Bellefonte, Pa, October 10, 1924.
C——————————————————
OUR FUNNY FELLOWS OF THE
PAST.
By L. A. Miller.
The funny fellows of today are not
‘pearly so numerous as they were
some years ago. 2 pparently funny
- men, like dogs have their day. A few
have attained lasting fame, but the
- greater number are short lived. Some
flashed like meteors across the liter-
_ ary horizon, lighting up the cold, gray
clouds of reality for a moment, then
died out leaving the clouds colder and
darker than before. :
Then there are those whose fun is
woven into a woof of fact so deftly
that the bright colors and pleasing
figures cannot disappear in a flash.
This is called fun, but it is not; at
least not in the sense that fun is gen-
erally considered. It is a true picture
with the high lights placed on unusu-
al spots. The effect is much the same
as that produced by touching up the.
sallow spots on the human face with
bright colors.
Exaggeration is not humor. The
‘ludicrous effect produced may pro-
voke a laugh, but it is of short dura-
tion. You may laugh once or twice
at a fool who gets off a highly exag-
gerated expression, but you soon for-
get it, or it becomes stale, and you do
not want to hear it again. Jud
The same is true with funny pic-
tures. An outlandish cut will often
amuse for a moment, but there is
nothing about it that is worth remem-
bering; in fact, persons possessed of
any refinement at all want to forget
such things as quickly as possible.
They are unpleasant companions for
an idle or quiet hour. A carefully
drawn caricature, however, is differ-
ent. It merely emphasizes the lead-
ing characteristic, thereby recalling
forcibly the more familiar features of
the subjects.
Among the early funny fellows was
“Sut Lovegood.” His forte was in get-
ting into bad boxes, after the style
of Peck’s Bad Boy. The hornet was
his principal ally, and he rarely fail-
ed to get into a nest himself, or get
his old dad or mam, or the old mule
into it. There was an earnestness
about these sketches that led the av-
erage country boy to imagine that
they were founded on fact. So popu-
lar did they become that a school ex-
hibition without a “Sut Lovegood”
was a dead failure. The furore, how-
ever, died out, the fun dwindled down
to a few stale dregs and was thrown
aside.
The fame of “Doesticks” was more
enduring. He was quite versatile and
made a great many friends. His trou-
ble was a disposition to write too
much. His stuff was found every-
where, and of all grades. It seemed
that he had an idea that all that was
necessary to render an expression re-
ally funny was for “Doestick” to
shape it. He was ambitious to make
the world laugh, not so much for the
good it would do the world as for the
good it would do him, in a financial
way. The consequence was that he
wrote columns and pages of the ver-
iest trash, which sickened the geese
that were dropping the golden eggs
into his coffers, and they finally ceas-
ed their lay. It is said that “Doe-
sticks” then berated the world for a
lack of appreciation; classed all those
as fools who did not laugh whenever
he spoke, and finally died in the firm
belief that he was a much neglected,
if not a much wronged man.
Among the first of the well known
sentimental humorists to strike the
general public real hard, was “Arte-
mus Ward.” He wrote not merely for
the sake of saying funny things, but
to caricature people and fashions.
His “wax figgers” gave him an excel-
lent opportunity to exhibit prominent
people in their true forms and colors.
He laid aside all conventionalities,
called things by their right names and
presented them just as they appeared
to him. If a man had any character-
istic traits they were made very prom-
inent, no matter whether they were
complimentary to the man or not.
While he rarely used the real names
of his victims, the public had little
trouble in recognizing in the appar-
ently crude, yet most deftly mottled
“figgers” the leaders of all prominent
movements of the day. His lectures
on Mormonism probably did more to-
wards establishing the character of
that institution in the public mind
than all else that ever was written or
said about it. He exaggerated great-
ly, it is true, but only where it was
needed. His effort was not to distort
or to falsify, but to emphasize facts
and make them stand out boldly.
Thomas Nast certainly ranked next
to Artemus Ward as a caricaturist.
His work was all with the pencil.
