16
TTTF SUNDAY OREGONIAX. PORTXANTJ.
NOVEMBER 8. 1914.
To the Western Stockman and Farmer
The TJ. S. Government supply of bulletins on the subject of 'feterita, the great new forage plant
WHAT MORALE MEANS TO RECRUIT IS SHOWN BY
INCIDENTS AT BEGINNING OF THE EUROPEAN WAR
Joseph Medill Patterson Views Combat From Psychological Side Younger Men With More Years of Life to Lose Are More Willing to Lose Them.
Emotional Possibilities in Time Become Exhausted Lust of Conquest Helps Men to Endure Dreadful Ordeal of Battle.
BY JOSEPH MEDILL PATTERSON. ,
o
N BOARD STEAMSHIP ADRIATIC,
at Sea, Oct. 17. Confession is grood 1
for the soul I
I intend to state as briefly and as
honestly as I may, how, being in a
battle affected "my psychological pro
cesses, concealing neithe r the great
fear that I felt in the firing zone nor
my great Joy on emerging from It, nor
the morbid, inexplicable curiosity that
I have since sometimes experienced to
know how it would feel to return,
briefly, to that zone.
Occasionally it seems to me. even
now, that the whole world is divided
into two equal parts, 'the firing . zone
and the non-fixing zone; and as if a
normal life should consist of brief ex
cursions from the non-firing zone into
the firing zone and back again.
The first time I heard shots in anger
was one sunny afternoon in late Sep
tember, near Lierre, which is near Ant
werp. We. Weigle, the cinema photog
rapher, and I, were returning in an
automobile from a visit to the Bel
Irian outposts when . we heard rifle .fir
ing and saw half a dozen Belgian sol
diers running across a field in open
order- AVe at once Jumped out and
ran with them.
Spirit Seems Indomitable.
They seemed to be so -victorious,
these half dozen. They were running
In the direction of the enemy, eager
ly, ardently. One would not hesitate
to join them because it was so clear
that they were bound to conquer; so
we ran along with what we supposed
was the extreme advanced skirmish
line to attack the Germans, having in
our hands our cameras.
It happened so quickly that there
was no chance to think at all. We
simply Joined these skirmishers be
cause we had confidence in them. We
saw that they were terribly eager to
iijrht and shoot and kill. Their con
fidence bred confidence in us.
It turned out that soon they were
shooting at a German aeroplane about
three miles off. They had as much
chance to hit It with their bullets as
I had to hit it with a rock.
However, it went to show me some
thing of what morale means to a re
cruit. If he thinks he is on the win
ning side, he is worth several times
what he is if he thinks he Is on the
losing side.
Distant Firing Shocks.
Two or three days later we found
the battle we had traveled so far to
Jind. The afternoon before it began
a strange premonition passed over
Antwerp. It wasn't that Antwerp knew
there was to be fighting within a few
hours; the secret was too well kept
by the Belgian staff for that; but Ant
werp sensed it. I went to the beau
tiful Cathedral of Our Lady that after
noon, and it was crowded with solemn,
passionate people begging God for
raercy and victory. War was in the
air laden with hope and hatred and
fear.
Greatly to my surprise, I slept well
that night. I wasn't surprised at
Weigle's doing so. He is Just ten years
younger than I and imperturable. And
it is well known in war that the
younger man with more years and life
to lose is more willing to lose them.
In the morning we tcok the custom
ary road to Termonde, over the long
pontoon bridge across the Schheldt.
past the road patrols who stopped us
for the word. The word that day
was "France," and It was whispered
to each patrol, who said "Bon," and
the automobile shot ahead.
After an hour we heard distant
firing. It gave us all a shock. The
car passed, we looked at each other.
listened for the directions, then went
in that direction. We were all rather
silent.
Firing; Heard Five Mllea Oil.
The firing was then about five miles
off. I think. As we traversed that
five miles it seemed to me that gradu
ally everything was being stripped
from me. My possessions, my 'edu
cation, my friends, my family sue
cessively departed from me and all
that was left in the world .was my
self. Weigle. who sat beside me, grew
far off, the pictures he might or might
not take of slight consequence, the
story I might write of little import
ance, and the stories I might tell to
friends afterwards, if there was to be
an afterwards, of no importance at
all all that was left on earth was
myself and that accumulating noise
of firing.
When I left America to see if I could
see something of the war I meant firm
ly not to get in range of bullets.
meant to stand on a convenient hill
with a pair of powerful field glasses, to
one side and in the rear of the officers
of the staff, and see the battle unroll
before me as one would see a sublim
ated football came.
But in that part of Belgium there
are no hills; the country is flat and cut
up by many rows of high trees. There
was no place to go with field glasses.
