Casper Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 19, 1917, Page 7

IMPROVE CHARACTER OF BREEDING STOCK HERD OF KANSAS SHORTHORN BULL CALVES. Importation of first-class breeding | bred stock. This belief is not so strong animals improves the stock of any country and tends towards uniformity, according to E. N. Wentworth, profes- sor of animal breeding in the Kansas State Agricultural college. “Uniformity in any breed is obtained by an interchange of animals between different sections of the world,” said Professor Wentworth. “Argentina now buys some Shorthorns from the United States Instead of buying her entire supply from England, so as to keep her improved stock equal to that of this country, The introduction of high- class imported animals into any herd brings in fresh traits which will often improve the character of the animals produced. Regains Lost Characteristics. “Characteristics which have been lost as a result of a change of loca- tion or modified methods of selection will be regained in many cases by the introduction of animals from the origi- nal home of the breed. The first Ayr- shires that were imported into the United States were fair dairy animals, but since selection for high production was not rigidly applied, their offspring did not progress so rapidly as other breeds until importation from Ayr shire assumed reasonable proportions. Now the best Ayrshire butterfat record rivals that of the Jersey.” From the advertising standpoint the importation of purebred animals is advantageous, believes Professor Went- worth. People as a rule think of im- ported animals as superior to home- ATTENTION TO FEET OF GROWING COLTS Little Care Will Prevent Develop- ment of Crooked Ankles and Unbalanced Action. LIZZARD, Department of Animal Hu®bandry, Oklahoma A. and M. Co‘l-g0, Stillwater.) It is well to see that the colt's feet are level and the toes comparatively short. A little attention will prevent the development of crooked ankles and unbalanced action later on. The bony structure is pliable then, so that much can be done to remedy faulty action, (By W. L. which will be impossible after the bones have hardened and stopped growing. It is absolutely necessary and very profitable to properly care for the feet of growing colts. If left to nature, the foot does not always grow out full and strong and of the proper shape. When the feet are left go, they do not wear properly, the result is that the feet split, become uneven and very often the entire leg may be altered in form. This is one of the reasons for so many bad-footed horses upon the streets of any city. The blacksmith may get the blame, but most of the trouble really began upon the farm. To grow feet in the proper way, the colt’s feet should be looked after at least once a month, KEEPING TRACK OF ALL BREEDING EWES Practice of Utmost Importance in Handling Purebred Stock —Painting Is Favored. (By W C. COFFEY, Miinois Experiment Station.) Replying to a Southern correspond- ent, the only dependable way to de- termine when a ewe is in heat is to turn the ram with the flock. In han- dling a purebred flock, it is not neces- sary to keep an exact record of the dates of breeding. In fact, many lambs ure registered as being born in the spring of a certain year. Some- times the month is stated, but com- paratively few breeders go to the trou- ble of giving the exact date. Wor rene ns aside from the require- ments for registering in the various flock associations, it is well for the owner to have a memorandum of about the time the ewes are due to lamb. fuch a memorandum is a great help to the shepherd in saving the lamb crop. It can be obtained by smearing paint between the fore-legs of the ram every day through the breeding sea- son. This paint should be of a kind not Injurtous to the ool. Ewes come in heat’ about every 16 days. During the first 16 days the ram may be palnt- ed close to the right fore-leg. Ewes served during this period will be marked on the right site of the rump. as it used to be, however, for breeders are coming more and more to consider the actual value of an animal. Inferior animals were formerly sold for much more than their real worth because they were imported. Such a condition still exists to a limited ex- tent, but at present animals are not bought because of the place of their birth but because of their breeding and individual merit. Don’t Depend on Importation. As long as the demand for imported animals was greater than the supply many fraudulent pedigrees were used for animals brought into this country. This trouble with importations was greatest previous to 1910. Inspection of pedigrees of imported animals in some breeds, begun about this time, has reduced this evil grently. “If the practice of using imported animals {is followed too closely stock- men become too dependent on foreign breeders for their breeding stock,” said Professor Wentworth. “One