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, ' I ' < TUB NOROLK WEEKLY NEWS-JOURNAL PR1DAV JULY'IOOO
Ike Norfolk Weekly News-Jo'mnal
SThQ News , Established"SSI. !
The Journal. Established 1877.
THE HU8E PUDLI8HINQ COMPANY.
W. N. Huso , N. A. Huso ,
President Secretary.
Every Friday. By mail per year. $1.50.
Entoriul at the poatolllco nt Norfolk ,
Mob. , aa second class matter.
"Telephones : Etlltorlal Department
No. 22. Business Olllcc and Job Rooms
Wo. II 2 ?
Tariffs may not make prosperity , but
no ono can-deny that they mar It.
It Is rather humiliating to have little -
tlo Ilhodo Island run the United
fitntes.
The city of Geneva will celebrate on
July 10 the four hundredth anniver
sary of the birth of John Calvin.
An 80 per cent tariff on sugar and n
10 per cent tariff on diamonds tolls
tlio whole story. No need of comment.
It Is every man's business to do
Impossibilities. Ho who says : "If I
only * could , " will never accomplish
anything.
Why should Walter "Wollman need
a balloon to find the north polo ? The
general Impression Is that ho Is a
good deal of a gas-hag himself.
The breakfast-food manufacturers
arc said to be greatly more Interested
Jn the tariff on lumber than they" are
concerned about the price of wheat.
The real source of national weal or
woo Is the big national farm stretch
ing from Manitoba and the Dakotas to
the blue waters 6f the gulf. ,
Abdul Hamld , the ex-sultan , kept , lY
is said , small change to the amount
of 17,000,000 In the palace at all times.
Ho needed It. He had many wives.
Gorman forests yield an annual net
income of J5 an acre , which is said to
I i be as sure as the years that come and
I go , which claim can not be made for
every Investment.
The government at Washington Is
tratchlng affairs In Cuba with no little
nnxlety. At the present moment the
worst danger which threatens the
Island Is bankruptcy.
Professional pedestrians say that
talking is as hard to learn as aero-
planing. Maybe , but the loss of
equilibrium is not attended by such
serious results.
Not many southern cities were anx
ious to entertain the confederate re
union. The new south is too busy
making money to nurse a forty-year-
old grudge.
Colonel Bryan is the original flying
machine man In the country. It is
rrw more than thirteen years since
lie launched his presidential aeroplane
and ho has been up In the air ever
elnce.
Eighteen hundred and nine has been
called "The Year of Genius. " It has
kept things quito lively during 1909 ,
to celebrate appropriately the centen
aries of Us brilliant statesmen , sclen
tlsts , musicians , and writers , anyway.
A reputation thoroughly established
In Europe for doing great things Is a
guarantee of an American's receiving
great honor In his own home town.
Wright brothers have fully demon
strated this.
With the Japs becoming Insolent
and annoying in Hawaii and Colonel
Hobson still shrieking "war" on the
Chnutauqua course , Fourth of July
orators ought not to suffer for lack
of ammunition.
A new word has been coined by an
English dramatist "thousandalre. " It
seems In perfect analogy with million
aire and there is no apparent reason
why the word should not como Into
regular use.
A dispatch from East Africa conveys
the Intelligence that Theodore Roosevelt
velt is color blind. The people of the
south discovered that some time ago.
The New York World , however , Is sure
bo can see yellow.
A Michigan man who had passed
ninety-nine years on this mundane
sphere , felt that he has lived long
enough , and committed suicide. Seems
a pity he didn't hold out one more
year.
Senator Brlstow of Kansas may not
be accomplishing much In bringing
about a revision of the tariff , but ho Is
showing up the Iniquity of the bang
In holding up rates and Is also punch
ing the dignity of the senate full of
boles. So perhaps his time Is not
wasted.
John Mitchell says that "unemploy
ment Is n great social disease and as
far as my experience teaches mo Is
growing in extent and seriousness.