Then we came to the staff officers of
the third division sitting In wicker
chairs around a table. Nearby was a
covered wagon full of cllckinf tele
graph instruments. The shooting was
still far off; and if we stayed there we
would be almost sursly safe, but we
would see nothing whatever. Yet
had agreed with myself to go no fur
ther than staff officers' headquarters.
Car Move on Toward Front.
My mind seemed to clog and work
very Blowly and stiffly. Should I tell
Weigle I would get out here and that
he might go on and take as many pic
tures as he wanted. Whether he
wanted or should I ?
The question was settled for me.
While slowly debating it, the chauffeur
gave the word ' to the patrol, and tlve
car moved on. toward the firing. That
seemed to be the turning point in my
psychological processes. Previous to
that, as I said, myself seemed all there
was left in the world. But now when
. we left the staff officers and passed
beyond them into that supremely my s
terious region where death was play
ing tag, myself as I know myself and
hs every ohe ordinarily knows himself
changed.
It seemed to become a bluish, smoky
flame about IS Inches high, not clea
and ot steady and not very strong.
It was IS inches tall, perhaps a foo
across, but without thickness, like
flame from an old-fashioned gas fix
ture. "
I think It was because I am growing
fat and past 35 that the flame was no
stronger, clearer, whiter and more
beautiful. Age and fat seemed to clog
it, it did not leap, it guttered. It wa
a sluggish flame.
Will Seem Paralyzed.
And as the firing got always louder
and the soldiers whom we passed were
ever in an attitude of greater readi
ness. 'all there was In the whole unl
verse was this sluggish flame and on
particular bullet. And the only ques
lion in the whole universe was whether
that bullet would meet that flame and
extinguish it. I tried to force myself
to think appropriate thoughts what
would become of my family and that
probably in the long run they wouldn
be much if any worse off, but to mi
ft metaphor terribly, I could think such
thoughts only with my lips. Inside
couldn't think at all. I could only won
der, wonder with a depth of emotion
didn't believe any human capable of,
whether the bullet and the flame would
meet.
My will was paralyzed I couldn
turn to Weigle and say, "Look, here.
never intended to go on the actual fir
ing- line and that's where we are going
as fast as this car will take us. I
leave you here." For some reason
shame, I suppose I couldn"t say that.
simply sat in the car helpless and
ilent and listened to the ever lncreas-
ng roar. .
It was a mad and hideous world, and
for some reason I didn't know why,
the other two people In the car were
axing my flame to the very edge of
blackness, and for some reason I didn't
know why it was altogether beyond my
power to ask them not to do it.
Noise Is Continuous.
Suddenly the car made a turn be
hind a small brick railroad station.
hadn't actually stopped "when five
freshly wounded Belgian soldiers
seemed to fall or be shoved into it and
we were shoved out. I don't know
how it happened. I remember taking
the leg of one of the wounded men to
lift him into the car and he screamed.
had taken the wounded leg. Several
people frowned at me, one struck me.
think. The car was filled with
wounded and then drove off. We didn't
see it again for two hours.
The noise now was continuous. The
horrible shrapnel screamed and wailed
over head and the rifles never ceased.
It was not volley firing but "at will."
In different directions could be
heard the rattling of machine guns.
which sounded like automatic riveters
at work on the skeleton of skyscrap
ers. The rattling would last about
two seconds, then pause two seconds,
then rattle two seconds, and so on for
erhaps a minute in all.
The Belgian soldiers were passing
back over the road we had come, and
finally the last of them passed the rail
road station. Weigle meanwhile was
arranging his cinema camera. How I
hated it, the Frankenstein, for it
weighs 50 pounds and the bag of Im-
edlmenta that goes with it weighs 40
pounds, and I had agreed to carry that
How could a miserable flame like
mine be burdened with 40 pounds more?
Armored Auto Cover Retreat.
I said that the last of the Belgian
soldiers passed us going back. . I didn't
know it at first, but finally realized It
hen a Belgian armored automobile
carrying a machine gun took position
n the road directly opposite to us to
cover the retreat. From them I learned
that they were the last of the Belgian
forces. The next field was where the
fighting had been until within 15 min-
tes and where the . wounded man had
come from and taken our automobile
away from us and left us afoot between
the lines.
Xow the armored automobile backed
up a quarter of a mile and we were in
position that even now, a good many
days afterwards, I can see was not par-
lcularly safe.
A few slight vestiges of my mentality
returned to me. ' "Weigle," said I, "do
you know that one of the first princi
ples of warfare is to follow up a re-
reat vigorously? Well, If the Germans
follow up this retreat vigorously the
first people they'll reach will be yon
nd me, and you look like an English
oldier in that filthy khaki.'
