THE RANCH
THE FARMER
When all the songs of labor have been sung—
Full of the clang of steel, the throb of steam,
The clatter of the hammers where is flung
The fine-spun bridge across the roaring stream;
When all the chants of labor have been said—
Deep throated chants from mighty giants hurled—
Mine is the chant of chants, the Song of Bread—
1 am the Master, for I feed the World!
The toilers of the factories and the mines,
The workers of the rivers and the seas,
The heavy-muscled 'ewers of tin* pines,
The idlers, ’mid their unearned luxuries—
At last must look to me—aye, one and all!
Without me, armies fall and flags are furled;
Without me, Kingdoms die and Km pi res fall—
1 am the Master, for 1 feed the World!
Beneath the blazing sun 1 do my toil
With -training back and overburdened thews.
Sowing the seed and reaping from the soil
The corn and wheat and rice that men must use.
Patient and strong 1 bend me to my work,
Life eddies round me like a dust cloud whirled;
For this 1 know, despite the sweat and irk—
1 am the Master, for 1 feed the World!
Berton Braley in The Country Gentleman.
SOIL SC I EM CK.
Every year brings announcements
of new discoveries about the soil. \\ e
have only begun to realize how much
is yet to be done by scientists to ex
plain the mysteries of fertility, of
plant and animal life in soils, of
drainage, of tillage, and the like.
Large sums and a vast amount of la
bor are being expended on soil prob
lems, not only by the United States
government at experiment farms like
the one established last year in the
Matanuska valley, but also at state
schools and colleges. Recently there
has been established a monthly pub
lication devoted to soil science, to
which the leading scientists of this
country, of England, Germany, Italy,
Russia, Sweden, Denmark and Hol
land are contributing.
This is not a publication for farm
ers, but is merely to collect facts and
methods of soil research from all
parts of the world and to make them
available for every investigator. It
will aid in promoting work from
which every farmer must soon receive
benefit.
We have learned more about soils
in the last generation than was dis
covered in the many generations be
fore that; we believe that other dis
coveries. of equal importance will be
made in the next decade.
DISPOSING OF OLD HENS.
After the hatching season is over,
the poultryman always has the prob
lem of disposing of the breeding hens,
two years old or more, that it is no
longer profitable to keep.
If the hens are of pure-bred stock
some ofthe difficulty of making a pro- j
fitable sale may be overcome by sell- j
ing them at reduced rates for breed- j
ing purposes. Though a large flock !
of hens of this age would not prove i
profitable producers, they would pro- 1
duce enough eggs in the following!
season to make their purchase a!
cheap and yet satisfactory way for a
beginner to obtain pure-bred stock.
Many growers of well-known
Strains of fowls find ready demand
for their old breeding stock at the
end of the season at a price much
better than could be obtained if sold
for market purposes. The usual
method followed is to advertise a
couple of months in advance of the
time it is desired to dispose of the
hens, so as to have orders for as
many as possible by the end of the
hatching season.
MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 1.—
The Australian government has de
clared its intention of curbing the
activities of the Industrial Workers
of the World, whose members have
been endeavoring to foment strikes
and destroy factory organization. The
first stop in the war was the sentenc
ing today of eight Industrial Workers
to six months in prison.
FARM ACCOUNTING.
The new science of farm accounting
is gradually beginning to assume de
finite shape. Such a science, produc
ing the most practical results, is high
ly necessary, says an exchange. Our
vast network of corporations, the im
mense volume of business done upon
our exchanges, and, in particular, the
elasticity of our industrial output,
would not be possible without the
highly coordinated system of ac
counting in use, which enables the
heads of large enterprises to see at a
glance how things are going, and to
put their fingers on weak spots, thus
saving immense sums.
Agriculture is more important than
mills, factories, blast furnaces and
railroads. It is from agriculture that
these other activities arise. Yet in
its system of accounting it has lagged
behind all the rest. The farmer has
been the sport of financial charla
tan, the fair game of the land shark,
and all because it has taken us so
long to perceive that farm account
ing lies at the basis of all our nation
al economic character.
When farm accounting, as a science
of values, as an accurate indicator of
loss and gain, shall rise to the same
accurate standard asthat of our lead
ing corporations, a new era of solid
and substantial progress will be in
augurated. Our yields per acre of
all products will be steadily increas
ed. The wide fluctuations in present
day values will cease.
Accounting bears the same rela
tionship to the farm that the stabiliz
er does to the flying machine. The
agricultural colleges have been a
large factor in leading the way to
ward a higher agricultural level. Ev
ery experiment station testifies to the
importance of farm acocunting. Ev
ery man who stands upon his own
ground should come to realize what it
means.
Cook Inlet sunsets at Sidney Lau
rence. 40
Time Fixed for Vote on War Tax Bill
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31.—Inas
much as an agreement was reached by j
opponents and advocates of the warj
tax bill to vote on the measure not j
later than September 10, F. M. Sim- |
mons, democrat, of North Carolina,1
chairman of the senate finance com
mittee, today withdrew his motion to
invoke the clothure rule to limit de
bate on the bill.
