Tillamook headlight., May 03, 1906, Image 6

Plowing Contests and Lawn Making.
GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL.
On» looking at the accompanying
pictures would not think that these
wer» pictures of a "College Field
but such is the case.
Last year tha School of Agriculture
•f the University of Minnesota varied
a little from the usual field day pro­
gram, ana added two new features to
th» regular field day sports.
The first was a hitching up contest
In which both girls and boys took part;
Agricult
■werkini
time, a
tick w
^radice
keepin
tick 11
tree <
one V
terni'
will
O. K. Lathrop, of the Senior Class
took second prize, with a score of Bl
per cent., and
W. I. Peterson, of the Junior Class,
third prize, with a score of 80 per
cent.
The rest of the contestants of course
got no prize, but they got something
much more valuable. They found that
they could plow, and plow right. This
conviction will remain with them al
general, greatly modified because of
building operations or necessary grad­
ing. The soil with which one has to
deal, therefore, Is seldom a normal soil
of the locality. In general, it is a
portion of the surface soil mixed with
more or less of the subsoil which has
come from excavation, in making the
foundations of a house.
The ideal soil for grasses best suit­
ed for lawn making is one which is
moderately moist and contains a con­
siderable percentage of clay—a
which is somewhat retentive of mois-
lure, but never becomes excessively
wet, and is inclined to be heavy and
compaci. rather than light, loose, and
sandy. A strong clay loam or a sandy
loam, underlaid by a clay subsoil, is
undoubtedly the nearest approach to
an Ideal soil for a lawn; It, therefore,
should be the alm In establishing a
lawn to approach as near as is possible
to one or the other of these types of
In many localities it will, how-
ever, be very difficult to produce by
any artificial means at one’s command
a soil which will approach in texture
either of the types recommended. Our
efforts, nevertheless, should be direct-
ed to attaining as closely as possible
these Ideals.
Preparations for the Lawn
Since the lawn is Intended to be
a permanent feature of the decoration
of a place, its endurance or span of
life is of utmost Importance. In gen­
eral, grass seeds are small and the
surface seed bed for the reception of
these seeds need not be more than 1
inch in depth; but since the grasses,
as they become established, send out
long, lateral feeding roots, it is nec-
essary that the area containing the
available food for these plants should
be amplified. This object can only be
attained by deep cultivation and
thorough preparation of at least 8 to
10 Inches of the surface soli. The soil
to tills depth should be made rich and
should be put into an ideal condition
for the development of plant roots.
The mechanical operations of pre­
paring the soil can be carried on by
the use of the modern plow if the
area is large enough, or by spading
if the area is small. The seed bed
should be thoroughly and frequently
stirred, so as to grind the soil par­
ticles together as much as possible
for the purpose of reducing them to
a aniformly fine condition and to 11b-
erate plant food. Cultivatlon should
also have for its object the destruction
of weeds which may interfere with the
establishment of the lawn or which
may be detrimental to It after it is
I HL: WINNER Of SECOND PRIZE AND HIS TEAM.
once established. After the soil has
been thoroughly plowed or spaded it
HE FILLI» Ut BAIILL
should be carefully fined by harrowing
the other new feature was a plowing ways, and they will be better farmers or raking, after which it should be
contest in which only boys partlei- and better citizens for having entered thoroughly compacted by the use of
pated. Plowing is not altogether a the plowing contest.
a lawn or field roller and the surface
bad sport either, no matter In what
To many of the onlookers the con again loosened by the use of a steel-
light you look upon it. Tills was 1- test was a revelation. Farmers and
lustrated by the participants who farmers’ sons, who have plowed for
proved to the spectators that In order days and months, never before saw
to be a good plowman, one must be such plowing, and many went home de­
somewhat of a civil engineer, as well termined to plow as they saw It done.
as an excellent horseman.
It has been decided to make this a
Plowing as commonly done Is often permanent feature of the annual field
considered as drudgery, and so It is
for the thoughtless, careless plowman,
greensward is the canvas upon
who has no other object In view than which all architectural and landscape
that of making the field look black. effects are produced. A lawn may
But there Is no other farm operation vary In extent from a few square feet
which requires more knowledge to un- at the side steps leading to the brown­
derstand or more skill to do well, than stone front of the city dwelling to the
does the simple art of plowing. The broad acres of extensive parks.
contestants had in mind making a matters little whether the extent of a
straight furrow of even depth and lawn be great or small, Its Inherent
width, turning It squarely over so as qualities are the same, and its intrin-
to cover all stubble and weeds. Hach sic worth is determined by Its charac-
one took pains to start in squarely and ter and the manner in which It is
evenly and to drive straight out at kept. Green grass is not only of great
the ends so as not to leave the least economic value, but it is also of great
curve.
