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Demoralc apn.
Bellefonte, Pa., March 7. 1924.
PURNELL BILL PROVIDES
MORE RESEARCH WORK.
Latest reports received in Centre
county from Washington, D. C., state
that the Purnell bill calling for addi-
tional funds to support agricultural
research study in the State agricul-
tural colleges has met the approval of
the Agricultural committee of Con-
gress. It is expected that the bill will
be reported out of the committee in
the near future and will soon some to
a vote. .
Because the passage of this biil
means so much to the future of agri-
culture, farmers of the county are
showing a keen interest in the prog-
ress it is making. By its provisions,
Pennsylvania will receive $15,000 the
first year to be used in solving farm
problems at the experimental station
at State College. This fund, accord-
ing to the bill, will increase $10,000
each year until each State will receive
$85,000 annually for agricultural re-
search purposes.
Prominent farmers of the county
point out that the experimental work
on the station farm at State College,
despite a lack of sufficient funds, has
returned far more than the total ex-
penditures the Purnell bill would en-
tail. They state that the development
of Pennsylvania 44 wheat by C
Noll, agronomist at the experiment
station, has resulted in an increase in
the annual income of the farmers
which is greater than the annual ex-
FOR
penditure of $4,000,000 called for in
the Purnell bill. It has been estimat-
ed by prominent authorities that the
development of this wheat has been
worth at least $5,000,000 to the State |
of Pennsylvania.
Agricultural leaders point to the
studies of animal feeding conducted
in the calorimeter at State College as '
evidence of the value of research and
experimentation. The feeding stand-
ards worked out in this apparatus
have meant an immense saving, %o
not only Pennsylvania farmers, but
livestock men the world over.
Other research findings that have
resulted in more economical produc-
tion are cited by farmers supporting
the Purnell bill.” The development of
new strains of tomatoes and cabbage,
the experiments in disease and insect
control have resulted in a spraying
program for potatoes and fruits; the
experiments in steer feeding proving
.the value and economy of feeding si-
lage, they point to in their arguments
for more research funds.
One reason for the favorable senti-
ment the bill is creating among the
farmers of the country is because it
enlarges the scope of agricultural re-
search to include the studies on the !
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{
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economic and marketing problems |
confronting the farmer. At the pres-
ent time, they say, there is a great
need for information along this line.
Problems of farm management, grad-
ing, standardization, transportation,
storage, marketing of farm crops and
social problems of country life can be |
investigated under the provisions of
the new bill. ;
Authorities of The Pennsylvania
State College state that the funds
now received for agricultural research
are entirely too small to carry on the
research demanded by the farmers of
the State. Hundreds of requests,
they say, are coming in each year for
research work on problems of produc-
tion and marketing of farm products.
The lack of funds makes possible the
solution of only the more important
problems.
emr———— A eetee—
Forage Crops Best for Pigs.
Results at the various experiment
stations, including the animal hus-
bandry department at The Pennsylva-
nia State College, indicate that forage
fed pigs are thriftier and are produc-
ed more economically than those fed
in dry lots. Tests conducted on over
1000 hogs on 75 farms in various
parts of Pennsylvania give practic-
ally proof of this experiment.
A summary of these farm tests
shows that where 451 pounds of grain
were required to produce 100 pounds
of gain in dry lots only 315 pounds
were needed when the porkers had
good forage crops. Authorities esti-
mate that one-third of the grain bill
can be saved by the use of a proper
grain ration with pasture such as al-
falfa, dwarf Essex rape or clover.
A good forage crop like alfalfa fur-
nishes minerals, necessary vitamins,
considerable proteins and carbohy-
drates and insures a high degree of
digestibility for both forage and grain
according to veteran swine feeders.
This they say, is the reason why for-
age makes the pigs thrifty and cuts
down on the amount of grain requir-
ed.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking
that pigs can thrive entirely on forage
crops, they add. Provide plenty of
grain and see that a rich protein feed
such as tankage, fish meal or a milk
by-product is included in the ration.
