"
i
(
" -
PLANTING DRY . LAND '
jSoil Is Harrowed and Disked
-
; , four or Five Times in Season.
1
jfWhemsver ! Seed Is Too Thick It Will
Draw Sustenance Out of Ground
and It Cannot Mature so as
f
to Make a Crop.
The question has been asked , is it
'best to plow dry land in the -fall , or
1 e spring ? I say , plow in the fall
4 very time. I don't care how dry the
i , jground r is , it matters not. If rough ,
the ( lumps must be broken of course ,
'tout : it is all the better. I leave the
y Aground rough all winter and the snow.
.j | and rains come and fertilize that soil
and ( pulverize it. As soon as spring
jcomes I take a disk with a harrow be-
-
jhind it and lap the disk and harrow i ,
\ jhalf way. We go lengthwise and as
isoon as that is done turn crosswise
&nd ! do the same. In a short time we
t isee the little weeds coming up and
" _ _ fwhen they can be seen nicely I put
( the disk to work again and the har-
! row. I sometimes harrow and disk it
) ! four or five times in the season , writes
IGeorge L. Farrell in Field and Farm.
1
We do not allow weeds to grow on
rthe ground. We cultivate and from
fthe twenty-fifth of August until the
last of September , just before we sow
_ 'fall wheat , we put the leveler to work
and level-it over so that we can see
to an inch where the drill has run
and we do not miss any of them. We
cannot afford to miss and we sow 35
( pounds : to the acre and if the ground
Is very rich we sow a little more. But
iI make my tenants sign a contract in
[ writing that they will not sow more
Ithan 40 pounds to the acre and if they
teow over a bushel they have to pay
( for the loss in crops , because it will
' I , not produce half as much as that
jsown ; thinly. Whenever seed is too
ithick In dry farming it will draw sus-
tenance out of the ground and it can-
: not mature so as to make a crop.
I will relate one circumstance to
prove ( this. I used to sow rye and a
: Danishman moved into the neighbor-
'hood ' ' about a mile away. He came to
| } me and wanted to know if I had some
} Irye to sell for seed. I said , "Yes , sir ,
plenty ! of it. " He said , "I want to
buy [ 15 bushels. " "All right , sir , you
jean } have it" He said , "Will you take
'work for it ; I have no money ? " I
Isaid "Yes , sir , I would rather have
.work than money. " "I want 15 bush-
> els. " "How much can you sow in a
Jday ? " "Twenty acres. " "All right ,
telr , you are just the man I want. I
\vill | give you ; three bushels of rye a
day and board you for five days and in
'that five days you can sow 100 acres ;
. that will give you 15 bushels of rye. "
"All right , sir , that's good pay ; I'll
. ; do it. "
He came along and I had -the rye all
isacked ready to sow. He came down
iand said , "You have not ' got near
, enough ( rye here to sow that ground. "
' "Yes , I have. " "How much are you
; going to sow to the acre ? " "Half a
'bushel. " He said , "You don't know
nothing ! about raising rye. " I said ,
\ "I don't pretend to know much about
'ih , but that Is all I want sowed. "
' XVhy ; , " said he , "in Denmark we sow
-'three bushels to the acre. " I said , "I
'want you to understand we are not In
( Denmark now , we are out west. Can
lyou sow a half bushel to the acre ? "
' "Yes , I can sow a peck If you want
1t. " He did it and did It well. I paid
Ehlm his 15 bushels and he sowed that
15 : bushels on his own five acres.
{ About the middle or latter end of
( April , I was going past one day and
' : be called to me to come to his houFe. :
! I drove up and he said , "I want you
! no come over and look at my rye. "
I went out and looked at his rye
tack ( of the house and barn and it
istood : about four inches high and just
'as thick as it could be. I said , "That
( looks nice , don't it ? : ' He said , "I am
igoing to show you how to raise rye
this season. I looked at yours and
! there was one spear up here and an-
other within about a foot of jt ; you
won't . raise much on that. I said ,
"Perhaps I will show you how to
iraise rye. "
After a while there came on some
° ( mice rains and along about the latter '
frairend . of April we could see the rye
"
. "
; ; "Aborning . It fine
up. grew and got up I
jas \ high as the top of my head and we I
cut it In the fall and threshed it and
It made 27 bushels to the acre. It
I surprised the whole country and I
itold the threshing man when he went
: up to Erickson's to let me know how
f much that rye of his threshed. In a
day or two he came along and said he
reshed that five acres of rye and It
ust made 20 bushels , four bushels to
Tthe acre. He said the heads were
jonly one inch long and the kernels
-Only ! one-fourth as large as mine.