Nevertheless, he was one of the funny
fellows. Those who remember his
marvelous work during the Tweed
campaign in New York, will probably
be unable, though they try ever so
hard, to recall a single instance where
he failed to make a good portrait of
his subject. The secret of his success
was the fact that he drew the figures
true to life; not as a camera would
have shown them, but as they appear-
ed when their true characters were
known. So carefully had he studied
his subjects that he could almost por-
try their thoughts, and so clear was
his conception of the characteristic
features that he could make them rec-
ognizable if only an eye, a nose, or a:
tuft of hair were visible. At first
glance there was something funny
about these sketches, but the smile
which they provoked soon faded when
the figures were seen to be true to life.
That which was supposed to be mere
idle fancy, became solemn fact. James
G. Blaine, General Butler, General
Grant and other noted men would be
recognized more readily today from
Nast’s sketches than from any other
pictures ever published. Not that he
gives the outlines of the faces more,
correctly, but because he emphasizes
their prominent features. Who does
not remember Butler's “off eye,”
Blaine’s puffy nose and bulging eyes,
and Grant's firm grip on his cigar?
Every one of these contained more of
the men than could possibly have been
crowded into a photograph.
Other caricaturists have done clev-
RE
Puck, yet there is a coarseness about
them, a mistaken conception or mis-
understanding of the spirit of the sub-
ject, that detracts greatly from the
force of many of the pictures.
Among the candidates for public
favor none seemed to be making more
headway than Life. They always
showed a tartness, directness and
keenness, both with the pen and pen-
cil work, which not only pleases, but
edifies as well.
Mark Twain, when he first began
the funny business, struck a popular
vein, but he worked it out. “Inno-
cence Abroad,” the first of his more
pretentious works, was the best of the
lot. Had he quit book-making when
that was finished he would have been
more famous than he is today. Real-
ly the best of his work was the best
he ever did. There was no straining
after funny situations, but merely the
noting down of ‘such as occurred to
him without effort.
Of all the more agreeable, jolly and
popular of our sentimental humorists
none outrank “Bob Burdette. As a
rule funny fellows are bilious and
cranky, but he is neither. He laughs
and talks and sings as if there was
nothing but sunshine over and
him. owever, he was not a funny
fellow, or at least never professed to
be one. He was always regarded as a
natural artist and devoted himself to
sentimental word painting. He rare-
ly caricatured by adding additional
color to the already prominent fea-
tures of his subjects, but rather by
changing the high lights and brushing
off the false colors, thereby showing |
them in new lights. Bob, as he is fa-
miliarly called, had a faculty that is
possessed by few humorists; that is,
a way of getting up under the jacket
and nestling close to the heart. He
causes tears and laughter to mingle
like sunshine and showers; recalls
halcyon days to the old, and fills the
hearts of the young with bright an-
ticipations. He always dealt justly
with his subject, even if it were a
mule, so that neither man or beast
would be able to face him in the
final judgment and say he did them a |
wrong. It was not because he was
afraid to hurt anybody, but because
he didn’t want to do anything that he
could not recall with pleasure.
Easy to Lose Way in
British Guiana Bush
British Guiana bush is a dangerous
maze. Savages find their way by
means of secret marks, but a tender-
foot enters at great risk. The coun-
try is five times the size of England,
and there are not more than ten white
men who have gone into the wilds of
the interior, according to D. Banner
man Clarke, M. A., general manager
of the Aranka Gold, Ltd., of George-
town, British Guiana. = “The natives,”
he says, “have the most marvelous
sense of direction and find their way
through the jungle with unerring pre-
cision. They have a sort of sign lan-
guage; . They make marks on trees
which only they understand, and If
some one has followed the natives he
can always tell how large the party | sible. Except, in’ very unusual cases
was, whither they went and just when
they passed the given spot, by these
curious marks on the trees made with
cutlasses. They also leave marks for
their own guidance when they turn
about and start homeward. Once you
know the bush and its hidden sign lan-
guage it is almost as easy to get about
as in the open, but if a tenderfoot
gets lost he is in a hopeless maze
ar] has very little chance of getting
out alive.