He made some idiotic remark about I
taking pictures and then every oath I
had ever heard in my life gushed from
my lips. Then we both retreated in
good order. That is, we didn't run: we
couldn't carrying the cinema camera
and its bag of impedimenta.
At one point I proposed to Wiegle
that he throw his camera in the ditch.
promised to buy him another later out
of my own money if he would. He
miled at me. .1 beliuve it would be
easier to separate him from his hands
than his hands from the cinema cam
era. So we trudged along that half
mile of exposed road, he carrying his
50-pound camera and I carrying the
60-pound bag of impedimenta. As soon
as we got well started on retreat my
"WAR IS
!; ; , xv : 7::. L'f :
f-w ' - '$ V: :;v ,
m "-w r ' . iu-k: - .
4.y - .... - lllgSS: I -
photo Copyright by Underwood Ac Underwood.
PR1NCK HENRV OF PRUSSIA.
If Prince Henry of Prussia were Just plain Henry Hohenzollorn, with no connection with the royal family of
Germany, he nevertheless is the kind of man of whom men say "He is every inch a prince." He is the genial
brother of the sedate war lord of Germany and has been entertained both In this country and in England,
where he is a great favorite. Many British subjects (among- whom are some who have entertained the Prince)
have appealed to him during their detention in Germany, for facilities to send them home. His reply to all those re
quests is: "War is war. We did not want it." The photo shows the Prince in a Jovial mood, seated with the
captain of the Kaiser's yacht Meteor. Prince Henry is aenerai inspector of the German navy.
mind left me again. It was the flame
and the bullet as before, except that
the flame was lower and more turgid,
and whenever a shrapnel " shell
screamed- by . the flame seemed to be
blown .over to the oblique. A shrapnel
case holds 152 bullets and the case it
self also breaks up. A shrapnel burst
ing SO feet above ground is supposed
to kill everything within 20 yards for
ward and .10 yards sldewlse.
Enemy Dorm Not Have Hanse.
Whenever one burst pretty near me
within 200 or 300 yards the flame
seemed to blow over until it was quite
flat and horizontal. Almost to my sur
prise then It. would right itself again
and several times I had strength
enough to say viciously to Weigle,
"You said you wanted to hear shrapnel
burst near you. Well, you heard that
one, didn't you?"
If the German artillery had had the
range on that road filled with the re
treating Belgian column- they could
have done enormous damage. But they
were "searching." - I suppose they
thought the Belgians were deployed in
the fields on each side of the road for
it seemed to me that the shells were
bursting in the fields bordering the
road, but not in the road itself. At
least I didn't know of any that burst
on the road, yet a few minutes after
wards I saw a number of branches
from roadside trees that had been cut
off by bullets and dropped leafy and
green on the granite paving blocks, but
I don't think that 30 consecutive sec
onds went by. when a. shrapnel wasn't
exploding somewhere within half a
mile.
My emotional possibilities by this
time were nearly exhausted. It seemed
as if I had been walking for all eter
nity carrying a square black suitcase
weighing 40 pounds, and . that so I
would walk for all eternity. A shrap
nel explosion, if not too near, now hard
ly caused my flame to flicker. Myself
said dully to my flame at each explo
sion. "Well, that one didn't get you
anyway" but the flame didn't seem to
care very much.' It was exhausted and
low and even more than ever sluggish.
Minor Difficulties Seem Small.
The half mile walk was over. I
came to where the road turned and saw
that at the turn were masked Belgian
trenches, equipped also with machine
guns. If . the Germans came up that
road they would be drenched with lead.
I followed the turn In the road to a
little village. There the Belgian troops
were resting.
Where had I lost Weigle? I don't
know. Simply he wasn't wifn mo any
longer. The suitcase weighed beyond
the weight of Pelion and Ossa now. I
got a drink of water from a peasant.
All I know of him is that his house was
number 26. I left the suitcase there
and I was safe almost.
I only had 28 miles to walk to Ant
werp and 10 dozen patrols to pass, but
what were such minor difficulties? I
was free and I was safe.
Then it -seemed that all the heavy
burdens - of all humanity descended
slowly to crush me, as if all the woes
I of all the ages were accumulating
themselves upon my sick and weary
spirit. For where was Weigle? "What
do I care where he is? I asked fierce
ly of myself. "Why hasn't he walked?"
But the answer wouldn't do, try as
I would to make it. Ages of conven
tionality in me spoke and said that I
could not go away and leave him. I
wanted to I tried to but as every
thing that had happened to me in the
last hour had come from below the
plane of reason, so this mandate also
came from below the plane of reason,
and it was imperative.
I must find Weigle. I must return
into that hell zone of fire and find
Weigle because he had been base and
criminal enough to remain there.
