Vernon County censor. [volume], May 24, 1911, Image 7

About Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955

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JOHN DIETZ FOUND
OUILTYDE MURDER
JURY’S VERDICT HOLDS MRS
DIETZ AND SON. LESLIE. IN
NOCENT OF CHARGE.
RECEIVES A LIFE SENTENCE
Defendant’s Final Appeal to Jurors
Lasted for Three Hours —Verdict
Finds Him Guilty of the Killing of
Deputy Oscar Harp.
SUMMARY OF DIETZ WAR.
February, 1904—Dietz and family more te
Cameron Dam
April, 1904—Refuaea to allow Chippewa
Limber and Boom company to move logs
through dam.
Feb. 28, 1905—Company secures injunc
tion.
April 25, 1905—Diezt drives Sheriff Peter
son from farm.
May 9, 1905—William Gfblin and posse
fired on. Patrick McGln wounded.
May 29, 1905—Valentine Weisenhack ar
rested ss an accomplice of Dietz and sen
tenced to serve twelve years In prison.
July 25, 1905—Sheriff Gyll&nd and posse
attack Dietz. Deputy John Rogich and Clar
ence Dietz wounded.
Sept. 6, 1910—Dietz alleged to have seri
ously wounded Bert Morel at Winter during
quarrel.
Oct. l, 1910.—Leslie, Clarence and Myra
Dietz ambushed by Sheriff Madden. Leslie
escaped but Myra was wounded and with
Clarence was arrested.
Oct. 8, 1910—Dietz and family surrender
to Sheriff Madden after a siege in which
Deputy Oscar Harp was killed and John
Dietz wounded.
TBIAL IN BRIEF.
Dec. 8 1910—Trial postponed to March 6
and change of venue granted.
Jan. 7, 1911.—Dietz released on $62,500
ball.
Mazth 6, 1911.—Trial postponed until May
May 2, 1911—Trial opened at Hayward be
fore Judge A. J. Reid. Dietz's bail bond
suspended and he is placed in Sheriff Fred.
Clark's custody. Dietz acts aa his own coun
sel in conducting defense of himself, wife and
Leslie against charge of murder in first de
gree In connection with death of Oscar Harp.
May 9, 1911—State rests case after ex
amining forty-seven witnesses.
May 11, 1911 —Dietz rest3 case after ex
amining twenty-six witnesses.
May 12, 1911—Final pleas made and cast
closed.
Hayward.—John F. Dietz was pro
nounced guilty of the murder of Dep
uty Oscar Harp during the siege of
Cameron dam on Oct. 8, 1910, by
the jury, after that body had been
out sixteen hours. Mrs. Dietz and
Leslie, charged jointly, were ac
quitted.
The old smile with which the old
man had always faced the things
that have happened to him, did not
desert him. He smiled as the judge
read the verdict handed up by the
foreman of the jury. He made no
demonstration.
His name was the first read. As
the words came out, a frown came
over the face of Mrs. Dietz, and she
glared at *he jury.
Leslie toot the staggering news
with a sickly grin, and waves of color
swept across his face.
Judge Reid interrupted Dietz in
the midst of his argument and the
latter took his seat.
Mrs. Dietz had dropped on her
husband’s shoulder and her right
arm slipped about his neck. Tears
streamed down her cheeks.
When the verdict was announced,
John Dietz arose calmly and asked
for anew trial on the ground that
much of the material evidence had
been ruled out and also on the
ground of errors of law. Judge Reid
denied the motion.
Judge Reid called upon Die to
rise and said:
“It is the judgment of the court
and your sentence is that you, John
Dietz, be punished by imprisonment
for life at the state penitentiary at
Waupun and that one day each year,
namely, Oct. 8, you shall be kept in
solitary confinement.”
John Dietz’ teeth were closed like
a vice and his jaws were set, but a
sinster grin slowly crept over his
iron mask, but quickly disappeared
when he reiterated:
“If the lumber trust needs a vic
tim I can stand it.
