The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, October 26, 1905, Page 12

_.. SIDE geenes, BY ELLIOTT qPteenesnnescnnesscasoess Secretary Wilson's statement at + - Ro ae acres in the United es is again brought to light through the efforts of the Department of Agriculture to induce more general attention to the culture of the basket willow. There are very many farms in this country which contain some low land, and through which runs a Small stream. This portion of the farm is too often aflowed to run to waste, dense growths of weeds and scrub prospering in the rich, moist soll, and the locality rarely visited by the farmer except when in search of eattle whieh have come down to the brook for a drink. Although introduced in this country as early as 1840, willow growing in America occurs only in restricted lo- ea@ilities throughout a relatively small Portion of the country, On account of the isolation of these groups of growers with little or no connection, and because the growers are not in touch with basket makers, there has been little chance for improvement, American Baskets Made in Richmond, Virginia, Peeling Green Willow for Basket Work, While this is not true of the condi- tions in western New York, the trade there demands only the cheapest grade of the steamed willow. But steam-peeled rods have a dark color, and hence cannot be used for fine bas- kets, Willows Grow on Corn Land. The general idea is that willows will grow only on very swampy ground, but experience shows that all Serious attempts made on well- drained soil, even though of poor qual- ity, have been successful. The ground is prepared just the same as-it would be for corn or wheat. Willow plant- ing generally is done in the autumn; should be in rows, the sets or cut- tings, according to older methods be- ing placed about ten inches in length and planted in the ground until about only an inch and a_ half protrudes above the ground, Almost without A WILLOW SWAMP. exception through the country, wil- lows are planted from 9 inches to a foot apart in rows 2% feet to a yard distant from one another, thus allow- ing from about 14,000 to 23.000 to the acre. This method of wide planting - 4s: followed for several reasons, it of course being cheaper to plant fewer cuttings, and the cost of cultivation Teduced, the wide rows allowing ‘tor use of a plow. It is also un- and held by the higher authorities that the more shoots from ‘a stool or stump, the greater the yield. where the cuttings have been planted on meadow or corn land, the first year ‘rows are hoed two or three times, ami later run through with a ‘light » In later years only the plow is d. On bottomland, however, they cultivated once, and there- grassed with a sickle, “To Produce Straight Rods. Department of Agriculture hag that though there may be ob- to close planting on account of d cost and greater amount tivation necessary, both a d and longer, more even- and better tods are obtained— @ignter, less branchy, and less ta- While a yield of four tonc rods per acre may be ob- twelve years where the holts in rows three feet apart, tance of one foot between Planted. 2020 inches, in, only ches, in, The Departmen: the cuttings shou twelve inches ‘in le! the buds suueeucncccssecuucceecccscnssessssnssngesnsncessseescesuscsececsccnsnecusconausnsssneny, Basket-Willow Growing INDUSTRY BEING FOSTERED BY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. MITCHELL, bundles of these cuttings should then be kept in running water until small leaves or sprouts appear, when they will be ready to peel. Pretty White Willows! Willows thus peeled are of a fine white color, while those which un- dergo steaming or boiling for the re- woval of the bark are of a dark color, being stained by coloring matter con- tained in the bark; but experience has shown that the articles made of boiled willow are much more durable than those made from the white rods of spring peeling. The operation js so simple that old persons incapable of arduous labor can make fair wages doing this sort of work. »And yet, the farmer may ask, is there a market for willow ware in this Ceuntry? The United States con- sumes the largest amount of willow ware of any country in the world. From one district in Germany alone, as far back as 1893, in spite of the panic existing at that thme, $230,000 a] "a worl of fine willow ware was im- ported. Since that date, however, the value of willow imports has decreased, due, probably, to the increase of wil- low growing in this country, The manufacture of willow is what might be termed a “house industry, in which the men, women and chil- dren are engaged in peeling and split- ting the rods and weaving the bas- kets under contract, —_—_—_—_——S Big Crops This Year. Secretary Wilson has returned to Washington from a tour of the North- west, where he was shown some great crop yields. He expr s it as his belief that the farmers have more money now than ever was theirs be- fore, and that with such full treasure chests there is no danger of an indus- trial panic. The year’s crop of wheat, corn and oats will be larger, according to Mr. Wilson’s experienced judgment, than were the big crops of last year. He says that the area capa- ble of raising durum or macaroni wheat is now pushing well into the desert region, The yield of this wheat alone this year, it is believed, will exceed 20,000,000 bushels, a t, by the way, which grows other wheat will not grow and ‘which six years ago was an unknown thing among American growers. Mr Wilson gives us the pleasing in- formation that housekeepers will find the prices of meat, dairy products and MAKING WILLOW HAMPER. poultry lower this winter than they have been for some time, owing to the heavy grain crops. Fattening cattle on corn at 50 cents a bushel, fe said, is not a profitable performance, and that is what the farmer has been do- ing for the past three years; but with this year’s’ grain crops, the farmer should find at the end of the season that his margin of profit is greater, and in the due course of events, meats should be cheaper. i eet To Make Old-Fashioned Yeast. Boll, two'@utices of the best hops in four qi water for half an hour: te) 7 Las tr i Chemist Wiley on Pure Food. Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, the chief ef the Bureau of Chemistry ef the De- partment of Agriculture, has just re- turned from a tour of the British Isles, France and Germany, where he has been studying the preparation of food products—packing, shipping, and human consumption of foods. Wiley isa pure food man. He be- lieves that we should al] have pure food, or at least know what it is adulterated with, and he is one of the most active advocates in the country of national pure food legislation, “The question of pure food,” he said, “is one that should be better un- derstood, and more actively engaged in by people generally. We have se cured legislation enabling us to pre- vent the importation of impure and harmful foods, but the people are ap- parently cdreless in regard to domes- tie manufacture, There is ‘one feat- ure of the pure food investigation WILLOW IN THE PIT, SPROUTED, READY FOR PEELING. which appeals to me beyond all oth- ers—the effect of impure foods on in- valids. People who are under the care of a physician, and are com- pelled to eat prepared foods should know at least what they are getting, If the foods which they buy as ‘pure,’ are found upon analysis to contain ingredients which have proven harm- ful to them, they should have some recourse at law to punish the wale of this fraudulent food. A simple in stance is sufficient to illustrate the point. There is at this time a great demand for gluten flours, They are recommended for certai diseases, and there are various preparations on the market which are sold at high prices. Many of the so-called gluten flours contain but a small percentage of pure gluten; they are ‘filled’ with chalk and starchy substances, and are not at all what is claimed for them, This is one example; a hundred others could be named.” —_—_—_—————S GIANT KANSAS CORN, Exciting Experiences of Boy Lost In Field of Growing Grain. A report which seems to have come from the Portland Exposition states that a great object of curiosity there is a corn stalk of mammoth size reach- ing almost up to the very roof of the agricultural building. The history of the stalk is perhaps as marvelous as the object itself. It appears that prior to the last hot wave which swept over the coun- try, a farmer in Kansas sent his fif- teen-year-old son out to take a look over the corn field and notify him of the prospects. In order to do this the son went to the implement shed which this wise farmer had provided and procured ‘a ladder with which he climbed one of the cornstalks. After surveying a fine growth of corn for miles around, the boy started to climb down, but in his excitement at the prospects of the golden harvest which PEELED WILLOWs. his father would reap, he had failed to notice the rapidity of the growth of the stalk which he had ascended. As quickly as he stepped down, so much more rapidly the stalk seemed to grow, and he was no nearer the bottom than when he started. His father, noting the absence of his son, saw that it would be useless for him to hunt through the jungle of waving corn, so he climbed to the top ‘of his windmill and his anxious eyes beheld his boy waving his red bandana in despair. Hastily summoning his neighbor and his other two sturdy sons, they proceeded with axes to chop down