13
Home Fruit Garden Means Additional Health and Vim
Commercial Orchard Temporarily Overshadows Home Growing But Change in Sentiment Comes.
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
0
NE OF THE MOST important fea-
the standpoint of health, is a
fruit gardon maintained for the pur
pose of supplying the family with
fruits. It is amazing that even those
1 who have suitable situations and facili
ties for-raising fruits, and who can
not purchase them because of remote
ness from markets, liave not estab
lished home fruit gardens.
The inhabitants of this country are
notably a fruit-loving and fruit-eatiug
people. Notwithstanding this, however,
fruit culture has grown to be classed
among specialities, and few persons
who consume fruit are actual growers.
The possibilities in fruit culture upon
restricted areas have been very gen
erally ' overlooked with the result that
many persona who own a suburban
home, or even a farm, now look upon
fruit as a luxury. A great deal of the
land which is now practically wasted
How to Provide Horses for War Told
President Bryan of Washington State College Gives Some
; Pointers on Breeding Cavalry Mounts.
B E. A. BRYAN,
President Washington State College,
THE GOVERNMENT has gone into
the business of breeding cavalry
horses. Perhaps this is well enough
for the preservation of a type of horses
that otherwise might become extinct,
Breeding steeds and free service upon
certain-conditions nevertheless is poor
reliance in case of any great need aris
ing, anu is pernaps not tne best means
of attaining the end in view,
The very best means is a steady de
mand in given regions and at prices
which are remunerative. Iu the past.
there has always been a disposition to
buy at a price unreasonably low, con
and entirely unremuuerative can be flideriug the ,nditioM wMch.mu'st bo
made to produce fruits in sufficient
quantity to give them a regular place
upon the family bill of fare, and at
the same time add greatly to the at
tractiveness of the table and health
fulness of the diet.
Home Garden Overshadowed.
With the growth of commercial fruit
interests of the United States the
home fruit garden has been over
shadowed by the orchard. Whilo both
the home garden and the orchard are
essential to the good of the commun
ity, they bear different relations to th
country as a whole. The home garden
' is always a forerunner of commercial
development, and even in those local
ities where climatic and soil conditions
are adverse to conducting such in due
tries on an extensive scale, the home
fruit garden of the enthusiastic
amateur is certain to be found.
The home production of fruit stimu
lates an interest and love for natural
objects, which can only be acquired by
that familiarity with them which
comes through their culture. The cul
tivation of fruits teaches discrimina
tion. If every purchaser was a good
judge of the different kinds of fruits,
the demand for fruits of high quality,
to produce which is the ambition of
every amateur as well as every profes
sional fruit grower, would become a
reality. The encouragement of the cul
tiavtion of fine fruits in the home
garden will do much toward teaching
buyers to discriminate between the
good and the inferior varieties of
fruit.
Maintenance Is Pleasure.
The maintenance of a fruit garden
brings pleasure and healthful employ
ment, and as one's interest in growing
plants increases, this employment in
Btead of proving a hardship, will be
come a great source of pleasure. The
possession of a tree which one haB
planted and reared to fruit production
carries an added interest in its pro
duct as well as in the operation by
which it was secured.
Most persons engaged in the cultiva
tion of home fruit gardens will have
as their chief aim the production of
fruit for the family table, and the
pleasure it affords. Fruit growing
should claim the attention of the pro
ducer from early spring to late, autumn.
In order to secure satisfactory re
sults in a limited area devoted to fruit
culture one must know the methods of
pruning, training, and culture best suit
ed to the Bpace at command. In pro
portion to size, dwarf trees are more
fruitful than standards; they come into
bearing sooner and are therefore of
irpecial value for use in fruit gardeus.
Boots Should Have Boom.
At planting time all broken or de
ayed roots should be cut .away, leaving
nly smooth-cut surfaces and healthy
wood to come in contact with the soil.
If a large part of the root area of the
plant has been lost in transplanting,
the top should be cut back in propor
tion ti) the roots remaining. By so do
ing the demand made by the top when
the plant starts into growth can be
met by the root.
The holes in which trees, vines, or
Shrubs are to be set should be ample,
bo that the roots of the plants may
have full spread without bending them
out of their natural course. The earth
met and the narrow limits from which
a choice could be made. Formerly, per
haps now, only geldings were bought.
