Farming and Cooperatives

Media

Part of Farming and Cooperatives

Title: Farming and Cooperatives
Issue Date: Volume II (Issue No.4) April 1947
Year: 1947
Language: English
Rights
extracted text: OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE PH/UPP/NE FARMERS vu. JI_ ~ }JO. 4 f 19¥-1LJt.L ·~ READ ABOUT THE FEATHER BROODER-PAGE-2 : ' LATEST INOVATION IN POULTRY SCIENCE Natural position of the feather. brooder-the most practio;al-in use now in the Philip~in,!s. The same .as the one on the left with the feather board inverted to show the feather atta chm e nt~ THE MONTHLY AGRI<;ULTURAL JOURNAk THAT ' REACHES EVERY HOME WITH A MISSION OF SERVICE P'll.GO . :Y,R ... COPY "-That research at the College of Agriculture at Los Banos be greatly strengthened in the intel·est of dev~loping an outstanding institution." -American Agricultural Mission to P.I. . December, 1946 I I l I I I l I l THREE STARS OF DISTINCTIOl\1 . READING FOR INFORMATION READING FOR INSTRUCTION READING FOR ENTERTAINMENT J I . -- ·- .. ,:;;:;:';;::;;; ! =======-.:..• FARMING AND COOPERATIVES Vol. II-No. 4 April, 1947 WEATHER REPORT ARTICLES: Pages 1. The feather BrooderMost Practical of Modern Brooders-by Dr. Santiago R. Cruz . . . . . 2 2. Soilless GardeningFarming of Tomorrow By: It's Originator and Inventor - Dr. William F. Gericke . . • . . . . . . . . 4 3. Mechanization T o d a y and Tomorrow-A Comprehensive Summary 6 DEPARTMENTS: 1. Raising Love BirdsPigeon Raising By: D. C. Kretzel, Revised by Carlos X. Burgos . . . . 8 2. Progressive Farming"Rapidgro" the Miracle Plant Food . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3. Cooperative Movement-By Hilarion Silayan..Organization of Cooperative Store (Last installment) ............... 10 4. Home and Women's Corner-New things An Intelligent Housekeeper should know . . . . . . . . . . 12 5. March of Events . . . . . . 13 6. In Lighter Vein . . . . . . . 13 7. With Our Tenants-The Torch as a Modern Farm Necessity .·. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 8. With our Crops-PhiliPpine Crops (Listing) .. 159. Editorial - F e at h e r Brooder - Answer to Philippines' Biggest Poultry Problem . . . . . . 20 Publiaber: PIDLIPPINE FARMERS ASSOCIATION, INC. S7AFP: Hilarion Silayan. Editor: Raul R. de Arana. Mafl4trino Edit<w o.M Bui nu• Manager: Dr. Santiago R. Cruz. Tse~ wlcal Con...ita .. t; Mn. Mila. IP'Oll V. Leoeadlo. Adv.rttsin.!'1 8-.....toff .... EDIToaJ.A.L AND 8UBIN!BB Oma:: 1066 Arlegal, Manlla P. 1. SUBllaKFl10M RAT!'Bs One:vear....: ___ PG.00 Half :rear - - - - ra.oo B-ntM.i. a. eeccmd ela.a1 matter at Uul :MANILA POST 0PPICB Dee. 4, 1945, WEATHER REPORT AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL AND RAINY DAYS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL IN DIFFERENT TYPES First Type:-Two pronounced seasons; Dry in Winter and Sp1·ing, Wet in Summer and Autumn. S T A T I 0 N o/ A11cr11ge Montht11 Length Monthl11 I A11er11ge Record. R11infall R11in11 lJ1111a Years mm. Iloilo City .....•.....•................... I 36 41.9 6 ~~~~1ifa~:~!~on~ .. ~'.~~ . : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : I i~ :i.: i Batsngas, Batsngas ...................... I 30 27.2 1 Calatagan, Bataugas ......•..........•.... I 18 10.3 2 Lian, Batsngas .......................... I 18 30.3 Ambulong, Tanauan, Batangas ............ I 25 43.9 ~ Canlubang, Laguna ...................... I 22 36.9 7 Santa Cruz, Laguna ................•..... i 28 39.5 1 Fort Mills, Corregidor .................... I 28 19.2 2 Cavite Naval Station, Cavite .............. 1 21 14.2 2 Lamao, Horticultural Station, Bataan .... i 20 17 .6 Manila City ............................. I 73 31.3 4 Antipolo, Rizal .......................... I 26 37.4 ~ Bosoboso, Rizal ......................... ·I 18 29.8 La Mesa, Rizal . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 58.9 7 Montalban, Rizal ........................ I · 20 50.3 6 Olongapo, Zambales ...................... I 20 26.8 2 Iba, Zambales ............................ I 2n 41.3 4 Dagupan, Pangasinan ................... I 3G 74.l 6 Itogon Mining Company, Mountain Province .. I 16 100.4 7 Baguio City ............................. I 36 109.1 10 San Fernando, La Union ................ I 36 21.2 2 Sagada, Mountain Province .............. I 20 147.7 12 Bontoc, Mountain Province ................ I 20 124.5 10 Vigan, Ilocos Sur ........................ 1 36 18.9 2 Laoag, llocos Norte .................. _,__.~-- 30 __ ~ __ 11_._1 __ ~ __ 2 __ AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL AND RAINY DAYS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL IN DIFFERENT TYPES Second Type:-No dry season with a very pronounced maximum rainfall in Winter. ------------,---! A11er11ge Monthly ST AT i°O N Compostela, Davao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I Hinatuan, Surigao ....................... . Butuan, Agusan .......................... I Surigao, Surigao ......................... I Guiuan, Samar .......................... I Ta~loban, Leyte ........................... I Borongan, Samar ........................ I Catbalogan, Samar ....................... I Legaspi, Albay ........................... I Virac, Catanduanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I Atimonan, Quezon (Tayabas) ............ I Pandan, Albay .........•..•....•......... I Lucban, Quezon (Tayabas) ................ I 911et, Camarines Norte .................... I Infanta, Quezon (Tayabas) ............... 1 Length of Record Ye""s 18 11 35 36 26 35 36 23 36 30 36 7 11 18 12 ( Contin1trd on 'Pa.qe 5) Avemge Monthly R11inf11ll mm. 160.4 314.3 149.5 254.3 200.2 136.7 262.0 137.9 150.1 115.2 76.8 72.3 210.7 135.5 196.1 . Rainy D1111s 8 21 17 17 19 15 19 14 14 13 7 6 16 13 16 DIRECTORS OF THE PHILIPPINE FARMERS ASSOCIATION -----000----1. Don RICARDO GONZALEZ - Pr<aidcnt 2. Secretary MANUEL V. GALLEGO - Vice-Proaidont 8. Mr. DINDO GONZALEZ - Secretaru-T-ruaurer c. Mr. SIXTO L. SISON - General Manaocr 6. Alty. OUILLERMO GUEVARRA - Le.,UlatioK a. Mr. IDLARION SILAYAN - Aorlcultural Problem• 1. Mr. JOSE OOJUANGCO - Bankino 8. Mr. LUIS DB LEON - Social Affair• 9. Secretary ANTONIO VILLARAMA - Membor 10. Dr. JOSE JOSE - Member 11. Dfia. NARCISA VDA. DB LEON - Member FARMING AND COOPERATJVES 1 THE FEATHER BROODER-Most Practical of Modern Brooder Artificial brooding is one of the most delicate stages, if not the most, in the operation of a poultry farm. In the temperate zone many kinds of artificial brooders are in use, heated by wood; coal, oil, distillates, natural gas, and electricity. No matter what source of heat is used, frequent attendance by the poultry raiser is necessary to prevent underheating or overheating, especially during the first few days after the baby chicks are hatched. Failure of the source of heat, even as short an interval as 30 minutes, causes chilling of the baby chicks which leads to outright death, or more commonly, to serious sickness which also leads to death. Overheating if not excessive, causes poor growth of the birds and, subsequently, to poor egg or meat production when they mature. Heated brooders cause also, not infrequently, total loss of both baby chicks and brooder houses by fire. Thus most poultry raisers are kept on edge until the time when artificial heat is no longer needed by the chicks. Fortunately, in the tropics, the need for artificial heat is not as pressing as it is in the temperate countries. As a matter of fact, chicks have often been brooded sue2 By SANTIAGO R. CRUZ, Ph.D. cessfu lly in the ,,o cr.1lerl f irr>less brooders in the Philippines. However, there are many poultrymen who couldn't or wouldn't dispense with artificial heat. And those who use fi rnless brooders have only makeshift affairs the effectiveness of which are open to doubt during the cold months of November, December, Jnuary, and February. In the poultry farm being operated by the Paulino Cruz, Inc. in the bario of Batia, Bocaue, Bulacan, the feather brooder (see cover) is standard equipment. The writer, who is managing this farm, had studied, observed, and handled many types of brooders, except the feather brooder, when he was in the United States. However, this experience. was concernP.d mostly with brooding in the temperate climate, so that when he planned and organized the poultry farm for the Paulino Cruz, Inc., he