1912. 
TUE KURAb NEW-YORKER 
936 
PUBLIC MONEY LOANED TO FARMERS. 
Several persons have sent us clippings 
from various papers which, state that Ore¬ 
gon has a system of loaning money direct 
to farmers. As this touches what we con¬ 
sider the greatest problem connected with 
American agriculture, we have tried to ob¬ 
tain the facts. It appears that the State 
of Oregon has a number of special laws 
relating to the sale and disposal of State 
lands. Section 36 of these laws describe 
what is known as the Irreducible School 
Fund of Oregon. This is composed of the 
proceeds of the sale of the 16th and 36th 
section of every township in Oregon, or in 
lands selected in lieu thereof. It also in¬ 
cludes other items, such as money which 
comes from escheat or forfeiture, moneys 
obtained as exemption from military duty, 
gifts made by any persons for common 
school purposes, and other legitimate in¬ 
come from public lands. All these proceeds 
are set apart as a separate fund. The in¬ 
terest on this fund is applied to the sup¬ 
port and maintenance of common schools 
in each school district of the State. The 
fund thus collected is, of course, pecu¬ 
liarly a State fund, derived from land, and 
the law states that it may be loaned by 
the State Land Hoard at six per cent per 
annum. These loans under the law shall 
be secured by note and mortgage to the 
State Land Board on real estate in Ore¬ 
gon. Such real estate must be worth at 
least three times the face of the amoiYnt 
loaned, exclusive of perishable improve¬ 
ment. All such loans are made for the 
period of one year, but in case the interest 
is promptly paid, and the real estate secur¬ 
ity remains unimpaired, the State .Land 
Board may, at its discretion, permit such 
a loan to stand for a period not longer 
than 10 years. When such a loan is paid, 
the principal shall again be loaned or In¬ 
vested in like manner upon other real es¬ 
tate ; thus in this way the State of Oregon 
does lend money directly to the farmers, as 
this Irreducible State Fund is handled in 
such a way as to be protected by real es¬ 
tate mortgages. Here then is a precedent, 
and a good one, for the loaning of public 
funds upon the security of the land. There 
can really be no better security for loans 
of this sort. The money came originally 
out of the soil; loaning it back to those 
who work the soil is the most appropriate 
way of handling it, and not only that, but 
accommodating farmers in this way with 
a fair loan, gives them needed capital and 
makes them better citizens, because they 
deal directly with the State and public 
money, and can feel that they are on terms 
of equality with bankers and money 
lenders. 
OUTLOOK FOR MAINE POTATOES. 
I traveled over the Maine Central points 
the early part of the week, covering the 
territory from Bangor to Moosehead Lake 
and through Washington County to Calais 
and return, and then another side trip to 
Penobscot County to Winn, then by auto a 
long trip was taken through the towns of 
Springfield, Lee, Brewster and Danforth. 
While traveling over this ground, known as 
Maine Central points, it was learned that 
the acreage planted to potatoes apparently 
shows an increase of about 30 per cent as 
compared to last year, but is considerable 
short of the season before. During the 
season of 1910-11 there was shipped from 
stations on the Maine Central Railroad 
5,400,000 bushels of potatoes, and during 
season of 1911-12 only 2,700.000 bushels, 
while it is estimated that this season’s 
shipment will be about 3,700,000 bushels. 
The season of 1910-11 was rather unprofit¬ 
able for the potato grower in this section, 
causing the farmers to decrease their acre¬ 
age last year, which proved to be a profit- 
able one, for the potato grower, and 
brought about a renewed interest, and if 
weather conditions had been favorable dur¬ 
ing the early Spring the acreage this sea¬ 
son would have shown 100 per cent in¬ 
crease instead of 30 per cent. 
The potatoes show remarkably well all 
through this territory, and unless some¬ 
thing unforeseen sets in, the yield will be 
exceedingly good. There is every prospect 
of 150 to 200 barrel yield. The potatoes 
set quite heavy, and hill after hill shows 
from 10 to 12 potatoes of fair sizes, under 
the vines that in many cases stand three 
feet high. Many of the farmers through¬ 
out this section of the State are affiliated 
with the Farmers’ Union of Maine, and 
are attempting to produce seed potatoes 
positively true to name, which is one of 
the many objects of that organization, 
which has been brought into existence by 
the Agricultural Department of the State. 