re- sult in this country has been to scatter the individuals of a breed so that in horses, particularly, few constructive breeding establishments have been formed. The best animals are often taken to districts where no purebred animals are available to mate to them. This is a disadvantage from the stand- point of constructive breeding but not from that of the average. ped stock should not come from average animals, however, but from the best herds, studs and flocks.” be placed near the left fore-leg, and if the breeding season is prolonged, the mark may be placed midway be- tween the fore-legs. Another scheme is to change the color of paint every 16 days. If the flock number of each e is branded on her sides in large figures, it is comparatively easy to book the freshly marked ewes from day to y and thus keep a fairly ac- curate record of the date of breeding. BABY BEEF PRODUCT HAS FINE PROSPECT Even Wisconsin’s High-Priced Land Offers Good Oppor- tunity for the Producer. “With the present unlimited de mand for meat products, the raising of baby beef, even upon Wisconsin's igh priced land, offers opportunity for profitable and congenial employ- ment,” says John L. Tormey, secre- tary of the Wisconsin Shorthorn Breed- ers’ association. According to Mr. Tormey, Wiscon- sin, on account of its nearness to mar- ket, its good climate, its abundance of forage grain, and good water, offers excellent opportunities of the baby beef producer. “When raising baby beef, it is nec- essary,” declares Mr. Tormey, “to have cattle of good beef type, and the pure- bred sire route is the only one which sufely can be taken. By feeding the youngsters well from caifhood, they will be ready to market at a year and a half, and will carry more meat with less care and feed, than raw western feeders would require to produce the same returns.” FEEDING LAMBS TO -SECURE BEST GAINS Result of Experiment Conducted at South Dakota Station—Al- falfa Hay Best. (By PROF, JAMES W. WILSON, South Dakota Experiment Station.) The best gains ever secured at the South Dakota experiment station in feeding lambs was in an experiment to determine the comparative value of alfalfa and prairie hay with the same kind of a grain ration. The grain ra- tion consisted of a mixture of 100 pounds of oats, 190 pounds of shelled corn and 25 pounds of oilmeal. Each lot was started on one pound per head of the mixture daily, and in- creased until they were receiving two and two-tenths pounds per head of grain daily, and what hay they would eat. - The average daily gain per head for the lot that received the alfalfa hay was .51 of a pound, while with the lot that received the prairie hay, the av- erage dally gain per head was .38 of a pound. These lambs were as near the same in age and weizht as was Vor the next 16 days the paint may possible to gct them. THE CASPER DADDY'S EVENING KFAIRY TALE by MARY GRAHAM BONNER SNOW-BALL FIGHT. “The first soft snow had_ fallen,” commenced Daddy, “in Browileland. “We'll have a snow-ball _ fight, said Billie Brownie, ““All right,’ said the other Brownies in chorus, lie Brownle. Nothing could be nicer,’ said the rest of the “So Brownle put on Billie “Do You Like his soft white This Suit?” furry suit, and his white hat, which made him look just like a round snow-ball himself. ‘I'm going to ask Peter Guome to get to- gether his army for the fight.’ “ ‘Splendid,’ they all cried. “Billie Brownle had not walked very far along when he pa 1 Mr. Giant's Cave. ‘I think I will ask him to come and judge the fight,” said Billie. “He took a large stone and rapped on the door of the Cave three times. Of course, the door of the Cave was really nothing but an opening—but Mr. Giant always called it his front door. “Who's there?’ cried a great. deep vol “Billie Brownie.’ “‘Come in,’ sald the Giant, and in Billie Brownie walked. “‘Good morning,’ he said, making a low bow. “*Good morning,’ replied Mr. Giant. I've come to see if you would act as Judge at the snow-ball fight we're to have today. We'll have to hurry up though, as Mr. Sun is driving the snow awny pretty fast.’ “Who are you going to fight against, Billie? asked Mr. Giant. “We shall fight against the Gnomes, I'm on my way to ask them,’ “‘Well,’ said Mr. Giant, stretching his long legs, ‘I will come with great pleasure, Just wait five minutes and I will be quite ready to start.’ “T think I will go on ahead,’ said Billie Brownie, ‘and you can catch up with me. For in five minutes I will not go further than you will in one minute.’ ““True, true,’ said Mr. Giant, grin- ning. ‘My legs get me along the ground pretty fast.’ “Off trotted Bilile Brownle. Peter Gnome saw him coming, and ran out to meet him. ‘I am so glad to see you,” said Peter Gnome. And he ¢: Billie Brownie a big hug, which made them | both roll over on the ground. That made them feel very jolly and happy, and Peter Gnome got quite white with the snow which he had fallen into, “‘T see you're all dressed up for the snow,’ said Peter, “*Yes,’ said Billie Brownie. ‘We all are. Do you like this suit? “It's handsome,’ said Peter Gnome, and Billie Brownie smiled. “ ‘Well,’ said Billie, I’ve come to ask you to bring the Gnomes to Brownle- land today and to have a snow-ball fight with us.’ “Just at that moment Mr. Giant came along, carrying his huge knotted stick, and taking great, long steps. “‘Are you going too? asked Peter Gnome, “Tm Giant. “Hurry, Gnomes and do not Walt, If we do we may be Late. For the Snow is going Fast, But we can have a Fight at Last.” “As Peter Gnome said this all the Gnomes laughed for he talked as if he had been longing for a fight for days and days. They knew, of course, that a snow-ball fight with the Brownies was the greatest fun in the world and they all hur- ried to put on their winter suits which were deco- to be the Judge,’ said Mr. rated with tiny icicles, “When the Gnomes, and Mr, Giant and Biilie Brownle reached Brownieland, the Brownies had made two fine forts, and at one side was a great seat made of snow with a high back. “*That is for the Judge,’ they said, and Mr, Giant took his place. “Then the fight began. ‘The snow- balls had been made and an even num- ber put in each fort. The Brownies took one fort and the Gnomes the other, and just as it was getting so close and exciting Mr. Giant could hurdly see who was winning, Mr. Sun came out stronger than ever, and Jaughed saying, ‘I declare Peace,’ so the Fight had to end until another, colder day.” Then the Fight Plural of Baby. “What is the plural of Man?” John- ny?” asked the teacher of a small pu- pil. “Men,” promptly answered the teach- er. “And what is the plural of “baby?” “Twins,” was the unexztected reply. DAILY TRIBUNE ROAD BUILDING IN THE EVERGLADES Tremendous Difficulties Faced in Making Road Through Big Cypress Swamp. PART OF THE DIXIE HIGHWAY | Less Than Twenty-Five Inhabitants on Million-Dollar Stretch Known as the Tamiami Trai4--Opens Up Paradise for Motorists and Hunters. Miami, Fla.—It is to be regrected that great and daring projects of con- struction when completed cannot tell the story of difficulties met and over- come, instead of presenting the smooth finished appearance too often taken as ®& matter of course by the casual ob- Server, without a thought as to how It was brought about. This ts going to be the cuse of the Tamiami trail, a greater part of which ts over the Dixie highway, now being constructed through the Everglades of Florida. The rond will extend from Tampa en the West coast to Miami on the east, and when completed in 1918 will represent a total outlay in excess of one million dollars. Approximately $750,000 has been appropriated and work 4s under way, so that Its ultimate completion ts absolutely assured, Large bridge projects have been pro- vided for at the crossing of the Mana- tee river ut Bradentown and across Charlotte harbor at Punta Gorda. Of the total mileage of 276.9, the stretch from Punta Gorda to Miami, repre- senting a mileage of 188.9, has been in- corporated as a part of the Dixie high- way. This is the most difficult part of the construction, as a greater part of it Is through the Everglades. Tremendous Difficulties Ahead. With the exception of the comple- tion of the bridges at Bradentown and Punta Gorda, a well-graded road, with a large part of the mileage surfaced, will be provided from Tampa to Marco early in 1917. Some additional funds are neec to surface the road in Lee county. The highway from Marco to Miami, a distance of 88 miles, will probably require the greater part of the year to complete, on account of the tremendous difficulties to be overcome in building through Big Cypress swamp. An Interesting fact connected with the construction of this extreme Southern cross-state highway is that on the entire distance from Marco to Minmi there are less than 25 inhabl- tants, and these are mostly Seminole Indiqns. Leading out of Miam! the Tamiami trail will extend for 24 miles west without a curve or an angle, The contractors are now obliterating traces of the story of months spent in battling against terrific odds In the muck and water of the Everglades as they go, by sowing grass seed along the embankment of the highway. Prop- erty owners are dotting the roadside with palms and other tropical trees and follage, so that by the time tour- ists can travel this great highway. across the state, only canals, small lakes and rich fertile fields will be in the foreground, where once existed an umpenetrable jungle with water, muck and mud underneath. Some idea of the “bigness” of the task of building a road through the Everglades may be obtained from a graphic account of his struggles on Big Bend, furnished by Capt. K. B. Har- vey, who has the contract for 55 miles of the trail from Fort Myers to Mar- co, “There are no rules in the book,” says Captain Harvey, “to fit the propo- sition offered by Big Bend. It was a case of ‘It’s up to you, fight {t out.’ It was scrub mangrove and grass muck. Think of the leaves on the trees shak- ing and trembling, and tie whole mass of muck and mud for hundreds of feet in each direction quivering and shak- ing like o mass of jelly with each vi- bration of the dredge engine. Then think of putting a 40,000-pound engine across, Well, I put it over, but came out wild, frantic and gray-headed. It takes every nerve one has and can borrow, with muck and mud under- neath 12 fect deep, and chancing the slightest mistake or error of Judgment would make a buried and tangled wreck of 40,000 pounds of steel and machinery. Try it, and see what sleep- less nights are.” In answer to the question of how he he did it, Captain Harvey said that he tried plank and log cribbing, but this was 400 uncertain and treacherous. Then brush mats were made and piled up four feet high, the track laid on them and the machine forced over the brush. mats. “These mats,” said Cap- tain Harvey, “were often washed down in the muck until the track layers would have to fish to their shoulders in the mud to get out the rails and cross ties.” For Hunters of Big Game. The tourist who travels this road, as he will be able to do as far as Marco In 1917, will miss the thrills of the battle with the Everglades, The first travelers may see the brown bears, wild cats and other denizens of the jungles, which frequently come within 200 yards of the workmen to satisfy thelr curiosity as to what new crea- tures have come to disturb their soll- thde, Aside from catering to the de alzes of the motorist to explore the much-talked-of Everglades, view the wonderful scene! and provide a vast hunting preserve accessible to hunters. of big game, the countiés involved had ® tremendously big commercial idea in TRYING TO KEEP RIFLES CLEAN In the mud of the battlefield it is no easy matter to keep the rifles clean. These English soldiers are doing their best under the circumstances, view in planning and carrying through the construction of the Tamiami trail. Lack of drainage as well as tnaccessi- bility makes dormant and worthless hundreds of thousands of acres in the Everglades, which experts claim con- tain the most fertile soll to be found in the world. The construction of the Tamiam! trail removes both of* these obstacles, The methods employed in excavating for the canal and throwing up the rock marl and other material for the roadbed, and depositing the un- suitable material, such a decayed veg- etable matter and muck, on the other side is best described tn Captain Har- vey’s own words: Furnishes Some Variety. very conceivable kind, character and condition of road building ts found in the first ten miles north from Mar- co. Cypress strands underlald with bowlder and bedrock; pine ridges of bowlder and ridges of the hardest of hardpan, sand banks of clay of several different colors, rock ridges outerop- ping on the surface; cabbage palmetto land; scrub buttonwood; prairie land flooded in the rainy season; flat-woods land, saw-grass land, marsh-grass land, soft-blue marl and shell land; all va- rieties of mangrove land; swamp land; tide flats; tide lands one to two feet under water at high tide, bog lands, mud holes; muck ponds, creeks, rivers, bayous and channels, more nbina- tions than any spot on earth to give a contractor a run for his money. “Hand labor was out of the question and impracticable, so it became a very serious problem as to how to handle the proposition with the varying con- ditions intermingled. A land dredge machine was decided upon and al- though it is a long ways from perfect, it has answered the general purpose fairly well. It is of steel beam con- struction, welghing some 40,000 pounds. It has a cubic yard dipper. It straddles the canal and runs on its own tracks and by its own power. The steel rails are in four foot sections and pinned at the ends with a flexible steel coupling on a 3-Inch thick 3-by-3 oak cross ties, enabling it to run over uneven ground. The tracks are 29 feet apart. Thus a canal source 24 feet wide and 12 feet deep can be dug if desired. In this instance the width CANAL SLIDES AT LAST CONTROLLED Sunday Work Is Suspended and Eight-Hour Day Is to Be Inaugurated. NOW HAVE NO MISGIVINGS Foreign Ship Owners Satisfied With Outlook—Precautions Are Taken Against Passing Vessels With Explosives in Cargo. Panama.