Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1919 — Page 2

The Housewife and Her Work

(Special information Service. Lnßed States Department of Agriculture.) CAN YOU TELL SILK FROM COTTON? ~

The Burning Test—Note How Silk on Right, Heavily Loaded With Mineral Matter, Keeps Its Shape, While Ash of Pure Silk Crumbles.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO TEST FIBERS

Knowledge Given Will Save Housewife Money When Necessary to Buy Material. LINEN IS QUITE EXPENSIVE Office of Home Economics of Department of Agriculture Gives Practical Methods of Test for Adulteration of Fabrics. There is such a great variety of fabrics on the market now. and most_ of us understand so little about how they are made, that It is hard to know which ones will give the best value for the money. Our grandfathers used to buy pure virgin wool, but new processes have been devised which utb. Ilze shoddy along with the wool in such a way that the goods are sometimes handsomer and more durable than the old kinds. Linen Ims gone up so in price that many of us cannot afford it and must contenf ourselves with cotton or cotton-and-Hnen mixtures. A microscope is tin* most accuratemeans of distinguishing cotton and linen threads. Cotton fibers, under the microscope. have a ribbon-like appearance with frequent twists, ami a broad flat central canal : linen fiber? are round, jointed ami heavier than cotttm. .. ./ ~ If the fabric is without starch, oil makes linen translucent and eotthn opaque. The finish must be washed out of highly finished materials before the test can be used. A comparatively simple test which, after some experience. enables one to distinguish between linen and cotton is called the “tearing’" test. One must be an expert to detect cotton and linen mixtures hi this way. The linen weaves in general are more difficult to tear than cotton. * The torn ends of the linen threads appear uneven in length, and j the individual fibers of the threads are parallel; while the torn ends of the cotton threads are more even in length, and the individual fibers are twisted in every direction. The sound of tearing linen is shrill, ami that of cotton dull or muffled. Another simple test is to light the threads with a match, blow out the flame and examine, the burnt-ends. The cotton threads will haiV blunt ends, while the linen will be pointed.

TESTS FOR ADULTERATION OFTEXTILES ♦ - • , ? TESTS Appearance of . • ' Kind Adulteration - Thread Burning CKemiCul --—-I Immerse in cone, sulphuric acid 1%-2 min. Sizing; Remove. Wash thor- • Cotton printed instead Short fibers, Burns quickly oughjy with water, folof embroidered fuzzy ends with flame lowed bv weak amdots • <■ - , monia.. Cotton dej .. ... stroyed; linen less' as- ■ ; ~ ‘~~~7 —fected. ~=i=.-.- ■ • . Strong threads; when If without starch, ’ Linen Cotton broken thread See cotton 01 ice o!! makes liner. is straight translucent, cotton and ends opaque. « uneven - ; <4=- - ■ ' Boil five* minutes In Wool Cotton Short fibers. Burns slowly. Jjpejs Cent sol, of causShoddy kinky chars and gives tic potash Wool fibers ■ ■. ■ . and stiff off odor destroyed. Cotton • remains. Long straight When pure burns fibers with slowly, leaving Bilk Cotton luster; spun small crisp ash Same test as wool. Loading allk breaks Where much mirf- Fibers destroyed less « more easily' oral, shape of rapidly. z - than reeled. piece little >• . . • changed

