VOL. LXV
INDIANAPOLIS, SEPT. 17, 1910.
NO. 38
CUT YOUR WEEDS.
Editors  Indiana Farmer:
It has been only in the last few years
that we have seen the wild carrot or
Lace Plant, but it is increasing so rapidly that it bids fair to outstrip the
sweet clover and become a much worse
pest.
I never saw a weed gain as fast as
this wild carrot all along the roads and
I have seen fields practically covered
with it. I can't see what farmers are
thinking about, for in a few more years
this weed and the sweet clover will almost take the country if not checked.
The sweet clover was allowed to spread
along the public highways until now it
is everywhere and it will not be long
until the wild carrot will be as bad.
Can there not be some legislation on
this subject. What looks worse than a
highway with sweet clover as high as
the fence on both sides and the commons of the towns and cities are just as
bad.
The seeds of the wjld carrot are so
small and light that the wind can blow
them a good way. So as long as it is
allowed to seed it is bound to spread.
While on the subject of weeds there
is another thing that I wish to write
nbout and that is, weeds around the
house, in the front and in the back
yard.
Not long ago while driving through
the country, I passed a log house (don't
see very many any more) but I hardly
looked at the house for the yard took
my attention at once. There were
shade trees in front and they were kept
trimmed, the lawn was mowed and
there were flowers, not too many but
enough to make it look attractive, and
I thought, whoever lives here is not living just for dollars and cents alone but
believes in enjoying himself a little and
giving his family pleasure also.
After going only a mile or two I saw
the top of a large brick house and I
thought, now I will see something here,
but when I got in front of the house I
turned my head in disgust for this is
what I saw: A large sloping lawn that
could have been made beautiful with
just a little work, but which was loaded
with weeds and sprouts from the half
decayed cherry and apple trees. These
trees had broken limbs hanging down
and dead snags here and there. The
fence was hardly a fence, the front gate
was nailed, though there was no need
of a gate, as no one dared try to go up
to the house that way for the weeds.
The driveway at the side of the house
back to the barn was almost choked up
with old broken-down buggies and an
old wornout wagon. But the house,
was the most forlorn looking sight of
any there. Window shades only in the
lower windows and no curtains in any,
and I wondered what the family
thought about it if they were ever so
bold as to sit on the front veranda. Now
which of the two homes is the most
attractive? If I had to live in one of
the two under the same conditions, I
would very quickly decide in favor of
the log cabin.
Some of you will say this is overdrawn, but it is not, it is a fact, and it
is not only just once in a great while
but you can see it quite often over the
country. Farmers, do you know that
the surroundings of your home are the
first things that attract the eye of the
Passerby? Whenever we see a home
with a r.ice lawn .shade trees and flow
ers we think or say. "What a pretty
place" and never think of the house.
I will venture to say that if there are
any boys and girls in the brick house
they will stay there only long enough to
be able to make their own way in the
world, when they will leave, and there
will be no happy home comings either,
after that, for things will never look
good to them in this home. They were
ashamed to have company, and if I
were a young man or woman in the
neighborhood I would hesitate about
marrying one of them for fear that my
father-in-law would soon have no farm
and want me to take him to raise.
I know some of you are saying, "I
haven't had* time to keep my yard
mowed or my fences up, or the old
wagons, buggies and farming implements out of the front yard, but I know
better. Other farmers do and what
one can do another' can. Don't you
know that it adds from $10 to $25
value per acre to your farm if it is kept
up in proper manner, and if it is worth
that much to the other fellow why not
to you. I want to say that people
passing through the country have a
pretty low estimate of a farmer whose
lawns, out-buildings and fences are in
snail a condition. The cost of a lawn-
mower is not much and a little work
early in the spring, when you are not so
very busy, will soon get it in such shape
that it will take but little work during
the summer to keep it in nice condition,
and I am sure that the good woman of
the house will be glad to put out a few
flowers and help make it look more attractive. B.S.
THE WATER SUPPLY.
Bdltora Indiana Farmer:
Although the rains in our section of
the country have been especially numerous this season and there has not
been the slightest mention of a scarcity
of water, I am going to tell the readers
of the Farmer about the water supply
I have arranged for this season hoping
it may be of some benefit to some one
who may be situated just as we were.
To begin with, about 20 years ago a
representative of a large coal company
came to our house one day and wanted to lease the farm in connection with
a large number of neighboring farms,
to prospect for coal. The farms being
duly leased, prospecting began almost
at once, and they began to drill the
first hole about 700 feet from the
house, and on the top of a little hill or
swell in the land.
