The Sayre Headlight, Vol. 21, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 4, 1920 Page: 7 of 8
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THE SAYRE HEADLIGHT
START YOUR GARDEN EARLY
Department of Agriculture Pute Forth
Plea for the Railing of More
Food Producti.
Gnrrtens nre going to be Just ns lm<
|iil'tnnt the coming year ns during the
wur period, United States department
of agrlculturo specialists declare. Illah
food costs, they say, uro likely to re-
main until more to eat Is grown and
distributed. Farm gardens, village gar-
dens nnd city backyard gardens oil
will help. Food produced In the gar-
den not only helps hnlunce (lie fnmlly
budget but releases thut grown on
farms for the use of people who uro
entirely dependent upon others.
With the lengthening of the dnys It
will .not be long until land can bo
worked, and such hardy crops ns peas,
onions, lettuce, rudlshea and beets
planted, especially throughout the low-
er Gulf coast region. The average
date of the lust killing frost of the
winter In this section Ib not luter than
INSPECTORS AID
SIAREDEALM
Growers, Shippers and Buyers
Can Profit by Certificates
From Federal Agents.
RATING ELIMINATED
Food Product* Inspection Service
Maintain* Offices In 30 of Larger
Cltlee—Wholeeome Effect
on Marketing.
(Prepared by the United Statee Depart-
ment of Agriculture.)
The time wua—and not so long ago
—when many a farmer who shipped
hla fruit or vegetables to market In his
own name, or through a shipper, felt
that he was taking a loop In the dark.
Returns seemed very uncertain. Hav-
ing heard of Instances In which
friends or neighbors were treated un-
fairly by buyers or transportation
companies, he was often fearful lest
lie would be the victim of dishonesty.
No doubt the number of dishonest
dealers hnndllng produce was far less
than Imagined, but In any event, buy-
ers In general suffered from the fraud-
ulent practices of the few.
These days of uncertainty for the
shipper and grower, so fnr as Inter-
state commerce Is concerned, are gone.
The food products Inspection service
maintained by the bureuu of markets
of the United States department of
agriculture practically eliminates the
1 iMissIbillty of unfair rating of produce.
Its Inspection offices are located la
30 of the larger cities and from these
centers Inspections are made In ap-
proximately 140 addlUonal cities.
Benefits Seller and Buyer.
This service Ib open to shippers, re-
ceivers, railroads, and any other per-
sons Interested financially or other-
wise. It Is recognised to be of as
great benefit to buyers of produce as
to shippers. In case of dispute over
a shipment any party concerned can
Corner of a Town Garden.
March 15. This zone Includes the
southern portion of South Carolina,
the southern half of Georgia, Alnhnina
and Mississippi, almost the whole of
Louisiana and all southeastern Texas.
Several of the more hardy garden
crops. Including those mentioned above,
will withstand considerable frost and
may be planted at least a month be-
fore the average date for the last frost.
Irish potatoes are easily Injured by
freezing, but they require about a
month to come up and may be planted
at about the same time as lettuce and
radishes. It pays to take a chance on
the early planting of certain of the
more hnrdy garden vegetables If they
are killed or severely Injured they mny
be replanted. A good method Is to
make about three plantings at Inter-
vals of three weeks, and If the first
planting Is killed the later ones take
Its place.
Pansies for Spring Bedding.
Pansy seed started In the conserva-
tory or greenhouse now will mnke
good plants for bedding out In the
aprlng.
Sow the seeds In seed pnns or boxes
and grow the plants In the shal-
low boxes used by florists for this
purpose.
Cold frames should be ready and
kepi covered all winter, to take the
plants In March.
The plants can be potted and grown
In the pots. The object of putting
the plants In the cold frames la to save
room In the greenhouse and also to
harden the plants off so they can be
set out early In beds. The sashes
must he taken off the cold frames
early or the plants will become tall
and Rplndly or “drawn," as the gar-
doners call them.
Payi to Attract Tourists.
Money In the average town circu-
lates. It moves In a circle from In-
dustry to employees, from employees
to store, from stores to bank, and back
to Industry again. Additions from out-
aide aonrees, therefore, are real gains,
real profits to the community. Money
left la tewn by tourists Is such a
preftt.
