The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 8, 1918, Page 16

- Make the Garden Handy and Efficient | | Some Hints That May Help to Lighten Farm Work, Especially for ! Women, and Increase the Food Supply | 1t i + perature is the lowest _is shining the room tem- HE increased neces- sity for food pro- duction this year and the success that attended many of the war garden efforts of 1917, make it cer- : tain that the pres- ent season will see a heavy planting of all kinds of garden truck, and doubtless better handling of the grow- ing crops. In northern Ilatitudes the time is almost here (in some sections it has already arrived) when planting may begin without danger of frost. In those sections where frost danger is still feared, some artificial means of rais- ing early plants is necessary, and in other sections the season is so short that an artificial start is > helpful for the maturing of -the field crops: Among - suitable de- vices for the farm where greenhouses and hotbeds are too elaborate or costly are plain boxes. SIMPLE DEVICE FOR EARLY PLANTING Several shallow boxes (two to three inches deep) filled with fine soil can be placed on shelves inside the south windows of the house. This is not - the most ideal place to raise early plants but when other places are not available it can be made to give satisfactory results. One of the dis- advantages of this meth- od is that while the sun perature is generally the highest inside the win- dow where the window - boxes are, while during the night the room tem- next to the window. This difficulty can be over- come to some extent by leaving a space of three to five inches between the window boxes and the glass so as to permit circulation of the air and by pulling the shades down at night to prevent the chilling of th: plants. The space inside of south -.:lar windows in a warm cellar can be used in the same way. During March and the first part of April, early cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, onions and similar vegetable seed can be sown in these window boxes. In these the plants should be about one and one-half inches apart. Other south windows can be used for these transplanted.plants or a “cold frame” may be built outdoors during the early part of April and the plants - placed in it. Such a cold frame can be made by putting a storm window or other sash . with glass on top of a frame of boards- about one foot high, built to fit the sash and sloping a little to the south. Earth or straw should be banked up - around this frame. During cold spells the cold frame sash may be covered with straw, shutters or old blankets. CHOICE OF SOILS WORTH CONSIDERING Beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onions, . turnips, parsley, peas,, for midsummer use, and radishes, ruta- bagas, salsify and spinach- may be planted as soon as the ground is in condition, i : Th; preparation of the'__garc}en bed_ . 600 £t. to the pound 3 650 ft. to the pound 4% cents increase - is a matter that is worth giving some attention to, but which often on farms is neglected, as the garden is regarded as wholly a. side issue and scarcely worth attention. Where a choice of soils is- possible, the one best adapted to working and to retaining moisture should’ be used, but often there is no " choice and the garden must be located in a certain place. A sandy loam with eclay subsoil makes ‘a good garden soil, as it is easily worked and produces smoother root crops. A heavy soil is more dif- ficult to handle but because of its moisture-retaining capacity, is most satisfactory for vegetables that re- quire a large amount of moisture dur- ing late summer and early autumn and for all vegetables in a dry year. A heavy soil can be madg more mel- low and the water-retaining capacity of light soils can be increased by the addition of manure. If possible the farm garden should be located -near the house. There has always been the best of reasons for saving steps on the farms, where women’s work is but poorly organized, and where the need for making it light is often not appreciated. But this season more than ever, care should be taken to have the garden conveniently located. Who has not seen farm gar- dens located a quarter of a mile away, perhaps down on a flat by some creek, or over the hill in some disused spot? Such a plan will mean increased hard- ship this year for the ordinary work that women do will be increased by the share many of them will have to take in the men’s work, and the farm Prices for 1918 Binder Twine Government Warns Farmers Not to Pay Excess If De- manded by Manutacturers | FTER investigating the 21| costs of manufacturing binder twine, the United States food administra- tion has announced that the price to the dealers of standard and sisal