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HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Editorial Page of Home and Farm Magazine Section
Timely Pertinent Comment Upon Men and Affairs, Following the Trend of World News;
Suggestions of Interest to Readers; Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought.
TO ADVERTISERS
Advertisers in (hi? locality who wish to fully
cover all sections of Oregon and Washington
and a portion or Idaho will apply to local pub
Ifahers for rates.
General advertisers may address C. L. Bur
ton, Advertising Manager of Oregon-Washing-ton-Idaho
Farmer, Orcgonian Building, Port
land, Oregon, for rates and information.
TO READERS
Readers arc requested to send letters and
articles for publication to The Editor, Oregon-Washfngtoii-Idnho
Farmer, Orcgonian Build
ing, Portland, Oregon.
Discussions on questions and problems that
bear directly on the agricultural, livestock and
poultry interests of the Northwest and on the
uplift and comfort of the farm home always
are welcomed. No letters treating of religion,
politics or the European war arc solicited, for
the .Oreson-Washington-Idaho .Farmer .pro
claims neutrality on these matters-
Comparatively brief contributions arc pre
ferred to long ones. Send us also photographs
of your livestock and farm scenes that jou
think would be of general Interest. Wc wish
to make this magazine of value to jou. Help
us do it.
POWER MACHINERY FOR THE FARM.
THE gasoline engine 1ms long since passed
the experimental stage. There vras n
time when it took both skill and pa
tience to manipulate one of the "monsters,"
but with all the improvements that havo
come by the application of skill ami genius,
a gas engine is as safe and reliable as any
other piece of equipment about the farm.
Any equipment tho will obviate labor and
increase the output is worth considering. In
these times of activities and rush and hurry
a piece of machinery that will perform with
out being constantly watched is deserving of
a place in farm operations.
The uses are so varied and so extensive
that the labor problem tnkes on a much dif
ferent aspect where the gas engine is on duty.
It not only pumps the water, but it runs tho
feed grinder, silo filler, cream separator,
churn, washing machine, woodsaw, and if
properly equipped furnishes electric lights
for the house and barn.
Tho gasoline engine is one of the labor
having devices on the farm. It pays for it
self within a short time; it enables the farm
help to be devoted to the tilling of the soil,
rather than doing chores. "Women can uso
it as well as men. It is a long stride in eco
nomical farm oporatioiis when gas power is
made to perform various operations about
the farm.
COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
THE matter of plant food is all impor
tant in purchasing fertilizers. When
n farmer buys a ton of un averago
commercial fertilizer he buys in reality only
about 1100 pounds of actual plant food. If
he buys a cheap fertilizer ho gets less than
this amount. If ho buys a high-grade fer
tilizer he may receive as much as GOO pounds.
It costs as much to mix a ton of fertilizer
containing 1100 jiounds of plant food as it does
one containing COO pounds. Tho cost of
sacking, limiting and freighting is the same.
Therefore, it is evident that the manufac
turer ean sell the plant food in a high-grade
fertilizer cheaper per pound than. he ean tho
plant food in a low-grade fertilizer.
In other words, the higher the grade the
cheaper can the plant food be bought. Farm-
ors are advised therefore to purchase only
high-gratlo fertilizers.
Attention is called to those brands which
havo less than 2 per cent of ammonia or pot
ash. T.o,s than 2 per cent of either of these in
gredients is too small a quantity where siiHi
PAYING THE TEACHER.
t f" o "lc stnknie situations rcvcoicu
I J by the Federal investigation of teach-
ers' salaries in tne unitcu &miea wu
the wide variation in pay for the same or
similar work. The inquiry showed that pub
lic elementary teachers may receive $2400 a
year, ns some do in New York City, or $-15 a
year, as in certain rural communities.
Even in cities of the same class there ara
considerable differences in the salaries paid.
On tho administrative sido there are county
superintendents with pay ranging from $115
to $4000 a year, and college presidents re
ceiving salaries of from $900 to $12,500.
In city school systems salaries have in
creased steadily in recent years, particularly
in the "Western states, and in general, sal
aries in city school systems arc fairly well
standardized.
Jt is in the colleges and universities, how
ever, that the widest variation prevails.
Salaries of men with the rank of "profes
sor" range from $430 to $7500. "Pro
fessors" in some institutions receive less
than "instructors" or even "assistants" in
others. Salaries of deans of these institu
tions vary from $500 to $5000.
