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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (May 28, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Home Fruit Garden Means Additional Health and Vim Commercial Orchard Temporarily Overshadows Home Growing But Change in Sentiment Comes. ONE OF THE MOST important fea tuxes of a suburban home, from the standpoint of health, is a fruit garden maintained fur the pur pose of supplying the family with ; fruits. It is amazing that even those ' who have suitable situations and facili ties for raising fruits, and who can- not purchase them because of remote- ness from markets, have not estab ' lished home fruit gardens. The inhabitants of this country are - notably a fruit-loving and fruit-eating ' people Notwithstanding this, however, fruit culture has grown to be classed among specialities, and few persons who consume fruit are actual growers. The possibilities in fruit culture upon restricted areas have beon vory gen erally overlookeM with the result that many persons who own a suburban home, or even a farm, now look upon fruit as a luxury. A great deal of the land which is now practically wasted and entirely unremunerative can be made to produce fruits in sufficient quantity to give them a regular place upon the family bill of fare, and at the same time add greatly to the at traiitivencss of the table and health fulness of the diet. Home Garden Overshadowed. With the growth of commercial fruit interests of the United Btatos the home fruit garden has been over shadowed by the orchard. Whilo both the home garden aud the orchard are essential to the good of the commun ity, they bear different relations to the country as a whole. The home garden is alwavs a forerunner of commercial development, and even in those local Hies where climatic and soil conditions are adverse to conducting such indue tries on an extensive scale, the home fruit garden of the enthusiastic amateur is certain to be found. The home production of fruit stimu lates an interest and love for natural objects, which can only be acquired by that familiarity with them which comes through their culture. The eul tivation of fruits teaches disoiinina- tion. If every purchaser was a good judge of the different kinds of fruits, the demand for fruits of high quality, to produce which is the ambition of every amateur as well as every profes sional fruit grower, would become a reality. The encouragement of the cul tiavtion of fine fruits in the home garden will do much toward teaching buyers to discriminate between the eood and the inferior varieties of fruit. Maintenance Is Pleasure. The maintenance of a fruit garden brings pleasure and healthful employ ment, and as one's interest in growing plants increases, this employment in stead of proving a hardship, will be' come a great source of pleasure. The possession of a trco which one has planted and reared to fruit production carries an added interest in its pro duct as well as in the operation by which it was secured. Most persons engaged in the cultiva tion of home fruit gardens will have as their chief aim the production of fruit for tho family table, and the pleasure it affords. Fruit growing should claim the attention of the pro ducer from early spring to late autumn. In order to secure satisfactory re sults in a limited area devoted to fruit culture one must know the methods of pruning, training, and eulture best suit ed to the space at command. In pro portion to size, dwarf trees are more fruitful than standards; they come into bearing sooner and are therefore of special value for uso in fruit gardens. Soots Should Hare Boom. ' At planting time all broken or He cayed roots should be cot away, leaving only smooth-cut surfaces and healthy wood to eome in contact with the soil. If a large part of the root area of the plant has been lost in transplanting, the top should be cut back in propor tion tb the roots remaining. By so do ing the demand made by the top when the plant starts into growth can be met by the root. The holes in which trees, vines, or Xhrubs are to bo set should be ample, Bo that the roots of the plants may have full spread without bending them out of their natural course. The earth At the bottom of the holes should be a How to Provide Horses for War Told President Bryan of Washington State College Gives Some Pointers on Breeding Cavalry Mounts. Blf E. A. BEY AN, President Washington State College. THE GOVERNMENT has gone into the business of breeding cavalry horses. Perhaps this is well enough for the preservation of a type of horses that otherwise might become extinct. Breeding steeds-and free service upon certain conditions nevertheless is poor reliance in case of any great need aris ing, and is perhaps not the best means of attaining the end in view. The very best means is a steady de mand in given regions and at prices which are remunerative. Iu the past, there has always been a disposition to buy at a pries unreasonably low, con sidering the- conditions which must ba met and the narrow limits from which a choice could be made. Formerly, per haps now, only geldings were bought. Out of a large band, what with the limitations as tocolor, age, conforma tion, Btyle, blemishes, ete., a few would be picked and paid for at a ridiculously low price. .