Out of a large band, what with the
limitations as to color, age, conforma
tion, style, blemishes, etc., a few would
be picked and paid for at a ridiculously
low price.
Regional Breeding.
In the first place, there should be an
earnest endeavor to select in size, con
formation and quality, horses which
would meet a very general purpose other
than cavalry service, otherwise while
there might be a good supply for a peace
footing, in case of war, the supply of
the deBired type would be instantly ex
hausted and perforce the army would be
supplied with non-descript and illy
adapted breeds.
There should be a regional breeding,
first, because of the adaptability of cer
tain regions and the inadaptability of
other regions to given breeds; and sec-
ond, because there should be regional
breeding of all kinds of horses, cattle,
Bheep, anyway; and third, because it
would lesson the cost of gathering up
the supply either in peace or war. There
can be no doubt that certain regions
such as the Eocky Mountains (Sordiller
an)', are peculiarly adapted for the pro
duction of horses with the requisite
bone, bottom and hoof, and that they
can be produced here at lower cost and
loosened a Bpade depth below the line
of exeavation. The soil placed immedi
ately in contact with the roots of the
newly Bet plant should be rich top soil,
free from sod or partially decayed or
ganic matter. Firm the soil over the
roots by trampling, as this brings the
soil particles together and at the same
time in close contact with the surface
of the roots. A movement of soil water
is thus set up and the food supply of
the soil brought immediately to the use
of the plant, when the operation of
transplanting is complete, the plant
should stand 1 or 2 inches deeper than
it stood in the nursery.
How to Add Interest.
The interest of a fruit garden may
be greatly enhanced by growing in
them plants not adapted naturally to
the climatic region in which the garden
is located, as, for instance, the grow
ing of figs as far north as the latitude
of Philadelphia. The summers of the
region are sufficiently long and warm
to induce a strong growth in the fig,
but as the fruits normally require a
lone period in which to mature, the
plant becomes useless as a fruit pro
ducer unless sufficient protection is
afforded to carry over winte the ird-
ature fruits set the previous fall.
This can be successfully accomplished
in several ways. The most hardy sort
should be selected, in addition to which
the fruiting shoots may be wrapped in
matting, covered with straw, and the
fruits thus successfully protected; or,
if it seems desirable, temporary Bheds
may be built over the plants, and these
thatched with straw or fodder suffi
ciently to protect them from frost.
A cozy summer veranda may be cov-'
ered by grape vines, thus securing the
double advantage of a cool, shady nook
during summer and a supply of fruit
n autumn. The vines may be utilized
as a cover for walks and drives or as
t the bottom of the holes should be a canopy over small outbuildings.
higher profit than in the lowland re
gion of the Mississippi Valley. The rules
for selection ought not to be too nar
row and rigid and they should be such
that in case of war, they are subject
to natural and easy modification.
Draft Tendency Great.
The tendency toward heavy draft
horses all over the country is great both
for city and country use. The demand
outside the army for the idoal cavalry
horse is slight. The breed is liable to
extinction. A little heavier and slower
horse well adapted to farm or road work
might serve the army well. He would
not suit so well for fancy riding, but
for real war service, might do even better.
Yielding a little iu this point toward
the general utility horse and then pay
ing for those selected, two hundred dol
lars or more, developing the best breed
ing region both by the proper placing of
the steeds and the purchase of the pro
geny, the foundation would be quickly
laid for a permanent supply. The best
and cheapest region for the production
of army horses has one drawback,
namely the natural tendency owing to
feod conditions and open air life toward
being undersized. The use of light steeds
of the highly nervous type wUl tend to
increase this defect. If the type can
be made to approach twelve hundred
pounds as near as possible, without get
ting too far into the cold blooded,
heavy draft breeds, the army can be
supplied and the public likewise will
not lack for a general utility horse good
for almost any kind of service.
Stories at Which You
Will Smile
PARTY of four just returning from
a theatre called in at a fashion
able restaurant. The prim spin
steir wno was the guest of the evening
was charmed with everything, especially,
the music. While the waiter was stand
ing by the table, she asked him to find
out the title of the piece the orchestra
was playing. Tho wiling waiter prom
ised, but other duties claimed him for
a while, and when he returned, the lady;
had completely forgotten her request.
