SETTING PLANTS AND TRAINING TO STAKES
r
FROM COLDFRAME
TO YOUR CARDEN
Plants Should Be Accustomed to
the Outside Conditions
Before Setting.
PROTECTION MAY BE NEEDED
Boxes or Small Boards Will Save From
Sun, Wind and Frost—Water Be
fore Transplantmg—Carry Con.
tamers to Place for Planting.
It is assumed that the wide-awake
gardener has been busy loug before
the weather is warm enough to sow
any seeds in the open ground; that
a window box or hotbed hus been pro
vided, Hnd that a supply of plants of
tomatoes, peppers, early cabbage, ami
eggplant are under way to set In the
garden as mu as danger of frost Is
past.
If plenty of south window spare Is
available, the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture advises that such
crops as snap beans, cucumbers, rnusk
liielons, mid even sweet com may be
started In tlower pots, pa per bands or
berry boxes tilled with good soil, and
they will Ik* of considerable size by <
the time the air Is warm enough to
plant them outdoors. Plants that
grow In the house or In the hotbed !
must he hardened or adapted to outdoor
conditions before they are set in the
open ground. This Is accomplished
by gradually exposing them to the
ojten air during the warmer part of
the day and Inter at night, care being
taken that they are not caught by a
sudden cold snap.
Hardening Early Plants.
When the plants are grown ir boxes
or trays, the boxes may be carried Into
the open each day and the plants al
lowed to become gradually aoi-ustomed
to the outdoor conditions. If they are
in it hotbed or coldframe, the sash or
other cover is lifted off during the day
hikI replaced at night, latter the cov
ering Is left off entirely; however. It
should be kept close at hand to be put
on at any time thnt the weather should
turn cold.
Plants set In the open ground niny >
be protected from frost by turning
small boxes over them and covering
the boxes with n little earth, old ^
berry boxes are sometimes used f°r
tills purpose, but should be covered
completely with soil, as the plants will
free/e just ns readily underneath the
exposed boxes as If left In the open
without any cover whatever. A good
method of protecting plants Is by set
ting a common rooting shingle or a
small piece of board at an angle over
ear'll plant. These shingles can be set .
on the side to protect the plants from
the sum during the daytime, or thej
may be placed on the opposite side In
order to protect the plants from the
wind and allow the sunshine t« reech
them.
In some cases gardeners have pro
vided small frames, on the ton of
which are fitted single panes of glass,
and one of these frames is set over
each plant or hill to protect it. The
glass should be so arranged that It
PLANTS REQUIRE MOISTURE
Plants take in moisture
through their small feeding root
lets and discharge it,through the
surface of their leaves. As a re
sult of the breaking of the roots
in transplanting, the supply of
moisture is cu' off and the plants
wilt. To prevent the wilting of
the leaves, says the United
States Department of Agricul
ture, water should he poured
around the roots before the dirt
is filled in; also the tops of the
plants should he shaded ami pro
tected from the wind for a day
or two to reduce the evaporation
from the leaves.
can be partially removed during the
warmer part of the day in order to
prevent the temperature becoming too
high inside the frame. These protec*
tors give good results when used over
: hills of cucumbers, muskmeions and
! summer squashes, as well as over
: plnnts of sweet popper, eggplant and
tomatoes.
Points to Remember.
There are a few points in connection
with the transplanting of house-grown
plants to the garden that are worthy
j of special attention. In the first place,
the plants to be transplanted should
he watered a few hours before they
are to he handled; this will cause the
dirt to adhere to the roots and give
them a better start when they are
planted out. If the plants are grown
In flower pots, In paper bands, or
berry boxes, they should be carried lo
tiie garden In their containers. Dot
grown plants should be loosened by
inverting them gently and knocking
the edge of the pot on something solid.
The plants then are set with the ball
of earth adhering to their roots.
If the plants have been grown in pa
per bands or berry boxes, the sides
of (he bands or boxes should lie slit
with a knife* and removed as tlie plants
are set. Where the plants are grown
in trays or in a hotbed, a knife should
he run between The rows, cutting the
earth in both directions, and each
plant lifted with a cube of earth at
tached to its roots.
Use Fresh Furrows.