was at a loss as to what type of brooder to use. His confusion became alarming when he observed the kind of broode,rs being used in this country-almost all of them makeshift affairs. Their performance vary durin~ different time~ of the year and with the .skill and intelligence of the person handling them during any particular time. The feather brooders being actually used now in the poultry farm of the Pa ulino Cruz, Inc., is almost foolproof in thei r performnnce. They were adapted after a carefu l study of their characteristics in relation to (1) the climate · (2) the skill and intelligence of the person to handle them; (3 ) f ir. t cost; ( 4 maintenance; and ( 5) dependability. A brooder should provide aclequate venti lation and optimum temperatu re anytime the chicks need warmth. The heat regulatin.g mechan ism shou ld be simple and dependable and the source of heat must be easy to handle in order to lessen the bu rden of attention nn the part of the operator and also to prevent danger from fire. The brooder must not be bu lky s0 that it could be easily disinfected and cleaned, and have enough space fo r adequate venti lation. The mater ials of which the brooder is made must be abundant and easily procu rable in order to lesser. the fi rst cost. These are the reasons why in the temperate climate the electric brooder is coming morn and more into use when!O'ver a sufficient and reliable source of electr ic energy is available. Feather brooders are also somet.imes used in temperate countrii?s if! conjunction with some method of supplying heat in the brooder ronm. In the tropics, particularly in the Philippine Islandf>, the temperature seldom falls below 70'F , and even when it falls below this noint, it does so on ly for a few hours. Now, the feather brooder conserves the body heat of the chicks efficiently when the ro< im temperature is at, or above, 709F and even when the temp!O'rature fa ls below 709F during Hie early hours before sunrise, the fall of temperature inside the feather brooder is so gradual as not even to disturb the chicks as actually observed in the above-mentioned farm. The chicks begin to come 011t from under the feathei;s iJne hour or so after sunrise. The feather brooder almost entirely eliminates the attention necessary with heate.d brooders. There can· be no overheating as the maximum temperature inside it cannot exceed the body tempernture of the chicks. Danger from fire cannot originate in a feather brooder. The materials used are a .few J ieces of lumber, feather tuft;;, about a square foot of wire netting and some nails. For a c.'lpacity of from 65 to 150 day-old chicks, the brooder can be made or bflught for between P25.00 and P30.00. Since there are no burner;; er heating elements, there is no foe! expense and the air capacity for ventilation is much more than that of a heated brooder of the same capacity. The onlv attention necessan- is the raising of the feather board from the original position one inch every ten days, which operation requires only a few seconds of the lightest effort, and the cleanine: and disinfection of the broo<ler-for storage when the chicks r.rc weaned. There is now no questioE in the "Titer's mind but that for Philip· pine use the fireless brooder is the type and of this type the feather brooder is the most efficient and reliable. Even a young child can operate it and be successful. The \Hiter is also the technical manager of the l\farikina Valley Farm Products Corporation. This corporation is going to operate a 5000-layer poultry farm as one of its enterprises. This year 1500 layers are being raised and the baby chicks, which are to be supnlied by the Poehlman Hatchery of Petaluma, California, during the first week of 1Ia;1, this year, will be brooded under feather brooders. Twenty of these brooders were already made and ready for use. Apropos to feather bro:iders it is pertinent to mention that this brooder is being manufactured under a patent granted to John J. Poorman of Tinley Park, Illinois, by the U.S. Patent Office. The writer has the good fortune of securing a license from Mr. Poorman to manufacture these brooders in this country provided