Dietz announces that he will make
an appeal of the case.
The jury spent almost the entire
night in argument with no apparent
intention of reporting for some time.
Many times the heated arguments
all but penetrated through the walls
of the jury rooms in the back of the
Giblin hotel and gave evidence of
the conflict which was raging within
the dingy back room in favor of and
against the conviction of the Wis
consin backwoodsman and that of
his wife and son.
Twice the jury called for Judge
Reid for further instructions and
for exhibits which had not been taken
to the jury room.
No “District” for Madison.
Madison. —The assembly, by a
Vote of 74 to 2, killed the Sanborn
joint resolution which proposed to
make a district of Columbia out of
Madison. The resolution passed the
previous legislature and the senate
of this legislature only to be killed
in the assembly.
News Notes of Wisconsin
Portage.—May Polacheck, alias
May Keller, was brought here from
Marshfield, where she was arrested
on a charge of forgery. She is 20
years of age.
Madison. —Chief Game Warden
John Shoits and his deputies during
one week recently collected 5584
from violators of the fish and game
laws and received S2OO for the sale
of confiscated fish and game.
Janesville. —Mayor John C. Nich
ols has been elected president, T. S.
Nolan vice-president, C. F. Tutman
secretary and manager, and Fred
Sheldon treasurer of the association
recently formed here to transform
the old state fair grounds into a
large amusement park.
Chippewa Falls. —Al. Peters. Wm.
Hedger and Roy Gunn pleaded guilty
to a charge of burglary and were
each sentenced to eighteen months
at Waupun for breaking into a cot
tage at Long lake and appropriating
finishings to the extent of S2OO.
mTOVAHngrffinßrq^
SKMIMffiMDS
-~.f •—% *
. - ■- -- iy
, .
(oxrsowj wr/rsms)
THE term shorebird is applied to
a group of long-legged, s ender
billed, and usually plait ly col
ored birds belonging to the or
der Limicoiae, writes W. L. Mo-
Atee in a bulletin issued by the bureau
of biological survey. United States de
partment of agriculture. Mere than
sixty species of them occur in North
America. True to their name they
frequent the shores of all bodies of
water, large and small, but many of
them are equally at home on plains
and prairies.
Throughout the eastern United
States shorebirds are fast vanshing.
While formerly numerous species
swarmed along the Atlantic coast and
in the prairie regions, many of them
have been so reduced that extermina
tion seems imminent. The black-be*-
lied plover or beetlehead, which oc
curred along the Atlantic seaboard in
greftt numbers years age, is now seen
only as a straggler. The golden plover,
once exceedingly abundant east of the
great plains, is now rare. Vast hordes
of long-billed dowitebers formerly wi>
tered in Louisiana; now they occui
only In infrequent flocks of a half
dozen or less. The Eskimo curlew
within the last decade has probably
been exterminated and the other cur
lewß greatly reduced. In fact, all the
larger species of shorebirds have suf
fered severely.
So adverse to shorebirds are present
conditions that the wonder is that any
escape. In both fall and spring they
are shot along the -whole route of their
migration, north and south. Their
habit of decoying readily and per
sistently, coming back in flocks to the
decoys again and again, in spite of
murderous volleys, greatly lessens
their chances of escape.
The breeding grounds of some of
the species in the United States and
Canada have become greatly restrict
ed by the extension of agriculture, and
their winter ranges in South America
have probably been restricted in the
same way.
Unfortunately, rshoreblrds lay fewer
eggs than any Of the other species
generally termed game birds. They
deposit only three or four eggs, and
hatch only one brood yearly. Nor are
they In any wise immune from the
great mortality known to prevail
among the smaller birds. Their eggs
and young are constantly preyed upon
during the breeding season by crows,
gulls and jaegers, and the far north
ern country to which so many of them
resort to nest Is subject to sudden cold
storms, which kill many of the young.