Forage crops are not a substitute for
these concentrates but merely cut
down the amount of high priced feeds
necessary to produce healthy profita-
ble pigs.
New Lethal Gas Will Last More Than
Week.
London.—Discovery of a new poi-
son gas that will persist for seven cr
eight days after its discharge is re-
ported by F. N. Pickett, who has di-
rected the breaking up of thousands
of gas cylinders and shells in France
since the world war.
The new gas is described by Pick-
ett as a “lethal gas persistent,” and
he states he has offered the entire
discovery to the British war office.
Hitherto deadly gases have lasted
for a very short time.
Seed Potatoes.
It is quite a common fault to plant
too small pieces of seed potatoes. The
most successful potato growers are
using seed pieces that are not smaller
than one and one-half to two ounces.
This is equivalent to about eighteen
bushels of seed per acre.
SAHARA WAS ONCE FERTILE
Pictures of Forgotten Civilization Dis-
covered on the Desert by
Explorers.
The Sahara was not always a desert,
parched by the blazing sun, says Ham-
burger Nachrichten. This great ex-
panse is, to our minds, nothing but a
land of scorching heat. We know that
the entire region, although it is as big
as Europe, has no move inhabitants
than a medium-sized European town
and that the endless plain of the Sahara
holds nothing except sand and soli-
tude.
Yet the immense desert of sand and
bare rocks was in the dim past a
fertile and well-developed country.
Traces have been found of forgotten
civilization which prove that the Sa-
hara was not always a desert. The
German explorers Nachtigal and
Rholfs found pictures of fishes and
plants carved in the rocks; pictures
of plows and other agricultural im-
plements, were also found.
Recently ruins of enormous cities
have been found in the northern part
of the desert. These ruins show an
incredible splendor of architecture.
The most important ruins were found
near Damugadis which was founded
during the time of the Roman emper-
ors. Damugadis lay south of Tripoli
in the northern Sahara. There a city
F. ' of white marble of marvelous beauty
was excavated. Its buildings had pil-
lars in the Greek style, broad streets
which would be the delight of any
modern city architect, an intricate
water system and all those attributes
which characterized Roman civiliza-
tion.
BADGE WORN BY TOREADOR
Spanish Bull Fighter Proud of His
Pigtail or Coleta—Objects to
Impostors Wearing It.
It is a saying in Spain that to be a
great matador one should have Triana
blood. Several families of the town
have supplied three and sometimes |
four generations of bull fighters.
The conservative toreador wears a
small pigtail or coleta. He allows his
coleta to grow as soon as he has
passed his novitiate and has been ac-
cepted by the authorities as a real
torero.
The bull fighter is immensely proud
of this traditional badge of his calling
and has little mercy on those who
wear it without the right to do so.—
Detroit News.
Great Sea Waves.
Waves of extraordinary height, mis-
called “tidal waves,” are sometimes
encountered at sea or along the coasts.
They are due either to earthquakes
under the sea, or to a combination of
several ordinary waves, which, if a
heavy sea be running, is sufficient to
account for a wave of unusual height.
Such a one was recently encountered
by the British steamship Maine near
the southern edge of the Grand Banks
of Newfoundland. The wind was ris-
ing after a hard blow and an ugly
swell, about twenty-five feet high, was
running. Then a huge wave was seen
towering above the other seas a mile
away and rushing toward the ship. It
swept the vessel from end to end and
was estimated by the officers to have
been from 50 to 60 feet in height.
Softeners for Hard Water.
The problem of bard water is one
which confronts a great many house
wives on wash day. There are muny
chemical agents used to soften the
water. Washing soda is the cheapest
agent, and perhaps the most generally
effective. Two points only must be re-
membered in employing it.
that it is entirely dissolved before
adding it to the washing water. Any
tiny undissolved particles will go to
work enthusiastically where they fall,
and in their zeal are apt to eat up
{fabric and all. This is the explanation
of the occurrence of holes and weak
spots where washing soda has been
carelessly used.
extreme care. Use even more than
ordinary precaution. The nose is an
excellent court of last appeal to judge
whether linen has been sufficiently
rinsed. If it smells soapy, or alkaline,
return it for another swim in clear
water. Some kinds of bluing will
make rust spots on the clothes if the
soapy water is not thoroughly rinsed
out before immersion in the bluing
water.