The agrement to vote on the meas
ure by September 10 contains a provi
sion providing that the section relat
ing to taxes on war profits should be
disposed of not later than September
In addressing the senate in advocacy
of higher taxes on war profits, Sena- |
tor Oscar W. Underwood, democrat, of
Alabama, declared that the new pro
posals last Wednesday of the senate
finance committee to increase the rate
of war profit taxes from 26 per cent,;
as provided in the original bill, to 33
per cent, was an absolute indictment
against the bill as it was originally re
ported by the committee, establishing
that the original measure would have
permitted great corporations to re
tain their huge profits.
Senator Underwood said that he
would not vote in favor of a principle
that would allow the United States
Steel corporation, the Bethlehem
Steel company and the DuPont Pow
der company, which were making
enormous profits, practical exemption
from taxation and place the burden of
the war on small concerns and people
of meager and moderate means.
Senator Simmons, replying to Sen
ator Underwood, insisted that the war
tax bill requires wealthy corporations
and wealthy persons to pay the great
bulk of the expenses of the conflict.
You will remember that the mil
lionaire bund, immediately after de
claration of war bv the United States
i
made a noise like real patriots—the}
either rushed down to Washington, 01
wired the president, or had themselves
interviewed, offering themselves ant
1 their wealth on the alter of thir coun
try. You will also remember that the}
immediately raised the price on ev
erything in sight and out of sight am
proceeded to devise new schemes t(
further enslave labor, the maker oi
all material things man uses. The}
discredited the liberty loan until the}
ascertained it would be oversubscribes
by real patriots. They sneered at tin
' president, secretary of the treasurei
and government; y«t always posing as
the only genuine patriots, while
—I
! marshaling their army of attorneys
and lobbyists at Washington to aid
' in framing up new plans and laws to
make their robberies easier and safer.
The mystery surrounding the long
delay by congress in passing the food
I bill has finally been uncovered, the
real reasons being made public by
Senator Jones of Washington and
Carl Vrooman, assistant secretary of
1 agriculture.
1 Senator Jones declared the brewery
lobby was a vigorous and vicious op
ponent of the measure because in pro
viding for conservation of food grains
the bill prohibited their use in the
■ manufacture of beer or liqubr during
the war. These paytriots plainly told
congress that unless beer and wine
were excluded from the food bill
FARMERS REFUSE ; LA FOLLETTE GOES
TO SELL WHEAT AFTER WAR GAINS
i WASHINGTON, Aug. 30.—Reports |
| to the federal agricultural department
by its agents show that farmers J
are holding their wheat pending the
fixing of prices by the government’s
so-called wheat fair price commission, j
This holding wheat may affect cer-;
tain parts of Alaska, as the produc
■ tion of flour may be indefinitely delay
! ed, if the farmers persist in holding
| their crop, and in this event there i
would be increases in flour prices. This
| would operate to the disadvantage of
I those parts of the northern territory
! that are without winter navigation !
1 and that must lay in their winter’s I
|
I supply of flour in the near future.
The fair price commission is in j
session here discussing the price for
the 1917 crop. There are no indica
tions when it will reach a decision.
While the agricultural department
is interested in the wheat situation,
i the treasury department is attracted I
to the soaring price of silver. The j
quotations of this metal, continue to!
I .
| rise rapidly. On the New York mar
ket, it was quoted today at 89% cents
| an ounce. 1
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29.—Robert
M. LaFollette, republican, from Wis
consin, today introduced eight amend
ments to the war tax bill now pend
ing in the senate. His amendments
provide for levies on war profits
ranging from seventy-six to forty
eight per cent.
The senate finance committee late
today agreed to amendments to the
war tax bill making war profits taxes
thirty-three per cent instead of the
present provision of twenty-six per
cent to meet the radical amendments
by Senator La Follette for great
er taxation of war profits. The com
mittee’s suggestion would increase the
tax yield from war profits from $562,
000,000, as provided in the original
bill, to one billion and sixty milions, in
addition to the taxes under the pres
ent law, and the war profit taxes
would yield one-third of the revenue
bill’s total taxes.
Beginning today, reservations on
southbound sailings of the Admiral
line steamers may be made here by
passengers instead of only aboard the
vessels, Acting Agent C. A. Solly an
nounced this morning. Heretofore
persons could not be assigned cabins
and berths at the local office, but now
the choice of the reservations will be
given at the local office and to the
first applicants.
The new arrangement results from
application made to General Passen
ger Agent C. E. Frye by Mr. Solly a
short time ago. The reservations for
the Admiral Farragut are now being
booked with the number of the state
room and all sailings until close of
navigation will be handled in the same
manner.
Anchorage will have the choice of
the entire ship and will wire Seward
the number of reservations upon de
parture of the steamer. Seward will
in turn notify Valdez and Cordova and
Juneau will receive what remains.
