USE HOT WATER
TO KILL GERMS
Harmful Molds or Fungi Should
Be Destroyed Before Seeds
Are Planted.
MOST SOILS ARE U'NSUITED
If Disease Spores are Not Eliminated
Plants Will Become Diseased
and Die or Remain
Stunted.
To he sure of obtaining healthy !
young plants for transplanting to the j
home garden or elsewhere, treat the !
soil In the seed box with bulling water
u few days before planting. Most all
eoils commonly used for seed beds con
tain one or more kinds of harmful 1
molds or fungi and in addition, in the
South, a destructive eel worm which
causes a disease of many garden crops
commonly called rootknot.
Recently it has been learned by the
United States Itepartmem of Agricul
ture that seed bed soil can be made
reasonably free from these plant ene- j
lilies by this simple hot-water treat
ment. if disease spores are not killed,
plants grown In such soil will usually
bet■ mo diseased and die, or else will
remain stunted and sickly. It is be
cause of the transplanting of sucli dis
eased seedlings that many of the poor
crops or failures In the home garden
occur. Every gardener should there
fore learn how to recognize troubles of
young plants and become familiar with
the method here described for prevent
ing them.
Before treating the soil It should be
placed in the box ready for seeding.
Make a few holes In the bottom of tbe
box for drainage. I’our on the boiling
water very slowly at the rate of two
gallons to n box of soil one foot square
r
nc not Water Treatment.
mid f°ur Inches deep and at once cover
with a newspaper to lr'lp hold the
heat for a longer time. After a few
■days or whenever tlie sell has dried out
.enough the seed may he planted.
Young plants grown in this treated
)«oll not only have white, sound roots,
:tiut also have a healthy, vigorous ap
pearance above ground. Besides this,
seeds sprout better and the plants
jjrow much faster than those planted in
untreated soil.
ordinarily diseased seedlings are a
lighter green -color and are somewhat
smaller than healthy plants and have
a slekly appearance. These signs of
disease on the young plants, however,
may not he noticed and still the trouble
may be present on the roots and do
velop after the plnnts are set In the
warden.
To find out If diseases are present,
always examine the roots of young
plants before setting them out. If «!
fected by molds or fungi, dark dead
•patches may he seen oti the roots and
sometimes on tl»« lower part of the
ate me.
POT-GROWN TOMATOES
Sturdy Plants Assure the Grower
an Early Crop.
Indoor Product, Carefully Transplant
ed to Diffrrent Sued Boxec, Profit
able to Gardeners.
The majority of home gardeners
have a hobby on some sort, of vege
table «>r on some certain kind of dow
ers. Tomatoes, being easy to grow,
find p*dmlur favor with the small gar
den man.
While there are many who grow
any kind of tomatoes, not caring us to
the variety, there are others who seek
the best varieties for two purposes—
Slicing for table use and for canning.
9m.
The Ideal Pot-Grown Plant.
There ore some families that prefer
.he medium-sized, smooth tomato,
while others desire the largest that
enn lie grown. The larger tomato is
suitable for slicing, but the house
wife complains that it is usually too
large for canning, so the medium
sized tomato seems to he more in the
limelight.
In either instance, a strong, healthy
plant is necessary If the best results
and early fruit are desired.
The very best plant obtainable to bo
set outdoors as soon as the weal her
will permit is the indoor-grown plant
first raised in the fiat, then trans
ferred from small pots to larger ones.
That is the certain way to obtain the
choicest of plants.
TEST THE SEEDS YOU SAVED
Use Snail Box in Basement Window
to Try Out Corn er Other Seed
to See if Good.
