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VOL. XVI.
During tlirito Ilnril Timet tlio tendency to re
trench U cry itrong and t cry proper. Let Iho farmer
aik hlmiclf, howo.rr, II lie can afford to dlipcnio
with the only Journal In tin SUto tint belonji to lilm
and rcprcicnta hit Intertill? Thirteen jciri ato wo
purchaied tho Wliuvrrri: Farmni uml Imcitcd In It
all our nioani and tho best ycaraol locral llci. Con
ilJer,frlcndi, hcthcr It li not more rcaionallo at tlili
time, (when jou know how hard tlio tlmci muit pinch
the publisher ol your own Journal) to go out and col
lect a imall club o( new mbicrlben at tlio low price
offered rather than think of "cconomlttnc'Miy ilolnir
without the icrrlcci of a friend of iucIi long itandln;.
fyvvrtfymuhntq.
Mortgago Tax Talk.
Sn.vr.RTOK, Or., Jan. 5, 1885.
; ElitorWillamottoFarmcrt
Permit mo to answer your vIowb on
Iho morlgngo tnx law. Yon Bny to lax
monoy fairly is well, but it should not
bo at its face, while other property is
not ossossed at ovor ono-third its face.
What is tlio fnco valuo of land 7 is it
what tlio farmer enn got for it when ho
wants to eoII it, or is it what ho thinks
it is worth? After nil, is it not just what
it will bring at Shorifi' ealo at tlio tlmo
n man wnnts to sell? Apply it to farm
produco and you hnvo it. What is wheat
and potatoes worth t What will farms
ront for cash rent, ono year with another
tho country ovor ? Docs not oxporienco
tench that it will tnko tho ront to pay
iho tax on it! Is ono farm as good as
another tho country over? Will ono
ncro of land produco tho enmo each
year, with tho samo cultivation? Will
tho crop bring tho samo prlco each year?
(To eny nothing about tlio smiles of
hcavon.) Can n man produco n crop
without an outlay of capital and labor?
How is it with monoy? Is not ono
twenty dollar picco as good as another
nnywhoro? Will it not bring its inter
est ono year with another without labor
on tho part of tho louder? Will it tako
all of tho intoroat to pay tho tax on tho
principal? Certainly not. Then wboro-
in is tho injustico dono to monoy?
Friend Clarke, givo yourself no un
easiness, tho monoy londor wouldn't havo
your fnrm. Uow is it with our hoiis.
When wo givo them a farm already im
proved thoy only juet bnroly ninko u
living, and pay their taxes, nnd many
of them don't do that.
Again you say so many ovado Uio law
that it is only opcrativo with truly hon
est men nnd many micli doosn't loan
money. In that I leliovo you nro cor
rect. Tho money londors havo bcon per
juring themselves, clso they would not
havo complained nt tho mortgago tax
law. I do not think it right to legislate
in behalf of liars, to givo thorn their
own way, but let us establish a toward
for virtue Young America is oxtravu
gant enough now. What would ho bo
if tho mto of interest was lower ifnd tho
country flooded with monoy. If there
is any exemption mado I think it should
bo in favor of tho producor, for land is
already assessed too high. Whon tho
snow storms coic3 tho farmer is in
tronblo, but tho mortgago is nil right ;
when hard times comes monoy has n
faculty of hiding itsolf, but tho land is
always in sight.
When our Legislature reduced tho
rato of interest from 10 to 12 per cent,
tho monoy londors all over tho country
oppose! tho law and said thoy would not
abido by it. What hnvo thoy dono to
ovado tho law? Thoy havo organized
broker shops nnd collected in all of tho
loose money from among tho farmers
for fenr that they would bo simplo
enough to loan it to their follow fnrniora
at 10 por cent, and thus relievo them of
thoir embarrassments. Xow whon a
farmer wants to borrow money ho has to
go to ono of theso fellows to get it for
him, and ho tells him that thoio is not
any mouoy that tho mortgago tax law
has driven it all out of tho country and
that you farmers are to blamo for it, but
in a few days ho informs him, (that is if
ho Is good for it), that ho can get tho
money for him, providing ho will pay
-him so much. Now if such an evasion
SALEM, OREGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1885.
of tho law as this is permitted, what
may wo not reasonably expect by nnd
by. I think that monoy ought to bo
taxed nt its fnco nnd Iboliovo tho mortg
ago tax law is n good ono becauso it dees
it. Yours truly, MATiinw Small
letting Hens and their Management.