I took up the labor of Sisyphus once
WAR," SAYS GENIAL BR.0THER OF
more; my poor sluggish flame took the
place of me and with slow short, un
certain steps I passed back along that
road. The fire had slackened and
seemed farther off. If it had not been
for that I could not have gone back to
find Weigle or my eternal salvation:
for the effort that I made took all I
had to the last-milligram.
. "Good Place tor Plcturea."
Weigle was about a quarter of a mile
from the bend in the road, taking cover
behind an empty chateau, doing some
thing to his camera.
"Weigle," said I, "your bag is in No.
26 around that bend in the road. Of
course, you know that you're still be
tween the lines?"
"Yes," said he, "but this is a good
place for pictures."
Then Weigle appeared to me as a
huge, hideous, and devouring ogre and
I hated him with a hatred inexpres
sible." Why should I have anything to
do with an insensate clod like that?
Why had I ever seen him?
"A good place for pictures." It was
impossible even, to attempt to reply to
'words so abominable, so callous, vile.
and monstrous. I veered and talked
uncertainly about looking for cover. O
where should I go if the Uhlans or a
German mitrailleuse came up the road?
Where could I possibly go that they
couldn't see me? I didn't believe there
was.
Then happened the miracle the Bel
gians returned. . They passed us---the
whole entire brigade were taking the
firing line beyond us. I sat in the grass
by the roadside sweating, panting, and
gasping, . no longer a bluish guttering
flame, but once more & human being.
As I afterward learned the Germans
were struck on their left by a flank
ing force almost at the instant their
fire had prevailed over the Belgians
In front of them whom I was with. This
accounted for their not following up
vigorously and for the gradual diminu
tion of their artillery fire.
. Battle Depends on Killing.
: But a novice on the firing line knows
nothing of such things as flank move
ments miles away. He knows only his
own side and the enemy (who Is almost
always invisible nowadays) shooting at
each other as fast as possible. But
whether the enemy be visible or not,
the battle depends today precisely as
it always has, on which side will give
and take the most killing.
The , automobile came back. The
driver of it whom I didn't like, nor
ever shall, had pluck. He would go
anywhere to pick up one of his
wounded countrymen. A fog gray.
thick indeed a regular . ordinary.
looKing log seems to cover up what
happened for the' next half hour. I
don't remember much but flashes here
and there when the fog briefly blew
away, the troops deploying across the
field, the lancers cantering in single
file. . silhouetted agafnst the setting
Bun. They evidently expected fire to
come from the bit of woods they were
approaching. I wasn't approaching it.
I stayed exactly where I was all but
one eye behind, a wall and that eye
behind it, too, 29 seconds out of
the 30.
Fear Forgotten la Helping Wounded,
Half a mile away, probably further,
the soldiers disappeared into the wood
and the cavalry had disappeared some
where into the sunset. The Germans
weren't in the edge of the woods, after
all.
Then another Interval, while I wan
dered slowly in a vast and hostile void.
I think I would walk back, a distance
and then retrace my steps, as if drawn
by two great cables, first in one di
rection, then in the other.
The automobile reappeared, coming
for more wounded. One or two they
got into it while I stood vacantly by.
The noise of firing was still almost con-
KAISER
grown so sucessfully in the Lewiston country by practical farmers, is exhausted. Practically none is
to be had and in order to supply the very ereat demand this bulletin is reproduced, except a small
tabulated portion of no vital interest, in The Oregonian. Copies of same may be had, also other
matter pertaining to feterita, and a sample of seed by sending 10c for mailing expense. "Will send by
mail, postpaid, 1 lb. for 20c; 2 lbs. 30c ; 3 lbs, 40c. E. Ralston, Lewiston, Idaho.
SEE FETERITA BOOTH AT LAND SHOW
Bulletins ready tomorrow afternoon. No more free samples.
(Clr. .122 C.)
Br H. X. VINALX Assistant Asrrostolotrist,
x HISTORY.
The name "feterita" is used for a variety
of aorgbum first obtained In 1901 by the
Office of Foreign Seed nd Plant Introduc
tlon as "Feterlte" from B. Nathan A Co..
Alexandria. Egypt. Only a small quantity
of seed was secured, and this was distribut
ed under Seed and Plant Introduction No.
6391 to three persons In Arizona and Kan
sas, but no records of the results obtained
are available. It Is certain, however, that
the variety did not become established at
that time. The second Importation, assigned
S. P. I. Xo. 19C17, was received November,
1906, from V. F. Kagrgiar, of -Alexandria.
Egypt, who obtained the seed from
Sudan. In 1908 an additional supply. S. P.
