BY ELLIOTT Secretary Wilson's statement that there are no bad acres in the United Stites Is again brought to light through the efforts of the Department of Agriculture to induce more general attention to the culture of the basket willow. There are very many farms in this country which contain some low land, and through which runs a small stream. This portion of the farm Is too often allowed to run to waste, dense growths of weeds and scrub prospering in the rich, moist soll, and the locality rarely visited by the farmer except when in search of some stray cattle whieh have come down to the brook for a drink. Although introduced in this country ns early as 1840, willow growing in America occurs only in restricted lo- cilities throughout a relatively small portion of the country, On account of the isolation of these groups of growers with little or no connection, and because the growers are not in touch with basket makers, there has been little chance for improvement, Basket-Willow Growing INDUSTRY BEING FOSTERED BY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. eh EL EE LLL LL] MITCHELL. srsEasEsRsRRRRR ERs Rnana bundles of these cuttings should then be kept In running water until small leaves or sprouts appear; when they will be ready to peel, Pretty White Willows. Willows thus peeled are of a fine white color, while those which un- dergo steaming or boiling for the re moval of the bark are of a dark color, being stained by coloring matter con- tained in the bark; but experience has shown that the articles made of boiled willow are much more durable than those made from the white rods of spring peeling, The operation is so simple that*old persons incapable of arduous labor can make falr wages doing this sort of work. And yet, the farmer may ask, is there a market for willow ware in this country? The United States con- sumes the largest amount of willow ware of any country in the world From one district in Germany alone ng far back as 1803, in spite of the panic existing at that time, $230,000 | American Baskets Made in Richmond, Virginia. Peeling Willow for Basket Work. n Green While this is not true of the condi- | tions in western New York, the trade there demands only the cheapest grade of the steamed wil But steam-peeled rods have a dark Ww, and hence cannot be used for fine bas- kets, Willows Grow on Corn Land. The general that willows will grow only very swampy ground, but experience shows that all serious attempts male on well drained soil, even though of poor qual- ity, have been successful. The ground is prepared just the same as it would be for corn or wheat. Willow plant. ing generally is done In the autumn; should be in rows, the sets or cut. tings, according to older methods be ing placed about ten inches in length and planted in the ground until about only an inch and a half les above the ground Al idea Is on protrios. most without i A WILLOW SWAMP. exception through the country wil lows are planted from 9 inches to a foot apart in rows 2% feet to a yard distant from one another, thus allow ing from about 14.000 to 2 acre, This method of wide planting Is followed for several reasons, it of course being cheaper to plant cuttings, and the cost of being reduced, the wide rows allowing for the use of a plow, It is also un derstood and held by the higher authorities that the more shoots from a stool or stump, the greater the yield Whete the cuttings have been planted on meadow or corn land, the first year the rows are hoed two or three times and later Tan through with a Tight plow. In later years only the plow used. On bottomland, however, they are only cultivated once, and there fore only grassed with a sickle To Produce Straight Rods, The Department of Agriculture has found that though there may be ob Jection to close planting on account of increased cost and greater amount of cultivation necessary, both a heavier yield and longer, more even sized and better rods are obtained straighter, less branchy, and Jess ta pering. While a yield of four tong of green rods per acre may be ob tained In twelve years where the holts are planted in rows three feet apart, in with a distance of one foot between | holts, over six tons are obtained from | an acre planted 20x09 Inches, In only ten years, The Department also ad vises that the cuttings should be not Tess than twelve Inches In length, and planted with the buds pointing up ward, and that when placed in the ound each cutting should he per ectly perpendicular, When whlows are planted close together all weods and grass, the foes of the willow, should be kept out. Oslers should be cut the first year, even If no valuable material can be obtained, for