"
Dry Land Crops.
In our dry farm crops drought re-
- istance is not the only characteristic
fwe ( want. ' > There are many native
jplants In the arid regions which live
land make some growth. We want
! arger producing power. The ordinary
thorny cactus produces an insignifi-
cant amount of growth. The great
chievement of Burbanks was not so
/ much ' the breeding off of the thorns
I . , of the cactus as It was putting Into it f
rvegetative growing power. t
A 'Good 'Hog Feed. ,
When mllo maize Is fed to hogs , It 1U
may be given ' them inthe : head , thresh- U
ed and soaked , or ground and wet to .1
a thin slop. For fattening hogs a
ucculent feed should / /be given with
milo , 'such as --esfly cut sorghum
stock melons , 'beets or greea cured \v
alfalfa .hB # . k
I
I . -
:1 : f RETAINING MOISTURE IN ' SOIL
.
I
One of. Most Important Reasons Why
Cultivation Should Be Kept Up
During Whole Year.
Moisture in soils is one of the most
important and at the same time one of
the most overlooked reasons why soils
should be well ; cultivated. It has been
found if a pail of water is poured on ,
the soil on a hot day In a few. mo-
ments the ground will be dry where
the water was applied. This is partly
due to the fact that some of the water
soaked into the ground and partly be-
cause that which was absorbed by the
soil in the surface layer has returned
, to the air. If a mulch of hay or straw
is thrown on the spot to which the
water has been applied the moisture
will remain in the surface layer for a
long time. The reason is the air does
not come in contact with the soil , and
the moisture cannot get up to the air
through the mulch , so that none of
the moisture is lost by evaporation.
If it Is Impossible to apply straw or
hay as a mulch , and a layer of mellow
dirt is thrown over the moist place in-
stead of straw , there is not much
evaporation , because the mellow dirt
serves as a mulch. If the spot where
the water was poured is spaded up , or
the surface of the soil is pulverized ,
the same result is obtained. There is
a ! layer of fine dirt on top , which pre-
vents the moisture in the lower layers
of soil from rising to the surface. This
is exactly what cultivation does. By
pulverizing or mellowing the surface
three or four inches It establishes a
dirt mulch and prevents the loss of
moisture by evaporation.
If the particles of earth are' packed
so that there is but little air space be-
tween them it is much easier for water
to rise through them by what is called
capillary attraction than when the
particles of earth are farther apart.
If finely packed earth is thrown on a
wet spot in the . field the moisture will
rise into the earth and make it wet to
the very top. If a quantity of crushed
rock is thrown on the wet spot there
are so many large openings between
the broken bits that the moisture can-
not rise , and the top layer of rocks
will be dry.
It was this fact that led Professor
Campbell and others to successfully
practise dry farming in the west ,
where the rainfall is light. By keep-
ing the particles of dirt on the surface
far enough apart to prevent the capil-
lary rise of moisture the vast amount
of moisture lost by evaporation is
saved for the crops. The Campbell
method- , while it applies primarily to
the arid and semi-arid portions of the
country , Is worthy of consideration by
the farmers of the humid sections and
should be practised more than It is.
Among other things , the Campbell
system includes the frequent cultiva- .
tion of the surface soil , whether there
are weeds to kill or not. At least ,
after each rain should ; : the ground be
thoroughly stirred. The rain packs .
the surface , making evaporation pos- ,
sible. As soon the ground Is dry
enough to cultivate , the dirt mulch ,
may be established and the evapora-
tion hindered. In every farming sec *
tion , especially in the west , practically
all of the moisture falls on the ground
< during that part of the year when g
there are no crops growing , while
during the period of heaviest growth
there is the least amount of rainfall.
