DWt Plaunrit Seed Com
, TBnadt Womrt: Grow
Men from the state experiment station who have examined samples
of the best seed corn exhibited at the local corn shows, short
courses and farmers' institutes all over the state say that
only from 10 to 40 per cent of the
samples submitted will grow.
Corn for Seed Purposes is in a Worse Con
dition than has ever been known
A Grave Situation Exists
How to Test Seed Corn
Enough ears to plant twenty acres
can be tested in a single day with
home made tester. Take a box six
inches deep and about two by three
feet in size. Fill the box about half
full of moist dirt, sand or sawdust.
Press it well down so it will have a
smooth, even surface. Now take a
white cloth about the size of the box,
rule it off checkered fashion, making
squares one and one-half inches each
way. Number the checks 1, 2, 3 and
so on. Place this over the sand, dirt
or sawdust. .
Take the ears to be tested and either
lay them out on the. floor and mark a
number in front of each or attach
a numbered tag. Now take off about
six kernels from each ear (not all from
the same place, but at several points
on all sides.) Put these kernels on
the squares coresponding in number
to those placed on the ears of corn.
Be careful not to get them mixed.
Keep ears numbered to correspond
EXACTLY with the numbers on the
squares of cloth.
After the kernels have been placed
carefully on the cloth which covers
the moist sand, dirt or sawdust, cover
them with another cloth, considerably
larger than the box; cover this cloth
wlith about two inches of the same
moist sand and keep the box in a
warm place. It must not get cold. '
The kernels will germinate in four
to six days.
Remove the cover carefully to avoid
misplacing the kernels. Examine them
carefully. Some will have long sprouts
but almost no roots ; others will not
have grown at all, but the kernels
from ears which will produce corn if
planted, will have both sprouts and
good root systems.
Compare the numbers on the squares
with those on the ears. Put back
into the feeding corn bin the ears
which correspond in number to the
numbers on the squares where the ker
nels did not grow or where they
showed only weak roots.
The ears numbered corresponding to
those on the cloth which showed strong
signs of life are the ones to preserve
for seed. Every kernel from these
ears should produce a stalk, every
stalk an ear.
A number of more convenient seed
corn testers are manufactured for sale.
They are all good any implement
dealer or seed house will know where
to get them.
If we are to have acorn crop
this year, every ear of corn
should be tested to see if
it will grow, before it is
planted.
' . i
Suppose one dead ear is
planted. The planter fails to
get one . thousand stalks ol
corn almost 12 bushels of
corn lost.
Leading corn authorities
say that no man can tell if
corn will grow or not, without
making a germination test
Particularly this yerr, corn that
looks good on the outside is dead in,,
the germ, and positively will not
grow.
The business men of Omaha appre-;
ciate that business prosperity de
pends upon the success of the corn
crop, and are therefore making this
effort to arouse the state to the ne
cessities of the case. If in any com
munity there v is more than enough
seed corn to plant your own farm,
please let us know, that we may se
cure the additional supply for other
parts of the state.
Address
Publicity Bureau, Commercial Club, Omaha
Tracks in
the Snow
By Donald Allen
(Copyright. 1911, by Associated Literary
Press.)
It was the first snow of the season,
and therefore not much of a snow
just about enough to call out the
cats and rabbits and encnura?A thorn
to leave a million tracks on the white'
blanket. :
When ' Miss Ida Benham looked
from her window In the morning she
uttered a long-drawn "O-h-h-h!" at
the sight. When she got downstairs
she "O-h-h-h-ed!" again, and encour
aged by the smile of Aunt Betty's
hired man she clasped her hands and
exclaimed: -
"Oh, this Is what I was waiting
for!"
"Yes." '
"To go rabbit hunting!"
"You"!! get a million of 'em."
The first snow in the city is not
like the first snow in the country.
There is a difference in the white
ness, and when there are tracks in
the back yard a city .man must admit
that they were made by tomcats in
stead of rabbits.
Miss Ida was eighteen, but had
never seen a real rabbit track. Nei
ther had she ever met a hired man.