In the more temperate climate of the
United States small birds, in general,
do not bring up more than one young
bird for every two eggs laid. Some
tlmen the proportion of loss is much
greater, actual count revealing a de
struction of seventy to eighty per
cent, of nests and eggs. Shorebirds,
with sets of three or four eggs, prob
ably do not on the average rear more
than two young for each breeding pair.
It is not surprising, therefore, that
birds of this family, with their limited
powers of reproduction, melt away
under the relentless warfare waged
upon them. Until recent years shore
birds have had almost no protection.
Thus, the species most in need of
stringent protection have really had
the least. No useful birds which lay
only three or four eggs should be re
tained on the list of game birds. The
shorebirds should be relieved from
persecution, and if we desire to save
from extermination a majority of the
species, action must be prompt.
The protection of shorebirds need
not be based solely on esthetic or sen
timental grounds, for few groups of
birds more thoroughly deserve protec
tion from an economic standpoint.
Shorebirds perform an important serv
ice by their inroads upon mosquitoes,
some of which play so conspicuous a
part in the dissemination of disease.
Thus, nine species are known to feed
upon mosquitoes, and hundreds of the
larvae or "wigglers” were found la
several stomachs. Fifty-three per
cent, of the food of 28 northern phala
ropes from one locality consisted of
mosquito larvae. The insects eaten
include the salt-marsh mosquito, for ,
the suppression of which the state of
New Jersey has gone to great expense.
The nine species of shorebirds known
to eat mosquitoes are: Northern phal
arope, Wilson phalarope. Stilt sand
piper, Pectoral sandpiper. Baird sand
piper, Least sandpiper, Semipalmated
sandpiper, Klldeer and Semipalmated
plover.
Cattle and other live stock also are
seriously molested by mosquitoes as
well as by another set of pests, tte
horse flies. Adults and larvae of
these flies have been found in the
stomachs of the dowitcher, the pec
toral sandpiper, the hudsonian godwlt
and the killdeer. Two species of
shorebirds. the killdeer and upland
plover, etill further befriend cattie by
devouring the North American feve
tick. Among other fly larvae con
sumed are those of the crane flies
(leather jackets).
Another group of Insects of which
the shorebirds are very fond is grass
hoppers. Severe local infestations of
grasshoppers, frequently involving the
destruction of many acres of corn, cot
ion and other crops, are by no means
exceptional. Aughey found 23 specie*
of shorebirds feeding on Rocky Moun
tain locusts in Nebraska, some of
them consuming large numbers. Even
under ordinary conditions grasshop
pers are a stapie food of many mem
bers of the shorebird family.
Shorebirds are fond of other insect
pests of forage and grain crops, In
cluding the army worm, which is
known to be eaten by the killdeer and
2potted sandpiper; also cutworms,
among whose enemies are the avocet,
woodcock, pectoral and Baird sand
pipers, upland plover and killdeer.
Two caterpillar enemies of cotton, the
cotton worm and the cotton cutworm,
are eaten by the upland plover and
killdeer. The latter bird feeds also
on caterpillars of the genus Phlege
thontius, which includes the tobacco
and tomato worms.
The principal farm crops have many
destructive beetle enemies also, and
some of these are eagerly eaten by
shorebirds. The boll weevil and clover
leaf weevil are eaten by the upland
plover and killdeer, the rice weevil by
the killdeer, the cowpea weevil by
the upland plover, and the clover
root curculio by several species of
shorebirds.
Bill bugs, which often do considera
ble damage to corn, seem to be favor
ite food of some of the shorebirds.
They are eaten by the Wilson phala
rope, avocet, black-necked stilt, pec
toral sandpiper, killdeer and upland
plover. They are an Important ele
ment of the latter bird’s diet, and no
fewer than eight species of them have
beer found in its food.
Wire-worms and their adult forms,
click beetles, are devoured by the
northern phalarope, woodoock, jack
snipe. pectoral sandtpper, killdetA and
upland plover. The last three feed
also on the southern corn leaf-beetle,
and the last two upon the grapevine
colapsis. Other shorebirds that eat
leaf-beetles are the Wilson phalaropo
and dowitcher.