There was no time to dream (esthetic va lie. The herbage of the
or gaze about to see what some one else field is the primary dependence of all
was doing. All the plowman s skill animal life, and It is the green color,
and ability were taxed to the utmost. the sweet fragrance, and the soothing
pounds of fine-ground bone together
with 300 to 500 pounds of a highgra
fertilizer upon each acre
lzer may contain 3 per cent nUr0°en’
6 to 8 per cent phosphotlc acid, and
about 8 per cent potash.
the lawn has been established
anti it has gone into "winter quarters
It is well to give the young grass a
mulch of well decomposed stable man­
ure, which shall not be heavy < nough
disfigure or mar the lawn, but
should be so fine and well decomposed
that it will be carried beneath the
surface of the grass by the rains and
snows of the winter, leaving very lit­
tle rough or unsightly matter to be
raked oft in the spring. If this is not
desirable, after the greensward has
first winter it
passed through the ----
should be treated to a top-dressing of
fine-ground bone at the rate of 1,000
pounds to the acre.
The Kind of Grass.
Kentucky blue grass is undoubtedly
the great lawn maker for all that sec­
tion of the Atlantic coast region north
of Washington, D. C., and for the Al-
legheny region as far south as north-
era Georgia. Blue grass thrives best
in a comparatively retentive, strong
soil where there Is an abundance but
□ot an excessive amount of moisture.
Upon soils of a lighter character in
this region, In localities where preci­
pitation is greater, such grasses as red-
top, Rhode Island bent grass, creeping
bent grass, and white clover aro more
to be relied upon for lawn making
than blue grass, Redtop,
----- .. Rhode Is-
land bent grass, and creeping bent
grass all
— have
. . the same ability to
make a compact and deep sward, as
in the case of blue grass. In fact,
under certain conditions redtop and
the bent grasses are able to make a
softer, although not a more permanent,
turf than does the blue grass. Upon
the light soils found in the States
routh of the latitude of Washington,
D. C„ white clover forms an important
feature in lawn mixtures.
general, because of the varied
conditions of shade and moisture ex-
Isting upon a lawn as the result ot
t tees, shrubs, and architectural ob-
jects, mixtures are more desirable
than pure grasses. The different de-
grees of shade and moisture maintain­
ed in the soil which result from the
presence of trees, shrubs, and build-
ings afford a variety of conditions un-
der which a single species would not
produce a uniform lawn.
Mysteries of the Ages.
During that wonderful and mysteri­
ous period, popularly spoken of aa
’•before the ice age, in other terms,
lhe pre-glaeial period, nature “¡““J
herself with a lavish abandon of
which we can form but
■rhe primeval rivers were mighty tor
rents, instruments of stupendous meta-
r niorphic
’
energy« in
— their
---- work o£
erosion an 1 dissolving, vast quantities
of gold were freed from confining em­
bedment and deposited along theii
channels. Through untold ages, per­
haps this "ulk ot uncovering and
depositing—. Nature's prehistoric gold
mining __
storing-continued, ot
until that particular formative cycle
was completed. Then the earth passed
into the travail throes ot more ener­
getic formation, as expressed in vo -
canic and glacial action. Fierce vol­
canoes sent forth their molten streams,
filling up ravines aDd gorges, creating
new elevations and depressions, and
burying deep under layers of volcanic
debris, the old river beds, the evicted
waters of which laboriously wrought
out new channels for themselves, hol­
lowing this storm time came a season
of comparative quiet In which
newly located streams were permit­
ted to take up again with diminished
force the old work of tearing down
dissolving and dropping the freed gold
In some in-
along their channels.
stances old beds were crossed and
broken Into by the new streams and
additional deposits mingled with their
.
----- At iasf came the
uncovered . treasures.
long winter of glacial action, froni
which tho earth emerged transformed,
with little of the primeval surface left
save the giant redwood forest region.
Such, briefly summarized, is the geo­
logic record, as read by modern sci­
entists, of the changes that immedi­
ately preceded our own period.
slbly, certain giant trees of the Cali­
fornia redwood parks which have
swayed in the Pacific Ocean winds for
thousands of years—at least their own
ancestors—might have observed from
their undisturbed abode the stupen-
dous changes in progress at their very
doorway. Had they the gift of speech
they could reveal, as no other living
thing could do, the state secrets of
Nature, including that of the buried
rivers.
While no reliable method can at
present be given for the detection of
the presence of added vegetable colors
In general it is necessary that special
tests must be made for special vege-
table colors. The bulletin gives quite
a number of simple methods for detec­
tion of artificial coloring matter which
may be had on application at the De-
partment of Agriculture.
Ihmarkabl, Diano».».».