Saixm, Or., Dec. 29, 1881.
Editor Willamctto Farmer:
Permit mo to say that tho brief para
graph, in n Into number of your paper,
concerning hens that wont set docs theso
usoful birds grcnt injustice, nt nny rato
it is flo iiccording to my experience, which
in regard to tho caro and manngomont
of fowls has not boon of small extent. I
havo never found it necessary to keep
a lion, wanting to set, confined longer
than to tho fourth day ; and if occasion
demands I put threo or four in together
I ufo an opon slatted coop, elattod on
tho top as well as on tho Bides and ends,
and UHiially about four feet high, thrco
feet long and two feet wido with two or
thrco slats across, plaeod insido on which
tho fowls can roost. I placo tho coop on
tho ground and under an open shod, feed
and water tho lion or hens confined in it
ns rogulnrly ns tho othor fowls nnd fur
nish nshes or dust for thorn to bntho In.
This is nil, except that tho coop must bo
kept noat. Indeed, in tho casu of fowls
under nny circumstances, cleanliness is
nliko cssontinl to tho creatures comfort
nnd their ownors profit. Theso two
things go together nnd cannot bo sep
arated without injury. For that matter
it may bo as well remomborcd thnt tho
pnmo princlplo is applicablo in tho caso
of all creatures given into tho hand of
man for his use.
And hero I am reminded that I saw
in ti Into number" of tho Statesman an
nrticlo in which it wns stated that a
creature, whom tho reporter styled n
man, if my memory serves mo rightly,
hnd unmercifully nbused n horso by
beating him over tho hend with n picco
of timber until ho succocdod in knock
ing it down, nnd then kicked it until ho
cnused it to arise. I wondored why
8omo humnno person did no intcrposo
to prevent such low-bred, fiendish cruel
ty ; or if thnt was impracticable, why
did they not havo this "thing of ovil"
arrestod. Evory citizen Bhould certain
ly understand thnt oven here, in far off
Oregon, thero is a law forbidding cruelty
to animals. It has bocn said by ono re
nowned for his wisdom, "that a righto
ous man rcgardcth tho lifo of his beast."
Cruelty is a sura ovidenco of cowanlice.
Such are to bo pittied ; for it has ljcen
said by ono wieor than Solomon, thnt
with what measure you mcto it shall bo
measured to you again. Damarikk.
cnufa for Hogi.
A correspondent from Dallas asks
what chufa is? And tho very next mail
brought us an answer to his question
from n reader at Dayton, W. T. So wo
apponcd tho letter mid tho clipping re
ferred to. It seems chufa isn nut that
grows in tho ground in tho Southern
States. Wo trust Mr. Fuller will answer
more fully and givo uo tho boncflt of his
oxperionco nnd experiment.
Davto.v, W. T., Jan. 17, 18S5.
Editor Willamette Frmcr
Enclosed find a slip cut from tho
Homo and Farm" published nt Louis
ville Ky. recommending tho chufa for
hog feed. I raised a few of tho ground
nuts in Iowa and havo no doubt thore is
monoy in them. If possiblo I mean to
try them bore.
Snow is six inches and more coming.