University teachers of subjects for which
there is direct commercial demand outside
receive somewhat higher salaries than teach
ers of academic subjects, but the difference
is less than might be expected. The highest
average .salaries for full professors aro paid
in law and civil engineering.
ingredients arc needed, and where not needed
it is useless- to purchase them. It is an utter
waste of money to purchase potash or ammo
nia in fertilizers containing less than 1 per
cent of these ingredients.
A
"DEAD" SUBJECTS.
N INSTRUCTOR in the English depart
ment of a certain agricultural college
says that students do not take nat
urally to reading about London in the six
teenth century, while they are interested in
the war, woman suffrage, tho Filipinos, col
lego athletics, and a score of other modern
subjects. Besides, these arc the topics that
most writers are handling and will continue
to handle.
What point is there, then, in giving stu
dents such subjects for treatment as "The
Literary Style of Ben Jonsou."? Upon such
subjects they have no ideas, but are brim
ming over with ideas about the matters of
which the literature of the moment is full.
Upon them, therefore, they arc asked to
write.
"Naturally," it is gratifying to team,
"their written work is improving." At the
risk of seeming to align ourselves with those
fossilized individuals who place the literature J
of 1C1G above that of 1914, we may remark
that this instructor is not tho first to find
that it is easier for most persons to write
about subjects that arc in the air than about
those of a day ttiut is dead.
MARKETING NEW YORK APPLES.
JOHN J. DILLON, treasurer and general
manager of the Rural New Yorker and
one of tho most aggressive champions
of farmers' rights in America, has been ap
pointed Commissioner of the Department of
Foods and Markets of New York City.
It having transpired that there are about
2,000,000 barrels of apples in storage in New
York state, Mr. Dillon proposes to experi
ment with a public sale of apples in New
York City by the growers themselves. Tho
plan is to sell these until n a. .
-evidently meaning a 1)rlcc Umt , Wj
isfactory to both grower and consul
and tho prices named arc $2.50 per baml 7
first grade and 2 for second grade a .
the sale to be in open market under S
supervision. '"''
The growers aro asked to do their part a3
Gn.ntinrfl.tn wil.li tlm ,l i. . ""Itt
. .... .iU uui.uruncnt and thin
move those apples into consumption for it t
stated that if some such plan docs'notl
cecd the growers will lose both apples Z
cost of storage. In Mr. Dillon's im V.
v"" n
says
urn
There arc 10,000,000 people within co
ping distance of New York. If each one el
them can be induced to cat two apples a day
in 50 days there will not be a barrel of an!
pies left in storago in the state."
Tho success or defeat of this project will
intensely interest all who are advocates o
free public markets and any other method
of business that will bring producer and ton
sumcr into closer relations for their mutual
benefit.
THE SCHOOL GARDEN.
"W 'P ID 111 ir 1ni. 4e 1H..I
. a. u luu , t.u iuiiiu a grcat mm
J varieties of ornamental things. Thof
deciduous plants and shrubs that Late
begun to grow when this issuo reaches our
readers might best be left to another season
although most early starling shrubs, such as
lilacs, may be obtained of nurserymen in a
dormant stutc several weeks after thosj
which have not been disturbed have started
to grow. Practically all of our flowering an.
nuals may bo planted now with the best tl
success.
There nrc many school grounds in th'$
Northwest thatarc not in a condition to b4
attractive to our 1915 visitors; in fact tt
are not proud of them ourselves. These;
grounds should be planted to some growing
thing now and thus give an impression to
the children who go there to school that &
schoolhouse and school grounds are really
of some importance to tho people who b4
their children there.
"Who can tell just how much influence I
well-planted school yard has upon the pupDj
in tho way of creating an interest in their
school work, and how much influence ttt
bare yard has in discouraging them I
A small glass house would not be amiss fy
some schools where some of the tenderer Tt
rietics of flowers may be started early or pot'
ted plants protected from "Winter Iro3ts. Of
course such a house would bo valuable, and
so would hotbeds, cold-frames or a lath'
house. Tho fact is these thiugs would nc(
only add to the attractiveness of the groundj
but if the pupils were allowed to build and
operate them themselves they would get i
better understanding of the uses to whJcK
some of tho subjects which they arc studying
may be put.
A small sum invested in a good sire of
his services, will in a very few years mean 1
large sum in tho better quality of th,ani
mals handled and fed.
The tide of gold Is now homeward bound,
and the first shipment cornea from Chifl;
gold-hand China, so to speak. I
Whatever you dislike in other persons fy
sure that you are not afflicted with the sam
trouble.
The man who .is afraid of burning up i
wick need not' hope to brighten the ff4
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