the feather tufts are to be supplied by him. Personally, the writer is of the opinion that this is a great boon to local poultry raisers, because with the use of feather brooders, almost anybody can brood large number of chicks cheaply and successfully with a minimum of effort. FARMING AND COOPERATIVES Progressive Farming (Continued from page 9) DI PPING CHA RT Add 22 gallo ns of water l O each po und of Ri\-P l D -GRO. Use tub 0 1 · pail a11d place roots in th e solution. TREES-Four minutes. SHRUBS-Three minutes. EVERGREENS \V lTH RA L L-Fi,·e 111in11tcs (leave burlap on.) V EGET ABLES a11d PLi\ NT S- Dip an<l out. BER Rl ES (all kinds)- O ne 111i11ute. STR.A \VB E RRI ES-Dip and out. U se remaining solution for w:ttcri11 g after ·pla11ting. Feed \\'ith RA-PI D-GRO every four weeks afte r planting . For Vcgc1ablc Seeds use s prinkling can. Sprinkle seeds with RA -P I D-G RO before co vering . For Grass Seed f:.prinkle seeds with Rr\ -P ID-GRO as S0\\'11, then apply RA-Pl.D-GRO once evny four . weeks. RA -P!D-GRO During th e Growing Season • T 11 rscry Stock TREES-Apple, Cherry, Pear, Peach, P lum, Apricot, Quince· N ut 'frees, Mulberry. S ec Dipping Chart. O ne tcas poo ntul of RA- PlD-GRO to every quart ot waler. ALWAYS ADD WATER. TWC.NTY-'l'\VO GALL ONS OF WATE R T O EACH POUND OF RA-PID-GRO. Feed e very two w eeks, the firs t yrar, then once each month there-a fter. 4 to 5 ft. threes-one gallon ilqnid RA-P !D-G RO 6 to ft. trees- two gallons liquid RA-PID-G RO Larger trees- add one-half gallon lo every two feel. To feed the foliage, add double the am0un t o f water. T hi.:; c:tn he sprayed on the tops. S;\I ;\ LL FR U l T S-Berrie'- r.oo<eberricc;;, Curra nt s, Pig-s, Crape~ Sec Dipping Chart. .After planting-, feed CYCr y two Wl·cks the fina season, th en C\'cr y m orll h. Uc;;c one quart o f liquid RA-Pl D-C RO to a pla11 t. F eed at the ba:-;c of the pl:"tnt. O n l:lrp:e r plant<.::, 11 c;c one g:-i llon o f liquid R 1 \ -P J"J1-C !{() to :1 feedin g \\'hen fccdin~ 1hc foliag-l'. uc;;c 1wice the amount o f wal t:r. E \ "ERC l<EENS F eed arou nd the b:-isc. aflcr looscningthc earth with a fork. Feed once e \·ery ten d:-iys during- the first sc:lsnn. Thcrr:i ftc r. frc cl once C \'Cry mo1Hh, d11ringthc g-rowing- season. 1 S to 2~ inch t recs-one gallo n liquid Ri\- P!D-G l! O T .:lrgcr trees-add one-half gallon liquid Rr\- Pl D-C l<O to c,·ery foot. 0 1, NAMC.NTALS u,o the liquid RA-P TD-GRO in plant - ing all trees. rud dlc th em in. F eed them C\'Cr y ten days during the fi rst y ear. 2 to 3 ft. trees- one g:i.llon liquid RA - .Pl D-G l~O. i\dd one-half gallon liquid RA-PT D-GRO lo e,·ery foot above this. 0 11 larger 1 recs, 4 inches or bett er in di;:i·m ctcr. mal.:c holr s around the base of the tree. from ft. to 2 ft. i11 depth, as f:-t r ou t as the spread of the branche,s. Fil lthese holes with liquid R r\-PlDC RO. Do this each m on th durin g the growin g seaso n. LAWNS A s soon as seed is so wn, tak'! a sprinkle can, use one teaspoon(ul to each quart of water. Sprinkle well until top earth is well clarn pened. Feed every ten days for two m onths, once ·a month (Cm1tim1rd on page 14) 3 SOILLESS GARDENING-Fartning of Tornorrow Bb: It's Originator & Inventor-DR. WILLIAM F. GERICKE INTRODUCTION Hydroponics is the art and science of growing crops without soil, and its application. The word is derived from the Greek and means literally "water working." It is thus distinguished from agriculture, "care of the field." Hydroponics is based on the theory that all the factors of plant growth naturally supplied by the soil can be coordinated artificially by the use of water and chemicals into a crop-production method capable of competing \\;th agriculture. \Vith few exceptions, such as the Eskimos. man in the past has been completely dependent upon the soil for his food supply. The course of human civilization has been determined largely by this dipendence. Racial migrations and the opening of new frontiers have dramatized man's historical need for fresh and fertile soil. In recent years chemists have tried to create ersatz food by converting indigestible plant material. such as wood cellulose, into edible products. So far they have had only slight success. Efforts have also been made to reproduce photosynthesis-the natural process by which plants use sunlight to manufacture food materials out of carbon dioxide and water. But hydroponics is agriculture's first real competitor. Soiless crop production has captured world-";de attention. Thousands of inquiries have been received concerning. it. My overflowing mailbox has not, however, been filled entirely letters lauding the disco.