THE HISTORIC Work of the United ttates SHENANDOAH VALLEY. GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL. Department of Agriculture. famous Shenandoah Valley is one of the best farming sections of Virginia, and I had the pleasure re- cently of taking a trip, in company with my father, down to its lower end at Harrisburg, probably 140 miles south of Washington. The valley was the scene of many hard fought skir- mishes and battles in the late civil war between Sheridan and Early, and we touched at the point where Sher- idan made his famous ride to Win- chester and turned back the victorious troops of Early. I have more than once heard my uncle, who was a cap- tain in the 128th Illinois under Sher- idan, relate how after working all night making up his company's pay rolls, he had turned out of his tent just in time to see Sheridan riding by on his black charger, swinging his sa- ber, swearing like the typical cavalry: man that he was, and shouting to the boys, “turn back, w've got them The will give 50 and 60 bushels. I noticed large acreages of poorly cared for corn which would not make half a crop, even where the land was apparently fairly good. It seems singular that so many farmers, not only in Virginia, but in every State, will plough a field, harrow it, fertilize it, and lay it off and plant it, cultvate it once or twice and then through neglect to give it two or more cultivations at the proper time reduce their yield from 20 to 40 per cent. I noticed many corn fields on this trip— and they can be seen in every farm- ing distriet in Virginia—where the corn had gotten a good start and grown well, up to its first cultivation; then work had ceased on it and the wire grass and weeds were gathering as much fertility as the corn itself. Corn in Virginia appears to be the favorite crop for planting in young orchards. It is, in fact, believed by Two VigGivia Cory [IELDS. | THe Gooo Cory WiLL YIELD SIXTY { BUSHEL S PER ACRE. THE Poor, FIELD NOTHING BUT [FODDER licked.” A great fighter too, was Early, who was said never to know that he was whipped. This part of Virginia is full of land- arks of the great civil strife. Many old-fashioned houses, with their great outside stone chimneys, tell their own tales of antebellum days when tobacco was king in Virginia, and when peace reigned in the great state which was the Mother of Presidents. Peace again prevails over Virginia and she is now taking on a second prosperity. The Shenandoah Valley, as a whole, is rich in agriculture; it has also many stone quarries and some manufactories. Few prettier places could be found to live in than the country around Har- risonburg. Nestling Among the Mountains. The valley nestles between the Man- sucton spur of mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge of the Alleghanies to the east. It grows great quantities of corn and wheat; some sheep and cattle are raised and considerable fruit. “The horticultural possibilities of this section of Virginia are wonderful,” said one of the fruit men of the De- partment of Agriculture to me, recent- ly. “Old Virginia will yet wake up some day. The main stay of the country, however, now, is the trinity of wheat, corn and grass (timothy and clover). One feature of the trip was a Pekin duck farm with 25,000- birds, which produced, it is claimed, $16,000 last year. But corn and wheat are the principal money crops. Wheat costs about 70 or 75 cents a bushel to raise. This includes seeding the field with timothy and clover and consequently a stand of pasture land, which gets its start from the fertilizer for the wheat crop. So that if a farmer gets 70 cents RUSSIAN SUNFLOWER VIRGINIA. TWELVE INCH HEAD. Introduced by Department of Agriculture. a bushel for his wheat, he comes out whole and is getting his grass and clover without cost. This rotation of crops and the plowing under of the clover the second year keeps the land fertile and improved. Money in Well Tended Corn. Corn, well planted and cultivated, is a good money erop in Virginia and is almost necessary to a proper rotation. The average of the Virginia crop is $11.50 per acre; in Illinois, which has much richer soil, the value is $11.50 and much of the corn yield in Virginia is pitably small, There are thousands of acres of worn-out lands yielding no higher than 20 or 15 or even 10 bushels to the acre. The Shenandoah Valley farmers all say that their good bottom lands, and even some of the uplands, many farmers and fruit growers to be the best orchard crop. It seemed to me that there must be much pleasure in getting up in the early morning and looking over toward a range of mountains with their sum- mits in the clouds and the mists rising from smoke. As the sun breaks over the crests the clouds are dispersed and it is then time for breakfast. Bureau of Animal Industry. Dr. D. E. Salmon, who has recently resigned as chief of the Bureau of An- imal Industry