HOME 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 Range of Activities; Result of Federal Investigations, Etc.
8
Cultivating Food for
Robins and Bluebirds
THE economic importance of keep
ing our robins and bluebirds sup
plied with food is emphasized in a
new bulletin of the United States
Department of Agriculture, entitled
"Food for the Robins and Bluebirds
of the United States." These two
members of the thrush family are
most attractive and desirable assist
ants to the farmer, reducing the in
sects that prey on his crops besides
eating a number of undesirable weed
seeds. However, as they are very
generally distributed throughout the
United States and are usually abun
dant wherever found, It sometimes
becomes a problem to provide for
them when the supply of insects and
wild berries is insufficient and the
birds have to resort to cultivated
crops to sustain life.
In order to keep the birds from de
stroying valuable crops the Depart
ment's biologist advises that they be
provided with adequate supplies of
wild fruits and berries by their hu
man friends. Ornamental trees and
shrubs which furnish these may be
planted in the vicinity of cultivated
crops for this purpose.
The new bulletin is a professional
paper and goes Into considerable de
tail into the diet of the five different
species of American robins and blue
birds which are enumerated as fol
lows:
Conynon robin (Planesticus migra
torlus).
Oregon robin (Ixoreus naevius).
Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis).
Western bluebird (Sialia mexl-
cana).
Mountain bluebird (Sialia curru
coides). The complaints against the robin
have dwelt on his fondness for cher
ries, strawberries, blackberries, rasp
berries, pears, peaches, prunes,
grapes, and even olives in Califor
nia. The bluebird's consumption of
cultivated fruits seems more limited,
being practically confined to cherries,
raspberries and blackberries and its
fruit-eating period is very short, be
ing only from late Fall to early
Spring when the insects which it pre
fers are scarce.
The bulletin contains a list of orna
mental plants which, it is suggested,
might be planted in regions where the
robin and bluebird are occasionally
compelled to feed on cultivated va
rieties of fruit and berries. In olive
regions, for instance, if a robin can
find such berries as Madrona, Heter
omeles and Cascara he will prefer
them to the cultivated fruit valued
by man. Mistletoe and eldwberries
are among the varieties recommended
for the bluebird in particular. Dog
wood, pepper berries, china berries
and hackberrles are popular with the
robin, and, in the North, cedar,
smllax, and holly give them both
food and shelter.
The Department's biologist advises
farmers by all means to encourage
the robin and the bluebird, consid
ering that they will more than com
pensate for occasional depredations
by the assistance rendered in killing
undesirable insects and that they can
be pretty effectually kept from eat
ing valuable fruits if they are pro
vided with a supply of wild ones for
Winter diet when insect food is
scarce.
V. S. A. vs. European Areas.
Some idea of the size of the United
States is gained by comparing our
country with the European nations
involved In the great war. For in
stance, Russia is the only country in
Europe that is larger than our State
of Texas.
France Is not quite as big as Cali
fornia and Alabama combined.
Germany Is about the same size as
France and about equal to Montana
and Georgia combined.
The British Isles are about the
same size as New Mexico.
Belgium is not quite as big as
Maryland.
Italy is about the size of Nevada.
Servia is almost 25,000 square
mile3 smaller than Indiana.
Illinois is nearly as large as Bel
gium, Servia and Netherlands com
bined.
Italy is about twice the size of
Illinois.
Texas and California together are
bigger than Germany and France to
gether. Austria wllh 241,491 square miles
Is the biggest country in Europe next
to Russia, but Is 25,000 square miles
smaller than Texas.
Boy Corn Raisers in
Indiana Are Hustlers
THAT the Indiana boy com raisers
are hustlers is proven by the rec
ords of the five champions in. the
Corn Club work of that state, con
ducted co-operatively by the United
States Department of Agriculture and
Purdue University. These young men
were recently in Washington on a
sight-seeing trip, under the charge
of their state leader, their expenses
being paid by certain local organiza
tions which desired to see the boys
rewarded for their excellence In this
manner. The boys remained several
days in the city.
Each boy during the past year
raised more than 106 bushels of corn
on his one-acre plot and the cost per
bushel ranged from about 9 to 18
cents In the special cases. The ex
act yields aud costs per bushel are
as follows:
Yield, Cost
bu. per , per
Champion and County acre. bu.
Wayland Zleseness, Lake 106.12 11.50
Arthur Trout. Delaware 108.1a 11.50
Roy McAhren, Bush 110 39 18.70
Roy Fripdersdorf. Bartholomew. .128.8.1 12.60
Fred Thomas, Posey 118.53 8.92
Cents.
