ET
Belletonte, Pa., February 22, 1918.
THE COPYREADER SOLDIER.
From a line o’ Type, in the Boston Herald.
A copy-reader soldier lay full of holes in
France;
He was punctured in the wishbone, he was
riddled in the pants,
A stretcher bearer found him, and knelt
to give him aid,
And as he held the victim's head that
copyreader prayed:
“Just tell them not to keep my job back
yonder on the Star,
And tell them not to hold my chair behind
McKenzie's bar.
Just say my copyreading days forever now
are done;
Y’'ve written my last ‘Rush 1° head for the
home edition run.
“The rewrite staff—it loves me not—may
chortle that I'm through,
But others there will be to take the work
I used to do.
Tell my brethren at the desk to chop as
in the days of yore,
And to keep the old traditions fresh of
those who've gone before.
“Tell them for me,”’—his voice was choked,
emotion filled his eye—
see that ‘probe,’ ‘quiz,’ ‘rap,’
‘score’ are not allowed to die.”
The stricken soldier faltered—nearly ‘30’
now for him—
But he marshaled all his forces as
light of life burned dim.
“Io and
the
The streatcher-bearer bowed his head to
get his last faint word,
Then dropped a pitying tear or two,
this is what he heard:
“And tell them”—it was whispered—‘ when
for
they're clear on all the news
Some day to send more grapevine than
the make-up man can use.”
OBLITERATION OF OLD SING
SING.
The old “Sing Sing” is being torn
down and is to be replaced by a mod-
ern building or buildings. Since the
year 1837 the old cell-block has stood
a monument to ignorance in office and
a crying shame upon the people of the
State of New York, says a contribu-
tor to the Christian Science Monitor,
who had made a special investigation
of prisons and prison conditions.
This cell-block was erected from
stone quarried out of the side of the
hill above the Hudson river near Os-
sining. This stone was carried by in-
mates across the New York Central
tracks and gradually piled into a
mammoth catacomb containing 1,200
cells of the old type—without ventila-
tion, save a small opening at the back
ond without washing or toilet facili-
ies.
Each of these 1,200 cells arranged
in tiers of 50, is as like the others as
cells in a beehive. Their length is ap-
proximately six feet, their height six
feet, and their width but a few inch-
es over four feet. They contain but
one-fourth the cubical contents of air
required by the New York State tene-
ment laws.
In the year 1846 a grand jury con-
demned the cell-block at Sing Sing.
Eeach year that followed found other
grand juries condemning the huge pile
wherein men lived and expired like
troglodytic apes, or Navajo cliff dwell-
ers. ’
It remained for the present admin-
istration at Albany to take action in
the matter. Governor Charles S.
‘Whitman, seconded by James Carter,
superintendent of prisons, of the
State of New York, dropped down to
Sing Sing one day, and under the
guidance of Warden William Moyer,
on November 7, 1917, they removed
the first stone from the old cell-block
and gave the orders to tear the struc-
ture down as rapidly as possible.
A new Sing Sing and a better Sing
Sing will rise from the crumbling ru-
ins of the old cell-block. The plans,
ambitious as they are, call for all
that is modern in penology and the
housing of convicted men. Some of
the old shops will remain. Most, how-
ever, like the old cell-block, will be
torn down and their foundations used
for the new buildings and cell-houses.
A phoenix is expected to rise from
the ashes and the mistakes of the
past. It was worse than useless to
expect to reform men when the State
housed them in tiny caves—cold in
winter, and reeking with dampness
and vermin in summer.
German prison camps, Russian dun-
geons, the great prison of Peter and
Paul near Petrograd, are far better
than the old Sing Sing which is so
happily passing. As a breeding place
for diseases, Sing Sing the old was a
festering sore upon the entire body
of the State.
A number of surprises are expected
when the foundation stones of the old
cells are removed. It was the custom
under the old system of prison man-
agement to enforce strict silence at
all times. This rule made for a sort
of underground telegraphy which
passed from cell to cell so quickly the
guards were puzzled. Investigation
- proved that the inmates could commu-
nicate through the ventilation holes
in the back of the cells. Articles were
often hidden there when a search was
in progress. It is on record that one
inmate passed ‘another $300 in bills,
which slipped from the other’s hand
and went down to the bottom of the
tiny shaft. Opium, in the gum form,
was also peddled in this manner.
