HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Editorial Page of Home and Farm Magazine Section
Timely, Pertinent Comment Upon Men and Affairs, Following the Trend of World News;
Suggestions of Interest to Readers; Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought.
4
TO ADVERTISERS.
Advertiser in this locality who wish to
fully cover all sections of Oregon and Wash
in (ton and a portion of Idaho will apply to
local publishers for rates.
General advertisers may address C. L. Bur
ton, Advertising Manager of Oregon-Washing-ton-Idaho
Farmer, Oregonian Building, Port
land, Oregon, for rates and information.
TO READERS.
Readers are requested to send letters and
articles for publication to The Editor, Or
egon Washington - Idaho Farmer, Oregonian
Building, Portland, Oregon.
Discussions on questions and problems
that bear directly on the agricultural, live
stock and poultry interests of the Northwest,
and on the uplift and comfort of the farm
home always are welcomed. No letters treat
ing of religion, politics or the European war
are solicited, for the Oregon-Washington-Idaho
Farmer proclnlms neutrality on these matters.
Comparatively brief contributions aro pre
ferred to long ones. Send us also photo
graphs of your livestock and farm scenes that
you think would he of general Interest. , We
wish to make this magazine of value to you,
Help us to do It,
SAFETY ON THE FARM.
THE "Safety First" propaganda that
lias been sweeping the land has already
been treated of in these columns, but
its specific message for the farmer cannot
be too greatly emphasized. It is not only for
those who live and work among shuttling
streetcars and automobiles that this move
ment was organized, but also for those who
labor on the farm.
Farm labor is not usually considered haz
ardous. Because- accidents are distributed
over a wide area there has been a general
lack of appreciation of their number. But
there have been plenty of them.
Power machinery has come into extensive
use within the past ten years and has suc
ceeded not only in revolutionizing the in
dustry of farming, but in increasing the dan
gers of farming as an occupation. Farm
work is much more hazardous today than it
was a few years ago, when practically all
operations were performed by hand. Corn
shredders, gasoline engines, feed grinders,
grain separators, cream separators and other
forms of machinery "have changed agricul
tural processes until the industry has be
come more similar, both in method and in
danger, to factory work than to earlier agri
culture. Many of us have a horror for steam
boilers because of the danger of and damage
caused by an explosion. Yet the common
ladder, for which we have no concern, causes
more than one hundred times as many acci
dents as the boiler. Among farmers the per
centage of accidents due to falls is very
large.
Another source of many farm accidents is
vicious animals. One need only to scan the
columns of country papers to gain an idea
of the number of victims.
Persons operating farms should insist that
all of their machines be equipped with every
safety device possible, even though it entail
an increased expense. Life and limb is not
so cheap on the farm as it is in the modern
factory, speaking from an inhuman stand
point. From a humanitarian viewpoint a
human life is of such infinite value that it
cannot be compared with machinery.
Sixteen fatal accidents, two likely to result
in death, eighty-five serious injuries and thirty-two
severe ones a total of 135 accidents
were reported from Minnesota's agricul
ture during twenty months, eighty-two of
them, including four fatalities, iu the last
eight months. The reports for the first twelve
months were especially incomplete, but
there is no reason to believe that the records
even for the last eight months are a com
plete toll of the accidents.
Be thoughtful, avoid carelessness, and take
every precaution to prevent accidents. Re
member, Safety First !
VACCINATION ONLY INSURANCE.
A YOUNG man writes:. "I have 124
young hogs quite well finished for
market. 1 was the only one in this
section to vaccinate. The near neighbors
are losing all of their pigs, but mine are do
ing fine."
No other reference is made relative to
these hogs. No other reference is necessary.
The whole story, a story worth thousands of
dollars to every reader who raises hogs, is
disclosed in the paragraph.
This man took time by the forelock. He
used hog cholera vaccine as a preventive.
He locked the door before the, horse was
stolen. In doing so it cost him less to have
his veterinarian vaccinate his herd than
though he had waited until the hogs had
more nearly reached maturity. Now lie is
happy, for he has ready to market in the
neighborhood of $2000 worth of pork. Ho
need not force it onto the market through
fear of hog cholera, even though his neigh
bors are losing pigs. He has immunized his
hogs at small expense. With a feeling of
security, he will now hold them until they
are completely ready for market, and until
the market is satisfactory.