—All Sunday work of the canal dredges has been stopped for the first time in four years.. The en- gineer in charge considers Sunday work no longer a necessity. The slides are so completely under control it is further planned to work only eight hours a day on them after a short time. The fact that no United States coastwise ships are now using the canal proves that foreign world ship- ping has found the canal so safe dur- ing the last six months that there has been no fear to come by way of the Isthmus. Prior to the slides that closed the canal coastwise United States vessels were a very large per- centage of the total for the six months period that had the greatest number of ships make the transit. If the coastwise vessels that were using the canal prior to the slides had been us- ing the canal as they formerly did the number of ships going through during the last six months would have been far greater than during any previous six months since the canal was first opened. New Sailing Directions, A new edition of the official sailing directions for the canal Just made pub- lic calls the attention of the shipping world to the fact that the rise and fall of ships in the canal locks is so great that what seamen call the “chocks” of the canal in most places depends on the amount of material desired for the rond bed, An even depth was car- ried with an idea of drainage. How Work Is Done. “We began cutting through the swamp, dumping the mass of marl, sand, ete., to one side. This dump is leveled down to grade and surfaced by hand with big heavy hoes and shov- els. Through Williams Island jungle, which was truly a jungle in every sense of the word, a mass of trees of all kinds and sizes; thousands of switches, poles, brush, ferns, all woven together with bamboo rattan and other vines. Perhaps several hundred would be chopped off at the ground before the mass would fall, so that It could be chopped apart with brush axes, When it is understood that the clear- ing had to be done at the contract price of $44 an acre, it can readily be seen that the contractor had to run like the devi! for his money. Some stretches could not be cleared for th times the price. The finished road bed is 18 feet wide. It is 1% to 1 slope with 6-Inch crown and 3 feet berm. The contract for the Island part and part of the mainland was 24 cents per cuble yard, A contractor bidding at these prices and under such conditions is skating on thin Ice. ' ’ In removing the big rock ledges and rock strata wherever encountered ex- plosives are used, As the major por- tion of the material to be taken out is soft, the big bucket on the dredge fs able to do all of the excavating down to bed rock, When the rock bed, as thrown up by the dredge, has stood for 30 days and so thoroughly dried and settled, the contractor's forces go over it with pick and shovel, leveling down a little above grade to allow for roll- ing. The subgrade will be rolled with a roller weighing seven tons or more, and any depressions are brought to an even surface. After the subgrade has been, completed a rock surface to the depth of 12 inches Is put on and rolled, The rock is then scarified, graded and rolled. Twenty-four-Inch culverts are td be placed about every 600 feet. In Dade county at every mile station a 20-foot spur road, as a turnout, will be provided, } and “bitts’” on the average ship are too light and inappropriately made for careful and safe handling of ships by the canal authorities, ! “On account of danger to the lock gates resulting therefrom, the Panama canal reserves the right,” the new sail- ing directions announce, “to deny pas- sage to ships having inadequate chocks and bitts as described herein, until sultable equipment can be Iin- stalled at the terminal ports.” Explaining this subject further, the new canal regulations state: “Experience has demonstrated the fact that most of the chocks and bitts are too light in construction, and that the chocks in particular should not only be made heavier and stronger, so that their jaws may stand a ver- tieal strain, but that they should be of a permanently closed pattern anda not be made with open jaws, Bitts should be sufficiently strong to ‘with- stand the strain of a 1%-inch (diam- eter) wire Ine with a pull of 50,000 pounds, and be firmly riveted to the decks, and if necessary where the deck is of wood or light plating, they should have an under deck plate, or be secured between two deck frame: The attempts to injure shipping at sea by explosives in among the cargo has made the canal officials strict in applying the regulations for ships known to carry highly inflammable cargoes. The new edition of the offi- clal sailing directions provides that “vessels carrying explosives or high- ly inflammable cargoes should so no- tify the governor and obtain permis- sion before they will be allowed to enter the canal. In requesting per- mission for such vessels to transit the canal the character and approximate amount of explosives should be stated, the ports of departure and destination, name of ship and party to whom consigned, This may be done by mail or cable. In general permilssion will not be refused, but these precautions are taken to safe- guard the Panama canal... . Vessels carrying explosives consigned to ports beyond the canal zone will not be al- lowed alongside the wharves while such explosives are on board.”