Europeans Like Codfish
It is a somewhat strange coincidence
that no codfish swim nearer the Medi-
terranean sea than the banks of New-
foundland or Iceland. The dwellers
in that part of the world, however, eat
cod, salted, and cooked in many and
varied forms. New England for many
years got its salt from Italy and paid
for it with -codfish, sometimes with
Old Medford rum. Those days are
past. The French explorers who fol-
lowed close upon the heels of Colum-
bus discovered the virtues of New-
foundland cod. Lately curing plants
have been established on the Mediter-
ranean shores of France—to save one
handling since the Mediterranean
peoples eat se much of it, also because
the salt is conveniently dried out from
the very salty water of the Medi-
terranean.
Unable to Oblige
An actor was stopped one day by
a pretty girl, who pinned a yellow
chrysanthemum in his buttonhole, gave
him a dazzling smile and hurried off
without a word.
The actor went on his way and that
<vening received a note from the girl,
reminding him of the afternoon’s ro-
mantic episode and asking him te send
her two seats as a memento of the oc-
casion,
The actor, with a grim smile
wnatched up a postcard and wrote the
pretty girl these lines:
«J should be delighted to send you
Me seats you ask for as a memento,
but on personal investigation at the
theater I find that they are all nailed
down.”
'
Record Cold June
A vivid account of the cold June
of 1816 has been unearthed at Wes
ton, Vt., in the yellowed pages of an
ancient account book which belonged
to one Simeon Spaulding, “The six
of June it showed from 8 o'clock in
the morning to 8 o'clock in the after-
noon like a snowstorm supposed to
run as much as four or five inches of
snow if it had not melted, and the
night follewing it froze the ground
one inch deep, and continued froze
the seventh day where the sun did
shine all day, and the eighth day
morning it snowed about two hours
and the ground was white in many
places.”
er work, notably those connected with i
FOREST FIRES.
CAUSES.
The time is hoped for when all for-
est fires caused by the hand of man
will have ceased. However, so long as
forest fires occur man must stand
firm and resolute in his convictions
that they must be extinguished as
quickly as possible. oi :
A forest fire in its infancy is not
difficult to extinguish. On the other
hand let a headway be gained, and a
stiff breeze is fanning it, then the task
becomes difficult and dangerous.
Penn Forest district an incendiary fire
is almost unheard “of. Impressive
teaching and successful management
of the forests is bearing fruit. Great
strides have been made toward mak-
ing the State forests a resting place
for man. Man is becoming educated
to the point where he is not going to
destroy that resting place. :
Forest fires, of course, are set by
careless hunters, careless fishermen,
and careless tourists. This is because
of the fact that their mind is centered
too strongly upon the sport they are
around |
pursuing, and not enough upon the
‘ thing that gives it to them.
i Railroads in the Penn Forest dis-
The time has come when .in the |
trict are the chief source of the forest
fire problem. Of the 19 fires during
‘ the spring of 1924 in the Penn dis-
i trict 15 were caused by railroads.
' Splendid co-operation, however, is be-
ing received in clearing up rights-of-
way, in keeping locomotives well
: spark-screened, and in helping extin-
: guish fires caused by them. i
Brush burners have in the past been
responsible for many severe forest
fires. Igniting brush in a dry, grassy
field adjoining forest land is a mighty
dangerous and often times an expen-
sive thing to do, if there is a possibil-
ity of the wind fanning it into the for-
est. Great care must be exercised in
burning brush. There is very little
danger, however, on a calm day if one
i is vigilant and careful.
FIRES CLASSED AND EXTINCTION OF
EACH.
Forest fires may be divided into
' four classes. The tree fire, surface
fire, underground fire and crown fire.
A tree fire represents the case where
a single tree is effected. It is usually a
dead, dry snag caused by the un-
sportsman like trick of smoking game
or bees, or possibly struck by light-
ning or maybe a spark from a nearby
engine. This kind of fire is not diffi-
cult to extinguish. If water is availa-
ble the tree may be saturated, or it
may be cut down and flailed or smoth-
ered out.
The surface fire, most common in
the Penn district, may occur at any
dry season of the year. Usually in
the spring before the leaves appear,
and in the fall after they drop. Fan-
ned by a strong wind the surface fire
may reach great proportions, espe-
i cially if there has been a delay in at-
| tacking it. Attack upon a surface fire
must be made at the point called the
head or “header.” Here the flames
| are traveling more rapidly than at any
other point. If there is no wind the
fire burns comparatively slow. A sat-
_isfactory attack in this case is §
a clean path, encircling the “header”
first, as close to the fire line as pos-
the fire will ‘burn itself out upon
reaching the path. If there is a wind
the surface fire is doubly hard to ex-
; tinguish and backfiring must be re-
' sorted to. There should be sufficient
men to attack upon all sides. The
men should be divided into crews, each
crew assigned a portion of the line.