Experienced agriculturists take no
chances on corn and other seed if
I here is any doubt as to whether or
not it will germinate. It is just as
Important to the small gardener to
know that lie lias good seed. The best
ny in determine this is to idtint small
ijuantities of tlie various varieties of
seed that have been saved. If the
seed sprout up in the window boxes
it Is a good test. If the seed do not
sprout ami make reasonable growth
you may lie sure that it will lie use
less to plant the seed In the open
Inter when regular planting time
comes, it is worth while to know If
the seeds are all right.
f CLEAN UP ASPARAGUS BEDS \
t — i
If you want to cot best re- 4
! suits from the asparagus bed. t
? clean off the dead vegetation i
. mid trash from the bed before *
J the new shoots begin to grow. •
i says (’. V. llolsinger. of Iowa ;
| State college. After this apply a t
t good (lose of barnyard manure J
| to start growth rapidly. Aspurn- •
f gus beds should be a year old be- ;
t fore they are cut.
QUEER LINGO OF
CATTLE MARKET
Sheep and Hogs Also Come in
for Their Share of Weird
and Slangy Expressions.
"SLUNK" CALF UNMARKETABLE
“Butcher Hogs" Ate Most Popular
and Must Be of Right Weight and
Quality—“Mutton Sheep’’ Are
Fat Ewes and Wethers.
In the marketing of cattle, sheep
and hogs, often queer terms are used.
Reporting the markets dally causes
many ;t weird term to bo coined and
eventually adopted into the language.
Here are given a number of common
terms used in the course of live stock
marketing. Even their users, in some
instances, will he enlightened as to
the full meaning:
Cattle Terms and Classes.
“Beef cattle” are the heavier, older,
heifers or hulls, largely bought by
the bigger slaughterers.
“Butcher cattle" are usually trim
weight stock, either cows, or steers
or heifers, carrying good flesh weigh
ing 530 to 1050 pounds and highly
desirable for the city butcher trade.
“Prime finished” beeves are those
that have been made strictly fat, gen
erally id 0 to 12 months liberal feed
on grain, cake, molasses or other tried
rations. “Itipe” Is a similar term.
“Fancy” beeves are those that have
the prime or ripe finish referred to
above and in addition carry full
quality duo to being high grade or
pure bred stock.
“Good,” “fair," "medium,” “plain,”
“common" and “inferior" are terms
applied to livestock in varying de
grees of flesh, condition and quality
as they range down the line under
the grade of prime.
“Corn fed" beeves usually refer to
cattle that have had two to three
Prime Finished Beeves,
months or longer ration of generous
grain feed.
'•Short fed cattle" are those that
have had from two to three months
(time varying) of fairly generous ra
tions.
“Warmed up cattle" arc those that
have been fed for a very brief period,
generally three to six weeks—time
varying.
“Grassers” are cattle presumably
fitted for market on the range or pas
ture alone.
"<’miners” are poor thin animals,
furnishing only low grade meat suited
only for marketing in the form of
canned product.
“Cutters" are animals one grade bet
ter than eanners, but yet not carrying
enough llesh to Hass ns beef types.
“Sraluv.ags," “.shells," etc., refer to
emanated stock.
•‘Heretics" is n term mostly applied
to inbred southern cattle between the
I_
butcher Hoyc.
veal and yearling stage, weighing gen
erally 150 to 3(H) pounds.
“Slunk" N a prematurely horn calf—
unmarketable.
"Yearlings" refer to cattle beyond the
calf and under the two year class.
"Heavy yearlings" (southern) are
stock generally weighing 275 to per
haps 4r.() pounds.
"Light yearlings" (southern) are cat
tle generally weighing 150 to 275
pounds
"Muley” cattle are those that are
without horns.
"Dogey" eatle are fine boned, trim
southwestern stock, usually susceptible
to quick finish on feed.
A "quinine" steer In the trade par
lance is a poor. Inferior animal having
every appearance of disease, usually
extremely inbred.
“Sausage” or “bologna" hulls are
those not carrying flesh enough to he
classed ns beef types.
"Stocker" cattle are those suited to
go hack to the country primarily for
further growth before being ready for
•'ceding. Weights vary as to condi
tions. often reaching up to 850 pounds.
"Feeder" cattle are those with suffi
cient growth and flesh to make them
suitable for placing Immediately In the
», edicts. Weights usually 850 pounds
•{wards.
