107 
Selecting the “War Garden” 
Weedy Land Made Over 
LANNING THE WoUK.—While many failures 
may be recorded apiiust fiarden experiences 
the past year, we may look for more and hotter war 
jjardens this comin,;; season. Increased price of 
food i)roducts. aloiiij with a desire to contrihute 
somethin.s' toward winniuk the war, will turn many 
once <liscoura^ed pirdeiuu-s to the soil aftain- iMore- 
ovcr. it wili hi-iii^ new recruits into the f^ai’den 
traiidiif; cami>s. Every pr(isi)cctive irardener who is 
not so fortunate as ti» own a plot on which to beijin 
( iierations, should choose om* at once, and l)eKin 
jilans foi' ijuttinjx it in shape for j^arden purpo.ses. 
Ill this way larger net returns oii money, time and 
ciK'rsr.v spent, will lie received from the garden. 
SOIL AN1> DRAINAGE.—The soil should have 
first consideration in choosing an.v jdot for garden 
us(‘. A light, sandy loam will give earlier crops of 
better ipiality than will a soil 'of heavy loam or 
clay. Good drainage Is essential, and a southeast 
exposure is desirable. d'hc iilot which has good 
drainage and good exposure need not bo avoided on 
account of its luxuriant growth of 
weeds the past few si'asons. Weed . 
of the right kind.—Ganada tliislio. 
(pi.-ick grass and inaii.v others--are 
found in aluindance on good, rich 
soils. True, the plot will be well 
seeded, but weeds iiece-ssitate suc¬ 
cessive cultivation, which is an cs- 
siMitial to succi'ss on any 
.soil. Rrush. tin cans and otluu- 
rubbish on the filot shoubl not be 
regarded as a great barriei- to 
splendid garden crojis, since they 
ma.v he easil.v riunovi'd if taken 
before the ground thaws in the 
Spring. 'I'wo of the prize-winning 
gardens in the Ithaca. New York, 
home gardiMi did) contest the past 
.vear. were located on plots fornu'rly 
used as a dumj) heap, and coveriMl 
with tall weeds at the heginning 
of the season's opiu'ations. "WeiMls. 
brush and other trasli were re¬ 
moved by the load. 'I'lie acconi- 
panying jihotograph, Figs. -17 and 
•IN, taken, one bid'ore a certain j^bd 
was cleared, and the other sevei'al 
months ;ift(‘r th(‘ garden was 
planted, suggest a wider use of sim¬ 
ilar plots in inan.v cities. 
nriTtDVi.VG soil, TEXTl'RE. 
—Should the soil of the jilot to h(‘ 
nsi'd this yeai" si'cmi lu'avy. that is, 
cla.viw and .soggy, or should it havt* 
provi'd so tlie past .\e:ir. the use of 
coal aslii's or cindei's will be found 
lu'lpful. These should be scatlei'cd 
on the surface as taken from the 
furnace duidng the Winter, lightly, 
or an inch or .so in (h'pth if the 
soil is extremely hard or soggy. 
(’inders may be well turul'd under 
by deep sjiading or plowing. Wood 
ashes serve the same inirjiose as 
cinders, though to a much less ex¬ 
tent. hi'side furnishing jdant food in 
consideralili' ipiantities. The ii.se 
of lime will lend to loosen up heavy 
soils and to correct their acldit.v. 
IMost soggy, heavy soils are some¬ 
what acid in nature, therefore garden crops do not 
resiiond Avell to the use of fertilizers and to cul¬ 
tural methods. Ground limestone, apidied at the 
rate of two tons per acre, Avill greatly henetit the.se 
sour soils. This is best applied on the surface after 
.si»ading or jilowing is finished, and worked in as 
the si'i'd bed is prepared. T.eaves raked from the 
lawn or street parking nmy well he .spread on the 
garden i)lot and sjiaded and plowed under. Stable 
nuinui-e .should he used iu the same waj' if availa¬ 
ble. When well rotted it may he apiilied at the 
I'ate of 2d oi- '2~> tons jier acre. Much will be gained 
through having the garden plot chosen and iu shape 
for jdowing when time comes next spring. 