An easy way of distinguishing between the highly sized and calenderedcotton damask and true linen damask is to boll a sample. After being dried and ironed, if it is cotton, it will have a dull and somewhat fuzzy appearance, while the luster and smoothness of real linen will not be affected by the treatment. Mercerized cotton damask keeps more luster than untreated cotton. but less than linen. Woolen and Worsted Fabrics. Since the price of pure, new wool is relatively high, other materials are often mixed with it. the most common being what is termed.“shoddy.” This is old woolen material, tailors’ clippings, etc., put through a special machine which tears them apart and reduces them to fibers. Such goods have many uses. It is stated by woolen manufacturers that the best grade of worsted shoddy, which is of long staple, i. e.. has long fibers, is superior to,the low grade, short staple, new or virgin wool * also that it is impossible to get the texture and finish required for some of the best grade goods without the use of some shoddy. As shoddy is made from wool fiber it gives the same chemical tests as pure wool, and small amounts are almost impossible to detect, except by the use of the miwoscope. Cotton is also used with wool. Such goods have many uses. It is a simple matter to detect the presence of cotton as wool is dissolved in alkalies and not affeetejd by acijis. while cotton is dissolved by acids and not affected by alkalies. Detecting Over-Weighted Silk. When the gum is removed from silk produced by a silk worm, the silk loses from 20 to 30 per eeht of its original weight.’ To_nmlm_uiLl<ir..this additi(]ns of various substances which do not change the looks, feel or structure of the silk, are often made. If no larger an amount than that of the weight of the gum boiled off is - added. It is considered legitimate: but much silk is made which has as high as from three to four times as much mineral matter added to. it as its original weight. This makes the silk brittle and wbak, so that It wears out quickly. It is easy to determine heavily weighted material by burning a small sample. Pure silk burns Rapidly, smells like, wool and produces a small amount of brittle curled-up ash. Material which is heavily weighted will have an ash which is stiff and which often holds the shape of the sampje. Cotton is frequently mixed with silk. Such “goods sold as mixtures have many uses. It is easy to detect Cotton in silk by'the mierpscope as the fibers iof silk areoround and smooth.- while ■ the cotton fibers are ribbon-like and I fuzzy.

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

WHEN PEACE CAME

Oppressive Silence Followed the Great Crash. Hard at First to Realize That tha Carnage of Four Dreadful Years Had Ended—Huns Defeated' * but Unrepentant. With a silence like that which follows the mighty crash of a great organ. the great war came suddenly to an end. No longer do tin 1 weary soldiers at listening p<»ts strain their ears-througlt long night- watches --starshells have ceased to burst and flame over No Man’s land; cautions have cooled; machine gun< utter no sound; the exchange of all manner of deadly missiles, has stopped.— At last peace, which foe four slow, dreadful years has seemed afar off like a mirage, has come. The thousand and one activities of battle, intense to the last ounce of possible human effort, are relaxed. siii|'stiox\ <To-<-the- o<■,•:<ll in safety; smoke from thousands of ammunition plants no longer darkens the sky; tired workers return once more to „are demobilizing!" reconstruction of devastated homes End farms ami factories is contem plated; the dreadful military debauch has consumed itself; the world draws a great sigh of exhaustion and relief; the conflict is ended In all history no message ever sped so gladly nor so last as the few words flashed through the air, and under oceans, and over land wires, until around the whole world and to its uttermost accessible parts the news was carried. What wonder that all civilization ga,ye vent to a frenzy of joy almost barbaric, that men shouted and women wept; and little children witnessed an event which threescore "years and ten hence they will relate to other wide-eyed children. In our joy let us not forget those millions thers whose voices refused to cheer, and those mothers and wives and sweethearts whose eyes were dry, because their hearts were bowed down With' a sorrow no victory can ever compensate. The Huns ceased only when physically exhausted; when their ammunition was spent; when the war had reached their own borders; when they no longer possessed the ability to murder the defenseless, to gas the brave. Their regret is that they failed, but not one single word of penitence for the harm they have done, the sorrow they have caused. Instead they think only of their bellies and demand, not ropplicate, the food they have so wantonly destroyedbfpr years; they whine leet the very cars they stole from France and Belgium be returned to their rightful owners. They have been beaten in what was for nearly four years an unequal struggle, but for any word which has yet?-to come out of Germany they are the same unregen"erate Huns who, casting aside all the obligations of a civilized nation, marched into Belgium in August, 1914. —Chicago Evening Post.

Believe It or Not!