The soil receives the most water when
it needs it the least , and the least
when it needs it the most The great-
er amount is lost by evaporation when
the soil receives the least in the form
of rain. For this reason cultivations
are continued late into the summer i
after the usual time of laying the corn
by. In the humid sections it is the :
practise to lay the corn by when it h
has been plowed a certain number of a
times , no matter how small the corn
may be. Sometimes the plants are B
barely more than knee high , but the d
ground is given its final plowing and b
the corn is left to make the best c
growth it can. Generally about the o
first of July there comes a dashing b
rain , and the ground is so packed that fi
nearly all of the moisture is lost by fiSi fit
evaporation in the hot days of July Si ;
and August , when the corn needs mois-
ture most. The Campbell system
conn
tinues cultivation even after the
corn si
is too tall to plow with the common g
cultivator. A mulcher , which is sim- s
ply a fine-toothed harrow , is drawn by b
one horse between each row after d
each shower or once every ten days if tl
there is no shower , to mellow up the tlC
surface layer.
C :
Sweet Clover as Feeler.
a :
Some of the. dry farmers out on the
plains who entertain the idea that
they cannot grow alfalfa mjght try
sweet clover as a feeler crop. The re
two plants closer kin dl (
: wo are r than cous-
ins. Both are nodule bacteria-pro
ducing plants , and what is more , they st
have the same bacteria. It is quite . .
.
< * .
reasonable , therefore , to conclude that n <
; wherever sweet. clover grows alfalfa
will ; also , ' but it is much easier to th
get a start of sweet clover , for it F < ,
seems to be indigenous to a large be
proportion of the plains al
region , aIal
though the plant was originally intro. m
duced by man. In
. IDpI
pI
Feeding for Pork. . clof
The pig that is intended for pork of
should : be fed to the limit of its digest- fo
ing capacity from the start To feed di
he pig just enough so that it. may the
hold its own is wasting all your feed. loi '
As a rule the quicker we can make the
100 pounds of pork the less it costs m
us : , and the first 100 pounds cost the ' 8 !
least G
ItE
113
j
Pure
Mirk.
Milk from a clean u'dderr milked * and nli
with clean hands and quickly cooled , te :
:
teens pure and sweet a long : time.
ca
.
. - . - ' . . " : =
" "
. .
'
' r.
. : . > .AN I
ARMY
TRAGEDY I
brC JDHNw ND
.
; . .
COPJPLCyi-T - r ' ' He- w rr-3 or - _ .
HE Stars and Stripes id a dirty
rag , " said Gambler Hunt.
"Apologize for that , " de
manded the chevroned ser-
geant. .
"No , " said Hunt.
Sergeant Hoeg * leaned for-
ward and slapped the gam-
bler's face. There was a
flash , the sharp crack of a
"six-gun , " and the sergeant
lay a crumpled heap on the
) ) barroom floor.
i I Sergeant . _ . . Hoeg _ . _ was , . . . taken . . . . , . . . . -
to the hospital at * ! ' ort \V Iua-
mette , a mile away. Gambler Hunt was placerl
In the new county jail under the courthouse on
the plaza , in charge of the county sheriff. And
the town of Willamette went its way , but with a
difference. No gamblers sunned themselves and
trimmed their finger nails in front of the Main
street saloons. No soldiers traveled to and
from the fort across the dusty flat. The Twen-
tieth United States cavalry deserted the town
and attended strictly to its own affairs on the
military reservation.
Stillness hung over the town , the tense still-
ness [ that spells danger and waits for an event.
No crowds gathered. Citizens talked of the shoot-
ing with an unspoken question in their eyes as
they looked out toward the fort. The sheriff was
uneasy. "If that man Hoeg dieshe said , and'
shook his head.
Out at the fort military routine ground along
without a ripple-stables , guardmount , drill , pa-
rade-and if the men were dangerously angry
they gave not a hint of it. The post commander ,
who was also colonel of the Twentieth , eyed
them proudly. "They are taking it well , " he
said to his officers. "I know them. They are
veterans , and obey orders. The law will take
care of that man Hunt. " The officers agreed.