I. No. 22828. was secured through K. Hewi
son from Khartum. Sudan. In which re
gion It is commonly grown under the name
"feterita." As It is a member of the durra
group of sorghums, the name "Sudan durra
has also been applied to it. The value of
feterita as compared with the other sorg
hums of the Sudan Is indicated by the fol
low In or Quotation from Schweinfurth : t
Voth varieties of the common sorghum,
which here abound in all their minor differ
ences of color, shape and size of grains,
yield well-nigh a dozen different descriptions
for the market at Khartum. The standard
of value la fixed by the Fatareetah, a pure
white thin-skinned grain, which .also is
grown by the negroes in the Seriba.
Fltzgeraldt also speaks of feterita as the
most valuable of the varieties grown by
the natives of Sudan. It has been tested
for six years at the Chllllcothe Forage Field
station and for nve years at the A ma rill o
Cereal Field Station, both In Northwestern
Texas. It has also been tested during
shorter periods "at other field stations in
the southern plains area. For the last three
years there has been an lncraslng acreage
grown by farmers in that sect! cm.
The account of the crop given here is
based on the results of these station tests
and upon the experiences of farmers.
DESCRIPTION.
Feterita is an early-maturing, drought
escaping sorghum of considerable promise
both for grain and forage. It has rather
slender stems, varying In height from 4 to
7 feet with locality and season. They are
somewhat juicy and very slightly sweet be
fore ripening. Suckers are produced freely
when moisture is sufflclnt and are usually
taller and later than the main stalk. The
plant also branches freely under favorable
conditions, and the branch heads are late in
ripening. These habits result. Jj considerable
unevenness in maturity.
Feterita resembles mllo In habit, except
that the heads are uniformly erect and the
seeds are larger, softer and chalk white or
slightly bluish white in color. It differs from
the ordinary white durra (Jerusalem corn)
In having naturally erect heads; black
glumes, and plumper seeds. The seed shat
ters more than mllo. but less than common
white durra if the crop Is allowed to stand
in the field until overripe.
It is as early or a little earlier than
Dwarf mllo and two to three weeks earlier
than standard Blackhull kaflr. In drought
resistance it compares favorably with any
sorghum yet Introduced. In generaf, the
yields have been equal to those of the other
grain sorghums and In some cases better,
for reasons which are fully discussed later.
PROBABLE VALUE,
From the foregoing description It will be
seen that feterita is more like milo than
kaflr. It resembles milo In earllness, in the
size and height of stalk. In the relatively
dry pith, the few leaves, the shape of the
head, and the large seeds. It differs from
mllo most sharply In having the heads all
naturally erect and In its larger white seeds.
It has become quite popular In parts of
Northern Texas, because In 1911, a year of
severe drought, it produced good grain
yields when both mllo and kaflr gave low
yields. In that year much of it was planted
on land where the corn crop had been de
stroyed by drought. In the vicinity of Chll
llcothe. Tex., many farmers are planting in
creased areas to feterita in preference to
either milo or kaflr.
There is no satisfactory evidence that fet-
terlta is inherently more drought resistant
than other grain sorghums. The Chllllcothe
results p.bove referred to may have been
due to thinner stands, concerning which no
exact data were taken. It often happens
that thin stands of feterita are caused by
failure of the seed to germinate, especially
If planted while the ground is cold. Fur
thermore, the larger seed of feterita would
give thinner stands if planted at the same
rate as mllo or kaflr. At Amarlllo, where
feterita was grown- under identical condi
tions ss to stand, it showed ho greater
drought resistance than mllo or kaflr.
Much interest has been aroused also in
feterita by the extravagant advertising it
has recently received from persons either
not competent to determine its merits in
comparison with other grain sorghums or
from those wiio bad s:eu to sen at iancy
prices.
Experiments so far indicate that its earii-
nees, its rather low water requirements, its
satisfactory yields, and the ease with which
It may be harvested give it a real place
among the sorghums either for grain or com
bined grain and forage purposes. No farmer
should discard milo. Dwarf mllo, or Dwarf
kaflr for feterita. however, until he has
determined with certainty that on his farm
It will outyield these staple crops when
grown under Identical conditions. The data
at hand are limited, but they do not Justify
the claim that feterita will outyield Dwarf
milo.
PLANTING.
Like otner grain sorgnuma, lateru anuuia
be planted In rows 40 to-44 Inches apart.
tinuous, but I no longer heard shrap
nel bursting; and whining near me.
Then they seemed to have difficulty
with one of the wounded. A terrific
anl startling revelation burst over me,
something amazingly new and orig
inal. Why not help them get 'that
wounded man in the car?
I ran out through the heavy field,
but I ran, as ever, sluggishly. There
was the evidence of shrapnel. Four
dead in utter and horrible disfigure
ment and three wounded. cSeemingly
it all came from one burst, the men
were huddled bo closely together.
I took one handle of the stretcher.