Therefore the town that repels au-
tomohlllst* by poor roads, lack of signs
end petty traffic restrictions Is losing
money. The community thnt goes out
•f Its way to attract motoring travel
Is doing seme real good for Itself.
To draw the stranger and treat him
well Is more than merely advertising
the town. It ta making money.—Ohio
Motorist.
Home** Great Essential.
A well kept and well planted lawn 1
la essential for every home. Most
any one can erect a ehelter of hoards
or cement but some thought must he
put Into msklng that shelter a home.
Comfort, convenience, and benuty
enght to he found there. They are
all needed If young people ere going
th stay long In the home.—Le Roy
Cady, associate horticulturist, Minne-
sota College of Agriculture.
Mall for Undeelrable Citizen.
“Any mall fer me today r asked SI
Meddergnm as he came Into the
Blcksvilte post office.
“Belcher replied the poatmanter.
“There’* a cream separator, a buggy
top. ■ tractor radiator and a wagon
tongua.’-CIndnnatl Enquirer.
Federal tnapector Ascertaining Condi-
tion of Carload of Sacked Potatoes.
call on the inspector at the market In
which the car Is located to mnke a
thorough examination and Isaue a cer-
tificate stating all the facts regarding
the quality and condition of the goods.
This certificate will be received as
prlma fade evidence in all United
States courts.
The service has been In operation
since November, 1917. It Is In no
sense a regulatory or police organiza-
tion. The Inspector examines a ship-
ment and makes a report on It only
when requested to do so by some one
having financial Interest In the trans-
action. He has no authority to do any-
thing more than to Issue a certificate
showing the exact condition of the
shipment at the tlnm of Inspection.
He has no authority to net ns a medi-
ator In making adjustments.
Request Inspections by Wire or Letter.
Those In charge of the work aim to
give Immediate, effective service. Any-
one Interested can secure from the
bureau of markets. United States de-
partment of agriculture, Washington,
D. C.. n list of the 28 cities In which
Inspection offices are maintained and
from which neighboring cities are
served. Requests for Inspection may
be tnndo to any of these 26 points by
wire or letter and should be addressed
to "Food Products Inspector," stating
the kind of products, the car number,
the receiver, nnd the delivering car-
rier, ns well as any particular feature
regarding which special Information la
desired. At present butter Inspections
nre made In only five markets.
A fee of $2.50 for any quantity from
half a carload up to a full carload,
and $1.50 for less than half nn ordi-
nary cnrlond, Is chnrged for each In-
spection. For Inspections mnde In the
smaller markets the applicant also
pays the expenses of the Inspector In
making the trip. Only shipments that
have moved In Interstate commerce are
eligible for Inspection.
Since the food products Inspection
service was established more than 30,-
000 Inspection* have been made. Large
as title number la, It does not meaaure
the full effectiveness of the service.
The very fact that aome 4fi federal In-
spector! are avalloblo at any time tin*
hud a wholeeome effect upon the en-
tire business of marketing fruit, vege-
tables, and butter. The dishonest few
now know that they ore hiking big
chances If they make fraudulent
claims regarding shipment*. The hon-
est differences which Inevitably arise
between buyers nnd sellers at times
are settled more speedily nrd with less
friction nnd misunderstanding.
Special Advice for Farmer*,
The service employs five plant
pathologists who specialize In diseases
thnt affect fruits nnd vegetables In
transit. From their ro|>orls mors than
one farmer has learned of some dis-
ease that hna been Injuring his crops,
and has been able to remedy the con-
dition.
The Inspectors nre pnrtleulnrty In
demand when the market condition Is
had. When buyers nre reluctant to
accept shipments that nre doubtful,
they are only too glad of a government
certificate which shows conclusively
the exact condition in which the good*
were received. Likewise, the service
enables shippers to procure conclusive
evidence of the soundness of products
which otherwise might he subject to
underrating because of an unfavora-
ble market.
STANDING OF DEALER
OF MUCH IMPORTANCE
Rating of Any Dealer Is Not Dif-
ficult to Obtain.
Chamber* of Commerce and Similar
Bodies Are Often of Much Aesist-
ance In Giving Information
—Bankers Alto Help.