At least three good men from each
crew should lead, raking a path clean
to mineral soil, as near to the fire line
as deemed safe. The rakers should
see to it that enough material is al-
lowed along the line that the men fol-
lowing with a torch can successfully
start backfires. After the torchmen
should come the guards, bearing spray
tanks if water is available. The task
of the guard is an important one. He
is in position to determine the result
of the backfire. His judgment as to
the safety of the line is depended up-
on. The guard should not leave any
portion of line until he knows it is
safe. To area, many times, is sacri-
ficed by starting backfires. It should
be remembered that just enough area
be backfired that when it meets the
main fire, the surrounding unburned
land will not be endangered.
Underground fires occur only in
cases of very severe drought, and are
usually the result of surface fires.
They burn beneath the general surface
of the soil. They burn very slowly
but with intense heat, and cover pos-
sibly only two or three acres a day.
These fires can be extinguished only
by digging a trench deep enough to
prevent spread. If water is available
the trench should be flooded.
Crown fires, the most fierce and
deadly of any, seldom occur in Penn-
sylvania, When they do occur it is
when there is a high wind and the
‘woods are very dry. Everything is
consumed in its path, and man is help-
less to prevent the spread. Natural
conditions. as to topography and
growth are the most effective means
in checking it.
HARDSHIPS AND DANGERS.
The hardships and dangers attend-
ed in fighting forest fires are many.
To get food to fire fighters in many
cases is a problem. As a rule fires
occur many miles from. a village
where food is available. This means
sometimes many hours of strenucus
labor without it. ’
Whenever possible canteens are fur-
nished fire fighters. But many fires
occur where there is no water for
miles, In fighting fires man suffers
thirst quickly because of the intense
heat, but many have collapsed before
water can be furnished. :
When dn ‘unusually bad fire is at-
tacked sleep is an uncertain thing.
The flames must be extinguished as
quickly as possible, and for this rea-
son rest is not enjoyed until: the
flames are under control. Men have
gone forty-eight hours or more with-
out sleep in many cases.
. ‘There is danger always in perform-
ing this hazardous duty, and many
lives have been lost in the past. There
is always the possibility of being sur-
rounded by the flames. In hurrying
over rocky and.treacherous forest land
one is apt to receive severe injury to
[ the body.
rake .
The fact that men show a willing-
ness and concern in helping combat
the flames of a forest fire indicates in-
deed a true and loyal citizenship.
~ (This is the third of a series of four very
{lluminating articles on reforestation, writ-
ten by J. R. Mingle, of the Penn Forest
District, of Milroy. The second article will
appear in next week’s issue of the “Watch-
Panaroma of Events
in Newspaper Pages
Since a professor in one of the
portant place occupied by newspapers
as historians of the times and urges
their study upon the public generally
and upon schools and colleges as text-
books of Information of current
events, it may not be immodest slight-
ly to emphasize the truth of the pre
€essional opinion.
No newspaper man yields his just
pride in the product of his toil. As
put into the hand of the reader, the
newspaper is a daily monument to an
industry, intelligence and organiza-
tion genius which is all but incom-
parable in any other sphere of himan
manufacture. However, let that go.
It is as the exhibitor of the vast
panorama of world events that the
public is concerned with the newspa-
per, says the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin. For an insignificant sum
and with no effort by himself, the
reader sees pass before him on the
printed page the multifold activities
of men, great and small, the perform-
ances of nature, benign and malign to
the interest of human kind. Many-
eyed Argus did not see and repeat
a tithe of what the sleepless and all-
embracing eye of the press observes
and instantly reports for the infor-
mation or entertainment of its read
ers.
History In the making is there daily
written, and to the man who can re-
late cause and effect. who can fere-
cast from a seemingly insignificant
event printed in the columns of his
newspaper a whole chain of conse-
quences, culminating In some alter-
ation of affairs that will profoundly
affect the lives of millions of people,
the study of his news sheet is a fas
einating pursuit.