-ery of the world's newest crop-production method. When I first anounced that crops could be grown commercially without soil, the idea was received with skepticism by somo and \\;th outright decision by others. The work was done largely on my own time and with little aid from any scientific organization, notwithstanding requests therefore. Not until. private businessmen offered their cooperation was hydroponics given a fair trial. Today proof of its worth is being provided by growers in California, New York, Illinois, Florida, distant \'Vake Island-a midPacific fueling station of Pan American Airways-and other places. It seems strange that soilless crop-production was not developed long ago. The immediate scientific basis for other great technological developments has been laid by a few talented men, in some cases by only one individual, but the theoretical basis for hydroponics has been known to many. More research has been carried on in the fields of soil 4 science and plnnt nutrition than in any other branch of agricultural scientific endeavor. Soon after 1868 the conditions were as auspicious for the birth of hydroponics as they were in 1929. Scientists failed to realize the true val!te of a principle they themselves applied in laboratory experiments. The development of water culture as a n1cans of studying the life processes of plants is covered briefly later in the chapter. It is enough to point out that plants have grown in nutrient solutions under experimental conditions for nearly a centttry. Modern scientific agriculture has been greatly aided by information obtained through the" studies. By no means do I wish to disparage their value. The fact remains, however, that laboratory water culture has been aimrd at but one objective. that of making better use of the soil. Not until 1929, when the theory of hydroponics was presented, was it pointed out that crop prodnction need no longer be chained to the soil, that some commercial crops contd be grown in larger quant1lles without soil in basins containing solutions of plant food. Indeed, it is obvious that since hydroponics requires a larger expense per unit of area than docs agriculture, either yields must be larger, or there must be other comper•sati<..·nS, if the method is to sucreed oommerc!ally. And experience has already shown that it can succeed. Some scientists who raile<l to nalize the import of natmal and Fie!d conditions have compared yields from •mall hydroponic basins with thc.:-sc fron, basins of fertile soil, a nil also wi1 h •ho•r of sand treated with riut.dcnt sol11ticns1 using the same number of plants each. In using the same number of plants in the hydroponic basin as in the s0il, the'C experimenters have made the mistake of limiting the productive capacity of hydroponics to that of '";1_ Co1:>parison can be only by growing as great a n,1mber of plants in each case as the fe11ility of the culture medium can support. A greater mistake was to consider the yield from a few square feet of soil in a basin as represcntath•e of that of an equal sector of the fieM. How la '['e a hydroponic basin must be , to represent the conditions which will be encountered in large-scale production is not known at present. The established yields of agriculture are known, and ~0111parison between the two systems c~11 be 111ade only under conditlon~ representati-1e of practical production and not hy "'tall experiments in a labor,1tory. It wa-; the laboratory point of view and rr ethcd in studying crop production that circumscribed the potentialities of water culture in the minds of plant physiologists familiar with nutrient soh1tions. The basin is capable of nourishinf' a much larger number of plants than is an equal area of soil because it can provide more water and nutrients. 