Friends of S. F. Lockbridge, former state senator, and James I. Nelson, both of Greencastle, are telling a story regarding the strange actions of hogs on their farms last summer. Mr. Lockbridge went to his farm west of Greencastle and on arriving at a field in which were some fat hogs he saw the animals jumping into the air. He Investigated and found them after big, yellow-striped grasshoppers. .The same story is told of Mr. Nelson., except that his hogs were so wild over the grasshoppers that he had to remove them to another field where! the provender was not so plentiful, in order to prevent the hogs from running offtheTatfaster than he could put it on by heavy feeding. t The grasshoppers were as large as a man's thumb and were in such quantities that the hogs by exerting themselves could catch enough to make their efforts "worth while.” —Indianapolis News.

Fine Pearl Necklaces.

Of 30 necklaces' which have been made from the magnificent collection of pearls contributed to the Red Cross from all parts of the British empire, two are of considerable interest. One of them is composed almost entirely of the fine collection of pearls sent from Egypt as a result of the Red Cross appeals, and the other is a specially beautiful necklace of pearls of the straw-colored tone which is so much sought gfter by buyers. The necklaces are not of uni forth. size; they vary in length, in color sfnd, of ; course, in value. —ButaH of them are i of great beauty, for they cqnsist of the , best pearls from many famous necki laces, as well as from less well-known ones, matched by 4 the chief experts in London.

The World Does Move.

The war has made many changes In world conditions. None perhaps is more picturesque than what has happened in Mesopotamia, the land over which Nebuchadnezzar once ruled. This year’s harvest tells the story. & While not busy fighting the Turk and his Teutonic associates, the British found time to dig out a hundred ancient irrigation ditches and to bring into cultivation 320,000 acres. They haye also given to Bagdad electric lights, paved streets, waterworks, sewerage, a fire department and a police force. * The natives must be rubbing their •yes tn astonishment and wonder^—> Modern Brotherhood.

HOW KOREANS HONOR DEAO

Weird Ceremonies Commemorative of the Departed One Described by American Woman Traveler. A little round-facud nua from- the nunnery up the ruountainsiile above the monastery was giving a commeinorsitlve service for her dead fiSrents. We "WTEut into the temple about eight ■o’clock. It was almost dark ins Me. The one large standing Buddha, was dimly lit by four tapers set in high • tands. Before him on tiie altar stood I'l copper plates piled high with different kinds of breads and above these were heaped rakes and fruit between the artifi<-i:ii flowers. To one si<)< were the nuiLS_frlmi the nearby nunnery with shaven heads, and baggj white trousers and long gray robes ex actly like the priests. The faces were indistinct in the dimness. Hour aftei hour we sat cross-legged on mats. Ah around us was the sound of intoning “Kwanzean Posal, Kwanzean Po<al Kwanzean Posal, Kwanzean Posal, with slow genuflections, till the bead touched tiie floor, slow risings, then genuflections, endlessly repeated. The abbot struck on a wooden gong, faster and faster came the calls to Kwanzean Posal; the incense from tiie censer fillet! the -room. The reiterat ion of the liturgy grew almost hypnotizing —then suddenly when I felt that I could beat it no longer, the neophytes carried in numbers of little tables, one for each priest, lighted a candle on each, spread out one of the holy books and retired silently. The candles brought the faces into sudden relief against the darkness. At a signal the bonzes. opened their books; each chose whatever passage he .wished and began intoning. each voice at a different key and rhythm and words, yet all blending together Into a. twisted strand of sound. And over the genuflecting monks and the funny wrinkled roundfaced nuns stood the one dim golden -Buddha-with folded hands. —At -Iwoo’clock —in the morning beneath a westerning moon the priest, led by the abbot, filed out and performed what looked for all the world like a solemn snake dance in the middle of the court. We were each presented with a large pink lotus, and then all marched to a lower terrace, where in the shadow of the gateway they read for a last- time the names of the dead, and then consigned the heaps of flowers to the fire, that writhed like a tortured dragon spitting out sparks of burning petals high in the air.—Elizabeth J. Coatsworth, in Asia Magazine.

Field Water Service.

