nOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
United States Department of Agriculture Special Page
Bulletins and Special Articles Issued by the Government, of Interest to the Northwest;
Suggestions Covering a Wide Eange of Activities; Results of Federal Investigations, Etc.
8
Wood Pipe Should Last 20 Years
As prartlrally all the wood pine
made if fir conies from the North
west, the interest of the Government
In the durability of wood nine should
encourage liinbermen in Oregon,
Wathliiicton and Idaho. There Is lit
tle question of the superiority of wood
pipe over steel in the majority of
eases, as is testified to by the mil
lions of dollars invested In wood pipe
lines in America.
0V long will it last?" is a
question asked perhaps
more than any other con
cerning the use of wood pipe for ir
rigation. That the life of such wood
pipe should be at least 20 years if the
pipes are fully exposed and support
ed free from all contact with the
soil; if the material is either fir or
redwood; and If the pipe has been
properly maintained, is the conclu
sion of a specialist ot the United
Statp! Dpnartmpnr nf Aorlpnlrura In
a professional naoer on
it professional paper on vooa npe
for Conveying Water for Irrigation"
(Bulletin No. 155). Irrigation en
gineers and the owners of irrigation
works will be particularly Interested
ln this new pamphlet, which may be
nl ( f(C1Se1t,y.alfly"1B ,-thke principally where the coating ls ab- stave pipe and machlne
P.?t"tnkenn 0f Asrlculture, Wash- gent though less perfect Baturatlon are described in great
Many millions ot dollars are al
ready invested ln wood pipe lines in
the United States and this amount is
being increased annually. Protection
of these investments demands that
existing pipe lines be maintained and
operated in accordance with what
experience has shown to be the best
practice. Future investments should
also be safeguarded by designing,
maintaining and locating new pipe
lines according to the best known
practices.
Life Short for Buried Tines.
The length of life of wood pipe is
dependent on the life of the wood
rather than on the life of the bands,
although contrary theories were held
30 years ago. Only in rare instances
have the bands failed first. Corro
sion ot the bands being a chemical
action, requires the presence of mois.
ture and oxygen
most rapidly where pipes are buried
and the backfill ls wet, under condi
tions which, as a rule, are most fa
vorable for the life of the wood. Cor
rosion is greatly accellerated by the
presence ot alkali in the soil.
The decay of wood pipe ls due pri
marily to the growth of fungi, though
possibly certain forms of bacteria
may assist in the final destruction of
the wood cells. The growth of fungi
to an extent detrimental to the life
ot the wood requires a favorable
combination of moisture, air and
heat. The exclusion of any one of
these beyond certain limits inhibits
their growth.
Exclude Air.
It follows that with pipes buried
in the ground the wood will endure
longest where the air is most nearly
excluded either by a high internal
pressure wnich completely saturates
it or by a deep covering of very fine
soil.
s.atLnTHen'cehots1in
statement experience snows tbat in
contact with the soil wood pipe de-
cays more rapidly under a light head
than t does under heavy pressure, M1 " 1 L u lluJO 0f thin work In afrorded bv the Maine shinment nf livpsrnplr nt.t fn immo
nnH r,thor. thwa how ,.ai if .,o.. until all danger to the consumer was 01 ""B w? is aiiorata Dy me iwaiue Biiipmi.ni oi nvestocK out lor lmme
and other things being equal, it usu- 6 . sard ne Industry. As a resu t of d ate s aughter, at p aces where the
ally decays more rapidly in a porous
open soil, such as sand or gravel,
than It does ln a fine soil of silt or
clay, because the finer soil ls more
effective in excluding the air.
Experience appears to indicate also
that wood decays more rapidly in a
loamy soil, rich in humus or par
tially decayed organic matter than it
does ln one containing little or none.
This is probably due to the fact that of Pers,ns we Indicted for conspl
tno nr-pcn nt nrOTnin motro. of- racy. In another case a manufac-
fords more favorable conditions for
Foment f fUDSUS 6rWthS
Fungi Cause of Decay.
Pipes fully exposed to the atmos-
phere and free from contact with
the soil will, as a rule, be too dry on
the exterior to favor the develop-
ment of fungus spores, and so long as
the outside of a pipe remains dry no
appreciable decay will occur, even
though the internal pressure is very
light. Decay of exposed pipes al
most Invariably starts at the ends of
staves, as a result of leaky joints.
Where water leaks out and runs'
down over the outside of the pipe
favorable conditions are afforded for
thn crnwth nf the niroa wMMi ......
