'Know-How7 Pushes
Farm Production
Each Farm Worker
Feeds 15 People
Modern "know-how'’ is enabling
farmers to produce twice as
much per worker as their grand
fathers did a generation ago.
Forty years ago, each farm
worker produced enough crops to
feed eight people. Today he pro
duces enough to support 15 peo
ple. In 1912. 35 per cent of the
nation’s population was on farms.
Today less than 15 per cent of the
people live on farms.
Farm economists point out that
while this record is good, it will
have to be improved in the years
ahead. With the population increas
ing at the rate of 21£ million a
year, Census Bureau experts esti
Forty years ago a farm work
er produced enough food for
eight people. Due to new
'know-how’ production, today he
feeds fifteen.
mate there will be 190 million
people to feed by 1975. This means
an ever-increasing demand for
foods and fibers. This increased
farm output must be produced on
existing acres, for there is virtu
ally no new land to put into crops.
The key to this increased farm
output is the greater use of fer
tilizer. The U. S. Department of
Agriculture reports that 25 per
cent of our total farm production
is directly due to the use of fer
tilizers. This will increase in the
jears ahead As crop yields per
acre go up. production costs per
unit go down, giving the farmer a
higher net income per acre.
This Year Looks
Better for Poultrymen
According to farm economists
this year looks much better for
poultry farmers than last year
turned out to be.
Last year farmers sold more
poultry and eggs than any year on
record, but at the same time
feed costs were high most of the
year and farmers got compara
tive low prices for eggs and tur
keys. As a general rule they did
not net nearly so much as they
had netted the preceding year.
This year, however, farmers
are likely to take in more from
eggs and poultry than they did
in 1951. Egg prices during the .im
portant spring months have been’
at rgcord-high levels on most
markets and feed costs have been
about:the same as they were in
1951.
But more important, farm econ
omists report, is the fact that
high egg prices have not induced
farmers to increase numbers of
early-hatched pullets.
Increases are expected in late
hatched chicks, but the increase
for the season as a whole will
run considerably below what might
have been expected.
•W. C. T. U. PLANS
MEETING FEBRUARY 26
The Palmer Womens’ Christian
Temperance Union will hold its
February meeting the 26th of
February at 8 p.m. in the Church
of God on Matanuska Street.
An interesting program is being
planned to follow the business
meeting. All persons interested
in the cause of temperance are
invited to attend.
The Chugach Electric Associa
tion opened for business in its
modern new quarters at Eighth
Avenue and Gambell Street Tues
day of this week. The two-story
. structure, being completed at a
cost of $300,000, will house all of
Home Demonstration
News and Notes
By Marylou Rideout
Last week we gave a sugges- i
tion for a “Stars and Strips” (,
pie which would be appropriate
for July too. While on the sub
iect of pie, the old expression j
'easy as pie” has become true,
for there are such good tried and
true recipes for making pastry
and fillings that all guesswork
i followed by grief is gone. The
Extension bulletin “Company j
Pies” has some good suggestions I
and recipes. Do you have a copy?
Perhaps you do have pastry and
filling recipes which meet all the
requirements of a good pie, but
occasionally: 1. Baked pastry
shell is lop-sided or shrinks too
much to hold required amount of
filling. 2. Meringe is tough, no
volume, and slides off pie. 3.
Bottom crust is soggy or not
done. If these faults occur try
these tips:
For number one—put pastry
shell in a warm pan, moisten rim, j
place pastry loosely in pie pan,
press pastry downward alongside )
and bottom with fingers (you will j
be surprised as to the give there
is in pastry), trim overhanging '
edge at least Vs inch, then fold
oversang just enough so its edge
stands up on plate edge: then
flute, prick shell, bake at 450°
8 minutes or until light brown.
For a good meringue, be sure
egg whites are at room tempera
ture when beaten, for 2 or 3 egg
whites add 14 teaspoon cream of
tartar; when beaten until frothy
add sugar, a little at a time and
beat well after each addition. Al- j
low 2 tablespoons sugar to each
egg white—continue beating un- |
til stiff peaks are formed. With j
rubber scraper mound meringue
; on filling first around edge, be
I sure meringue touches crust, then
heap meringue in center. Be sure
filling is cooled before placing
on meringue. This prevents
j “weeping” between filling and
meringue and prevents meringue
from sliding when pie is cut.
Bake meringue at 400° 8 to 10
minutes. Meringue should be de
licate brown. Cool on rack, in
warm room, away from drafts.
Now the third ill—a soggy
crust. In case of soft pies, be sure
baked pastry shell is cold before
filling; for a two crust pie. have
the top crust roiled, decorated
and folded, all ready for pie, be- :
fore filling lower crust. If filling
is allowed to stand on bottom
crust before pie is baked the
crust is more apt to be soggy. And
the type of material of which the
piepan is made is a factor. Al
uminum with a special dull fin- j
ish is good, and so is glass. Tin
ware must become darkened be- j
fore it will bake undercrusts
well. When bright and new, tin- I
ware reflects oven heat, brown- j
ing food lightly. With use, the j
ware darkens and browns food. {
You have noticed pressed-in rip
pled or honeycomb patterns on
tinware? This is to prevent warp- !
ing.
