: .: V ... .
RAISING ANIMALS FOR ARMY
Government and Farmers Co-operating
in Production of Cavalry and Ar
tillery Remounts,
' nrppired bv tlie United States Depart -(I
mont of Agriculture.) . - ,
In order to encourage the production
0f horses suitable for cavalry and light
artillery uses, the United States de
partment of ngrU'ulture, in co-operat-ii'ij
with the war department, has
placed in selected localities good,
sound stallions of proper type and of
ferod mare owners special- induce
ments to make use of them. This
plan, made possible by a provision of
congress in 1013, grew out of the diffi
culty the government has had in se
curing a sufficient number of army re
mounts. Light-horse stock had de
teriorated, due to the curtailed de
mand as a result of the growing popu
larity of motor vehicles, and farmers
had turned their attention to improv
ing the heavier draft horse.
The plan consists primarily in plac
ing stallions of merit, registered in the
proper stud books and belonging to
the Thoroughbred, American Saddle,
Standardbred, and Morgan breeds in
suitable localities in Vermont, New
Hampshire, Virginia, "West Virginia,
Kentucky, and Tennessee. Mare own
ers may breed to these stallions on the
following terms. The owner of the
mare agrees in writing at the time of
breeding to give the government an op
tion oh the resulting colt as a three-year-old
at a stated price, .which so
far has been $150. No service fee Is
charged unless the "owner of a colt
wishes to be released from the option,
in which case it is $25.
This means that practically no
money is invested in service fees. If
the colt is purchased by the govern
ment no fee is charged, nor is there
any charge if the colt is offered to the
government and purchase refused be
cause it does not qualify. The breed
er does not have to pay a service fee
on a colt which dies, which is de
formed, or which is seriously injured.
Only sound mares that approach either
a cavalry or a light artillery type are
used. Records -taken June 30, 1917,
show that 3.08&vCol tshave been pro
duced since this planwas put in op
eration at the beginning of the breed
ing season in 1913.
The plan has a number of advan
tages both to the government and to
Morgan Stallion Owned by Govern
ment This Is the Type Being Used
to Breed Army Remounts.
j . -
iarmerSi The brood mares are usual
ly farm work animals which generally
pay for their feed by doing farm work,
and the colts are brought up to birth
without cost. High-class stallions aie.
available for the mare owners' use.
Community breeding, which is of in
estimable value, is encouraged. The
object of the remount breeding work
i to select for and breed sound horses
possessing quality; stamina and en
dura nee which conform to the army's
needs, and such animals will also be
i useful for general farm work especial
ly in mountainous sections. While it
Ms true that the heavy draft horse is
more valuable for most farm work,
there are many sections where light
horses are better suited because of
their activity, sure-foptedness, superi
or lung capacity and "endurance.
The government's plan of aiding
farmers in producing army horses is
Riving them material as well as edu
cational aid in developing an impor
tant phase of their farming opera
tions. Good horse power is Indispen
sable to successful farming and good
horses cannot be produced without
pood sires. From the agricultural
standpoint alone, the publication says,
the remount breeding work should be
extended to other suitable localities,
t say nothing of the resultant effect
In adding to the defensive strength of
the country in a military way.
BREEDING OF BEEF ANIMALS
Aim to Develop to Greatest Extent
Portions of Body From Which Are
Secured Choice Cuts.
(Prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.) v
In theimprovement of beef cattle
care has been taken to develop to the
greatest extent those portions of the
body from which are secured the high
Priced cuts of- beef. These points
should be kept In mind when selecting
breeding animals.
resu.1t 8eIflsh and Indolont. but
reading which Is neither selfish Kor in-
Pleasure can equal It? And out of it
from him !-Robert E. Speer.
ARE YOU SAVING?
The old Scotch quotation shoul.
often come to mind these days: "Man,
a mickle makes a
muckle." VWemust
not be penny wise
and pound foolish,"
for we should have
recreation, play
times, and vaca
tions; our health
and mentality as
well as good looks
require it; but do we need to spend
is a nation $450,000,000 a year for the
movies? -
Let us go to fewer moving picture
shows and buy Thrift Samps instead.
Do we need, as an American nation, to
spend $50,000,000 yearly for gum, and
5200,000,000 for candy, $800,000,000 for
tobacco, and $2,000,000,000 for liquor?
Think of spending 32 cents per cap
ita for liquor and only six cents for
milk, the food that will keep our ba
bies alive, who are dying by the thou
sands each year from lack ot proper
care.