Free Trial Package
1«
All About Paint« and £
Mailed Free tu
R
A. L. Rice, a prominent
Adams, N. Y., has discovered
p. wusranu Hit tnut ;s re ,
to make a paint weather
as durable as oil
is much better
pensable to every
to any surface, wood, stone „
and looks like oil paint yet
fourth as much.
Write to Mr. A. L Ric»,
Kt.. Adame. N. Y.. and 1 - wil‘S
trial package together w th col«
Btl WliU USg mW
■ re
into the secret of paint maiSJ
you how you can save and mil.
dollars. Write todu
of paint, etc
cost by return mail.
YOU
Can Increase
Can Inere»
Intemted In ts<w
send you ourn««
ELECTRIC8
ELECTRIC
annrf*. of
m
More than 1 a million and a quarter
in use and several hundred thousand
that they are the best investment they ent
ter service and greater satisfaction than an
metal wheel made—because They're Mod«
Uy every test they are the best. Spoke« ntiM
the hub. If they work loose, your «non™
Don't buy wheels nor wagon until you ral
book. It may save you many dollars and
ELEGTRIO WHEEL CO
Box 263
Qukny,
□
DR.
A
■
COFFEE'S 80-PA*
EYE
BOOK FREI
It tells how to cure eye disease.
at home without visiting a
Doctor-WriTi
DR. W. 0, COFFEE. 104 .CenturyBldt.,DeiMte,k
cents every time you have a
leak in your pans,
etc. Mend it yourself In hii
minute, and 100other mendjftu
cent, per mend Readyfor
use. Mends ail holet, fr<
size of a pin point to 1-i
diameter. Greatest household convenience ever invented^
Write to-day for St. John’s Tin Mender, 28cents,pr^
aid 5 per dozen, $1.45, prepaid. Bonanza for ageuto.
K. N. CORNEAU & CO.,
Dept. 49 River Street.
Sheep act as beasts of burden In
many of the ranges of the Himalaya
Mountains. Each animal is capable of
carrying from seventeen to twenty-
five pounds, and lives entirely on way-
slde herbage.
CHICAGO
How to select a good furnace.
Leader Steel Furnace costs$4».
paid. Other sizes. Write. Hess
& Vent'g 0o.,744 Taooma Bldg.,
PAGE-WIRE
Made by the basic open-hearth process in our Steel Mills, Monessen, Penn­
sylvania. Has double the tensile strength of common fence wire, the springi­
ness of a high grade spring wire, and is used only in the manufacture of
Page Fences and coiled springs. Ask for "A Trip Through Our Mills.” It
tells how Page-Wire is made; how it differs from common fence wire and
why it is stronger and better. Sent free by return mail. Write for it to-day.
Page Woven Wire Fence Co
Box 925, Adrian, Mich.
copyrighted, by P eter H bndersox & Co.
ON LARGE ESTATES THE AUTOMOBILE LAWNMOWER IS A PICTURESQUE ADJU NCT.
toothed rake or a fine harrow.
After the seed bed has been thor­
oughly and carefully prepared and
the grass seed scattered in appropriate
quantities, according to the kind used,
the surface should be given a careful
raking or rolling if the area is dry.
If showers have been frequent, rak­
ing after the seed has been sown will
suffice until after the grass has reach-
ed a height suffirent to be clipped by
a lawn mower. Prior to clipping the
crass
lawn mower, if the
ground was not rolled after seeding, a
heavy lawn roller should be passed ov-
er the surface in order to make It as
smooth as possible. After the crass
hss an opportunity to become erect
it should then be clipped with a mow-
Harvesting by das Light
An interesting trial made in Eng­
land on a farm near Biggleswade,
shows that fields can be so illuminated
by acetylene gas that harvesting mav
be easily carried on at night. In this
test two mowers, each cutting a six-
foot swath. were employed and
field of 15 acres was mowed in three
hours and 35 minutes. A gasoline trac­
tion engine furnished the power.
Romulus li as Perplexed
Old Romulus took sick one day.