II. Fn.rxn.
I regret very much that so fow of our
farmors havo found tho value and
economy of ground-peas, field-peas,
potatoes, nnd chufns tho Inst of which
is worth them all. I know from ex
porienco at homo and obsorvaMou of
others, that tho cliufas havo been a
sourco of great economy than any othor
hog food wo can plant With it I can
raUo meat at from thrco to fivo.cont per
pound, not feeding any corhnt nil to ray
hogs. It is superior to nny thing wo can
plant for fattoning faster, superior for
making meat sweotor, and for economy,
as hogs cat ovory ono they can find
boforo thoy touch Anything cko. Thoy
snvo timo and labor by not being any
mora troublo to tmltivnto than tho snmo
number of ncrcs in cotton, and snvo
money by producing more on samo land
than anything olso wo can plant or rniso
on it farm.
If wo farmers would take our old,
worn out lands and utilizo them, ns well
ns improve, by planting chufns, raising
our hog food nt littlo oxponso nnd littlo
trouble, mnkiug largo hogs nnd fat hogs,
it would not bo many yenrs boforo wo
would bo nn iudepondent people, raiso
our own "hog nnd hominy" nthome, nnd
cut oil thnt dread cxponso of raising
cotton with which to buy meat. Cotton
thou would bo n surplus crop nnd would
demand a prt'co thnt would more than
compensate for its scarcity. This is what
wo need in tho Southern Stnlcs.
Somo of our farmers are somewhat
afraid of chufns, becnuso thoy havo tho
mistaken idea, that the nut-grass and
chufa are tho same. I hnvo seen both,
and havo planted the chufa for tho past
sovon years, and I know from observing
tho ono and having n daily oxperienco
with tho other, thnt they am as dlfi'oront
ns tho bitter crab is from tho most de
licious sweet npplo of our orchards ; nor
nro thoy a nuisnnco ns tho nut-grass is.
Somo reason that ns thoy loth como
under tho samo botnnicnl family, thoy
nro tho samo; thr.t as thu nut-grass is n
grnss'and tho chufa is a grass, therefore
thorhufais tho nut-grass. Wo hnd as
well advance tho argument that ns n
man is an animal, and n mulo is an
animal, therefore n man Is a mule.
I hopo all our farmer will soon coin
monco raising this food for hogs rniso
largo hogs nnd fnt hogs, raiso them
cheaper nnd with less trouble. If with
tho chufa wo can raiso hogs nt so littlo
cost and so littlo trouble, then I say that
ovory yenr wo postpone it wo loo time,
labor, and nnd mouoy. It might woll bo
called tho poor man's friend.
Fence or no Fence.
Cottaoi: (iitovi:, Jnn. 12, 1882.
Editor Willamctto I'nrmeri
Isco nn editoiinl in tho last Faiimkii,
Jnnuarv, 1), on tho above subject. In
which you seem to favor a compromise
or a kind of a half feuco mid to compel
the owners of stock, to tnkocmo of their
stock as thoy becama to wise to heed
such a fence. Xow a poor fence is just
tho thing to mako "brccchy" htock, so
tho law should require ovory mini to
keep his own crop safo from all stock
that has not already boon spoiled. Or
tho law should require every man to
kco his stock off of his neighbors land
so that each person could fencoor heaid
just as ho might cluxvo. J J tit tho
standard for a lawful fence, should bo
high nnd strong enough to insure
against nny unspoiled stock and of such
a character ns not to injure stock.
Tho law ought also to compel mon
to piovido shelter nnd food for thoir
stock where nature does not furnish it.
A man that drives stock out on to a
bleak plain where ho knoncs that it is
liublo to perish for want of food and
shelter and fails to furnish such food
and shelter, should bo puulshod for
cruelty to animals. J. 1. Tayi-ou.
Rhubarb or Fie -Plant
SALEMTOr., Jan. 13, 18S5.