The man who really reads a mod-
ern newspaper and does not merely
skim through it, receives a liberal ed-
ucation in the arts and sclences, the
humanities, the psychology of human
nature, and is informed upon a va-
riety of things which only a few years
ago no one man could hope to know.
The university of Wisconsin professor
is quite right; the newspaper is well
worth study.
Learning to Cook
A bride of three months lives in a
flat and has become very friendly with
her neighbors. She strolled into a
down and said she was tired. Of
course another woman asked what she
had been doing.
“Just prepared dinner for my bes
.oved,” she said, “and for one who
never cooked before it was some task.”
“How did the beloved like it?” an-
other neighbor asked.
“He was proud of me,” replied the
pride, glowing through her weary
countenance.
“Review the menu,” came a chorus
“All right,” came back from the
pride: “Sliced tomatoes, boiled eggs,
canned corn, lettuce, chocolate, dried
beef and hot rolls from the bakery.
I téll you it’s no easy job to learn to
cook in three months.”
Historic Indian Dead
Dick Morgan, an Indian who diet
recently, was a historic character of
Alaska, it was recalled by the Rev.
A. P. Kashevarov of Juneau.
Morgan, whom the United States na-
¢al authorities had employed as a
policeman nearly fifty years ago, wgg
sent with a message from Capt. L. A.
Beerdslee to settle differences that had
arisen between the Kockwontahn and
Ganad! tribes north of Sitka, says the
Detroit News. Morgan informed the
chiefs of the warring factions that
they were to preserve order and to per-
mit the white man to go through the
Yukon passes. Morgan returned Feb-
ruary 12, 1880, with word to Captain
Beerdslee that the Indian factions
would remain peaceftil and that the
white men could enter the country
without fear. As a result of this par-
ley the Chilkat country was opened
to miners,
How He Would Die
‘#dmund Gosse, the essayist, relates
Walter Tittle in the Century Maga-
zine, for a long time has been served
by the same barber, who is a great
comfort because he does his work well
and in utter silence.
“One day,” said Mr. Gosse, “he as-
¢tonished me by an inclination to talk.
Asking me to pardon him for any
geeming presumption, he proceeded.
“¢q merely wanted to remark, sir,
¢hat I have been hobservin’ your ‘alr,
for a rather longish period. Time was
when I thought as ‘ow you might lose
it, but now, sir, I am sure you will die
in your ‘air. Yes,’ he repeated, ‘you
will die In your air, sir."
Dogs as Rescuers
Mrs. Ruby Pettis, who lives on a
ranch near The Dalles, Ore. was
pinned under a heavy wagon whi-h
turned over when she was on her way
to town. Her two dogs, Jacks and
Pup, immediately dug a hole under
her head and body, thus enabling her
to breathe and saving her life. She
was unable to extricate herself and
was not rescued for fifteen minutes,
when a neighboring rancher came
along.
teading western universities (Wiscon- |
sin) has drawn attention to the im-
Diamonds and Peaches
“Grow” on Same Tract
The territory in which Nashville,
Ark., is located makes a bid for fame
in being the home of the world’s larg-
est peach orchard, with 5,000 acres in
‘trees, and also the home of the only
diamond mine in North America.
There is a $1,000,000 peach crop In
sight there this year, which will be
considerably more than the annual
production of the diamond mine, but
the latter draws the largest number
of tourists, says the Philadelphig
Ledger. C233
The diamond mine was discovered
by John Huddleston in 1907. He found
it on a 160-acre tract in Pike county,
about 14 miles northeast of Nashville,
which he had bought because he be-
lieved there was gold to be found
there. Huddleston was a farmer, but
all his life had been interested in min-
erals. The first two “pebbles” found
by Huddleston proved to be steel-blue
gems, one weighing one and three-
eighths carats. The third he found
was a yellow stone, weighing one-hal*
carat, and this he sold for $100.
Without waiting to prospect further,
Huddleston sold his land for $36,000
to Little Rock interests, this being the
exact amount necessary to purchase
a certain farm he had in mind. He la-
ments that if he had kept his property
he probably would be a millionaire
some day. Those who have been con-
nected with the diamond mining in-
dustry here since its start say that be-
cause of the high luster of the Arkan-
sas gems In their rough state, Pike
county diamonds surpass even those
of South Africa. This luster comes
“rom their extreme hardness.