The holes or furrows in which the
plants are set should not be made un
li! ready to transplant the plants. If
made too soon, the soil will dry out
and cause the plants to wilt. Under
all circumstances, it pays to apply a
little water around the roots of each
plant as it Is set; this causes the soil
t,> form a close contact with the roots
of the plant. After the water has
soaked into the soil, dry earth should
he filled In around the plant and
slightly firmed. Plants set In this
manner will Invariably start without
wilting.
It Is always a good Idea to have a
few more plants than are required for
tilling the space In the garden, in or
der to replace any that die or are de
stroyed by Insects.
SUNFLOWERS
Sunflowers are of easy culture. The
seed should be planted In the open
garden In spring at about the time
that corn anti beans are planted, or
about a week after the average last
frost.
Slip-Ons of Jersey.
The slip-on style Is still used for
sport dresses, many models In Jersey
In plain and novelty weaves being
shown In frocks of tills type. A Jersey
slip-on In basket weaves Is made In n
soft sort of dull rose color, with belt
and ties of the material.
To Brighten Furs.
To make your furs look like new.
wet the t'ur with a hairbrush, brushing
against the nap. Han* It in the air un
til dry, which will be In about halt ***
hour. Then heat It well on the right
Ride with a rattan ami coinb It out
curefully Into place.
New Feather Hate.
Feather hats seem to huve taken un
to themselves several new und charm
ing shapes. There are toques with
feather poiupons drooping over the
ears; poke styles with waving leather
trimmings, rolled-brim styles with os
trleh trimmings, etc. The colors In
elude henna, taupa, red. Jade, navy,
brown and black.
Where Your Taxes Go
How Uncle Sam Spends Your Money
in Conducting Your Business
By EDWARD G. LOWRY
Author “Washington Close-Ups.” “Banks and Pinancial Systems,” etc. Contributor
i ohtical and Economic Articles to Leading Periodicals and a Writer of Recognized
Authority on the National Government’s Business Methods.
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
XII.
WHY GOOD MEN QUIT
today into the Treasury depart
ment, the Department of Agriculture,
the Department of Commerce, or into
any other establishment of the govern
ment doing important technical work,
and they will tell you that their chief
difficulty is to retain competent em
ployees in the supervisory and tech
nical positions. Their turnover is ab
normally high in these positions.
livery day men leave the service
to accept private employment at ma
terially increased salaries, so that the
departments are continuously going
through a process of selecting and
training executives and technical em
ployees, only to lose them, as they be
come really valuable, on account of
the inadequacy of their compensation.
The second factor which contrib
utes to the present ineffectiveness of
the government as a business estab
lishment is found in the improper or
ganization of the executive branch of
the government for effective service.
\ou are familiar, at least in a general
way, with the defects of the present
administrative machinery.
You know for example, that the In
terior department now has jurisdiction
over a great number of bureaus of a
miscellaneous character that have
nothing to do with each other or with
the functions which the Interior de
partment was originally established to
perform.
You know that many agencies have
been located in the Treasury depart
ment, the great fiscal department of
the government, which are purely non
fiscal In character, such as the coast
guard, the public health service, the
supervising architect’s office and the
bureau of war risk insurance.
You know that the great bulk of
the civil public works of the govern
ment are executed under the super
vision of tlie War department, although
the bureau of public roads is located
la the Department of Agriculture, nnd
the reclamation service in the Depart
ment of the Interior.
You know, furthermore, of the in
dependent existence outside the juris
diction of any of the great executive
departments of some 40-odd boards,
commissions, offices and bureaus.
These are merely examples of a con
dition that would require volumes to
describe fully, but it is generally
known that the executive branch of the
government is at the present time il
logically and uneconomieully organ
ized in many important particulars.
It should he remembered, however,
that even with an Ideal personnel and
a perfect organization it is doubtful
if the high degree of economy and
efficiency that characterizes private
business can ever be attained in the
government offices. This is so because
economies made by government offi
cials are not transformed into divi
dends for themselves as they are in
private business.
There is an impression in congress
and throughout the country that men
of great ability are not found in gov
ernment service; that the salaries are
not sufficient to attract and hold them.