The wounded man's face was gray, his
fingers were plucking at the brass but
tons of his blouse. Just as they say
dying fingers pluck at the counter
pane when people die in bed.
Dytnsr Left for Leaser Wounded.
The Red Cross youth said H was no
use to bother with this one. so we laid
him down behind a hedge to die and
took in his place on the stretcher an
other who might live.
But this little activity, this little do
ing something, seemed to revive me.
The fog had lifted again and I could
see the world I knew, because I had
been doing something besides thinking
of myself. The idle rich, the idle poor,
and the idle scared all get the worst
of It.
I have since been told by officers
that except for people of unusual and
singular coolness of temperament,
which I have not, it is only the activity
and passion of combat, the lust to con
quer the enemy, that makes it possible
for men to endure battle. I don't know
whether thin is true or not, but it
seems probable. To be in a battle with
no chance to kill in return for your
chance of being killed is like staking
all your earthly possessions against
nothing on the turn of a card; like
going into a prize ring handcuffed
against the champion.
The automobile disappeared aain,
the fog descender!, and after a time I
found myself again beside the inex
plicable Weigle. He had been taking
pictures of & Belgian battery in action.
It seemed so hopeless to see with my
own eyes and know with my own heart
that there were such people - in the
world as Weigle. Why should any one
wish to take pictures of a Belgian bat
tery In action?
It grew dusk. The explosive from the
Belgian cannon looked like long red
FETERITA, A NEW VARIETY OF SORGHUM.
Office of Fprag-e-Crop Inveetlgatlons, and
Cereal Invest lg at tuns.
or about the same distance as for maize, or
Indian corn. The time of planting will vary
greatly, but. in general. It should be two to
three weeks later than for Indian corn In
the same season and locality. In sections
affected by the sorghum midge very early
plantings axe recommended. It is not well
to plant too early, while the ground is still
cold, since feterita, like other sorghums, is
naturally a warm-weather plant. Owing to
the soft seed there Is liable to be consid
erable loss through decay before germina
tion unless the soil is warm enough to sprout
the seed at once. Difficulty in obtaining a
stand has been experienced in some locali
ties, the poor stand probably being due to
planting In cold ground.
On the Chllllcothe field station. In 1912,
plantings of March 19 rotted In the ground,
while plantings from the same seed on April
4 and 26 and plantings from a separate lot
of seed on May 2 germinated perfectly. At
Amarlllo a planting on May 11 resulted In
a poorer stand and lower yield than plant
ings on May 22 and 27. about the normal
time.
Feterita may be planted either In a fur
row with the lister or surface planted with
the ordinary corn planter, according to the
local custom with related crops. When plant
ed In cultivated rows in this manner 3 to 5
pounds of seed to the acre will be required.
The seed should always be sown in a good,
firm seed bed and covered with 1 to 2 V
Inches of soli.
In only exceptional cases will it. pay to
sow feterita broadcast for hay. However,
if put in with a wheat drill for this pur
pose 1H to 2 bushels per acre will give the
best results.
CTJLTTYATION.
Feterita should be cultivated In much the
same manner as corn. If the ground Is In
good shape the harrow will be found the
most economical tool for the first two or
three cultivations. A thorough and rather
deep cultivation should be given when the
crop is about 12 Inches high. Two later
cultivations will be necessary to conserve
moisture properly, and in case the ground
Is foul with weeds still more may be re
quired. In these later cultivations care must
be taken that .the surface feeding roots
are nut broken. -
In order to save all possible moisture It
will be found best to cultivate or harrow '
after each rain as soon as the ground is
dry enough. When the crop has attained
such a size that a 2-horse cultivator can
not be used, a 1-row, 6-tooth cultivator will
b found a very efficient tool. This is also
used In many cases to stir the surface quick
ly after a shower when It would not be
practicable to cultivate with a C-horae plow.
When the cultivation Is finished the ground
should be very nearly level. It does not
pay to "ridge the rows as Is often done
with corn or mllo.
HARVESTING.
For combined use -as forage and grain
the crop should be cut In the late dough
stage. When planted in rows the .crop can
best be handled with a com harvester and
put In shocks of '20 to 40 bundles each. In
sections where there Is little danger of
rain the shocks may be larger. If desired.
If these shocks are allowed to stand for
some time before being headed. It will
allow more complete maturity of the heads
borne on the suckers. When the crop is
Intended solely for grain It should be al
lowed to stand until the earliest heads are
fully mature, but If left until all the heads
on suckers are completely ripe considerable
seed may be lost through shattering.