of the Departmnt of Ag- riculture, has held that position for over twenty years and has done some of the best work which has been ac- complished in that department. Under his direction and supervision the sys- tem of inspection of slaughtered meats intended for interstate shipment and export has been brought to a high state of perfection until American meats which are received abroad with the official tag from the Bureau of Animal Industry are assured as good. The integrity of the American mer- chant or shipper may be as high as that of the merchants of any other na- tion, but it is nevertheless .a fact that without some such supervisory ac- tion on the part of the government, the foreign market would soon be com- pletely killed by unscrupulous dealers, and it is believed that the inspection system of the department has done and is doing more to build up American trade abroad for agricultural products than any other work. Inspection of Dairy Products. A very important branch of the Bu- reau of Animal Industry is the dairy division, and of late years government inspection and regulation, to some ex- tent, has been extended to dairy pro- ducts. Congress recently passed a law authorizing the Department to inspect butter shipped abroad, and further to supervise and practically compel creameries and renovated butter estab- lishments to adopt cleanly and sani- tary methods. Dr. Salmon resigned, presumably, on account of the charges made against him by reason of his connection with a private corporation supplying tags and labels to the bureau of which he was chief, After an exhaustive investi- gation by the Department of Jus- tice, Secretary Wilson exonerated Dr. Salmon from any wrong doing in this connection, but, either he himself de- sired to sever his connection with the government, or it was thought advis- able to ask his resignation and later appoint a new man not connected with such charges, Dr. A. D. Melvin, an assistant in the bureau, has been placed in charge and may become the permanent chief. R Free Farm Bulletin. The Department of Agriculture has just printed a small bulletin which will be sent free to any farmers applying for it. It outlines the results of a num- her of farmer's experiments made at the various State Experiment Stations in cooperation with the Department at Wishingon. It includes such questions as the top dressing of grass land, pea- nuts as forage crops; winter killing of fruit trees; cranberry culture lime-sul- phur-salt wash for scale insects; clean milk; poultry houses, ete. The bulletin is one of a series known as “Experi- ment Station Work.” Four or five of these particular bulletins are issued by the Department during the course of each year, each one containing from six to a dozen short articles on practi- cal farm matters. These publications are of the most popular and useful little documents issued by the Depart- ment. The one referred to is No. 227 and can be had upon application to members of Congress, or Senators, or to the Secretary of Agriculture. Orange Tree Foe. The Department of Agriculture has received a report from an agent in Mexico stating that in six and perhaps more states in Mexico he has found traces of the orange maggot, which is a dreaded foe of oranges, and it is feared that this condition might per- mit of its entry into California. The Mexicans in attempting to erad- icate the maggot have destroyed thou- sands of orange and mango trees The multiplication of the orange mag- got is said to be something enormoas. Japanese Paper Plant. Secretary Wilson’s men are working to introduce a sort of vegetable leather. It is in reality a paper plant, as much so as the papyrus plant of ancient Egypt, but its uses are mani- fold, ranging all the way from dainty note paper to water-proof garments— and which are really water-proof under the severest tests—und leather pocketbooks which outwear real leather. The plant is a pretty little shrub called in Japanese “mitsumata,” and it is its inner bark which is converted to use. The plant grows in the mountains of Japan, and Explorer Fairchild, of the Department of Ag- riculture, believes that it will thrive over a large part of the Appalachian range and other similar sections of the United States, In Japan pipe cases and tobacco pouches are manufactured from the material, as well as a kind of wall paper, which is already becoming fash- ionable in America. Such wall papers of vegetable leather are turned out in bautiful designs for wall and ceiling decorations, being stamped and mod- eled by hand in the most artistic pat- terns. It would seem that Americans have a great deal to learn from the Japanese about paper-making. Already large quantities of another kind of paper” obtained from the same plant are imported for use as legal docu- ments, diplomas, deeds and bonds. There are at least eight other plants from which the subjects of the Mi- kado obtain