Plans Study of
Land Problems
COSTA RICA'S MEDAL
Letting the Tide Do the Heavy Work
half the total national area Is in
farms, and only about one-quarter of
the total area is improved land. Many
persons, deceived by these facts, as­
sume that there is an unlimited re­
serve supply of farm land. Such is
not the case, however; by far the
greater part of the 1,000,000,000 acres
not yet in farms probubJy can never
Consideration W ill Be Devoted to be used for the growing of crops, and
thut part of the reserve land which
Country’s Present Crop Produc­
may be regarded as potential farm
tion, Home Consumption and
land can be brought into use only at
Foreign Demand for Products.
heavy expense for clearing, drainage.
Irrigation or fertilization.
(P repared by th e U nited 8tatea D epartm ent
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace
Names Five Scientists to
Make Investigation.
TO BE MOST CAREFUL SURVEY
o f A griculture.)
Per Capita Acreage Decreasing.
Washington. — Secretary
Wallace
bas appointed u committee of five
scientists of the Department of Agri­
culture to consider the entire problem
of land utilization, especially with re­
spect to the country's future require­
ments.
In appointing the committee Secre­
tary Wallace suggested that as the
basis of the work to be undertaken
careful consideration should be de­
voted to the country’s crop produc­
tion, home consumption and foreign
demand, relating tlie land now under
cultivation to present uud near futuro
demands. It seems to the secretary
that tills study should lie followed by
a more careful survey and elassiflea-
tlon than has yet been made of lands
which can be brought under cultlva-
Population increases; lund area does
not. The acreage of- improved farm
land per capita, for instance, has de­
clined at un ever-increasing rate since
1890. By 1950 the total population, at
a normal rate of growth, probably
will be about 150.000,000. This would
require an addition of 243,000,000
acres of Improved land it tlie pres­
ent per capita acreage of Improved
land is to be maintained.
This situation presents the national
problem of how best to use drainable,
Irrigable, cut-over and lands of In­
ferior quality that heretofore have
been rejected as unsuitable—whether
they should be brought under the plow
qr reserved temporarily or permanent­
ly for forests or grazing.
The rate of expansion of our na-
An Interesting and expensive piece of engineering work is under way in the construction of the Key bridge con­
necting the District of Columbia with Virginia. It involves the removal of the huge steel span from under the con­
crete arch, the steel span forming the temporary platform. The operations are governed by the ebb and flow of the
tide, a floating platform carrying away the span ns tlie water recedes. The building of this huge bridge is one of
the biggest construction projects in the country, and will be completed in about a year.
Tlie government of Costa Rica has
distributed medals in gold, silver and
bronze In honor of the one hundredth
anniversary of Its Independence. The
king of Spain, presidents of the Cen­
tral American republics and President
Harding were recipients of The gold
medal. Tlie minister of Costa Rica,
Senor Dr. Don Octavio Beeche, pre­
sented the medal to President Harding
at tlie White House.
slon of land under cultivation during,
suy, the next three years. The shrink­
age In the volume of farm exports, the
many Indications of a probable in­
crease of agricultural Imports Into this
country, and the present depression In
developed agricultural areas raise a
serious question as tb the wisdom of
an immediate policy of stimulating the
expansion of farm acreage.
BIRDS
DIE
BY
THOUSANDS
Omaha Park Is Littered W ith the
Bodies of Victims of Mysterious
Disease.
81,000,000 Acres Like This in United States.
tlon in the future, and the conditions tlonal area also is an Important factor
necessary to rnuke It profitable under for consideration. Despite the im­
the plow.
pending demand for n lurge expansion
Survey Arid, Swamp and Cut-Over of the land basis of American agricul­
ture, there are many reasons why we
Lands.
The suggested survey would Include should consider most carefully before
the nrld lands of the West suitable for encouraging any considerable expan-
irrigation, swamp lands which can be
reclaimed by dralnnge, and the cut­
over timber lands of the various sec- SCHOOL FARM ON ‘LEPER ISLE’
dons. In studying the cut-over lands
consideration will ho given to their First Efforts to Rehabilitate Hawaiian
possibilities both for cultlvutiou and
Race to Be Made on Island
for reforestation.
of Molokai.