The British had the best system of piped-in water, though the system along parts of the Italian front was admirable. One sanitary officer informed me with pardonable pride that the supply for three army divisions was piped from a small lake a mile or more within the German lines! This same officer was able to pipe water after a great battle to the new ground won three miles, farther forward —within five hours. English sanitarians devised one of the most perfect combinations of pumping and purifying machines that could be imagined. Its crew could dip its intake pipe into a pond of scum-cov-ered, pea soup-colored, stagnant water,- start the engine, and out ffom the discharge pipe would flow a sternly stream of clear, sparkling, pure, welltasting water, at the rate of 1,000 gallons an hour. To look at the pond and at the water pouring into the drinking tank is said to have given anyone a positive shock. —Woods Hutchinson in “The; Doctor in War.”

Bones or Pins.

There are various kinds of proteetlon exercised by governments for the people. A new qne has developed in the state of Maine. The law forbids any one who did not himself catch U, to sell a pickerel. The fish a?e not allowed in market and even the man who caught them must have done that “legally.” It Is well-known to people, who, for fear of starving, have eaten pickerel, that their bodies are made up of 90 jr?r cent sharp bones and 10 per cent flesh. When it comes to a choice between frying the family pincushion and eating a pickerel, most people prefer the pickerel, but it is evident that the legislators of Maine do not mean to expose their constit? uents to the perils of the diet when it can be avoided. There is no law in Maine against selling pincushions. —Hartford Courant.

May Revolutionize Shipbuilding.

Remarkable claims, which may have far-reaching consequences In the shipbuilding world if substantiated, are being made for a new concrete mixture,. with which it is proposed to build vessels that are much lighter than those nbwTtefiig'l)inir’Rfi3~yeriaf Wrt* durable. . Its ingredients have not been made known. The assertion is made that vessels built of the new material will be one-fifth Tighter than those of wood, and at/he same time more durable than those of steel. It appears that the discovery can also be made use of in applying a covering for concrete ships now under construction, for the purpose of giving them greater power to resist impact. ' ■ .

Guillotined High Heels.

No one could be at his best without a mlninr na of four or five miles’ walk a dayiorsome- other form of open-air exercise, said Dr. Truby King lately at the National Health society. Before women could take reasonable exercise they would have to give up absurd high-heeled boots, he added. In the mental hospital which be was attached, the first thing done on the arrival of a woman patient was ta guillotine her boot heels.

A Bird in the Hand

(Special Information Service. United States Department of Agriculture.) MORE EGGS AND MEAT MARK TIMELY HATCHING

Start the Incubator Several Weeks Earlier and Raise More Profitable Chicks.

EARLY HATCHING OF IMPORTANCE

Fowls Realize Full Benefits From Propitious and Longer Growing Season. FOSTERS EARLIER MATURITY Hatch in Time for Best Broiler Markets and Also Produce Pullets Ready to Lay When Hens Want Needed Rest.