Borax is a most satisfactory water
softener. It acts as a mild bleach to
whiten linen and it has a slight germi-
cidal action. It is entirely safe to use,
and is less dangerous to colored fab-
rics than washing soda.
Ammonia and kerosene are also use-
ful. Two tablespoonfuls of kerosene in
a tub of hard water will save soap and
rubbing, but will make care in rinsing
more than ordinarily needed. Am-
monia, like borax, is so mild as to be
harmless to fabrics.—Modern Priscilla.
Gratified
At a church conference a speaker
made a number of disparaging re-
marks regarding the universities, final-
ly expressing gratification that he him-
self had not been corrupted by con-
tact with a college.
“Do I understand that the gentle.
man is thankful for his Ignorance?”
asked the chairman,
“Yes,” said the other, “if you wish
to put it that way.”
“Then,” continued the chairman, “all
I have to say is that you have much to
be thankful for.”
—If it really happened you will find
it in the “Watchman.”
First, see !
Preparing the Hotbed Is Regarded
Grow Your Plants
|
Gardeners Find It Pays te
Have Supply for Their
Own Use.
Prices of vegetables on the market
are always higher in the spring of the
year while certain of the most sought
after kinds are still scarce. This is
especially true of the crops classed as
greens and salads, because everybody
seems to need more of this kind of
food in the spring, and, therefore
these vegetables find ready sale. The
! home gardener can save this much
. by having his own crops coming on
early. To do this it may be necessary
! to start some of the plants in a window
' box in the house and to have a small
coldframe along the south side of the
garage or in some other well protected
place where both the early crops and
the early plants for setting in the gar.
den may be groin.
Lettuce, radishes and beets can be
grown right in the frame while plants
like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, are
being prepared for setting in the open.
Very little can be gained by starting
beet plants in the hotbed or coldframe;
however, some gardeners make a fair
success of growing early beet plants
in the hotbed then transplanting them
to the open ground. Im the opinion
of the United States Department of
Agriculture, the important point, how-
ever, in having an early garden is to
have thoroughly prepared the soil in
_ the fall so that it will dry out quickly
‘in the spring and be in shape for plant-
ing just as soon as the frost is out of
the ground,
| Among the crops that can be planted
extremely early in the open ground are
potatoes, peas, radishes, beets, onions,
spinach and the so-called frostproof
cabbage plants, which after all, are
nothing more than ordinary cabbage
| plants that have been grown in the
open and well hardened to withstand
, the cold blasts of early springtime.
{ In some places lettuce, spinach and
' onions can be properly planted in the
: fall and will mature very quickly when
the first warm days of spring appear.
It is really not safe to plant beans
and other of the more tender crops
until the soil is thoroughly warm and
Second, rinse with
|
Tools for Use in Hotbed.
all danger of frost is past and yet a
small packet of seed costs very little
and it is werth the hazard of planting
them early.
Every garden of any size should
have jn it a patch of asparagus as the
tender shoots of this permanent vege-
table are among the first of the green
growth that appears in the spring. In
addition, the asparagus bed does not
have to be planted but once in 10 or 15
years, if given the prope! care and
treatment.
Early crops in the garden pay best,
because they yield a supply of fresh |
vegetables when most needed and
when they cost most in the grocery.
FRAMES FOR VINES
Frames or trellises for flowering
vines not only add beauty to the home
surroundings, but give the vines a bet-
ter chance to get the air and sun, thus
more flowers,
srohe ne
in Box or Hotbed
J by the Practical Cottage Gardener as One
of His Most Important Duties—for He Must Have His Own Supply of
Piants If He Wishes to Have Early Vegetables and Flowers.
Indoor Gardening
in Pots and Boxes
Small Containers Will Sup-
ply Ample Space for All
Plants Needed.
