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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1913)
"PfT! mhWtiPi b v ' y o The Commoner 28 j- i? fim,j- H It $ I fcltWllntfiO '- Eft tiaifffi Iwr't is, that. tho smaller tho particles the more rapid does fermentation of bacterial action take place within it, tho bottor will it retain moisture, and the more perfect will tho condi tions bo for tho roots to iind the greatest amount of surface from which to draw plant food. HOW TO GROW OATS The United States bureau or plant industry states that oats grow best on soils with good water-holding capacity, as thoy require a great deal of moiBturo. When grown for grain, phosphorus is usually the most im portant fertilizing element which can bo added. Very rich soils, especially if dollcient in phosphorus, cause rank growth, with lodging as a re sult. 'When grown for hay or for age, nitrogenous fertilizers may be used. Oats do best on a rather loose, well-propared seed bed. The com mon method of sowing broadcast on cornstalk land, without preparation and covering it with a disk harrow is careless and uncertain. A thorough preparation of the seed bed is quite as essential as with other crops. A SILO EXPERIENCE Dry weather conditions in many states, and a consequent shortage in the corn and grass crops, have gone a long way to demonstrate the fact that the farmer who is equipped with a well filled silo has a veritable bank to draw upon in times of agricul tural stress. A Kansas reader writes of his experience with a silo built on his farm three yoars ago. This silo was built on the metal lath plan, the concrete being plastered on to the lath until it was four inches thick. It was filled at that time with corn silage. A few weoks after, Why Not Have the Best light? most of tho stock was sold and the silage was not needed. Notwith standing the fact that there never was a top on the silo and that tho silage had been in for almost three years, ho commenced feeding this silage to his stock this summer and found it to be in excellent condition. In fact, this silage is the only feed which Ills stock, both horses and cattle, have had for nearly eight weoks, and seemed to be doing well. This reader also sees no reason why his silo will not be good 100 years from this time, and thinks that it is the best investment he ever made in improving a farm. The experi ence of this roader should bring homo the fact to -every farmer that the silo is a sure means of conserv ing tho crops of fat years to provide for just such emergencies as are be ing experienced in feed shortage this summer over many sections of the western corn belt country. Steel Mantle Burners ARE THE BEST SMOKELESS ODORLESS! ' i n ' m One Lamp equipped with a Steel Man lie Uurner live aa ntuh lithe ai thrc ordinary lamp. ContirucieUonttrictljr scientific principles. It tor mi perfect combuttton, converting the coal oil Into (ii ami t'vioj a large, dear white lijhtof , WONDERFUL POWER AND BWLUANCif A PERFECT LIGHT to Read, Write and Work By CIvm the MOST LIGHT PER GALLON OP OIL "Why not TRANSFORM your old, smoky, dingy, lamp Into (BRIGHT, CLEAR. TOWERFUL LIGHTS by purckaiini ISTEEL MANTLE BURNERS? No Home Complete Without Them II your Dealer hain't them, tend his name aruli . sdarct and your name and address and we will! wall you at many as yen want at 25 cents each lApaSsWaattJEmrwfcera. VgUtoty. WoaJoiul Safer rAtrncvLAJta na. irtTKiriin iii. inn rnt Tirrrrr urn acaatafgam .The Steel Mantle Light Co. aO'J.lUroaSlrae! Tobdo, OUo. U.S. A. PATENTS lulld fortunes for you. Our frco booklet tolls how, nud what to Invent lor profit. Bankers rtml manufacturers references. Terms reasonable. D. SWIFT & CO. 3SI Seventh Street, WASHINGTON, D. C. J? AT EFTS t&SYiSSE?" Free report ns to I atentablllty llhulnitcil Quid Hook, and List of Inventions Wanted, tent free, VlLioiC J. KVAMh & CO., 'WnahlnKtomD.a. AN ALFALFA AND CLOVER PEST Dodder is one of the serious pests of the alfalfa and clover fields. The weed is not a native of America, but of Europe, from whence it was prob ably introduced In seed of grass or other forage plants. Being a flower ing plant, it reproduces by means of seeds but bears no leaves, or only abortive ones, as will be noticed, and contains no green coloring mat ter; therefore, it is obliged to lead a parasitical existence upon some other plant. The seeds of the dodder start their growth in the soil the same as any other seed, the young plant living upon the material of the seed until it is about four inches high, or until