On the contrary, there are a great
many people of distinguished ability
in the government service. One is
more and more impressed by that fact,
especially since the war sent to Wash
ington so many men of large means
and famous names with whom the
government employees could be com
pared. The comparison was time and
again to the advantage of the govern
ment employee. But the salaries are
not the attraction; it is the work it
self. This is well understood by some
eminent observers of public life. Sec
retary of State Hughes declared him
self as follows before the advisory
committees of the war risk Insurance
bureau:
It has been my experience that with
the higher officers, the officers of greater
institutions, where efficiency is rewarded
by public representation—while the field
is a limited one because of the great op
portunity to men of abii.ty—it is still en
tirely possible to draw to the public serv
ice men of great ability and distinction,
because of the desire to render public
service, and the number of men who are
available for that purpose, while rela
tively small, is still sufficient if the ap
pointing officer wants men of that class.
In order to obtain them, however, lie
must give a free field. He must not in
terfere as to political action to control
administration tendencies and must per- |
mil them to be given the reward which
a well-conducted office of Importance will
give to its Incumbent in the public estl- i
ination.
Now the difficulty increases when you
pass those heads that get the credit and ]
come to the technical expert who has
got to do the regluar work and upon
whose efficiency the operation of the de
partment finally depends These men are
little known. The public hasn't time even
to learn their names. They are interested
in work to a degree of being willing to
make sacrifices.
There is active competition for men of
brains and great ability of that sort, and
the government will never be served un
less it pays the price for those men. Now
I think that is a plain situation. You
may be able to get a director in the bu
reau of war risk insurance for $5,000 a
year, or for nothing at all. but you can
not get an actuary. You cannot get In
surance men. You cannot get superin
tendents. That would be my Judgment.
VIEW OF THE EMPLOYEE
The obvious solution of the govern
ment’s employment problem is t lie
standardisation and readjustment of
salaries. To be scientific, such re
adjustment must rest upon a careful
reclassification of the service. Con
ditions are very different now, both
in regard to the functions of offices
and the cost of living, from what they
were when positions in the govern
ment service were first classified and
salaries assigned to those positions.
It struck me that an Interested party
in this inquiry into how the govern
ment conducts its business was the
employee himself. He ought to know
from actual daily experience some
thing about the mechanism of the
! national business and the relations be
! tween the working force and employer.
It was clearly Impossible to talk to
[ the more than 500.000 men and women
1 who work for the government, but I
| learned that between 50,000 and 00,
IJOO of them are banded together In an
; association called the National Federa
; tion of Federal Employees. It is a
regular labor union, and is affiliated
with the American Federation of
| Labor. It includes all classes of gov
ernment workers, technical und
scientific men. as well as clerks and
i unskilled workers.
1 asked the president of this em
, ployees' union. Luther C. Steward, If
; he and his associates were authorized
to speak for all its membership. He
assured me that they were.
So I asked Him to tell me about the
conditions of government employment
and how the business was carried on.
I am glad I did, for what he told
me discloses not only facts, but a
state of mind existing among the em
ployees which necessarily must he
taken Into account In any considera
tion of the efficiency nnd management
of our common business. Here then
is what the employees, who speak
through Mr. Steward, have to Ray. and
the constructive program they present
for the Improvement of the service:
The civil service on Its human side
•onslsts of about 500,000 men and
women engaged in the operation of an
uitiqunted patched up machine. Re
alise of the durability of its vital
.arts nnd the faith nnd ability of the
aass of the operatives the machine
till functions. But the parts are
II-fitted, nnd many of them are de
ectlve. The managers and superin
ndents of the establishment, being
no often chosen for political reasons,
,re frequently Inexpert, and theoperat
g system la clumsy aud disjointed.
Tlie employees are recruited undei
a law which provides a test of
qualifications, and probably nine-tenths
of the rank and file have satisfactorily j
passed the entrance test. But the \
better positions, say from $3,000 up
ward, are usually occupied by political
appointees. Another considerable
group of employees get their appoint
ments by executive order, waiving
civil-service tests of fitness.
The newcomer in the service, there
fore, finds himself up against a mini
mum of opportunity for promotion,
with the dishearteuing knowledge that
the advancement which is earned by
competence is all too likely to be given
to the friend or political supporter of
some congressman or executive who
wishes to pay a political debt. And
the employee is subject to dismissal
at the will of the executive of his de
partment, unless he can bring sufficient
political influence to bear.