We cannot afford In this country to
build up n permanent army of unem
ployed ; something must bo done and
that Immediately to arrest this ten
dency. "
The secretary of the International
Reform Bureau reports 500,000 sui
cides annually from the effects of
opium. The trouble with these people
ple who refuse to live out their lives
Is not that their lives are not worth
living , or because they lack oppor
tunities , but because these men and
women make wrecks of them.
William Mustard of Anderson , Ind. ,
recently decided that ho was too old
to work any more , being 89 years of
age. So ho removed the sign over the
door which for flfty-nlno ytars has In
formed the public that they could got
shoes repaired nt his shop , folded his
apron around his tools , locked his door
and died. Ho was worth $25.000 , but
was afraid to quit work lest It Injure
his health.
Thomas A. Edison has nt last per
fected his apparatus for building con
crete houses for $1,200 , which would
cost ns much as $20,000 If constructed
from stone of the same design. Cast
Iron moulds are used In constructing
these houses. It will take four days
to set the moulds up and In six hours
the concrete can bo poured In. The
Edison concrete house is destined to
fill n long felt want If It proves to bens
ns successful ns now seems probable.
A new process of purifying and ster
ilizing milk has been invented by Dr.
liudde of Copenhagen. There are sev
eral strong claims made for this pro
cess. It removes the dirt , of which
the best of milk contains considerable.
It destroys the germs , does not impair
the nutritive quality of the milk nor
Impart any unpleasant taste. Milk
treated by this process will keep sweet
much longer than ordinary milk and
as the purifying and sterilizing Is very
quickly done , the cost of this prepared
milk will not be much increased.
Central America's banana crop Is
making the country prosperous In
spite of revolutions , mosquitoes , and
exhorbltant freight rates. The ba
nana palm is far more industrious
than its owner , and works legal holi
days , days , nights and Sundays , which
Its owner does not do. A self-picking
tree wouid be nn Improvement highly
appreciated by the natives , and fly
ing machines with which to carry the
crop to its northern market , but
these trifling advantages will probably
soon be acquired.
The publication of testimony In dl
vorce cases Is utterly obnoxious to
people of refinement and good sense ,
but some actual good may result from
making the testimony In the Howard
Gould divorce suit , since it so forcibly
proves the utter futility of wealth and
money spending as a source of happl
ness. JThelr lives had not enough se
rlous aim and purpose to make them
worth living. They merely wallowed
In money spending and too late have
come to a realizing sense of its emptl
ness. They could not buy happiness ,
nor a worthy motive for living with all
the Gould millions.
The New York Times tells of the
discovery of a method of removing
the poisonous and intoxicating ele
ments from whisky without removing
its exhilarating effect. The discovery
is doubtful. Science could hardly ex
tract the intoxicating element without
extracting alcohol , which Is also the
exhilarating element. A liquor which
would serve the purpose of raising the
spirits of men without afterwnrd drag
ging them down to the level of brut
Ishness would be a boon to mankind.
But It will probably bo necessary for a
long time to come for the man who
wants to get the good without the bad
out of a spree to drink only In Imag
ination.
THE COLORED MAN'S BURDEN.
The case of Oscar Mlchenux , the
Pullman porter who went to Gregory
county during the Bonesteel rush and ,
buying a rellnqulshment , "made
good" ns a farmer , ought to stand
out as an Inspiring example to others
of his race who consider themselves
handicapped In the game of making a
living.
This man has apparently been as
successful ns his white neighbors. Ho
has gained their respect. He has
money In the bank. He has worked.
Apparently persistent effort and un
stinted work will do much to solyo
what now seems to be a problem.