When he bent toward her and Boftly
whispered something in her ear, she re
coiled with horror. Then, recovering
from the shock, she turned with cold,
relentless fury upon the hapless man
who waited. "How dare you!" It took
tho terrified waiter quite a time to ex
plain why he had merely breathed the
title of the piece so softly: "What Can
I So to Make You Lovo Met"
A SCHOOL girl wag required to write
an essay of two hundred and fifty
words about an automobile. She sub
mitted the following:
'My uncle bought an automobile. He"
was riding in the country when it bust
ed going up a hill. I guess this is about'
fifty words. The two hundred are what
my uncle said when he was walking
back to town; but I don't dare write.
them down." ' . w
jjg
Not His Line.
"Do you think your constituents bJh
wayB follow your line of reasoning f"
"That isn't a line of reasoning
That's a line of talk."
Warning! Don't Use Salicylic Acid
While Substance Helps as Preservative, Danger to Health
Attends Use.
fHE ATTENTION of the Department
I of Agriculture has recently been
called to the widespread use, espe
cially in rural communities, of salieylie
acid in putting up preserves. The head
of a large drug and chemical supply
house states the people living in South
west Virginia, North and South Caro-
ina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Western
Georgia, have been purchasing salicylic
acid in quarter pound packages for a
number of years and that this prac
tice has grown to an enormous extent.
This dealer states further that only a
few weeks ago he received an order
from one wholesale grocer for fifty
gross of these goods.
The department is aare that this
practice is not confined to salicylic acid
under its own name alone, but that
large quantities of this acid, and of
boric acid as"well, are sold under fanci
ful names as - preserving powders or
canning compounds at pri '-es which are
much in excess of their real value.
In the directions for use the house
wife iB told to fill the jar with tha
fruit or vegetables, cover with water
and add a teaspoon ful of the powdea,
It is true that these powders may pre
vent the decay of the fruit or vegetable,
but they also encourage uncleanly or
careless work, and their excessive use
may be attended with very serious ef
fects upon the health. Salicylic acid is at
medicine of the greatest value in acute
artieular rheumatism and certain other
diseased. It is well known as a poison
ous substance, and one of the evils which,'
may accompany its use is derangement
of the digestion. It is therefore plain
that its extensive use in food may lead
to disturbance of digestion and health.
It is entirely practicable to put un
both fruits and vegetables in such a
manner that they will keep indefinitely;
by sterilizing the products by means oi!
heat, and there is no excuse for running
any risk by the using of preserving
powdcrB.
Farmers Are Pleased.
Farmers in the Umatilla nd Mor
row Counties of Oregon are rejoicing
over two eonditions that make up tho
prosperity of an agricultural com
munity, good crops and an early har
vest. In this section of the Northwest,
especially in Umatilla County, the crops
will be better than they have been for
a long time, according to the predictions
of those who ought to know. Favorable
weather hag helped this wonderfully,
the rains being well timed, the Winter
mild, the coming of Spring temperate,
and all other things in harmony with
the fitness of things from the view
point of the man with a farm. The
harvost this year will be Beveral weeki
earlier than usual, and the farmers are
already making arrangements for hiring
help and gathering in their wealth from
the lap of Nature,
London Wool Auction.
In local wool circles there has been
unusual interest manifested in the Lon
don wool auction. It was predicted by
the buyers now here that the auction
would show a weaker maiket, however,
the situation was the reverse. The re- National forests.
port of the auction states that thera
were 12,500 bales, principally cross
breds, offered at the opening of tho
third series of wool auction sales. Com
petition was active, including a demand
for America, Merinos and fine cross
breds ranged from unchanged to 5 per
cent advance and othor grades were
firm and unchanged. ,
- ' ' ' -a
Gilliam County Grain.
Farmers say wheat is six weeks ahead
of last year in Gilliam County, Oregon. ,
Grass is fine on the ranges al oyer
the county and sheepmen are preparing
to lamb with a prospect of saving a
large- percentage. Conditions point td
a prosperous year for both farmers and
stockmen, .. i
A small, but practical, electric rait
way has been installed in a Paris sewen.
In France a method has been deveb
oped for obtaining casein from milk
by electrolysis.
Hyndman Peak, Ho, he hlgliMt nme
peofc in the Mate, to more than 12,000 feef
high. Several unnamed peaks near It ara
of abont the lame elevation. All are on tha
divide between the Sawtooth and the LeuhJI