The personnel of die commldee of
five is ns follows:
Honolulu, T. II.—The island of
Dr. L. C. dray, agricultural econo­ Molokai, the famous "leper Isle” of the
mist, office of fnrm management and Hawaiian group, will be the scene of
farm economics, chairman.
the first efforts to rehabilitate the dy­
C. V. Piper, agrostologlst In chnrgo ing Huwullun ruce. In accordance with
forage crop Investigations, bureuu of
plant industry.
Dr. G. M. Kommeli, chief, nnlmul
husbandry division, bureau of uulmal ; Side Car Used to
industry.
“ Exercise” Pet Dogs
C. F. Marbut, scientist In charge,
soil survey Investigations, bureau of
I
New York.—Tlie motorcycle
soils.
lias a new function. It
E. E. Carter, assistant forester, for­ ♦ side-car
la that of taking Pekinese pups
est service.
for an airing. “It does beat the
At the present time a little less Ilian
dickens," said one disgusted
traffic cop on upper Fifth ave- ;
I nue.
“I rode one of those
ROAD TO VOLCANO'S SUMMIT I things
In France, nnd here now
i one comes by me every day with
Unitad States Government W ill Aid t three small dogs in it and n
in Building Highway in
J chauffeur riding the hike part.
Hawaii.
| He tells me they’re his boss’ pet
J dogs and they get their ‘exer-
Hilo, Island of Hawaii, T. II.—A I else’ tills way.”
toad from Kilauea volcano, 4,000 feet
above sea level, to the summit of the
great active volcano of Mauna Loa,
which towers 14,000 feet above the
aea. will be constructed soon, with the
aid of the federal government, which
recently set apart die crater of Kilauea
and the surrounding region ns tlie
lutest National park, according to a
letter received here by die Hilo board
of trade.
I’rof. T. A. Jaguar, Jr., United
States government volcanologist on
the Island, and Lorain A. Thurston,
publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser,
proposed that the toad be built some
time ago, and they have enlisted die
aid of Stephen Mather, director of the
National park service.
I
Omaha, Neb.—Local ornithologists,
who have made the study of birds and
their ways a life study, are at a loss
to explain the mysterious deaths of
thousands of blackbirds in the “past
two days. Thousands of dead birds
litter Fontenelle park.
There have been great flocks of the
birds flying over the city for three
weeks, hut only a couple of days ago
did they begin dying off in wholesale
numbers.
According to persons living near the
park, the birds fly to a certain height
nnd then fall dying to the ground. All
the dead birds are of the "grackle” va­
riety, and ail are males.
the Hawaiian homes commission law
pussed by congress, it was decided
here by the commission appointed by
Gov. Wallace R. Farrington to admin­
ister the provisions o f the law.
The commission voted to establish
a model demonstration farm on Molo­
kai,- which is approximately 30 miles
from Oahu, the Island on which Hono­
lulu Is shunted. The farm will be
on the grounds of Ilooiehua and
I’nlunu, set aside by congress for the
Hnwnllnns, nnd will be directed by
“a pnrt-Hnwallnn of agricultural edu­
cation nnd experience,” the committee
suid.
f
Angry
Duck Whips Cow.
Chariton, Mo.—It is being told on the
streets of Keytesville how a wander­
ing cow was recently badly licked by
an angry duck.
They have both
ducks and cows nt the county poor
farm. Recently one of the cows went
to the duck pond to get a drink, and
while there wns viciously attacked
by the duck, which completely lost
Its ungovernable temper nnd proceeded
to kick the stuffin' out of the Intruder.
In the final round of the hectic en­
counter, the cow turned tail, and fled
ignoinlnlously, with the l>attllug duck
iu hot pursuit.
Busy Photographer in Moscow
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U. S. and Mexico
Claim Rich Land
Property in Heart of El Paso
Now Worth $3,000,000 in
Dispute for Years.
RIVER CAUSES COKTROVERSV
Incorrigibly Vagrant Habits o f the
Rio
Grande
Cauee
Dispute
Which Has Remained Unset­
tled for Sixty Years.