It Is only by each person sharing the
burden and saving his share that our !
?overnment will be able to provide for . nmese frontier on the headwaters of
.he expense of this war. We are re- the Yenisei river, and the Kirghlz-Ka-qulred
to go without certain foodstuffs zaks or Kirghiz-Riders, who live on
to save wheat, meat, fat and sugar, the steppes of the central Asiatic
but how many Americans are really Plateau and extend as far west as the
going without until It hurts? I Volga. The Kirghiz-Kazaks are a
We must scrape the cake and bread Turko-Mongolian people, whose ap
bowl, save by paring very thinly the pearance Inclines to the Mongolian
vegetables and fruits we use, scrape
out each eggshell with a teaspoon as
It is broken.
The outer leaves of lettuce, either
the head or remainder, may be tolled
and shredded wth a sharp knife, and tory of about two million square miles
may be used as a garnish for salads or in extent
In salads. When you can save a cent j During seven years the writer lived
on a five or ten-cent purchase it is a , in intimate association with this peo
saving of 20 or 10 per cent, which we , pie, as employer of the small fraction
consider a large rate of interest. When j of them willing to work in and around
eggs reach the lowests price is the time ( the mines, and as a friend and com
to put them down for winter. Use a ' panion of the large majority of them,
pint of water glass to every ten quarts ,
of boiled ' cooled water. Use a stone
receptacle and pack them carefully, not
to crack one egg. Cover the jar and
keep in a cool place. Eggs thus packed
will keep a year perfectly.
Eggs are not likely to be as cheap
as usual this year, as food Is so high.
Even at 35 cents a dozen it will be
profitable to pack them.
Forget thyself; console the sadness
near thee
Thine own shall then depart. i
And songs of joy, like heavenly birds,
shall cheer thee.
And dwell within thy hearth ,
iNVITING
FOODS FOR
VALID.
THE IN-
We have been told so many times
that all foods which are served to an
Invalid should be
made as attractive
as possible, for
daintiness in serv
ice is a 'great aid
to a fickle appetite.
An orange in its
natural state is
pleasing "to most
of us, but to the
frail invalid the sight of the dainty
pulp with all the connecting tissue re
moved, placed in a glass dish or served
in a long-stemmed glass, the fruit dust
ed with powdered sugar, will be far
more appealing.
Baked apples, stewed prunes, baked
pears or bananas, figs, dates and fresh
berries when they agree with the di
gestion, are all most palatable. Canta
loupe which is scored out by small tea
spoonfuls, sprinkled with a bit of salt
or sugar and served In a pretty glass
cup or disn, is mucn more aunty man , Aool settlement of 15 or 20 tents)
when served in halves or sections Va- g 1q Qf & heaaman sometimes
termelon may be served in small balls, & ..sultan ln whom all the property
using a potato cutter. of the Aool lg cansIdered to be vested.
Custards of various kinds are all for Thlg overiordship usuaiiy passes
the slck?one; the more eggs they con-! from father to gon without frictIon,
tain the more nourishing they are. and the responsibility for the physical
Junkets of various flavors are also well.being of the Aool rests with him;
good, and when topped with a spoon- pnles for the care of the old and
ful of whipped cream make n most young are prescrlbed by ancient cus
satisfying dessert. In all desserts us- ( tQm and the harmony of the Aool is
Ing milk or eggs the freshest and best i rarely disturbed
are always to be used; the slightest j K lg ft gay n'e Wch the KIrgWz
suggestion or any navor nuL juStixxu
will be more quickly noted by the pa
tlent than It would be the case In
health. '
Plain Ice creams are invaluable as
refreshments ln case of fever and
when the throat is sore or inflamed.
The patient is not only refreshed but
also nourished by the frozen dish,
which slips down with so little effort.
Soups and broths are foods which
hrflp digestion and are valuable as
food also.
Meats of different kinds, subject tc
the order of the physician, should mTj
well cooked ; chicken is especially good
and because of its short fiber it Is eas
Vy digested. Small quantities well and
daintily served will not often be re
fused. Sponge cakes are the best for inva
lids, and all puddings should be of the
simplest kinds. Gelatin ln various
flavors will add variety; tapioca, rice
and cornstarch are good when well
cooked.
What's the Use?
What's the use of growling abonl
t? You don't like a growling puppy.
By E. NELSON FELL.