Throughout Aroostook County there is re¬ 
joicing among the farmers, owing to the 
favorable weather, which followed npon the 
three weeks of heavy rains which flooded 
the low lands, causing the growers much 
uneasiness, but following upon this con¬ 
tinued wet spell, the weather turned cool, 
or at least cold. In fact, slight frosts were 
reported at several places and the potato 
fields in all sections are looking fine, and 
barring an early frost the Maine potato 
crop is assured. There are plenty of po¬ 
tatoes in Aroostook County sufficiently 
large to ship, but they are very green and 
it would he poor judgment to send them 
to the consuming markets at the present 
time. It is rumored, however, that one 
shipper is offering $2 per barrel for a car¬ 
load of “Cobblers” for immediate shipment. 
The potatoes are growing rapidly without 
any indication of blight, except on very 
low grounds, and it would be a losing 
proposition to dig at this time, not only 
to the growers but the buyers would be 
taking long chances in shipping potatoes 
any considerable distance. 0 . 0 . e. 
OHIO FARM NOTES. 
A short time ago I ground a lot of rye 
for a neighbor, and the gasoline engine 
made a fine run with not a skip. A week 
later I wished to crack a bushel of corn 
for chicken feed, but the engine became 
balky. The batteries were running down, 
and to get it to go at all I had to shorten 
the spark gap of the spark plug, so as to 
get a hot spark. Five new dry batteries is 
the best remedy. 
To-day, August 4, it is too cool for the 
corn. The temperature this morning and 
yesterday morning was 55'degrees, about 20 
degrees too low, and we have a drying wind 
from the northeast. It makes the outlook 
for late corn discouraging. We ueed a 
warm rain followed by hot weather with 
warm nights. 
We were cutting weeds along the fences 
and roadways the first week of August. 
We cut as close as possible with the mower 
and finish with a scythe. It is hard, rough 
work for a mower; breakages are frequent 
and much annoyance is caused by striking 
fence posts and telephone poles. The latter 
are not at uniform distances from the road¬ 
sides, a condition that should not be per¬ 
mitted by the county commissioners. Ohio 
road laws require the county commission¬ 
ers to cut the roadsides twice each year, 
but they have never done this, and tell the 
landowners that they should do this work 
themselves, so that all the road funds can 
bo applied to road repair. One wishes that 
a smoother job of grading had been done 
in the first place, and that the telephone 
poles had been set nearer the road fences. 
The potato yield here is rather disap¬ 
pointing. The early potatoes that were 
planted reasonably early and cultivated 
thoroughly and frequently, particularly 
when it turned dry in June, have yielded 
well and are of good size, but .for the most 
part the yield is low. We raise potatoes 
here for home use mostly, but they are 
quite an item nevertheless. 
Stubble fields are being clipped to pre¬ 
vent the clover from going to seed and to 
kill weeds. Letting seedling clover go to 
seed the first year seems to lighten the 
crop for the next year, so clipping is prac¬ 
ticed such years as this when young clover, 
even in. oats, makes such a wonderful 
growth. I am clipping a field of young 
clover, Orchard grass and Timothy, also 
some ragweeds and briers which must be 
kept down. At this time of the year tWb 
big black horsefly gives us lots of trouble. 
One man here started to clip a field, but 
gave it up, because there were about two 
dozen of these flies after his horses all the 
time. They are as big as humming birds 
and worry the teams as much as the work. 
A skillful person can kill lots of them with 
the lines while driving, or one can stop and 
kill them by hand. Fly nets, or better, 
fight cloth covers, are a great help. 
Hillsboro, O. w. 0. D. 
We have a country down here that Is 
kept back by poor transportation and poor 
roads. We could have the best of water 
transportation, but the railroad has a 
monopoly of both land and water routes, 
so they do not care how long it takes or 
what kind of service they give, as all 
has to go by them anyhow. Our people are 
still growing corn, wheat and tobacco, with 
the latter as money crop; not enough corn 
grown in county to supply its needs, and 
hundreds of tons of hay brought in every 
year. We are not over 50 miles from Wash¬ 
ington, but there is hardly any truck or 
fruit shipped from the county. A few 
farmers are growing poultry in a small 
way, and find a ready sale for the output, 
especially eggs. I keep about 1,000 hens, 
all S. C. W. Leghorns, and ship my eggs 
after supplying a few private customers to 
one of the best grocers in Washington, who 
is glad to get all I have, whether one crate 
or 10 crates a week, and pay me six cents a 
dozen above market quotations. It costs 
me about one cent a dozen to ship and de¬ 
liver the eggs in Washington, and all 
empties returned free. There is a great 
chance for people of the right kind here; 
land not high and a local market for hay 
and corn, while there is an unlimited de¬ 
mand in the cities for poultry, eggs and 
everything if A No. 1. Wheat harvest is 
about finished and haying about to begin. 
I shall cut about 100 acres of Timothy ami 
clover, and can sell every ton at full mar¬ 
ket price here on the farm and for cash. 
St. Mary’s Co., Md. jno. n. key. 
Selecting Your Painter 
With the aid of our ‘ Handy Book on Painting,” you 
can make a wise selection of your painter and work more 
intelligently with him to make your painting successful. 
The book tells you how much paint is required for a given 
surface, how many coats to apply, how to mix paint, how 
to get different color effects, etc. It tells just what materials 
must be used to make durable paint. 
Dutch Boy Painter 
Pure White Lead 
and pure linseed oil, when properly mixed and applied, 
grip into the wood and hold there till time and storm slowly 
and evenly wear away the surface. Then you repaint 
without having to scrape or burn off the old paint. 
Send a Postal for the Book 
Ask for Farming Helps No. 477 
If there are children in your home or your /?tdjsSL ’\ 
neighbor’s home, ask also for the Dutch Boy /yjaj'fcyB kA 
Painter’s Book for the Children. jtJKi 
NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY 
New York Boston Buffalo Chicago 
Cincinnati Cleveland St. Louis San Francisco \ / 
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(Pittsburgh, National Lead A Oil Co.) 
Edwards 
STEEL 
Shingles 
Last Longest 
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Put ’Em On Yourself 
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Edwards “REO” 
Shingles 
are Open-Hearth Steel, finest quality. Made 
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Come in large sheets, 24 inches wide, 5 to 12 
feet long. Nothing to do but nail the sheets 
on old roof or sheathing. Edwards Patented 
Interlocking Device covers all nails, makes 
permanent water-tight joints, unaffected by 
heat, cold or dampness. 
You’ll have the handsomest, most lasting 
roof in existence. 100,000 buildings now roofed 
with “Reo” Steel Shingles. Write for our big, 
free Catalog 973, and Factory Prices. Send 
dimensions of your building; let us quote price, 
delivered to your railroad station. You’ll be 
amazed at how cheaply and easily you can 
roof your house or barn with "Reo” Steel 
Shingles. 
The Edwards Mfg. Co., 923.973 Lock st„ Cincinnati, Ohio 
Makor. of Steal Shinglos, V-Crimp Roofing, Imitation Brick Siding, Etc, jJU 
PLANT TREES WITH 
Red Cross 
Dynamite 
Stops First Year Losses. 
Speeds (Jp Development 
One to Two Years. pianiedin 
Improves Quantity, Spade-dug bote 
Color and Quality of Fruit. P ho,o 3'’"p’«<* 
70m It')* 
The illustrations herewith 
are correct reproductions of 
photos of two-year old Bing 
Cherry trees planted same 
day out of same shipment. Simi¬ 
lar results have been obtained all 
over the country. The root dia¬ 
grams show the reason. You can’t 
afford to plant trees in spaded holes. 
Write for Free Booklet 
To learn how progressive farmers are using dynamite for removing 
stumps and boulders, planting and cultivating fruit trees, regenerating 
barren soil, ditching, draining, excavating and road-making, ask for “Tree 
Planting Booklet. No. 30 ” 
DU PONT POWDER CO. 
Pioneer Powder Makers of America WILMINGTON, DEL. 
Addresses of Experienced Agricultural Blasters Furnished on Request, if Desired. DU PONT POWDER COMPANY 
Your Fields 
Use Hubbard’s “Bone Base” Fer¬ 
tilizer for Seeding Down and Fruit 
(formerly called “Grass and Grain 
Fertilizer”) and you won’t have to 
plow your grass fields every few 
years. 
Bridgeton, Me., June 17,1912 
The Rogers & Hubbard Co., Middletown, Conn. 
Dear Sirs:—I commenced using your goods six years ago, following the Clark Method 
on two acres. The land is a high, dry knoll, very poor grass land, and would usually run 
out in two years when using manure, but the grass on that field using your Famous Hay 
Makers has been a wonder to everybody. I think that the two acres has cut ten tons of 
dry hay in one crop, and one of my neighbors said yesterday “ It. is the best this year it 
has ever been ” Last year I cut it July 6th. and, after raking, it looked like a solid mass 
of hay all over the ground. 
This field was laid down with 500 lbs. of Hubbard’s “Bone Base” Fertilizer for Seed¬ 
ing Down and Fruit (formerly “ Grass and Grain ”) to tlio acre and ever since 500 lbs. of 
Hubbard’s “Bone Base” Fertilizer for Oats and Top-Dressing has been used per acre 
each year. Yours truly, C. L. HILTON 
Our Almanac and “Soil Fertility” sent free to any address 
THE ROGERS & HUBBARD CO. 
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. 
Seed Down 
Trade Mark Reg. U. S. Pat. Office 