Crayfishes, which are a pest In rice
and corn Helds in the south and which
injure levees, are favorite food of the
black-necked stilt, and several other
shorebirds feed upon them, notably
tne jacksnipe, robin snipe, spotted
sandpiper, upland plover and killdeer.
Thus It is evident that shorebirds
render important aid by devouring the
enemies of farm crops and in other
ways, and their services are appreci
ated by those who have observed the
birds in the field. Thus, W. A. Clark
of Corpus Christi, Tex., reports that
upland plovers are industrious in fol
lowing the plow and in eating the
grubs that destroy garden stuff, corn,
and cotton crops. H. W. Tinkham o|
Fall River, Mass., says of the spotted
sandpiper: “Three pairs nested In a
young orchard behind my house and
adjacent to my garden. 1 did not see
them once go to the shore for food
(shore about 1,500 feet away), but l
did see them many times make faith
ful search of my garden for cutworms,
spotted squash bugs, and green flies.
Cutworms and cabbage worms were
their especial prey. After the young
could fly, they still kept at work in my
garden, and showed no inclination to
go to the shore until about August 15.
They and a flock of quails Just over
the wall hoiped me wonderfully.”
In the uncultivated parts of their
range also, shorebirds search out and
destroy many creatures that are detri
mental to man’s Interest. Several
species prey upon the predaceous div
ing beetles (Dytiscldae), which are a
nuisance in fish hatcheries and which
destroy many insects, the natural food
of fishes.
Large numbers of marine worms of
the genus Nereis, which prey upon
oysters, are eaten by shorebirds. These
worms are common on both the At
lantic and gulf coasts and are eaten
by shorebirds wherever they occur. It
It not uncommon to find that from 100
to 250 of them have been eaten at ono
meal. .. .
To summarize: Shorebirds have
been bunted until only a remnant of
their once vast numbers is left Their
limited powers of reproduction, coupled
with the natural vicissitudes of the
breeding period, make their increase
slow, and peculiarly expose them to
danger of extermination.
In the way of protection a begin
ning has been made, and a continuous
close season until 1915 has been c>
tablished for the following birds:
The killdeer, in Massachusetts and
Louisiana; the upland plover, in Mas
sachusetts and Vermont; and the pi
ping plover, In Massachusetts. But,
considering the needs and value of
these birds, this modicum of protefr
tlon Is small indeed.
The above-named specie! are not
the only ones that should be exempt
from persecution, ivr all the shore- ;
birds of the United States are In great
need of better protection. They should j
be protected, first, to save them from ■
the danger of extermination, and, seo- j
ond. because of iheir economic 1m- j
portanoe. So great. Indeed, Is their
economic value, that their retention
on the game list and their destruction j
by sportsmen is a serious loss to agri
culture.
To find solidity of a sphere mul
dpiy cube of diameter by .5236
Barbara of the Beach
" ~*HILIF KEduN
“Father, you ouldn't have let me
spend so much at school when all of
you needed things—you shouldn’t.”
She knelt beside the big chair, and
with her face against the rough collar
of his coat, sobbed out her protest.
"There, there,” he smoothed her
crisp curls with his big hand. "It was
the failure of the peach crop, girlie,
and money has been so scarce.”
“I didn't dream.” was her renewed
explanation, “and I have been going
on as if we were millionaires.'
"Not quite that, but you were dip
ping in pretty heavy, so your mother
at- I thought it would be best for vou
to square your shoulders to poverty,
like the rest of us.”
"Of course. Mother can let Chloe go.
and I’ll do the cooking ”
“Not so fast,” her father warned.
"You’ll have all the work you need to
help mother with the kidie.s, and we'll
all have to lead the simple life. Bab
bie.”
“You will se< how economical I can
be.”
As the months passed, however. Bar
bara was convinced that economy
could be carried no further. They
had let Chloe go, two of their dally
meals consisted largely of fruit, and
the third often lacked meat. The
problem of making ends meet was
heavy.