E. L. KIKKPATHICK. 
Government Regulation of Prices 
I The following letter was sent to Senator .Tames W. 
AVadsworth by E. II. Walker of Mount Morris, N. Y. 
It well expresses the sentiments of a large i)roportion 
of New York farmers—especially the grain growers.] 
HE FARMERS’ SIDE.—AVe have all noted the 
most brief and casual reference of the President 
in his annual message recently read by him before Gou- 
gress, relative to farmer.s comphuuts of unjust re¬ 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
striction on the s.ale of their product, and asking for 
still moi-e power to regulate prices in other things. 
As a farmer speaking for fanners, and voicing the 
s(‘ntiments and feeling of the farmers .-ilmost Avith- 
out excei)tion. I feel that tin* i»ower given to the 
President last year should Ik* very much restricted 
instead of extended, and that instead of general 
powers b(‘ing given the.v slmuld bt* cU'arly defined in 
order that conlidenta' instead of distrust .should 
again be felt by those who till the soil and uixui 
whom the food sipiply for the nation rc'sts. 
AA'IIEAT PRIGES.—In regard to control of 
wheat prices he has entirely disregarded the Avishes 
of those Avho produced this article of food, and uc- 
cei»ted the judgment of meii Avholly Avithout sym¬ 
pathy or first hand knowledge of its production. In 
the opei’ation of the control of Avheat prices the 
Food Admini.strator has ajipointed almost Avithout 
exception, members of the Grain Dealers’ As.socia- 
tion, making them absolute masters of the grading, 
buying and inspection of Avheat. As a result Avheat 
has been bought, and sold for g<‘u(‘rations as No. 
2 or No. 2 wheat now grades No. .A or No. 7. and 
millers who ni'c pc'iT'ectly willing to |»urchase under 
tile old-time gr.uling so hnig .-is the wheat is good 
dry tlouring Avheat, are prevente<l from doing so by 
an inspector who is sometimes a member of the 
Grain D(‘alers’ Association. AVhat is the result'.' 
A.sk any farmer who has drawn a bushel of Avheat 
to market. Their experience is that they receiA'e 
about loc pel' bu. less than the price made by the 
President for that grade of Avheat. Our natural 
conclusion is that the Food .Vdministration, is not 
only i)ermitting but promoting this A’ery profitable 
and iiernicious practice. This Avork of grading is all 
done after the Avheat is .shippHl and arrives at des¬ 
tination Avhere .shipment is made. 
1 R.NINTERESTED INSPECTION NEEDED.— 
.Xow as to n'lnedies. I might suggest that this could 
very properly be done by the county agents and 
experiment station.s, preferably the former, thus 
insuring disinterested grading and in.spection 
Avhereas, under the present practice, the grading and 
insiK'Ction is done by persons whose protits are bet¬ 
ter when the grade is kept below the usually ac¬ 
cepted rating, thus insuring to them.selves larger 
profits than the grain dealers have received during 
any previous years. The stabilizing of prices, by 
the Food Administration has simply tiiken profits 
from the producer and given them by governmental 
administration to the self-styled “legitimate distri¬ 
butors'’ or grain dealers. The consumer .seems to 
have received no api»reciahle benefit from this con- 
fi.scation of producers’ jirofits. 
REttn.ATTNG GD.ST.—No attempt has been made 
to regulate labor or industrial products Avhich enter 
into the cost of agricultural products, especially 
wheat. Ilor.seshoeing, all agricidtui'al iTiiplements. 
the cost of thrashing, haypressing, etc., has d()ublcd. 
Rinding twine, labor, building m.-iterial. fencing, fer¬ 
tilizer and living ('Xi)enses have* trcble<l. Fnder 
the present law, the executiA’e has been given powuo- 
to regulate lu'ices on a part of thos<' things Avhich 
enter into the cost of i)roduciug wlu'at and other 
agricultural products, hut has not av.ailed himself 
of the exercise of tho.se rights of conti'ol. 
