8.
OXIAHOMA FARMER, MARCH 15, 1911,
The Oklahoma Farmer
—WY-
THE FARMER PUBLISHING COMPANY.
(Inoerportrted.)
Frank h. greer
■reeident and Manager,
IA ikuul Monthly Pbper Devoted t® Agriculture, Horticul-
ture uaA Livestock.
Yh«
one down-to - datc farm
noma.
paper of okla-
TO 8l?BSCMBIWB—The sddren kebfl on your paper
flvee the t*te row nbeertytian expiree. When a remit-
tance la made your ktfcol fee changed within tec
tay*. IX It la not «km< write ue at one*. Id aafelng
tor ehanr* «f peatoClM alwey* five old aa well aa new
•ddreaa. 11 yO« waftt the payee •topped. write ua to that
•ffeot, otherwlae we will take it that yon mnnt the papt*
OontliweO and that yen will pa# for It at the regular aub-
tcrtptlon rata.
FVBIJBHHD lit AMD lMh OF BACH MONTH.
Entered as Second-clasa matter August 2f>, 1910, at the
postoffice at Guthrie, Okla., under the act of March 3, 1879.
ADVBRTISING RATES.
IVT9PI.AT—M eenta per a«ate line Oat
IUBAD1NG MATTBSB-—ti eenta per oount Una
CLU U.-llKUao—fw  cente a werd.
POSITION CHAHOBK -Full pooition U ]>or e at extra.
Aloac iHh reeOlof is per cent extra.
rOJUUOM MflPfUMIHlNT ATIVMB—N. M. Sheffield  T>*
dial Afeocy. U. S. Bxpreee Bid#., Chic*#®. Tribune Bide,
Mow Tort.
subscription rates.
1 Tee*
> Tom
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I Teara
to Teara
ti Teare
tlf# 
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.71
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lib
6.00
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FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FARMING.
There is every year an increasing demand for
fruits and vetetables fresh from the garden. People
demand fresh fruit and vegetables as well as fresh
butter and eggs, and the wonder is that more peo-
ple do not follow it as sin occupation.
But instead we will lind the majority of farmers
without even a small patch of berries for family
use.
The housewife who must prepare one thousand
and ninety-live meals every year without plenty of
fruit deserves sympathy, when with a little care and
work she should have fruit on the table three times
a day while in season, and plenty of the canned pro-
duct to use every day during winter.
Fruit is much more healthful than meat.
There is perhaps, no department that receives so
litlle attention, compared with its value on the aver-
age farm, as the garden.
It reduces the grocery and meat bill if properly
handled, and if we desire ar.d manage rightly we
we may indirectly obliterate running expenses and
have a neat little balance desides.
From it we may have something pure and fresh
every day in the year.
From it we get health and happiness. It puts dys-
pepsia and biliousness to rout.
Its vegetables contain all the medicinal properties
necessary to correct the numerous ills the human
body is heir to. From it we obtain a variety,
sufficient to tempt the appetite of the most fastidi-
ous epicure.
Personally we are fond of everything that grows
there, and we feel it is the duty of every person to
cultivate a liking for the various vegetables as then-
use will add to longevity.
LINCOLN ON AGRICULTURE.
"No other human occupation opens so wide a
field for the profitable and agreeable combination of
labor with cultivated thought, as agriculture. I
know nothing so pleasant to the mind as the dis
aovery of anything that is at once new and valuable
—nothing so lightens and sweetens toil as the hope-
ful pursuit of such discovery. And how vast and
how varied a field is agriculture for such a dis-
covery! The mind already trained to thought in the
country school, or larger school, cannot fail to find
there an exhaustless source of enjoyment. Every
blade of grass is a study; and to produce two where
there was but one is both a profit and a pleasure.
And not grass alone, but soils, seeds and season—
hedges, ditches, fences—draining, droughts and ir-
rigation—plowing, hoeing and harrowing reaping,
mowing and threshing—saving crops, pests of crops,
diseases of crops, and what will prevent or cure
them—implements, utensils and machines and their
relative merits, and how to improve them—hogs,
horses and cattle—sheep, goats and poultry—trees,
shrubs, fruits, plants and flowers—the thousand
things of which these are specimens—each a world
of study within itself. ,
EVOLUTION IN FARMING.
It is rather significant that the last census showed
diminishing population in the argicultural sections
of many of our richest Western states.
The falling off in the number of farmers is not
due to any decrease in the prosperity of agriculture.
On the contrary, the farming industry was never so
prosperous as it is at the present time.
In all the great agricultural states the value of
land lias vastly increased and many farmers, desir-
ous of reaping the profits, have sold their land to the
larger land-holders and emigrated to Canada or to
the Southern States, where cheaper lands are to be
had.
The farms thus sold have not gone into the hands
of new farmers, but have been absorbed by the
larger farmers, whose great prosperity has induced
them to expand their activities.
In nearly all parts of the country the tendency
has been towards larger farms and the cultivation of
crops on a larger scale.
Diminishing agricultural population does not,
therefore, indicate any likelihood of shrinkage in
the productiveness of the country. i
In adcovating a return of the farms by the masses
who have flocked to the cities, these facts must be
kept in mind.
Farming is no longer a hap hazard industry, de-
pendent upon chance, but a highly-scientific calling,
which requires- capital and a high order of training.
As long' as land is to be had at reasonable prices
it will be cultivated and as long as farmers are able
to pay adequate wages to farm laborers they will
find no great difficulty in securing them.
