Jasper Weekly Courier, Volume 56, Number 7, Jasper, Dubois County, 5 December 1913 — Page 3

MOST PROFITABLE OF GARDEN CROPS FARMER SHOULD LOOK AHEAD IN HOG RAISING By J. W. Schawb, Department of Animal Husbandry, Purdue University Experiment Station. Purdue University Agricultural Extension. Letter and Money in Unsealed Envelope Intact

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SrZsu., ' ...... 4r.. . The man who wisiies to succeed in liog raising must tnink at least a year .ahead and generally it pays to think three or four yearn ahead. About the first thing to do is to determine about how many hogs can be profitably raised on the farm in a year. This is generally limited by the amount of suitable hog feed that the farm can produce annually, under average conditions, such as corn, pasture, milk. etc. To determine the number of sows to keep for breeding depends largely on the number of pigs that can be raised from each sow or gilt. The number of sows also depends a great deal on the wisdom of selection, feeding and the care that is given them. There axe times when it is best to keep old sows over. It is a common saying among successful hog raisers that a pig from an old brood sow is a month old the day it is born as compared with pigs from gilts. The writer has found in carefully conducted experiments that the average birth weight of pigs from 56 gilts was 2.0 pounds, while tl)e average birth weight of pigs from 40 two-year-old bows was 2.5 pounds. Selecting the Brood Sow. In selecting bid sows to breed again, carefully weed out those sows that have proven themselves unprofitable. The kind to weed out are those that produce small litters, the nervPUFFBÄLLS AS FOOD By C. A. Ludwig, Botanical Department, Purdue University Experiment Station. Purdue University Agricultural Extension. The epicure has long been wont to ticklo his palate with mushrooms, for which he must pay a good stiff price or pick up a mess occasionally as they may be found in the fields or woodlands. At the same time he has been passing by some of the best dainties to be found, under the mistaken idea that they are unfit to eat. These are the common puffballs, which occur in this section of the country in great profusion, both of species and of individuals. They range in size from the little fellows about the size of a pea to the monsters as big as a peck measure or even larger; and all of them are not only edible, but, with the exception of some of the small forms which grow on decaying wood and absorb its flavor, they are also delicately flavored and eminently satisfying from the epicure's standpoint. For the farmer or other rural dweller who has an opportunity to gather them, puffballs offer a great many advantages over the much more highly esteemed mushroom. In the first place, thoy are in manj cases much larger and much more abundant, so that it is much easier to collect a good mess. In fact, with some kinds, a single ft 55 wry zWFk v. Giant Puffball. (Edible) specimen will furnish enough to last several persona for some days. The one figured in the cut In its present dried condition in the herbarium of the Botanical department of the Purdue experiment station measures eight inches across. A second advantage of puffballs over mushrooms is found in the fact that they do not spoil so readily. Whereas mushrooms can, with difficulty, bo kept several hours or u day in the ice box, puffballs under the same conditions will keep two or three days or even more. The most important advantage, however, from the housewife's point of view is probably In the greater variety of ways in which puffballs can be served. The flesh has more body than that of mushrooms and it does not shrink or darken so much in cooking. These fup.gi make a most appetizing dish