The production of this diamond field
to date is estimated at 5,000 carats,
the stones running in size from one-
eighth to 2014 carats. The diamonds
occur in peridotite, which resembles
burned lime in that it slakes upon ex-
posure to air. To recover the dia-
monds from the peridotite two meth-
ods are employed, one being simply
to spread the ore on the ground and
allow it to decompose, after which it
is washed In large revolving pans,
and the other is to grind the ore
at once and then proceed with the
washing process. In the washing pro-
cess the material is flushed over a
grease board with water, the diamonds
adhering to the grease, while the resi-
due is carried over into the waste
pile.
Adventure
It was night. Four men opposed
her. Three of them were absolutely
heartless. One carried a club. “Oh
you brutes!” she exclaimed. “You
wretched, despicable brutes! Not
company of other women who have,
their habitat in the same building, sat
even carfare are you leaving me. But
I might have expected such treatment
from you, for you are men and all
men are alike. Give tem the slight-
est chance, or excuse to get the best
of a woman and each and every one
of them will grasp at that chance
with alacrity and glee. Ah, yes,” she
continued. “Ah, yes, 'tis the woman
who pays and pays and pays.” As
she spoke of paying I saw her flush
—just a poor sickly spade flush that
was not even a straight. And what
chance, I ask you has a flush against
four kings in the great American
game of poker?—Edward E. Cole, in
Judge.
Thinks Sun Will Split
The sun spots which have attracted
the attention of astronomers for many
years are spreading and will ultimate-
ly cause the sun to split into two
pieces, according to David Todd, the
well-known astronomer. He thinks
that later we will have two suns in-
stead of one, each moving in its own
orbit. But it would probably be many
years, declared Doctor Todd, before
any effect of this split would be no-
ticeable on the earth. However, other
scientists do not seem to be much im-
pressed with the theory. Dr. C. G.
Abbot, of the Smithsonian institution,
thinks the notion is not well founded.
—Pathfinder Magazine.
French Girl’s Dot
There is no law in France providing
that a girl must have a dot before she
can be married. The dot is merely a
prevailing custom which dates back
many centuries. It is the marriage
portion which a woman brings to her
husband. The husband may use the
interest or income from the dot for
the upkeep of the household, but the
principal remains the property of his
wife. The custom is so consistently
observed in France that if a father
cannot supply a substantial dot his
daughter is placed in a disadvantage-
ous position in respect to her oppor-
tunities for marriage.—HExchange.
Mirrored Vision
Sam Tiana, a fourth-grade pupil in
Fairmont, W. Va. public school, has
a mirrored vision. Sam sees back-
ward, reads backward and writes
backward. The teacher has to hold
his writing to a mirror to read it.
Instinct has taught the youth to take
care of himself. When he is crossing
a street he realizes that a car which
seems to be going away from him
is actually coming toward him. When
Sam sees steps which seem to lead
up, he steps down or goes around
them.
New Light in Turkey
No light other than wax tapers wa:
allowed by the sultan of Turkey te
he burned in that country prior to
1908. except in his own palace. Since
the rovolution, modern lighting meth-
ods have been Introduced to brighten
the nights and dark days for the pop-
ulace. Constantinople is now being
generally electrified.
FARM NOTES.
Delicate experiments by govern-
ment scientists have shown that fruits
breathe, and that cold storage delays
ripening by causing them to breathe
more slowly than normally.
—Mulch the strawberry bed with
fallen leaves; clean out the raspberry
patch and burn all old dead canes; re-
move old canes of currant and goose-
berry bushes to give room for young-
er and more thrifty canes.
—A potato demonstration in Dau-
phin county recently revealed the fact
that fall plowing for the crop gave an
increased yield of 25 bushels per
acre over spring plowing. The fall
plowing was done very late.
—Street and shade trees can best
be pruned in the fall while the leaves
are still on the trees. In this way the
effect desired ean be more successful-
ly worked out than when the tree is
but a bare skeleton of branches.