It is a mistake to suppose that labor that does not
do well in the cities will succeed on the farms, as it
is more than probable that the c-ity failure would
prove an even worse failure in the country.
ADVANCES IN EDUCATION.
Advances in educational lines, during the last de-
cade, have been remarkable in this country.
Twenty years ago there was 272,000 school
teachers in the United States and 8.000,000 pupils.
Today's statistics read as follows:
"More than half a million teachers of both sexes
are now engaged in instructing 16,000,000 scholars.
In other words, the magnitude of the American
school system is demonstrated by the statement that
it. has more than doubled in less than a quarter of a
century.
The educational bill of the United States now
reaches the round annual sum of $350,000,000, as
against the approximate sum of $12"),000,000 in
1888."
IRON IN VEGETABLES.
It is estimated the human system needs a little
over a grain of iron a day.
It is. therefore, not without importance to know
that of all the vegetables, lettuce contains the most
iron.
Many people, even physicians, believe that spinach
is richest in iron salts; this, however, is an error.
On the contrary, the latest investigations place it
lowest in the scale in this respect.
Winter cabbage comes next to lettuce, and even
the potato contains a higher percentage of iron than
spinach.
Perhaps this may be a comfort to fat folks who
will eat potatoes.
 _  ,
BUY MORE TREES.
When the fruit tree agent comes along don't set
the dog on him, invite him in, give him an easy
chair and listen to what he has to say. It may be
best to not believe all he says because, even if re-
liable, he may be over-enthusiastic. But give him
a hearing and if his prices are reasonable and his
stock reliable give him a nice order. He may not
be an angel, but he is the right sort of a fellow he
is a benefactor. His wares will add to your health
and wealth and give you more pleasure in life.
LETTEBS FROM READERS
; . Of TK • •
OKLAHOMA FARMER
p
^ ■
KdHors" note.—Queailona of Interwfl
to the readers of th« Oklahoma F*rm«
or will be fUdly received. WHU
only on one aide of the paper.
STARTING TOMATO PLANVS.
Editor Oklahoma Farmer.
Q—Please give me some information
about starting tomato plants in box-
es, for early planting.—M. E.
A—As it is time to start tomato
plants, I will give my experience with
them, and also how we test seed corn
at the same time. Take a wooden box of
just the right size to fit the reservoir
or warming oven of the kitchen stove
and 1111 It about two-thirds full of
garden soil. Then place it in the oven
to warm up, and it is well to let it be-
come hot, for that kills all weed seeds
and insects. However, it should be al-
lowed to cool off and be thoroughly
moistened before planting the seed.
After the seeds are planted and cov-
ered with fine soil, place a piece of
building paper or any thick paper,
except tar felt, over the top of the
dirt, and here place the corn to he
tested; then place a wet cloth, prefer-
ably woolen, over the corn and cover
this with a piece of thick paper or sev-
eral thicknesses of newspaper. If sev-
eral kinds of corn are to be tested,
the paper may be marked off into
squares and numbered. In the course
of a few days the corn will have
sprouted and that test completed, and
by that time the tomato plants will be
ready to CQme up. The box should
then he removed and placed where all
the sun possible may shine upon the
plants. When the second set of leaves
appears upon the tomato plant, they
should be transplanted into another
box.
CONSTRUCTION OF A HOTBED.
Eeditor Oklahoma Farmer.
Q—Will you kindly give me instruc-
tions in making a hotbed and caring
for same? Is it necessary to provide
other protection than glass and should
the bed be covered on cold nights; also
what precautions should bo taken for
providing ventilation? About .vhat
time should plants be transplanted to
the cold frame, and hew do you caro
for the cold frame?
A—A hotbed is really a very simple
thing, practically amounting to a box
of manure two feet deep, pat in layers
and trodden down firmly so that it will
settle evenly, and covered with six
inches of garden soil which is as free
as possible from seeds in order to save
trouble in weeding. The top of the
box should be six inches above the
soil on the side toward the sun and
a foot or sixteen inches above the soil
on the north side, so that the sash
which covers it may have a little slant
towards the south. Now all sorts of
modifications to suit the convenience
of the maker may be brought in. Our
own hotbed is made of concrete, most-
ly below the ground, and for several
years we lind one made of lumber that
was about one and one-half feet be-
low the earth. It makes but very lit-
tle difference, except that the earlier
the bed, the more care is required to
keep it warm and to protect it from
freezing weather. We have never
kept a thermometer in our bed, but
watch it pretty closely to see that it
does not get overheated on sunshiny
days, frequently removing the sash al-
together if the day is hot, as the little
plants seem to keep in better health
even if they do not make the largest
growth if the bed is given plenty "of
ventilation. WTe water thoroughly
once a day, generally at night. If
the nights are very cold and frosty we
cover the sash with burla., horse
blankets or quilts. This is not so im-
portant with hardy things as radishes
and lettuce, but with tomatoes and
other warm weather plants, they will
need some watching or a chill will
check their growth. We generally
transplant the tomatoes and cabbages
once or twice in the hotbed before
removing them to the cold frame.
There is little danger of transplanting
them too many times, for by so doing
you give the plants r..ore room and
they get more stocky and well rooted
and betted suited for outdoor condi-
tions. In general we would say, don't
start the liotb< 1 too early] Be sure
and give it plenty of ventilation,
transplanting early to avoid crowding.
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