Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 July 1919 — The Neighborhood Corner [ARTICLE]

The Neighborhood Corner

Department of Farm Welfare Conducted by County A|ent Stewart Leaminf.

Boys’ Working Reserve Help* Labor Situation. ' One hundred and fifty boys and young men have been placed on the farms of Jasper county this season through the Boys’ Working reserve, or about twice as many as were placed during the entire season of 1918 and four times as many as in 1917. While these are days fraught with labor difficulties of all kinds, the great majority of these boys have been entirely satisfactory and have made good and efficient farm hands. Most of them have had farm experience and as a rule those who have not learn readily. A few of the young men have come back to the county ever since the working reserve was established in 1917, and have become better farmers each year. The Boys’ Working reserve is serving two very distinct and useful purposes. It is supplying farmers with good help at a reasonable price and it is giving young men practical training in farm life, which will be of value to (them in all the years to come. Corn and Poultry Grower* Hold Meeting. Plans for a bigger and better annual corn and poultry show were discussed by members of the county association at an impartant meeting held last Thursday evening at the court house. The general sentiment expressed was that there .is ample room for a splendid exhibition in this county and the quality of the show is limited only by the amount of energy expended in its development. A committee was appointed to interview the leading judges of the United States and select the best man available to judge the poultry entries. The president announced that he will donate a silver cup, to be known as the president’s cup, to be awarded in a competition open to beginners only. Provisions for the boys and girls were also made. This organization has already done much for the improvement of the corn and poultry industries of the county and its members believe that the association is entering upon a period in which it can be of still greater service in the development of the community. To Guard Against Threshing Accident*. The Indiana Federation of farmers’ associations has sent out the following warning to members of the organization, which may well be observed by all fanners of the state: “The last legislature amended the workmen’s compensation law which now makes the contractor liable for any injury suffered by any one of his hired men. Should this contractor be K the man who threshes your grain, fills your silo, ‘bales your hay, shreds your fodder, saiws yqur lumber, lays your tile, or does any kind of work for you by contract, this law requires you to exact from this contractor a certificate from the industrial board showing that such contractor has complied with section 68 of the act. 'Failing to do this you ‘shall be liable to the same extent as the contractor for compensation, physician’s fees, hospital fees, nurse’s charges, and burial expenses on account of injury or death of any employe of such contractor, due to an accident arising out of and in the course of the performance of the work covered by such contract.’ ” There are 6,000 threshing machines in Indiana. Many owners of these machines hajve no financial

responsibility. About one accident happens to twenty-five machines. That means that there will occur from two hundred to three hundred and fifty accidents this season from this source alone. The farmer should require the contractor to produce a certificate showing that he has complied with the terms of the workmen’s compensation law. A Le»«on From the Wheat Scab. Now that every wheat grower is justly alarmed over the “blight” or

wheat scab, it may be well to point out a few facts about the serious disease which may be verified by an hour’s study in any community and which have an important bearing on the control of the disease. The scab is worse where wheat follows corn than where it follows any other crop. The scab is worse where the corn stalks were left in the field than where they were removed for silage or fodder. It is worse in late planted wheat

than in early wheat. Fields sown with thoroughly fanned, treated seed are freer from the disease than those sown from seed as taken from the threshing machine. Fields sown with seed treated by the hot water method are free from the disease. notation of crops, late September seeding, thorough cleaning and the treating apd introduction of the hot water treatment will do much to keep down the infection. k