A prominent social worker in Phlla
dolphin says Christianity has lost Us
hold on the working man because It
has not been willing to stand commit
ted to his needs and to those things
which constitute industrial righteous
ness. This is a serious and very
broad nccusntlon , which cannot be ac
cepted ns Including a majority of the
churches of the country without moro
direct proof. Some churches mny not
stand for Industrial righteousness am
ns much Interest In the poor man's so
clal , moral and physical welfare as in
that of the richest member , but wo do
not believe this to bo true of the larger
number of religious orgnnizntions. If
It is there is something radically
wrong with the churches' Intorpretn
tions of the tenchlngs of the Christ
A very happy exchange of Intorna
tlonal courtesies was concluded Juno
5 , when Ambassador Jussorand , on be
half of the French government , presented
sented the city of Snn Francisco a
gold medal commemorating the cour
age nnd unbounded enthusiasm of the
people of Son Francisco In restoring
ho city from destruction wrought by
mrthqunko and flro in April , 190G (
The thought of making them such a' |
oken first occurred to Ambassador
JusBcrand when ho was receiving In
lorson the medal given by the United
States to the French government In' '
commemoration of the kindly rccop-
Ion and aid given by the French poole -
) lo to Franklin during the revolution
ary war. The news of the terrible dis
aster to San Francisco reached Wash-
ngton just as Ambassador Jusserand
ese to receive ofllclally this medal ,
nnd the thought of a return compll-
nont Instantly occurred tothhn.
Before the civil war the raising of
hemp and the manufacture of rope nnd
other products from It wns n great In- '
lustry nnd many fortunes were.
nmnssed from It. Indirectly It gnvo n
; rent Impetus to the river traffic as
he greatest plantations were along the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers and
nade up n Inrgo part of the cargoes of
the river steamers. The Introduction
of wlro tlo for binding cotton bales
nnd grain , the use of iron ships which j
dispensed with the use of oakum cordage -
ago nnd sails and other changes af
fected the Industry adversely , but the
chief cause for its decline was the ab
olition of slavery , which , took awny
the chenp Inbor hemp misers hnd depended - ,
ponded on. White men would not do
: ho hnrd work Involved gathering the
crop nnd breaking .the tough hemp fi
bres. There Is no reason why the In
dustry should not bo revived In many
sections of the country ns the work
objected to can now be done by ma
chinery.
Lev ! P. Morton was at one time min
ister to Franco and aspired to be
named ambassador to the court of St.
James. He estimated that four years
In that coveted position would cost
him $400,000 , and was willing to pur
chase the honor at that price , but he
failed to receive the appointment.
John Hay , who filled that responsible
position during McKlnley's administra
tion , did not consider it necessary to
entertain on a lavish scale in order to
maintain the dignity of the United
States nnd wns nble to perform vnl-
uable service for his country without
the expenditure of great amounts of
money. It cost Robert T. Lincoln
about $35,000 annually to represent his
country at the court of St. James , and
he entertained In what he considered
'
a very modest wny. No young mnn
can really afford to fill that particular
position If he is wholly dependent upon
the salary he will receive , but he may
aspire to the post of ambassador to
the French court or that of Germany
or Russia without feeling that large
wenlth Is necessary before accepting
such a position.
Governor Hughes of New York , in
"
pursuance with the provision "of the
last session of the legislature , nppoint-
ed n commission to investigate the
stock and other exchanges in New
York city. He appointed men of ac
cepted ability and probity. They have
just made their report to the effect
that the stock exchange Is a commer
cial necessity. It Is necessary to quote
only two conclusions of their report
to prove how valueless It is. One dis
tinguishes between the men who gam
ble nfter experience nnd the green
horns. For the unlnitlnted they admit
that speculation in futures is a losing
game. They evidently forget that the
moral quality of an act does not vary
according to the man who commits It.
The other conclusion is that manipu
lation of prices through morally un
justifiable is to be condoned when it
Is resorted to for the purpose of mak
ing a market for new sureties. These
reputable and 'supposedly self respectIng -
Ing men say frankly that new enter
prises cannot bo launched unless cap
ital Is provided and to gain capital se
curities must bo sold and therefore nn
artificial market created from lies and
dishonor , is a commercial necessity.