—While the weather is pleasant is
a good time to put all soil working
tools used during the summer in shape
for winter storage. Paint is necessa-
ry in most cases and moving parts
and sharp edges should be coated
with crank case drainings.
—Vegetable growers in the Phila-
delphia district seed spinach for hold-
ing over winter, between the first and
fifteenth of October. The Savoy
type is recommended. A straw or
strawy manure mulch should be put
on as soon as the ground freezes.
—Sullivan county wool growers
were saved over $2000 through pool-
ing their wool this year. There was
almost 14,000 pounds in the pool, and
it was sold for fifty cents a pound,
whereas the non-poolers sold their
wool at from 26 to 36 cents a pound.
—Control measures for the Mexi-
can bean beetle, a most destructive in-
sect pest of growing beans, recently
found in Washington and Greene
counties, this State, are being worked
out by the Bureau of Plant Industry,
Ponnsylvanie Department of Agricul-
ure.
—ZEarly hatched pullets can often
be carried through the fall season
without molting by using electric
lights. Plan to give such birds a
thirteen or fourteen hour day. Morn-
ing lights will probably be most sat-
isfactory. When lights are used for
this purpose, care should be exercised
in maintaining the body weight of the
birds by feeding plenty of scratch
grain,
—Pennsylvania State College agri-
cultural home study courses offer a
means for profitable use of long win-
ter evenings that will soon be here
Thirty-seven courses are offered this
year, ranging from bees to horses anc
garment making to house furnishing
for the winter folks. A bulletin de
scribing the courses may be securec
from the Agricultural Correspondence
Department at State College.
—The selection of seed corn ears i
the field and their care against :
gloomy outlook for next year is advo
cated for Pennsylvania farmers b;
crop specialists of State College
Those farmers who have suitable ear
left from last year’s crop can con
sider themselves fortunate, for it i
now practically assured that th
present crop will not mature enoug!
to develop the seed germ and keep i
from frosting. 2
—Warning against cribbing cor
that is not well dried has been issue
from the college. If the crop is frost
ed and the grower is not too greatl
pressed for fodder, he should allo
the ears to remain standing on th
stalks without cutting, trusting to fz
vorable weather to dry out the. exces
sive moisture in the ears. If shock
are used at all they should be sma
to allow as much air circulatio
through them as possible.
—Word comes from State Colleg
that entries for the second annu:
Standard Production Poultry sho
will close on October 14. The show :
to be held at the College on Octobe
23-25, under the auspices of the stt
dent poultry club and the college d«
partment of poultry husbandry.
That poultry men throughout tI
State are intensely interested in tI
only show of its kind held in Pennsy
vania, is evidenced in the fact th:
about 2000 premium lists and ent:
blanks have been distributed to date
Birds at this show will be judge
for egg production and standard qua
ifications listed in “American Stan:
ard of Perfection.” The Penn Sta
poultry husbandry students in stagir
this show are taking an importa
step towards combining breed typ:
with egg production. Copies of tI
premium list may be secured from tl
show secretary, Department of Pou
try Husbandry, State College, Pa.,
from agents.
The specialists state that the fir
step to be taken this fall in contro]
ing the insect is to plow under or bu:
all old bean stalks and vines just :
soon as the crop has been harveste
It is found that thousands of the egg
larvae, pupae and newly emerg:
adults may be destroyed in this ma
ner. This fall clean-up will also’k
other destructive insect pests th
may be expecting to live through t
winter on crop remains.
Successful control measures such
spraying and dusting bean plan
with chemical have been worked o
in the southern States and there
every reason to believe that simil
measures can be developed to gi
adequate control in Pennsylvan
where conditions are obviously diffe
ent from those in the south.
The Bureau specialists explain th
the Mexican bean beetle is the mc
destructive - insect to table bea
known and that it was found in Pen
sylvania in very small numbers on
a few weeks ago for the first tin
This insect has been spreading nort
ward from Alabama for the past fo
years at the rate of 100 to 200 mil
per year. Since beans are not gros
on a commercial scale to any exte
in this State, the greatest loss will 1
sult in home gardens. Noticeal
damage will not likely occur for se
eral years, however, since the infe:
ation is ‘still very light.
Persons desiring full particuls
about the new pest can get the sa:
by writing to the State Bureau
Plant Industry at Harrisburg.