But they were in bad luck or something for when they had reached a
depth of slightly less than 100 feet the
drill (a four inch core drill) was stopped one night to make some adjust-
in the machinery and could not be
started again. They worked for some
time trying to lift the drill and finally
brought powerful hyraulic machine
lifts to try to raise it but only succeeded in pulling off the pipe down close to
the bit. Well, they then went away
and left it and we thot they had abandoned it. The hole was filled up, the
temporary building and equipments fell
into decay and finally moldered away
and was destroyed, together until no
trace of the work was visible. About
ten years later two men came to the
farm who claimed to be representatives
of the coal company and asked permission to try to obtain the lost drill (the
lease having expired several years be
fore.) Obtaining the desired permission they secured board and lodging at
a neighbor's house and began the slow
process of trying to dig the drill out. I
forgot to mention that, save about 10
feet, the drill was imbedded in almost
solid rock. These fellows did very
well until they got down a ways into
this rock and then finally gave it up in
disgust. We could see by their work
they were novices, and after they had
gone away, found out they were two
jack-of-all trade men from a town not
very far away, who had in some way
found out that the old lost drill was a
very fine diamond drill, containing
eight diamonds and valued at about
$900.00. They had readily conceived
that the bit proper would in all probability not be damaged in the least and
were confident of selling it for a good
long price. But cutting a large hole
thru 70 or 80 feet of hard rock proved
too large an undertaking and we never
heard from them again. So the hole
again filled up and the lost drill was all
but forgotten. But, in about six years,
again came a man, and this time he
was the real representative of the old
coal company and he wanted permission to try to find the old lost' drill. He
secured an expert and several assistants and began at once cutting a large
four foot hole toward the coveted bit of
steel and diamond.
It was slow work but with a liberal
use of dynamite the opening was slowly sunk to within a foot of the bottom
of the old drill, before it could be removed. They found it in good condi-
tin despite its many years of hibernation, and when they went away they
left us one of the finest dug wells to be
f4iund in the country a deep rock reservoir, with a fine, large vein of good water. We at once placed a wall from
the rock to the top of the ground and
the water now raised and stands to
within two feet of the top.
And now I am ready to explain my
water supply. We found that this water level was about 16 feet above the
ground at the house, and even more at
the barn, and yet we had a small raise
to come over to pipe it to either of
these places. I decided that three-
fourths inch galvanized iron pipe was
the correct thing to use and a syphon
the correct method to get it over.
We placed the pipe just below the
freeze line running straight from this
wel Ito the barnlot (700 ft.), with a hydrant and tank. A y-joint runs on to
the house and into the kitchen where a
bib-cock turns it on and off. The joints
were all tested, found good and tight,
the pipe filled with water (the lower
end being shut) a piece inserted in the
well to a depth of 10 ft. and connected
to the line with an elbow. When the
lower end is opened the water is drawn
thru a perfect siphon and we have a
constant supply of splendid water for
both house and barn use, and with no
pumping, nothing to get out of order
and nothing to do but turn it on and
off. It is certainly much better than
wind pumps or gasoline engines, and at
much less cost but of course only in
very rare cases are conditions such as
were here.
However when there Is an available
water supply situated on a higher level
than the house or barn or other place
of discharge, even tho there are obstructions between, it can generally be
siphoned over and a good constant wa
ter system obtained very cheaply. For
is not a bountiful supply of good water
cheap at nearly any cost? J. B. S.
Daviess Co.
THE COUNTRY CHURCH PROBLEM.
Editors  Indiana Farmer:
I want to thank you for the splendid knife which I received last week. I
am certainly surprised at the splendid
value you give. I enjoy reading the
Farmer and am glad you have taken
up the Country Church problem. I am
hoping that many of the readers will
enter into the discussion and some
practical suggestions be given. I
think it one of the most important rural problems and its solution will mean
as much at least as any other one thing
in the making of life in the country
attractive and interesting as well as
ideal.
Having spent most of my life in the
country, excepting two years in a college town, I have for some time seen
that something should be done to make
the country church of more influence
and interest so that all the community
might meet together more often. During the past two years I have felt very
plainly that I *or one, am called to the
building up of the rural church, and as
a result I am greatly interested in any
suggestion that any one may have to
offer. I hope that from time to tima
you will urge your readers to say what
they think on the subject.
During the coming winter I hope to
make a thorough canvass of the community in which I live, and so nearly as
I can, secure answers to a list of questions which I have in mind. I have
never heard of such a thing being done,
but I am inclined to think it is because
no one ever felt that they could take
the time.
Here are a few of the questions I
have in mind for those who do not attend church:
Are you glad there is a church in
your community?
Give your reason, or reasons, for not
attending.
In what way do you think the country church can be ifftproved?
If an earnest effort were made to
make it a better church, one in which
the Sabbath day services would help
you feel rested after a week of toil,
would you help in any way you could to
make it such a church?
Kindly think on these questions for
a minute and before you forget it, send
in your answer. What you suggest
may work a transformation even in
your home church.      Try it.
I am of the opinion that every country minister should take a good live
farm paper, and thus keep posted on
all subjects of interest to the farmers,
As lt is, the average minister uses the
little country church as a stepping
stone to something better. There is
ever before him the vision of a larger
church in the city and all that goes
with it. Possibly the above is a little
strong, but any way it isn't altogether
his fault; the average minister can
hardly support his family on the small
salary a rural church can pay, but that
brings up another problem, the one
which I believe will solve it all, but it
would take too long. I am hoping
some one will offer a far better solution. An Interested Reader.
Hamilton Co.