Whe* much produce Is to be
shipped, It will pay the shipper to look
up a dealer's commercial standing
very carefully before consigning In his
care. Marketing experts of the United
States department of agriculture call
attention to the fact that the rating of
any dealer may be secured through
firms which make a business of rating
the financial and general credit stand-
ing of men In different kinds of busi-
ness. They publish regular reports
which give a general Idea as to a
dealer’s standing, though, as Is per-
haps Inevitable, In many specific In-
stances they have been found to be
Inaccurate. Tills general credit stand-
ing Is of prime Importance, B9 a man
with a rather low financial rating may
be one of the most reliable. Firm let-
terheads. giving trade references,
should not be accepted at their face
value without verification.
The chambers of commerce, boards
of trade, and similar bodies are often
of assistance In giving Information nr
to dealers specializing In different com-
modities. Local bankers may also
help In determining the responsibility
of a particular firm. Limited lists of
dealers In various commodities are
sometimes supplied by the Bureau of
Markets. United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D, C„ in re-
sponse to Inquiries.
Once a satisfactory representative
or customer Is found, It should he the
aim of the shipper to maintain his
connection with this one firm, as by so
doing mutual confidence will be fos-
tered nnd better results secured than
where the shipper Jumps from one
connection to another In quest of
slightly higher prices.
ICE HOUSE LOCATION VITAL
ROAD*
BUILDING
DIRT ROADS CARE IN SPRING
Proper Drainage Is Chief Essential In
Maintenance—Road Drag Is
Especially Uaeful.
Tho cardinal essential In spring
maintenance of enrth roads, especially
those on heavy soils, Is good drainage.
So long as tho water can he kept
from penetrating deeply Into these
roads they will remain nt least fairly
passable. To accomplish this on aver
age earth roods, however, Is fur from
easy. During the enrly part of this
season of the year rains are often of
lung duration and tend to saturate the
•mil. Water from melting snow* Is
perhaps even more penetrating than
long-continued rains, while alternate
freezing and thawing of the wet sur-
face tends to tnerense the porosity of
the soil and permit even more ready
access of water Into the foundation.
The chief attention of the road man
must therefore be directed toward
getting and keeping the water away
from the road. So long as the founda-
tion can be kept dry, even a heavy
freeze followed by n rapid thaw will
do little or no real damage to the road
surface. A dry soil does not heave.
The foundation will therefore still be
solid, and the road will be able to
sustain the traffic without serious rut-
ting. On the other hand a saturated
soil expands greatly on freezing, and
when It thnws out has not only lost
practically all power of sustaining thp
weight of traffic, but also Is In an Ideal
condition for taking up or absorbing
still more wnter, and thus forming
still more mud.
During the early part of the season,
as long as the weather Is very rainy
or there Is melting snow on the ground
It will pay to have the road man go
over the road dally to see that the
drains and side ditches do not become
clogged and to note the need of nny
necessary repairs. A few minutes'
work with a shovel may prevent a se-
rious washout or damages, which, If
not promptly checked, might make the
rond practically Impassable.
The road drag or some other similar
device finds Its greatest usefulness
during this season. It may be used
to good advantage to clear the road-
way of slush and melting snow and so
prevent tills water from soaking Into
SMUTS ARE MOST DESTRUCTIVE TO CEREAL I
CROPS IN ALL GRAIN-GROWING SECTIONS.
Of Much Importance on Dairy Farm
That Site Should Be Placed Close
to the Milk House.
Selection for a sits for nn lee house
Is very Important. Other conditions
helng suitable, the Ice house on a
dairy form should be placed as near
ns possible to the milk house. In or-
der to reduce the labor of handling
the Ice, according to the United States
department of agriculture. On a gen-
eral farm the Ice house should be lo-
cated near the residence, ''o facili-
tate drainage the ground on which the
Ice house stands should be porous and
slope from the building. Advantage
also mny be taken of the nearness of
hills, trees, or buildings, which often
afford protection from hot winds, thus
saving Ice.
BEET-TOP SILAGE OF VALUE
Drag Most Useful in Spring.
nnd softening the subgrade. To fill
ruts, smooth the surface and maintain
the crown of the road, the drag Is un-
excelled when In the hands of a
skilled operator. An unskilled man
may do more hnrm than good. Fur-
thermore, the actual condition of the
road during this period will depend
very largely on the knowledge of the
road man as to Just when to drag, as
well as his skill In the operation af the
Implement
In addition to the maintenance, pro-
vision should be made for doing all
necessary grading or earth work as
early In the spring as possible, In or-
der thnt It may become thoroughly con-
solidated before the dry weather of
summer. If the work Is done too late
the road will not only probably be-
come very dusty In dry weather but
will need additional attention Inter In
1 the fall. Where the soil Is a heavy
clay or gumbo the condition of the
road mny be very materially Improved
hy adding sand from time to time as
that already on the rond Is worked In
by the passing traffic and the drag.