In other words, the civil-service law
Is not backed up by enforcing power In
the Civil Service commission. It
merely recruits the applicants for en
trance. Thereafter the employee's
fate is largely a matter of his own
luck and negative passive merit. There
is no system by which he may be
fitted to the job, and no protection
against dismissal, unfcess the employee
himself can show that the reason Is
political or religious. “Kor the good
of the service,*’ as the law reads,
covers every other charge which the
executive official may bring. There la
no court of appeal.
Such is the oppressive, Incentlveleae,
vitiating atmosphere ef the govern
ment service. It stifles initiative,
frustrates ambitions and reduces the
mass of employees to a more or less
passive stute, which is permeated by
a sense of fear.
In such an atmosphere, naturally
enough, the physical conditiens of em
ployment ure far from what they
should be. and the government loses
efficiency, as does any other employer
where the wage scale Is Inadequate
and unstandardlxed. where sanitary
conditions are had and hours of work
too long and Irregular.
The wage scale is so low that the
Civil Service commission has difficulty
in securing properly qualified appli
cants, and throughout the service the
turnover Is Siigh. Employees doing
the same kind of work often receive
widely different rates of pay; ex
perienced workers often receive les*
than beginners, and virtually every
kind of Inequality and tnjuitlca axlata
HOUSE cleaning made easier by
ASSEMBLING TOOLS IN ONE PLACE
A'
A Homemade Closet Is Inexpensive and Conv,
anient.
(rropar^d fcy the United State# Department 1
of Agriculture.)
For generations housekeepers have
taken pride in their orderly linen
closets, well-stocked preserve and jel
ly closets, and their neat kitchen cup
boards. While not so attractive to
look at, the cleaning closet is just as
important. By grouping together
brooms, brushes, dusters, mops and all
the many things needed in cleaning,
and keeping the closet In order, the
housekeeper need not waste time or
take extra steps in collecting these
things when she wants to use them.
It is a more sanitary and tidy practice
to store cleaning tools in a place by
themselves than to leave them in a
corner of the kitchen or pantry, as is
often done, the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture points out.
The cleaning closet should be con
venient to the whole house. Some
times, especially in large houses, a
good arrangement is to have a clean
ing closet on each lloor with a supply
of the tilings most frequently used.
If a built-in closet is not available, an
old wardrobe may be fitted up. Some
times the cleaning closet opens ofT the
buck hall or the combination laundry
and washroom, which Is found an al
most indispensable room In many
farmhouses. This, also, is a good
place for It.
The cleaning closet should be ven
tilated by cutting holes in the door or
by means of a transom. Shelves
should be arranged for tbe cans and
bottles of cleaning materials and oth
er small articles, and there should be
plenty of hooks at proper heights for
brushes, brooms and mops. These
should be hung so that the weight
does not rest on the straws, bristles,
or strings. The carpet sweeper, also,
should be set or hung so that the
weight does not come on the brushes.
Good Tools More Economical.
Well-made, durable tools are gen
erally most economical la the end,
though they may cost more at the out
set. It Is well, of course, to have a
complete set of tools and materials for
cleaning the many kinds of materials
in the house, but this does not mean
that a large collection should be
bought haphazard. Some cleaning de
vices will not he used «> ^tf'n enough In
tlie ordinary house to juv their ex
pense or the storage room /hey occu
py, and tlie housekeeper will do well
to consider these points beford buy
ing. ^
The oily cloths used in polishing
floors and furniture, especially if
moistened with linseed oil, are a seri
ous fire hazard unless kept in a cov
ered fireproof container. A fin or gal
vanized-lron can with close-fitting lid
is good for this purpose.
Tools last longer and work better If
put back in the closet clean and ready
for use tlie next time.
Care of Various Kinds of Mops.
Once n week, or oftener, if necessary,
the box of the carpet sweeper should
be opened over dampened newspaper,
the dirt emptied out; and hair and
lint cleaned from the brushes with a
buttonhook, coarse comb, or old scis
sors. The mechanism should be kept
properly oiled. A vacuum cleaner
should he looked after In the same
way, except that In addition the bag
should be emptied.
