VOLUME 16 McCONNELLSBURG, PA., MARCH 11,1915. NUMBER 25 THE GRIM REAPER. Short Sketches of the Lives of Per sons Who Dare Recently Passed Away. John W. Stevens. John W. Stevens was born in Taylor township, this county, on what has for many years been known as the Clevenger farm near Fairview church on the old State Road, July 9, 1851, and died at his home in Mechanicsburg, Pa., March 2, 1915, aged 63 years. 7 months, and 21 days. John attended the home school and later County Superintendent Winter's summer normal schools in McConnelfeburg, and taught school. He then embarked in the mercantile business at Harrison ville, this county. Selling the business at Harrisonville, he was in business at Biglerville, Adams county several years, and then on account of obtaining better educational facilities for his daughter, he sold out at Bigler ville, and moved to Mechanics burg, where he conducted a dry goods store about fourteen years, retiring from the mercantile busi ness only about two years ago. H is survived by his wife, who was Miss Ella Gregory, daughter of the late James Greg ory, who several years ago re sided about two miles north of Needmore, and by one daughter Miss Vera, a prominent teacher in the schools in Hartford, Conn. Mr. Stevens was in his usual health until about 9:45 last Tues day evening when, as he was about to go t6 his room to retire, he sank to the floor and almost instantly expired. The Doctor pronounced the cause of his death Heart Failure. His funeral took place Saturday afternoon, and in terment was made in Chestnut Hill cemetery at Mechanicsburg. The deceased was a member of the Lutheran church, a menber of a Masonic Lodge at Gettys burg, and altogether a very ex emplary citizen. Mary Margaret Sloan. Mary Margaret, little daughter of James A. and Laurie Sloan, died at their home in Altoona Saturday afternoon, March 6 1915 aged 2 years, 3 months and 12 iays. About three weeks ago the child underwent a surgical operation in the Altoona Hospital and for a time it was thought it would recover; but about a week before its death it grew worse un til last Saturday. On Sunday the body was brought to the home of its grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Sloan, in this place, and the funeral was held at 10 o'clock Monday morning. Inter ment was made in Union ceme tery. , Services were held Satur day evening in the home of the parents by Rev. Van Cries pastor of the Broad Street Presbyterian church, Altoona. Wreathes and garlands were sent with the re mains from the home city, and additions from loving friends in this place, made a beautiful flo ral tribute. 'A. Curtin Davis. Andrew Curtin Davis, a well known resident of Bedford, died in the Western Maryland Hospi tal, Cumberland, Md., last Fri day morning. The funeral took place from his home in Bedford Monday afternoon and interment was made in Bedford cemetery. , Mr. Davis was married to An nie, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Merrick B. Stoner, former residents of McConnellsburg, who survives to mourn the loss of her husband, together with five chil dren, namelv. Pauline. Ethel. .Bernice. Linn and Ernest I Mr. Davis was an artist of pore than ordinary ability, and ,"'8 paintings in oil-both land Bcape and portrait were greatly pnzea. Mrs. Job Everts. Sarah Ann Hnrria Everts, died at the home of her Hon Himmel, at Biar Cove Tan. nery, Mondav MnrnK 1 1Q1K aged 72 years, 5 months, and 2 Opportunity Knocks. The farming interests of this county cannot place too much emphasis upon the advisability and necessity of making every foot of ground productive to the highest degree. With nearly the whole of Eu rope unproductive there will be a tremendous demand made upon America for food stuffs in the months to come, and this demand must be met or those people will starve, This does not necessarily mean that America will be called upon to feed Europe gratis. Europe will pay in gold for what it gets from us, dollar for dollar. A duty and an opportunity con front us. . ' Duty demands that we produce to the lii it, that the hungry a cross the wide, may be fed. Opportunity -nocks at our door in that there will be a ready mar ket at high prices for every ounce that we can sell. Even now the hand of Europe is outstreched across the water for American bread. It is an opportunity for the building up of this agricultural community, for the enriching of our people, for an influx of for eign gold such as we have never known before. For Europe must eat. and to eat, Europe must buy the food stuffs we have to sell. Let every foot of ground pro duce something for the financial weal of this community. days. The funeral, conducted by herpa9tor, Rev. Robert E. Peter- man, of McConnellsburg, took place on Wednesday following, and interment was made in Un ion cemetery. Besides the hus band and son already named, she is survived by two brothers John and Asa