Y II HB Kirghiz are divided Into
1
two branches; the Kara (or
Jl Black) Kirghiz, who inhabit
tne uplands of the Busso-
type, but whose language has pre
served its primitive Tatar (Turkish)
form, writes E. Nelson Fell in Asia.
They number about two million souls
and are scattered over a wide terri-
who preferred to carry on the spirit of
their race on the open steppe, meet
ing the sun in his daily course over
the boundless plateau and watching
their animals under stars at night, flit
ting from pasture to pasture as their
flocks and herds required fresh graz
ing. Here is a people which neither
.sows nor reaps, and which takes no
thought of the morrow, but unthink
ingly relies upon nature' to provide for
its wants by natural increase; which
preserves its own integrity and' con
tinuity, not by restraints Imposed
from the outside, but by restraints
imposed by the individuals upon them
selves; which cares for the stranger
by the divinely imposed duty of hos
pitality, which provides for the fa
therless and the old and infirm by self
imposed rules and customs; which re
spects its dead and raises monuments
to protect their remains and which
(probably since Its adoption of Mo
hammedanism) believes in a future
11f Th Trrtrhi- v,nvA hppn Mnhnm
medans for three or four centurles
The essence of their code is kindliness
and self-restraint ; kindness to man an
beast and to the helpless and weak,
and a self-control which arouses the
sincere respect of our unbridled west-.
era natures.
Their Patriarchal Government.
They are a strictly nomadic people,
who have wandered over this semi
arid land for centuries and have ac
quired a prescriptive title to It, with
out any centralized form of govern
ment to assert their rights to it
against intruders. Their form of pa
triarchal self-government is quite well
defined to themselves but almost invis-
r me tQ our centralized minds Eacn
lead q tentg in tfae gummer.
Chattering an unceasing chatter, they
watch the sun slip across the sky and
night finds them chattering still. If a
stranger comes in sight they jump
Into their saddles and rush' helter
skelter to meet him. With loud cries
of "Amann lj Amann, Bal!" they wel
come him and' seize the reins of his
horse, drag him at headlong speed into
their Aool and lead him into, the tent
suitable to his rank. The intensity
of the chatter increases; the koumis
Is whipped to a foam . in the huge
skins which contain it and poured into
a large bowl ; from this it is . served
In smaller painted bowls, made of
wood and holding about a quart, to
each person present.
The Kirghiz Tent.
It is a gay, merry life, and in the
tents of the rich patriarchs, it Is one
of considerable dignity. Their tents
are of snowy white felt with the edges
gaily embroidered. The ropes passing
over such a tent are of camel's hair
whose strands are of varied ana gay
colors. Like all yurtas, if is circular
in shape with a semi-circular dome
like top. A large one will be 25 feet
In diameter, and the Interior Is" free,
from all obstructions. The top is open
to the sky, but can be closed at night
or in bad weather by. a tunduk oi
large flap of felt. Inside there is nc
furniture, but the ground, which con-
stitutes the floor, Is covered with the
finest emboiderea feltand rugs from
Samarkand. The sidesj are hung with
gorgeous silks and larje silk cushions
are profusely distributed.
When guests are expected, the fam
Hy hangs their brightest clothes and
richest furs on ropes) which -stretch
across the tent, and te whole effect
is beautiful and extremely luxurious,
Everyone sits on. the ground or re-
clines on cushions and., when food. Is j
served (which is a continuous Per-
formance), a small rund table is
brought in, about si, Inches high,
The only discontented , thing in the
tent is the hunting eagle, which sits
in the background on his perch, sigh-
Ing for the return of winter. j
The Kirghiz are a short, thick-set ;
race, with coarse black hair on their
heads but with little hair on their
faces. Their complexion is a dark ol- j
ive brown and tjhe young people have
a pleasant rosy glow in their cheeks ;
their features have many of the Mon
golian characteristics, 'The race is
much mixed, however,-, and individuals
of Turkish and Semitic cast of f ea-1
tures are not lacking.' They are
neither ugly nor beautiful, but their
expression is kindly and gentle; their t
teeth are usually white and often en-
dure to lold age unblemished. They
never walk or perform any manual la-
bor, and their hands and feet are al-
most Invariably smalli
They are perfect horsemen in their
own peculiar style of riding ; they sit .
on tiny saddles with Very short stir
rups. No man could ride on such
saddles if he were not encased, as
they are, in layer upon layer of thick
cotton-.wadded clothes and furs (usu
ally sheepskins), and none of. pur race
would consent to present the picture
which they do when1 they sit perched
high on their small ponies, stuffed out
twice or thrice their natural girth. j
Winter Their Hard Time. !