This statement ought to be enough to
prove that the gambling environment
has so dulled the moral perceptions of
otherwise keen men that they are not
oven ashamed to publish a report
whoso tone would Indicate Its authors
ns inmates of Sing Sing.
As long as twenty years ago Professor
ser Langley of Plttsburg , Pa. , began
a series of experiments to do what
Darius Green and a host of others be
fore him had attempted navigate the
air. Like all men who nttempt what
has never been successfully accom
plished , Professor Langley was ridi
culed and sneered nt by those who had
honored him ns n noted scientist. A
few friends , nmong them Wlllinm
Thnw , father of the notorious Harry
K. Thaw , stood by him. Mr. Thaw
told him to go ahead with his experi
ments and he wo.uld see him through.
And ho did to the sum of fifty thous
and dollars , with the result that those
experiments conducted twenty years
ago gave the world the knowledge
which workers In the field of aircraft
today recognize as basic for their
mechanism. The aeroplane , construct
ed by Professor Lnngley. was n disap
pointment. It flow seventy feet and
then sank In the Potomac. Professor
Langley felt euro that ho could have
discovered the flaws In the machine
and make a success of it , but after the
first failure ho was so ridiculed and
jeered at that ho made no further ef
forts to perfect his invention. Today
.1
his 1 theories are vindicated and his ma
chine , which tins stood for years In an
out of the wny corner of the Smith'
'
sonlan Institute. Is given serious con-
slderatlon. Had n little of tlio Interest
now given to his Invention bean granted - !
ed the Inventor at the time ho was on
trial , he might have succeeded as well
ns the Wrlghti brothers. I
OUT OF DOORS.
Everybody longs to bo out of doors
during the summer months ns much ns
possible nnd enjoy the glories nnd !
comforts of nature In its multifarious
forms. Did you over stop to think thnt
the thing about nature which soothes
Is Us perfect Impartiality ? As Lowell' '
long ngo so beautifully put It : "Only
Heaven can bo hnd for the nsklng. "
Thnt Is why the thousnnds , especially i
'
those who work In office nnd factory ,
In the big and smaller cities as well , '
llko to "hike" nwny from them ns enr-
ly nnd ns much ns possible at this !
season of the year nnd under the shnde I
of the trees In the
pnrk or on grassy i
river bank or wooded glen drink in
nnd fcnst on the things thnt are with
out money and without price nnd yet
Incompnrnbly precious. No ono cnn
buy blue sky , clenr pure nlr , or spnrk-
ling wnter nnd the fresh follngo pnled
In the sunlight nnd deepened In the
shadows is as truly for one as for an
other. Nnture plnys no favorites.
Heaven In the bestowal of Its gifts al
ways gives a square denl.- Tired souls , !
worn from the crushing heel of strong
er competitors In life's bnttles , find an
undisputed peace , a satisfaction that
Is far beyond the power of words to
express , In roaming over and possess
ing for themselves the public parks or'
the secluded but wealthy spots near
river , bluff or fen. Here the flowers ,
the grasses nnd the trees ns they nod
their graceful heads In kindly recogni
tion of each passing breeze or become
radiant and all-glorious under the' '
sun's benignant rays , smile upon each' '
face alike and gladden the heart of
struggling teller and .careworn mag
nate in the same wny. It is a wonder
ful thing , this grand annual exhibition
of the seasons to which no admission
fee is charged ! What n rest the sum
mer evenings and the summer Sun
days bring to earth's tired folks !
What a contract and a relief to the
ordinary routine of business and so
cial life they bring ! For six days In
the week humnnlty has the experience
of walking on "other people's grounds , "
of living "In other people's houses , "
but on the day of rest Sundny the
public pnrks and roadways nnd unmo
lested nooks bring relief and gladness
.and self poise to countless thousands
through this and other lands. Is It
strnnge that there Is a growing de
mand for parks and play grounds ?