The fine records made by these
boys, however, do not tell the whole
story, for these are merely the very
best. There were many other good
records which deserve commenda
tion. Such Drraml
Oh! would you know my Cella's charms?
She has no pet dog In her arms!
She does not dye her hair or face!
She walks with perfect ease and grace!
She does not talk. in slipshod slang!
She does not sport a "rat" or "bang!"
She wears no corset tightly laced!
She has a very natural waist!
She has a voice that's sweet and low!
She's got and I am he one beau!
She this Is true she's never late!
She never makes her escort wait!
She's really moderate In her talk!
She likes, In preference, to walk!
She Is par excellence you'd deem,
And might be, were she not a dream!
La Touche Hancock, In New York Sun.
There is nothing quite like shift-
lessness to drive the boys from the
farm to the city. Farm boys like to
see things go. In fact, a wide-awake
boy appreciates having things done
right. Think about these things
brother farmer, and make a path of
interest so bright on the farm that
the hoys will become interested In all
departments of farm life.
Growing of Blackberries Is a Good Investment
UNDER good management an aver
age yield of 2300 quarts of
blackberries per acre can be ex
pected, according to a recent publi
cation Issued by the United States
Department of Agriculture. Where
the soil is very deep and rich and
the best moisture conditions are1
found this may be increased to 5000
quarts and certain varieties on the
Pacific slope have even given 7000
quarts an acre. The last census
showed that approximately 50,000
acres were devoted to blackberry
plantations in the United States.
This acreage is distributed over
practically the entire country. Mis
souri leads with nearly 6000 acres
and New Jersey is second with 4300.
As a matter of fact, blackberries can
be grown successfully on almost any
type of soil and In a wide range of
climates. In the colder parts of the
Northwest the severe Winters fre
quently kill the plants and in the arid
sections of the West hot, dry winds
destroy the ripening fruit. The
choice of proper varieties, however,
will do much to overcome natural
difficulties.
Selecting a Plantation.
In selecting a site for a blackberry
plantation, the most Important, con
siderations are the moisture of. the
soil and the accessibility of a market.
The blackberry is a tender fruit, the
keeping qualities of which are seri
ously affected by jarring over rough
roads. It is, moreover, essential that
the berries should be placed on the
market as quickly as possible after
they are picked if they are to com
mand a good price.
The best land Is a deep, fine, sandy
loam with a large supply of humus
and abundant moisture at the ripen
ing season. On the other baud, the
plants are often killed if water stands
on the plantation during the Winter.
The year before the establishment
of the blackberry plantation the land
Relation of Alcohol to
Agriculture in Germany
THE Importance that alcohol dis
tilleries may assume in scientific
agriculture is pointed out in a recent
professional paper published by the
United States Department of Agri
culture under the title of "Agricul
tural Alcohol; Studies of Its Manu
facture in Germany." The results
of the author's study Indicate that
the. manufacture of alcohol for tech
nical purposes, not for human con
sumption, is not regarded in itself a
profitable business, but as a neces
sary factor In general farming. The
distilleries provide a market for Ger
many's enormous potato crop, which
in turn has made possible the profit
able cultivation of large tracts of
light, sandy soil In the east.
The spent mash again is returned
to the farmers from the distilleries
and used as feed for cattle which fur
nish manure for the enrichment of
the soil. On account of the pressure
of the population and the desire to
cultivate as large an acreage as pos
sible, German farmers have not been
raising as much livestock as would
be good agricultural practice, and
anything that tends to stimulate them
In -this direction Is regarded as most
desirable.
Approximately 6000 agricultural
potato distilleries are now in opera
tion in the German Empire. Many of
these are co-operative distilleries in
which it is interesting to note that
the co-operators do not hold shares
having a certain money value, but
possess the privilege of calling daily
for a certain quantity of spent mash
To the potato crop itself an eighth
of the arable land in the German Em
pire is now devoted, and the produc
tion Is enormous.
In some instances crops of more
than 535 bushels per acre have been
harvested, while yields of 300 to 375
bushels are quite common. Although
such yields are produced only under
favorable circumstances, it seems ob
vious that the total yields can be
very considerably Increased If new
uses for alcohol can be discovered
to create the necessary demand. At
the present time in the eastern prov
inces it Is the price of spirits which
regulates the price of potatoes.
Lumbermen who take cedar and
mahogany from the forests of Colom
bia are required to plant young trees
of the same species in the cut-over
spaces.
should be planted with a cultivated
crop. This insures the thorough rot
ting of the sod and will help to de
stroy the cutworms and other insects
Injurious to the youag plants. The
soil should be plowed to a depth of
about nine inches to the Spring and a
thorough harrowing should be given!
the whole field before the plants are
set. This is usually done as early in
the Spring as the land can be proper
ly prepared.