paper stuff, while this country depends for such material up- on linen. Mr. Ifairchild, who has made a special study of this subject, says that it is not pleasant to think that the brilliant white note paper which a wo- man uses may have nn it part of the filthy garment of some Egyptian fellah saved by a ragpicker from the gutter, yet it is a fact that hundreds of tons of Egyptian rags are fetched every year to the United States to supply the paper mills. At Mannheim on the Rhine the American importers have rag-picking houses, where rags are col- lected from all over Europe (the disease infected levant not excepted), and where women and children work with wet sponges tied over their mouths sorting the filthy scraps for shipment to New York. The best papers are made of these vile rags. Papers made from the inner bark of plants, like the “mitsumata,” are a cre- ation of the Orient, They are softer, silkier, tougher and lighter than Amer- ican-made papers. If wet they lose their strength, like tissue paper, but on drying regain it. mse eee eet JAPANESE TEACH RUSSIANS. Remarkable Incidents Connected with the Last War, War and pence are strange bed- fellows, for over in Japan, the land of the rising sun, the Japanese readily mixed the two arts in a fashion totally unexpected. The Japs had coralled at Himeju somewhere in the neighbor- hood of 75,000 Russian prisoners, most- ly from Port Arthur,probably 70,000 of whom were illiterate. A well- known writer in commenting on the success of the Japanese arms brings out into the light the secret of Japan's strength. It is in just one thing, the men have mental as well as physical training. The majority of iuppon’s soldiers have received education in RUSSIAN PRISONERS LEARNING WRITE RUSSIAN UNDER JAPANESE TEACHERS eat JAPANESE PRISONERS AT WORK Courtesy Harpers so tunnel the Niagara River. | the waters of Norway annually. NEW MONEY NEEDED. The Government Cannot Print It Rapidly Enough. The great Bureau of Engraving and Printing at Washington has reached its limit, and new machines and additional workmen must be provided to turn out the money needed for the country. “We are even now having much diffi- | culty in keeping up with the demand | for new money,” said Charles H. Treat, the United States Treasurer, “and it is going to be ditlicult to supply the de-| mands for the busy business season. | Large amounts of old money are com- ing into the treasury for redemption, with the request that new money be issued in its place. The business of WHERE THE MONEY IS ENGRAVED. the country must have what it wants in the way of currency, and when this old money is sent in for redemption it is not wise to delay getting out the new money to replace it. “The national banks of the country are increasing their circulation at a remarkable rate. During this last year this increase has been about $60,000,000, and many of the banks have had to wait much longer than prudent to ob- tain their circulation. These delays ‘tie up’ the circulating medium. There were recently 118 banks on the list waiting for new currency. This In- creased growth of the circulation out- standing of national banks represents the normal growth of the country.” Plans are being considered at Wash- ington for the extension aid enlarge- ment of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where all of Uncle Sam’s money is manufactured. 22 2VVVVVVVVVVVAVVe Briefs From Everywhere : VV VVVVVVVVVIVRIVD® | The honey hee is said to be the in- veterate foe of the bumble bee and will | kill him on slight provocation, and often without provocation at all. There were imported into the United States for the last fiscal year 3,658,131,- 447 pounds of sugar. The product of the poultry industry in the United States was worth last year $280,000,000. The value of hog products was $186,529,000. Salt is a government monopoly in Italy, and people living on the seacoast are forbidden to evaporate sea water to obtain salt. Iced whale was one of the delica- cies served by the Emperor of Japan at his dinner to Secretary Taft and party. Thomas Kilpatrick, who gave to New York its first apartment house, in 1853, was ridiculed as a man who built five houses, “one on top of the other.” The fact that malaria was caused by mosquitoes was known to Cingalese physicians in the sixth century. The harassed Sultan of Turkey never sleeps in a dark room. Ilis chamber and the nearby apartments and gar- dens are brilliantly lighted all night. | He is read to sleep each night, usually | by his brother. The Michigan Central Railroad will Iifty million codfish are caught in some form, and with the desire to en- lighten the Russian prisoners, the gov- erment of Japan established in the prison at Himeju a school wherein was taught to the illiterate Russians their own language. Strange as this may seem this fact has been brought out by a short article in the Japan Daily Times in which