If this Is delayed until the second year, there Is apt to be a tendency to branch, so thaf less valu able material ean be cut. This cut ting should be done during the winter, from November 1 to March 1, and as bear the ground as possible, The | value of willow igreat crop yields, L000 to the | fewer | cultivation | im worh of fine willow ware was 2 thie : ported. Sir it date, however, qased, wil i te Ih to t th is ports has deers due, probably i low growing in The anufa« increase of country illow is what h termed indus Yi the women and chil gaged in peeling and split- ting nd weaving the bas kets under contract, of w “house frre Hit a mn $ i mig : : in Wi Iron (Gren he ch men, are €n VE eo rods RR _— — Big Crops This Year. vent the Importation Chemist Wiley on Pure Food, Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, the chief of the Buréau of Chemistry of the De- partment of Agriculture, bas just re. turned from a tour of the British Isles, France and Germany, where he has been studying the preparation of food products—packing, shipping, and human consumption of foods, Dr, | Wiley is a pure food man. He be. | lieves that we should all have pure | food, or at least know what it is adulterated with, and he is one of the most active advoeates in the country of national pure food legislation, “Tle question of pure food,” he said, “is one that should be better un derstood, and more actively engnged in by people generally, We have se- enred legislation enabling us to pre. | of Impure and | harmful foods, but the people are ap parently careless In regard to domes tic manufacture, There I8 one feat ure of the pure food Investigation | WILLOW IN THE PIT, SPROUTED, READY FOR PEELING, which appeals to me beyond all qth ers—the effect of Impure foods on In valids. People who are under ti care of a physician, and I pelled to eat prepared foods know at least what they are If the foods which they buy Ire are found upon analysis in ingredients which have proven harm ful to them, they should ‘have I recourse at law to punish the of this fraudulent food, A stance is sutticlent to [lusty point, There is this time demand for gluten flours They recommended for certain diseases, and there are various pr n the market which are sold prices, nre con should pottine getting as Pp itil 10 conta at nt vw 1A at pa : | «1 Many of he so-called glu but a small per they are ‘filled’ substances, and 11 edd t flours contain with are 1114 . jien. ht claim for 11. one ¢: a hundred others d be names coul —— GIANT KANSAS CORN. Exciting Experiences of Boy Lost In Field of Growing Grain. ich seems ry of as | last cout velous to the yer the 1 sent id : out to nt MOR rn field and potify him of! In order to do this the : i : 5 Wis “Ort io Ke over the the prospects. Secretary Wilson has returned to Washington from a tour of the North-| where he was shown some He expresses it as his belief timt the farmers have more money now than ever was theirs be and that with such full treasure hosts there is no danger of an indus t panic. The year's crop of wheat, corn and will be larger, according to Mr. Wilson's experienced than f west, fore il ais were the big crops of He says that the area capa- durum or macaroni pushing well into the desert region The yield of wheat this year, It be will MARL LIRES |) wheat, by the way, grows where other wheat will not and which six years ago was an unknown thing among American growers Mr Wilson gives us the pleasing in- formation that housekeepers will find the prices of meat, dairy products and judgment, last year. of rising wheat is now ble alone is ox ered bushels which ETOW — if # | # MAKING WILLOW HAMPER poultry lower this winter than they have been for some thine, owing to the heavy grain crops. Fattening cattle {on corn at 50 cents a bushel, he said. is not a profitable perfopmance, and that is what the farmer has been do ing for the past three years: but with this year's grain crops, the farmer should find at the end of the season that his margin of profit is greater, and in the due course of events, meats should be cheaper, S—— Is sen— To Make Old-Fashioned Yeast. Boll two ounces of the best hops In four quarts of water for half an hour: strain and let the liquor cool down to the warmth of new milk, then put in an small handful of salt and half a pound of sugar, beat up one pound of the best flour with some of the liquor and then mix well all together, Let this mixture stand until the third day, then add three pounds of potatoes, bolled and mashed, let it stand a day longer, stirring frequently and keeping It near the fire In an earthen vessel, then strain and put In bottles and it Is ready for