IMPORTANT—Dehorned rattle as
a rule outsell those with horns. Cattle
should be dehorned or tern tipped be
fore put on feed, so buyers urge.
Hogs.
“Top” is the day’s extreme high price
for carload lots.
“Bulk” is n term meaning the pre
ponderance of sales for the day or
period.
“Dockage” is a specified weight de
ducted from sows and stags originally
used for breeding purposes and are
coarse and rough—on sows dock is
■10 pounds, on stags 70 pounds.
“Prime heavy” hogs weighing 300 to
400 pounds, prime condition, form and
quality. Usually 10 mouths to 18
months and are heavier as well as old
er than the majority of the hogs mar
keted.
“Medium heavy”—Good hogs weigh
ing 240 to 300 lbs. Both the prime
heavy and medium heavy hog depends
largely for outlet upon the packer.
Most popular in fall and winter.
“Butcher hogs”—Most popular class
on the market. Must be of right weight
for the butcher block from PM> to 270
pounds in most cases, (although at
limes lighter or heavier)—of good qual
f.ii iin'« ■ i« ii—ii
' ' ••
;
•
s '■
Mutton Sheep.
tty and proper condition. Nothing
grading less than a good hog lias a
place in this class.
“Shipping hog.”—Shipper is a hog of
good form, condition and quality used
to supply order trade. The require
ments vary, but for the most part call
for animal weighing 175 to 200 pounds.
“Lights” are hogs weighing 160 to
100 pounds, consisting principally of
voting light weight barrows or clear
sows, graded good, common and in
ferior.
“Light-lights” weigh from 120 to 100
pounds; graded good, common and in
ferior.
"1’igs” are graded ns choice, good
and common, and are subdivided as
follows. Strong weights, 120 to 150
pounds; medium, 110 to 125 pounds;
light, 00 to 110 pounds.
"l’ewecs” young small pigs from 00
to SO pounds. Usually sell at a con
siderably lower figure than the heavier
, pigs.
"Konsters” are pigs weighing 15 to
10 pounds. They are rarely soon, ex
cept around Thanksgiving or Christ
mas.
“Houghs” are throw-outs too com
mon to grade, lack condition, form
and quality.
“Stags” are male hogs castrated af
ter maturity. As they ure wasty In
dressing dockgo of TO pounds Is Im
posed.
“Hoars" are not usually marketed
until their days of service are over and
therefore old and coarse. As most
stockmen have found from experience
that it does not pay to send boars, very
few of them come to market. They
sell for much lower price than stags.
“Mixed packers”—This class in
volves the heavy hogs that do not have
the quality to grade as prime stock and
tlie lighter weights that are not good
enough for butchers or shippers. In
short, it takes in ail of the throw-outs
of the aforementioned classes, except
those too coarse.
“Singer”—A hog of narrow’ hack and
straigiit belly, particularly used for Its
lean bacon. Weight 160 to 200 pounds
largely, although there is no standard
weight. Must be of good quality, not
necessarily fat, popular in Canada and
England but not common in this coun
try.
Sheep.
“Trimmed lamb”—(me that has been
castrated. Such sell to best advantage
on the market.
“Culls" are inferior grade Iambs or
sheep thrown out of consignment by
buyers and sold at a lower price than
the remainder of the lot.
“Skip”—A light, trashy, common
'lamb. ’I'lio plainest grade of cull lamb.
“Mutton sheep" are fat ewes or
ewes and wethers mixed used for
killing. Wethers are often soid sep
arate as such.
“Choppers” are aged ewes in medium
flesh, not good enough to grade as fat.
A Heavy Yearling.
“Cnnncrs" are very thin sheep,
which us the mime Implies are used for
canning purposes.
"Docked lamb”—One that has had
Its tall cut off. Many lambs come to
market with their tails badly gummed
up, which hurts the sale. All stockmen
nre consequently urged to adopt the
practice of docking their lambs vbea
young.