The winter is a hard time for man
and beast It is seven months long,
and the wind never tires of blowing,
while the thermometer sinks to 50 and .
60 degrees below zero. When the bliz
zard blows, the air 4s full of blinding
snow, and when the sun shines, as it j
does sometimes, tne snow becomes :
covered with a hard" crust, and then ;
the stock suffers cruelly. Not so much !
the horses, for they are naturally
tough and can paw through the crust,
but the cattle are more helpless and
the sheep and goats entirely so, and
they musfbe herdedyWhere the snow
is soft on where there is none, or they
must be fed from the small supply of
wild hay which haseen "saved dur
ing the summer. Only the camel Is
safe, with his long hair, protecting his
uncouth body, and large soft eyes
which can look straight into the storm,
and with his two lumps of fat, on
which he can live till the stormy time
passes and spring comes again.
The only relief fhlch the people
have from tlie tedifim of winter is
sport, of- which they are very fond.
They have few firearms and only use
them when they hunt the bighorn
sheep. Then they fchoplder a muzzle
loading, smooth-bore, single-barrel
rifle about four feet six itches long,
whose barrel is so heavy that it must
be supported by a wooden crutch at
Its muzzle end. The smaller animals
they hunt with eagles, in the training
and handling of which they are skill
ful, and a good eagle, will, in a season,
catch sufficient hares and foxes and
wolves to furnish enough pelts for
clothing all the dwellers In the Aool
with the furs which ?are so necessary
to them. ,
The Kirghiz practice a few arts or
trades off a very small scale and fre
quently display a considerable sense
of artistic thoroughness. During the
winter the women spfn thread both of
camel's hair and sheep's wool, not with
a wheel, but with a little spindle, which
can be compared to a child's top. In
the summer they weave the thread In
to narrow strips. A stake is driven
into the ground outside one of the tents
and here the weaving commences and
proceeds across the Steppe indefinitely
xintll the diligence of the weaver or the
supply of thread fails; Camel's hair is
preferred for cloth and the result is a
strip, about 10 Inches wide, of dull'
brown cloth, rather heavy and eternal
ly wear-proof, -f '
SELEGT AND PLANT PEACHES
Only Thrifty, Well-Grown Trees, Free
From Pests and Diseases,
Should Be Used.
(Prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.) 1
4mkA ! . .1, . ,t, . I, , ,t. . .1. . .t. . J, i A . A . :
it is poor economy to buy
cheap peach trees. First-grade
trees cost but a few cents more
than the other grades and the
thrifty, rapid growth which they
make offsets many times this
additional expense, but even
the best trees must be properly
planted in order to be success
ful. Tlu article tells how to
select and plant the trees.
As a rule, only thrifty, well-grown,
well-rooted one-year-old or "June
budded" trees free from injurious in
sect pests and fungous diseases should
be planted. Thrifty, well-grown trees
are not necessarily the largest trees
which can be found in a nursery.
Medium-sized trees are probably fully
as desirable for planting as the larger
ones, but the smaller grades -in some
case may be made up of trees that
are stunted and weak from some cause
or other. Not infrequently they have
poor root systems. The smaller trees '
can usually be bought at a lower price !
than the medium-sized and large ones,
but they may prove costly in the end,
especially if they are lacking in vi-
tality and make a poor growth after
being planted. '
Peach trees are commonly graded
according to their height. In properly
grown trees, however, there Is a pretty
definite relation between the height
and the size of the trunk or "caliper"
of the tree. The diameter of the stem
is sometimes used as the basis for
grading nursery stock. A; few cents
per tree of additional cost means corn-
paratively little in the Initial expense
of starting an orchard, but it may
mean a vast sum later in the life of
the orchard ln the better development
of good, vigorous trees.
When received from the nursery the
trees should be unpacked immediately.
Every possible precaution should be
taken to prevent the roots from be-
coming dry. Unless the trees can be
planted immediately, they should be
heeled in, in a thoroughly well-drained
place, where the soil is mellow and
deep. A trench sufficiently wide and
deep to receive the roots is made;
then the .trees are placed In It. In
covering, ""the soil should sbe worked
among the roots of the trees sufficient-
Peach Trees Trimmed Ready to Plant
ly to fill the spaces between them.
This will fully exclude the air; other
wise there is danger of the roots dry
ing unduly.