Some follow the practice of cutting the
heads from the bundles at the time of
shocking by holding the bundles across a
chopping block attached to the side of the
wagon box. The heads fall Inside the
wagon box and can be hauled at once to a
storage shed preparatory to being thrashed,
while the bandies are set up in the field
to be used later. If this practice is fol
lowed, the grain should be fully mature at
the time of cutting. Another method fol
lowed with the grain sorghums where large
acreages are grown is to harvest the heads
by means of a grain header so remodeled as
to place the cutter bar at the proper height.
At lower elevations, when the season is
favorable and the seed has been planted
early, the first crop can often be harvested
with a binder and later a good crop of
'heads obtained from second growth. In an
ordinary year the second growth will fur
nish abundant pasture even though a second
grain crop Is not produced.
Where the heads are cut from the stand
ing stalks In the field it is best to pasture
the remainder of the crop. Should the crop
go down on account of a storm before it
Is harvested It can be utilized by pasturing
with hogs or cattle. Owing to the fact that
the head of feterita Is quite heavy In pro
portion to the stalk, the crop aometimes
lodges badly in wet weather If left in the
Held until "overripe. This makes It desir
able to harvest as soon as the crop Is
mature.
THRASHING.
Feterita can be thrashed with an ordinary
grain separator by decreasing the speed of
the cylinder and removing some of the con
caves. If a foot or more of stem la left
attached to the head, fewer grains will be
broken In thrashing.
TIELDS.
The yields per acre at the State sub
station, Lubbock. Tex for 1912 are as
follows:
Bushels.
Feterita I 67.71
Blackhull kaflr 43.9C
White mllo 42.40
The rainfall for Lubbock from January
1 to October 1, 1912, was 11.40 Inches, and
pencils. I have used this figure of
speech before, but I can't help it. All
that those explosions will ever remind
me of in this world will be long red
pencils.
Then another blur; then we were
giving cigarettes to the gunners, who
had Just ceased firing. I remember
how black their hands were.
Then the order came for them to lim
ber up and retreat.
I think that was the lowest moment
of the day for me. It seemed that
wherever I went the Belgians retreated
and- left me behind. Besides, they had
horses to go with and I was afoot.
At that moment I saw the whole de
sign of my existence, like a piece of
embroidery. Every since the moon was
nebulous it had been ordained that I.
Joseph Medill Patterson, at the age of
35. should be buried In a potato field
near Antwerp.
The guns rumbled away from me on
the canter. It was a battery of four
guns, with limbers and caissons. I
walked slowly over the potato field
that was to be my bed that night and
all nights. The illusion of being a
flame 18 inches by 12 had departed, and
the fog had vanished, too.
I was. In a way, normal, but very
tired and discouraged. The potato field
was soggy with rain and I sank In an
inch or two at each step. So closely
are our spirits the spirits of some of
us Intertwined with our bodies that
my fate seemed additionally cruel be
cause the potato field was wet. I
should have preferred to lie In it dry.
Then another miracle, completely un
believable. Here were the automobile,
the chauffeur, Weigle, and I, all in the
same placer at the same time in the
darkness, with no wounded to carry off
our places. Apparently I wasn't to die
I who had counted myself dead al
read. We drove rapidly back to Ant
werp. The following day we were in the
firing zone again. In and out of it all
day long. Again we heard the shrapnel
break and shriek near us, we saw it
knock tiles from roofs in Alost within
60 yards, and again I was much afraid.
But I was not on the second day re
duced to quite the state of pulp as the
day before.
Elks' Memorial Committee Xamed.
ALBANY, Or., Nov. T. (jelal.) To
make arrangements tt.r the annual
Revised edition. Issued January 10, 114.
CARLE TON R. BALL, Agronomist, Office of
for the entire year 34.CO Inches. Lubbock
is situated south of Amarlllo on the plains,
and the climatic conditions are similar.
At Chlllicothe, Tex., in 1912, a plat el
feterita gave a yield of 4S00 pounds of dry
fodder per acre, while a plat of Dwarf
tntlo planted at the same time made 8210
pounds per acre. The grain yield on these
plats was S0.4 bushels for feterita and
2S.4 bushels per acre for the Dwarf mllo.
These station yields in most cases are not
widely different for the two crops, feterita
and Dwarf inllo. and more data are neces
sary before definite conclusions are reached
regarding their comparative value.
The yields on farms about ChlllSoothe,
Tex., look more favorable for feterita. In
one case feterita planted on June &. 1911,
yielded 22 bushels to the acre. On this
same farm, after corn had failed on ac
count of dry weather, the corn land was
listed and 1.5 acres of feterita planted on
July 26. Every stalk produoed a mature
head, and this field made about 80 bushels
per acre. Milo and kaflr planted at the
same time only partially headed. The rain
fall from March 1 to December 1. 1911. was
but 14.72 Inches, and as the distribution was
decidedly unfavorable the season was a
severe test on any crop. In 1912 the same
farmer planted 8 acres on April 13- A rep
resentative acre of this field, topped and
thrashed by hand, made a yied of 51
bushels by actual weight.