Much of it fell in the early days. It
will be found, as well as knives, weap-
ons, contraband, and tiny trinkets,
dear to the prisoner’s heart, when the
last stone is removed.
Each gallery at Sing Sing, upon
which are fifty cells, is numbered.
The numbers run from 1 to 24. There
is, however, another gallery of which
little is known upon the outside. It
is called “Gallery Twenty-five.” This
is the prison graveyard upon the hill
just above the wall. Here are buried
all those who perished from diseases
due to the unsanitary conditions of
the old cell-block. The little white
crosses of this graveyard bear dates
further back than the memory of the
oldest guard.
Two years ago Thomas Mott Os-
borne, now warden of the military
prison at Portsmouth, stated that the
old cell-block system at Sing Sing, |d
with its 1,200 cells, should be blown
| up with dynamite, draped with ivy
and exhibited as one of the ancient
{ ruins of America.
Visitors to the modern Rhine, how-
ever, will see in the years to come a
{new Sing Sing with modern buildings,
| sanitary cell-houses, large cells with
running water and up-to-date work-
shops dotting the hillside within the
gray walls of correction. The old
eyesore is being rapidly demolished
and the new is taking form and shape.
There are still other prisons in the
State of New York which are little
better than the old Sing Sing. Clin-
ton prison, at Dannemora, and Au-
burn prison, at Auburn, have no place
in modern penology where men who
wish to reform are held down by the
degredation of their surroundings.
The worst, or some of the worst,
prisons in the country are to be found
in the Eastern States. The oldest, but
one, is the Charlestown State Prison,
in Boston, or rather, in Charlestown,
which is only two miles from the State
House in Boston. This prison was
built in 1804, 33 years before Sing
Sing, but still there has been no very
insistent demand for any change. It
may be that Massachusetts and Bos-
ton have so long enjoyed a reputation
for learning, culture and all that is
advanced that they have lulled them-
selves into the belief that only that
which is proper and according to best
usage can exist among them.
This prison, however, in their midst
is a disgrace to the State and to the
people. Like Sing Sing, it is a mas-
sive stone building containing hun-
dreds of little cells, tier above tier,
like a honey-comb. These cells are
entirely of stone, 7% feet high, 83 feet
long and 4 feet wide. They are dark,
damp and have no ventilation, except
through the barred door. The only
toilet arrangement is a bucket, emp-
tied once in 24 hours, and the air be-
comes so foul that, in the morning,
when the guards unlock the doors
they turn their faces the other way
trying to avoid the foul smell.
The massive stone walls act as an
accumulator for dampness until the
moisture sometimes stands on the
walls in large drops and on the floors
in pools. Then so that the misery of
the poor human beings that the Com-
monwealth of Massachusetts—long
live the Commonwealth—has here
confined for punishment, may be com-
plete, there is allowed to share these
cells with them hordes, literally
hordes, of vermin.
Many of the cells are dark and it
may be imagined what a man goes
through from 4 o’clock on Saturday
afternoon until 7 o’clock on Monday
morning (except one hour for relig-
iosu service on Sunday) shut in one
of these cells. They still have the si-
lent system in Massachusetts. The
men also eat in these cells. One won-
ders if the good people of Massachu-
setts (for they are good people) knew
what is done in the name of justice,
if they would not demand of their
Representatives that these conditions
be done away with—maybe the Board
of Health would do something, but of
course they are both State institu-
tions.
War and British Walking Sticks.
There is probably no country in the
world where the use of walking sticks
is so general as in the United King-
dom. Practically every man carries
a cane, not only in the towns and
cities, but also in the country; and, in
addition, there is a large demand for
walking sticks for women, these being
used extensively in the country and
at seaside resorts, but not to a great
extent in the cities, reports Consul
McBride from London.
The winter months are always
rainy and even during the summer
the weather is often very unsettled,
so that the use of umbrellas is also
unusually great. These conditions
have made the manufacture of um-
brellas and walking sticks an impor-
tan industry in the British Isles.