-, Regional Breeding. In the first place, there should be an earnest endeavor to select in size, con formation and quality, horses which would meet a very general purpose other than cavalry service, otherwise while there might be a good supply for a peace footing, iu oase of war, the supply of the desired type would be instantly ex hausted and perforce the army would be supplied with non-descript and illy adapted breeds. There should be a regional breeding, first, because of the adaptability of cer tain regions and the inadaptability of other regions to given breeds; and sec ond, because there should be regional breeding of all kinds of horses, cattle, Bheep, anyway; and third, because it would lesson the cost of gathering up the supply either in peace or war. There can be no doubt that certain regions such as the Bocky Mountains (Sordiller an)', are peculiarly adapted for the pro duction of horses with the requisite bone, bottom and hoof, and that they can be produced here at lower cost and loosened a spade depth below the line of exeavation. Tbe soil placed immedi ately in contact with the roots of the newly set plant should be rich top soil, free from sod or partially decayed or ganic matter. Firm the soil over the roots by trampling, as this brings the soil particles together and at the same time m close eoritact with the surface of the roots. A movement of soil water is thus set up and the food supply of the soil brought immediately to the use of the plant. When the operation of transplanting is complete, the plant should stand 1 or 2 inches deeper than it stood is the nursery. How to Add Interest The interest of a fruit garden may be greatly enhanced by growing in them plants not adapted naturally to the climatic region in which the garden is located, as, for instance, the grow ing of figs as far north as the latitude of Philadelphia. The summers of the region are sufficiently long and warm to induce a strong growth in the fig, but as the fruits normally require a long period in which to mature, the plant becomes useless as a fruit pro ducer unless sufficient protection is afforded to carry over winter' the ini mature fruits set the previous fall. This can be successfully accomplished in several ways. The most hardy sort should be selected, in addition to which the fruiting shoots may be wrapped in matting, covered with straw, and the fruits thus successfully protected; or, if it Beems desirablo, temporary sheds may be built over the plants, and these thatched with straw or fodder suffi ciently to protect them from frost, A cozy summor veranda may be cov ered by grape vines, thus securing the double advantage of a cool, shady nook during summer and a supply of fruit n autumn. Tho vinos may bo utilized as a cover for walks aud drives or as canopy over small outbuildings. higher profit than in the lowland re gion of the Mississippi Valley. The rules for selection ought not to be too nar row and rigid and they should be such that in case of war, they are subject to natural and easy modification. Draft Tendency Great. The tendency toward heavy draft horses all over the country is great both for city and country use. The demand outside the army for the ideal cavalry horse is slight. The breed is liable to extinction. A little heavier and slower horse well adapted to farm or road work might serve the army well. He would not suit so well for fancy riding, but for real war service, might do even bet ter. Yielding a little in this point toward the general utility horse and then pay ing for those selected, two hundred dol lars or more, developing the best breed ing region both by the proper placing of the steeds and the purchase of the pro geny, the foundation would be quickly laid for a permanent supply. The best and cheapest region for the production of army horses has . one drawback, namely the natural tendency owing to feed conditions and open air life toward being undersized. The use of light steeds of the highly nervous type wUl tend to increase this defect. If the type can be made to approach twelve hundred pounds as near as possible, without get ting too far into the cold blooded, heavy, draft breeds, the army ean be supplied and the public likewise will not lack for a general utility horse good for almost any kind of Bervice. Warning! Don't Use Salicylic Acid While Substance Helps as Preservative, Danger to Health Attends Use. WHE ATTENTION of tbe Department I of Agriculture has recently been called to the widespread use, espe cially in rural communities, of salicylic acid in putting up preserves. The head of a large drug and chemieal supply house states the people living in South west Virginia, North