use. The advantage of this yeast is that it ferments spontan- eously not requiring the ald of other yeast. If well cooked and kept In a cool plece, it will keep six months or more. It has been hly tested son went to the implement shed w this wise farmer had provided and prox ured a ladder with which Pe climbed one of the cornstalks, After fine growth of corn for around, the boy started to elim! but in his excitement at the prospects of the golden harvest which | PEELED WILLOWS, his father would reap, he had fa ed to hotice the rapidity of the rowth of the stalk which be had ascended. As quickly as he stepped down, #0 n more rapidly the stalk ses med to gre and he was no nearer the bottom than when he started His father, noting the of his saw that it wonld be useless for him to hunt through the jungle of waving corn, #0 he climbed to the top of his windmill and his anxious eyes beheld his boy waving his red bandana in despair, Hastily Summoning his neighbor and his other two sturdy they proceeded with axes to chop down the wicked stalk. Their axes, however, failed to find the = | mark twice, so rapidly did the stalk shoot upward. Night eame on with {out their accomplishing anything and the boy was left to what appeared to be a terrible fate. Like most Kansas boys, however, he was awake to all his opportunities, and existed for a long time on the raw corn, having con sumed so mach that he later notified bis parents by méans of a message written on one of the dried corn leaves that he was getting so fat there was danger of the stalk breaking with his weight. He wrote that he believed a more balanced ration wuld relieve | his fears, suggesting the planting of | beans at the base of the cornstalk as an expedient, However, before the beans conld se cure enough growth, the drought came on and stopped the growth of the stalk and the boy was enabled to elimb down, thus saving his life As mementos of the occasion, the lad gatheped up the corn cobs which he had frown down from his lofty seat amounting to something over four bushels and a peck, and on these he has been working, turning them into corn-cob pipes which he is exhibiting at the Truth Bureau of the Portland Exposition. or Ww fn heen © sO, Sons, His -— Prior to 1789 the Speaker of House of Commons was’ paid a Bd and never falls to wake light on every private bill CONTROL OF CANAL MATTERS. Transfer to the State Department Under Secretary Root, It seems to be generally accepted that the control of all matters in con nection with the construction of the Panama canal is to be transferred from the War Department to the State Department, Under the law the work Is to be performed under the di rection of the President, and he origi nally Intrusted it to Secretary Taft on the general ground that all national engineering works were properly the business of the War Department. It Is now realized that Secretary Taft has a great deal more than his pro From Washington Post, portionate share of the government ork and responsibility, and It is with a view of relleving him of a por on of his official burdens that ths President suggested the advisability of the transfer of the Panama Canal work to the State Department. Secretary Root's acceptance of the trust would enable Secretary Taft to more of his time to the con sideration of important questions af fecting the government of the Philip p and the business of the army generally, It Is known that Secretary Taft h no personal i connection with the Panama canal and entirely willing, as matter of general expediency, that | pervision should be transferred nry Root the head of State Department, Secretary Root, however, with his ability fer hard work, Is under stood to have no hankering after ti canal job devote HER is ambitions - 1 : WOrkK., is Seer ne A — THE FLOOD OF NOAH. Geology Proves the Foundation of the Biblical Account, blical doubters who hat there rw a of the geolo f Ignatius Don submerged conti coff eve HR » with water, w ho has ¢ study, brings us new | t. In writing the : “Contributions of Geology Creditability f the Flood” he that the level of the land changes co tantly. The highest mountains were be le the mad 1 lif ight upon the ati bad | to siantes oct of fie on be the O n ’ i oe YW sen leve as is proven v the finding the ts of the highest peaks, All of Cen- | tral Asla was once coversd by water | and Is now drying up. In fact the dry- ing out process has been going on for thousands of years. The Turkestan and Siberian low lands were once sub erged. while evidence shown that Desert of wa a body of water equal to the Mediterranean in size and depth, Ihe valley of the Jordan in ages ba wered with water to a depth