Headed feterita will thrash out about the
same percentage of grain as milo or kaflr.
On the Chllllcothe field station one lot of
heads, weighing 1216 pounds, thrashed and
cleaned 77. 9 per cent, and another lot of
255 pounds thrashed and cleaned 78 per
cent of grain.
FEEDIXU.
The forage value of feterita Is at least
equal to and probably superior to milo.
For strictly forage purposes, however, it is
excelled by both kaflr and the sorgos. or
sweet sorghums. The hoavy proportion of
grain makes it a very efficient foed for
horses, cattle, or sheep when used in the
bundle. It also makes a good roughage
when fed In connection with concentrates
for fattening. Like the other sorghums,
feterita is not particularly efficient as a
milk producer. For use as silage, feterita
will probably be found equal to any other
sorghurri. The grain Itself is undoubtedly
comparable to milo or kaflr, 10 bushels of
It being equal to 9 or more bushels of
shelled malse in feeding value. Whether
the softer grain of feterita Is an additional
advantage In feeding remains to be deter
mined. The seed coats apparently contain
no tannin.
SEED SELECTION.
Home-grown seed Is generally more pro
ductive than seed brought from a distance.
This makes It desirable for every farmo to
select and save seed for his own plant ng.
This practice Is important with feterita.
because it is a new crop, somewhat vari
able and not fully adapted, and also be
cause much natural crossing occurs with
other sorghums. Seed selections should be
made at a distant of 1U0 yards or more
from other varieties. In all selections care
should be taken to avoid hybrids. Exceed
ingly large heads are generally the result
of hybridization or of some local variation
In stand or in soli conditions and are not
usually desirable. The largest head from the
least row space Is what determines the yield.
Selections are best made In the field as
soon as the first heads mature. Only leafy,
erect plants that have no side branches
and little tendency to produce suckers should
be chosen. The head should be entirely
free from the boot, large, and well filled
from butt to tip. Such plants. If seeded
thickly enough, will produce as much seed
as the stoollng type and will be much easier
to harvest on accoun t of the m ore un if orm
maturity of the heads. The field should
be rogued consistently each season to re
move other types of sorghum If the grain
Is Intended for home planting or for sale
as seed
SUMMARY.
Feterita Is a sorghum from tne British
Egyptian Sudan, In Africa. It Is a durra.
related to white durra and to mllo, with
slender stems 4 to 7 feet high under vary
ing conditions, erect heads, and large, rather
soft, white grains.
Extravagant claims have been made for
feterita by uninformed or interested per
sons. Experiments show It to be a good
grain and forage crop, but not In any way
meriting extraordinary praise. It has
proved about equal to. mllo In yield.
All cultural operations are much the same
as for mllo and kaflr. though certain
differences are pointed out.
Feterita Is newly introduced and quite
variable. Therefore seed selection and Im
provement should be practiced In each dis
trict where it is grown In order to obtain
adapted strains.
Issued April 19. ll13.
Much of the material for this publication
was collected st Chllllcothe, Tex., by G.
E. Thompson, formerly connected with the
office of Forage-Crop Investigations. Te
publication as now presented was completed
by the writers after Mr. Thompson's resigna
tion from the Department of Agriculture.
t Schweinfurth, Georg. The Heart of Af
rica. Tr. by Ellen E. Frewer. New Tork,
1874. v. 1. pp. 245-240.
tFisgerald. W. W. A, Report on the Im
provement end Possible Development of the
Cultivable Products of the Sudan. Cairo.
1903, p. 25.
NOTE Since the first edition of this cir
cular there has been considerable advertise
ment in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas of a
sorghum under the name of "Schrlbar
Corn." An examination of samples sub
mitted to the Department of Agr'culture
has shown this to be nothing but feterita.
bany lodge of Elks has appointed a
committee consisting of Walter M.
Parker, J. J. Collins, L. M. Curl, W. C.
Tweedwle and A. W. Bowersox.
EYE-STRAIN A
CRIME
Many children arc forced
into careers of crime
because of eye defects.
These defects in children
are rarely discovered -without
a scientific examination.
Children who do not pro
gress in school, who are in
clined to play truant, who
have headaches and stooped
shoulders, who are hard to
control the eyes of these
should be looked after with
out delay.
"A child who is slow to learn
is ridiculed by his mates. Ridi
cule breeds bad temper and
dislike for Bchool, and some
times leads to worse.
A scientific examination .
may chang-e the course of your
child's life.
THOMPSON
Optical Institute
209-10-11 Corbett Building
Fifth and Morri'.on
f-