns a fair samplo of tho fore
thought exercised by nnclent Babylon In building
up her outlying domnlns, then tho whole country
must hnvo been connected by the most olaboruto
wyBtem of cannls In tho history of the world.
Babylon had no telephone or telegraph, but for
certain fundamental purposes of protection It had
"something Just as good." For Doctor Langdon
tins translated somo of the numerous small In
scriptions on tho tablet bearing the map to Indi
cate thnt the particular section hero described
was so laid out that persons living In any pnrt of
It could hear the blowing of n horn from the cen
tral common. It was an old custom In tho 'inuntry
to blow n horn nt u certain season of tie year,
after which grazing was no longer permitted. Tho
reason for this Is lost In nntlqulty, but examina
tion of otbor tnblots at tho museum some duy may
reveal It. ,
Tho exact age of tho map Is not definitely
known, Doctor Langdon believes It was made In
tho Casslto period, nbout 1,500 years before Christ.
Concerning tho horn-blowing custom. Doctor Lang
don sayu: "Tho map throws a welcome light
on tho plains thnt the grazing season was over.
These rural villages In which the pensants con
gregated from tho surrounding plain nppoared to
have been so arranged that tho village buglers
wero able to ninko tho shepherds and farmers
hear tho sound of tho horn In every part of
Babylonia.
"Tho rural life of nnclcnt times In this historic
land has hero a visual commentary," Doctor Lang;
don ndds, "and wo see how the pensants lived to'w
gether In villages, having village commons for
their flocks and n municipal marsh to furnish a
most necessary artlclo of domestic llfo, the cano
reed. Assuming thnt tho orientation, of the map
Is the ordinary ono employed In other Babylonian
maps, ono Is able to traco tho several features of
the country nnd their details. Tho skeleton of tho
plnn Is mndo by the canal which enters from tho
northeast corner of the district, flows south-southwest
nnd turns In n rough parabolic curve, to re
treat at tho same angle toward tho north-northwest.
At tho center of the district mnrked by tho
end of tho pnrabola enter from tho south
east nnd southwest corners two canals which
unite with tho main canal.
Inscriptions on the tablet give tho names of tho
various canals, the villages and hamlets. Thus In
the extreme northenst corner Is tho town of Bit
Knr Nusku, nnd tho northenst wing of tho cnnnl,
on which this town lies, Is called Nar-blltl, or
"Cnnnl of tho Burden," Indicating thnt agricultural
and othor products wcro carried upon It.
"This name nnd others," says Doctor Langdon,
"show that these canals wero arteries of trado
as well as Streams to supply the fields with water.
The town Knr Nusku Is mentioned In temple ac
counts ot he city of Nippur as supplying sheep
nnd grain for the support of the temple priests.
In tho northwest corner, on tho left branch of tho
canal, Is the town of Ilnmrl, nlso mentioned In tho
accounts of tho temple at Nippur. Therefore, tho
northwest branch of tho umnl bnnrs the nnmo
Nar Ilnmrl. According to references In Assyrian
Inscriptions, hnmru designees a placo where tho
cult of the flro god was established."
Another canal bore tho ntune of Bolsunu, a rich
mini, whoso estate Is suppllHl with water for Irri
gation purposes. Unfortunately, the estnto Itself
lay outside the limits of the map, so It Is Impos
sible to get any description of Belsunu's country
limine. In the opinion of Doctor Langdon tho
point of chief interest In tho mind of the ancient
mnp-ninkor was the conellke sp"ace at the end of
the pnrabola, which Ik about tho center of tho
map. The following Inscription Is cut Into this
upon an obscuro law In Uio great law codo of
part of the tnblct:
"Field between tho cannls, the contents (?) nro
eight gul (n measure of area In tho Cnsslte and
Assyrian Inscriptions) field of the pnlace."
"Therefore the mapninker wished to give nn no
curate drawing of the field belonging to the royal
estates," says Doctor Langdon, "nnd we may as
sumo that he did his work nt tho king's Injunc
tion, and that the tablet has como down to us
from tho royal archives at Nippur. Tho Cnsslte
kings nominally held court at Babylon, as tho
capital of Babylonia,
Forests wero unknown In southern Babylon
nnd the natives had to use reeds for mnklng has
kets, household furniture, firewood, hedges nnd
oven for tho writing stylus. Accordingly, a mu
nlclpnl marsh was an essential, and ono is shown
on tho map at the university museum. Another
fenturo of no little significance, which sheds light
for the first time on tho origin of the customs that
sprung up In tho mlddlo ages of endowing nion
nsterles with estates to provide for their tables,
Is the "field of the table of the Bnru priest." On
this phnso of tho diagram Doctor Langdon snys
"The Baru priest was the seer of the Babylon
Inns, whom thoy Invnrlably consulted nbout all
future events. This learned priesthood wns at
tached to all the great temples and, ns we see
here, owned valuable landed estntes. The Idea
of a state-supported order of seers seems pre
posterous to us, for divination Is considered Il
legal, but Babylonian religion wns supercharged
with mnglc nnd mystery. Kings nnd Inymen un
dertook no Importnnt tnsks, launched no lmpor
tnnt ventures, without consulting these sages of
tho liver omens, of oil omens and of every con
ceivable kind of dlvlnntton. They formed nn Im
portant part of tho priesthood, and hence wo find
them on our map in possession of estntes more
valuable than those of the king himself.