The United Kingdom has long tak-
en the lead in the manufacture of
walking sticks, and a large propor-
tion of the output was made of raw
material grown in the British Isles,
such as ash, chestnut, oak and simi-
lar woods. The importation of finish-
ed sticks has always been small,
but before the war a considerable
amount of raw or partly finished ma-
terial was imported, such as malacca
canes, ebony, wangees, roof bamboo,
nilgherri, etc. Cherry sticks and
what is known as “Congo” wood were
formerly imported from Germany
and Austria, where they are grown.
For a time after the outbreak of war
the stocks on hand, both here and in
neutral countries,
but gradually, the trade has become
more dependent upon home-grown
goods, and consequently a greatly in-
creased demand for domestic raw ma-
terials has arisen.
The military vogue has also had
great effect on the style of walking
sticks, and there has been a large de-
mand during the past two or three
years for sticks and canes for mili-
tary use. These include plain knob-
bed canes, knobbed canes with leath-
er handles, and swagger sticks. There
is besides, an unusually large call for
ordinary heavy crook canes, which are
now used to a considerable extent by
wounded soldiers. This increase in
the demand for new styles has coun-
terbalanced in quantity but not in val-
ue the former demand for higher-
priced walking sticks for city use.
As regards prices, it has been
| found that both labor and material
have had a steady upward tendency
since the war began. Some canes and
sticks which were largely used have
increased 100 per cent. in cost, and
certain of the better kinds are now
practically unobtainable. Generally
speaking, it may betsaid that an ap-
proximate advance of 25 per, cent. in
price has taken place on the lower-
grade goods and probably 30 to 40
per cent. on the higher qualities. In-
creasing difficulty is also being exper-
ienced by manufacturers in obtaining
sufficient supplies of metal fittings,
materials for umbrella frames, and
textile materials for umbrella covers.
——————————————
Orders is Orders.
Orderly out,
Sergeant—Lights
there.
Voice from the Hut—It’s the moon,
sergint.
Orderly Sergeant—I don’t give a
——n what it is. Put it out!—
Punch.
met the demand, | M
Soldiers’ Commandments.
Given forth primarily for the guid-
ance and inspiration of the student
officers and drafted men who have
been summoned to the colors, never-
theless, “The Soldiers’ Command-
ments” as formulated by Major W. E.
P. French, in the New York Times,
are the embodiment of ideals and
principles which should crowd the
heart of not only the splendid young
American manhood which is so gal-
lantly sustaining the prestige of
American arms, but every American
citizen in every walk of life.
Commandments are as follows:
1. Keep your eyes at the ready,
your ears at full cock, and your mouth
at the safety notch, for it is your sol-
dierly duty to see and hear clearly;
but as a rule, you should be heard
mainly in the sentry challenge or
the charging cheer. Obey orders first,
and if still alive, kick afterward, if
you have been wronged.
2. Keep your rifle or gun and your
accoutrements clean and in good or-
der, and yourself as clean as you can;
treat your animals kindly and fairly
and your motor or other machine as
though it belonged to you and was
the only one thing in the world. Do
not waste your ammunition, your gas,
your food, your time, nor your oppor-
tunity.
3. Never try to fire an empty gun
nor at an empty trench; but when you
shoot, shoot to kill; and forget not
that at close quarters a bayonet beats
a bullet.
4. Tell the truth squarely, face the
music, and take your punishment like
a man; for a good soldier won't lie,
doesn’t skulk, and is no squealer.
5. Remember Edith Cabell, Belgium,
Serbia, and Lusitania, Louvian, and
the U-Boats of the Hun, and remem-
bering Teuton savagery, barbarism,
and atrocities, steel your hearts
against the ravishers of woman, the
murderers and mutilators of children
and non-combatants, the ruthless de-
stroyers of homes the Hounds-of-the-
Hohenzollern, the bestial Boches.
6. Be merciful to the women of
your foe and shame them not, for you
are a man, not a beast, and a woman
bore you. And pity and shield the
children in your captured territory,
for you were once a helpless child,
and only a dastard makes war on the
weak.
7. You shall kill in the name and
for the sake of Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity, until Right shall triumph
over Might and Victory crown Jus-
tice.
8. Fear dishonor, dread defeat, be
of good cheer and high courage, and
don’t shirk work or danger; but fear
not death, dread not wounds, suffer in
silence, and die game.
9. Bear in mind that the enemy is
your enemy of humanity until he is
killed or captured; then he is your
dead brother or your fellow soldier
beaten or ashamed, whom you should
no further humiliate.