and South Caro lina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Western Georgia, have been purchasing salicylic acid in quarter pound packages for a number of years and that this prac tice has grown to an enormous extent. This dealer states further that only a few weeks ago he received an order from one wholesale grocer for fifty gross of these goods. The department is aware that this practice is not confined to salicylic acid under its own name alone, but that large quantities of this acid, and of boric acid as well, are sold under fanci ful names as preserving powders or canning compounds at pmes which are much in excess of their real value. Farmers Are Pleased. Farmers in tbe Umatilla and Mor row Counties of Oregon are rejoicing over two conditions that make up the prosperity of an agricultural com munity, good crops and an early har vest. In this section of the Northwest, especially in Umatilla County, the crops will be better than they have been for a long time, according to the predictions of those who ought to know. Favorable weather has helped this wonderfully, the rains being well timed, the Winter mild, the coming of Spring temperate, and all other things in harmony with the fitness of things from the view point of the man with a farm. Tbe harvost this year will be several weeks earlier than usual, and the farmers are already making arrangements for hiring help and gathering in their wealth from the lap of Naturo. London Wool Auction. In local wool circles there has been unusual interest manifested hi the Lon don wool auction. It was predicted by the buyers, now her? that tho auction would show a weaker market, however, the situation was the reverse. The re Stories at Which You Will Smile A PARTY of four just returning from a theatre called in at a fashion able restaurant. Tbe prim spin? ster who was the guest of the evening was charmed with everything, especially the music. While the waiter was stand ing by the table, she asked him to find out the title of tbe piece the orchestra was playing. The wiling waiter prom ised, but other duties claimed him for a while, and when he returned, the lady had completely forgotten her request. When he bent toward her and softly whispered something in her ear, she re coiled with horror. Then, recovering from the shock, she turned with cold, relentless fury upon the hapless man who waited. "How dare you!" It took the terrified waiter quite a time to ex plain why he had merely breathed the title of the piece so softly: "What Can I Do to Make You Love Met" SCHOOL girl was required to write an essay of two hundred and fifty words about an automobile. She sub mitted the following: "My uncle bought an antomobile. at was riding in the country when it bust ed going up a hill. I guess this is about fifty words. The two hundred are what my uncle said when he was walking back to town; but I don't dare write, them down." Not His Line. Do you think your constituents at ways follow your line of reasoning!" That isn't a line of reasoning, That's a line of talk." In the directions for use the house wife is told to fill the jar with the fruit or vegetables, cover with wate and add a teaspoonful of the powden It is true that these powders may pre vent the deeay of the fruit or vegetable but they also encourage uncleanly or careless work, and their excessive uso may be attended with very serious ef fects upon the health. Salicylic acid is a medicine of the greatest value in acuta articular rheumatism and certain other diseases. It is well known as a poison ous substance, and one of the evils which may accompany its use is derangement of the digestion. It is therefore plain that its extensive use in food may lead to disturbance of digestion and health. It is entirely practicable to put np both fruits and vegetables in such a manner that they will keep indefinitely by sterilizing the products by means of heat, and there is no excuse for running any risk by the using of preserving powders. port of the auction states that there were 12,500 bales, principally cross breds, offered at the opening of the third series of wool auction Bales. Corn petition was active, including a demand for America. Merinos and fine cross breds ranged from unchanged to 5 per cent advance and other grades were firm and unchanged. , Gilliam County Grain. Farmers say wheat is six weeks ahead of last year in Gilliam County, Oregon. Grass is fine on the ranges al over the county and sheepmen are preparing to lamb with a prospect of saving a large percentage. Conditions point to a prosperous year for both farmers anj stockmen. - i , i t A small, but practical, electric rail way has been installed in a Paris sewer In France a method has been devefc oped for obtaining casein from milk by electrolysis. Hyndmnn Peak, Idaho, the hlgneet nm pen in the ttate, Ki more than 1S.00O feel high, Several unnamed peaks near it am of about the Banjo elevation. An are on U divide betweeu the Sawtooth aud tat Lemhi Kktwnai (ureaM.