It is the cry of humanity for that
justice and freedom and untrammeled
gladness which" all alike crave. It is
one of the highest nnd truest compen
sations of life that If the fields are a
little greener for one than for another ,
If the daisy by the roadside speaks a
language more eloquent to a Burns
than to a king upon his throne , If the
stars "In the Infinite meadows of heav
en" are more truly "the for-get-me-nots
of the angels" to the simple maiden
Evangellne than they are to a queen
of society , It Is because having fewer
of this world's goods , the simple folk ,
have less to worry uiem and a heart' '
and mind more ready and willing to
appreciate them. The best "cozy cor
ners" are those provided under the
great archway of the blue sky , In the
out-of-doors. Let us "enjoy the rest ,
the comfort and the inspiration which
they afford. The best ally of right
thinking and kindly living to be found
wherever there Is a congested popula
tion are the public parks. The great
est blow to annrchy , the surest friend
to real freedom nre the "open spaces"
where humanity can drink in , for n
short time , the glories of the natural
things about and each tired heart and
brnln can get a surcease from the
"grind. "
The quiet , brief outings of the sum
mer time , In parks and elsewhere ,
which convince us of nature's splendid
generosity of gifts and her absolute
impartiality in their bestowal do more
than all else to dempnstrate to us ,
each and all thnt "God Is In His heav
en , all Is right with the world. " And
in that thought humanity finds an
everlnstlng nnchor for its faith and
pntience nnd brotherhood.
AROUND TOWN.
Only a week more.
Look out for lock-Jaw.
Only three days more , Johnny.
The wise golf player raises his own
caddies.
The political campaign is-"warmlng"
up.
\Vhen you see a tornado coming ,
duck. . - < -
How fast can Mrs. Gould get on
the stage ?
Did you. ever see' the salt cellers net
so ornery ?
Cnrry your cyclone cellnr nround
\\tth you.
Dustln Fnrnum's press agent Is
"there " anyway.
You'll have to hurry If you're to bo
a Juno bride this year.
Only ono moro week till they close
nt < 8 o'clock In the evening.
Don't complain nbout the heat. You
.might . have to live in Chicago.
Saturday , Sunday and Monday will
nil bo slnughter dnys this year.
That Slgel story has been n good
filler for over ten dnys.
What chance has n straw hat with
rain every fifteen minutes ?
Everybody wns surprised thnt Tnft
didn't yell "Fore , " when ho took that
drive for a corporation tax.
You'd ho surprised nt the bright
things n fellow cnn think of when ho
doesn't have n pencil.
Norfolk claims distinction In the
fact thnt no Chlnnmnn hns yet been
arrested here on suspicion of being
Leon Ling.
An ordinary sized newspaper
wouldn't have had room for many
more murders than have developed
during the past week or so.
One mnn who hns plenty of time nnd
Inclination to piny golf , never gets out
to the links becnuso his wlfo won't '
let him. It Interferes with supper.
The Tnft fnmlly cow will hnvo to bo
hob'bled .for one nfternoon nt least.
Maude Adams Is going to play "Peter
Pan" on the white house lawn.
ATCHISON GLOBE SIGHTsT
We know n certain man who is nl
ways being treated unjustly. And It
Is never his fault. He Is fair with
everybody , he says.but every day
almost every hour , In fact some one
plays him m mean trick. But It Is
never his fault. All of you know men
of that sort.
"I am In a position where I should
do something sensible , " said a man
today , "but I cannot decide. I fear
that after I decide what is sensible ,
and do It , It will turn out exactly what
I should not have done . That hns
been my experience so many times
heretofore. It is easy to say , "Be sen
slble , " but It is difficult to decide what
is sensible. "
Americnns are everywhere known
as a great people to worry. They wor
ry each other ; no Americnn considers
that he is doing his duty unless he is
worrying the life out of three or four
people. If It isn't his wife nnd chil
dren , it is his neighbors , or his com
petitors. All of us should take an
oath to worry fewer people in future.