of 1.000 to 1.40 feet, while changes ind in Asia to prove that the Deluge once passed over entire country. t of seashells on sum- is (obi 8 Once : loved climate seem ----]P PPE F-T — B, Uncle Sam's “Conscience Fund.’ he fund of the ix ax is popularly supposed is added to from time and is never this so-called regular gov- ( Treas ’ a nscience not, fund which time, dormant, od Contributions to nd are turned into the nment receipts and on the books ap pear under the “To Account Conscience.” This account was opened the United States government in It would not be fair to 1 lies heading infer from this fact that the American con science had its awakening at so late a date In the country’s history, but that year witnessed the first return to the government, as the result of the “still, ill volee,” of money of which it had been defrauded some time before President Madison found on his desk morning an unsigned letter in vhich the writer confessed to defraud the government of $2, for which his conscience had made him suffer sorely. This amount was enclosed with the request that it be turned into the National Treasury, the writer express. ing the hope that this full restitution and repentance would restore’ a clear and eusy conscience, Contributions have since been received varying in amounts from a 2«ent postage stamp to ten thousand dollars or more, Up to date the amount received from those who have defrauded the govern ment and become consclence-stricken Is over $400,000, — A Very Aecurale Description. Hon, George 8. Legare, a member of Congress from South Carolina and a {graduate of a Washington law school, has a sense of humor and enjoys a good Joke even at the expense of the members of his profession. He dbes not uphold the “smart” lawyer and tells {of a case In his native city of Gharles ton where a pettifogging attorney was cross-examining an old negro withess, After asking the old darkey a num- ber of catch questions in an endeavor to confuse him, be finally asked the witness his occupation. “I'se a cahpentah, sah.” “What kind of a carpenter?” “Dey calls me a Jack-leg cahpentah.” “What is a “Jack-leg’ carpenter?” “He's a eahpentah what ain't a fust- class cahpentah, sah!” “Well, explain fully what you derstand a ‘jack-leg' carpenter to be, insisted the lawyer, “Boss, ‘deed Ah clalh to goodness Ah dunno how ter 'splain any mo’ ‘bout a tah bei ' bit am Jes’ ne ne Ie | : : of 6 pounds & day and f A feo of § MANUFACTURED BY Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Co. LOUISVILLE, KY. LARGEST PRODUCERS OF FARM WAGONS IN THE WORLD A Quarter of a Century AMERICAN CROWN of unfailing service SOAP SA] green BORD, © for neistency cleanser aut veh ; ow ™ | vf ov r wetret ’ } 1 surface re vegeta Le 14 " t i Je American nt mier Crown Soap ino & name wants is pany proves the ABSOLUTE RELIABILITY of the Remington 2TYPEWTRITER Ww Are and we Put up in 124 2 James S. Kirk & Com CHICAGO, ILL. BOOKS—B wy We hav hed some Address supplied a i ¢ ’ for {are 0O0KS E fally suit ory every Write for WEBB mer t ake mor WYCKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT PUT BROADWAY, NEW TORK PUBLISHING Well “Drilling Sandwich Machines a our catalogue CO., HAY PRESS Bal ' a styles Over 70 ¢ and either deep or shallow wells in of soil or rock. Mounted on wheels « sills, ze for drilling any wr asily. SEND FOR CATALOGUE WILLIAM BROS., Ithaca, N.Y. 1210 18 eed hole, oe 1 § up The Baler fc TS peed a day. Has % 1 NE DA es , f J re ands y for wheels, ¥ Self- fee creases cape d Attachment ns labor, 1 better bales I Aa. 0 ral and doe Scad for Catalogue Repeat are the origin top and & his ers rs 2 SANDWICH MFG. CO, Sandwich, Ill Pine, Eagle Tank Co., 281 N. Green 8t., Chicago, IIL. IF YOU WANT A JACK Send for our Jack Catalogue « a " re forms 4 124 Main Street, STLO vpress and Yellow f De, Write r Cata ue Tidadenas ati EEE EE aed ANY aR ee Sure to cof what you wadt Hydraulic Jacks our Specialty Watson-8tillman Co., 40 Dey St, N, Y. City. taint eset jon of exactly Bit ’ three stamps The Marfia Plre Ares Ca New Haven, Coun, | Che IRissoula Nursery she be Producers of Northern grown acclimated trees and the best varieties for planting in Northern States Every Variety of Standard Fruit Thoroughly tested Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries and Trees Ornamental, Small Fruit Plants, Shrubs, Vines and Roses. THE EVERBEARING STRAWBERR —— —— A SPECIALTY OF FLOWERING PLANTS AND SHRUBS Cut Flowers and Floral Designs, Also Vegetable Plants shipped by express. Catalogue and Price List Free, Mail orders have prompt attention. MISSOULA NURSERY CO. MISSOULA, MONTANA.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers