The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, October 19, 1905, Page 12

Work of the United States The famous Shenandoah Valley is ane of the best farming sections-of Virginia, and I had the pleasure re cently of taking a trip, in company with my father, down to its lower end at Harrisburg, probably 140 wiles south of Washington. The valley was the scene of many hard fought skir- mishes and battles in the late civil war between Sheridan and Early, we touched at the point where Sher- idan made his famous ride to Win- chester and turned back the victorious troops of Barly. 1 have more than once heard my uncle, who was a cap- fain in the 128th Illinois under Sher- idan, relate bow after working all night making up his company’s pay rolls, he had turned out of his tent just in time to see Sheridan riding by on his black charger, swinging his sa- ~aring like the typical cavalry he was, and shouting to the “turn back, w've got them v se a Two ViRsinia CoRN FIELDS. \ nackentfaenees The Gooo Corn WiLL YIELD SIXTY BUSHELS PER ACRE. (THE PooR FIELD NOTHING BUT FODDERS x licked.” A great fighter too, was Early, who was said never to know that he was whipped. This part of Virginia is full of land- marks of the great civil strife. Many old-fashioned houses, with their great outside stone chimneys, tell their own tales of antebellum days when tobacco was king in Virginia, and when peace reigned in the great state which was the Mother of Presidents. Peace again prevails over Virginia and she is now taking on a second prosperity. The Shenandoah Valley whole, is rich in agriculture; it has also may tone quarries and some = manufactories. Few prettier places could be found to live in than the country around Har- risonburg. Nestling Among the Mountains. The valley nestles between the Man- stucton spur of mountains to the west and the Blne Ridge of the Alleghanies to the east. It grows great quantities of corn and wh some sheep and cattle are raised and considerable fruit. “The horticultural possibil of this section of Virginia are wonder said one of the fruit men of the De- partment of Agriculture to me, recent- ly. “Old Vi a will yet wake up some day. T main stay of the eduntry, however, now, is the trinity of wheat, corn and grass (timothy and clover). One feature of the trip was a Pekin duck farm with 25.000 birds, which produced, it is claimed, last year, But corn and wheat the principal money crops. Wheat costs about 70 or ents a bushel to raise. This includes seeding the tield with timothy and clover and consequent a stand of pasture land, whic start from the fertilizer for th crop. So that if a farmer gets 75 RUBRIAN SUMPLOWES. VIRGINIA. VE INCH HEAQ. _. Introduced by Department of Agriculture. Money in Well Tended Corn. average 0 THE HISTORIC SHENANDOAH VALLEY. GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL. | Corn, well planted and cultivated, is ood money crop in Virginia and is [most necessary to go rotation. Paes Department of Agriculture. will give 50 and 60 bushels. I noticed large acreages of poorly cared for corn which would not make half a crop, even where the land was apparently fairly good. It seems singular that so many farmers, not only in Virginia, but in every State, will plough a field, harrow it, fertilize it, and lay it off and plant dj} it, cultvate it once or twice and then through neglect to give it two or more cultivations at the proper time reduce their yield from 20 to 40 per cent. I noticed many corn fields on this trip— and they can be seen in every farm- ing district in Virginia—where the corn had gotten a good start and grown well, up to its first cultivation; then work had ceased on it and the wire | grass and weeds were gathering as much fertility as the corn itself. Corn in Virginia appears to be the favorite crop for planting in young orchards. It is, in fact, believed by ment. The one referred to is No. } many farmers and fruit growers to be | the best orchard crop. It seemed to me that there must be much pleasure in getting up in the} early morning and looking over toward a range of mountains with their sum- mits in the clouds and the mists rising from smoke. As the sun breaks over the crests the clouds are dispersed and it is then time for breakfast. Bareau of Animal Industry. Dr. D. E. Salmon, who has recently resigned as chief of the Bureau of An- imal Industry of the Departinnt of Ag- riculture, has held that position for over twenty years and has done some of the best work which has been ac- complished in that department. Under | his direction and supervision the sys- tem of inspection