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PAGE SIX
FARMERS’ UNION DEPARTMENT
A SIMPLE DISCOVERY.
A Pennsylvania farmer has discov
ered that the sun spots have a pro
nounced effect on the wheat crop.
He has evidently been studying some
of the farmers’ bulletins, discovering
the meaning of some of the huge
words used therein. He explains his
theory in the following simple man
ner:
“Electricity is an aeriform existing
either as a mixture of carbureted hy
drogen and olefiant aeriform or as
bi-carbureted hydrogen. It is of
equal density, pressure and tempera
ture of the atmosphere. The solar
metallurgical activities require large
masses of electrical aerifonn fre
quently and absorb the same in enor
mous quantities from large areas in
the sun’s atmosphere. The sun is
the fountain of all aeriform and when
that body is free from the spots it
imparts aeriform unlimitedly to the
earth. This aeriform is absolutely es
sential to the formation and develop
ment of grain. When spots appear
on the sun, the formation, importa
tion and transportation of the aeri
form from the solar bedy to the earth
is retarded and hence there is no
formation of grain.”
Now isn’t that plain? Not being
satisfied with the above explana
tion, he adds this: “Space robbed
of electrical gas, becomes opaque,
therefore the seeming blackness of
the sun spots.” He thinks that the
same phenomena occur in the case of
the earth, when after vegetation has
de-electrified the earth, thereby with
drawing electrical gas, dark days and
darkness before thunderstorms, as
well as lightning storms, are pro
duced.
Could anything be more simple?
The farmers are under obligations to
this gentleman for this wonderfully
simple discovery. Why was this sim
ple theory not discovered sooner? —
Farmers’ Advocate.
According to a German investigator
the users of tobacco should filter the
smoke from their pipes through cot
ton soaked through ferric salts. By
this process the fumes of the essen
tial oil, of the hydrogen sulphide, the
cyanhydric acid and about half the
nicotine and its products of decompo
sition are got rid of, while the smoke
is not deprived of its aroma. —Farm-
er’s Advocate.
HEAD WORK IS THE IMPOR
TANT THING.
Granting that a reasonable amount
of pleasure for himself and his fam
ily should be the ultimate aim of every
farmer, it is good business for him
to figure out how he can use his pres
ent ready cash to make good times
at his house constant, so that luxu
ries and minor pleasures will be the
rule in future years. Overlooking
this very point keeps many a farmer’s
nose against the grindstone year aft
er year. To secure these luxuries, it
is necessary that be make his farm
ing so successful that after a while
he will have ready cash all the time.
Any intelligent, healthy funner can
do this, barring unusual handicaps, if
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
he will only make up his mind to it,
go in to win, stay by his job, and use
his head. Using his head is the im
portant thing. He must cut down his
expenses—that is, the unnecessary
ones. Many times he will be a gainer
by increasing his expenses. He will
be the gainer when he increases his
expenses to get better blood in his
herds of sheep or hogs, or to get a
start in either of these lines. He will
be the gainer when he spends money
for better seeds. He will be ahead
when he spends money to get imple
ments that -will work his land better
or more quickly. Better implements
will enable him to raise better crops,
or to raise crops equally as good as
present ones at less expense. That is
making money right—saving it, keep
ing it at home, dropping it into his
own pocket.—Progressive Farmer.
“DO IT NOW.”
These things that help to bring
more prosperity to a home cost some
thing. If the farmer does not now,
while he has -more ready cash than at
most seasons, plan to possess himself'
of these profit-making things, after a
while he may say, “I am a little hard
up now, and can’t buy that.” The
result would be, that he would delay
one more year before buying, would
lose a good part of one year’s profit,
just because he does not now, while
he has ready money, lay his plans for
spending a certain part of that ready
money for these profit-making things.
—Progressive Farmer.
FARMERS* INSTITUTE CON
VENTION.
The convention of Fanners’ Insti
tute workers in Washington, October
22-24, was undoubtedly the best at
tended and most successful of its kind
ever held. Secretary Hamilton is
more than gratified at the progress
in fanners’ institute work throughout
the country, the great growth of the
movement during the past few years
and the real good that the institutes
are accomplishing. There were in at
tendance some 125 of the leading in
stitute men from all over the United
States and from Canada. The Cana
dian representatives alone, said Mr.
Hamilton, have reached, in their ed
ucational work, during the past year,
over 2,000,000 farmers, while the
farmers’ institute of the United
States have come in contact with ful
ly 17,000,000 people. This conven
tion, which was largely in the nature
of an experience meeting, resulted in
the exchange of many new ideas re
garding practical farm educational
methods and brought forth the fact
that our Canadian brethren are in no
sense behind us. In fact, the United
States would best look to its laurels
if it is not to be outclassed bv Cana
da in the effectiveness of farm insti
tute work. That the movement itself
in this country has attained large pro
portions is seen by the various State
appropriations, aggregating over
$300,000, last year to cover the work.