10. Do your best to keep very clear
and cool, your body clean and com-
fortable, and your feet in good shape;
for you think with your head, fight
with your body, stand on and march
with your feet.—New York Times.
How the Drs. Mayo Get Their Pay.
There is an article in the February
American Magazine about the won-
derful Drs. Mayo, of Rochester, Minn.
Patients come from every part of the
world to see these men, and here is
how they pay for their treatment.
The author says:
“There is a business office where,
as in other business offices, the infor-
mation to be had in Dun’s and Brad-
street’s is on tap. But a second
glance at the majority of the patients
isn’t necessary to convince you that
their names never got into the pages
of those useful volumes. In these
cases the friend or relative who ac-
companies the patient is questioned.
“This sounds like cold-blooded com-
mercialism. On the contrary, it is an
attempt to achieve as nearly as pos-
sible absolute fairness and justice.
There is a rather widespread notion
that the Mayos charge for an impor-
tant operation a fixed percentage—
commonly given as ten per cent.—of
a patient’s income.
“This may be true sometimes. If
that percentage is charged it is be-
cause it seems a fair and just fee in
that particular case. The financial
diagnosis is made as carefully as the
physical. And people who know the
inner history of that department as-
sert that if errors in charging are
made, they are in the interest of the
patients and not to the benefit of the
ayos.
“Driven for once to the point of
speech, Dr. Will said this on the sub-
ject of fees:
“‘We have never taken notes—
promises to pay—from people who
were not able to pay. No mortgage
has ever been given on a home to set-
tle a bill of ours. We never sue for
a bill. Thirty per cent. of our patients
are charity cases. And about tewnty-
five per cent. more pay barely the cost
of treatment.’ ”
A LINE O’ CHEER.
I see no use
In sharp abuse
Of those who don’t agree with me,
I sometimes find
In my own mind
That with myself I don’t agree.
So truly I
Cannot see why
We can’t dwell smiling side by side.
You on your line,
And I on mine,
And both completely satisfied.
—John Kendrick Bangs.
To Help Teachers.
Teachers who wish to interest their
pupils in home floriculture and land-
scaping will find the circular on this
subject prepared by the States Rela-
tions Service of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture helpful and
practical. It gives outlines for a
course of study and classroom prac-
tice and suggests methods for corre-
lating school study with home prac-
tice.
Saw Mr. Hoover's Ice Warning.
Gay—Well, thank heaven the warm
weather is approaching anyway.
Grump—Huh! Coal bin trouble
over, refrigerator trouble begins.
The |
Healll and Happiness
“Mens sana in corpore sano”
Number 35.
The Use of the Face Mask and Other
Precautions Against Pneumonia,
One of the Diseases Spread By
Nasopharyngeal Secretions.
“Valuable as improvements in the
determination of the types of the
pneumococcus and the development of
curative serums are, the prevention
of infection and the limitation of its
spread are far more important.”
; Victor C. Vaughan,
Jour. Lab. and Clin. Med., Jan., 1918.
Streptococcus pneumonae in pure cul-
ture one day old. As it appears when
seen under the microscope and highly
magnified.
Although pneumonia was quite ful- |
ly discussed in an article by Dr. Hen-
ry Smith Williams published in this :
column, February 8, it has seemed ad-
visable, owing to the prevalence of
the disease at this season, to add an
excerpt from the American Medical
Journal, February 9. The editor of
the Journal urges the universal wear-
ing of a face mask by physicians,
nurses and others when in attendance
upon patients and observance of the
same precautions that have been
found efficacious in other communica-
ble diseases. He says:
“Pneumonia is today the most seri-
ous acute infectious disease confront-
ing the physician. Second only to tu-
berculosis among the acute infectious
diseases as a cause of death, it at-
tacks suddenly and kills quickly.”
In outlining a plan of procedure to
follow in the prophylaxis and treat-
ment of pneumonia it is essential to
have clearly in mind the causation
and natural course of the disease.
Pneumonia or inflammation of the
lungs includes acute lobar pneumo-
nia as well as various forms of atyp-
ical and broncho pneumonia.
THE INFECTING ORGANISM.