of slaughtered meats intended for interstate shipment and | export has been brought to a high state | of perfection until American meats which are received abroad with the | official tag from the Bureau of Animal | d assured as good. ity of the American mer- chant or shipper may be as high as that of the merchants of any other na- tidn, but it is nevertheless a fact that without some such ‘supervisory ac- tion on the part of the government, the foreign market would soon be com- pletely killed by unscrupulous dealers, and it is believed that the inspection system of the department has doné and is doing more to build up American trade abroad for agricultural products than any other work. Inspection of Dairy Products. A very important branch of the Bu- reau of Animal Industry is the dairy division, and of late years. government inspection and regulation, to some ex- tent, has been extended to dairy pro- ducts. Congress recently passed a law authorizing the Department to inspect butter shipped abroad, and further to supervise and practically compel creameries and renovated utter estab- lishments to adopt cleanly and sani- tary methods. Dr. Salmon resigned, presumably, on’ account of the charges made against him by reason of his connection with a private corporation supplying tags and labels to the bureau of which he was chief. After an_ exhaustive investi- gation by the Department of Jus- tice, Secretary Wilson exonerated Dr. Salmon from any wrong doing in this connection, but, either he himself: de- sired to sever his connection with the government, or it was thought advis- able to ask his resignation and later appoint a new man not connected with such charges. Dr. A. D. Melvin, an assistant in the bureau, has been placed in charge and may become the permanent chtet. . Free Farm Bulletin. The Department of Agriculture has juogt printed a small bulletin which will be sent free to any farmers applying for it. It outlines the results of a num- Ik; poultry ho ete. The bulletin Is La 8) series known as 27 and can‘be had upon application to members of Congress. or Senators, or to the Secretary of fsriculture. Orange Tree Foe. The Department of Agriculture has received a report from an agent in Mexico stating that in six and perhaps more states in Mexico he has found traces of the orange maggot, which is a dreaded foe of oranges, and it is feared that this condition might per- mit of its entry into California. The Mexicans in attempting to erad- icate the maggot have destroyed thou- sands of orange and mango trees The multiplication of the orange mag- got is said ‘to be something enormouy. Japanese Paper Plant. Secretary Wilson's men are working to introduce a sort of vegetable leather. It is in reality a paper plant as much 80 as the papyrus plant of ancient Egypt, but its uses are mani- fold, ranging all the way from dainty note paper to water-proof garments—~ and which are really water-proof under the severest tests—aund leather pocketbooks which outwear real leather. The plant is a pretty little shrub called in Japanese “mitsumata,” and it is its inner bark which is converted to use. The plant grows in the mountaing of Japan, and Explorer Fairchild, of the Department of Ag- riculture, believes that it will thrive over a large part of the Appalachian range and other similar sections of the United States, In Japan pipe cases and tobacco pouches are manufactured from the material, as well as a kind of wall paper, which is already becoming fash- ionable in Americ. Stch wall papers of vegetable leather are turned out in bautiful designs for wall and ceiling decorations, being stamped and mod- eled by hand in the most artistic pat- terns. It would seem that Americans lve a great deal to learn from the Japanese about paper-making. Already » quantities of another kind of paper obtained from the same plant are imported for use as legal docu- ments, diplomas, deeds and bonds. There are at least eight other plants from which the subjects of the Mi- kado obtain paper. stuff, while this country depends for such material up- | on linen, Mr. Fairchild, who has made a special study of this subject, says that it is not pleasayt to think that the brilliant white notefpaper which a wo- man uses may hayp nn it part of the filthy garment of s@me Egyptian fellah saved by a ragpicKer from the gutter, yet it is a fact that hundreds of tons of Egyptian rags are fetched every year to the United States to supply the paper mills. At Mannheim on the Rhine the American importers have rag-picking houses, where rags are col- lected from all over Europe (the disease