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ous, restless kind, the careless mother, the pig eater, poor milkers, which are often shy breeders, and the careless, sluggish movers that lie on their pigs. The sow to keep is the motherly sow that has proven herself to be an excellent breeder and not one that -has the least masculinity in her appearance. It is a mother you are looking for. First-class brood sows do not have a tendency to lay on flesh rapidly. They are loosely built, roomy and have a strong tendency to grawthiness. Of course, in weeding out some of the old sows, gilts must be selected to take their places. To select the best gilts is not a very difficult task if the owner has marked those which have been farrowed by the best sows. They should, by all means, rbe growthy, good rustlers, feminine in appearance and have at least six good teats on a side. It Is generally a good practice to select gilts from large litters, because "like begets like" in hogs as well as in othor classes of livestock. It is a fact that the size of litters of the average corn belt sow is none too large anyway. When it comes to mating select a rather closely built, strong, active male that has a decidedly masculine appearance. By carefully selecting the brood sows from year to year it will require only a few years until the farmer has a very profitable herd. prepared in any of the ways in which mushrooms are prepared, and they can be cooked in a number of other ways, or served as a salad with any of the ordinary dressings. Puffballs are ready to use as soon as they are large enough to gather, and remain good until the interior begins to turn yellow. A slight change in color is not accompanied by an appreciable deterioration in flavor, but the flesh is apt to be somewhat tough. They may be gathered and kept for some days in an ice box until they can be used. In collecting, but one caution is necessary, and that Is in connection with mushrooms. In the early stage they resemble somewhat the early stage of some of the mushrooms, and some of the latter could easily be collected as puffballs. Once in a long while, a poisonous mushroom might thus be picked up. A safe way is not to take the smallest ones. If they be taken, however, they can easily be told from mushrooms by cutting them in two lengthwise through the center. Mushrooms are more or less hollow around the stem and show their structure clearly when split in this manner, while puffballs are uniformly white and solid. When we consider the fact that Indiana is in the heart of the puffball region and that there is scarcely a farm in the state that does nbt at some time during the growing season produce an abundance of these excellent fungi, it seems that they should no longer be among the despised and neglected plants on our farms but should be appreciated at their true worth and utilized accordingly. INDIANA STILL PROGRESSING Supt. G. I. Christie Proud of Advancement Made Along Rural Educational Lines by Hoosiers. In an address before the state conservation commission at Indianapolis, October 25, Prof. G. I. Christie, superintendent of the Purdue university agricultural extension .epartment, expressed his satisfaction with the present status of agricultural education in Indiana, declaring that it prophesied only further progress for the rural community of the state. "The county agent work, the club work among the boys and girls and the teaching of agriculture in the rural and town sciiools clearly shows the trend of the times insistence upon tne spreading of the gospel of better agriculture to old and young alike, so that its benefits may be lasting and personal," he said. "Farmers appreciate the value of the principles being taught by Purdue's extension workers, and realize that the experiments at the Purdue experiment station will show methods by which their own crops can be increased. In a recent contest in Randolph county, in which 3S farmers participated, each growing five acres of corn, a yield of 110 bushels per acre was reached. The six farmers who received premiums each grew more than 100 bushels per acre and this in a state where the average yield is less than 40 bushels per acre."

WASHINGTON. The postoffice department Is very careful not to allow information to leak out about the inside workings of its offices, but tho other da? it became known that one of the most remarkable cases of hon

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not discover her mistake for several hours, but when she did she at once notified the officials at the postoffice. A telegram was sent to the postmaster at Flainfiejd, N. J., to look out for the letter, as it could not be found in the Baltimore office. On Thursday a telegram was received in reply stating that the letter had passed through the postoffice at Plainfield and had been delivered to the mother superior of the convent and that all the money was in the envelope when it was received. . The woman and the members of the firm where she is employed could not say too much in praise of the honesty of the postoffice department. It was perhaps the first time in the history of the department where a letter had been dropped in a box on the street unsealed with money in full view and delivered intact. The letter was collected from the street box by an employe of the Baltimore postoffice. It was handled by several men when it reached the postoffice and when it reached Plainfield it was again handled by several employes of the postoffice in that city and delivered by a letter carrier. Every man who handled the letter could not help seeing the money, and yet it reached its destination'. Dearth of Small Bills and Silver Dollars

THERE'S a great scarcity of dollar matter of silver dollars. To that not be called upon to pay any income

ment of novelty. The scarcity of the forms of money named does not 'affect the average man aa seriously as it does the banks of the country, south and west, where there is urgent demand for the small bills ones, twos and fives, and the big silver simoleons. In their trouble the banks have appealed to Uncle Sam and his representatives in the United States treasury. But even your Uncle Samuel is shy on silver and the small bills, though actually rolling in wealth in gold coin and gold bills. It has come to that stage where a banker might send over $100,000 in $20 gold certificates and request Treasurer Burke or some of his assistants to turn over $100,000 in ones, twos and fives of silver certificates, and the

messenger would have to carry back the big wad of gold certificates, for he would be turned down flat by the treasurer. In the currency trust funds, the general fund, etc., there are stored $491.736,000 in silver dollars, but the only way to make an inroad on this immense fund is to present silver certificates for redemption, or to oiler an equal amount of silver certificates partially destroyed, soiled, etc., the reason being that the millions of silver, dollars are covered by paper silver certificates for an equal amount. The coining of silver dollars was stopped by the act of 1904. People in the east do not care particularly, but out west specie payment is still exacted and down south the big dollars are wanted for paying laborers, who demand them, knowing that they are not counterfeits; that they "feel good," and "will not burn up, if placed under the cabin floor and the cabin Durns down." Just a Few of the Troubles of Office Seekers

NO ONE in the world knows the troubles of the office seekers better than Joseph Tumulty, the secretary for the. president. While every congressman has the woes of several hundred, or possibly thousand, office seeking

"and there were not only tears in his eyes, but they permeated his voice as well. 4 " 'Joe,' he said, 'here I have worked night and day to get jobs for several hundred of my constituents, and the best I have been able to land up to date are four measly little postmaster jobs. And now when I get them all appointed along comes Al Burleson, the postmaster general, who wasn't anything but a representative in congress, the same as I am, and he sends me a note asking me to specify that these men are of good moral character. Now, what's moral character to do with a postmaster? Didn't they have enough moral character to vote for Woodrow Wilson? I tell you, Joe. the country's going to the dogs." Uncle Sam Buying Lots of Washington ' Property UNCLE SAM owns a saloon in Washington. Let it be said in haste, lest tremors be caused, that he will get rid of it quickly. He is not paying a license fee, mixing drinks nor giving his nephews a

shove along the downward path. Uncle Sam bought a lot of property in order to make room for a new building for the state department, and the saloon happened to be included in the purchase. By the way, the saloon which Uncle Sam bought was quite a noted one in its day, having been the gathering place of men of note in national affairs for a good many years. It has been known as the saloon of mild drinking and mild manners, with more of a flow of soul than of bowl. It will pa6s, however, and in its place will rise a marble palace, where future secretaries of state will sit to recommend men for office and Incidentally to decide the fate of nations. The new structure of the state will rise on

ground just back from Pennsylvania avenue on the north and Fifteenth street on tho west, diagonally across from the treasury department. By and by Uncle Sam intends to buy all the buildings on the south side of the avenue, thus to make a park encumbered with nothing but public structures and which will extend ultimately from a point on the river near Georgetown straight through to the capitoL

esty that has ever happened in the history of the department occurred in Baltimore. A woman who is employed by one of the large department stores in that city has a daughter at school in a Catholic convent in Plainfield, N. J. Recently she wrote her daughter a letter and sealed it in an envelope. She also wrote at the same time to the mother superior of the convent and inclosed $60 in bills. She failed to seal the latter. The money wasioose in the envelope and could be plainly seen. It was the woman's intention to mail her daughter's letter and then to purchase a money order with the $60 she had placed in the envelope addressed to the mother superior. At the corner of Charles and Lexington streets she dropped the money in a letter box. She did

bills, and even a greater void in the large part of our population ihat will tax this information may lack the ele -Tl II- V t fTr 1 GREAT SCARCITY Always SCAacE RE Of DOLLAR1 WIT ME BILL ÖAMKS AfTfALTO TO UNCLE SAft

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constituents on his mind, each of the legislators takes the problems to the White House, where they are dumped in landslide fashion on the blond head of Mr. Tumulty, who, therefore, gets the griefs of a nation of unsatisfied politicians. He was sitting in his bright and attractive office, which overlooks the south lawn of the White House as it slopes gently toward the Washington monument one day, and there entered a Democrat of long experience. He was a congressman who is known to be as immovable in his Democratic principles as the foundations Qf the Capitol itself. "He came directly toward me," explained Mr. Tumulty to Tom Pense, who was Woodrow Wilson's publicity man in the campaign,

UdÜ ill SOOh ceT RU) or THIS JtiitiC

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A Fine Example of Headed Lettuce. The Value of Lettuce for the Table Depends Upon Its Being Fresh. The Plant Is Healthy and Hardy, and Will Withstand Considerable Frost Without Injury. It Has Few Enemies and the Requisites for Its Culture Are Few and Easily Understood.