She had seen dog tracks and met
gruff policemen in Central park.
"I shall put on my shortest skirt,"
she said to her aunt as they ate
breakfast, "and my thick shoes and
that old hat I brought along, and I
shall hunt down as many as six rab
bits." "Bless you, child!" was the reply.
"I may hunt for five miles around."
"So you may."
"I may not get back till dark."
"But don't get all tired out."
"My soul!" exclaimed the girl, as
she jumped up. "I haven't any gun
and there isn't any time to write
brother Ben to send one up!"
"But you won't need one, dear.
You take a club with you. You track
a rabbit into a hollow log and stand
by with your club raised to hit him
on the head as he looks out to see
who you are."
Which information went to show
that, providing there were enough
rabbits and clubs and hollow logs
and girls In the country, the. ship-
ments of dead bunnies to the city
market would Average five carloads
per day.
"Are they willing to be killed?"
asked Miss Ida, as she thought of the
terrific slaughter.
"I believe they are."
"And they won't fight back?"
"Never!"
Half an hour later the short
skirted and old-hatted young hunt
ress, who had been provided with a
stout club by the hired man, started
out on the trail. That is, she started
out on a hundred trails, but after a
time struck a single one and followed
it across the fields and into a bit of
woods. The rabbit had had his circus
and was bound for his home in a hol
low log. Yes, the trail led directly to
a log with a cavity in the end, and
now it was business. ,
Miss Ida walked on tip-toes. She
breathed hard. She almost bit her
tongue. She gripped her club, 'til her
fingers ached.
Straight Into that hollow led the
trail. She was - sure of her quarry.
That rabbit could no more escape her
than the steel trust can escape Uncle
Sam. He would hear and smell her.
He would peek out arid smash!
The the girl found her knees
trembling and her breath coming in
gasps, and she turned and ran for the
highway. It was too much for "her.
She felt that she must have help.
The hunter that sights his first deer
has the same panicky feeling.
Mr. Brisbane Childs was being
driven from the railroad station to
his mother's house. He had come
down on the early morning train, so
as to take advantage of the tracking
snow. He had just entered a law
firm as the junior partner and his
legal erudition told him that the best
time to hunt wolves and panthers
and rabbits was when there was snow
on the ground.
"Hey. you! Hey! Hey!"
Mr. Childs had been looking straight
ahead. He now looked to the right,
and ordered the driver to halt. Run
ning across the white field was a girl
with a club in her hand and her hat
joggled over on her ear. Was she
fleeing for her life vbrfore some sav
age animal?, Had she aroused a nesl
of tramps in the woods?
"Say! Say! Say!" she gasped as
he drew nearer. ,
"Yes, yes," answered Mrr Childs as
he leaped from the carriage with all
his chivalry aroused. - .
"I I've got a rabbit In , jf hollow
log back there!"
"Yes. yes." jT :'
"He's a big one a monster. I donl
want him to get away
"I see. You want help." ;
Mr. Childs vaulted over the fence,
extended his hand to Miss Ida and to
gether they ran for the trees and the
Hog. The spot was reached in three
or four minutes, and; not another
word had passed between the two.
The lawyer noted the tracks of the
rabbit, and then motioned the girl to
be ready with her club. ' As soon as
she was stationed he - walked to the
other end of the log.- Then he sat
down on it and begt.n to laugh. He
sat up and laughed. He bent over and
laughed. He slapped his leg and
laughed. . --3 .-
"Sir!" . V
He looked up through lii tears at
a girl standing very stiff and digni
fied before him. - ..-! '
"Sir!" '
He pointed to the far end of the
log and chuckled and gurgled. Miss
Ida moved along until she could see.
The log was hollow from end to end,
and her rabbit had entered at one end
and passed out at the other t long be
fore she had taken up his trail. As
she turned again the young-man was
making heroic effort's to suppress his
laughter. '.- i . ,
"Sir!"
"I I beg your pardon, but It's so
funny!" . x- .
"Oh, it is!"
"You you thought he r. was in
there!"