Dry or oiled mops should be well
shaken each time after use, and occa
sionally should be washed In hot soap
suds, rinsed in clear hot water, and
dried as quickly ns possible. Oiled
mops may he renewed by pouring on a
few drops of kerosene or floor oil and
leaving them stand until the oil
spreads through the strings. If too
much oil Is used, the floors will be
darkened, and a surplus of oil will be
left on the surface.
Dust cloths should be washed fre
quently, because a little dirt comes
out more easily and because dirty
cloths often leave as much dust as
they take up and may scratch highly
polished surfaces. The oil in "dustless”
cloths may be restored by adding to
the rinse water a little kerosene or
floor oil (about one tablespoonful to a
quart of water), or by pouring a few
drops of oil on the dry duster, rolling
it tight, and letting It stand until the
oil spreads evenly.
House cleaning often seems a hard
task and it pays to plan the work
carefully and to keep the home clean
rather than labor to make it clean.
WASH FRUITS FOR CHILDREN
All Market Produce Should Be Cleaned
to Remove Dirt, Bacteria
and Residue.
Children should have fruits, also
celery, tomatoes, and salads not only to
give variety In their school lunches,
hut especially to supply the vltamlnes
and other ‘food elements necessary for
healthy growth, agree nutrition spec
ialists of the United States Department
of Agriculture. When they eat any of
these uncooked foods at home It is
probable that the mother has washed
the fruit or vegetable properly before
serving it. All market produce needs
washing to remove dirt and dust, bac
teria. and sometimes particles of spray
residue. The best fruits and usually
the best-looking fruits are those from
trees which have been properly sprayed
while the fruit was in Its early stages
and sometimes the spray may not have
weathered off the fruit before harvest.
Children should not be given money to
buy their own fruit from hucksters or
stands unless there -are facilities at
school for washing It. They should he
drilled in the practice of washing what
they eat of these uncooked products,
as a matter of ordinary cleanliness.
MARSHMALLOW FUDGE RECIPE
Ingredient* Include Granulated Sugar,
Sirup, Milk, Bitter Chocolate
and Walnuts.
Two cujis granulated sugar, one*
(Itinrter cup corn sirup, two-thirds
cups milk, two squares hitter choco
late, one tablespoon butter, one-half
pound marshmallows, one cup English
walnut meats, one-half teaspoon va
nilla.
1'ut sugar, simp and milk in sauce
pan and let stand until sugar Is melt
ed. Shave chocolate into mixture. Put
over tire and bring to boiling point.
l»o not stir. Let boil two minutes and
add butter. <’ook until a soft ball is
formed in cold water. Remove from
Ire. Line a long pan with mnrshmul
ows. sprinkle with nuts. 1,et fudge
not slightly In pan of cold wi^er
•Idle beating. Fudge must be qtwte
■inn when poured over the ruarsh
mllo
OYSTER DRESSING MIXTURE
Scalloped Kind Are Preferred by Many
Cooks Because Flavor Is Lost
in Cooking.
An oyster dressing Is made by add
ing to a highly seasoned bread stuff
ing, oysters equal In bulk to the
breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly one
quart of soft breadcrumbs, a cupful
of butter, melted in two-thirds cupful
hot milk or water, one-half teaspoon
ful salt, one teaspoonful of spiced
poultry seasoning, and a beaten egg.
Omit the egg if the dressing is to be
eaten hot. A cold dressing slices well
when the egg is used. Add oysters
and stuff the turkey. As long coek
tng detracts from the flavor of oysters
many cooks prefer scalloped oysters
served with turkey.
Almost decorative ure tiny enameled
kitchen scales.
• • •
l’alnt can he removed from \yindow
panes with hot vinegar.
• • •
Keep a pencil and pad by the tele
phone to take down numbers.
• • •
Fine blankets and shawls are beat
dried on curtain stretchers.
* • •
A hammer and nails should be a
part of every kitchen equipment.
• • •
Chicken fat is excellent for cake
baking and shortening generally.
* * •
Cucumbers are nice served in u little
vinegar and cream ndxed together.
* * »
Charcoal powder will clean knife
blades which have become stained.
* * *
Vegetables should be cooked just
long enough to make them tender, and
no longer.
• * •
Do not keep partly soiled garments
tn an unaired space. They are likely
| to become discolored.