Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (April 4, 1915)
Sun ar d showers and spring have Inaugurated a brarrch of education Among the public schools, for which Portland is internationally distin guished. r The school gardens are being planted. . .-- " Before some thousands of youthful city farmers the earth is spread as a text book the daily lessons? are con cerned with the correct planting- of peas and beans, cabbages and pota toes, lettuce .and carrots. , Although-supervision Is planned and exercised- the real teacher in this branch iBf education is experience. Thirty-four of the 65 schools will have community gardens. Each gar HOW TO INCREASE OREGON'S CORN CROP i r kj Ci it III VTXT7 Suggestions Relative to Growing of This Grain Pacific Northwest. By R. Robinson. ; That com for grain -can be 'grown successfully and profitably in Oregon has been demonstrated "for several years past, and as mixed farming comes more and more Into practice, es pecially in the Willamette valley, corn , will become a much more important rron In thu nAt- future t With the tendency to more'' intensive farming growing stronger as the popu lation increases, the need of a crop producing at once a heavy yield of irrain, in addition to a heavy crop of fodder, on the same ground, with the same work, will bring corn into favor, probably at the top of the list of farm products so far as the dairy farmer la j concerned, giving a mrtJtimum double cron with n minimum rt laKrwr - i When to Plant. It may not be generally known that the North- American Indians quite thoroughly understood how ; to raise what we all Indian corn, long before the white man 'came to America. Tiie botanical name "Zea ' Mays" seems to be of Haytien origin. Hence our name of maize, but it is a fact that the plant was cultivated for ages in America, Mexico, South Amer- ica and the West Indies, before the time that our histories of these coun tries began. It is also conceded that corn originated in .this western hemis- "phere, but that, is about ail that is known of its origin. . When the Indian of North America wanted to find out if it was time to plant corn, he went to the woods and the oak leaf was as big as a squirrel's foot, it was time to .plant corn. , - Wet Oronnd Bad: That mle is good yet, as ho matter what section r t North America you may happen to live in, the rule will find you planting corn at a time'when the dan ger of spring frosts is well past, wnlcn In the Willamette valley would be froaa about the twentieth of April to the tenth of May; for eastern Oregon, eay 19 day later, depending on the sea eon being early or backward. This would give 20 days in which to choose .the time, to plant, but the earlier the better, if the ground is warm 'and dry. Do not plant corn while the ground is ,wet and sticky. . . .. ... A good Bandy loam Is the most suit' mm 4f a ;m& hx.sA ' den will require about 75 gardeners, about 2500 altogether. Then there will be home gardens In back yards and vacant lots for which some of the schools and many of the children have a decided preference. , HowardEvarts Weed, this j-ear'a garden supervisor, announces that each city farmer will be given the privileges of the county farmer. Ha or she may harvest , the crops as they mature and offer them for sale either to the mother market, the neighbors or the public market down town. He believes the children should learn to put a dollars and cents measure of value on their work. There, will be no prizes-for superior a r- w. mr . b j.-.v v , fciJMS'AV:i :W I II ' v - ' ' f-.- ,c... .if ft,,,,,,, ir - iii - .- - n "Jr I Top A good etand of ensilage corn on Oregon farm. Bcttom L. S. Smith of Baker county and some specimen ears grown by him. able soil : for corn, and though a good crop can be raised . on he"avy clay, I would not advise the beginner to try it without having fully prepared the field the year before, giving it the rough barn yard manure. Plow It deep that spring, then again in the fall. 1 Flow in Spring. Always plow corn ground in the spring in this section. The ground should have been plowed deep the previous year, but now do not plow quite so deep and you will have the ground in the best shape to hold moisture as well as to feed the young plants., on account of the top soil that has been exposed to the weather during the winter being turned under, where the roots will soon find It. Har row the r ground down very fine and smooth. If it is bright, dry weather, it is better to harrow all soil as soon as it is plowed, if it has any tendency to get lumpy. If the weather la damp, harrow during the day. ' : . r Plowing in the evening will do. but do not allow the plowed ground to lie exposed to the sun and wind' day after day even if it Is not lumpy, as the moisture evaporates very fast when it is in the rough, and our-Oregon sum vegetables, because it Is the super visor's idea that when prizes are of fered these take first place in thought and ambition, neglecting the educa tional value of gardening. t Hew Ideas Submitted. Another idea is to gtve each gar dener a sense of proprietorship, per mitting personal choice of things to be planted, in addition to the privilege of sale. Some of the. principals have com plained, says the supervisors, that garden work takes overmuch school time. He believes he has found the reason for this complaint in the time required in laying out gardens and Individual plats; so this is all being t v w .' ' i , i v a ir- mers are not noted for heavy rainfalls so it Is important that you save all the moisture you can for the crop. Examine Ground First. .Don't be in a hurry to get. the. seed in unless you are sure the ground is right. 'Do not think that the time you spend harrowing that field again Is lost. It would be better to lose a day or two of extra work in the spring than to lose your crop, r raise only half a crop. This applies to other crops as well as to corn. Any ground fit for potatoes, oats, or. barley, will do for corn. Now, -unless you have put the barnyard manure on the field the year before, it will be Just as well to leave it out, unless it is well rotted. Manure fresh from the stables is liable to in jure youngplants if they get too much Of it. , - Oerm Easy to Kill. ; There is nothing more important for the corn planter to carefully consider than the quality of seed and the va riety. The germ in a grain of corn" is more easily damaged or destroyed than in any other grain on the farm, so corn for seed should be very carefully han done for the children. There will be no excavated paths, he promises.' Gardens will be marked out by cords, and paths will be trod den hard by busy feet; thus the early drying out of elevated beds will be avoided. As much as possible gardens aire located hear the schools. Failing school garden, which last year was six blocks distant from the building, is now just across the street. The Woodlawn school garden for three years has bjen a city demonstra- tion farm. It has won first prizes in national contests. The large area on the west side of Uhioiv avenue, oppos ite the school, w's cleared by the dled from the time It leaves the stalk until it is planted. Dampness, even of th atmosphere in this climate, is death to corn for seed. The ears should be taken from the stalks either with the husks left on and braided in a long wreath, or elsa husked and the ears looped on strings in convlenent lengths to handle,' then hung up in a loft or attic where the air is artificially dry, and kept there till planting time. It is needless to say that none but the ' most perfect ears should be kept for seed Selection of Seed Important. Be sure and break off both ends of the ears before shelling, ss the grain are usually small and misshaped. The grains' of seed should be as perfect as possible. Do not choose a ver large variety, as it usually takes longer to mature. Eight to 12 rowed is generally more satisfactory for short summers. Early varieties are the saf est. The Canada Tellow Flint (early Can ada) eight rowed, is a good variety, thoroughly tested. Premium Tellow Dent, is a crpss of Tellow Flint with a large Dent corn, and is good in -the Wil lamette valley, being . a good yielder of grain with plenty of stalk Tor fodder. Minnesota King is an early yellow dent corn, and if you would like a white va riety, the Australian White Flint is a very early kind, while for ensilage there is nothing better than Champion White Pearl. Way to Test Seed. These are all tried varieties. I would advise consultation with some of the large Portland seed men as 'to va rieties. Get the ears if you can. but be sure and test a- sample by planting 100 seeds in a small box of damp earth, or drop the seeds in several thick nesses of wet paper. Fold the paper ov,er them and place in a box in the house and keep it damp. About five days will be long enough to show whether the seed Is good or not If less, than 94 of the seeds are sprouted do not plant the corn, as t will give a weak plant that cannot pro duce a good crop. Do this at !east a fortnight before planting time so as to give you a chance to look up other pfed. If reeded, and get Oregon grown seed if you can, as it will be already acclimated. This is important, too. Warns Against Farrows. When the time for planting comes. If the ground is warm and mellow, make marks for the rows in any way that is convenient, but do not make furrows. . Lay out the rows abfft. three and a half feet apart each wliy. That will give the sun and wind direct contact with each hill of corn the whole day. If the .ground is reasonably clean from weeds, going through with the hoe twice will be enough, once after the corn has come up, and then about the time you see tassels starting, but the cultivator should be run through at least once a week until well tasseled out. A few words on the best method of growing corn for ensilage will not be out of place here. Choose a piece of land that is somewhat low, and too damp for early spring, crop, if you have It. Probably the land will be a little sour, or acid. Common Umi Useful. If so, give it about 15 bushels of common lime to the acre, .after it is plowed and before harrowing. Then harrow It down fine. When you are ready to plant, stop the -holes in your grain seeder, so as to leave the rows 30 inches apart, or as near that distance as will make your rows of equal width. Set your drill to cover two inches deep and to drop the grains from six to 10 inches apart. Be sure to have the rows running north and south, so as to let in the sun and air. Run the cultivator through it lightly once a week after itis well up, until the plants are four feet high. The farmer who is counting on his dairy to build up his bank account will not be disappointed If he plants good sized corner of his farm with corn both for grain and fodder. EXCUSES NO TlELP If there is one. thing you want to go light on it is excuses. No business manager cares & hang what your ex cuse' may be for