The booking is made possible by the
ending of the heavy tourist travel and
the beginning of the heavy southbound
movement, Mr. Solly explained.
lodge in Spokane Spokesman*Review.
J they would create discord and inter
fere with the world-wide war, and j
their opposition to the war might i
mean defeat to the allies. They not |
;only bluffed the president, but con-;
gress as well took heed to the demand |
j of the most unpatriotic bunch of ban- i
dits in America’s business circles—the i
organized liquor traffic, which is the j
“big business.”
Mr. Vrooman used the following
vigorous language in calling attention 1
of the public to these real enemies of j
democracy:
“There is a pernicious brood of tor
ies, junkers and reactionaries in every
large city in this land, who belong to
| no party, but bear the black flag of
financial piracy and the yellow flag of
economic pro-Germanism, are work- j
ing to retard the progress of the Unit- j
led States. They are a menace to the
| effficient, honorable and economical
j carrying on of the war. Until they are
■all struck down or shackled or ex
; tirpated there should be declared a
‘ jolitical truce of God’ among real Am
i ericans.”
_
| WASHINGTON, D. C., Sept. 1.—
! Practically one third of the small arms
ammunition supplied General John J.
Pershing’s expeditionary forces . in
' France was found defective, due to
chemical reaction that had its incep
tion in the powder manufacture in the
arensel at Frankfort, Ky. New sup
plies are being sent overseas to cor
rect the defective manufactured goods.
The Anchorage Daily Times is the
biggest paper in Alaska. -
BEST GARDENS
ARE SELECTED
BY COMMITTEE
Judges for the second annual chil
drens’ garden contest, held under the
auspices of the Anchorage Woman’s
club, completed their inspection of
the gardens yesterday and prizes will
be awarded the winners Tuesday
morning at 10:15 in the Chamber of
Commerce rooms. Mrs. Frederick
Mears, vice-president of the Woman’s
club, will present the prizes, and
parents and all others interested are
invited to be present.
The contest was arranged by the
Woman’s club last spring. Prizes of
cash and honorable mention were
awarded by the judges, who report
that they found excellent agricultural
talent among the young farmers and
florists.
Vera Kimball Leads All
The prizes for vegetable gardens
grown by children over eleven years
were: First, Vera Kimball, $8; sec
ond, Alex Parks, $5; third, Irma Neff,
$3; fourth, Maurics, Anderson, $3;
fifth, May Neff, .$2; sixth, Fay Mur
ray, .$2.
For vegetable gardens grown by
children under eleven years, first
prize went to Jeannette McFate, $5,
and John W'ells, second prize, $3.
Frederick Ruckart took first prize,
$3, for the best flower garden grown
by the children under eleven years;
Decima Kimball took second with $2,
and Louise Boudreau third, $2. Hon- *
orable mention, carrying a prize of $1
was awarded the flower gardens of
May Neff, era Kimball, Jeannette Mc
Fate, Helen Samuels and Elizabeth
Samuels, and for vegetable gardens
to Decima Kimball, Frederick Ruck
art, Ruth Anderson, Charlotte
Thompson, Robert Thompson, Pearl
Bartholf, Gladys Nastrom, John
West, Henry West, Phillip Gill, Mil
dred Kiel and Ray Kaplan.
NANSEN SAYS NORWAY
IS FACING STARVATION
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3.—Dr. Nan
sen, the famous Arctic explorer, head
of the Norwegian commission, now in
the United States in an effort to ob
tain permission to import food from
America, today said Norway was fac
ing stai’vation. In his pleading for
his country Nansen said that Norway
would release a million tons of ship
ping in return for the privelege of im
porting food stuffs from the United
States, and also would guarantee that
Germany would not get an ounce of
the goods impoi’ted.
Exemption because of marriage is
a case of going out with the tied.
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Bank of Alaska
ALASKA’S BRANCH BANKING SYSTEM
An Institution of Strength and Character
Capital $85,000 Surplus $20,500
5 FOUR BANKS:
| SKAGWAY, ANCHORAGE, CORDOVA, WRANGELL
X
President
Vice President
Andrew Stevenson
Andrew A. Benton
Resident Vice President, Anchorage
Resident Vice President, Cordova
Resident Vice President, Wrangell
Cashier, W. L. Landsborough
Auditor, B. A. Ross
Ass’t. Cashier, M. McVean
J. T. Westermann
W. R. Hillery
W. PI. Warren
Skagway
Anchorage
Cordova
Although an integral part of the one system, each branch has
had assigned to it the full amount of Capital required by the
Territorial Banking Board for the establishment of a Bank in such
a location. Each branch is therefore equipped to serve its cus
tomers as fully as any independent bank, but with the added
strength and resources of the entire institution to draw upon.
Furthermore each is responsible to the Territorial Banking Board,
is examined and supervised independently and renders its state
mnt direct to the Board. The Bank of Alaska is therefore, be
cause of its double supervision and safeguards, peculiarly “An
Institution of Strength and Character.”
5jb.