Fable is transforming into fact It has been customary in allegorical statement only to allude to the hen that lays ths golden eggs. In view of the present prices of eggs and poultry, it begins to look as if the age of the golden eggs had arrived. With marketing conditions for poultry products better than ever before, with a stabilized demand for quality products, and. with prospects of larger amounts, of feeds being available as a result of the cessation of war, there is every incentive for the poultryman’s best efforts. A fundamental factor w’hich makes for greater success with hens Is to hatch early. The early chick catches the worm both in the garden and in the economies of poultry production. The poultryman who aspires to beat the calendar and to hatch several weeks earlier than the cut-and-dried practice gains an advantage whtqh permits him to market quality cockerels at fess" cost and greater profit much in advance of his associates who are remiss in lighting their incubators or setting their hens, Chicks thrive and develop rapidly during the early days of spring; the early hatched fowls thus realize full benefits from the propitious and longer growing season. • ... Why to Hatch Early. ... The early hatchTspells sure profit?, other conditions being equal, because it fosters the earlier maturity and egg production of the pullets; it induces a stream of eggs at the season when eggs are highest in price; it gives the chicks a chance to develop Into strong healthy birds before hot weather sets in; it provides a supply of wage earning pullets to replace the old hens in the flock as soon as the latter birds begin to develop star-boarder characteristics ; it produces chicks which are robust and rugged and better able to withstand the attacks of lice and disease ; it means early cockerels for market when the supply is scant and the price correspondingly attractive. Hens take a three months’ vacation every fall during the molting season while they <F»n new plumage. When the’hens are idle, the stream of eggs ceases unless early hatched pullets are ready to substitute for the older fowl as egg-producers. As fall and winter eggs are always in demand at profitable prices, early hatching returns rapid dividends where the pullets are geared up for active service when the hens begin their rest. Less Disease Among Robust Pullets. Where lice attack the flock, the smaller, weaker chickens are first to succumb. Lice are worse during warm than cold weather and hence the early hatched chick? are less exposed to such pests while still very young. Furthermore, immature pullets are subject to colds during the fall and are v likely to/spread colds throughout the entire flock; To remedy this difficulty, hatch early and have the pul-, lets reasonably well matured when they are placed in winter quarters. As more cockerels are produced than are needed for breeding purposes It is imperative that the surplus stock be rapidly matured and sold as broilers and springers at early ages. The demand for such chickens is best early in the season when the price is at its peak ahd, on this account, the young nudes should be hatched .early,

forced and fattened for these special markets. Hot Weather Hard On Chicks. Severely hot weather Is hard on little chicks. Constant, care'and attention are essential to carry the young birds through the first six weeks without loss, particularly if the weather is hot and oppressive during this period. It is highly Important that chicks shall have passed the danger point before summer is on full force. This necessitates that the chicks be early rather than latehatched. Unless pullets are hatched early, matured and well settled In their winter quarters before cold weather sets in, it is difficult to get them to lay. Generally it takes from six and onehalf to eight months for pullets of the general purpose breeds including the Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte and Orpington varieties to mature and start _layliig. Hatched early in the season they will have ample time to mature. Early hatching one season will make it easier to hatch early the following year. Early hatched pulletsbegin to lay in the fall and winter and by the time early spring comes will usually have produced a considerable number of eggs and many of them will show a desire to sit. If on the other hand, the pullets are hatched late, they do not begin to lay until late winter or early spring and consequently are not likely to be broody when it is time to start hatching. Early hatching leads to early laying and early laying develops early broodiness, completing a cycle which should be the roundrobin aspiration of every progressive poultryman.

EARLY HATCH IS URGED

Early Hatching Means: More chicks raised. ■■ Less trouble from lice and disease. A longer growing season. Better grown chicks. Higher prices for cockerel broilers, Chicks mature enough to with stand summer heat. Well-matured, early-laying pullets. Pullets supply eggs while hens are molting. Egg plentltude at season of high prices. Early .pullets that become broody sooner, the following spring.

Poultry Studies Wide in Scope.

In its efforts to encourage the broad development of poultry raising in the United States, the bureau of animal industry of the United States department of agriculture is conducting investigations to establish the best methods of raising many varieties Of fowls. The present scope of the work includes not only the feeding, breeding, and care of ordinary poultry, but also the raising of pigeons, squabs, guineas, turkeys, and many other birds, including ostriches. The flesh of sqitabs, turkeys, guineas, geese and ducks makes a pleasing variety in the diet, and with wild fowls now becoming less available, it Is Important that a sufficient number of domestic birds be raised to keep the market constantly supplied. The problem now is chiefly one of farm production, which requires expert knowledge if adequate supplies are to be continued.

Peak Prices for Broilers.

It is economical practice to mature and fatten fowls for early market, as usually the peak prices are paid for such pre-seasoned broilers and springers. Early hatching is a prerequisite for the production of market-topping cockerels. The early chicks are favored by a long, propitious growing season relatively free from dangers of disease and Uc.e. They accomplish the jnost rapid gains and attain market conditions in record hens several weeks earlier, and gain the time. Start the incubator to get the add*» tlonal profits. i