Everyone recognizes the folly of not carry
ing insurance, but the annual losses on farms
of this country from fire, lightning and tor
nadoes are small compared with the losses
from hog cholera.
Vaccination is the best insurance against
hog cholera and the cost is well within
reason.
Thousands of farmers this year have put
off having their hogs vaccinated, expecting
that when cholera made its appearance in
the herd or even in the neighborhood
they would then vaccinate. The risk they
took was unwarranted. In the first place,
it costs more to vaccinate older animals than
pigs, and in the second place there is always
a danger that something may happen to pre
vent securing safe, efficient vaccine at the
time it is needed most.
Few could foresee any happening that
would cut off the supply of vaccine last Fall,
but breeding animals, market hogs and pigs
are dying by the thousands throughout the
corn belt, and their owners, many of whom
were urged persistently during the Spring
and Summer to have their herds immunized,
are searching in vain for vaccine now.
Following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth
disease the Agricultural Department jit
Washington condemned and ordered de
stroyed much of the vaccine that was avail
able as an extra precaution against the
spread of disease. Manufacturers are now
putting forth every effort to gqt a new sup
ply, but it takes many weeks to make effi
cient hog cholera serum. The result is that
those who have put off vaccinating from day
to day are compelled to suffer.
In this instance procrastination is the thief
of hogs. Our friend and hundreds of others
who did not procrastinate are now profiting,
not alone because they saved their hogs, but
because of the shortage which is bound to
occur on account of the present prevalence
of hog cholera, their hogs will in the near
future land on a high market. '
Again we suggest the wisdom of having
the entire pig crop vaccinated as early in.
the season as possible in order to enjoy the
feeling of security that comes from the con
fidence that the hog cholera germs have been
baffled and that the corn crop is certain to
find a ready and most profitable market
through the pigs when they have been fin
ished and sent to their slaughter in a health
fid condition. And while you are going to
this trouble and expense, do it right. Be
sure that the serum is pure and that it is ad
ministered properly. A licensed graduate
veterinarian is the man to do the job.
AMERICA TODAY AND TOMORROW.
THE United States, with only 64 per
cent of the world's inhabitants, pro
duces 68 per cent of the world's corn,
20 per cent of its wheat, 61 per cent of its
cotton, 35 per cent of its tobacco, 15 per cent
of its cattle, 42 per cent of its iron, 63 per
cent of its petroleum, 40 per cent of its coal,
20 per cent of its gold and has 38 per cent of
its railroads, says the Polk County Itemizer.
' The United States' domestic trade in 1913,
$40,000,000,000, far exceeded that of any
other nation. American factories last year
produced goods valued at $20,000,000, of
which less than 5 per cent were exported.
All the remainder of that vast cpuantity of
articles of use of luxury was consumed here
at home proving beyond argument that the
average standard of living in this country
far exceeds that of any other.
This leadership is attributable to nature's
gifts of rich resources and a stimulating
climate, plus a system of political ideals that
attracts here the most ambitious individuals
of other lands and makes them free to use
all their powers for self-advancement, with
due regard for the equal rights of their fel
low citizens.
In a world of uncertainties,' few possibili
ties seem more likely to be realized than the
increase of this country's population to
250,000,000 or more within the next century.
It is perhaps true that opportunities to
gain enormous private wealth will be fewer
hereafter than heretofore, since society tends
increasingly to frown upon such accumula
tions; but nowhere else on the globe can the
young man of mettle find equal opportunities
for reasonable material success, for social
usefulness and for civic honor, whatever the
level .from which . the accident of birth may
si art him.
The rock that Moses struck in the wilder
ness out of which gushed water has been
found by an explorer. But that was before
the era of grape juice, and the children of
Israel were really the first folks on the water
wagon. ,
In a single county in Kentucky 1200 men
have been indicted for buying and selling
votes and are to be put on trial. All the
political corruption in this country is not
confined to Tammany Hall.
It is the supreme test of loyalty for one
to get the rheumatism while engaged in the
defense of his country. Dying is a mere
bagatelle. But the twinges of rheumatism,,
ah, there is the rub !
It is aunounced that cattle diseases do
not affect poultry. This lets out the
chickens from attacks of the foot-and-month
disease.
The Ohio corn boys have just concluded
a visit to Washington. What a harvest for
Hie chiropodists!