and by four sisters Mrs. Levi Keefer, near Webster Mills; Mrs. William Morton, near Tatesville, Bedford county; Mrs. Jacob Gordon, near Big Cove Tannery, and Mrs. Martha Cook, residing somewhere in the West. B. E. Stevens. Benjamin Edmondson Stevens, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Stevens of McConnellsburg, died at his home at Lingiestown, Pa., Sunday evening, March 7, 1915, aged 33 years, 4 months, and 8 days. His remains were brought to the home of his parents last evening, and are being taken to Clear Ridge to-day where inter ment will be made in the Clear Ridge cemetery. The immediate cause of his death was valvular heart trouble and he had been confined ' to his home about five weeks. He is survived by his widow who was Myrtle Deshong, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Baltzer Deshong, and by three children, Helen, Howard, and John. Ed, as he was popularly known had a wide circle of friends and was a most excellent citizen. Gertrude Madden. Gertrude Madden, a daughter of Judson Madden, died at her home at Meadow Gap Hunting don county, on Sunday night, February 28, after an illness of a few months, of tuberculosis. She was aged about thirteen. . She is survived by her father, two sisters and ono brother, Miss Lillian and Paul, at home; Mrs. W. B. Waite, of Mt Union. She was a member of the Bap tist church. The funeral was held the fol lowing Wednesday afternoon. Services were conducted by the Baptist minister, Rev. Doke, with interment at Three Springs. Hester Schooley. Hester P. Schooley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John P. School ey, near Andover, died March 6, 1915, aged 3 years, 11 months, and 21 days. Funeral was held Monday, and interment was made in Siloam cemetery. Services were" conducted by Rev. E. J. Croft The cause of the child's death was pneumonia, and she was sick but a few days. Hester was a bright little girl. War and Price of Wheat. The recent drop in the price of wheat was due largely to the prospects of the opening up to the markets of the world the great stores of wheat in Rnssia, and northern Asia. If one will take a look at the map of the Eastern hemisphere, he will see that the natural outlets from Rus sia to Eastern European countries are through the Baltic sea and its adjacent waters, and by way of the Black Sea and southward through the straits of Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. The waters of the Baltic are controlled by the Germans, and those of the straits just mentioned are con trolled by Turkey. Consequent ly, Germany, with Turkey as her aid, has been able to prevent shipments of the wheat from Rus sia by way of these outlets. But large fleets composed of British and French war ships have been bombarding the forts along the Dardanelles, and as one fort af ter another falls before their guns, the prospect seems bright that the Allies will soon be in complete control of this southern outlet, and Russia will be given its long coveted "warm water" seaport. In addition to this the approach of warm weather will open northern ice bound waters, by way of which foodstuffs may be shipped. But it is through the Dardanelles that it is hoped so supply the Allies with wheat during the present war. Conse quently, speculators in wheat are cautious about buying beyond what they need for actual export, and the price dropped in sympa thy with that feeling. To Protect Deer. An appeal has been made to Bedford county sportsmen to get the 200 signers for a petition to the Legislature to close that county to deer hunters for a pe riod of five years. The appeal sets forth the argument that since Cambria county is closed, and Blair county about to be closed, Bedford county should close and share in the efforts that will be made to stock that portion of the State with game and fish. If Bedford county close its gates to deer hunters, and this county remain open, what a long line of detectives will be required to patrol the dividing line which runs through a fine deer district! Fulton county is now the "dump ing ground" for hundreds of hunters who come from all parts of the State especially from western counties. What will it be like if Bedford county closes to them? Doubt has been expressed by many as to the efficiency of closed periods. They base their reason iug upon the fact that it gives a few men, who keep no account of law, an easy job of securing game out of season. But the records of eastern states, where it has been tried, seems to prove that game increases under this rule. Laws will be violated in any case, but it is up to true sportsmen to lend a hand to hold such citizens in check. Butted by Ram. Mrs. Gerritt Smith, of Fishing Creek, near Columbia, is in a precanous condition as a result of being butted by a ram. Mrs. Smith's right arm was broken above the elbow, and her limbs were severely bruised. Efforts were made yesterday