Editor Willamette Farmer i
This tho best substitute for fruit wo
havo at tho tlmo of yenr whon it is fit for
uso. In this vicinity, growing in thr
open ground, it can bo gathered from
tho later part of March till August but
not much is used after tho small fruits
are ready to use. It is very hoalthy an
woll nu palntablo nnd coming nt timo of
tho year when fruit of all kinds is scarce
is very desirable. It is very easily grown
There is no danger of getting tho soil
too rich, tho richer it is tho finer tho pie
plant will be. Plants ovor two years
old from tho seed nro tho best to sot, if
theso can not bo procured, then got n
package of seed, nnd iniso tho plants
and when of tho proper ngo set them
where they nro to stand, sot in tho fall or
rather during tho wintor in January or
Fcbrurnry. Thoy start to grow very
curly and it is bolter to have thorn sot
out boforo thoy start thoir growth. Any
timo now is a good tlmo to sot tho plants
nnd tho most pooplo havo nioro time to
attend to It now than lntor in tho year
whon other work is crowding. After
tho plants stand in tho bed five or six
yours thoy Bhould bo takon up and
divided into four or fivo parts and reset
putting but one picco of court-o in a
place, Uy using a little caro and manuro
evory year, ovory ono who hns a littlo
land at his disposal can furnish his tablo
with all tho snuco and pio material of
this kind he desires. Try it and soo.
DnxTKit Fii:r..
Letter from Whitman County.
Coi.iux, W. T., Dec. 211, 1881.
Editor Willametto Farmer t
Times are hard in this neck of the
woods, not that produco is scare, but so
very low. If our crops had not boon so
heavy I don't think wo could havo pull
ed through. I, myself alone with only
ono span of horses thrcshod 1,000
bushels of grain. Wheat went -15 bush
els to tho aero and oats 78. If you hnvo
nny ono in tho valloy thnt can beat that
I would liko to hear of it. Whon I
farmed in Marion county it would tako
thrco acres to rniso this amount. If
thoro'is nny ono in tho vnlloy who doubt
tho figures I will givo them tho namos
of tho county officers of Whitman conn
ty as references. If wo could only get
tho prico tho farmers get at Salem, Or
egou, for our produco hero wo could
mako a good living and snvo n littlo
monoy for n rainy day. Timber is our
greatest drawback in this country. As
somi as wo farmers get through seeding
wo commonoo hauling wood and keep it
up all summer long.
Yours truly, J. II. McTiwt.
Information wanted in Sueur Beet arowleg.
Onion- Pj:ak, Jan. 8, 1881.
Editor Wlllametto I'-rmer;
As we desire to mako koiiio experi
ments with tho sugar beet thu coming
season I would liko to nk through thu
columns of tho Faiimkii for the process
of converting tho juice of tho beet into
syrup or in other words, how is tho syrup
made not to taste of the beet?
II. V. Am.i:y.
Kepeal or Land Lawi.
Washington, January EJ. Tho bill
to repeal tho pre-emption of desert hind
and timber culture laws nnd amend tho
homestend law has passed tho .Semite.
Tho Jlmt section provides for tho repoal
of the pre-emption law. Tho repeal,
however, is not to affect tho rights of
any person which are accruing on tho
passage of tho act. It further provides
that nny person who hns not hereto
fore had tho benefit of the pre-emption
law, and who has failed from any causo
to prefect his title to hind theretofore
entered by him under tho homestead
law, may mako a second homestead
entry in lion of thu pre-emption privilego
which Is repealed. Section 2 repeals
tho timber culture law with a proviso
that it shall not interfere with any ex
iting rights. Section II iimonds tho re
vised statues so that all persons who
havo availed themselves of the home
stead law may pay a minimum price for
lands from eighteen months from entry,
provided thoy filo preliminary notice six
months before Section 4 repeals tho
desert laud net, except as to claims
which exist at tho date of tho pusauio
of tho net. Section ft provides thnt no
public lands except abandoned military
or otucr reservations 01 mineral lands
and other lands, tho sale of which has
been authorized by special act of Con
gress, shall bo sold at public auction, or
by special privato ontry. All offered
public lauds aro withdrawn from mar
ket and shall bo disposed of as unoffercd
public lands'.
NO. 50
From Waico County.