infected levant not excepted), and where women and children work with wet sponges tied over their mouths sorting the filthy scraps for shipment to New York. The best papers are made of these vile rags. Papers made from the inner bark of plants, like the “mitsumata,” are a cre- ation of the Orient, They are softer, silkier, tougher and lighter than Amer- ican-made papers. If wet they lose their strength, like tissue paper, but on drying regain it. ———<—> JAPANESE TEACH RUSSIANS. Remarkable Incidents Connected with the Last War. War and pence are stramge bed fellows, for over in Japan, the land of the rising sun, the Japanese readily mixed the two arts in a fashion totally unexpected. The Japs had coralled at Himeju somewhere in the neighbor- hood of 75,000 Russian prisoners, most- ly from Port Arthur,probably 70,000) of whom were Mlliterate. A well-| known writer in commenting on the | success of the Japanese arms brings | out into the light the secret of Japan's strength. It is in just one thing, the men have mental as well as physical | training. The majority of ..ppon's soldiers have received education in some form, and with the desire to en- lighten the Russian prisoners, the gov- erment of Japan established in the prison at Himeju a school wherein their own language. . 8! as this may seem this fact has Keen brought out by a short article in the Japan Daily Times in which appears the statement: “Thanks to the teaching, those soldiers who were totally illiter- ate are now able to write letters to their homes. It is stated that the authorities of ‘the quarters received inquiries from Russia asking if the letters were really written by the senders.” Credit Due Japan. This, one of the most unusual events ever produced by war, is as much to Japan's credit, as it is valuable to Russian peasantry. The NEW MONEY NEEDED. ~ The Government Can: int It Rapidly Enough. The great Bureau of Engraving and Printing at Washington has reached its limit, and new machines and additional | % workmen must be provided to turn out} country. “We are even now having much diffi- culty in keeping up with the demand for new money,” said Charles H. Treat, the United States Treasurer, “and it is going to be difficult to supply the de- mands for the busy business season. Large amounts of old money are 7 ing into the treasury for r with the request that issued in its place. ey WHERE THE MONEY IS ENGRAVED. the country must have what it wants in the way of currency, and when this old money is sent in for redemption it is not wise to delay getting out the new money to replace it. “The national banks of the country are increasing their circulation at a remarkable rate. During this last year this increase has been about $60,000,000, and many of the banks have had to wait much longer than prudent to ob- tain their circulation. These delays ‘tie up’ the circulating medium. There were recently 118 banks on the list waiting for new currency. This t!- |ereased growth of the circulation out- standing of national banks represents the normal growth of the country.” Plans are being considered at Wash- ington for the extension and enlarge- ment of the Bureau of Engraving and money is manufactured, | ©ROQ0008000EO2OOO8 ; Briefs From Everywhere CRVRECEEEUESEEAAGO The honey bee is said to be the in-| Printing, where all of Uncle Sam's} veterate foe ef the bumble bee and will kill him on slight provocation, and often without provocation at all. There were imported into the United States for the last fiscal year 3,658,131,” 447 pounds of sugar. | The product of the poultry industry in the United States was worth last year $280,000,000. The value of hog products was -$186,529,000. Salt is a government monopoly in Italy, and people living on the seacoast are forbidden to evaporate sea water to obtain salt. | Teed Med was one of the delica-' cles served ‘by the Emperor of Japan | at his dinner to Secretary Taft and | Thomas Kilpatrick, who gave to New York its first apartment house, in 1853, was ridiculed as a man who built five houses, “one on top of the other.” The fact that malaria was‘ca by mosquitoes was known to Cingalese physicians in the sixth century. The harassed Sultan of Turkey never sleeps in a dark room. His chamber and the nearby apartments and gar- dens are brilliantly lighted all night. He is read to sleep each night, usually | by his brother. | The Michigan Central Railroad will, tunnel the Niagara River. Fifty million codfish are caught in | the waters of Norway annually. was taught to the illiterate Russians | 1907. 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