HOMti AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Home and Farm Magazine Section Editorial Page
Suggestions From Our Associate Editors, Allowing for an Interchange of Views, Written by Men of Experience on Topics With
Which They Are Fully Acquainted Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought.
BUT OE BUILD.
YOU MAY HAVE tp beg or bor
row do anything but steal
the money, but remember
( the time of year is fast approach
' ing when farmers must begin put
ting up silage. And you can't put
up silage without a silo.
If you have a silo, just pass this
up. '
. It's meant for the man who
hasn't. i
Borne farmers havo silos, but
don't know the value of silage.
; They are few. . -Some
realize the value of silage
but haven't silos.
: 3t ill others neither understand
" the worth of silage nor have silos.
' It's time to consider this silage
question seriously.
' There is scarcely any Bystem of
farm feeding which will add to the
profits of the farm like the use of
silage. 11
; If you carry on dairying, you
simply can't afford to be without
' one. You loso money every day
you haven 't one. '
Silos provide succulent feed.
They also reduce the amount of
concentrated feed required by the
stock. I
One most striking advantage
silage has is that rain or bad
weather need not interfere with the
harvesting of the crop.
With all these good points, why
not make un vour mind to have a
silo today f
Iu the words of the advertise
ment: Do it now!
Some farmers will prefer to buy
their own silos.
Some will prefer to buy the lum
ber to construct thorn, '
Others will choose concrete for
tho same purpose.
The question of type is a trouble
some one. Tho answer depends on
local conditions and finances. '
If you want assistance, why drop
, a line to your agricultural college
It wants to be of help.
Look over the advertising col
umns. Write a line to the silo
manufacturers. Discuss the matter
with them. They will give you good
advice.
If you doubt this, remember
that silos are not the only things
you will want to buy. The manu
. factnrer or agent knows ho has to
satisfy the farmer. One farmer
pleased is in effect many peteutial
customer.
The farmer never hesitates to
give a word of advice to his friends.
And advice often makes sales.
The manufacturers know this.
That is why their advice will be
honest; why it will help you in
buying a silo.
A cheap Silo, that is one not
overly expensive, is better than
none at all.
It may bo the most expensive in
tho long run, however.
A silo constructed of durable ma
terials is the one to be preferred.
The pit silo, whilo better than
none, is the least to be preferred.
The variety .of crops which can
be used for silage is composed of
just what a farmer raises. The
variety is so large that no farmer
is without such a crop.
Corn is the crop most commonly
used. Peas and oats, retch and
oats, peas and barley or retch anil
barley are popular combinations for
silage. Clover and corn make a
good combination; so do wheat and
clover. In fact, many dairymen pin
their faith on this last combination.
Rye can bo used to advantage.
In a last resort, use weeds, but not
until other crops have been ex
hausted. But you can't use silage till you
have a silo.
Think over that silago question.
Then buy or build,
UNCLE SAM NAPPING.
If I, FANCY every larmer or
even tho common, ordinary
variety of city man who
gets a copy of the Government's
latest bulletin will snicker.
"How to Fight Dandelions" is
the title. ,
It's 10-year old Teddy's job to
keep the lawn in shape. When
Teddy read that book he laughed
loud.
It suggests that fir.it you thicken
the grass and crowd out the dande
lions. We wender if those experts ever
saw that work.
We didn't.
Then, apparently considering that
plan will be a failure, the work says
airily and flippantly, why just cut
off the tops and sprinkle salt on the
roots.
Don't laugh too much. There's
more.
Here is the real remedy. If the
crowding out docs not crowd out
the dandelions, and if the pesky
thiugs seem to thrive on salt, why
then, says the Government bulletin,
the only sure way is to spade them
out.
Said Teddy:
"Why, I knew that all the
time."
But those government officials
seem to have a few wee doubts as
to whether even spading out will
work, for they console us with the
comment that "dandelions are a
valuable truck crop" in some
countries..
We wish we had that expert here.
Wo'd let him try his plans in
order some warm day on our stretch
of grass.
And then wo'd laugh.
OPTIMISTIC CROP REPORTS.
FROM nil over the country crop
reports indicate a bumper
wheat crop this year.
This sounds fine.
But will it have the effect most
to be desired by the farmer!
We have some doubts.
Those in a position to judge who
have traveled over a numb?r of
states say the crop will be a good
one; but that it is grossly exaggerated.-
. . '
Thse exaggerated stories will
hurt tho farmer when it comes timo
to sell his crop.
It is even hinted by unkind per
sons that many of the stories have
been put in circulntirn by grain
manipulators.
There is this to be said about
optimistic crop prophecies.
" They can be so optimistic as to
force down prices to the great in
jury of the grower.
It is never to the interest of a
wheat-growing country to over-estimate
its yield in advance.
$ .
THE COUNTRY BANKER.
THE AMERICAN country banker
has been immortalized. Ho will
live forever in the minds of
all people iu all countries.
Of course, all country bankers
are not like David llarum would
they were.
There would not be many money
troubles.
But it is interesting to know that
the country banker forms the main
stay of the banks of this country.
We learned on good authority the
other day that the "big banker"
can no longer order the small bank
er around,
In a recent editorial, the Finan
cier, a paper concerning money and
moneyed interests, commented on
tho compilation of percentages of
membership of the American Bank
ers' Association "by W. D. Vincent,
of tho Old National Bank of Spo
kane. Fine name that Old National
Bank,
Mr. Vincent said that "over 90
per cent of the American Bankers'
Association banks aro to be known
as country banks."
That means, ho might have add
ed, that 75 per cent' of the member
ship is composed of banker-farmers
the David Ha rums of real lifo.
The Financier says the average
country banker, like the average
newspaper, politician, demagogue,
has not realized how scarce, rela
tively speaking, are the "big bank
ers." It is the average farmer, the aver-,
age merchant, banker and citizen
of the country town who liave made
this country great.
They arc the folk who, mainly,
make up this country.
As a rule they are unassertive.
We hear little of them.
We do not stop to realize how
minorities sometimes mighty small
ones frequently control, direct and
make the reputation, good or bad,
for the inactive, inoffensive ma
jority. And all this is a roundabout way
of advising you to get to know
your country banker.
You'll find he is a pretty decent
fellow after all.
Then tell him so.
WHEAT RECORDS.
Si IE readthat the largest winter
'if wheat' crop in the history of
the United States is predict
ed for this year by the crop-report-
ing board of the department of ag-'
riculture.
"A combination of the largest
acreage ever recorded, with a
promise of the largest yield per
acre ever recorded, make the pres
ent condition of wheat notewor
thy," says a late report.
There is not a single state with
unfavorable reports.
The forecast is for C30,000,000
bushels.
Wo hope the farmers of this
country harvest every bushel of it.
Then we hope they get a good
price.
Lastly, we hope they share that
good fortune with their wives.
OFF FOR THE HOLIDAY.
THE city man is talking of hard
timeii.
He doesn't mean it. He likes
to talk.
Have you hoard the f:irmer talk
hard times with his bumper crops?
Or the wool man with wool higher
than it has been for ever fo long?
Hardly.
The city mail says he can't af
ford to take a holiday this year.
He'll go just the same.
And so will the farmer.
And bis family.
Ho '11 get the tang of the fresh
salt uir in his nostrils, take a few
day's rest, get a new lease on life.
Maybe it will be the mountains
that will lure him with their brac
ing air.
Perhaps the springs will tonic
him.
But whatever the place, it will
mean a holiday, vacation, change.
We need, change and rest. We
want to remember we are not mice
iu treadmills.
New idef.s for better farming in
variably follow a holiday. You
come back a new man.
You won't bo alone, either.
Statistics show that 75 per cent
of the holiday makers at our
beaches and other resorts nre com
posed of farmers and their fami
lies. Join them this year.
You'll like it.
And you'll wonder why you nev
er did it before.
WHITE CLOTHES,
Ft. J. C. CRUMBINE, secre
III tary of the Kansas State
Board of Health, has a fine
and novel idea.
The best part of his idea is that
it is based on common sense.
He has noMressed a circular to
the men of Kansas asking them to
discard their blue and black sum
mer clothing for white.
He xears white during the hot
season and says it pays,
Also, he would discard ice water
as a menace to health.
"Women have learned tbo value
of white dresses in .the summer
time," said Dr. Crumbine. "I can't
understand why the men haven't
learned the lesson long ago. Any-
I thing that resists heat in the sum-
mer makes for health. Black, blue
or any dark cloth is a heat absorb
ent and injurious.
"Our summer temperatures are
as high, and sometimes higher, than
in the tropics. The fact that the ;
air is dryer is all that saves us.
White clothes in tho tropics are
not a whim of fashion they are a
tribute to necessity and health. .
"The man in dark, heavy cloth
ing always is rushing to tho ice
water," continued Dr. Crumbine.
"And ten to one he will have a
grouch on, while the cool man in
white clothing is serene and even--tempered.
The ice water, dark
clothing and the grouch are detri
mental to public and private
health."
Of course, it is not as hot out
here as it is in Kansas.
Just the same it is hot enough
to make white clothes pleasant.
Maybe they would look odd on
the farm for a day or two.
But what does that compare with
comfort.
' We serve notice right here we
are going to try out your advice,
Dr. Crumbine.
v CABBAGE SEED.
ALL kinds of records have been
made in the Northwest.
Here's a new one.
We read it in Colonel Blethen's
paper, tho Times.
I Which is as much as to say it's
true.
"More than 23 per cent of all
the cabbage seed annually planted
jn the United States is raised in
La Conner district of Washington,"
says Colonel Blatheo's newspaper.
"This is a conservative estimate.
"Some ssy the La Conner dis
trict raises half the nation's cab- '
bage seed. ' '
Although it takes two years for
a crop, yet the returns are large
' enough to be worth while.
It is estimated that 1,500 pounds
of seed an acre, worth nearly
is the output.
Cultivation and caro run away
with money, yet the profits are es
timated at $200 an acre each year.
By planting a tract of seed in
cabbage on alternate year3, a year
ly harvest may bo realized.
And the seed is said to be the
best to be found ia the whole coun
try. That's tho way of the i.orthwest
raising the best there is.
And we have got t i thank the
agricultural colleges. m
. $
WITH good steak retailing at all
- the way from 20 to 30 cents a
pound therj ought to be little ques
tion that there will be good money
in the cattle business for any farm
er who will follow it consistently.
THE largest strawberry beds in
the world are in Hampshire,
England. From this one district
1,300 tons of berries were shipped
last year.
UT in Dakota if a thief steals
one chicken it is called petit lareeny,
but if he gets away with more it ia
called grand larceny. This is eer
tainly a difference with a. vea
geance. , $ ,
IT IS a truth that all of us ought
to realize more fully than we do
that both good and evil thoughts and
impulses grow weaker if not po.1
into action.
PIGS may be "ornery" on oec
sion, but a hen that get it
into her noddle that Bhe doesn't
want to set where the owner wants
her to set, takes the medal from the.
Pig-
THE FIRST man to make and use
an incubator was ridiculed and
considered a sort of lunatic Now
the fellow who tries to run a plant
without one is called an old fossil
and thought to be lacking practical
gray matter.