It's a wicked business.t Whenever
possible , let people alone In the enjoy
ment of their natural rights.
Progress ; don't be silly. Don't be
lieve in hypnotism , phrenology , my
thology , or foolology generally. Don't
believe In that which is denied by the
best minds In the world. Read a little ,
nnd read standard authorities. Avoid
books or newspnpers printed by so
cletles. Such books nnd newspnpers
lie like weather prophets. A book Is
sued by n phrenologlcnl society will
nssert that phrenology is n well-at
tested scientific fact , although every
scientific man In the world laughs at
the nonsense. This sort of book af
fords no Information ; It supplies noth
ing but falsehoods. Every foolish doc
trine has a "publication society , " to
spread literature that is not reliable.
Don't read thnt sort of literature. A
democratic paper never tells the truth
about democratic measures. Modern
people are outgrowing the folly of be
ing partlsnns on nny subject. They
look for' the truth , nnd respect It. If
yoii hnvo been wrong , acknowledge it ,
and make a new start.
About Norfolk.
Pilger Herald : The Pllger ball
team has been engaged to play ball
nt Norfolk on the third for a purse of
$75. A special car hns been secured
and a Inrge crowd will go from here
to root for the Pllger tenm. It is ex
pected thnt the car will be attached
to No. 119 , a freight thnt leaves here
about 9:30 : , and will be brought back
on No , 40 In the evening. It Is no
more to bo expected that the crowd
will follow the ball team , as no town
has a more loyal set of fans than has
Pllger , and everyone > that can should
go to help the home team win on that
day.
To Omn r VI * Balloon.
Going to aluuer forty-two miles away
In u balloon was the experience of N.
H. Arnold. A. I ) Converse und W. H
Richardson , who recently ascended at
North Aduuis , . MUSH. , lu the North
Adams No. 1. The balloon was sail
ing near the ground over the farm of
George W. Qodges at Greenfield Cen
ter , N. V. , when two of the farmer's
daughters Invited the party to come
down and have dinner , and they did.
Tribute to George Meredith.
Died May 18 , 1909.
He listened to the mighty lyre of earth
And learned the lore of soul compelling
. song.
Ho pondered on the rune of right and
wronc
And raw the hearts of men , their woe.
their mirth.
In him our vision had a second birth ,
For by his words wo law as through
some strong
Enchanted lens the conscience of the
throng.
The font of III , the hidden source of
worth.
Shall death claim him , , on deathless
knowledge reared ?
Shall dreams o'ertake the master of the
dream ?
Nay ; his the perfect' love that never
feared.
His words send through our grief & ra
diant gleam
"With Life and Death I walked , and Love
appeared
And made th m on each side a shadow
stem. "
Joyce Kilmer In New York Bun.
Making Money
On the Farm
II. Maintaining fertility
By G. V. GREGORY ,
Author of "Homo Course In Modern
Agriculture"
Copyright. 1909 , bjr American Vntt
AuocUtion
all lands ucod tllu drainage ,
NOT there arc none onvlitcb
the problem of maintaining
fertility Is not au Important
one. Fertility of tlio land In Us broadest -
est sense means its ability to produce
large crops.
One of the Important factors Influ
encing fertility Is tlio amount of plant
food In the soil. Ten elements , car
bon , hydrogen , oxygen , calcium , mag
nesium , Iron , sulphur , nitrogen , potas
sium and phosphorus , are necessary to
the growth of plants. From 00 to 05
per cent of the dry matter of plants Is
made up of carbon , oxygen and hy
drogen , which are obtained from air
and water. Of the others only three ,
nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium , are
used In such large quantities that the
supply In the soil Is UUcly to become
exhausted. These three are usually
spoken of us the essential plant foods.