>
fices, shops, and warehouse facil
ities which are now located in
three separate locations.
tar
cat? be -fob/
DONALD DUCK^
BREAD
AT YOUR GROCER’S
PALMER BAKING CO.
That’s A Fact
/Almost everybody knows
THAT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SAID:
A MAM MAY, IF HE KNOWS NOT HOW
TO SAVE AS HE GETS, KEEP HIS NOSE
TO THE GRINDSTONE
But who knows that ben...
•INVENTED THE MOUTH ORGAN
■INVENTED THE ROCKING CHAIR
•WAS THE CHAMPION SWIMMER
OF HIS DAY
• DEVELOPED THE FIRST VENTIL
ATION SYSTEM
• WAS THE FATHER OF MODERN
DENTISTRY?
tractor sub-traction
CAN FIGURE A TRACTOR
GOOD FOR FROM 8 TO 10 YEARS.
BY PUTTING ASIDE FART OF THEIR
EARNINGS IN BETTER-THAN
EVER US. SAVINGS BONDS,
FARMERS CAN PAINLESSLY BUILD
"■* A'NEW TRACTOR RESERVE."
you CAN BEGIN
A SAVINGS PROGRAM BY BUYING
U.S. SAVINGS BONDS/ *75.00
INVESTH? TODAY WILL GROW INTO *100.00
IN LESS THAN 10 YEARS'/
HOW IT BEGAN
Alabama is an Indian
word meaning, 'i >=
CLEAR THE THICKET."
CONSERVATION
NOTES
By Lew Hanks
The Palmer Soil Conservation
Sub-district’s wood chipper has
been making the rounds among
the farmers. Calls have not been
too many because of the cold
weather, but it has been moving.
It has been doing a good job
chipping frozen wood, but the
going is slow. As the weather
breaks and warms up, daily pro
duction of chips will probably
double.
Speaking of wood products
the newly organized Matanuska
Lumbermen’s Association Incor
porated is accepting member
ships. The purpose of this asso
ciation is to provide a medium to
harvest and market cottonwood
logs. This association can be a
very good thing for the Valley.
At the present time sale of cot
tonwood is limited. A good live
market will enable us to get a
return on timber products that
would otherwise be a liability
when we clear land. A cotton
wood log looks a lot better wrhen
it has turned into money in your
NORTHERN
NEON
nzz corp.
SlfiNS
Trucks, Cars Lettered
Manufacturers of
Neon Signs, Marquees,
Store Fronts and Tube
Lighting
540 Barrow-Dial 43734
t ANCHORAGE. ALASKA
pocketbook than it does as a log
in your stumprow that has to
be burned.
Cottonwood stands on non-farm
lands should be cut on a plan
designed to maintain a continu
ously growing stand. It’s not
smart busines to cut everything
the first time through. Cut the
big spreading trees and the old
flatheaded ones that will soon
rot out anyway, while they are
worth something. Take out the
trees that are full size, or are
too close together. Give the smal
ler trees space to grow. Leave the
young growing stock that is mak
ing fast growth. Protect the area
from fire and grazing and you
can harvest the next crop within
a few years. That’s the way to
start a good managed woodlot. A
farm woodlot of growing merch
antable type acres is like money
out on interest. It is worth more
every day. That's what we like.
EVER SEE DIRT UNDER
A MICROSCOPE?
Dirt actually cuts into the
fabric of your clothing and
makes it wear faster. Reg
ular and expert dry clean
ing will remove dirt par
ticles and keep your gar
ments in shape for longer
wear. Let us handle your
dry cleaning needs.
BROWN’S SHOP
Among nominees of President
Eisenhower for U. S. attorneys
and marshals in Alaska who were
approved by a Senate judiciary
subcommittee are William T.
Plummer, Anchorage, as U. S. at
torney and Fred S. Williamson,
FRONTIERSMAN CLASSIFIEDS
ALWAYS BRING RESULTS '
Anchorage Travel
Bureau
Lloyd C. Olsen, Owner, Mgr.
Authorized Agent for all
AIR — SHIP — RAIL — BUS
No extra charge for our
services
P. O. Box 1673 — Phone 23391
Motor-in-Service
GENERAL REPAIRS - WELDING
| GAS & OIL
] Harry Duff
Phone 65J11
Bert Duff
<■«< <:««■«■< <<<<<<<<<■< «-<■««<<<<<<«■«<«< <«■«■«■<<
I
MATANUSKA VALLEY BANK
Primer, Alaska
OPEN FRIDAY EVENINGS 6—8 P.M.
DAILY 10 A.M. — 3 P.M.
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ment of machinery or merchandise.
Weather-tight, fire-safe Butler buildings, with galvanized or alu
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ADDRESS INQUIRIES TO
MATANUSKA VALLEY FARMERS
COOPERATING ASSOCIATION
PALMER, ALASKA
Agent for
ALASKA METAL BUILDINGS
Box 503
Fairbanks. Alaska