VOL. LXV
INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH 5, 1910
THE   DIARY   AND   THK   GOOD   OLD
TIMES.
Kdltors  Indtai.a   Farmer:
In your last issue I saw and read
with deep interest of the diary of Mr.
j I. K. Turner, of Ft. Wayne, and also
noted your request to hear from others.
This is my thirty-eighth year in the
diary record and my seventy-eighth
year in the journey of life, and seventy
years a continued resident of Greene
county, and about thirty years or more
a continuous reader of the Indiana
Farmer, the best farm paper published anywhere on earth, and the cheapest
also. Long may the paper and its
editors and proprietors live. I have
of*en been called on to settle disputes
as to dates, such as the total eclipse of
the sun, the deep snow, the cold New
year's day and others of less note, that
I had to depend on my memory for, as
they happened before I kept a diary. I
regret that I didn't keep a diary from
my youth up, as it would now in my
old age be a source of satisfaction that
no one could estimate the value of.
My memory yet recalls the fact that
in October cf 1839, when I had just entered my eighth year my father moved
his family thru Indianapolis in two
wagons on the way from Niagara Co.,
N. Y., to Green county, Indiana; that
Indianapolis had a population of about
2,000 and many log cabins and no railroads, telegraph or telephone lines,
gravel roads or cement side walks, or
steel, iron or stone bridges, or even a
mule street car line, and Greene county
had, it was said, less than one thousand population, and not a frame
church or frame school house in the
county, and but few frame houses of
any kind.
In the summer of 1840 I attended a
school in an old deserted log cabin that
was but little better than a rail pen,
and from that time on till the fall of
1846, I had no schooling other than
what my mother gave me at home im
six years, as there were no schools
marer than four or five miles, which
made my schooling a blank for six
years. There were but few papers
published in tho state, and the price
was so high that but few could afford
the expense, $2.00, to which 25 cents
was added for postage, a total of $2.25,
as all subscribers then had the postage
to pay. The i rice of a bushel of corn
was ten cents, which made a weekly
paper cost 22% bushels of corn. A
bushel of wheat 25 cents, and the postage on a single letter was the same, so
the bushel of wheat would just pay the
postage. Postage could then be paid
at either end of the line, but the burden came most always on the receiver.
Mr. Turner, or any of the old men of
his day or age, can verify the statement here made if need be, for they
have no doubt been there.
Worthington. Henry Baker.
ALSIKE AS PASTURE AND HAY.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Alsike is an excellent clover for low
Prairie ground and every farmer who
has that kind of ground ought to try it.
I have about five acres of low prairie
ground that overflows from one to four
"mes each year. Not being suitable
f°r farming purposes, I decided to
make a permanent pastur    of it.
The spring of 1905 I sowed it to al-
"'ke clover with a little timothy and
"'uegrass. Since that time I have had
an excellent  pasture.    If  not  pastured
off this clover will grow very rank on
this prairie ground, often being 2% to
3 feet in height. Altho this clover was
sown five years ago there is still a good
stand of it on the ground today.
I was so well pleased with my pasture
that I decided to sow some of my other
prairie ground to the same. One field
I sowed half in alsike, six pounds per
acre, the others half in red clover ten
pounds per acre. The former did not
grow so tall as the latter; the stalks
and stems were not so coarse, yet it
grew so thick on the ground that it
yielded almost as much hay as the red
clover. In ha-vesting this crop I put
the alsike in one mow the red clover in
THE      RAIIiROADS     AND      FARM
SCHOOLS.
The   following   letter   written   by   the
editor of the  Railway Journal  of Chicago is of unusual interest and should
receive wide attention:
Editors  Indiana  Farmer:
In a recent issue ot your valuable
publication, you have an interesting
editorial in which you say as follows:
"J. J. Hill and President Brown of
the New York Central, are still warning the people that the farms must be
remodeled and made more productive.
Why do they not show the way to go
about this work? Ma.iy city people
would  go  if  they  could.       They  have
The Home of Lee   Willis, Rush County.
another. In five or six weeks after
harvesting I began feeding from the
new crop; I fed from one mow then
from the other to eee which hay my
horses liked best. I was not long in
finding out, it was this clean bright,
fine alsike. Oh! how the horses did
eat it. I was telling one of my neign-
bors one day of the high quality of my
alsike hay; but he was u, "doubting
Thomas" and wouldn't "believe" unless
he "saw," so I took him into the barn,
and tossed to each of my horses a
bunch rf alsik and one of red clover
hay. In giving their decision in favor
of the alsike the horses did much better than our supreme court judges often do.    They made it unanimous.