Acute lobar pneumonia is due to in-
fection by the pneumococcus, usually
runs a rapid course, and is character-
ized by a diffuse exudative inflamma-
tion of large parts of one or more
lobes of the lungs. Broncho pneumo-
nia, on the contrary, may be due to a
variety of bacteria, but is usually as-
sociated with streptococci. Most
cases of pneumonia which foffow or
complicate contagious diseases are
due to streptococci, i. e., are septic
pneumonias. While we have been in
the habit of saying that lobar pneu-
monia is caused by the pneumococcus,
recent studies have shown that strains
of pneumococci which are alike so far
as cultural properties are concerned
are still widely separated in their bio-
logic qualities.
When the study of pneumonia was
undertaken at the Hospital of the
Rockefeller Institute, a large number
of races of pneumococci were isolat- |
ed and studied as to the immune re-
actions. As a result of these studies
the strains of pneumococci grouped
themselves into four classes or types.
These four groups of pneumococci are
spoken of as Types I, II, III, and IV.
Type I is found in 33 per cent. of
cases of lobar pneumonia; Type II in
29 per cent.; Type III in 13 per cent.,
and Type IV in 20 per cent. The
pneumococci found in normal months
helong to Type IV. = * * *
PREVENTION.
It has generally been considered
that all persons harbor the pneumo-
coccus in the throat, and that it is
thus ever ready to attack the person
who becomes debilitated, and especial-
ly to add its attack to that of the
influenza bacillus or to follow a strep-
tococcal infection of the throat or
nose. It is no doubt true that expos-
ure and a weakening of individual re-
sistance do play a prominent part.
Recent studies of the incidence of the
various types of pneumococci in the
throat of normal persons,in the throats
of those suffering with pneumonia, in
healthy persons in contact with cases
of pneumonia, as compared with those
not in contact, and in the dust of
rooms in which lobar pneumonia had
not occurred, as compared with the
dust of rooms in which cases of pneu-
monia had occurred, all show that
pneumonia, in a considerable propor-
tion of cases at least, arises chiefly
by infection from without. It was
shown definitely that pneumococci of
Types I and II are practically never
found except in the environment of
persons ill with the disease or in the
environment of carriers.
It seems advisable, therefore,
henceforth to regard every case of
pneumonia as a focus for the spread
of the infection, and the same meas-
ures should be instituted as have been
found efficacious in other communica-
ble diseases. These include primarily
(a) isolation of the patient as far as
possible and convenient, (b) collec-
tion of the sputum in special contain-
ers and its disinfection, and (c) steril-
ization and prevention of contamina-
tion from utensils, bed clothing, per-
sonal clothing, handkerchiefs, and
other material in close contact with
the patient.
The physicians, orderlies nurses
in attendance on patients with pneu-
monia should practice the greatest
care in order to avoid transmitting
the disease to others. This involves
the wearing of a clean gown when at-
tending patients, the thorough cleans-
ing of the hands by soap and water
before and after attending each pa-
tient, and, as has been suggested by
Weaver, the wearing of a simple pro-
AR
tective face mask when in attendance
on patients. This not only prevents
the physician or other attendant from
becoming infected, but also prevents
the patients from becoming infected
through their attendants with second-
"| ary infections with organisms which
they do not already have.
The room in which the pneumonia
patient lies should be cleansed daily
to avoid dissemination of dust, .and
after the patient’s recovery it should
be thoroughly aired, washed and sun-
ned to dispose of any remaining or-
ganisms.
Cases of the common contagious
diseases, as measles and scarlet fever,
in which secondary pneumonia oc-
curs should be isolated and not allow-
ed with uncomplicated cases. Those
attending such cases may have the
protection offered by gauze masks, as
recommended by Weaver.
CARRIERS.
{ Finally, a search should be made
| for pneumococcus carriers of the or-
| ganisms of Types I and II especially,
‘and these carriers should be instruct-
red as to prevention of the spread of
{the organisms. They may also be
! provided with a disinfecting mouth
| wash or gargle, and should use it per-
| sistently until the organisms have
| disappeared from the throat and the
sputum.
: Kolmer and Stienfield (Amer-
Med. Jour., Jan. 5,1918) have found
a mixture that may readily be used
|as a mouth wash or gargle, the for-
imula of which is as follows:
' Gm. or Ce.