REGUL.VTINtJ GOST OF PR( )I R'G'f I ON.—I 
think a Avise restriction Avould be to restrict any 
control over foo<l i»roducts until aftei' restriction 
has been placed upon all or nearly all of the nt'ce.s- 
sary things which enter into the cost of production. 
It is ])o.ssibU‘ under the saiiK' act of Congress that 
gi\(‘s tin* I’r(‘si<lent control of foinl pi-ices to rcgidat(' 
lu-ices of many of the things Avhich 
('liter into the cost of producing 
these foods. As for instance, twine, 
agricultural imiileim'iits. harness, 
wagons, fertilizers, etc. He has not 
availed himself of his powers to 
control the.se priems of the.si' thing.s, 
and the farmer is at the mercy of 
those Avho do control them. Con¬ 
gress has full iiower to give the 
I’resident authority to control all 
the factors of cost in the ]iroduc- 
tion of any lu’oduct. agricultural or 
otherwis('. However, this .s(«('ms im¬ 
practicable. for it would involve an 
endless amount of (h'tail in the ad- 
ministratii.u of such a law, and 
would ine\itably fail in practical 
oper.ition. It Avouhl s('em better to 
abjindon all restriction as to mat- 
t('rs of jirice la'gulatioii at primary 
markets, and bi'ud tlu' en('rgi(‘s of 
lb(' Administi’ation to bring to strict 
accountability tho.se Avho took ad¬ 
vantage by taking (‘\'c<'ssiv(' protits 
in distributing food lu'oducts and 
other iK'cc'ssaries. d'his subj(>cf has 
b(>(‘ii discuss('d by men of all 
stations of life Avho an' in close 
touch with the lU’oduction of food. 
All .s('(>m to b(' agiH'cd that the pres¬ 
ent i-estriciion as to jirices at pri¬ 
mary markets should be entlrel.v 
abjindoned, or that eiiuitable re¬ 
strictions should be iilaced uiion all 
necessary items ent('ring into the 
cost of food production. 
RES'l’RIG'ITON OF PROFITEER¬ 
ING.— It is my silicon' lu'lief that 
till' most ('tiicient and practical 
nu'thod would be, as I IniA'e befon' 
stated, to abandon all attt'inpts to 
tix a price on food at the jirimary 
mark('l. and appl.v drastic nu'ans 
dii'c'ctly ui)on tho.se Avho are proft- 
eeriiig in regard to excessive jirotits. 
If Congress Avishes to encourage lar¬ 
ger production tlu'y surel.v must 
adopt one or the other of the lines 
of action I IniAe indicaft'd. The 
course that has been pursued by the Food Admin¬ 
istration has provoked the full measure of contempt 
on the jiart of the farmer for its Inmesty and jus¬ 
tice. Its grading is not done in a manner to alloAv 
a. proper apiieal Avhen manifestly impropi'r grading 
Ims been made, and .selfishly inten'sted iiersons are 
alloAved to complain of comiietitoi's and placed in 
a position as insiiector of these competitors, d'his 
C('rtainly is a case of the most grossly imiiropc'r 
combination of crooked business and crookt'd poli¬ 
tics. and I must earnestly urge upon you the most 
effective action you may he able to in'i-form. 
E. II. AA .AI.KEi:. 
Mi.ssissii'i'i is the first Stnti' to acci'pt tlu* prohibition 
amcudiiu'iit. Noav avc iu'('d 21 more. 
Let us see you find a dozen people iu Ncav A'ork State 
not tied up to some public job avIio will say they are 
proud of the State Legislature and its Avork. 
Dh. Lipma.x’s i)ro('('Ss of using sulpbui’ in the com- 
|)ost heap to make suiiersulphate Avill be fully tested 
this year. The experiment .stations of Texas. Kentucky, 
Georgia. Tennessee, North (''arolina, DeluAvare, New 
York, Ohio, Illinois, loAva, A'irginia and NeAv .Tersey, 
and possibly also AVi.sconsin and Maryland, Avill arrange 
for co-o|)erative AVork on the composting of sulphur ancl 
floats. The value of the composted material AVill be 
tested out iu.pot experiments. 
The Same Land Turned into a Prize Garden. Fig. 48 