Mr. Sol. Durbin whoso stock ranch is
on Itock Creek, ton miles south of Alkali,
camo down this week for a short stay in
his old homo and purchase a couplo of
first class draft Stallions for their horso
ranch. They havo eoveral hundred head
of cattle, ovor four hundred good horses
and eight thousand shcop. Tho sheep
ranch is on Antelope, in Wasco county
south-west ninety miles from Itock Crock.
As to lossos by winter ho thinks thoy
may lo?o n thousand shcop ns thoy hnd
one band of clovon hundred that wero
caught away from feed and thoy found
it impossible to drivo them though thoy
made a fairly good road with teams ;
thoy wero without feed for thrco weoks.
Altogether ho thinks their losses of stock
will not ho more than fivo por cent, nnd
of shcop not ovor ten per cent. Thoy
hnd enough feed to niiBwcr their purpose
if it could hnvo been made itvallnblo.
Mr. Durbin thinks that losses of stock
through thnt part of Oregon will not bo
very heavy nnd considering tho soverily
of tho winter stock men hnvo oscnpod
rcninrknbly. Tho snow there wns light
nnd fleecy and tho cold wns dry nnd
still, so thnt neither stock or pooplo
suffered us thoy did in Western Oregon
nt tho snmo temperature. Tho climnto
thoro is very different from tho rnw air
that makes wintor dreaded with us, for
which wo havo had more than usual for
somo time past.
OlUnx and Care of Harneis.
A correspondent of tho Country (ion
tlcmiin furnishes tho following practical
suggestions:
Our farmers are prudent In buying
hnrncss, demanding tho best leather, thu
best work, etc., but thoy put tho harness
In use and allow it to bo oxtiosed to all
kinds of weather without further care,
and in a very fow years it Is ripped, dried
and cracked, and almost worthless.
Thou tho harness maker hits to tako all
thohlamo. Thocaroftil farmorwill hnvo
n good placo to hnnif his harness where
it may hang up straight and away from
tho gas of tho manuro. Ono man will oil
his harness only in hot weather with
Homo choap finh-oll ; then hang it in thu
sun to dry, when dono, it is no bettor
than before.
I have owned a tuu-ynrd, harness-shop
and shoe-shop, and claim to understand
tho principles of making and pressing
leather. Now, tooil harnoss properly, in
early spring, before spring work begins,
tako it into a damp collator somo dump
cool room ; tako it apart, soak well hi u
tub of warm water, and with a coarse
r.ig and old knife rasp oil' all gum and
dirt. As soon as the outsido is dried 11
little, put on with arng or brush as much
oil as will stick to it, and placo all in 11
heap on a board to dry; if ono coat is
not enough, go over it again till filled
with oil ; thou whon all dried in, take
warm water and castilo soap nnd rag,
wash well and put together. Castor oil
is best of all; good neaUfoot oil is very
good, in which use enough lamp-black
to color well. After !cing oxjwwcd to a
soaking rain, tho harness should be rub
bed over with n rag nnd find oil while
wet. Never expose leather to a hot sun
or drying winds till after oiling or tho
oil will do harm rathor than good. Har
ness, well treated in this way, will bo soft
pliable, less liublo tochnfo or rub off the
hair of tho horse, and hist some years
longer than if neglected.
Feeding Corn to Cattle a Buccen.
Tho experiment of feeding corn to
fatten cnltlo in Knstern Oregon, isjn suc
cess as is proved by tho following from
tho Oregonlnn.
Tho 100 head of leof cuttle, belonging
to A. II. Johnson, which nro being foil
on corn at Ulalocks, are reportod as do
ing well. About ten tons of corn is fed
to them daily, being spread around on
tho snow which is trampled down hard.
Tnoy rush around and gobblo up tho oars
of corn first, and then cat up tho blades
and stalks quite clear. Thu nrosnoot is
good for Mr. Johnson to mako a winning
on his exeriment in corn-feeding cattle.
Wi: wish our frionds would tako an
interest in our welfare and send us ono
new subbcriber with their own renewal.
Wo don't want to loso any subscribers if
tho times are hard, nnd by each ono
sending us ono or more uow names our
list will bo increased.