"In the extreme corner of tho northwestern pnrt
of tho district Is the vllhigo of Ilnmrl, situated In
a field which bears no name, pcrhnps the mu
nlclpnl property. South of this aren Is tho field In
which we find a village with the curious nnmo Til
nincl Hussa, or Hill of the Fifty Men. The local
history of this town, which would elucidate Its In
teresting name, Is unknown. The field Itself bears
no Inscription nnd was probably n village com
mon also. A small canal separates the two vil
lage properties. The largo field of the table of
tho Baru priest Is bounded on the north by tho
cartal of tho table. These names refer to the
properties settled by royal decree uunn this re
ligious order or the support of th-ir table. In
precisely tho same way certain lands In Huropo
became the property of monastic orders In tin
middle ages.". Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Rome wns not built In n day? but
your Uncle Sam has on his payroll u
uniformed pntrlot, a sort of supercon-
tractor, who In llvo months bus built
10 little Homes in tho United Stntes of
America, n feat that takes Its placo In
tho annnls of American history ns one
of the most remnrkable achievements
of tho world's greatest republic, nn en
gineering enterprise of modern times,
rlvnllng In every way the work of Gen
eral Goethnls In building tho Panama
canal.
,Thls man who has built towns over
night Is Col. Isaac W. Llttcll, quarter
master corps, war department, In
charge of the construction of tho can-
tonmcnt camps for the training of tho
selective nrmy now going Into enmp.
To get a comprehensive Idea of the
wonderful work under tho direction of
Colonel Llttell, acting ns tho repre
sentative of the secretary of war, one
has but to make a few comparisons
with cities of corresponding size In the states where the cantonments have
been located many of the camps nre as large as tho nearby cities.
The cantonment nt Wrlghtstown, N. J., houses n population almost equal
to the entire resident population of Atlantic City. Tho 40,000 men under roof
nt Columbia, S. f)., are more than two-thirds the population of Charleston,
S. C. Two cantonments the size, of Camp Meade at Annnpollsi.Tunctlon, Md.,
would make n second city of Wilmington, Del., home of the powder kings of
America. The new camp at Fort Hlloy, Knn., mobilizes at that point a now
city as big as Topeka In point of population. Texas' camp nt Fort Sam Hous
ton Is greater than tho city of El Paso.
CARRIES BURDEN OF WAR FINANCE
3
Frank A. Vanderllp, president of
tho Nntlonal City bank of New Yo.'k,
has entered upon his duties ns chair
man of the special committee appoint
ed by Secretary of the Treasury Mc
Adoo to engineer the sale of $2,000,
000,000 of war savings certificates, pro
vided for In tho $11,538,000,000 bond
nnd certificate bill.
Mr. Vanderllp was at one time a
reporter and later financial editor of
tho Chicago Tribune.
His headquarters will be In tho
treasury department, and ho expects
to spend about four days a week In
Washington while engaged In the work
of floating the war savings certificates.
The remulnder of his time he will
spend In New York looking after his
duties as president of the National
City bank.
As chairman of tho war savings
Certificates committee he will receive a
salary from the government of $1
a year. Mr. Vanderllp emphasized that he was not giving up his placo with
tho bank or his other Interests, but only was giving up his active work with
them for the time being to devote his time to the government
i'
CARES FOR SOLDIERS' COMFORT
"Begin shipping at onco ono anil
one-hnlf million each knitted mulllers,
sweaters, socks and wristlets. These
are desperately needed before cold
weather."
This Is part of a cable message
which was rushed to Red Cross head
quarters In Washington the otiier
month. It was sent by MaJ. Grayson
M. P. Murphy, head of the Red Cross
commission In France, which Is finding
out exactly the needs of the men In the
trenches.
An Interviewer sped across the
open grounds of tho state, war and
navy building to tho new white haven
of mercy on Seventeenth street to find
out how this order was to be met
Realizing that only tho recently creat
ed woman's bureau could handle such
a demand, Its circumscribed quarters
in the much overcrowded building
wero sought
The new director of tho woman's
bureau, Miss Florence M. Marshall, sat at a big desk In the midst of secre
taries. A knitted sweater meant Christmas for someone In a foreign land,
a partly mado khaki comfort kit bespoke a thought of homo caro for somo
soldier lad.
By a happy combination of circumstances, Just before the cable for tho
"woolles" camo from France, the Red Cross had purchased 1,000,000 pounds
of knitting wool, to bo knitted by American women Into garments to protect
American soldiers and sailors from cold this winter. This yarn Is being dis
tributed to Red Cross warehouses and sold nt lowest possible price to tho
chnptcrs throughout the United Stntcw. Tho proceeds from the sales aro
turned back Into tho trensury of tho Red Cross and mndo available for further
purchases.
MAY BRING PEACE TO WORLD
The lea3t compromised of Ger
many's few really clever diplomats, Dr.
Richard von Kuhlmnnn, has been re
called from Constantinople nnd plnccd
at the head of tho Imperial foreign
office. Many observers, both within
and without tho German empire, think
that this young and brilliant dlplomnt
has been appointed with a view to con
ducting pence negotiations, nnd they
point to his residence in Constantino
ple, Tho Ilnguc, and London ns likely
to render him conversant with tho
finer points of the difficulties to bo en
countered, and they recall his former
populnrlty In the British capltnl ns a
proof of his acceptability as a media
tor by tho allies. Turning to purely
German opinion, wo find thnt Dr. von
Kuhlmnnn Is suspected by tho pan
Germans ns being too sympathetic to
England, but by the great mnjoiity of
the German press ho Is regarded with
ndmlrntlnn nnil lirmn Wlintnvni- atnv
may preside or his activities, says tho Berlin Loknl Anzoigor, his policy
will assuredly exhibit a strong hand. Fato has given him n diplomatist's
greatest conctivublo task, according to this Journal, "which Is to lead the first
great military power, thus far alono victorious on tho battlefields, toward a,
Just and lasting peace by reconciliation."
3
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