Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, January 3, 1920, Page 7

'SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 3, 1920 PREVENT. WINTER ALFALFA KILLING Common Saying Among Well- Posted Farmers That Plant i Won’t Stand “Wet Feet.” "AVIJIII DEEP LOOSE SEEDBED On; Land That 1s Not Well-Drained Crop Will Either Drown Out or Heave Out in Course of Few - .. Seasons—Other Factors. “Poor drainage is one cause for win- ter-killing. It is a common saying that alfalfa will not grow with “wet feet,” . and-in land which is not well drained : the crop will either drown out or heave out in the course of a few seasons. A deep loose seedbed is an unfavorable Splendid Field of Alfalfa. . condition for starting alfalfa, and the . young plants In such a seedbed’ars likely to dry out or heave out during the first year. Other factore which ;have to with decreasing the vitality ¢of alfalfa plants, thus making them more susceptible to winterkilling, are weeds, insects, diseases and animal ‘pests, particularly moles and gophers. i, The factors. named are qualifying _factore which reduce the .vitality of the alfalfa, making it more likely to winterkill, but even under the most favorable conditions of growth, alfal- fa frequently winterkills in our north- ern climate, and this is the condition .which we desire to investigate. 3 Kinds of Winterkilling {Winterkilltag is brought about in “different wayt—by the heaving of the soll, by the smothering of the plants under ice, and through the killing of the roots by the extreme cold, The heaving of the soil by alternate freezing and thawing lifts the root growth, and when the soil thaws, it ‘settles with it. The soil, on freez Ing, takes a new hold on the roots which are again raised. Thus the al- ternate freezing and thawing finally *." draws the roots of the plant out of the ground, sometimes several inches, breaking off the tap root, and in the . case of young plants, the roots are fre- guently thrown out on the surface. % "Winter rains or winter thaws may ¢ause the fields to become covered with a sheet of ice, which, if it con- tinues long, is almost sure to smother alfalfa or clover, and even grasses and fall grains are liable to injury in this way. “. The killing by extreme cold is most * llkely to happen in a dry open win- ‘ter, and new seedings, especlally late seedings in which the plants are shaf- low rooted, and afford little cover, are ‘most likely to be affected. Often old flelds which have been pastured are practically destroyel, while fields which had considerable .fall growth left on the ground are not damaged so much. In the ordinary ‘winter, the protection afforded by a "‘strong fall growth is usually sufficient to prevent any winterkilling. Winter Protection Favored. It 18 evident that when the condi- tions are too severe, winter protection, while it may help some, will not pre- vent some winterkilling by which a good stand 1s thinned or destroyed. Precaution should always be taken, ‘however, to give such winter protec- _tion as may be afforded by the growth of the alfalfa after the last cutting. ‘Moo late cutting should be avoided as -well as too close pasturing. In fact, it is doubtful whether alfalfa fields, should be cut or pastured after Sep- tember 1. ‘RETAIN FERTILITY ON FARM ‘Much Taken Off That Might Be Re- turned to Soil If Crops Were Fed to Ljve Stock. In ‘the marketing of hay and rough- age there is a large bulk to handle and haul to the point of delivery. The United States department of agricul- -ture points out that this means much _extra labor for the men and teams on grain and crop farms, and much fer- ility 12 taken off which might be re- turned to the fields if the products .were fed to live stock ROMANTIC HOUR IN DESERT Dawn the Only Time When Sordid- ness of the Country Is Hidden From the Eye. One day before sunrise we set out from Rabat for the ruins of Roman Volubilis. From the ferry af the Bou-Regreg we looked backward on a last vision of orange ramparts under a night-blue sky sprinkled with stars; ahead, over gardens still deep in shadow, the walls of Sale were passing from drab to peach color in-the eastern glow. Dawn is the romantic hour in Africa, Dirt and dilapidation disappear ' under a pearly haze, and a breeze from the sea blows away the memory of fetid mar- kets and sordid heaps of humanity. At that hour the old Moroccan cities look like the ivory citadel in a Persian min- fature, and the fat shopkeepers riding out to their vegetable gurdens like princes sallying forth to rescue cap- tive maidens. Our road led along the high road from Rabat to the modern port of Ke- nitra, near the ruins of the Phoeni- cian colony of Mehedvia. Just north of Kenitra we struck the trail, branch- ing off eastward to a European village on the light rallway between Rabat and Fez. Beyond the railway sheds and flat roofed stores the wilderness ‘| began, stretching away into clear dis- tances bounded by the hills of Rarb, above which the sun was rising. ' Range after range these translu- cent hills rose before us: all around the solitude was complete. Village life, and even tent life, naturally gath- ers about a piver bank or spring: and the waste v{e were crossing was of waterlese sand bound together by a loose desert growth. Only an aban- doned well curb here and there cast :| its blue shadow on the yellow bled, or a saint’s tomb hung like a bubble be- | tween sky and sand. The light had the preternatural purity which gives, a foretaste of mirage; it was the light in which magic becomes real. and which helps to understand how, to peo- ple living in such an atmosphere, the boundary between fact and dream per- petually fluctuates.—-Edith Wharton in Scribner’s. Unlucky Whale. Loose mines bobbing in the water hinted at the perils that were con- stantly threatening our forces. In the tense imagination of the lookouts float- ing ‘spars or other debris easily took the form of periscopes. Queer looking sailing vessels at a distance aroused suspicigns that they might be subma- rines in disguise. A phosphorescent trail in the water was sometimes mis- taken for the wake of a torpedo. The cover of a hatchway floating on the surface if seen at a distance of a few hundred yards looked much like the conning tower of & submarine, while the back of an occasional whale gave a lifellke representation of a U-boat awash, in fact so.lifelike that on one occasion several of our submarine chasers on the English coast dropped depth charges on a whale and killed it.—Admiral Sims, In the World’s Work. ’ g Like Steel, Yot Light. A metal lighter than any yet known, and as strong as or stronger than steel, has for years been the dream of many, and every now and then rumors are circulated to the effect that at last it has been discovered. The advantages which such a metal would have, espe- clally for aircraft, are obvious, but un- fortunately it is generally found on in- vestigation that there isa “snag” some- where. The latest report to be circu- lated relates to a new magnesium al- loy, said to have been discovered by a metal company of Montreal, Canada.: The new alloy, it is stated, is only two-thirds the weight of aluminum and is “as strong as steel.” It is said to he especially suitable for pistons and con- necting rods of aero and motorcar en- gines. It is to be hoped that some of the qualities attributed to the new alloy may, on closer examination, be substantiated. Horse and Donkey Meat in Mexice. The following from the Mexico cor~ respondent of the: Journal of the American Medical Association is sug- gestive of at least one way to lower the cost of living: . “Because of the scarcity and the poor quality of the beef now on sale or through eagerness to make money, some people have been devoting them- selves surreptitiously to the slaughter of donkeys, mules and horses. As some of these people have been caught and punished, they intend to ask the board of public health that they be allowed to open a slaughterhouse ex- clusively for horses. The flesh of these animals is not bad, and during hard times we have eaten it here with full knowledge of its origin, and it is known that there is in Havana a so- clety of horsemeat eaters. I do not kmow anything about the quality of donkey meat.” Churches Into Movies. Conversion of several churches in vyrious parts of England into moving picture theaters has resulted from de- creasing church attendance and the consequent disorganization or amalga- mation of congregations. At Torquay one former place of worship has been turned into a laundry. Safe Now. This little bit of conservation was overheard at the Essex Country club in Manchester, Mass.: “How is your husband getting om with his golf?” “Very well, indeed. The children are allowed to watch him Eow."—Dos ton Post. X TROUBLE I AHEAD, Jack is awful. ly annoying at umes. He made me 80 angry to- day that I pick- ed up a book, What! You . surely didn’t throw it at him? Oh, mno; I remembered in time that we weren’t married vet, SWIFT AND SIMPLE. “Do the authorities have much difficulty in enforcing prohibition ?” “No,” replied Cactus Joe. “Ilhe! authorities don’t have to trouble theirselves much. We just depend on a process of elimination. Any- body that’s plum obstinate about havin’ liquor, is pretty sure sooner or later to get his system tangled up with wood alcohol.” Says “Shimmy” Is Old Dance. The' shimmy s 400 years old, this “modern” dance having been done back in the sixteenth century, says _Prof. Louis Kretlow of Chicago, who has taught dancing for 63 years. He says many other of the modern dances haven't really changed since the monk, Thoinot Arieau, wrote a book about #them in 1688, They were the same and the positions of the dancers iden- tical with those of the present day. Arbeau knew the shimmy, but called it “The Death Dance.” Professor Kretlow, who was born in 1845, was teaching the latest steps when. Milwaukee was a trading post. It was mostly the reel and the jig at that time, and in the most exciting sets the gentleman touched only his partner’s finger tips. It was:the day of the pantalette and hoopskirt. Not Piain. . “1 te'l you it’s as plain as the nose or your face.” “But my face is considered beautl- ful, John.” : The Case Stated. “The young heiress is taking & course of domestic science. And yet with all her money she doesn’t have to be a good breadmaker.” “No, she doesn’t have to, but sbe kneads to be.” Started Wrong. “Your daughter, Mrs. Comeup, has a cryptic way of talking.” “I guess that i® because she was THE GREATUNREST tongue-tied when she was little.”—Bal- timore American. = = " T T T ".Office Phone 131 Res. Phone 457) it is aggrevated and increased when you feel that your life is at the mercy of circumstances. 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