SEED MUST BE DRIED Interesting and Instructive Data Regarding Storage. Corn Treated With Artificial Heat in Well Ventilated Rooms Gave Highest Percentage of Germination in Experiment. Some data regarding storage, germination and resulting stand of several farmers corn scattered widely over the central section of the country may prove helpful to our readers. The fall of the beginning of the tests was ideal in regard to ripening and curing seed corn. The average germination of the corn secured then was 76.4 per cent. It ranged from 93 per cent, for kiln dried corn to 3S per cent, for corn taken from, cribs. The following summer the section suffered a severe drouth with an early frost. Much of the crib corn mildewed. The effect on subsequent germination was very marked, the average for the next spring being only 55.5 per cent. The lowest germination, iy2 per cent., was that of corn standing in the shock during the winter. Corn cured in well ventilated garrets or rooms made a good average, and corn firedried germinated 90 per cent. A study of the records of many tests shows that seed corn dried with artificial heat in well ventilated rooms during the first two or three weeks after picking, gave the highest germination an average of 91.5 per cent, for the two years. Next to this is corn cured in furnace rooms with open windows where the heat was applied immediately after bringing the corn from the field. Well ventilated rooms i A method of curing seed corn, which is too commonly practiced. The seed thus dried gives less than half the crop, since its vitality is injured by undue exposure. with more than one "window gave germination of 86.5 per cent. Corn cured under porches protected from rains gave 70 per cent. Cqrn in barns, tool houses, etc., 69 per cent. Germination of corn kept in granaries and on windmills gave only 37.5 and 34 per cent, respectively. In this study of seed curing much corn which was left lying in piles or standing in sacks, for even a short time after husking, was completely destroyed. The only safe way of curing seed corn is therefore to place the corn immediately after picking in a well ventilated room and apply stove or other artificial heat for from one to three weeks. Avoid Sour Food. If you have lost a good many yong chicks during the past season and can find no other reason, it may be you will remember they had aqcess to sour food. This will kill them quickly. Eradicating Vermin. It is no easy job to get rid of a. million mites and lice in your poultry houses, but It is much easier to destroy a few thousand. Do not let them get the start of you.

RAISING HORSES FOR PROFIT

Dr. Alexander Urges Home Production of Stallions to Replace Scrubs, Mongrels and Grades. Tho principles to be followed by farmers in improving their horse stock are: The use of sound, pure-bred sires of a particular breed, the use of sound mares, the feeding and care of the mare and foal and the working of the stallions regularly. Dr. Alexander of the Wisconsin experiment station, further urges the home production of Profitable Specimen. pure-bred stallions to replace tho grades, mongrels and scrubs too often used at present. Ho urges that grade horses replace scrubs in farm teams. The organization of community associations will greatly facilitate the promotion of horse-breeding, and tho encouragement of the industry may be furthered by prizes at county fairs for purebred stallions, mares and colts. The evil effects which result from the use of unusual sires and dams, and the transmission of hereditary diseases is especially emphasized. It should be easily possible to increase the value of Wisconsin horses at least $10 per head during the next five years, the author points out, by the use of sound stallions and mares, and this would mean an addition of at least $7,000,000 to the total value of horse stock of the state. AXLE GREASE SAVES MONEY Wheels of All Farm Vehicles Should Be Carefully Examined to Avoid Unnecessary Wearing. When you hear the wheels of a wagon or any kind of farm machinery squeaking, be sure the squeaks cost the owner money, because the axles are being cut to pieces. There is a. great difference in axle grease and the only way to know which has the best adhesive qualities is by actual test. Cheap grease is generally dear. Axle grease that quickly wears off increases the friction, this pulls the flesh off the team and flesh costs money. The wheels of all vehicles and machinery should be carefully examined often. It will not do to be caught with dry wheels when away from home or in the midst of a busy day in the harvest field. New Breed of Dairy Cattle. A new breed of dairy cattle known as the Illawarra breed has been developed in New South Wales. It was obtained by crossing shorthorns, longhorns, Devons and Ayrshires. This new breed of cattle has become a favorite for dairying in the Illawarra district, New South Wales, though it is hardly known in America. Corn Fed Poultry. The heavy feeding of corn to poultry, especially where there is an absence of good, hard, sharp grit, will bring on bad cases of indigestion, which in many ways resembles cholera. About 92 cases out of a hundred of reported cholera victims are case of indigestion. The end Is the same, but the latter disease is not oont-

gious.