twine, 500 feet to the pound, should not exceed the present price of sisal fiber, which is 19 cents per pound, by more than 4 “cents per pound f. o. b. factory, when sold in carload lots of 20,000 pounds ‘or more. An additional increase of 1% cent is allowed for lots of 10,000 . pounds and % cent in smaller lots. Prices for other grades of twine should not exceed the prices of stand- ard and sisal twine by more than the following amounts: v 550 ft. to the pound 1% cents increase cents increase 650 ft. to the pound 6 cents increase (pure Manila) R About 80 per cent of the entire out- - . put of the binder twine ‘factories of . the United States is standard or sisal twine. ' The retail price should be not - freight more ‘than 1%" cents, with added, above the price paid to the manufacturer. - In arriving at manufacturing costs, the food -administration considered the increased weight of binder twine over its sisgl fiber content. This in- crease in weight is due largely to the cordage oil which it is necessary to use: in" the process of manufacture. The 'fact was also recognized that manufacturers have on hand sisal purchased at lower prices or twine manufactured from lower priced sisal. While the price of standard and sisal twine this year is about 4 cents above the price prevailing at the end of last season, it is explained that the price of sisal fiber advanced dur- " ing the manufacturing year 1916-17 from 73 cents to 16% cents. In August, 1917,' it advanced again to 719 cents per pound, where it has re- mained to date. . - Reports are received every two - weeks from the 19 binder twine estab- lishments of the country, all of which - FEEDING SHEEP AT KIOWA, KANSAS ; Such scenes as this have been common in Kansas for years, where large flocks of sheep are wintered on alfalfa, of which the state grows great quantities. But many feeders have found it unprofitable to con- tinue this practice owing to feed and sheep prices, and some who were accustomed to feed 5,000 to 10,000 head at a time will handle none. \ are co-operating with the food ‘ad- - there will be an ample supply of twine Afor the 1918 harvest. - =~ el ministration. These reports show that - garden ought to be a work-saver this year above all years, as well as a food-saver. A south slope that warms up earlier in the season is very desirable for early vegetables, but a north slope has its advantages, and for tomatoes, and late or cool vegetables, such as cab- bage, cauliflower, celery and root crops, a north slope is better. WHERE CONCENTRATION MAY BE USEFUL To the farmer with large fields, the setting aside of a small portion for a garden does not seem any sac- rifice of space, and he is apt to feel that an ample garden patch is better than a small or concentrated one. But in these days when all kinds of ef- ficiency are being cultivated, it be- hooves the farmer to consider whether he may not have fully as good a garden, and perhaps one worked with greater ef-: ficiency by concentrating his space, as those who live in the cities are com- pelled to do. A surprising amount of vegetables can be raised in a small garden. The rows can be - quite close, together, one to two feet, and the late season plants can_ be started between the rows of early vegetables. For instance, one can plant peas, onions, carrots and beets in rows two feet apart and then plant radishes, onion sets and early beets between the rows, thus- making the rows one foot apart till these early season vege- tables are used. Sweet corn, beans, cabbage, po- tatoes, etc., can be in rows two feet apart. Such concentration as this, very useful in the city, may not be desir- able on most farms, and yet if it is practiced,” it may be that that un- used corner of ground never before ~ considered of any particular value, can be converted into a garden close to the kitchen door and thus do away with the necessity of preparing a garden at a distance from the house where extra labor will be required to fetch the vegetables for each meal and to weed, and perhaps water it. “BUGLESS” POTATOES The' so-called “bugless” potatoesA : have been tried out at the North Da- kota experiment station. It was found that the potato bugs ate the leaves of these potatoes as well as of the others, which leads the station to advise that the claims made for the~¢bugless” potato be accepted only with a con- siderable degree of caution and that all potatoes including the ones called “bugless” be thoroughly sprayed at _the proper time.—Extension :division North Dakota Agricultural college. HAND SHELL SEED CORN Each kernel of seed corn should - be perfect, and not injured at the tip when it was removed from the ear. Handshelling will give much fewer injured tips than machine™ shelling; '~ usged ' with all "seed and should be