it comes In contact with the alfalfa plant. Then it gives a couple of turns around the alfalfa, develops roots on its lateral surface, which roots penetrate the stem of the alfalfa, growing inward to the conducting tissues, where there is a good supply of food It can'use. After getting this hold on the alfalfa plant the dodder dies below and is no lon ger connected with the soil at all, getting all of Its nourishment from its "host." The plant flowers usually from July until late fall, producing large numbers of seeds. Its be havior on clover and many other plants is the same as upon alfalfa. Inasmuch as it grows very rapidly it causes serious trouble with forage plants. There are two methods of treat ment ior tins pest, as soon as a patch is discovered in a clover or alfalfa field it should be at once cut with a scythe or sickle, and the al falfa, dodder and all, removed and burned. If a field becomes badly in fected, tho only method is to plow it under and crop with something other than a forage crop for a year or two until all the dodder seeds have germinated. Clover or alfalfa lalirvllli nmmn r nnn.l " .! II) there is dodder in the field, and great care should be used in the purchase of seeds to see that they are not con taminated with dodder. There is no occasion for allowing a field to be come infected with this pest. If you are in doubt about the seed you buy your experiment station will doubt less be glad to test your seed free of charge. tributing and handling seed potnr toes. Growers are urged to sort the potatoes for seed two weeks after digging and then sort them over two weeks later. The potatoes unaffected by tho tuber moth should then be placed in a moth proof bin. It is easy to pick out the infested tubers because of the excrement of the moth, which adheres by means of a web to the outside of potatoes and can be easily detected. The tubers placed in a moth-proof bin, after final sorting should be fumigated by means of carbon bisulphide (or bi sulphide of carbon, as it is known), in order to kill any moths which might have bred out or slipped through the crevices when the bin was opened. Carbon bisulphide is applied by pouring small quantities into flat vessels such as milk pans or pie tins. An average of three pounds should be used for every 1,000 cubic feet of space. About a pint is poured into each receptacle and tho pans are placed in the bins at the top. The gas, being heavier than air, it will penetrate the mass of potatoes to the bottom. The bin should be tightly closed for from 24 to 36 hours, with assurance that the germinating power of the seed will not be destroyed. The gas of carbon bisulphide is very inflam mable and explosive in its nature and the utmost care must be used to see that no light, spark or fire of any description is brought into the vicinity while it is being used, not even a lighted cigar. Keep a care ful lookout after fumigation. Give the -potatoes a daily inspection at first, then weekly. If any growth of the insect is detected, give a second fumigation. This method is simple and effective, and the grower who does not wish his present yields cut down heavily by the inroads of the moth can well afford the little time and trouble it may take to thus insure his future crops. VOL. 13, NO, 29 lilyS" lt tak6S to makQ a Bood AUTOMOBILES AND FARM VALUES No one thing has done so much to alter the status of farm Hf0 aa the introduction and perfection 0 the automobile and tho motor truck Instead of looking upon tho automt bile as a luxury, tho farmers were keen to realize that it was ono of. the most far-sighted economies of farm life, for it has been the means of placing every farmer within easy access to his markets. That auto mobiles are mainly responsible for an increase of $2,000,000,000 in the value of farm lands in tho past twelve, years is the declaration of Newman Erbe, president of the Min neapolis & St. Louis railway. He also asserts that Indirectly the auto mobile has also increased railroad earnings. The Sioux City Tribune says: "It is easy to see how the automobile operates to increase farm values. Formerly a farm 20 miles from a railroad was so isolated as to be of low value. Now it is within an hour's easy run, and the run can bo made while the horses work or rest. Good roads have followed the auto mobile and even those farmers who do not use motor trucks to haul pro duce to market are much better off because of decreased hauling ex penses due to better roads. The de mand for farm lands is increased by the broadening of social