Last spring I turned my milch cows
out on pasture, I still continued to feed
some alsike hay once a day to prevent
too sudden a change from dry to green
feed. One evening when I did not put
the hay into their mangers the cows
"rebelled" and set up a howl of protest; and one of them even kicked
when I tried to milk her. I could have
milked them by using force but I took
the sensible way and gave them some
more alsike. N. S.
Delaware Co.
The Farmers' National Union is
working hard to have national legislation against gambling in futures. This
is a right move, for not only the farmer
but the consumer also will be benefited if it succeeds. As matters now
stand prices of both stock on foot and
cured meats are set by this gambling
system. If every branch of the gambling in futures were wiped out there
would not be the friction ln affairs that
now exists in the government.
not the means, and others have not the
experience in farm work to assure them
of success. By the way, many farmers
need help and perhaps Messrs. Hill and
Brown's railway can open the way by
acting in the capacity of employment
agents for farmers. We learn that
farmers in Orange, Decatur, Marion
and other counties are offering good
homes for active farmers. Start the
movement all along the line. The congestion of idle men in the cities is
alarming."
Your editorial certainly touches on
several vital points and has some excellent suggestions. As to your first
question, will state that the New York
Central has purchased recently several
farms on which to make demonstrations as well as experiments along the
very line you suggest, and I understand more farms are to be purchased
in various localities thruout the territory of the system. Mr. Yoakum of
the Frisco has declared his Intention of
conducting experimental farms along
that big system to help the farmers and
farmer boys in learning more scientific
methods of farming; help them to learn
the ways of getting better results from
the same amount of land with the same
or less efforts. I understand that
Mr. Yoakum has plans for going even
farther in promoting agricultural development. He intends to establish a
night school in St. Louis for the purpose of teaching the elements of farming to the city people who wish to
learn, and thus encourage them to take
to farming. It is my understanding
that J. J. Hill of the Great Northern
has an extensive farm on his system,
where scientific farming and stock
raising Is  carried  on  and  from  which
information is sent out to those making
inquiries.
Your suggestion about the railroads
acting as employment agents for the
farmers is a good one and I believe that
a system along this line can be adopted. The writer, however, would be
pleased to hear further from you as
to your plans in the premises. Speaking
as a layman, however, I believe that
the roads will be too glad to cooperate
in anything of this nature, as it is to
their benefit to develop the agricultural
sections. In fact there are plans being formulated along lines of this nature, but I am not familiar enough with
them to speak definitely.
You certainly make a truthful assertion when you say that the "congestion
of idle men in the cities is alarming."
This is particularly so in the larger cit-
eis like New York, Chicago, Cleveland,
etc. I believe that a method can be
evolved that will assist the deserving
ones to get out in the country to become producers instead of half-employed consumers. Will be pleased to see
this all-important subject discussed in
the agricultural press.
Chicago, 111. E. C. Cook.
i   m   i
WHISKEY, COFFEE AND    PICKLES.
By Dr. J. N. Hurty.
Whiskey contains alcohol, and pharmacology classes alcohol as a poison.
Coffee contains caffein, and pharmacology classes caffein as a narcotic and
heart and kidney stimulant (irritant)
and a poison. Pickles are difficult digestible fruits and vegetables soaked in
acetic acid. When diluted, acetic acid
is known as vinegar. Pharmacology
classes acetic acid as a mild caustic, an
irritant to the alimentary mucous
membrane and a poison. Even the arch
poisons, strychnine and arsenic wnen
taken in minute amounts do not cause
death, but if taken for a long time
cause troubles which are hard to down.
Alcohol, caffein and acetic acid may
be taken diluted for a long time without causing death, but like arsenic and
strychine. when long taken, they cause
troubles which are hard to down.
These are well known physiological
and pharmacological facts and are laid
down in the books. We would not use
diluted strychnine and arsenic as articles of diet, even if they were tasty,
and even if they did whip up the nerves
and create unnatural appetite. Why
then do we use alcohol, caffein and
pickles as articles of diet? They are
unquestionably slow poisons and they
unquestionably do the human family
infinite harm. Alcohol long taken brings
illhealth, disease, poverty, crime and
insanity. Caffein in our coffee and tea,
injures heart, brain and kidneys, and
so brings disease and its train of ills.
Pickles with their acetic acid cause
dyspepsia, induce over-eating, irritate
the mucous membrane of the stomach
and intestines and so cause disease.
If we would cut out these three articles from our dietary, our natural
efficiency would be greatly increased.
Why not cut them out and enjoy the
benefits? Will we do it? Not much.
We will continue to slowly poison ourselves then foolishly try to mend the
matter with more drugs, and we will,
in our conceit, call the scientists cranks
for pointing out how we would be happier, stronger, and richer and live
longer.