falling down pn your job. It Is up to you to do your work. If you don't do It, never band out a long line of excuses. Just try to make it evident that the mistake won't hap pen again, and then- put all your en ergy to seeing that it doesn't happen. Some airls seem fairly made of ex- childrn and-produced many varieties of prize winning vegetables. This year the owner of the land asked a rental of $260. The school board re fused to pay this much, but offered to pay the -taxes, J137. holding that the clearing and cultivation of his property had enhanced it to such an extent that he should : add a little public spirit and gladly tender its use. Smaller Tract Used. : His refusal . made It necessary to obtain use of a smaller tract, 100x150 feet, which the principal of the Wood lawn school believes will be sufficient for this year's more modest- purposes. The new garden has been plowed, sub- cuses. Morning after mornirlg they will be late in getting to work, and all the way to the office they will be cudgelling their brains for some brand mew excuse as to the why and where for. It's no use, girls. The only thing that stands out and that is remembered Is that you weren't on time. That's what will count when the question of a raise in salary, or of firing some one on the staff, or any of those import ant moments arrive. i The best .excuse in this world is a mig-hty poor thing to build a future on. you can make up your mind to that. Of course you can't always help being wrong, or missing the idea, or falling short. That's human. But you can't mitigate it by an excuse. In deed, excuses are so irritating to some types of mind that they often do you more harm than the very fault they Seek to make good. If you are one o. the young things Just starting out jbusiness life let your slogan and aSloan Is a real help, a sort of fetichTtrat stirs you to endeavor let it be no excuses. Tou'U never regret it. even though it may hurt like anything sometimes to keep still and not hand out a good, legiti mate, truly earned excuse. Put the emphasis on what you do, not on what you leave undone or do wrong. Answer to Query on Rose Culture Concerning Pruning and Fertilizer. ; My bushes seem to be rather strag gly. How can I prune them to get them to grow up more as rose bushes should? How many canes should be left to a bush? ; Should the young shoots which grew up last fall be trimmed off? ; Is barn yard fertilizer good for roses? , MRS. JAMES GALB RAITH. Drawing conclusions from the ques tions as set forth above the rose bushes mentioned have not been pruned sufficiently or not at all in the past and in order to get them in good shape again it will be necessary to do a very severe pruning this spring. It is still time enough to prune roses back If done immediately and my ad viee wouid be to select three to five or six of the best and most vigorous branches which have their start direct from the ground and cut them back not more than 15 inches above the ground. All the other small branches may then be cut back also to four or five inches or if there are no small twigs left it will not matter any Such severe pruning will renovate the form and the life of a rosebush, better flowers may be expected' and even If their number is greatly reduced their Improved quality will amply repay for that loss. Where very large branches have to be sawed off It will be a wise precaution to put some paint over the cuts when the pruning is completed. This will prevent, decay from entering into the branches left on the plants. To say exactly how many canes ought to be left on' a bush is rather difficult to do without seeing the plants. The size of the bushes and their vigor is so variable that where, in one case, six are not too manyin another three canes might be too much if or the root, system to support prop erly. The length to leave these canes is also a matter hard to decide to very best advantage without seeing the plants -but in general the tendency of amateurs is not to cut back enough and not to thin out sufficiently. Well rotted barnyard manure cannot be surpassed as a fertilizer for rose bushes and liberal quantities of it may be used as a dressing six inches deep all over the beds. Toung growth that started only last fall is usually best cut-off eatlrely. I In any public library -You may find books on the subject of I rose culture which might help youvery much in case you could find an opportunity to read them. - , . Lets English Women Go. tiondon," April 3. Through tte of fices of the American minister at Brusselsr Brand Whitlock. the British foreign office announced that permis sion had been obtained from the Ger man authorities for 'British women and children to leave Belgium. A spe cial train will convey them from Brus sels to the- Dutch frontier. " soiled, disked ,and fertilized under Supervisor Weed's direction and gives promise of productivity. The Llewellyn school garden; wllliat tract much attention, thinks the super visor. The principal, Mrs. Allhands. is very enthusiastic; the garden occu pies 175 by 200 feet on school prop erty. Eastmorelsjid, Beaumont and Ala meda Park schools are making gar dens this year for the first time.' Falling, Fernwood, Glen! Hayn schools have their gardens (planted. Llewellyn. Eastmoreland, Shattuck. Montavilla ahd Mt. Tabor schools have done part of -the planting. Rain the past week disturbed planting plans. COLLECTION OF WILD FLOWERS IS UNUSUAL lj 1 . v ." ; 1 ; 1- rT" : sdV$9& ' "'"St. ... f ::.v.y.... ,.' , ..., ',..v ....... .""i""""""""""" r 'Nv '(8k 'm "" r''' '' " 11 Mrs. W, D. Fenton tells of Her Interest in Ferns and Plants. Br Vella Winner. Wlle It' is true that pure, noble thoughts will enableany one to better appreciate the beauty of flowers or of natural scenery, still there are few in deed bp do not instinctively admire flowerspho matter whether seen grow ing in their, native places in the woods and fields or cultivated in the garden r greenhouse. j To the true lover of nature the flow ers and ferns of the woods appeal even more strongly than do cultivated blos soms, their delicate, unobtrusive beauty and subtle, woodsy odor giving them a charm all their own. "I Jiave loved the flowers and ferns of the. fields ever since I was a little girl," said Mrs. W. D. Fenton, in dis cussing her, very interesting and un usual collection of wild flowers and ferns which distinguishes her; home at 110 East Sixteenth street. 'fAnd for 20 years I have been gathering wild ferns and flowers and adding them to my collection. I" have an especially fine collection of the Oregon ferns, than which .there Is none more luxuri ant or more beautiful; and then I have several very interesting ones from the east and from Europe." . i ' Uttle. Trillium TUoked Away. Tucked away jn the protecting shade of larger shrubs no les than $5 of the little triangular trllliums are raising their white waxen beads fori admira tion. The delicate little starry : blos soms ot the erythrouium, orJ as it is more generally known, thej "lamb's tongue," have not yet burst their buds, but the plants in Mrs. Fenton's collec tion are fine and sturdy, and a burst of bloom is expeced. In one corner of the yard a bush covered with the pink bloom of the wild currant, gives a dash of color. A little later in the season J the old fashioned ."Jack-in-the-Pulplti which Mrs. Fenton brought from Vermont; will bloom. Solomon's seal and wild ginger are also massed in this same spot.: , The azalea plants, some of them na tives of Oregon,- and others native of the Allegheny mountains, are massed in a large, round bed cut in the grass. I? Portland school children, boys and girls alike, .have resumed their -school garden work with enthusiasm, .as these photographs, taken one sunny afternoon last week, show. The bojj .on the left H serious In his task of planting a bulb. The group of lads la the center, armed with garden tools, "pause in their labors for a moment as an accommodation to the camera man. The girl on the right is placing' seeds, in her section garden. . I " i mim' mm.', Top left to right -Trllliums; Lambs-Tongues. BottomsFern fronds unfolding. I while alosff a fnce is still another variety of the same flower from the Blue Ridge - mountains of Virginia. This particular variety has a flame colored blossom of rare brilliancy! The Oregonazalea.is found-in greatest pro fusion in . the southern part of the state. ' The blossoms are creamy white and pink. .: i Mrs.i Fenton is especially proud of her Mclunt Hood lilies, which are found In great numbers on the sides of the fanreus snow-crowned mountain.lv The blossoms are lavender. She has also a wild tiger lily. Still another variety of wild flower is the galox. which is" much like the wild ginger, except that it takes pn a red tone In winter. . Shrubs and Trees Also. The collection includes a number oft. the shrubs and trees which abound in such numbers in the northwest chief among these is the Oregon grape; then there is the wild laurel from Kalama, the Alpine plant and two heat&er plants, one from Scotland and another from Holland. . Just-n4i Mrs. Fenton's great collec tion of wild ferns is in a state of un folding, the tender young fronds are bursting through the soil and raising their curling heads to unfold later into great lacy leaves. A great mass of the always lovely sword ferns occupies a large space beneath an overhanging window, 'a little farther around, the house there are three large clumps of the chain fern, or Woodwardla radicans, one of the most luxuriant of all the wild ferns. The fronds sometimes reach of , the school four feel in1 lngt h . The eastern ex posure is best for these ferns, as tlr require a little more sun than do : ferns. They are natives of the Ei3.-. you mountains. Another fern Is the lemon variety, which . Mrs. Fenton found on the 2i Kenzle river. She also has speclmrt of the phegopterls. or oak fern, t -frond resembling the oak leaf. T; leather-leaf, or poly pod. Is so cuts because of the thick leathery lookir leaf. Parsley ferns have been brouri from the rocks about- Seaside. 1 : deer fern has a long, tender frond, a resembles the sword in form. Anvf green fern comes from the Gulf of : Lawrence, and is known as the pri ly shield. The foliage is rich t glossy. Other Varieties There, Too. Other varieties are the hart's ton which comes from Vermont; the ostr . plume, which, as Its name sugr' is feathery and graceful; the 1 ferns, which are ideally adapted i use in fern dishes; and then there t ferns from Great, Britain and f i Italy, quaint; graceful and unut and each one with its own little ef In the corner, near the steps ent lng the house, is a great mass of rn? enhalr, with which Mrs. Fenton l splendid success. "The matnden' must have special care In that It n be protected from the sun, and th cannot be sprayed? I always lay t hose down and let the ground. b saturated. But I never, nndr t consideration, throw the force of v on the fronds." said Mrs. Fenton.