The climax came one Monday morn
ing, when the lutle mother was kept
In bed by a headach-. and Barbara
went to her father for orders.
“Father, everything has given out,
and you won't let me ask for credit
at the store.”
“No,” sharply. “1 guess It has come
to bread and water. Babble. I must
have every penny to put in the or
chards. It means our living next
year, you know.”
“If I could only earn something— ’’
"No, not yet,” he caught her Angers
In his, "you are too young.”
“I am nineteen."
“Too young,” he repeated.
"Do you think It is too hot for soup
for lunch? There are some vegetables
left —odds and ends.”
“Anything to satisf” the children —I
can eat lettuce and bread and be
thankful."
He smiled at her so brightly that
she kissed him and cried: “You are
c&mGfrbr jglp
o*9Bl
w *<w'**\\
Went for a Walk Through the Long
Lane of Pines.
wonder!"i Then, with the inspira
tion of his high courage, she put her
whole heart and soul into the making
5f the soup.
After lunch she went for a walk
’.hrough the long lane of pines which
ed to the beach.
As she walked among the little folk,
Barbara was struck by the wistfulness
of most of the childish faces. As
young things will do, they carried
their treasures of seaweed and shell
to their nurses, only to be met by
cold-eyed indifference. Barbara, un
ierstanding their needs, smiled at
them, and was soon the center of a
circle.
"Let’s build a sand castle with a
moat," was her enlivening suggestion.
It was all very fascinating, the old
(adles were dellgh’ed, and a certain
tall young man, lounging languidly In
i chair, watched with interest the ef- i
forts of the very • aarming and ener* '
getlc girl.
“Say ‘thank you.' Toddleklns," he
told his small sist- r, “and ask her to
come again.”
"Please,” begged Toddleklns. and
Barbara promised
But the next day her mother .was
LOVE FOR MOTHER COUNTRY
List Used by Mri. Bishop in Argu
ments Against Foreigners Com
ing to America.
Love of the ton gner for his coun
ty and the reae- : s for that love
were given in a list by Mrs. I- Brack
ett Bishop at a- ing of the Chicago
chapter, D. A. R Material for the
list was obtained by Mrs. Bishop from
guests who have f’opped at the Chi
cago Beach hotel She always drew
the conversation t a point where she
could ask the guest why *>t loved his
native land. The and
the reasons given are:
English—Englar.ls God's own coun
try I cannot tell you why I feel this
way—unless It l? he climate.
German—My fa*': erland! My father
land Is the land of philosophy, sci
ence, music and 1 .ve.”
Irish —Oh, I love Ireland. It Is so
dear, so dear. Ps open hospitality.
Every home in the ever green isle Is
your home.
French—lt is not my country mere-
iCcpjright, ton. by Associated Literary Freas)
j not well, and the day after It stormeo.
j ~nd the day after that there was bak
ing to be done, and it was while Bar
bara was rolling out little cakes that
Toddleklns appeared at the back door.
■'Ey big brother and I want you to
come down to the beach and play.” she
announced, “and make forts and
things.”
“But, darling.” Barbara pleaded. "I
am making cookies."
“Oh!" said Toddleklns, rapturously.
Then she peered around the corner of
the porch. "Oh, dear Brother Bobs
come here, my lovely lady is making
cookies.”
He came rather sheepishly. “Toddle
kins was yearning for him,” he ex
plained.
“I should like,” Toddleklns ven
tured. "to ask for a cookie. May I.
Brother Bobs?”
“They're not baked, dearie,” Bar
bara said, “but in ten minutes they
will be ready. If you don’t mind wait
ing?”
“I would wait ten years," he said
with alacrity.
The little cakes were served In the
arbor outside, with a pitcher of cold
milk to accompany them.
“I want you to meet dad," Barbara
said, as she brought the good things
out on a tray. " Mother isn't weir."
The shabby o*d man greeted the
wayfarers heartily.
“Stopping at the big hotel?” he
asked. "Well, now, you must cotno
over often, mustn’t they, llabs?”