Amount of Plant Food In 8oll .
These plant foods ure present lu
varying amounts In all soils. In many
cases It Is necessary to Increase thu
supply by the use of commercial fer
tilizers. The real need of most soils ,
however. Is not the addition of more
of these materials , but the judicious
use of those already there. It Is esti
mated that there is enough phosphor
us In the upper seven Inches of soil
In the Mississippi valley to raise a
hundred bushels of corn to the acre
every year for sixty years and enough
potassium to last COO years at the
same rate. Much of this phosphorus
and potassium is combined with other
materials in such a form that It is un
available for the use of the plants.
One of the principal problems of the
farmer , then , Is to make this stored fer
tility available. \
One of the most effective means of
doing this Is by keeping the soil plen
tifully supplied with humus. Humus
Is the name given to decaying organic
matter in the soil. It Is the humus
that gives the dark , rich color to soils.
It leaves that "brown streak In the
furrow" that farmers have long re
garded as an Indication of fertility.
Humus gives the soil a spongy texture
and greatly Increases its water holding
capacity. It also makes the soil lighter
and warmer. Soils which contain large
amounts of humus do not bake or
become cloddy easily. They are mel
low and respond readily to cultivation.
Humus contains considerable nitrogen
and furnishes a home for bacteria ,
which aid In making plant food avail
able. Certain acids are also formed In
the decaying of humus that aid in
making the phosphorus and potas
sium available. It might almost be
said that the chief problem of main
taining fertility is the problem of keepIng -
Ing the neil supplied with humus.
Maintaining the Humus Supply.
Probably the best way of maintain
ing this humus supply Is by the liberal
use of barnyard manure. The surplus
straw should be used for bedding , seas
as to save all the liquid portion and
add to the bulk of the manure. Shred
ded fodder Is also good for this pur
pose. The manure should be hauled
FIG. Ill ACCUMULATION OF MANURE.
to the land as fast as formed. When
It Is allowed to decay in the barnyard
much of the nitrogen is lost , and rains
falling upon it also wash out other ele
ments. The manure spreader Is an
implement that should bo found In
every barnyard. The manure can be
loaded direct from the stables to the
spreader at almost all seasons of the
year and spread In an even layer upon
the field. With n spreader the manure
can be made to cover twice as much
ground , so that the whole farm can be
gone over oftener.
While barnyard manure Is undoubt
edly one of the best means of main
taining fertility , It cannot always be
hud. Many farmers , because of their
location near markets which demand
certain crops , find It more profitable to
supply those crops than to raise live
stock. Others , prefer grain farming
because It Is less confining. Such farm
ers must have some method of main
taining fertility which does not depend
primarily upon manure ,
The Value of Clover.
The best substitute for manure Is
clover. Clover supplies an abundance
of nitrogen , the most rapidly used of
the. three essential elements. Three-
fourths of the air Is made up of ni
trogen. Clover and other leguminous
crops are able to get nitrogen from
this source by means of bacteria which
live on their roots. These bacteria
change the nitrogen of the air Into ni
trates , n form lu whlcli It can bo u cd
by the plants. Fully one-third of the
nitrogen collected tfy the clover plant
Is left In the soil In the roots and stub
ble. One crop of clover In n four year
rotation will furnish nearly enough ni
trogen for the remaining three crops
In the rotation.
This Is a much cheaper form of ob
taining nitrogen than by purchasing It
In commercial fcrtlllr.ors at 10 to 15
cents a pound. It Is much more profit
able to keep the nitrogen supply fairly
constant by the continued use of a ro
tation with It'gumefl than to add n
large amount t one time. Nitrogen In
the form of nitrates Is readily soluble ,
and every rain washes some of It out
of the soil. This Is not tmo of the
other essential elements to any marked
extent. Too liberal a supply of nitro
gen at onu time tends also to promote
too rapid leaf growth nt the expense
of fruit or grain.