El Faso, Tex.—When a 000-acre
tract covered with Industrial improve­
ments wortli more than $3,000,000 in
the heart of a large American city
does not know whether it belongs to
the United States or Mexico, tlie situ­
ation may presumably offer faint hope
to victims of Income and excess profits
taxation. Otherwise, however, it is
fraught with disadvantages which
overbalance these largely hypothetical
benefits.
At least these are the conclusions
reached by the officials of the Santa
Fe railroad yards here and the own­
ers of the large packing, stock yard,
lumber and milling Interests who in
the last twenty years have built up,
southeast of the El Faso Union sta­
tion in what is known as the Chamizal
district, one of the most thriving and
compact industrial centers In the
Southwest. Also these are tlie rea­
sons why a statement recently at­
tributed to Undersecretary of State
Fletcher, that in any treaty to pre­
cede United States recognition of
Mexico the "Chamizal question will
be settled and settled right,” has
pleased several business men of more
than local connections as much as any
detailed point in the administration’s
Mexico policy yet revealed.
Wedding Lasts
for Seven Days
Marriage Customs of Palestine
Are Among Most Interesting
Celebrations of Country.
8ixty-Year-Old Controversy.
The Chamizal controversy, now ap­
proaching the age of sixty years, is
the result of the Incorrigibly vagrant
habits of the Rio Grande river, which,
flowing out of the New Mexico moun­
tains, begins to form the boundary
with Old Mexico a few miles west of
El Paso. It is by no means the only
dispute arising from tlie sume cause
along the 1,500 miles of looped and
twisted stream bed between here and
Brownsville, Tex., but it is the only
one In which anything like so much
valuable industrial property is in­
volved In so small an area.
Realizing that the Rio Grande was
not to be trusted to keep to its bed,
the Mexico and American pence com­
missioners who fixed the International
boundary after the Mexican war in
the treaty of Guadelupe-HIdalgo, 1848,
agreed that when changes in the river
channel came about by accretion, that
Is, gradually, the boundary should
follow the river bed; but that when
sudden cutoffs were formed by the
river's violently breaking through dry
land to make a new course—evulsion,
tills process Is called In the technical
Jargon of river experts—the old de­
serted channel should continue to be
the line.
T i l l s formula would have sufficed,
no doubt. If, In addition to Its prowl­
ing proclivities, the Rio Grande had
not developed a sly snd deceitful dis­
position. Waiting until the entire
American population of the region 00
FOODSTUF
PRESENTS
Wedding Begins on Monday and Winds
Up W ith Breakfast on Following
Sunday— Neighbors Take Part
in Merrymaking.
Jerusalem.—The marriage customs
of Palestine, demonstrated recently
In the wedding of one of the prettiest
girls of the city to a well-to-do mer­
chant, are among the most interest­
ing celebrations of this ancient city.
No person who is privileged to wit­
ness one will ever forget either the
gorgeous costumes displayed or the
(hrill of the music and dancing in­
dulged in by the guests.
Not only the respective families of
SAVING FAMOUS TREES
Defiance, O.—When Policeman
Weaner rushed np to tlie resi­
dence of Sheriff Zeschke at 2
a. m , attracted by a great din.
he thought either the sheriff was
being murdered or a Jail deliv­
ery was in progress.
But he found the sheriff
barefoot. In his pajamas, armed
with a broom and leaning
against a door rasing In the cor­
ridor of his resilience.
His victim lay at his feet.
“Two of them got In. bat I
only killed one,** be panted.
It takes about 00,600 rubles to have a tintype made. But what care the
■'dandles" of Moscow how much It costs? The woman dues a thriving buslueaa.
It waa a bat.
the bride and bridegroom but also th
entire neighborhood take part in th
merrymaking, which generally last
for seven days.
The celebration begins always o
Monday and the wedding ceremon
Itself always occurs at dawn on th
following Sunday.
Eye for Presents.
Invitations are sent only to thos
from whom presents are expected
However, any person may attend w’h
wishes. Presents are always in th
nature of foodstuffs, such as ric«
meat, sugar, coffee, flour, butter an
vegetables. These are necessary t
provide food for the hundreds of guest
who flock to the bridegroom’s hous
daily to take part in the singing an
dancing.