Secretary Hamilton, while enthusias
tic over its growth in the United
States, came very near admitting that
the Canadian provinces are ahead of
us. “Why, in Ontario,’’ he said,
“they have the entire provice covered
with farmers’ institute organizations.
In practical instruction in stock-rais
ing, poultry growing, butter and
cheese-making, and in fact every
line, the Canadians are forging rap
idly ahead.”
The Department of Agriculture is
in hearty sympathy with the work
of the farmers’ institutes, as their
work consists largely in disseminat
ing the information gathered by the
national department itself, the va
rious State experiment stations and
the State agricultural departments—
in bringing it homoxto the farmers
themselves, and thus putting into ac
tual practice methods resulting from
the scientific work which the state and
federal government is carrying on. —
Texas Farmer.
FOREST RESERVE.
That the condition of the timber
supply of the United States has be
come a source of anxiety to repre
sentative lumber men of the country
was emphasized in practical talks on
the subject at the annual session of
the National Lumber Manufacturers’
Association held at the Jamestown
Exposition.
A striking feature of the proceed
ings was that at this meeting of man
ufacturers of lumber, representing a
body of men whose annaul produc
tion aggregates 14 to 24 billion board
feet of saw timber yearly cut in the
United States, close attention was
given to the question of the future
supply of timber. One of the strong
est papers reviewed the whole situa
tion carefully and showed the impor
tance of preserving forest resources
by conservative lumbering or apply
ing the principles of forestry’ - . The
following resolutions were adopted,
endorsing heartily the policy of the
federal government in catering to
national forests throughout the coun
try, and pledging the support of the
association to the movement gener
ally.
Resolved, That the National Lum
ber Manufacturer’s’ Association in
convention assembled, hereby voices
its hearty approval of the policy of
our federal government in establish
ing large forest reservations in va
rious sections of our land, and would
urge Congress to give liberal consid
eration to such policy.
Whereas, in view of our rapidly de
creasing forest resources it is of the
greatest importance that an accurate
determination be made of the kind
and quantity of standing timber in
the United States in order to secure
a sound basis for plans for s forest
management and utilization.
Resolved, That we respectfully re
quest the Forest Service and Bureau
of Census to undertake this work nt
earliest convenience, and that we
hereby pledge onr heartiest co-opera
tion to all efforts of the government
to secure information concerning any
of the interests of the lumber indus
try.
It must be accepted as a sentiment
significant of the general attitude of
the industry directly affected by the
policy of the government in reserv
ing timber where resolutions endors
ing the policy are unanimously adopt
ed by an association of lumbermen
which annually cuts more than 40 per
cent cf the lumber produced in the
United States. —Forest Service.
BOARDERS AND ROOMERS.
The last two national censuses
show that a decreasing number of
Americans —not Polies, but Ameri
cans —live in their own or any one
else’s home. Americans, in short,
are becoming roomers. Boarding
houses are being supplanted by room
ing houses. This change is taking
place in all the cities in the country.
In Boston, for example, there were in
1885 two roomers to three boarder’s,
but in 1895 there were five roomers
to every boarder, and the changes
since 1895 have driven the boarding
house out altogether.
This simply means that the men
who have no homes of their own are
eating at restaurants and they have
no home life at all. The boarding
house may not be ideal in that re
spect, but it certainly is far better as
a rule than the restaurant and a room
in a rooming house or on the top
floors of a business building or wher
ever else shelter can be secured.
The effects of the rooming house
are felt to a limited extent in this
city, and doubtless the rooming houses
will be increased as the years go on.
The number of homeloving people is
not decreasing, but the number that
can afford to have even the domestic
atmosphere which is found in a good
boarding house, is constantly growing
less. The Dingley tariff exactions
and wildcat finance and a hundred
other things have advanced the cost
of living until many a man is com
pelled to seek the rooming houses no
matter how much he may desire hu
man companionshop. Home life can
not be abolished without incurring ef
fects that will prove hurtful, and the
subject deserves thoughtful treat
ment and study. The problem cf the
rooming house lodger is pretty new,
but it promises to become pretty gen
eral in all the cities of the land.—
Age-Herald.
TENNESSEE AND THE GULF.
Senator Bob Taylor says the link
ing together of the Tennessee and the
Warrior by a canal “would add im
measurably to the wealth and indus
trial importance of both Tennessee
and Alabama,” and the hope in this
district is that east Tennessee will
line up solid behind her eloquent and
popular senator. If Alabama and
east Tennessee pull together in this
matter the government can readily be
induced to build a canal 93 miles
long connecting the two improved riv
ers, the Warrior and the Tennessee.
Unlike the project cf a canal 300
miles long to the Ocmulgee across the
red hills of Georgia, the Alabama-
Tennessee plan calls for a canal but
93 miles long, to cost not exceeding
$5,000,000. The government cannot
afford to let the two rivers go dis
connected, for a short canal would
benefit a vast inland district, a dis-