In a little while It looked as if his
was near. The minister was sent
and came promptly—a stout man, done
What Fertilizers?
up in one of those religious waistcoats
Since the lawn is a permanent fea­ without any buttons down the front
ture, it is hardly possible to make the or any opening at the neck.
soil for the reception of the lawn too
The minister said to Uncle Roma-
Stable manure which has been
thoroughly composted and rotted and
’“Is your mind at ease, brother?”
which is as free a» possible from de-
“‘Yes sah,’ answered the old man.
trlmental
weed
seeds
Is
undoubtedly
Are you
theres nothing
A BIT OF LAWN AT THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPOSITION.
the best material to use In producing troubling you?’ the minister went on
Ho must sot his plow perfectly in the effect of naturo which come from well-
first place. Next, ho must be kind to kept greenswards that make them so
and gain the confidence of tils team, congenial to man. Grasa Is natures
for no man can do good plowing with­ balm and healing for all erosive scars.
out the confidence and co-operation of Nature abhors rough edges and brok-
his team.
en places, and immediately proceeds to
A half day was set aside for the cover such ugly spots
green
contest, and all three classes, that is, grass. Man likes to get his feet upon
the Freshmen, Junior and Senior the soli, but better still upon the
classes, competed for the prizes. Three soft, yielding greensward. Rich rugs
were, a sulky plow for first prize, a and carpets do not give tho elastic
hand plow for second prize and ten spring that the well-made and well-
dollars In cash for the third prize. kept greensward yields. So says L. C.
These prizes were furnished by one Corbett, one of tho horticulturists of
of the leading plow concerns of the
Department of Agriculture, In
United States gratuitously.
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 284" just about
In scoring, expert plowmen who to be printed by Uncle Sam. Since
have been with the University Farm this pamphlet is free as well as tn-
for years, acted as judges. A standard teresting and instructive, why not
of excellence was established Twelve send for a copy ’o your member of
points were given on the dead fur­ Congress or your Senator. If his sup-
fifteen points on straightness ply runs out. Secretary Wilson will
of furrows; eight points on In’s and send you a copy,
out's at ends; fifteen points on depth
In general. Mr. Corbett says, further.
and width of furrow.; ten points on a lawn should be beautiful and
evenness of top of land; thirty points should be useful. Its beauty depends
on the covering of weeds, and ten upon the contour of the land, the col­
A LARGE I AWN IS EASILY CLIPPED BY HORSEPOWER
points on the finish, Time was not or the texture of the grass, and the the desired fertility of the soli. Fbrty
'If there Is, speak up. Don’t be afraid
taken Into consideration In scoring.
uniformity of the turf. The use of
Each contestant was given a strong the lawn is to provide a suitable set- to sixty loads of well-decompoied sta- I am here to help and comfort you.’
“ ’Dey is one fing, jes one, sah.’ said
farm team and a plow. He had to ad- tlng for architectural adornment and Ide manure are not too much to use
upon an acre of land designed for the Romulus, ‘Dat ’plexes me.'
just the plow, device and whiffle tree landscape planting
greensward. .Where such stable man­
'What is it my brother?’ the min I
to suit the condition of the land. He
The Soil.
ure is not available the next best plan later murmured.
was allowed to mark out his land in
Tho ideal soli for a lawn Is avail-1 to follow is that of plowing under
'Ah kalnt o’ de life o’ me make out,
any manner he saw fit. The "land"
----- as clovers,
— cow­ sah." said the old man. 'how yo’ gits |
wna to be twenty feet wide and three able iu but few cases where it is de-1 green crops, such
sirable to establish a greensward. Or peas, soy beans, and similar plants, yo'sef Inter dat dere vest’
hundred feet long.
Henry Johnson, of New Richmond. dlnarily the lawn in which a man is The land should then receive an ap-
of about 1,000 pound* of
There ire four prosperous American
... .
Minn., a member of the Freshman most Interested is that immediately plication
Class, took first prise. His awre was surrounding his abiding place. The I lime to the acre, and at the time of Mormon settlements In the Mexican
I
soil of this immediate locality is, in ¡preparing the seed bed 500 to 1.000 I Mate of Chihuahua
M per ceoL perfect.
A Magazine for the Millions
Industrial, Agricultural, Commercial Development
and Homemaking
Do Ton Want
■ Th< Ke"*
° Cen* MaKazine *n America
tanilie« «waiting
/«'¿eiterpriw
waDt ,o koow abon* ”•
,u.rT'
! '
Do yon w«t d.Ti2L,.'i"V lx> you want hinu on ,ht improvement
tratvd reading tor the borne cir e I All J^tf“!, entertaining, instruct ire, beautiinRr ill».
All the». and more you will find in •• O pportunity ’’
Fin in.*.
OUR OFFER
r 41 m the coupon below cut nut »u-
.?e *r’*f’saub^nption. ’if after
•<|^rti«ement and tend to us with B0 cents
*'>■ ,h*t OrrvaTVStTV” la not w..rih «u e,read •*>« ftr»t number you can conacientioualy
«wtf r, .-era y, , r
“nU 8 mooth »« You. write us to stop it and 1«
IHTOIÍTI NITY PUBLISHERS
D ate .
27» Dearborn st.. Chfca„
r.ncloaeq find .10 cents for .... .
the current number.
' 7e*»» subscription to “OrronTVxtTV" beginning with