The stuhblo and roots of the clover ,
together with the cornstalks and other
rubbish , will do n great deal to keep
up the humus supply. In addition to
Fin. IV LOADING MANUUH Bl'lilCAUBll.
this , If no manure at all Is available ,
some humus may have to be supplied
from some other source. This Is espe
cially true if the soil is naturally poor
In humus. One of the simplest ways
to supply this is by green manuring.
This means the turning under of a
green crop , such as clover , cowpcas or
some other legume. This supplies both
humus and nitrogen. The best time to
plow under such a crop la lu the fall ,
so that it will have time to decoy be
fore spring. A largo mass of undo-
cuyed material plowed under in the
spring checks the upward movement
of moisture and Is liable to make the
land sour.
Another method of adding to the bu-
inus supplis by mowing a crop of
clover about haying time and letting it
lie on the ground. The second crop
can be cut In the same way or used for
fall feed or for seed.
"Clover Sick" Soil.
After clover has been grown for a
considerable length of time , especially \
if much has been plowed under for
green manure , the land Is liable to be
come "clover sick. " This Is caused by
an excess of acid In the soil. This
acid can be neutralized by the applica
tion of ground limestone. Caustic or
quicklime Is not so good as limestone ,
since it burns up large quantities of
humus and in general Is too violent In
Its action. Lime has another advan
tage on clay soils in that it causes the
particles to adhere together In larger
masses , thus making the soil more
porous. The usual rate of application
Is from twenty to forty bushels to the
acre. With the application of lime , as
well as with the adoption of any other
new method. It is best to try It on a
small scale first Then If It proves
profitable Its use can be extended.
The judicious use of clover or some
other leguma will effectively solve the
humus and nitrogen problems. There
remains the question of the potassium
and phosphorus supply. Clover also
aids with these. The humus formed
from It helps to dissolve the unavail
able materials and prepare them for
the use of the plant As stated before ,
there Is enough potassium In the upper '
seven Inches of the average prairie
soil to last COO years under the most
Intensive culture and enough phos
phorus for fifty years. Clover changes
this seven Inches Into twice us many
feet Clover roots go down ten or a
dozen feet or farther. Alfalfa roots go
down twenty feet or more These deep
roots bring up minerals from the lower
layers of soil and leave them where
the shallower rooted grain crops can
get them.
Making Fertility Available.
Gypsum , or land plaster , has a con
siderable effect In making potassium
and phosphorus available. Applied at
the rate of 500 or COO pounds per acre.
It will often Increase crop yields con
siderably. It also has a beneficial ef
fect on alkali soils. Use one or two
bushels to the acre.
1'robably the most effective way of *
making phosphorus , potassium or oth
er plant foods available Is by tillage.
Frequent and thorough cultivation ,
keeping the soil fine and mellow , fa
vors the chemical processes by which
locked up plant food Is made available.
It must be remembered , however ,
that the faster these materials are lib
erated the sooner will the supply be
come exhausted. When rotation with
legumes , tillage and the application of
lime and gypsum no longer' produce
satisfactory results It Is a sign that
there Is a lack of potassium or phos
phorus , or both. In the soil Phos
phorus Is more liable to become scanty
In amount since the.supply Is smaller.
Donemeal and ground phosphate rock
are the best forms In which to apply
this material. The former Is quicker
In its action , but considerably more ex
pensive. Potassium is usually bought
In the form of murlato or sulphate.
Blamed the Planets.
In the middle of the fourteenth cen
tury in Paris n new ordinance enJoining - \
Joining the cleansing of the streets and
the shutting up of swine was carefully
neglected , as usual , and a tcrrlbio
plague was sthe consequence. The fac
ulty of medicine , called upon for a
remedy by the king , sent to Inform
him after long discussion that the
plague was the result of a hostile con
junction of the planets Mars and Jupi
ter ,