Biiv irpr a otorr thon tr.o.n. h.
gin to grow in' the soil that collects
adjoining staves. 4? tne value oI 8uch treatment, and areas In the forests ln Colorado, Ari
Bruising the staves in handling or the effectiveness for the purpose in- zona and utah- A large I)roportlon
injuring by too tight cinching of tended may depend also greatly on of the pralre doga were kllled by
bands renders them more susceptible hat ls used and uPn now and w"en poison and predatory birds and ani
to infection by the spores of wood- " " aPP1'ed- mals exterminated those remaining,
destroying fungi, thus hastening de- 0n exposed portions of new pipes The burrowing rodents in the
.cay. The life of exposed pipes may tne United States Reclamation Serv- Strawberry Valley of the United
be prolonged by promptly stopping lc0 nas used a paint consisting of six states Reclamation Service near
all leaks as they develop and by Pounds of red oxid mixed with one provo, Utah, which have caused ex
keeping the exterior dry. The decay gallon of boiled linseed oil. One tensive washouts ln dikes and fills,
of buried pipes has also in some ln- gallon of the paint was sufficient for have, it is believed, been dealt with
stances been arrested by removing two coaU on 125 square feet of pipe. m such a way that little further
the covering and leaving them ex- 0n top of the pipe where exposed to trouble will be experienced,
posed. the sun and where water from leaky in the states of Oregon and Wash
The asphaltum or tar coating ap- Joints runs down over it this pajnt ington investigations are being made
plied to machine-banded pipe, while des not last long, much of it being with a view to dealing effectively
Intended primarily as a protection Bne in two years. Repainting while -with moles, which Interfere materi
against corrosion of the bands, the pipe ls In use ls usually not prac- any wim the cultivation of crops,
doubtless helps also to some extent ticable, because oil paint will not As a result of campaigns against
In n.o.nU t.A .1 TT-tll -.. Qnhpip PAnn'tltr tn Wof mntPrlnl Thfl .V l u M
u i"cocli"5 nuuu. uuiu re-
cently the practlce has been to leave
ihn nf wnnjpn ,i.wi .M,iin
untreated.
These couplings almost Invariably The new bulletin, which consists also to carry on Independent cam
decay long before the main pipe, of 37 pages, contains a number of palgns. As a consequence on thou
This may indicate that Infection by figures and tables ot practical use to sands of acres which once supported
wooa-aestroying organisms starts
of the wood ln the sleeves may be many specific Instances are given to
the more largely responsible for the show how long wood pipe may be
early decay, as It may be noted also expected to last under special condi
that decay occurs at summits of pipe tions.
Government Drug and Food Work
XHB false and fraudulent labeling
of medicines and mineral waters
has recently received a great
deal of attention from the Bureau of
Chemistry, according to the bureau's
report for the year ending June 30,
1914.
A large number of instances have
been found ln which Impossible apples. One is the manufacture of tensive damage. In one restricted
claims for the preparations ln ques- apple syrup by clarifying and boiling region, by the use of extermination
tion have been made and ln these down apple juice. The syrup ob- baits, over 50,000 rabbits were de
cases steps have been taken to com- tained promises to be a welcome ad- stroyed.
pel the owners to alter the labels, dltlon to diet as well as affording a Experiments also were carried on
This is true ot a large number of new market for the apple-grower. in dnstrovlnir crawfish which rii
it usually occurs veterinary medicines and ln particu- The other method of disposing of the grcat damaso in Mississippi and Ala
it Ublldliy OlXUrS . , t.n--nA n, t.nr nV.nl. anvnlita r.f nnlo Is (.,. mnnt.Mra ? "
lar of (so-called) cures for hog chol
era. As for mineral waters, the po
sition long held by the bureau, that
so-called lithia water must contain
enough lithia to produce an appre
ciable therapeutic effect, has now
been sustained by the Supreme Court
of the District of Columbia, and in
consequence action has been taken
to enforce this ruling,
Measures are being tanen to pre-
radio-active waters in which the
amount of radium ls negligible. Fur
thermore, mineral waters to which
has been added carbonic acid gas or
mineral salt are not any more sold
as "natural," but are properly la
beled. Oyster Regulations.
In connection with the bureau's
work of food inspection, two Im
portant sanitary surveys have been
made of oyster growing localities,
one in Chesapeake Bay and one in
Jamaica Bay, N. Y
a.
TOited in the discovery ol
,,..-. .. ,
"xr".
iD?"" LV.J cvrJ :..:,
Altogether there were nearly 12-
000 samples of food and beverages
collected and analyzed The co-
operation of other branches of the
Government has been secured for the
prosecution of cases not fully covered
by tho food and drugs act. For ex
ample, ln one case connected with
illegal traffic in bad eggs, a number
turer of beverages received a long
?orhSo0,n,nBehn.tsenp?od,u0crtsPUtUng W0d
Important Discoveries,
addition to this regulatory
connected with the enforce
of various laws, scientists of
ln
work
ment
the bureau have been carrying on lm-
portant investigations. The report
makes pactlcular mention of the
study of the subject of potato drying.
Dried potatoes may be kept indefi
nitely for stock feed and are of
course much less bulky and, there
fore, less expensive to transport than
ordinary potatoes. This Investiga
tion will ultimately be extended to
other uses for potato products, such
lines where air accumulates much
sooner than at depressions.
The practice ot coating continuous
stave pipe has not been common, but
In a considerable number of cases
some treatment has been applied for
the PurPse of preserving the wood.
There is wide difference of opinion as
-j -
US2,f PaInt "e,tnosed undf
ordlnarv conditions Drobably adds
very little to their lite.
irrigation engineers. uonunuous
banded pipe
detail and
as
the manufacture of starch and
glucose, in order to encourage the
production of potatoes as a regular
part ln crop rotation in sections
where this could be done with bene
fit. Two new ways have also been dis-
covered of utilizing surplus and cull
surplus ot apples ls the manufacture
of concentrated cider.
Concentrated Cider.
Hitherto the market for cider has
been limited, due to the fact that it
can only be kept sweet a short time
and that Us bulk makes Its trans
portation too expensive when long
distances are to be covered. The con-
centrated cider ferments verv slowlv
when kept at a low temperature.
When diluted with water it has prac
tically tho same flavor as the orig
inal apple juice from which it was
made, and its condensed form makes
it much cheaper to ship.
Considerable attention has also
been devoted to the fish industry,
which up to the present time has
been a study of much less scientific
study than meat packing.
With the growing scarcity of meat,
however, It seems obvious thit fish
will come to play a more important
rtart ln the Nat.inn'R fnnd Riinnlv and
Qtlon8 as the best means of
storace. transDortat on and the ure-
vention of waste deserve careful ln-
vestieation. An instance of the value
Government investigation a marked
Improvement has taken place In the
Quality of American sardines put up
establishments along the coast of
Seeking Von.
Into the shades of the forest
I followed the call of the wild;
And over the verdant valleys,
- Abloom where the south sun smiled.
Then the city's light and glamour
My senses enthralled, and I ran
Tbu?,feP
Ambition came, and she swept me
With her flame and my blood leaped
high
I sacked the storehouse of knowledge
with a will to know or diet
After weary years love whispered
Very tenderly, then I knew
The winding roads of life had led,
Dear, over the miles, to youl
Jo Hartman,
Puffer.
That Puffer ls a tiresome chap,
There's not the slightest doubt;
He's blowing now of how much he
Blew ln at his blow-out!
Harold Susman, In Lippincott'e.
Government After Rabbits
and Rodents in Northwest
ACCORDING to the report ot the
Bureau ot Biological Survey of
the United States Department ot
Agriculture, prairie dogs have been
comnletelv exterminated over larea
iuo biuuuu suuureia m portions 01
California National forests, ranch-
mon and i.,,h n,.,-
aged to co-operate with the bureau.
squirrels in abundance it is now dlt
ficult to find more than an occasion
al animal. Similarly, successful poi
son baits were prepared for the Rich
ardson ground squirrel, which has
become so destructive in North Da
kota. Other experiments dealt with the
extermination of rodents which hin
der reforestation by digging up and
devouring seeds or gnawing the bark
of saplings. Special experiments
were conducted in the National For
est near Ocala, Fla., and at the Con
verse nursery in Southern California.
In response to requests for aid
from farmers in Southern Idaho and
Eastern Oregon and Washington, the
Department assisted In destroying
lackrabblts. which had heen dnlnir ex-
bama.
Modified Quarantine to
Allow Cattle Shipments
SINCE the publication of various
orders modifying the Federal
quarantines declared on account
of the foot-and-mouth dlspasn thn
authorities havo rrcpivp,! nnmprnna
Inquiries with regard to tho exact
meaning ot the regulations now ln
force.
Tho quarantines which were de
clared at the beginning of the out
break prohibited the shipment of cat
tle, sheep, other ruminants and swine
into the quarantined area for any
purpose save that of Immediate
slaughter and prohibited absolutely
the shipment of such stock out of the
quarantined area,
Since then the quarantines In
parts of some states, notably Mlchl-
iran. Itllnnln Tnrifnnn Pnnnu.-Wor.ia
Kentucky Iowa and Wisconsin, have
been mod f ed so that thpv nnw nor.
mit the shipment of livestock into
these areas for all nurnnsen. nnrt th
federal meat Inspection service Is
maintained.
Certain counties, however, have
been exempted ln each ot these states
from the privileges granted bv the
modified quarantine. Into these
counties no stock can be shipped for
feeding purposes and no Btock can
be shipped out except after a pre
liminary inspection and certification
by the Federal authorities. In the
areas under modified quarantine
various restrictions governing the
shipment of carcasses, hides, hay,
straw, etc., have also been removed.
It ls probable that further modifi
cations of the quarantines will be
made in the near future. In these
cases it ls expected that the same
procedure will be followed and the
counties into which feeding stock
cannot be shipped and in which In
spection is demanded before export
shipments are made will be specific
ally named In each order.
Nobody ever hurt anyone with a
smile, and that ls just the reason
gome folks wouldn't wear one for
anything.