. Ethylhydrocuprein hydrochloride or
bisulphate
t Liquor thymolis
| Distilled water to make
Such a gargle may be used at least
twice daily by those in contact with
| pneumonia cases, and also by the pa-
| tients themselves and persons suffer-
ing with measles or other infections
favoring the development of lobar
pneumonia. Similar dilutions in un-
diluted Dobell’s solution may be used
for spraying the nose, or, incorporat-
ed in a dental cream, for cleansing
the teeth.
The slightly bitter taste remaining
after the use of these washes is read-
ily removed by rinsing the mouth with
plain water.
The systematic use of either of
these mixtures may serve to destroy
or inhibit the multiplication of viru-
lent and disease producing types of
pneumococci among contacts, and
thereby aid in the preventive treat-
ment of lobar pneumonia.”
WEAVER’S FACE MASK.
The simple face mask recommended
to be worn as a protective measure
by the editor of the Journal is thus
described by Dr. Weaver (Med. Jour.,
Jan. 12):
“The masks we have used consist
of a double thickness of gauze, so
shaped as to fit closely over the face
from the chin well up over the nose,
and held in place by two tapes tied
behind the head. A mask is never
worn twice until sterilized and wash-
ed, and is always replaced by a fresh
one when evidently contaminated or
when it becomes moist. Little objec-
tion is made to wearing the mask,
and most nurses wear them constantly
when on duty. The attacks of tonsil-
litis, pharyngitis and rhinitis that
were relatively frequent before the
masks were used also have about dis-
appeared in the last year.
“We feel that great protective use-
fulness resides in this mechanical
measure, and think that it might be
used to advantage also by persons
caring for pneumonia patients. The
importance of carriers in pneumonia
and epidemic meningitis is apparently
very great, and that those about such
patients become carriers quite fre-
quently is proven beyond doubt. The
face mask not only protects the
healthy person from infection and
from becoming a carrier, but also pre-
vents a carrier from spreading infec-
tion to others. Masks can be used to
good advantage also in households in
which are patients with diphtheria,
pneumonia, scarlet fever, epidemic
meningitis or other diseases spread by
naso-pharyngeal discharges.”
What Women are Doing.
Women workers in Puerto Rico
have a minimum wage law.
It is predicted that at the close of
the war women will replace men as
stewards on the large ocean liners.
Commissions as second lieutenants
in the Massachusetts Guard will be
given to the nurses in that State.
The Swiss Women’s committee for
a Lasting Peace has called an inter-
national woman’s conference at
Berne.
The first shell fired on the new gov-
ernment proving grounds at Aber-
deen, Md., was fired by a woman,
Mrs. Edward V. Stockham.
Hundreds of women have answered
the call for recruits in the English
Flying Corps. Those needed immedi-
ately by the Royal Flying Corps are:
One hundred and forty-four fitters
(general machine and turners). 52 in-
strument repairers, 20 acetylene weld-
ers, 37 electricians, 12 draftswomen,
56 painters, 2 tracers and 145 store-
keepers.
German women have been granted
nothing except the most insignificant
rights.
Miss Margaret Mahanay: who oper-
ates an extensive poultry farm near
Concord, Mass., is an authority on
turkey problems.
In the West from 50 to 67 per cent.
of the women graduates marry, while
in the East the per centage is from
40 to 50.
The United States Government
plans to establish rehabilitation and
vocational schools for disabled sol-
diers and sailors. The teachers will
be women.
Between August 1914, and June
1917, over two hundred thousand mar-
riages have been recorded in England
which had there been no war would
not have been consummated.
Mme Melba, the noted opera sing-
er, has established a school in Mel-
bourne, Australia, where she has over
one hundred pupils, many of whom she
expects to become great singers.
More than 44,000,000 acres of
coal lands in the 14 States of the
United States are to be opened in
1918.
FARM NOTES.
—One rat will eat or spoil four
bushels of grain a year. It costs $2
or $3 a year to feed a rat on your
place.
—Provide 4 or 5 inches of good,
clean litter on the floor of the poultry
house in which to scatter the grain
feed. The hens must exercise in or-
der to get the grain, and this pro-
motes health and egg production.
—There are many well known
methods of supplying the necessary
vegetable matter to the scil. Crop
residue is usually the basis of more
humus. Grass or sod crops are the
most valuable in this respect. Stable
manure is also of great value in in-
creasing humus.