"And he was!"
"But you see see " ?s
"And you scared him but, and I
don't thank you for it!" ,""r' ,.
Mr. Childs sobered 'up and, looked
up penitently, and all at" once the
girl saw the humor of the situation
and began to laugh, and! finally said:
"What a goose I've" made, of my
self! I never thought to look at the
other end of the log. You see, it's the
first time I ever went rabbit "hunting.
I thank you for your kindness,"
When Miss Ida had reached home
and told of her adventure her aunt
asked: 'V'-'"'- "''-'. -
"What name did you say he gave?"
"Why why, he didn't 'gfve'any!"
"But you gave your name?"..
"Never thought of tha"i- ,
"I'm afraid your m&fner--" .. . '
"She's got nothing to. do with it.
She knows nothing t about1: rabbit
hunting. She doesn't know how ex
cited one gets when one-gets a rabbit
Into a hollow log." -''v-' '- 1
"But the young man'SiH' '
"Oh, he was excited, too. When he
wasn't excited he was laughing. I'm
sure he is a nice' young man. He'd
hajre given me his card if he'd thought
of It." - "
"Well. I dunno!"fSlgBi Aunt
Betty.. .', . . . -.nr:
"Don't know what ?'V v
"Why, he'll call, and he'll admire
you, and you'll both fall in love and
be engaged and married, and your
mother will lay it all to me, and
and"
But Miss Ida's' mother didn't. It
is said that she was quite satisfied
with the match, and so was the rabbit.
LURING THE WILD ANIMALS
Indiana of Newfoundland Have Calls
That Will Draw Nearly Every
1 Beast arid' Bird. rt:
The Indians, have a call or tole for
nearly every animal. They can bring
a fox right up to within 20 yards by
making a sibilant noise produced by
sucking the back of the hand. Rey
nard takes it to be the. cry of a mouse
In difficulties and seldom 'fails' to ad
vance close to the sound.
, Stag caribou are toIecL by grunting
loudly in two different- ways, a vocal
effort which requires little skill or
practice on the Imitator's pact. The
"herd" stag will quickly answer the
caller and advance for a short dis
tance, but the "traveling" stag will
come very close If the calls are prop
erly made at suitable Intervals; '
Wild geese can be called when they
first arrive, in the spring by waving a
white rag and imitating their "honk
ing" call, but after the flratbrtnlght
they take little notice of the lure. A
small white dog is also attractive to
geese in the spring, and one Indian I
know of has killed numbers of these,
birds by using one for decoy. :
Beavers, when they have been undis
turbed for long, are very curious in
relation to strange sounds. They will
come swimming out of. their .house
even at the firing of a gun. The In
dians usually call them with' a hissing
noise or one produced by munching
the lips. Another -favorite tole is a
sound made by tapping the trousers
with the hand. The most successful
beaver-caller in Newfoundland . killed
great numbers of beavers, in the open
season, by making a sound that re
sembled the cutting of chips off a tree.
It is said that the unfortunate beavers
never fail to respond to this noise.
The Indian has no call for .the lynx,
but one or two of them can attract
the otter by imitating its shrill whis
tle. John O. Millais in "Newfoundland
and Its Untrodden Ways.", ' , ,
More' Style,
"Don't you think your literary
style might be improved?": asked the
CritlC. ji: i;.
"I'm going to improve it next week,"
replied Mr. Asbestos Sellum.toe pop-1
ular author. "I'm going to use big
ger type and have the chapters de
scribing fights printed in red ink."
BUSINESS IS THEIR LIFE
Thousands of American Men Seem to
Be Wholly Uninterested In
Their Wives.