The earlier the plants are set the
larger the proportion that live and
the better their growth. The roots
should be set deeply for the canes
break easily if the crowns psoject
above the surface of the ground. The
tops should be cut back to six inches
or less in length. Cultivation is nec
essary and the plants should there
fore be set sufficiently far apart to
permit of it.
Intercropping.
During the first Summer Borne in
tercrop may be grown between the
rows, which will greatly reduce the
cost of the berry field that year. This
should be one that requires constant
cultlyation and at the same time one
whose growth will not be large
enough to shade the blackberry
plants. Such truck crops as cabbage
and potatoes are excellent for the
purpose, while corn and small grains
should' be avoided. By the second
Summer the plants will be large
enough to occupy all the Bpace and
an intercrop will not be possible.
In both Summers, cultivation
should begin early in the Spring and
be continued at intervals of from one
to two weeks throughout the season
In order to provide a dust mulch for
the retention of moisture and to keep
down suckers and weeds. Suckers
are apt to spring up from the roots
at various distances from the parent
plant, especially when the roots are
cut. Digging up these suckers Is a
favorite way of securing new plants,
Manufacture of Acid
Phosphate Is Subject
THE manufacture of acid phosphate
has come to play such an Im
portant part in the fertilizer Industry
of the United States that the Depart
ment of Agriculture has Just issued
a bulletin (No. 144) on the subject,
which is designed both for manufac
turers and for progressive farmers.
Phosphate rock, it is said, has al
most entirely displaced hone, guano
and apatite as a source of phosphoric
acid and a knowledge of the axact
composition of the rock is of Import
ance because not only the phosphate
of lime but all the Impurities as well
are acted on by the sulphuric acid
used as a reagent aud influence the
finished product.
Of all the Impurities occurring in
phosphate rock, compounds of iron
and aluminum are the most dreaded.
Even In small quantities these ele
ments are apt to cause a certain
amount of reversion and in large
quantities may render the product
sticky and unfit for use. By careful
handling, however, phosphate high In
Iron and aluminum compounds may
be made to produce high-grade acid
phosphate. On the other band car
bonate of lime la rather desirable
when the quantity is not excessive.
Both the "den" and the "open
dump" systems are in general use
for making acid phosphate, each hav
ing certain advantages. In the "den"
system, after the rock and sulphuric
acid are thoroughly mixed, the com
pound is dropped into a closed, brick
lined chamber or "den" where the
chemical reactions raise the tempera
ture to a high point and are com
pleted In 24 hours or so, the prod
uct, being then ready for shipment.
In the "open dump" system, as the
name implies, the mixture of acid and
rock Is dumped on an open pile and
may require a month or even longer
to become fit for use. The fumes
given off In the process, moreover,
may become a serious nuisance in the
vicinity of towns. On the other hand
the removal of the acid phosphate
from the den is troublesome and,
when done by hand, sometimes dan
gerous. The cost of producing acid phos
phate depends on a number of vary
ing factors, such as the size, loca
tion and equipment of the plant and
the cost of sulphuric acid. Exclusive
of office expenses it may be said to
range from $6.20 to $8 a ton
but this practice interferes, of course,
with the yield of the berries.
Blackberry roots live for many
years, but the canes excepting two
varieties bear only in their second
year. After the fruiting season,
therefore, they should be cut out and
burned. The one-year-old canes may
usually be left to themselves through
out the Winter. Not more than three
or four new canes should be left to
each plant, however, and the others
should he thinned out at the same
time that the canes which have
fruited are thinned.
Training Plants.
In some cases, It will also be de
sirable to train the plants in order
to facilitate cultivation as well as to
prevent them being damaged by Win
ter snows. A wire trellis may then
become a profitable investment. The
simplest form of such trellis consists
of a single wire attached to posts set
at intervals of from 15 to 30 feet
in each row of plants. The canes
are tied to this wire about 2 feet
above the ground.
Another method is to nail cross
pieces to the posts and Btretch two
wires from the ends of these cross
pieces, which form a support for the
blackberry canes on each side. Va
rieties that grow somewhat like a
grape vine require a much higher
trellis with two wires; one about 5,
and one about 3 feet from tho ground.
One hundred and forty different
varieties of blackberries are now rec
ognized, divided Into three classes
the hardy, the half-hardy and the
tender. The hardy variety should be
able to withstand a temperature of
-30 degrees F. as well as the sudden
changes of temperature in the West
ern Stales. The half-hardy class is
more susceptablo both to cold and to
change, and tho tender variety can
only be grown where mild Winters,
prevail.