"Is that what you call her?” Toddle
kins asked, curiously. "Why, I call
my big brother Bobs. It's Just as If
their names were made for each, Isn’t
It?"
They laughed at that, and big broth
er Bobs said:
”1 feel aa if we had imposed on your
hospitality—but wo couldn't resist the
cookies. And now you must let me
take you out In my car. This after
noon, shall it be?"
Barbara sat beside the driver and
he told her of the death of Toddle
klns’ mother, his favorite sister, and
of the tragic drowning of the child'e
father a year later, and so the little
one was In his care, and that of a
nurse.
“I try to be everything to her," he
said.
"But you have money—everything
is easy, with plenty of money.”
“Money will not bring hack mother
love and father-love to Toddleklns.”
“Forgive me," Barbara said quickly,
“but lately It has seemed as If there
Isn’t anything worth thinking of but
money. Last year the peach crop
failed, nnd that’s our living, so I had
to come home from school and help.”
"Life ought to be made easy for
you,” he said.
Six weeks later he asked her to
marry him.
She looked at him with startled
eyes. “Oh, what must you think of
me? I have talked of my poverty, of
my needs of money—but 1 never
dreamed of this.”
“I think of nothing but my happi
ness.”
She shook her head. “I would al
ways feel that I had been bought.”
“Then you don't love me?"
"I don’t know. Oh, please go away
and don’t ask me.”
After that Toddleklns came alone.
Barbara, plodding through the
dreary days, made up her mind to
many things.
“Dad, I am going to see If I can’t
find something to do,” she announced
one morning "I am going to the city.”
“Oh, girl—”
She told him of the love *he had
I put out of her life, so he asked for
the last time: “You think you couldn’t
marry him, girlie?”
“Oh, I must not; I must not.”
The next day she sought work In
the great town. She ate her dinner In
a cheap restaurant, for she dreaded to
I go to the poor room which she had
I rented for a week.
“How am 1 going to stand It?" was
her thought.
Somebody sat down opposite her,
but her eyes were so blurred with
tears that she did not see who It was.
Then someone Bald, "Oh, Dabs, Bab*.
1 have found you."
“Do you think I will let you drag
your life In such an existence?” he de
manded later, as they walked through
the electric lighted streets. “You love
me, Babs. It was in your eyes when
you looked up and saw me.”
“But—”
“There are no 'huts.' If you knew
I was poor, Babs. if you know that
marriage would mean struggle and
hardship and sorrow, would you say
‘no?’ ”
They dined later at a wonderful and
exclusive hotel, and Babs* shabbiness
was relieved by the resplendence of a
large bunch of violets, nnd by a dia
mond circlet on her third finger.
Iy. It is not the climate or the prod
uct of its brain. It is the quality of
the people.”
Italian—Ah, Italy—her skies! And
the children of her skies.”
Scandinavian —My country! I do
| love it best and riway* will. I love it
I for It Is peopled with the memories of
my childhood.
"I always use that list when some
person argues with me against the
foreigners coming to America.” Mrs
| Bishop said. "Do you think that people
j with that deep love for their country
possibly can be a bad Influence? And
j in their new environment is not the
love cf the foreigner for his native
I land going to be swayed to as deep
j a love, either In him or his children
for the m. i of his adoption ?”
Protected.
Mr*. Kaltin*—What a beautiful
coat your Angora has!
Mrs Stayley—That’s because I take
| pat. s with it; pussy* bed is lined
, with moth hall*.
FARM AND
ROAD
IpßOvgro
ALWAYS KEEP LAWN ROLLED
Repeated Leveling Tends to Discour
ige Destructive Moles and Pre
vents Injury to Grass.
The labyrinth of tunnels construct
| *d by the mole serves as passageways
I for several species of mice and other
■mall mammals not favored by nature,
with the means of digging runways of
their own. To these alone Is due the
credit for n ..nr* of the damage to
seeds, roots, and tubers encountered
in the soli, and not to the mole bim
eelf.
