THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



135 



and the country at large of good roads, roads that are 

 built by the people for the people. These children will 

 take all this to their homes and out of the mouths of the 

 babes and sucklings will come the strongest influence that 

 we can bring to bear. While this educational campaign 

 should be general in our schools, yet I think that perhaps 

 greater stress should be applied to introduce this system 

 into our country schools, working in perfect harmony with 

 the Xational Grange who have become intensely interested 

 in the good roads movement. 



I would go a step farther, I would have introduced 

 and passed in our State legislatures a bill providing for 

 a compulsory course on road building, going into the 

 subject more thoroughly than in the public schools, make 

 these young men who will have had some teaching master 

 the theory and practice of improving and building public 

 highways ; imbued them with the idea that it is not for the 

 benefit of the idle rich alone that we should have good 

 roads, but rather that it is today the crying need of our 

 country and they must rally around our banner with the 

 same loyalty and oneness of spirit as they would leap to 

 defend their country's flag. 



If this system were put into force immediately, our 

 problem would be largely solved, education of the chil- 

 dren will enlighten the uninformed, intelligent voters will 

 be made, there will be no north, no south, right will win 

 and the cause of good roads will triumph. 



I have spent two thirds of my life in two states, Ver- 

 mont and Connecticut; the balajice I expect to live out 

 in Wisconsin. Vermont has done nobly, considering her 

 resources, in appropriating money for good roads. Con- 

 necticut with her riches has made big strides in this par- 

 ticular during the last seven or eight years. But Wisconsin, 

 last on the list of State Days. I am ashamed to admit it, is 

 nearly last when it comes to good roads. However, we 

 are going to have a reversal of form; we must arouse our- 

 selves and awaken the people of our state to a realizing 

 sense of their duty to their state, their country and them- 

 selves. If there is going to be any organized campaign in- 

 augurated by this gathering, come over into Wisconsin 

 and help us. We have a wonderful state, a fine body of 

 citizens who have been misled on this question of building 

 roads by convict labor. We must educate them alonu; 

 right lines, broaden their views, stamp out politics on this 

 one question at least, and I know that future reports from 

 Wisconsin will be all that the most ardent advocate of 

 these measures for which we stand could wish. Before 

 you all I want to pledge myself irrevocably committed 

 to the cause of good roads built by the people for the 

 people. 



SEEDTIME AND HARVEST. 



The Secretary of Agriculture has directed an investi- 

 gation to be made concerning the dates of sowing and 

 harvesting and that the results be published in a series of 

 bulletins. The first of these, entitled, "Seedtime and Har- 

 vest; Cereals, Flax, Cotton and Tobacco; Dates of Plant- 

 ing and Harvesting in the United States east of meridians 

 102-104," has just been issued. 



"Because southern latitudes are first to feel the ad- 

 vance of spring," says the bulletin, "it is quite natural to 

 suppose that planting and harvesting always move north- 

 ward with its advance. As a general fact, the progress of 

 sowing and harvesting is northward, but there are inter- 

 esting exceptions. Of cereals sown in the spring, sowing 

 and harvesting always move in a northward direction, 

 while of those sown in late summer or fall the sowing 

 movement is always southward. Harvesting progresses 

 northward in the case of all cereals except buckwheat. 

 Corn planting progresses northward; winter wheat sow- 

 ing moves southward. The harvesting of corn and of 

 winter wheat progress northward, but the sowing and 

 harvesting of buckwheat progress southward." 



The sections of the United States wherein corn plant- 

 ing begins simultaneously are shown by means of a map 

 crossed by .lines extending from east to west. As shown 

 by this map, corn planting begins in southern Florida and 

 in southern Texas about February 15 in normal years. 

 Fifteen days later it is in progress in northern Florida, 

 southern Louisiana, and central Texas, and by Mav 15 

 it has progressed as far north as southern Maine, New 



Hampshire, and Vermont, central New York, northern 

 Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. 



"In interpreting the map," to quote further, "it should 

 be remembered that there are many causes which influ- 

 ence the times of sowing and harvesting and, while a line 

 connecting places which sow or harvest simultaneously 

 will run in the main from east to west, there are curious 

 irregularities, deviations here and there, depending pri- 

 marily upon altitude, rainfall, and character of soil. An in- 

 crease in altitude is analogous to an increase of latitude 

 and therefore when these lines cross the higher altitudes 

 they will naturally bend toward the south. In regions of 

 great annual rainfall the line will also bend southward, 

 due to physiological peculiarities of plant growth. While 

 the waters of the Great Lakes undoubtedly mitigate the 

 severity of the continental climate in that vicinity, yet 

 they also delay seasonal changes and thus retard spring 

 growth and hence cause a later harvest. This explains 

 why the lines in the vicinity of the Great Lakes are bent 

 southward." 



Relative to the rate of progress of corn planting, 

 the bulletin says: "At the starting point, near Browns- 

 ville, Tex., planting begins on the average date of Feb- 

 ruary 10. The movement reaches the Texas-Oklahoma 

 line on the mean date of March 12, and therefore crosses 

 Texas in 30 days, or at the rate of 18 miles per day. 



"From the time this movement starts at the Texas- 

 Oklahoma line until it reaches the Oklahoma-Kansas line 

 25 days elapse. The distance from one state line to the 

 other is about 220 miles. Planting, therefore, moves 

 northward through Oklahoma at the rate of 9 miles a 

 day. The rate of progress through Kansas is 10 miles; 

 through Nebraska, 19 miles; through South Dakota, 50 

 miles; and through North Dakota, 44 miles per day." 



The soil temperature at which corn germinates has 

 been ascertained by numerous tests in field and labora- 

 tory. The air temperature at which corn planting takes 

 place in actual practice, however, has not heretofore been 

 established, but from data assembled in this bulletin it is 

 believed to be approximately 55 degrees F. Air tempera- 

 ture records at corn planting time in the vicinity of 127 

 cities east of the Rocky Mountains are given in tabular 

 form. 



Compilations of dates of sowing and harvesting by 

 states, by sections of states, and units (tracts 70 miles 

 square), are given for corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley, 

 buckwheat, flax, cotton, and tobacco; maps and illustra- 

 tions explain the text; and interesting discussions are 

 given of the phenomena of seedtime and harvest. 



The Utah State Board of Land Commissioners re- 

 cently held a special session for the purpose of consid- 

 ering a proposal made by prominent capitalists of Chicago 

 through their attorney, Adolph H. Easter, to purchase 

 outright the Hatchtown and Piute irrigation projects at 

 a reasonable figure. Mr. Easter made a thorough in- 

 vestigation and inspection of the two projects in August, 

 1910, and upon his return to Chicago presented his views 

 to a number of prominent men of means, who decided to 

 buy both propositions, if the permission of the Utah 

 Land Board and the attorney-general could be secured 

 A letter to this effect was written to the Secretary of 

 the Board. The attorney-general, to whose attention the 

 matter was brought, ruled that the Land Board has no 

 right to sell the projects in their entirety. The Board, 

 consequently, could not consider the offer and the eastern 

 capitalists were so notified. 



The Secretary of the Interior has executed a contract 

 with the Idaho Packing and Provision Company of Boise. 

 Idaho, to furnish fresh meats to the Reclamation in con- 

 nection with the Boise project, Idaho. The following 

 quantities are to be furnished at prices stated: 



80,000 pounds prime fresh beef. @ $0.076 $6,080.00 



7,000 pounds mutton, @ $0.085 595.00 



3,000 pounds pork, (3 $0.095 285.00 



Renew your subscription promptly. The publisher 

 knows that much of the delay is due to carelessness, but 

 much trouble can be avoided by remitting the subscription 

 price promptly in the month the subscription expires. 