Not a threatening or angry murmur reached offi
cers' row from the barracks. As a matter of pre-
caution all passes were stopped and orders issued
that no enlisted man should leave the reservation
except on dutyA
It was all that could be done. The men meant
no [ mischief , but suppose they did ? The strongest
guard would be a rope of sand around the cluster
of frame buildings called "fort. The one only
way to prevent any possible trouble would be.
to take the troops out on a "hike"-practise
march , it was called then-somewhere away from
the place for a time. But the colonel would have
had [ to ask orders from the war department to
,
do . this. And when the war department heard
the : reason for the request it would have thrown
an official fit , and probably have convened a
board . of doctors to Inquire Into the sanity of
the : post commander at Fort Willamette. It is
not probable , however , that such a thought en-
tered : the veteran colonel's head. He knew his
men. They were veterans , proud of the flag they
served ; and the cloth they wore.
\ .
Next day word came to the town that Ser-
geant Hoeg was dead. : The sheriff went to see
the : prosecuting attorney. "That Hoeg man's
dead. I don't like this business a heap , " he told
the : prosecutor.
"What's the matter ? The town's quiet" 4
"So's the fort. Too plenty much quiet. If the
soldiers : was buckin' round in town , or even out
it the fort there , I wouldn't mind. But they're
juiet - fightin' quiet. They're keepln' away
from town , and when they do come - " The sher-
iff wagged his head dismally.
"Very well , " said the prosecuting attorney.
'We'll go out to see the post commander and ask
iim to put an extra guard on and keep his men
iway from the town until things quiet down. "
The prosecuting attorney was young , but he
should : have known better. He had been a sol-
lier himself , had studied law while wearing a
blue uniform at this same Fort Willamette. For
livil : authority to give or suggest orders to an
officer in the regular army Is to invite flat snub-
bing. i He should have known , but he bustled con-
Idently out to the fort. The sheriff followed , pro-
esting. "We're goin' to the snubbin' post , " he
aid.
The old fort smiled peacefully In the after-
loon sun. Blue-shirted troopers lounged in the
hade of barrack porches and corrals. The
juard dozed on the benches in the guardhouse
sallyport : A casual officer sauntered along the
oard , walk down officers' row. The canteen was
eserted. "Too plenty much quiet , " commented
he sheriff.
At headquarters the colonel received them
ourteously. ( .
"What can I do for you , gentlemen ? " he
sked. : '
"We are afraid your men will lynch Hunt"
"My men have been forbidden to leave the
eservation until further orders. They obey or-
ers. "
"We have heard rumors. You must put a
trong : guard around- "
' 1 command this post , gentlemen. Good after-
Don. "
Civil authority went back to town In a hurry ,
he prosecutor angry , the sheriff apprehensive
or the sheriff felt that he knew the situation
etter than did the colonel. The Twentieth cav-
Iry had not been stationed long at Fort Willa-
aette. They had come fresh from scouting and
ndian chasing In the southwest iff JOYous antici-
ation of the comforts of a quiet post and of a
Ivilized "sure enough ' real town , . not a group
'dobe shacks In a : desert. The enlisted ; men ,
jund a state of things they weren't ! used to and
dn't like. Willamette had long since forgotten
lie days when the fort was a protection , and '
oked on it mainly as a source of revenue , while
tie enlisted men were merely more or less of a !
uisance. Like all other western towns in the'
0's and ' 90's Willamette was "wide open. "
amblers and gambling were a strong element In
t life. From the suave and solid man of fam-
r who owned' his home and business property ,
ad dealt parental discipline by day and faro at
ight to the casual "tin horn , " the sporting fra-
rnity was always In evidence. The Eighteenth
avalry , which" Had preceded the Twentieth at
. .
- - -
_ .J' . . r- _ _ .
I
I
.
. . - T
'
0
. S # g Jr-g ' , ,
_
-r II
I
,
, I
J . "
,
,
, '
. ,
- - - -
II
. . . .
i
: ' . -i---
-
- - -
: - - - i
. .
, _ _ / I.-- ' - ,
;
.