'l'o utilize these fully it is necessary to provide as many plants as light conditioM will permit, regardless of species, as will be shown later on in the chapter on multiple cropping. Hydroponics is not an exact science at present. It is still in the experimental slage. The most univecsal of all artsthat of growing plants-cannot be changed overnight simply by following lhe directions on a package of chemicals. Do not believe all the exaggerated .statements you may hear. Results h:i.vc been extraordinary but, unfortunately, they seem to have convinced many people that tremendous yields of vegetahlcs and flowers can be produced with little trouble and without any reol knowledge of the problems im·olved. The idea is widely held that 1he nutrient solution will take care of everything and thal· like Topsy, the crops will just grow. Unthinking enthusiasts by the hundreds have been misled by promoters selling tank equipment and "•magical" formulas at exorbitant prices. The vendors of this equipment had not valuable information to offer, nor could their customers obtain the necessary knowledge from any publications. Because the buyers were not warned ~on ccrning the limitations of hydroponics, most of their expensh·e projects h.:i.ve failed. The problems involved in growing plants without soil are many. Snpplying the proper food elements through a wellbalanced solution is only one. Once the plants have started to grow, other difficulties come up. The questions of light and heat, as well as of protecting the crop from pests and dis~ases, rnnst be met and solved. For example some plants will not grow in dimly lighted basements, nor even in well-lighttcl houses, though certain publications ha,•e stated that they will. Yon r:ust r~alize that the theory from which hydroponics has grown is based more on field observations, which cannot be expressed in neat tables of figures, than on laboratory measurements, which lend themselves l6 such siatistical treatment. The successful farmer's instinctive ability to ei>orcli",1'~ · all the growth factors of plants is indispensable. Thus, your success or failure in hydroponics will depend more upon skill in workill$ ,out .a pTOper tt'Chniquc indtscribable "in textbook language than upon possession of a ·simple chemical formula. You must combine to some extent the knowledge of the chemist, the botanist •and the farmer, arming yourself with an understanding of the fundamental requirem"Cnts of plant life and developing through your own alertness and insight a ·sure sense of the technique required. The productive powers of hydroponics dwarf those of agriculture. Yields far outstripping those obtained from some of the richest farming sections of the nation ha•·e been produced on experimental plots. Yet these fields, large as they have been, by no means exhaust the possibilities. A later chapter will show how several different crops can be grown simultaneously from the same basin, each of them providing larger har;ests than can be taken from the soil. This has already been done in largcscale experiments. It promises to overcome one of the major objections to hydroponics: the high cost of equipment for somt crops. Nevertheless, caution should be employed in selecting the crops to be grown; some will always be grown more economically in soil. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS Soilless crop production presents a challenge to the amateur. The main purpose of this book is to aid him in mastering it. As the rules of operation become standardized, the wage earner with a small plot of ground at his back door· may regain a measure of economic independence. His food supply will be more under his own control so that his livelihood will no longer depend solely upon national philanthropy or the· weekly pay check. As a mean• of providing· subsistence to those thrown out of ·employment by recurring economic depressions, hydroponics deserves the utmost consideration from gov·ernment. In the commercial field soilless crop production is now· being employed successfully. Experiments