There are thousands of American;
men who are merely indifferent to
their women. They are proud of them,
but supremely uninterested, and ask of
their wives only to be let alone. ' Their
buisness is their life; it is their life!
after they are married just as it was
before. They are playing a tremen.
dous game; and in this country a man
has got to win or go to the wall. It
makes no difference whether a man is
married or 'a bachelor; it is not the'
women of the country who- determine
if a man must work at the great rate
"of speed', at which they labor it is the
pace of the country itself which de
mands .it. Our men give generously
and indulgently to their women folks;
.they like to see that they have "ev
erything in the world," as the saying
is. It pleases their vanity to see their -houses
well-appointed and their wom
en well dressed; they like the luxury
of it for themselves, What Is to be
expected of young girls whose fathers
have had no influence in their bring-ing-up,
but have merely paid the bills
young girls, who have never been
taught the use of money nor any de
tails of any business whatsoever, and
whose whole duty in life is to dress,
with the extreme perfection of which
our women are past masters, and to
keep in good physical condition and
talk amusingly? These arethe prices
of success, success being measured in
this country, as elsewhere, in terms
of marriage and attention. Woman's
Home Companion.
WHAT WE OWE TO WOMEN
Ever They , Have Been the Makers
of the Home and Providers
of Comfort,
Social progress with primitive wom
en, was stimvuatea ana encouragea oy
their relation to home life, to dress
and to manners. We have already
alluded to the women as the authors
of the home or shelter. It is the fe
male bird that makes the nest, the
female mammal that digs the burrow
for her young and the female bee that "
makes the honeycomb as a home for
hers. The human female morej than -all
the rest created her home. But
not only is this true, but she differen
tiated the home;- and all parts of the
most elaborate establishment were;
instituted by her or on her account. -The
first homes ' were .cheerless':
caves. - Fire could : not be made In,
them because of the smoke, so worn-1
en sought out a cave with an opening
in the rear, or a rock shelter with a
high curved roof. When she became
a dweller in a tent she searched for
the oldest: wood,: learned the myste
ries of the fuel problem and even ln-
vented the coral to induce'ifhe winds
to draw a little of the smoke there-''
from and to increase her comfort.""' -To
the women of the household we
are indebted for the oven, the chim
ney and the chimney corner, the,
kitchen, the dining room, the family
room, the separate bed chamber. It
has been a wonderful evolution, re-"
suiting in comfort, taste and morality
Otis T. Mason, "Woman's Part in '
Primitive Civilization." ,
Slack and White vs. White and Black. .
For many years a large department
1 tore has spent thousands of dollars-
rn- placards with which almost .every
throughout the store, and only with-'.
In a short time did they realize the :
amount of money that was being
wasted in using the white cardboard
with black lettering. t.
These white cards soon became
soiled and shop worn if allowed to' re
main in place any length, of time. The
cards which are handled by custom-
ers in bins, trays, etc., are even more
so. By substituting the black card-,
board with white lettering this store
has overcome this difficulty, to a very -great
extent The show cards are ,
always clean,- fresh and bright-looking
and they last many times as long,
saving the firm several hundred dol
lars in the course of a year. Bus!
ness. . -. " . . . -
"Grandfather" Clock 200 Years Old.
A remarkable hand made clock is in
the possession of the Swedish Luther- .
an Orphanage at Avon, Mass. It is
pne oi ue out granaiamer type ana
consists of 13,000 pieces. It was made
about 200 years ago by Henry Haven
and is still running.' The works are
pf wood, the case a handsome check
erboard of inlay work, the material -mahogany
and white boxwood. Henry
Haven was several years completing ,
It. Two heavy weights and two bob "
weights are the only metal in the
works. The clock was in the posses
sion of the Blanchase estate of Avon .
Cor generations. When the property
was sold for a Swedish orphanage the
clock went with other furniture to -the
new owner.
Big Trade In Frozen Meat.
Argentina supplies 90 per cent, of
the frozen, beef and frozen mutton i .
consumed in Sheffield, England. Aus-
tralla and New Zealand provide the
remainder. Its use is constantly in
creasing. Frozen meat is never sawed,
but it chopped with a cleaver. The
retailers receive the meat in quar
ters which they chop into angular
blocks, from which the quantities de
aired by customers are cut. These
blocks afford material for fine window
displays, and the windows of frozen-
meat shops are generally piled high
with all sizes and shapes of solid red,
beef.