Common planting distances for
peach trees are 18 by 18 feet, 18 by 20
feet, or 20 by 20 feet, requiring, re
spectively, 134, 121 and 108 trees per
acre. Closer planting is sometimes
practiced, but It is rarely advisable,
and under some conditions 25 by 25
feet probably does not allow the trees
more space than they need. The trees
are usually planted In squares, as the
above distances suggest, -but the tri
angular system or some of its modifi
cations is occasionally used.
Every reasonable care should be ob
served to plant the trees In straight
rows and ln perfect alignment ln both
directions. Trees so placed look bet
ter and can be cultivated better and
more conveniently than '.; where the
rows are crooked and irregular. I
In preparing a tree for planting, all
portions of the roots which have been
mutilated in digging the trees or In
jured by any other means should be
trimmed off, and long slender roots,
if they occur, are usually cut off to
correspond with the length of the gen
eral root system.
Unless a tree is rather large the
branches should all be removed, leav
ing only af single unbranched stem.
This stem should be headed back to
correspond with the height at which
it is desired to form the head of the
tree. The ' common , extremes as to
height of top preferred by different
growers range from about 12 to IS
Inches up to 24 or SO inches. .
UP-TO-DATE POULTRY HOUSE
i
Modern Structures Are Built With
Idea of Giving All the Fresh Air
That Is Possible.
(Prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.) t
Modern methods of poultry housing
make due allowance for the capacity
of the birds to withstand low tempera
tures and for the advantage of ample
ventilation in the poultry house. Ex
cept in extreme northern sections, or
Plain Poultry House for Small Flock.
for breeds of fowls having very large
combs, it is no longer considered neces
sary to build houses so substantially
that when they, are closed the cold Is
excluded and the temperature In the
house appreciably raised by the heat
from the bodies of the birds.
The system of tight, warm houses
once very popular was based upon the
idea that to have hens lay in cold V
weather they must be kept in houses -where
water would never freeze. The
methods of housing now most widely
approved and used are based upon the
experlerice of many poultry keepers
that egg production is more stable and
the hens keep in much better condition
when the house is built and used with
a view to giving all the fresh air that
can be given without exposing tite
birds to a temperature that will frost
their combs. It has been found that
the combs of hens accustomed to low
temperature become frost resistant to
a remarkable degree,, and the birds
i themselves much less subject to colds
than when an effort is made ta keep
the houses are warm as is practical.
I Except when the winters are long
and severfe, hens may be kept comfort
able and productive in a house of the ,
lightest durable construction, provided
the house has a water and wind-tight
roof, rear and end walls, and a front
which can be opened as much as la nec
essary to give thorough ventilation, or
closed as much as is necessary to keep
out rain or snow.
For ventilation in summer it is ad
visable and often necessary to have
apertures in the rear wall or in the
ends toward the rear, which can be
closed perfectly tight in winter antl
opened as much as required at other
seasons. ' - '
INCREASE OF POULTRY URGED
Appeal Made to City and Country Peo
ple Alike to Help the Meat and
Egg Supply.
(Prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
Owners of back yards in cities and
towns are asked to do everything in
their power to help the. meat and egg
supply by raising small flocks of poul
try in back yards. Farmers are re
quested greatly to increase their farm
flocks or hens so that 100 on every
! farm - will be the average for the na
. tion.
The following statement regarding
the poultry needs is taken from the
official agricultural program for 1918
issued recently by the United States
department of . agriculture :
"Poultry production should be la
creased greatly, especially In back
yards and on farms where waste ma
terial is available and the purchase of
expensive grains and other material Is
not required.
"Increased poultry production may
be attained most economically by early
hatching; by confining mother hens at
least ten days after the chickens are
hatched, by reducing losses on ac
count of rats, weasels, and thieves,
and from cold, damp conditions; by
thorough sanitation; by discouraging
the marketing of early-hatched pullets
as broilers ; by eliminating nonprodnc-'
Ing hens and keeping good layers
through at least two laying seasons;
and by the poutrymnn raising his oxem
feed as far as possible.
CORN ALONE IS INJURIOUS
Diet Many Hogs Receive From Oae
Year's End to the Other Lessens
Vitality of Animal. ,
(Prepared by the United State Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
The straight corn diet, which many
hogs receive from one year's end to the
other, lessens vitality. The- researches
of the Wisconsin experiment statint
have shown that this is probably:
brought about by retarding the
opment of the vital organs.