[r
Where Your t axes Go
How Uncle Sam Spends Your Money
in Conducting Your Business
By EDWARD G. LOWRY
Author "Washington Close-Ups,’* ''Banks and Financial Systems," etc. Contributor
Political and Economic Articles to Leading Periodicals ana a Writer of Recognized
Authority on the National Government's Business Methods.
Copyright, Western Newspaper union
VI.
HIRE GOVERNMENT HELP
The civil service commission hires
all employees In the classified service
of the government. The only thing to
be said about the classified service, is
that it has not yet been classified.
But you shuli hear whut the civil serv
ice commission has to say about hir
ing help, without comment from me.
There Is an utter luck of definitely
planned and well-organized employ
ment policy in the government serv
ice.
There is need for a centralized em
ployment office with Jurisdiction In all
matters relating to employment.
The employment methods of the gov
ernment should he such as to serve
for a model for private business.
There is at present no central con
trol over the executive service short
of the President. The President Is a
busy man and cannot concern himself
with the details of the executive de
pa rtments.
The lack of efficiency In govern
ment offices has a marked effect on
private business.
Definite information concerning the
number of federal civil employees In
different branches of the service und
the amount of the government pay
roll are not readily available.
An official register, or blue book,
Is Issued every two years. It is out
of date long before It is printed.
A provision of the civil service rules
theoretically gives the civil service
commission authority to collect and
maintain complete personnel statis
tics. The labor and expense Involved,
however, practically prohibit the col
lection and compilation of reliable sta
tistical data.
In addition to the limits of the com
mission's authority is the absence of
authority to enforce Us findings. The
commission can make recommenda
tions to the departments and offices
and urge their observance, but it can
not enforce them.
Congress passed what is known as
(he civil service luw January 10, 1883.
This act created the United States
civil service commission. The law was
intended to cure in part the evils
traceable to the spoils system, which
grew out of the four-ycar-tenure-of
office act of 1S20.
During the first 40 years after the
organization of our government, ad
ministrative practice with regard to
the civil service seemed to conform
to the intention of the founders. The
Constitution fixed the term of no of
ficer In the executive branch of the
government except those of the Pres
ident and vice president. It was the
established usage during these first
40 years to permit executive officers,
except members of the cabinet, to hold
office for an unlimited period during
good behavior. The practice was
changed in 1820 by the four-year-ten
ure act. The spoils system, as It was
officially described as early as 1835.
was Introduced and extended until it
permeated the entire civil service of
the country.
The fundamental purpose of the civ
il service law was to establish, in the
parts of the service covered by Its
provisions, a merit system whereby
selection for appointment slmuld be
made upon the basis of demonstrated
relative fitness, without regard to po
litical, religious, or other such con
siderations.
The act requires that the rules shall
provide, among other tilings, for open
competitive examinations for testing
the fitness of applicants for the classi
fied service, the making of appoint
ments from among those passiug with
highest grades, an apportionment of
appointments in the departments at
Washington among the states and ter
ritories, a period of probation before
absolute appointment and the pro
hibition of the use of ofliciul authority
to coerce the political action of any
person or body.
In 18.83. the year In which the civil
service law was enacted, 13,924 posi
tions in the civil service were made
subject to competition. The entire
number of positions in the federal
executive civil service on June 20,
1916, was 480,327. At the height of
the war expansion there were approx
imately 1,000,000 men and women em
ployed in the federal executive civil
service, about 700,000 of whom held
positions subject to competition. On
July 31, 1920, the entire number of
federal executive civil positions, as
nearly as can lie estimated, had been
reduced to 091,116. Approximately
450,000 of these were subject to com
petition, or. in other words, in the
classified service. The force is still
slowly but steadily decreasing.
During the 19 months of our partici
pation in the war the civil service
commission gave competitive exami
nations under the civil service law and
rules to slightly less than 1,000,000 per
sons, and about 400,000 persons with
tested qualifications were supplied by
the commission to the service. A nor
mal year’s business Is nbout 200,000
persons examined and about 60,000
appointed.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Secretary Mellon of the treasury. In
n letter to Representative Fordney,
chairman of the committee on ways
and means of the house of representa
tives, says: “Ordinary expenditures
for the first three quarters of the fis
cal year, 1921, have been $3,783,771,
996.74, or at the rate of about $5,000,
000,000 for the year. . . According
to the latest estimates of the spending
departments. . . ordinary expendi
tures during the fiscal year, 1922, in
eluding Interest on the public debt,
will be over $4,000,000,000.