appears the statement: “Thanks to the teaching, those soldiers who were totally illiter- ate are now able to write letters to their homes. It is stated that the authorities of the quarters received inquiries from Russia asking if the letters were really written by the senders.” Credit Due Japan. This, one of the most unusual events ever produced by war, is as much to Japan's credit, as it is valuable to the poor Russian peasantry. The Kobe Daily News has been issuing an illustrated weekly for the Russian prisoners. The first issue of the sheet qalled “Japan and Russia” contained over twenty excellent photographic illustrations. This paper in introduc- ing itself stated that its object was “to keep the 70,000 Russian prisoners now in this country informed about the general situation at the front and the attitude of the various powers in connection with the war, as well as to acquaint the prisoners with the The great turbine steamers of the Cunard line, which are expected to show a speed of twenty-five knots an hour, will be in service in the spring of 907. King Oscar of Sweden and the Nor- wegian poet Bjornson are great per- sonal friends, though the poet has long been writing in behalf of the independ- ence of Norway. | The black spotted trout is the great- est climber among fish. Ile goes up falls and dams on his way to headquar- ters with ease, An automobile omnibus line is in op- eration in Lima, Peru, The total number of merchant ves- sels registered in the world is 29,756. The German sculptor, Meissner, has completed his statue of Peter Ilenlem, who four hundred years ago substituted springs for weights in clocks, thus making the watch a possibility, The statue is to be erected in Henlem’s birthplace, Nuremburg. Daniel Webster, on his Marshfield farm, was a scientific farmer and a breeder of thoroughbred cattle—Alder- neys, Ayrshires and Devons, characteristics of our people, thus pre- paring the way for mutual friend- ship and confidence between the two nations after the restoration of peace.” OO QOO000000000000CAVT OOTY NO OTHER WAGONS APPROACH In Perfect Adaptability The Strong MANUFACTURED BY Kentucky Wagon LOUISVILLE, KY. "LARGEST PRODUCERS OF FARM WAGONS IN THE WORLD Under all Conditions to Old Hickory SOOOTV0O00T Y Manufacturing Co. OOO000000000000000OO00 BOOOO000000CD00000 3 3 3 x3 o a Ix] rr AMERICAN CROWN SOAP 1s a green soap, consistency of paste, a perfect cleanser for automobile machinery and all vehicles; will not injure the most highly polished surface. Made from pure vegetable oils. If your dealer does not carry American Crown Soap in stock, send us his name and address and we will see that your wants are supplied. Put up in 1234 25 and 50 1b pails, James $S. Kirk & Company CHICAGO, ILL. BOOKS We have published some good ones spec- ially suited for farmers, Books that will help every farmer to make more out of his farm Write for our catalogue. WEBB PUBLISHING CO., St. Paul Minn. Well Drilling Machines Over 70 sizes and styles for drilling either deep or shallow wells in any kind of soil or rock. Mounted on wheels or sills. With engines or horse powers. Strong, simple and durable. Any me- chanic can operate them easily. SEND FOR CATALOGUE Repeaters are the original solid top and side ejectors. This feature forms a solid shield of metal between the shooter's head and the cartruige at all times, throws the empties away from him instead of into his face prevents smoke an gases from entering his eyes and lungs, and keeps the line of Sau unobstructed. The MARLIN action works easily and smoothly, making very little noise. Our new automatic _recoil-oper- ating locking device makes the Marlin the safest breech-loading gun ever built. 120- age catalogue, 300 il- ustrations, cover in nine colors, mailed for three stamps. The Marlin FireArms Co. New Haven, Conn. aaa a a a a en a Che IRissoula Nursery whe - 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. BOOKS A Quarter of a Century of unfailing service proves the ABSOLUTE RELIABILITY of the Remington TYPEWRITER WYCKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT 337 BROADWAY, NEW YORK A Sandwich HAY PRESS The Baler for speed. Bales 12 to 18 tons a day. Ilas 40 inch feed hole. Adapted to bank barn work. Stands up to its work—no digging holes for wheels, Self-feed Attachment increases cap- acity, lessens labor, makes better bales and does not increase draft, Send for Catalogue SANDWICH MFG. CO., 12% Main Street, Sandwich, Il Pine, Fir, Cypress and Yellow Pine, Write for Catalogue. Eagle Tank Co., 231 MN. Green 8t., Chicago, Ill. IF YOU WANT A JACV . Send for our Jack Catalogue, tain the description of exactly whe Sure to con at you wot Hydraulic Jacks our Specialty Watson-Stillman Co. 46 Dey St., MN, Y. City. he aa eee a ee "a THE EVERBEARING STRAWBERRY 3 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. a
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers