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HOME AND FATIM MAGAZINE SECTION
Editorial Page of Home and Farm Magazine Section
Timely, Pertinent Comment Upon Men and Affairs, Following tho Trend of World News;
Suggestions of Interest to Readers; Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought.
TO ADVKUTISKItS.
Advertisers In this locality who nlh to
fully cover nit sections of Oregon and Wash
Ington and a portion of Idaho will apply to
local publishers for rates.
General advertisers may address C. !. Hnr
(on, Advert IhIiir Manager of Orcgon-Wnshlng-toii-IuTtho
Fanner, Oregonlnn ltulhllng, Port
laud, Oregon, for rates and itiforinntlon.
TO ItRADKnfl.
Readers arc requested "to send loiter and
articles for publication to The lvdltor, Or
egon Washington - Idaho Parmer, Oregonlun
Hulldlng, Port In lit), Oregon.
Discussions on questions and problems
that hear directly on (ho agricultural, live
stock and imultry Interests of the Northwest,
and on the uplift and comfort of the farm
home always are welcomed. No loiters treat
ing of religion, politics or the Kuropcan war
uro solicited, for the Oregon-Washington-Idaho
Farmer proclaims neutrality on these matter.
Comparatively brief contributions aro pre
ferred to long ones. Send us alo photo
graphs of your livestock and farm scenes that
you think would be of general Interest. Wo
wish to make this nmgazlno of value to you.
Help us to It.
AMERICA'S RESPONSIBILITY.
IP EVER America puts its hand to the
plow in its effort to feed the world, it
has assumed that responsibility now.
Not since the burrowing days following our
own great civil strife of the 'GOs have the
tillable acres of this country faced mwIi a
possible drain upon their bonntifnlnes.
"Without even dimly prophesying the dura
tion of tho war now raging, we are already
assured of the fact that this country will
PROFIT AND LOSS.
WIII3N estimating at tho close of tho
season your profit or loss in tho busi
ness of farming, don't bo bound too
closely by tho actual financial showing.
There is something in this world but wealth
as figured in dollars and cents and it is quite
important that it not be overlooked. It may
bo observed, tritely enough, to be sure, that
riches do not mean happiness.
If, when you go over your accounts' you
find that you have received goo'd prices for
your wheat or corn, that your stock has
multiplied rapidly and that the beef, mut
ton and pork represented in your hold.ings
aro commanding a high market, you proba
bly decide it a most prosperous yonr. But
wait. Suppose yonr son has tired of country
life and has been enticed by visions of life
in bright cities. Supposo yon have worked
too hard in the field ami that your health
has been impaired. Suppose that your wife
is not happy with her surroundings and
friends. Suppose that your daughter is dis
contented. In what really counts in this
life, where do you stand?
Let's change the scone. Your crops have
been but average. Many cattle have died on
your hands. Tho market is dull and tho auto
mobile you had planned to purchase this
Spring seems far away, farther away than
ever. Yet, you arc in robust health. The
outdoor life has proven a tonie that loaves
your spirits high. Your son does not grum
ble at his share of tho chores, and even is
much interested in tho welfare of a bright
oyed lassio on a neighboring farm. Your
daughter willingly postpones her hopes of
college and decides to do much instructive
reading, that sho had always wanted to do,
during tho coming year. Your wife sings
as sho goes about her homely duties. Man,
is there a profit or loss on y.our books?
If you aro content, not weakly content
with that which it is in your power to make
better, but content with life as you have
niado it, you are near that happiness which
philosophers have said is the solo aim of
human existence.
be the storehouse of the world. Every farm
owner, every tenant and every share-worker
will have his part to play in meeting this
great responsibility. No matter how remote
his residence, he will hear Europe's call for
beef, bacon, beans and bread, and on the
amount ho has to sell will depend not only
his satisfaction of having served his fcllow
men, but the additional consolation of hav
ing served himself ; for big crops, much stock,
many hogs, will mean big profits.
It is thus that the American farmer begins
his Spring work with two slruigs to his bow-
With one hand ho is rescuing the perishing
and with the other he is reaching out for
tangible encouragement toward a bank ac
count and a better home. Now is his golden
opportunity. There are two lines along
which lie should plan his work, but only one
line along which ho should work his plan.
First, he should utilize every available part
of his land and then he must strive to raise
the overage yield of his ranch. There will
be no danger of over-production for the crops
sown this year. The man who has a big yield
will find a big market. To get this yield
means better farming.
CURING A COLD.
DR. HARVEY W. "WILEY, former chief
of the Bureau of Chemistry, is reported
as having said that tho best way to
cure a cold was "to take a bottle of cough
medicine, set it on a table in the patient's
room, open till the windows, and throw tho
bottle through one of them." In other words,
instead of taking patent cough and cold rem
edies, breathe plenty of fresh air.
And without a doubt there is much wis
dom in this advice. As soon as cold weather
sets in people shut their doors and windows
tight and live cooped up in stuffy rooms.
The consequences are that the entire Winter
is one long siege of colds and other catarrhal
affections. Loss medicine and mora frosh
air and outdoor exercise would prevent a
great deal of the suffering and inconven
ience from these bad-air maladies.
MILITARISM IN SCHOOLS.
STATE MASTER REAM, of tho Nebraska
Orange, introduced in the meeting
of the National Grange a resolution
protesting' against the War Department
installing in the schools of the country a
military system. It appears from tho tenor
of the resolution that the department has
secured tho organization of rifle clubs in
42 universities and in 84 privute and pre
paratory schools of tho country and is press
ing the work. All tho high schools in New
York are utilized as rifle clubs and mora
than 700 boys between 10 and IS years
qualify annually as junior marksmen under
a course approved by tho department.
The objections to the action do not appear
to be well founded.
The trend of sentiment in America has al
ways been against the maintenance of a
large standing army. So long as that senti
ment is existant the first lino of defense fol
lowing the Navy will be the militia. Will it
not be bettor, in the event of trouble, to have
Mich militia, or volunteers, composed of men
skilled in use of weapons, rather than row
recruits who would not know the difference
between the bayonet ond a cleaning rod?
In common with millions of men and worn
en, this paper believes the war is folly ami
hopes the day will soon come when it will be
iio longer the means of adjustment of ques
tions affecting the welfare of the people of
the earth. But so long as war exists it
would be folly also to take u step that would
leave us entirely helpless simply because we
advocate a policy of peace. Until other
lands agree with ours for general disnrmi.
I ment, simultaneous in character, it is the
uur.y oi mis country to he prepared for poi
siblc contingencies.
rru
SOMETHING NEW IN TAXATION.
iiAliS are taxes the world nv i
course, but onco in awhile sometliim?
startlingly different appears even in
this line. This timoit is an account sent by
United Stales Consul Andrew J. McConnico
from V.Vinidad, in tho British West Tndiej,
of a tax imposed there to "meet the ej.
peases incident to tho importation of coolie
laborers from Indin and to maintain the sys
tern under governmental supervision."
Tho tax is imposed on tho produce of tho
colony, and for this year it includes the fol
lowing items: On sugar, ,1(1 cents per 100
pounds; molasses, 24 cents per 100 gallons;
rum and bitters, G8 cents per 100 gallons;
couee, b cents per 100 pounds, and cocoa
nuts, 8 cents per 1000.
How would our American workmen litce
it if tho goods they produced were taxed to
raise a fund to bring cheaper labor to this
country? A great system is it not? Of
course conditions in Trinidad and in this
country nro vastly different, and no doitht
plenty of fault could bo found with any at
tempt to draw n parallel. But the fact of
the Trinidad system is interesting to every
student of taxation and industrial problem?.
INTEGRITY.
THIS was the right kind of a description
wo heard tho other day given by on
breeder to another concerning a third
breeder :
"No matter what you buy of him, yoy will
got the truth of tho matter, lie will not dis
appoint you. Ho is one among many whom
I would rather trust to pick out a young
bull for mo than trust mysoir."
What n splendid ambition for any man to
build up a trust and confidence in his honor
and integrity like that. Before it tho few
dollars to be gained by deception pales into
insignificance, ,
A high-brow professor says the United
States will he compelled to fight tho whinner
of tho present Avar. But then there aro so
mnny things said by u professor that never
happen. '
The colored troops from India and Africa
are fighting nobly for tho allies. And tho
battlefields of our own civil war aro proof
that the black soldiers can bo depended on.
Hats off to Holland! She doesn't want
anybody to assist her caring for the
stranded Belgians who uro in that country.
That is the Dutch of it.
In some colleges they nro now reducing
the time of tho courses to equal that re
quired to make a good footbull player of
student.
s
When the European capitals have no vic
tories to report, they oven up by counting
over again the number of prisoners they
have.
Tho pursuit of pleasure is by no means the
samo as the pursuit of happiness.
You can listen to any kind of political talb
you want to hear.
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