indicate that it will soon invade new regions and new fields of agricultural production. Hydroponics can be used wherever good climate prevails. Thus, states like New Mexico and Arizona, lacking in soil resources but blessed with mild temperatures and plentiful sunshine, will find it ideal. Hydroponics offers much to those who are interested solely in growing flow(Contintted on page 7) WEATHER REPORT (Continued /r&11i page 1) AVERATE MONTHLY RAINFALL AND RAINY DAYS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL IN.DIFFERENT TYPES Third Type:-No very pronounced maximum rain period with a short dry season lasting only from one to three months. STATION Zamboanga City ......................... ·I San Ramon Pe.nal Colony (Heights), Zam· boanga City ........................... I Sibuko Farm School, Zamboanga . . . f Central Camp, Davao ................... " Dansalan, Lanao ......................... I Cagayan, Oriental Misamis ............... I Dumaguete, Oriental Neg1·os .............. I Hacienda San Jose, Oriental Negros ...... I Iwahig Penal Colony, Pala wan ............ ! Hacienda Asia, Occidental Negros ........ 1 Central Bearin, Occidental Negros ........ I Binalbagan Estate, Occidental Negros ...... ! lsabela Sugar Company, Occidental Negros .. I Cebu Sugar Company, Talisay, Cebu ........ I Cebu City .............................. I Hacienda Valehermoso, Oriental Negros .... I Pontevedra, Occidental Negros ............ I Lucena, lloilo ............................ I Hacienda Lanjagan, lloilo ................ ! Capiz, Capiz ............................ 1 Masbate, Masbate ........................ I Odiongan, Romblon ....................... I Romblon, Romblon ....................... I Boac, Marinduque ........................ 1 San Pablo, Laguna ...................... '1 Record of Length Years :JS r1veragc Monthly Rainfall min. 50.8 12 102.6 13 31.6 () 256.'i 4 166.3 29 32.7 27 44.9 19 51.1 24 52.7 10 67.9 1G 28.8 18 54.1 1G 96.5 10 41.7 3r, 43.8 19 44.0 16 78.!l 20 48.8 10 57.3 3() !;0.9 34 36.9 13 43.2 35 66.4 14 65.9 13 48.7 I Average Monthly Rain11 Days 7 7 4 15 17 4 6 4 7 7 3 5 r, 9 7 5 7 4 5 8 5 Ii 8 8 7 AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL AND RAINY DAYS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL IN DIFFERENT TYPES Fourth Type:-No very pronounced maximum rain period and no dry season. STATION Lapac Agricultunl School, Sulu ......... -I Gian, Cotabato ..................... · · · · ·I Jolo, Sulu •............... · · · · · · · ········I Paranglalap, Zamboanga ................ ·I Latuan, Zamboanga ................. · · · . ·I Upi, Cotabato ......... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I Davao City ........ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · l Kidapauan Cotabato ........ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I Maridagao' Rubber Experimental Station, Co-1 tabato .................. · · · · • · · · · · · · · ·J Camp Mactan, Davao .................. · ·j lmpalutan, Bukidnon ................... _,_., Siari Valley Estates, Zamboanga ... ·. · · · · · 1 Pamplona Plantation Company, Oriental Neg.1 Hacienda Palanas, Oriental Negros ....... · • Tagbilaran, Bohol ..... · . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · / Maasin, Leyte .... · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · · · · · • · · " I Hawaiian Philippine Company, Occ. Negros. 1 North Negros Sugar Company, Occ. N~gros .. 1 J aniuay, Iloilo .......... · · · · · · • • · · · · · · · · j Ormoc, Leyte ...••....•...... · · • · · · · · • · • · · i Duenas, lloilo ......•.. • · · · · · • • • · • · · · · · • • · r Bitaogan, Iloi)o ...........•.. • · · · · · · · • · .1 Dumarao, . Cap1z ............... · . · · · · • · · · · 1 Dao, Cap1z ...... · · · • · · • · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · r Calbayog Samar •............... • • · · · · • · Halcon R~bber Experimental Station, Mindoro' Na a Camarines Sur ...........•.•...