the wicked stalk. Their axes, however, failed to find the same mark twice, so rapidly did the stalk shoot upward. Night came on with- out their accomplishing anything and the boy was left to what appeared to be a terrible fate. Like most Kansas boys, however, he was awake to all his opportunities, and existed for a long time on the raw corn, having con- sumed so much that he later notified his parents by means of a message written on one of the dried corn leaves that he was getting so fat there was danger of the stalk breaking with his weight. He wrote that he believed a more balanced ration would relieve his fears, suggesting the planting of beans at the base of the cornstalk as an expedient, : However, before the béans could se- cure enough growth, Dr. | CONTROL OF CANAL MATTERS. Transfer te the State Lepartment Under Secretary Root. Tt seems to be generally accepted that the control of all matters in con- nection with the construction of the |Panama canal is to be transferred from the War Department to the State Department. Under the law the work is to be performed under the di- rection of the President, and he origi- nally intrusted it to Secretary Taft on the general ground that all national engineering works were pI business of the War is now realized that tary Taft has a great deal more than his pro- From Washington Post, portionate share of the government work and responsibility, and it. is with a view of relieving him of a por- tion of his official burdens that the President suggested the advisability of the transfer of the Panama Canal work to the State Department. Secretary Root’s acceptance of the trust would enable Secretary Taft to devote more of his time to the con- sideration of important questions af- fecting the government of the Philip- pines and the business of the army generally, It is known that Secretary Taft has no personal ambitions in connection with the Panama canal work, and is entirely willing, as a matter of general expediency, that its supervision should be transferred to Secretary Root as the head of the State Department. Secretary Root, however, with all his ability for hard work, is under- stood to have no hankering after the canal job, oo THE FLOOD OF NOAH. ology Proves the Foundation ot the Biblical Account, There are Biblical doubters who scoff at the idea that there ever was a great flood, yet the testimony of the geolo- gists, to say nothing of Ignatius Don- nelly’s theory of the submerged -conti- nent of Atlantas, proves that at one time the entire earth’s surface was covered with water. Professor Wright of Oberlin, who has made geology a life study, brings us new light upon the subject. In writing on the subject of the “Contributions of Geology to the Creditability of the Flood” he states that the level of the land changes con- stantly. The highest mountains were once below the sea-level, as is proven by the finding of sea-shells on the sum- mits of the highest peaks, All of Cen- tral Asia was once covered by water and is now drying up. In fact the dry- ing out process has been going on for thousands of years. The Turkestan and Siberian low-lands were once sub- merged, while evidence is shown that the Desert of Gobi was once a body of water equal to the Mediterranean in size and depth, The valley of the Jordan in ages back was covered with water to a depth of from 1,000 to 1,400 feet, while changes of level and climate in Asia seem to prove that the Deluge once passed over the entire country. > Unele Sam’s “Conscience Fund.” The conscience fund of the Treas- ury is not, as is popularly supposed, an-| idle fund which is added to from time to time, lies dormant, and is never used. Contributions to this so-called fund are turned into the regular gov- ernment receipts and on the books ap- pear under the heading “To Account Conscience.” This account was opened by the United States government in 1sl1. It would not be fair to infer ,from this fact that the American con- science had its awakening at so late a date in the country’s history, but that year witnessed the first return to the government, as the result of the “still, small voice,” of money of which it had been defrauded some time before. President Madison found on his desk one morning an unsigned letter in which the writer confessed to defraud- ing the government of $2, for which his consciénce had made him suffer sorely. This amount was enclosed with the request that it be turned into the National Treasury, the writer express- ing the hope that this full restitution and repentante would restore a clear and easy conscience. Contributions have since been rectived varying in amounts from a 2-cent postage stamp to ten thousand dollars or more. 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