-——The seed corn scarcity will not
take care of itself. Farmers, to be
sure of seed for planting in the spring,
must save it this winter. Unless they
do save it they or other farmers will
be without seed corn in the spring.
The only choice is between making
sure now or causing a scarcity in the
planting season.
—A study of market prices of fat
hogs for a period of ten years shows
that the market varies from “highs”
to “lows” during certain months in
the year. Highest prices usually ob-
tain during the months of April and
September. The intervening months
show lower prices, June and December
representing the extremely low
months.
The price drops in late fall and ear-
ly winter because the spring farrow-
ed pigs which are finished on the fall
corn crop are ready to market at this
period. After this period the price
rises, reaching the highest point about
April, due to the fact that there are
few fat hogs to market at that season.
Following this time pigs farrowed
the previous fall begin to arrive, the
run being heaviest about June, react-
ing in a corresponding low market
price. The price is generally highest
in late August or September since
both pigs and feed are scarce at that
time.
Pigs farrowed in the spring, for in-
stance may easily be made ready for
the September market, provided they
have access to good pasture or forage
crops and are given in addition heavy
grain feed from early June through-
out the summer.
—Because they do not realize that
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the
Dakotas, Oklahoma, Texas, etc., are
seriously in need of seed of adapted
varieties, there are farmers here and
there throughout the United States
who are feeding corn that would be
more valuable if used for seed.
To the detriment of the 1918 crop
such corn is being used to some extent
in some portions of the States men-
tioned. This is especially regrettable
because the corn is adapted to the con-
ditions and is not a great distance
from where it will be sadly needed
next spring.
Ordinarily seed corn should not be
obtained from a distance. The nicest-
looking seed may be entirely un-
adapted and cause the loss of a crop.
As there is but little “hold-over,” the
frost-stricken and drought-stricken
areas must get their seed from other
points. It should be obtained from a
locality having a similar climate, and
obtained now.
If you have a large amount, or but
a few bushels, of a 90-day corn which
germinates well, let your county
agent, your State experiment station,
and the United States Department of
Agriculture know about it. Prompt
co-operation should prove profitable
to all and prevent many failures next
year.
—Young growing stands of timber,
if very thick, need to be thinned out
so that those trees which are left will
grow faster. If young trees stand too
closely together slow growth will re-
sult. Trees like vegetable crops need
to be thinned.
As trees grow in height the crowns
expand. Room must be given for this
development or fast growth will not
be obtained. As trees grow larger a
fewer number can stand on an acre.
Many dead trees can be seen over-
topped by the others in nearly every
stand of trees. Their crowns being
cut off from light, they could no long-
er manufacture food and died. Trees
naturally thin their own stand in this
way, but they do so at the expense of
fast growth.
Practice forestry, says Professor J.
A. Ferguson, of The Pennsylvania
State College, by going into a young
stand and cutting out the trees that
are falling behind, that have small
crowns, that are low in the canopy.
They will die sooner or later. Remov-
ing them now will prevent them from
being killed later by the remaining
trees. Trees thus removed can be
utilized for fuel. Do not break the
canopy too much.
Large openings let in too much sun-
light to the forest floor, and cause
thick growth of grass and weeds.
Thinnings should be made every few
years during the life of a young grow-
ing woodlot.
—Testing seed corn is a form of
crop insurance which should not be
overlooked by farmers and is of spe-
cial importance this year in view of
the high prices which have prevailed
during the past winter. Tests should
be made before the corn is shelled
and every ear should be tested. ;
A simple method is to place two
inches of wet sawdust, well packed
down, in a box about twenty inches
square and three inches deep. Lay
over the sawdust a sheet of muslin of
the same size as the box, marked off
into two-inch squares and numbered
from 1 to 100.
The germinator will then hold seed
from 100 ears.
The ears to be tested should be laid
out in a row and every fifth one num-
bered. Beginning with the first ear,
pick out two grains near the tip, two
near the middle and two near the butt,
and place these six grains on the
square numbered “1.” Likewise, take
six grains from each of the other ears
until the germinator is full. Then
cover the corn with a wet burlap bag.
If the germinator is kept at room
temperature for five or six days Jit
may then be opened and the vitality
of each ear determined. An ear
should not be arded as first class
for seed unless all six grains from it
have germinated. Ears not indicating
good vitality should be discarded.
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