8tinklng Smut of Wheat—Grain From Treated and Untreated Seed.
(Prepared by the United Statee Depart-
ment of Agriculture.)
Smuts caused an estimated loss In
1918 of 25,000.000 buahelB of wheat,
110,000,000 bushels of oats, and 6,000,-
000 bushels of barley In the United
States. These diseases, which are
among the most destructive that at-
tack cereal crops, occur to a greater
or less extent In all the grain-growing
sections of the country.
There are two knds of wheat smut,
the loose smut and the covered smut;
the latter Is also called bunt or stink-
ing smut.
Loose smut Is found In practically
every wheat field. It Is most serious
In the southern winter wheat section—
southern Missouri, southern Rlinols,
southern Indiana, southern Ohio,
aouthern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Throughout this general area the an-
nual losses range from 3 to 5 per cent
In many Individual fields losses of 15
to 20 per cent are known. Outside
of this general region the damage due
to loose smut ranges from about 1 to
2 per cent.
Bunt or stinking smut also Is found
In the different wheat-growing area*
of the country. Commonly, the dam-
age done by this smut Is from 1 to 5
per cent of the crop. Frequently,
however, fields show losses which
range from from 20 to 40 per cent.
Several fields have been destroyed In
which the damage amounted to 50 or
even 80 per cent
How to Distinguish Smuts.
Loose smut shows up most strikingly
at the time when the wheat comes into
head. The diseased plant Is found to
have the kernels and chaff replaced by
Comes Out of Silo Warm In Winter
apd Is Appetizing—Stimulates
Assimilation of Food.
Beet-top silage comes out of the silo
warm In the winter, and It Is appe-
tizing, according to the United States
department of agriculture. It seems
to stimulate the assimilation of food
and to aid the anlmnl to appropriate
the mnxlmnm values from all the
feeds consumed.
PROVIDE RUNWAY FOR WATER
Save all of the straw, manure, leaves
and other rubbish that will make fer-
tility tor land.
• • •
Unlees alfalfa or aoy bean seed Is
Inoculated It cannot be depended upon
to be a reliable crop.
• • •
The potato plant first grows Its top,
and later moves the materials from
ths tops Into the roots to form the
tubers.
Plenty of Space Should Be Allowed
In Rebuilding Bridge or Culvert
—Repair Costs Cease.
Whenever a bridge or culvert la re-
built use some form of permanent
construction, seeing to It that ptoaty
of runway is allowed for the water.
Then repair costs will virtually cease,
and the money now wasted will begla
to show in roads that are good If
months In the year.
KEEP UP FARM APPEARANCE
Unsightly Features May Be Unneea
by Farmers, But Passerby Is
Keen to Discern Sign*.
The farmer Interested In sttraettas
trade In hla farm products should look
well to the appearance of hla place.
Perhaps old, unsightly fenture# at
which he Is not conscious exist, but
the passerby Is keen to discern these
etgns of farm management and hesi-
tates to purchase at a place ehowfag
neglect
Healthy Wheat Head and Smut Laden
Head.
a black, sooty mass of dustlike par-
ticles. These dust-like particles, the
spores of the smut fungus, begin to
blow from the diseased head soon af-
ter the latter emerges from the boot
These spores are carried by the wind
to neighboring sound heads which nre
In bloom at the time; they lodge be-
tween the glumes or chaff, where they
start growth Immediately and pene-
trate the newly forming kernels. When
these Infected kernels are ripe they
can not be distinguished from sound
kernels, but they nevertheless contain
the smut fungus. When an Infected
seed Is planted and germinates the
smut plant within it also begins to
grow and develops within the growing
plant; when the plant begins to form
the head the developing tissues of tho
grain and chaff are destroyed and the
smut fungus produces Its spores.