opportuni ties which the automobile has brought to rural communities. As to increased railroad earnings the explanation is also simple. Good roads are feeders to railroads, both for freight and passenger traffic. The railroads realize this and show no regret at the Introduction of the automobile, although it deprives them of some short haul passenger business." U A HUE II Tho I.cacli Sanatorium, 1 ml Ian npolls, Intl., has published u booklet which gives Interesting facts nbout tho causo of C'ancor, also tolls what to do for pain. blooding, odor, etc, wrlto lor lt today, mentioning this iapor, JECZUMA SPECIFIC will absolutely CURE ECZEMA, Salt Hhoum, Harbors Itch ami other slcln diseases. Scut bv moll JhCO. Send for recommendations. Cooporstown, N. Dab. WARNING TO POTATO GROWERS The potato tuber moth Is workine: such injury to potato crops in various parts of tho country, esneci- ally in California and Texas, that tho United States department of agri culture has issued a special warning and instructions to potato growers to help them overcome this highly injurious pest. According to the specialists this moth is being rapidly I A HAY FEVER REMEDY eont by l V n ""t, niyiuij a!! expreos to you on rre bSS. . i spread over the country in shin ailUTO of inJes50d Potatoes and by xwiv7.i&8ijSLiN,airopiarat.aidnoy,ouio careless methods of using and dls- NEXT WINTER LAYERS This is a good month to commence selecting the flock that is to be car ried through next winter. It does not pay to feed unprofitable birds and care for them so long. That faithful old hen that is being kept for the good it has done will eat at least a dollar's worth of feed in a year, even if it is kept on a farm and there seems to be plenty of feed. By allowing old hens to live on the place, instead of some young pullet that will lay well, you are losing money. If you will look over your flock carefully you can cull out the unprofitable fowls. In selecting the winter flock, you should pick out the best layers. There will be no diffi culty about this if you use the trap nest system and keep a record of each hen. However well this may pay for any one who makes a busi ness of poultry raising, some farm ers will And It impracticable for their use, and some other method must be used. The general appear ance of the hen is a good indication. A lazily inclined hen is not apt to be a good layer and should be culled out of the flock that is to be carried through the winter. A hen with a pale comb and dull eyes is likewise not a good layer. Rough looking plumage before the molt is not a good sign, but a flock that is molting can hardly be judged fairly. The hot summer and unfavorable conditions are very trying on the flock, and the hen that is still laying at this time of the year is generally strongly con stituted. If she shows a bright, quick, alert, healthy condition in September, she is very likely to bo the laying hen next winter. In select ing pullets for layers choose the first to mature. A retarded growth nearly always impairs the ability to lay eggs. A well built and fully de veloped body, perfect in all its parts BOOKS RECEIVED Starving America, by Alfred W. McCann. F. M. Barton, publisher, Cleveland, O. Price, $1.50. The supreme court of the United States, by Edwin Countryman. Matthew Bender & Co., publisher, Albany, N. Y. The New American Drama, by Richard Burton. Thos. Y. Crowell Co., publishers, New York City. Training for Efficiency, by Orison Swett Marden. Thos. Y. Crowell, publishers, New York City. The Quest of the Best, by William De Witt Hyde. Thos. Y. Crowell. publishers. New York City. The Railway Library 1912. Com piled and edited by Slason Thomp son, director of bureau of rallroaa news and statistics, Chicago, po lished by Stromberg Allen & " Chicago. of AN EDUCATIONAL FORCE wnitoTM TonniTifra "Rrvan. one the greatest men of the age, an nounces that henceforth his most valuable paper The Commoner will be issued monthly instead oi weekly. The Commoner has done more to educate the rank and mo u party in democratic principles t mm all other papers combined, and wu its visits to the homes of many thousands of its readers will be u short from four times per montnw one, we hope it will not retard trie educational growth of the pan Ellensburj (Wash.) Dawn. A POWER FOR GOOD Tho Commoner, W. J. Bryan s paper, has been increased in size n nu changed from a weekly to a montWJ. The Commoner is a great pow er good. As an Instructor in Pmf matters it is indispensable. u Oak (la.) Sun. mm ki m'-; I ULv i . a n ia'u