“The nation cannot continue to
spend at this shocking rate. As the
1’resident said in his message, the bur
den is unbearable, and there are two
avenues of relief, 'One Is resistance
in appropriation and the other is the
utmost economy In administration.' ”
It. C. LofTingwell, formerly an assis
tant secretary of the treasury, whom
I have quoted previously in these ar
ticles. and who Is still deeply and ac
tively interested in securing retrench
ment in national expenditures, com
menting on tins utterance of Secretary
Mellon, says: “Why should there tie
retrenchment in public expenditure?
Why does the secretary of the treas
ury speak of current and estimated ex
penditures as shocking? What is the
evil that we are discussing and what
Is Its effect?
“Government expenditures must lie
met from taxes. To the extent that
they are met promptly from taxes and
from honest taxes directly laid upon
the Incomes of the people, and in pro
portion to those incomes, exaggeration
of the evil of government expenditure
is avoided. Government expenditure
takes the money of all the people for
the supposed benefit of a portion of
the people, honestly or dishonestly,
equally or unequally, avowedly by di
rect taxation, or surreptitiously by the
indirect taxation which results from
inflation of currency and credit and
of the public debt.
“Government expenditure takes the
fruits of the earth and the labor of
the people and diverts them from the
productive and reproductive enter
prises of men, from the natural enjoy
ment of the men, who by their pm
dence. foresight and effort, created the
wealth and made it available, to the
sometimes benevolent and sometimes
belligerent, hut almost always econoin
ieully wasteful, purposes of govern
ment.
''Government exploits all of us fot
the lienofit, or supposed benefit, *»1
some oC us. Yielding to the vugui
aspirations of men for a better world
or a better distribution of the good
things of this earth, government Im
poses upon all of us ever-increasing
burdens in the effort to benefit vocif
erous and organized minorities.
"Each of the executive department*
Is concerned to Improve its service
and to discover new and useful field*
of service. The entire organization
of the army, of the navy, of each of
the departments. Independent offices
and agencies of the government. Is de
voted to an Important tusk. Its par
ticular function seems of vital use
fulness, even necessity. Experts In
each are alive to Its defects and to
the opportunities for usefulness which
have not been availed of.
"The secretary, or other head of
the department, dra%vn from private
life, perhaps wholly Ignorant at the
outset of the nature and extent of Its
problems, promptly becomes the advo
cate of the policies und demands of
ids permanent assistants and bureau
chiefs, if he does not become such
advocate, he may break down the
morale of his organization and possibly
lose tlie confidence of his personnel.
"Behind it all is the pressure of or
ganized interests In the constituencies,
which arc the beneficiaries of specific
expenditures, operating upon politi
cians. executive departments, senators
and congressmen. The strident voice
of greed is heard In the market place
and in legislative halls; the voice of
the people is barely audible.
"The fact that each project Is con
sidered separately, without reference,
either In executive departments or
congress, to ways and means of financ
ing it, prevents concentration of popu
lar opinion on the awful total. All
agree that there must be economy, but
as each item Is presented all seeming
ly ugree that that Is not the proper
field for economy. There must be econ
omy, but there must be a merchant
marine, whatever the cost. There must
be economy, but the government must
pay high wages to railroad employee*
and furnish transportation on the rail
roads at less than cost. There must
be economy, but the World war sol
diers must have tlielr bonus. There
must be economy, but Civil war pen
sions must be increased. There must
be economy, but we must prepare for
war, regardless of expense.”
You know Ibis Is true. The new
budget law will help very much tbl*
condition, but unless you are Interest
ed, continuously, actively, opeoly In
terested, your money will sot be aavwL