Wheat heads Infected with bunt are
readily distinguished a short time be-
fore the wheat Is ripe, although the
trained observer can detect the pres-
ence of the disease several days be-
fore. The heads of smutted plants
stand more erect on account of their
lighter weight. The chaff Is spread
apart by the swelling of the enlarged
false kernels or smut balls, which give
the heads a dark color. These smut
balls contain a greasy, Ul-smelllng
mass of smut spores.
In thrashing operations these smut
balls are knocked out and the head
more or less broken apart and the
smut spores scattered over the sound
kernels; such grain has a darker color
and a disagreeable odor due to the
presence of the smut spores. Smutty
wheat Is docked more or less by the
miller.
When smutty seed Is sown In the
soil the stinking smut spores germi-
nate simultaneously with the wheat
kernels, and the smut fungus pene-
trates the young wheat plant. It con-
tinues to grow within the tissues of
the whent plant and forms Its spores
In the place where the healthy kernels
should he developed.
Control of Loom Smut
Loose smut Is very difficult to con-
trol because the fungus Is Inside of tha
seed which Is sown and hence can not
be reached by ordinary chemicals with-
out killing the wheat embryo. Tbo
disease, however, can be controlled by
the so-called hot-water treatment Tha
method involves soaking the seed grain
In cold water for 4 to 6 hours. It la
then dipped In hot water at a tempera-
ture of 129 degrees Fahrenheit for 10
minutes; the seed should then ba
spread out to dry.
It la very Important thnt the water
be kept at the exact temperature and
the seed Immersed for Just the- cor-
rect period of time. If the water la
allowed to get one or two degreea
above the temperature Indicated, or
the time prolonged beyond the 10 min-
utes, considerable Injury to the grain
will resulL
The hot-water treatment, on account
of Its difficulties. Is not practicable on
the average farm. One must have
an accurate thermometer and facilities
for keeping the temperature of the wa-
ter constant. This can be done quite
easily where steam Is available.
The Control of Bunt
Bunt or stinking smut is readily
controlled by the use of formaldehyde.
A simple procedure Is to place 1 pint
or 1 pound of commercial formalde-
hyde in 40 gallons of water. The seed
to be treated should be freed as much
as possible from smut balls and other
foreign matter, and should then be dip-
ped In the folmaluebyde solution and
kept there about 10 minutes. During
this period the sack should be raised
and lowered so as to stir up the grata
and get It thoroughly In contact with
the solution. After treatment the
grain should be spread out to dry and
then sown as soon as possible. One
pint of formaldehyde solution, dis-
solved iu 40 gallons of water, is suffi-
cient to treat about 40 bushels of seed
grain.
Another method of applying the
solution Is to spread the grain to be
treated on a clean floor, and by means
of a sprinkling can sprinkle the solu-
tion over the grain. The grain should
be shoveled over In order to get the
solution well In contact with the grain.
The solution should be applied at the
rate of about one gallon to one bush-
el of seed grain. The grain should be
piled up and covered with sacks or
canvas and left for two or three hours.
It should then be spread out to dry
and sown as soon as possible.
After treating the grain, great card
must be taken not to place it on a
floor or in sacks which are contami-
nated with the bunt spores, or to sow
It In a drill which Is contaminated.
Bunt Problem of the Pacific Northwest
In the Pacific Northwest, bunL or
stinking smut, presents a very serious
problem because of soil infestation in
that region. During the thrashing of
a smutted crop the smut spores are
blown long distances over the fallowed
land, as summer fallowing for wheat
Is a common practice. When the fall
rains occur, along about seeding time,
these spores In the soil germinate and
Infect the young wheat plants as they
develop. On this account, segd treat-
ment Is not entirely effective; but, as
a general rule, the copper sulphate
treatment gives much better results
than the formaldehyde.
The copper sulphate or bluestone
treatment consists In dipping the seed
In a solution of copper sulphate. 1
pound of copper sulphate being dis-
solved In 5 gallons of water. After
Immersion the seed Is dried or sown
Immediately. This solution may cause
considerable Injury to the grain. This
damage ran be lessened greatly by
dipping the seed, after removal from
the copper sulphate solution, In a solu-
tion of 1 pound of quicklime to ID
gallons of water. The time prevents
the continued Injurious action of the
coppe- sulphate.
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Seely, Charles J. The Sayre Headlight, Vol. 21, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 4, 1920, newspaper, March 4, 1920; Sayre, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc406044/m1/7/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.