to remove her to a hospital, but her condi tion would not permit the trip. The accident occurred while Mrs. Smith was in her orchard. The ram suddenly darted from among the drove of sheep. Decker-Hanna. On Wednesday, March 3rd, Miss Ada Decker, a former Ful ton County girl, and Mr. Harry Hanna, a wealthy farmer in Wood county, Ohio, were united in the holy bonds of matrimony by Rev. Gordon of the Methodist Episcopal church, at Deshler, Ohio. The happy couple have the hearty congratulations of the News. "AULD ACQUAINTANCE." Bits of News and Gossip Extracted from the Letters from Our Distant Subscribers. Miss Ada L. Brown, Hagers- town, Md., daughter of D. Shunk Brown, a former resident of Dub lin township, in a letter accom panying a two-dollar bill, says: I was quite a young girl when we moved from Dublin township to Hagergtown twenty-one years ago; but the names of Fulton County people that I see in the News each week, are familiar. If I live until next summer and keep my health I will visit Ful ton county and renew many of my old acquaintances." W. E. Beatty, Philadelphia: Enclosed I am sending my check for one dollar to push rny sub scription into 1916. I do not know just what time the year expires, but I know that I owe one dollar every year, and might as well pay it now as to wait There is no dollar I spend that brings me greater returns of genuine satisfaction than that spent for the News. It brings to me weekly the news from my home county; it tells me about my old friends and acquaintances, and it keep me in touch with the county's civic progress. How tg Plant Potatoes. In the presence of many pests that seem to be waiting for the appearance of the first tops of potatoes on which to feed, and with dryrot and scab hiding in the ground to attack the roots, some of us have become almost discouraged., and will not plant as many, potatoes as we would like to plant From ' Circu lar No. 24, Department of Agri cultural Extension, State College, Pa., we take the following ex tracts: Select well drained soil, but one that contains much hu mus in order to hold moisture. A clover sod is the ideal place to plant potatoes, because we know it contains nitrogen. If you have been troubled with scab, shun fresh stable manure, lime and wood ashes, all three having been known to favor this disease. Pay no attention to so-called "potato fertilizers." If your ground is rich and full of rotted clover, or well rotted manure that has lain in the ground for some time, use acid phosphate. If the ground is not rich, use, at least, 500 pounds to the acre of 3-10-6 goods. If seed came from soil in which there is scab, soak the po tatoes for two hours in a mixture containing one pint of formalde hyde in thirty gallons of water. Begin spraying for blight as soon as the tops are six to eight inches above the ground, with 4-4-50 Bordeaux mixture. Repeat every two weeks, and make the third, fourth, and fifth, application stronger say, 6-6-50. For bugs, use poison as usual. There is no remedy for the "stock borer,? except to burn old stalks, and plant-on ground not infested. C. V. S. N. S. Notes. The Franklin and Marshall Col lege five defeated our Basket ball team here on Friday evening by the score of 37-23. Our boys did fine work, and made a grand showing against a more experi enced College team. Last Satur day Feb. 27 our boys badly de feated our sister Normal, Miller ville, by the score of 3S-22. The last game of the season will be played on Friday evening March 12, with Bloomsburg Normal. The Spring term opens on Mon day March 29. Adams county is again leading in the number of students enrolled. Several teach ers haVe'oeen added to the facul ty for the spring term. Prof. D. F. Detter will come to us for the Spring term as a teacher of com mon school branches. Mr. Ben jamin Van Why of East Strouds- burg has accepted the position of teacher of Manual training. Just a Dream: That's All. A few evenings ago our local editor feeling a little hungry be fore he went to bed, went down to' the pantry and regaled his stomach with a pint of cold Bauer kraut a half mince pie, some cold sausage, and drank a pint of cold coffee. He went to bed. He dreamed. He dreamed that the McConnellsburg and Fort Loudon railway had been completed about a year. The condition of busi ness as it then existed in McCon nellsburg is best told by himself. Here it is: Out at the Union Stockyards, McConnellsburg, things were moving about as usual. The or der from Lancaster for a car of shotes, was filled in less than two days after Bert Hohman received it by telephone. Bert got busy on the, local lines, called up about twenty farmers who had from two to eight shotes, and offered them $6.65 per hundred spot cash delivered at the stock yards. Since orders for a car or two of 100 pound shotes have become frequent, many of our farmers have made it a rule to have a pen. in readiness, because