While the mole seeks out the high
er and dryer spots for his home and
his highways, he hunts preferably In
soil that is shaded, cool and moist.
Here worms and grubs abound, nnd
: these favored areas soon become
j traversed by a perfect labyrinth of
j subsurface paths. This accounts for
j the persistency with which moles
stick to our lawns and parks. In
neglected orchards and natural wood
lands, where the mole works undis
turbed, the ground yields everywhere
Lawn Rollers.
Types of lawn rollers made of cement,
with kms pipe hjclc Hiul frame. The form
for setting may be of wood, very narrow
mats, or of galvanized Iron. In the latter
case the form may he left on the roller.
The dimensions of the roller should he
shout 20 Inches long, by about 14 luchua in
diameter.
to the tread, giving evidence of the
presence of runways under the leaves
or matted grass.
Frequent and thorough rolling of
the lawns furrowed by mole ridges,
will have a good effect.
Repeated leveling of the mole
ridges on a lawn by means of a suit
able roller not only tends to dis
courage the animals from making any
further Inroads on the premises, but
prevents that injury to the grass roots
which would otherwise have resulted,
and makes the lawn always appear
sightly. A practical and substantial
feller for this purpose may be made
of cement, with gas-pipe axle and
handles. It should weigh about 200
pounds.
BAD ROADS AND SMALL LOADS
Same Principle Apw'ics to Farmer
With His Team ae to Railroader
With Hl* Locomotive.
- m -
(By WALTER B LETTTZ.)
The president of a western railroad
fiuows what the difference between
good roads and bad mean to the farm
er. by some facts relating to hi* own
road.
He says that 12 years ago the rail
road was able to handle only 132
tons to a train. It today hauls 257
tons in one train This was made
possible through improvement of
track, engines and cars, which addi
tional Improvement has cost many
millions of dollars.
The same principle applies to the
fanner with hi* team as to the rail
road man with his locomotive. Our
country has some of the best rail
roads and some of the worst wagon
roads. If the wagon roads were Im
proved so the farmer could have a
continuous good road from the farm
to the market, he would be able to
pay the cost from the Increase In cash
It, a very few years
Fine roads cost big money, It Is
true —about a billion dollars for 500,-
000 mile* of macadam—and we cannot
expect western farm*, when stone
material Is secured, to stand this ex
pense, but we do maintain that the
common dirt road of the south and
west can be Improved 50 per cent.—
j made possible during the rainy sea
sons and fit, to carry good loads at all
times and at very small expense.
Drainage by tile and ditch, the con
stant use of the log drag, which cost*
practically nothing, would. In three
years, convert thousands of mile* of
bog Into fine highways and add mil
lions to the Income of the farmer*.
Damage by Automobiles.
Scientific road builders are concen
trating attention on securing a road
surface that will withstand the tre
mendous wear and tear of automo
biles. Nothing damages an Improved
road as much as a heavy machine
driven at a high rate of speed. Little
or no damage Is Inflicted by automo
biles moving at. any rate up to twen
ty miles an hour; beyond that the
damage Is plainly seen.
National Dust Factory.
It is claimed that nini-tenths of the
duat produced by man comes from
hla streets and highways. The roads,
therefore, have been dubbed the "na
tional dust factory.” The dustless
road Is an Ideal of builders. Dust not
only means that the improved road Is
wearing away, but It Is highly In
Jurlous to public health, to stock and
to crops along the way.
Adulterated Alfalfa Seed.
Alfalfa seed Is subject to adultera
tion with cheaper seeds closely resem
bling It, and the great danger lies In
the fact that with the adulterations
some noxious weeds may be intro
duced, which will cause endless trou
ble and work in the future.
VALU C . OF SEED CORN TEST
Not Difficult Nor Tedious Task and
Adds Materially to Yield —Sim-
ple Tester Shown.
