VOL LXV
INDIANAPOLIS, APRIL 30, 1910.
NO. 18
IMPROVING THE ROADS.
Editors   Indiana  Parmer:
We do not believe Indiana at present
ia ready for some of the advanced ideas
of costly road building because there
is such a vast number of miles of roads
that have scarcely any improvement at
all. Hence we believe in giving every
community a chance to improve their
own highways. Our present method
of working roads deserves more credit
than some are willing to give the system. Our supervisor's system is commendable but some men elected are not
suitable to fill the place. We believe
in every township and county that
there should be a meeting held by said
supervisors for the purpose of gathering information, listening to lectures on
road improvements, the management
of labor and other matters could be
suggested. The writer believes our
trustees could well afford to allow a
day's wages for each supervisor attending and deduct one day's wages from
those not attending. "In union there
is strength."
The building of roads requires labor.
Every community where there is a
road that needs to be Improved by
grading and graveling, or stone; hard,
flinty, crushed limestone is our preference.
We all understand at present each
township is divided into road districts;
we would have all materials used in
building roads paid for out of a general fund, limiting the number of miles
of new road built in each district each
year. Persons desiring to improve
certain highways upon petition to said
trustee and advisory board guaranteeing the delivery of gravel, or stone free
of charge to the tax payers, then said
board shall order said petitioners to
proceed with construction of said road.
Under the above plan we believe that
within Ave years every mile of road of
worth In Indiana will either be gravel
or stone, and once complete our present plan of levying road tax and hauling same will keep them in a good state
of preservation. Just one word here.
Why allow 3T>_ cents per hour for man
and team when one is willing to work
at 25 cents on the road in which they
are directly Interested. Each section
of 640 acres would only have two
miles of road to repair. 640 acres of
land, improvements and personal property located thereon will give at our
present valuation approximately $31,-
000 and our present road tax levy
would equal $660, making $330 per
mile for repair of said road.
New Market,  Ind.
Milbert  Sayler.
see an innocent-looking white butterfly
sailing about—that is one individual
out of the flying squadrons that are to
bring on the war. In this month the
insects are just preparing to wake up
from their winter nap; we will find
plenty of larvae in the ground, perhaps
snuggled up at the very roots of the
plant they mean to attack when the
time comes. Just now a shining, motionless, brown chrysalis looks very
harmless; we cover it up when we have
laid lt bare, and we say "let the poor
thing sleep;" but the poor thing will
wake  up and  probably destroy one  of
INSECT ENEMIES.
Editors Indiana Fanner:
When March winds begin to shake
out the leaf buds and the seeds in the
ground begin to stir with strong life,
we are led to think of the host of enemies which await the coming of the
plants. There is a war on; animal fighting the vegetable, and the animal
would conquer. If the animal world
were only at peace with Itself. But this
'luarrel among its enemies brings some
aid and comfort to the plant world.
When we are at work cleaning up
around the shrubbery or digging
around the roots of the herbaceous
perennials, we come across the advance
guard of this hord. In the sunshine
of some unusually flne March day we
down. Just now these flies are wrapped
up in snug cases in the ground, so well
hidden that we cannot find one of them.
In May, as they swing about in the air,
they seem to grow weary and dart
down upon the bushes; but the saw-
fly is just laying her eggs and swarms
of currant-worms will come forth to
strip the bushes of every leaf, unless
the legions of worms can be killed by
poisonous sprayings.
The chinch bug, the squash bug, the
Colorado beetle, the grasshopper, and
the tent-caterpillars are now, in March,
having the flnal "beauty sleep" of their
Farm Home of Robert S heron.   Grant   County.
our most cherished plants.
Our house plants, kept warm and
moist, nourish their enemies into at.
early growth, and we see some of bur
favorites growing yellow and hanging
their heads. If we have good eyes or
a strong lense we shall soon see what
is the trouble; here are detachments of
"red spider," not so big as the head of
the tiniest pin, but with a great appetite for leaves, which he soon kills notwithstanding his tiny dimensions. The
red spider does not believe in immersion, and daily plunges or spraying
with wate.' that reaches the under side
of the leaves will soon put him to rout.
On   another   plant  an jlng  colony
of aphis has settled do ^ i. very wonderful little bug is £ aphis, about
which learned article £» even books,
have been written. tgia*" .ks a helpless
mite, not much big §_•_ han a poppy
seed,  and     dressed   a=" '   ,Teen   like  tue
m
leaves it lives on. c* -ss we can get
rid of the aphis w £^ 1 soon lose our
plants. Our  besi "5--y  here  will   un
another of the insect army, a beautiful,
friendlylittle creature that never harms
man and his plant partners and providers. This is the lady beetle or lady
bug, as it is more commonly called, a
dainty creature, dressed in red, black
dotted, or in orange or black with red
dots.
In early May, out of doors, that delicate white butterfly, drifting up and
down on the breeze, fair as the soul
of a flower, will lay an egg out of which
will crawl the cabbage-worm, terror of
gardeners. Over the gooseberry and
currant bushes a host of simple, transparent-winged flies    will sail    up ana
winter rest. But right along with these
insect enemies, among the roots and
under the bark of the plants, hidden in
cozy nests, in axils of buds and stem3,
swinging in woven cradles on twigs, or
the under side of dry leaves, are the
deserters from the ranks of insect enemies; the revolting squadrons that
will fire upon the battalions of their
own armies. Here are the cradles oi
the big tiger-beetle, enemy of all spiders, the larvae and pupa of the black
ground beetles, harmless, helpful creatures. .Wheel-bugs and soldier-bugs
which, when they waken, will do so
much to keep the chinch-bug in subjection. All these ar.d many more
come to the aid of man in his efforts to
save his crops.
By the time our crocus blooms push
above the brown mold, and the hyacinths and tulips send up points of
green, while the peony sends up
crimpled leaves, red as rubies in tho
sunshine, the greatest of all the farmer's allies and the defenders of plant
life have come to offer their services—
the birds. Mrs. M. E. S. Charles.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Will you please be so kind as to answer these questions, and will be ever
so  much  obliged? What  is  the law
concerning a girl marrying against the
consent of her parents after she is
eighteen years of age? Does a girl become  her  own  boss  at  eighteen?
A Subscriber.
Answer: A girl is her own boss at
18, but it is much the best for her to
have a fair understanding with her
parents as to the marriage.
LOST, TO THE FARMERS,  NEARLY
$«()0,000,000 A YFAB.
That there are yearly losses to the
farm products of the country chargeable to insect pests aggregating just
$595,100,000; and that these losses are
due, directly, to the alarming decrease
of birds, which kill the insects, are the
statements made by Reginald Wright
Kauffman, who has undertaken a serious and exhaustive study of bird extermination and its causes, in the current number of Hampton's Magazine.
Of interest to everybody who suffers
from an advanced cost on producing
crops due to devastation by insects—
this article is of special importance to
farmers. For it tells the farmers just
where they are losing an amount of
money exceeding tho annual expenditures of the national government—and
lt tells them just why.
The farmers of the country have suffered losses, due to the Increasing
hordes of destructive pests. In the
face of these armies of insects, worms
and scales, the farmer often stood
helpless; unable to cope with them. He
saw his corn, hay .tobacco, fruit and
truck crops perish. Year by year, unknown to him, the birds—the only effective battling legion against these
pests—have been decreasing! They
were wantonly slain to satisfy the demands of woman's vanity.
Because of this slaughter of birds the
losses to the farmers have reached the
present appalling figures. Government
statisticians now estimate that there
is a yearly loss of $200,000,000 on the
country's cereal crop, including wheat,
rye, barley, etc.,; of $53,000,000 on hay,
of $53,000,000 on truck crops; of $27,-
000,000 on fruits, and of $175,000,000
on animal products, and, including
other farm products, an aggregate of
nearly $600,000,000 which might be
added to the farmers' bankrolls—if the
birds were properly protected.
An even more amazing fact is
brought out by Mr. Kauffman—that
this slaughter of birds is un unnecessary, brutal and costly tribute to the
vanity of women. Most of these birds
are killed to trim hats. Entire species of birds have been exterminated.
Species of Insects were consequently
enabled to increase until, for example,
one of many hundreds—the Hessian fly
—now demands a yearly tribute of
$20,000,000 worth of grain.
What can be done? That It is time
for the farmers to take action, to demand legislation, which shall protect
the birds and save our crops Mr. Kauffman conclusively shows. In pursuing
Its policy dealing adequately with subjects of vital interest to the welfare
of the people of this county, Hampton's
has succeeded in treating one of momentous importance to the farmers.
Every man interested in agriculture
should read Mr. Kauffman's article. It
will not only enlighten him as to an
evil of which he has probably been oblivious, but it will inspire him to action.
Mr. James J. Hoss. of Kokomo, who
died in March, had taken the Farmer
more than thi ty years, and was nearly
77 years old when he died. He was enterprising and public spirited, and in
former years often expressed his views
on matters of interest to farmers thru
our columns.