they have found it to be one of the quick est ways to make from $50 to $100 during the eight warmer months of the year by letting the hogs pick up most of their feed. A look at three fine Holstein- Friesian bulls shippedlby the pro prietors of Brookside Farm last Thursday to Hon. Vance C. Mc Cormick, Cumberland county, made us proud of Big Cove. An Eastern buyer tried to buy a car of veal calves last week, but succeeded in getting but half a car owing to the reason that most of the cattle in this section are fullbloods, and no one cares to veal the nicest heifer calves. However, by setting the day for delivery a few days later, this man filled the upper deck of the car with live turkeys from the Dane district and in this way he got a car of "good stuff" for his New York market We hear that Alex Patterson intends to bring six of his neighbors to this county to purchase three cars (60 head) of steers to take back to Cumberland county to feed this winter. It "beats all" the de mand that is being made on this county for feeders since a rail road has made it possible to load here and ship to owners of corn lands. Strolling over to the Company warehouses, we found Pease & Co., our wholesale grocers, were unloading a mixed car of oranges grapefruit and lemons, shipped from St. Cloud, Florida, byC. H. Mann and Son. Hon. D. H. Pat terson has made it an object for the patrons of his store at Webs ter Mills, to raise Green Moun tain potatoes, with the result that he is now averaging two cars a month to Pittsburgh, and this right in competition with the southern Indiana and Ohio grow ers. Fulton county buckwheat flour is gaining a reputation. By a system of co-operation, six of our mills can, during the season, jointly and promptly fill orders for carloads for western buyers. The River Produce Company, St Louis, bought a car of buckwneat flour from these mills recently. There will be many more than the usual number of "patches" sown next season in consequence of shipping facilities. Out in the Licking Creek ber ry district competition between th local merchants to buy the fine dried fruits of that section has resulted in stimulating the production until the women, and boys and girls have now more "pfn money" than they can spend and we have heard of several "f at-little" bank accounts that have been started recently. ,: Tglk' about "undeveloped re sources!" Why, almost daily, one tan count from two to eight and ten wagons coming into town with one or two good ties, in ad dition to mill product Where do they come from? Inquiry shows Some Laid Eggs. The News is ever on the look out for items of local interest be lieving that recitals of instances of success, or failure, of neigh borhood methods are appreciated by those who live on farms, or who try to make money out of poultry. The following is based on a report from Welsh Run that a man at that place tried the ex periment of letting twenty of his flock of one hundred hens stay out in the cold this winter, while the remaining eighty were kept penned up where they were not exposed to the weather. During January and February the flock of eighty laid fourteen hundred and one eggs. One of the hens laid fifty-two eggs during the two months. The twenty hens that fed about the buildings and roosted wherever they could find quarters, did not lay an egg. A fittle calculation will show that the hens that were penned up laid eighteen eggs each during the two months of the trial. This was not a record by any means, but it shows that the hens did much toward earning their keep, while the outdoor flock was kept at a dead loss. There is a little work connect ed with keeping hens housed dur ing winter months, but what do we have that is of any value that does not involve labor? A shed roofed house, 10x40 feet does not cost much to build, and it will shelter successfully one hun dred chickens. To make it a proper place for hens, it must have a perfectly dry floor. Not a breath of air should penetrate the building from any quarter ex cept from the front which must be wide open and face the sun. Otherwise, some fine morning a hen will be found with a cold, due to a draft and as colds are contagious, others will follow, and away will go the j profits for that winter. Woven wire will prevent the hens from leaving by way of the open front Clover hay a foot deep on the floor will afford just the very place hens love for exercise by scratching for every grain of food. Clean water at all times, and clean dropping boards will insure health; and since ahealth y hen's mission is to lay eggs, there will not be many days dur ing winter on which enough eggs may not be gathered to pay for their keep until weather is warm enough to let the hens run out doors all the time if they wish. Austin May, 27 years of age, married, in the hardware busi ness at Manns Choice Bedford county, was out with two com panions riding motor cycles dur ing the nice weather a few days ago. May lost control of his ma chine and at a high rate of speed it dashed squarely into a tele graph pole, killing May instant ly. that a tie here and one there has been cut from butts that hereto fore have been going to the wood pile, because no one thought it worth while to make but one tie. But since Fred Black has let it be known that he will buy one tie at a time or in larger quantities he gets thousands that, as we said, have been going to the woodpile. That big pile of bark out in the freight yards was built of quarter-ton lots saved in about the same manner that res cued the ties from the flames. Yes, we could go on filling col umns with similar talk if we could spare the space to speak of the increased offerings of eggs, poultry, home-made turned han dles, loads of waste cuts from mills, that makes very best par quet flooring, hundreds of knurls for gun stocks, apple wood for planes, short cuts of walnut logs, barrels of v'real stuff" vinegar, huckleberries, and at least 101 lit tle items that formerly went to waste, but which now bring in sums which, in the aggregate, amount to hundreds yes, thou sands of dollars annually. HOLSEHOLD SANITATION. Little Ta!ks on Health and Hygiene by Samuel G. Dixon, M. D., IL D., Commissioner of Health.' Undoubtedly some ancient sani tarian was responsible for the proverb that, "cleanliness is next to godliness." While the major ity of people accept this in the ory, unfortuna when itcome3 to practice Vakness develops. In ninety-nine out of every hun dred homes there are corners in attic or cellar, under the kitchen sink and the bottom of the pan try cupboard that somehow or other seem to regularly escape clean up days. Accumulation is a mania with some peor' The way in which it mani, jots itself may vary but the result is the same. It is re sponsible for filling our houses with an enormous amount of wholly unnecessary truck which serves to make cleanliness diffi cult Dirt and even filth are not nec essarily a direct cause of disease but generally there is an associa tion. Organic material which is left about becomes a breeding place for bacteria and flies. Care less habits of mind and body are cultivated and fostered be careless habits of living. It is certain that a child raised in a home where there is indifference to the household cleanliness, can hard ly be expected to develop an ap preciation of the virtue and ad vantage of cleanly habits. These same influences within a house are equally true regarding its surroundings. A peep at the back yard will give you a far better insight into the character of the occupants of the dwelling than a study of the front door. Ashes, garbage and rubbish scat tered in the rear of a dwelling are not conducive to good health or decency. Cleanliness and wholesomenes3 go hand in hand, see that your household sanitation is all that it should be and make these twin sisters of Good Health welcome in your home. Asks a Question. In a recent letter to this office from one of our most highly ro spected subscribers, he compli ments the News for the way in which it has flirectd attention to simple methods of restoring fer tility to wornout soils. In the next sentence he asks the very question we have been expecting namely, "With no labor to be had or high priced if at all and the necessity for gleaning' every acre bare in order to tide over un til another season, twenty miles to railroad and fertilizers, no money to live on while giving the fields over to the rest cure, how can we put the good advice into practice?" . A3 Shakespeare says "Aye, that's the rub." Few have the money to live on while practicing Terry's method. Too bad. But, if a man got into jail, and every day he stayed there he lost $2, even though the county fed him, would it not be cheaper for him to mortgage himself in some man ner, pay the fine and get out and go to work again? That is as nearly an illustration as we can give of how a man is losing mon ey if he has physical ability to work hard but who continues to keep his nose to the grindstone by cropping, robbing, and mak ing fields poorer every year. "To make amends for past sins is costly, to be sure; but would it not be better to begin, by taking one acre at a time, get it back to produce as much as five other acres? About the time the sec ond acre had been lestored he would then be reaping as much as formerly from ten acres. There are hundreds of strong young men m the county., who should set aside as much each year as his means and time will permit of ' handling, and make garden spots of each tract keep them in that condition, and add to them yearly until sufficient acreage has been restored, bach succeeding year he could double the acreage under improvement by using the ever increasing prof' its from the improved acres. f . r J. i v i
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