, - ' , : . ' 1 ,
. 1 . " : : - '
. ,
' ; /2
I' , I
. I II .
( ,4'1a , . ; I ' ' , I
'
I : / . ,
' '
, , : , ,
. , / 'I ' \ \ \ ) ) ) . . F " '
/ , . . ) } (1 ( ' , 1 ii
-L7 I ,
- /1/ / _ r2eF 71J' A
' - rzAcf THEy'Yffpp - '
( ? ? .r.2C ? OF fi- . ,
: : : i' : \ \ : iThv7 / cY/X " 6CT
n
_
-
' &u h ti' h9
/I
f
flTWrJ I , fl ; :
IL , t /Q , , , 1
a
l Q
' . ,
- : 'i r. .
- - - - . : 'J.
' . . _ .
the fort , had learned to let the gamblers alone.
Whenever a row occurred between the sport and
the soldier the town marshal grabbed the soldier
first-and last generally. Then the unlucky sol
dier was whipsawed-fine and jail in town-
guardhouse and court-martial when he went back
to the post. "Fighting B" and "Drunken G" and
"Crazy I" troops of the old Eighteenth grew dis
creet if not wise. They avoided trouble and the
gamblers grew to think they owned the town.
The Twentieth knew nothing of this and its en-
listed men were neither discreet nor wise. The
result of several clashes with the town "tin
horns" and sports had already made them feel
that they were not getting an even break. More-
over , had not a man just been pardoned by the
governor after receiving a 20-year sentence for
\
a deliberate , foul and unprovoked murder ? The
case was an offense to justice still rankling in
the minds of soldiers and civilians alike. Every
one said it was safer to kill a man than steal a
cow. The sheriff knew all this and feared that
this murder of Sergeant Hoeg , one of the best-
liked men in the regiment , would be more than
they would stand. On his turn from the post
he deputized twelve good min and placed them
as guards in the jail. Gamblers eagerly volun-
teered , but he would have none of them.
The town buzzed now. Soldiers were going
to attack the jail , it was said. But not a blue
uniform was seen on the streets. When taps had
sounded across the flat , the fort was silent , with
only the sentries pacing back and forth in the
moonlight. Just the same , Sheriff McFarland
posted his men in the jail and waited. Near mid-
night a whisper went round the saloons : "They're
coming. ' The walks around the plaza filled with
an expectant crowd. The jail _ in _ the _ basement _ . _ 2 > 0 _ - of -
the courthouse was dark , but everyone knew Tthat
behind - it . was - - Hunt - . - . . . , . . guarded by the sheriff and
twelve determined inen : with Winchesters. An
attempt was made to notify the fort , but wires
were cut and messengers ' were all too slow.
Across Poverty flat , down Main street , into
the plaza swung a body of men , in army over-
coats turned wrong side out , campaign hats , car-
bine at shoulder , Colt's forty-five at hip. It was
the army-trained machine In action , swift , silent ,
certain. It circled the plaza In column of fours.
Seutries took post at a curt word of command.
The crowds fell back before threatening carbine
muzzles. Up the broad stone walk , "Right fr.ont
into line. Halt , " and a grim platoon faced the
jail door with carbines at the ready.
The leader stepped out briskly and hammered
with a' : pistol butt. I
"What do you want ? " asked the sheriff from
inside the ddor. -
"We want Hunt.
"Now , boys , you d'on'fDegan the sheriff.
But the leader's voice cut in ' , - clear , determined.
"No talk , sheriff. . Open that door or we dy
namite It. "
Dynamite ; ! The sheriff weakened. He looked
up at his men stariding with ready Winchesters
at the head of the corridor steps , where they
could have held back a regiment "They've got
dynamite. I guess we'll have to let 'em in ,
boys. Don't shoot , " said he , and' opened the door.
What followed was short , sharp-and terrible.
Three men took Hunt from his cell and marched
nim to front and center of the waiting platoon.
"Have ycrn any tiling to say ? " the leader asked.
"No. ' * '
"Do ) .ou' want to1 pray ? "
" "
"No.
He was given a' shove forward. The men
who held' tilny stepped1 ! b'te& i ; to' the ranks.
. -
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
- - - i - L. J. I\.1 - _ _ _ _ - -
e -1
.
: i//1' / / r
I' "Fire ! " -
, _ " . . Thirty United States carbines barked
and Gambler Hunt fell to the walk a
crumpled heap , as Sergeant Hoeg had
fallen to the barroom floor two days before.
There was no need for a second volley.
Not a bullet went wild. The platoon looked'
for a moment at the riddled body , then.
moved fours right across the plaza , picked
up its sentries and vanished at the end
"
, rl of Main street. The second act of the trag-
edy was over.
It had been staged and played in a very /
r
few minutes. To thinking men it held dis-
I quieting significance. If trained fighting
. men could steal away from their officers
defy law and add murder to murder , theT '
. . ' < community was In peril. The town wasted !
' $ * ' ' ' no sympathy on Hunt , but condemned the , _
- : : ' lynching. They blamed the officers at the
' r ? ' : ' - . -"I fort for having , as they put it , allowed the
outbreak 'to "occur. : The . ! . _ gambling ! . contingent held
it only proved the army no good , anyhow. The ,
soldiers were loafers , too lazy to work. They did'
nothing but eat up the money of the taxpayers
said the hardworking experts of the faro and montej (
tables. The post commander could have prevented'
the lynching if he' had done what the sheriff told
him to do. .
Then the prosecuting attorney did a most ama
zing thing and the last act of the tragedy began.
Though not a soldier was to be seen about the
town , he telegraphed to Washington : "Town in. .
the hands of a military mob from the fort. Send
help at once. " The message struck the national
capital like a Kansas cyclone. Thunder and light-
ning from the war department followed. Orders
for arrests , boards of inquiry , courtmartials ga
lore , chased each other after the first stuttering
inquiries over the wires from stanch old officers
-
who couldn't believe their military ears and eyes. ;
The court of inquiry developed little not already
known. Hoeg was dead. Hunt had been killed by
soldiers. But who were they ? As witnesses the
enlisted men were a frost. They stuck together .
and were either volubly ignorant or sullenly close
mouthed. . _
Courtmartials were convened. A few-a very
few-men were punished , more or less. Several
deserted when things grew warm. And last of all
happened a thing which must have caused the
" '
county officials who failed to protect their pris-
oner much satisfaction. No hint was dropped of
the sheriff's failure to do his sworn duty. But the
war department had to save face somehow. Its
action reminds one of the Chinese emperor , who
when his army mutinied always beheaded the gen-
eral. The post commander of Fort Willamette was
courtmartialed . : } _ for . _ neglect of duty. He was al-
ready broken in spirit , weighed down by the
stain on the honor of his regiment , but he was
convicted , and sentenced to confinement to reser- '
vation limits and loss of pay for a year. The sen-
tence didn't count for much ; it was the stain on
his record that must have most deeply wounded
him.
him.The
The murder of Sergeant Hoeg "just happened. "
The lynching of Gambler Hunt might have been .
prevented if the army had not been tied hard and
'
fast In red tape , or if among the officers , civil and
military , on the spot there had been dne big
enough to meet the crisis.
As for the punishment of the enlisted men who
were the real offenders , well-all this happened 20
years ago. Tbere was no "big stick" in the White
% J
House then.
FIREWORKS TO PROTECT CROPS. '
The great grain fields of the Sandborn ranch '
in Shasta county , Cal. , are ingeniously protected'
at night from the 'vast flocks of wild geese and - .
other aquatic fowl that do immense damage to
crops by means of a display of fireworks.
Skyrockets and Roman candles were bought In ,
large quantities by the management of the ranch
and men are stationed at various points. Whenever . .
a flock is heard honking in the distance several
skyrockets or a shower of colored balls from a
roman candle are sent upward and as a result
the birds give the ranch a wide berth.
HARD TO PLEASE. . j
.
"You have lost two cooks this week , ha en't . '
you ? " -
"Yes ; one left because my husband flirted with
her , and the other left because he didn't" - Hotis -
ton Daily Post . .
-
-
'
-
. . . . .
- -ate - - - . . .
J