An increased yield of corn can bo
secured by testing each ear before
planting and rejecting those ears that
do not germinate or show lack of
vigor or vitality. It is not such *
tedious and difficult task to test eac.'i
ear of seed corn as farmers are some
times led to believe. Fifteen average
ears of corn will plant one acre using
four kernels to the hill, placing the
corn three and one-half feet apart
between the rows. When the Import-
Simple Box Teeter.
Upon muslin cloth squares are drawn
and numbered, upon which are laid the
grain from each ear to be tested. When
the tester Is filled the sawdust pad.
shown at the left. Is placsd on top to keep
the grain moist
ance of planting ear-tested seed corn
Is fully realized few farmers will
plant corn without first submitting If
to the test
KEEP RATS OUT OF GRANARY
Floor Plastered One and One-Half
Inches Thick With Cement Gives
Entire Satisfaction.
<ny H. M. RICE,)
I had a bln In my granary that 1
had been using for corn and oats.
The rats cut the floor so full of holes
that, it would hardly hold corn cobs.
I nailed small piece* of boards over
the holes and then mixed up some
cement one to three and plastered
that floor all over lVfc Inches thick,
first wetting the floor thoroughly. I
have had this bln full of grain sev
eral times since and It Is In perfect
condition. The rats have not touched
it since. This bln was only four feet
wide and of course for a large
granary one would have to cut the
cement In blocks to keep It from
checking.
MAKE GOOD MACADAM ROADS
Highway Should Be Crowned In Jrder
to Allow Water to Run
Quickly to Gutters.
Every macadam road should be
crowned. In order that the water
falling unon It may run quickly to the
gutters. It is also necessary that the
shoulders should have the same slope
as the macadam or perhaps a little
greater.
For a road 15 feet or less In width
It will be found satisfactory to have
Section of Macadam Road.
the center sti Inches hlghc. than the
sides, forming a crown of three-quar
ters of an Inch to the foot On roads
of greater width It will be necessary
to reduce the crown to one-half Inch
to the foot, or perhaps even less. Th*
apex should he slightly rounded.
Time for Corn Planting.
May In the central latitudes is the
right time for corn planting, as the
soil by this time has become warm
and the seed will germinate quickly.
Corn planted between the Ist and the
16th of May will ho better than when
planted either earlier or later, as f
rule
F latter and Ashe*.
If clover and grass seed Is sown
with the oats the clover should be
plastered as soon as the crop Is har
vested. Two hundred pounds of plas
ter, or 100 pounds of plaster and four
bushels of hardwood ashes should be
sown to the acre.
Start Early for Weeds.
A good time to kill weeds Is the
day before you see them A seed
which has just thrown out a sprout
Is very easy to kill, simply moving
does the trick.
Long, straight garden rows make
cultivation easier.
Poultry droppings make the fertil
izer for the onion bed.
.Sweet corn la a very
crop. One reason for tho
it is so easily handled, j J
Do not plow when M>e ground ujfe
wet. When this is <wi r . .tko, : *oU in
compacted Into hard 4ppt.
When clover candb grown, vrpfMj
able crops can be and we ianqf
kept up b’' cloverJPPH.'P),*. - J
Beans can be
June u.ud some 9! growing
earletles as lato as July "r--*
String beans shhulJ be®|>lled Jtt-
I double rows six Inches apart Just
i enough space between to fort
1 cultivation.
The onion Is akin to the turnlMnd
cabbage, you jtfnatuMr that Use r®ts
are well In the ground, but need Bt
be so particular about the. bulb. - *
From early spring-until August
a few rows,of summer lettuce ever®
two week* or. so. and. thus try t®
provide a c- utlnoous supply ot Root®
heads. . pi. tasfe in* him pi.bwi t. ■
Potash salts U thf *earal nam®
given to; a group.of aubaiegeet rich J®
~ Hash that .are mined In large qt
titles about the town of StassJ^t,
on the
city markets Is good. It Is little trou
ble and can be shlrped well, standing
almost ny distance.
The -'Trlneess” is the name of one
of the newest varieties of watermel
ons These melons are Just right In
size to be served whole to one Den
cantaloupes B&im.
v kJ