Saturday brings the climax to al
Joy making. If the bridegroom's fathe
Is of even moderate circumstance!
professional musicians ¿are hired fo
the day.
Men and women In Palestine do no
mix together often, due to the geners
belief that women are not mental!
worthy of association. Consequent!
it becomes necessary to entertai;
women separately.
On Saturday evening at eight o’clocl
there takes place the shaving of th
bridegroom, a feature of the entei
tainment. Surrounded by scores o
men and women who keep up incessan
maddening yells, which may be hear
for a mile around, the barber under
takes the operation.
March to Church.
Pair of Bats Start
Rumpus in Town
.
White Shirt Scares
;
Colt; Farmer Dead J
Sioux Falla, 8. IK—A white
shirt he was wearing while Ink­
ing care of horses and cows Is
believed to have been directly
responsible for the death of
Hugo Schroeder. twenty-two
years old, son of a Lake county
farmer. One of the colta, at­
tracted by the shirt, became
frightened and kicked at the
young man, striking hint In tlie
abdomen and inflicting Internal
injuries which caused his death
some hours later.
I > • « • I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • <
controversy as worth an argument un­
til the rapid metropolitan growth of
El Paso began 35 years ago. B.v that
time the testimony of the few Mexi­
cans who had witnessed the changes
of the ’COs was so confused and con­
flicting as to be of little value. Con­
sequently, the permanent Mexican-
American
boundary
commission,
charged with keeping track of tlie Rio
years ago—a few soldiers in far­ Grande’s wanderings, has never been
away military outposts—were away in able to reach an agreement on
the Civil war, and until the Mexican Chamizal.
border garrisons were likewise busy
fighting for or against the Austrian
usurper Maximilian, the river between LACK MIDINETTES IN PARIS
1803 and 1865 deserted its old channel
a few blocks below tlie principal busi­ French Girls Turn to Typewriting and
ness district of El Paso for a bed
Kindred Occupations for
approximately a quarter of a mile
Livelihood.
farther west and south, which, in the
main, it still occupies. Chamizal lies
Paris.—There is, alas, a shortage in
between the old bed and the new.
the ranks of the little midlnettes in
Cause of Controversy.
The controversy hinges on whether Paris and there is a gloomy fore­
this change was accomplished by ac­ boding among thp leaders of the
cretions or by evulsion. The United wealthy and important syndicate of
States’ position is that the change, milliners. Despite the many improve­
though relatively rapid, came about ments since the war In the working
through gradual alterations of the conditions of these girls, their num­
channel extending over several years ber is decreasing, or tlie petite Pari­
and not at ail as the result of a sud­ sian is turning to typewriting and kin­
den break through dry land. Hence, dred occupations.
The midlnette’s life wns not always
say tlie Americans, the International
boundary according to the 1848 treaty rosy, for she had to pay to be appren­
follows the present river channel and ticed, earned little when the appren­
the Chamizal zone Is American terri­ ticeship was ended and faced enforced
tory. On the other hand, the Mexican idleness when business was bad. So,
government clnlms that the alterations notwithstanding the gay pictures of
of the ’65s were the result of evulsion, ie r painted by Parisian artists, it is
not surprising that the Paris working
making Chamizal Mexican.
Neither government regarded the girl Is turning to other vocations.
A special appropriation has been
made by congress to aave many fa­
mous trees on Capitol hill, planted in
years gone by by members of con­
gress from every state. Expert tree
surgeons are busy at their work of
restoration.
This done, a procession is formed
proceeding to the church with peopl
marching two abreast. At the heai
come eight kawases (guards), followei
by ten children carrying in thei
hands palm branches and long candle
lighted.
Immediately after hobblr
four priests dressed In their churcl
robes and singing psalms. The bride
groom, accompanied by his father am
the be ‘ man, comes next, trailed hi
200 or 300 men. At the end of th<
procession come the women and chll
dren.
A similar procession having start«
at about the same time from the hride'i
place, the two groups meet at some ap
pointed place and proceed Jointly t<
the church. All along the streets met
and women, wakened by the noise
lean out of their windows to watcl
the bridal party.
After the wedding ceremony Is per
formed a general rush Is made to th<
bridegroom’s house, where a breakfast
is served (by this time It being earlj
morning) to all.