Now is the “time to begin looking
around for seed ‘boxes to start seeds
for the earliest crops if you have not
already provided them. The most con-
venient boxes are known as “flats,”
usually made by cutting an ordinary
soap box in half and placing a bottom
on the top half. These flats should
be from three to four inches deep,
with holes bored in the bottom at six-
inch intervals to provide drainage.
These holes should be covered with
broken crockery or flower pots, so
that the soil will not leak through.
For seed raising in the ordinary
window of a living room or warm
kitchen these flats may be too wide.
In this case the cigar box is a very
SEEDLING IN PAPER.
GROWN IN DRINKING CUP.
PAPER POT.
Ug Sa
Sl
ql
[rs] “Le
3
SECTIONS
OF EGG
CRATES ARE
IDEAL AS A TRANSPLANTING
DEVICE.
convenient seed box. Empty cigar
boxes usually can be secured for the
asking at retail tobacco dealers. It
is a good plan to reinforce the fasten-
ing of the sides and bottom with a few
fine tacks of sufficient length to pene.
trate, as they are likely to warp after
the seeds have been planted. This
may also be checked by binding three
or four strands of wire tightly about
the box before the seeds are planted.
Four holes should be bored in the
bottom of the box for drainage, as in
the flats. While a cigar box does
not hold as much seed as the fiat, it
| will grow a comparatively large num-
{ ber of plants, often all the average
gardener will want, especially toma-
' toes, peppers or eggplants.
i Where only a few plants are desired
a flower pot is ideal, being built for
drainage and for economy of space.
Also it ‘does not dry out quickly. The
ten-inch pots will hold eight plants of
large growing plants like castor beans,
cucumbers or melons, and the plants
may be allowed to remain until ready
to transplant into the open provided
the seeds are spaced in the pot
when planted so they will not crowd
' for some time after germination.
Panes of glass to cover flats, cigar
boxes and pots are recommended, al-
though not essential. The glass pre-
vents too rapid evaporation and con-
trols the danger of the seeds drying
| out. Paper cut to fit or cloths which
may be kept moistened may be used
| to cover the seed boxes, watching care-
| fully until germination begins, when
they should be removed at once. The
seed boxes need not be exposed to
the light until the seedlings begin to
prick through.—National Garden Bu-
| reau.
FOR EARLY FLOWERING
Annual flowers that can be started
to advantage in hotbeds and coldframes
for early flowering, whether they are
' to be used for bedding purposes or for
cut flowers, include ageratum, China
aster, calliopsis, castorbean, calendula,
| cosmos, cockscomb, chrysanthemum,
| godetia, lobelia, marigold, petunia,
| Scotch pink, scarlet sage, spiderflower,
and verbena.
Clean-Up Sale
of Satin Pumps
AANANANS
RERERERERE
Now on sale—my entire stock of
Ladies Satin Pumps, including all
styles and prices. We do not have
all sizes in the different styles, but
you will doubtless be able to fit
your feet out of the many pairs
iL
on sale.
= LE
CREAR
<<&K o D>
Yeager’s Shoe Store
THE SHOE STORE FOR THE POOR MAN
Bush Arcade Building 58-27 BELLEFONTE, PA.
A RS RARER
Job work.
Lyon & Co.
Come to the “Watchman” office for High Class
Lyon & Co.
Spring Display
of Ready-to-Wear
New Coats---New Suits
In all the New Plaids, Checks and Stripes
—Tans and Greys in the lead.
Sweaters
Just received a fine line of the last word
in Sweaters—Corn Flower, Blue, Chinese
Red, French Grey—with Silk Borders.
Prices very reasonable. :
New Dress Weaves
Cotton Crepes in Plain Mixed and Fig-
ured; all the new wanted shades, from
50c. per yard up. Voiles—Plain, Dotted
and Embroidered ; all colors.
Pongees
In Silk, part Silk and Cotton; natural
colors—-Rose, Brown and Blue. For
draperies and dresses.
LO ENPASS NIA. OPAL UING APA NIN SNPT NINN fn
We can give you New Ideas, Low Prices
and High Qualities for your Spring Outfits
{ Lyon & Co. « Lyon & Co.