•.. I Length of Record Years 18 18 41 19 19 10 36 18 9 6 11 9 11 19 36 36 18 Hi 18 36 20 20 20 20 35 9 35 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I Average Monthly Rainfall nun. 94.0 84.6 137.1 124.0 81.l 159.0 14~4 131.3 145.7 261.1 165.1 57.9 87.7 60.8 125.3 74.5 94.9 85.6 87.0 80.0 64.5 54.9 65.2 70.3 132.2 129.2 82.8 I Ave1·age Monthly Rainy Days 7 8 11 8 6 11 9 9 11 16 15 5 7 5 8 6 10 11 9 11 6 5 4 6 15 9 7 FARMTNG AND COOPERATIVES 5 MECHANIZATION-Today And Tomorrow Mechanization Today And Tomorrow News oi Fam1 Machinery and Farming Methods New Implements and Dc,·elopments (Reprint from AMERICAN EXPORTER, Jan11ary, 1947 issue) PRODUCTION INCREASES Despite the loss by the fam1 implement industry as a whole of at least three months outp11t this year due to strikes and materials shortages, the industry will reach a total production Yalued at approximately $700,000,000 in 1946, or slightly more than in 1945. The fact that the industry, despite innumerable handicaps, will set a peacetime production record in 1946 is the basis for predictions that with all producing units operating normally 1947 volume may easily exceed $1,000,000,000 to set an all-time high mark. This estimate for 1947 is predicated upon the ce'5ation of the labor strife that has plagued the farm implement makers, and upon easing of the materials shortages. W. A. Roberts, ,;cc-president of Allis-Chalmers and president of the Farm Equipmen.t Institute· says that output in 1947 could conceivably reach $1,250,000,000. The labor difficulties of the industry since the war ended have affected every large producer except Massey-Harris and Minneapolis-Moline. Ne"ertheless, International Har\'ester's output has climbed to a pomt where it 1s equal to the 1941 level-the best peacetJme production rate ever attained by that company. Despite this, some of the company officials sound a pessimistic note regarding materials, anticipating further difficulty in obtaining gray iron castings, sheet metal, copper, lead and paint. The Oliver Corp. has had a good year considering the labor situation, but that company's total production this year is now estimated at about 30 per cent less than originally projected. The folowing is the dollar production totals of farm machinery output for the first nine months of 1946 as compiled by the Civilian Production Administration on the basis of reports from the manufacturers. Type of Machinery Total Value Planting, seeding & fertilizing equipment ·-················· $ 12,164·564 Marrows, rollers, pulverizers & stalk cutters ·-············· 9,806,598 6 A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY Plows & listers ................... . Sprayers, dusters & orchard heaters ................................ . Han·esting machinery ....... . Haying machinery ............... . Machines for preparing crops for market or use Farm elevators & blowers \Vheel-type tractors ........... . Industrial tractors ............... . Garden tractors ..................... . Farn1 wagons, gears, trucks Domestic water systems ... . Farn1 pumps & windmills ... . Irrigation equipment ........... . Dairy farm machinery & equipment ........................... . Barn & Barnyard equipment Faiv.n poultry equipment .... :Miscellaneous agricultural equipment ........................... . Attachments .......................... . l<cpai" .................................... . 13,476,247 16,400,666 38,377,055 18-450,355 10.423,540 4,013,350 119,622,070 5.376,000 5,207.125 4,912,297 24-727.411 3.418.:;0\ 10.169.335 16.406.795 5.118.816 8.949,236 7,106.455 36,947.411 127-182,261 $512,314,469 MACHINERY EXPORTS For the year ending June 30. 1946, exports of farm machinery amounted to $62,674,575, substantially lower than 1945 exports which "mounted to $80,934.154, according to a C. P. A. tabulation based on reports frO'lll 300 manufacturers representing about 90 per cent of industry production. 1946 1945 Export of Machinery Percent Percent age in age in Farm type wheel tractors -································· 20.2 27.0 Planting & Cultivating equipment ················· ... 8.4 8.0 H;arvesting and haying quipment ...•.................... 5.6 7.7 Sprayers, dusters, etc. ··-· 7.2 6.8 Water equipment ............ 4.3 4.6 Dairy, barn & poultry equipment ··················-- 3.2 3.4 All other types of equipment including repairs ................. .......... 7.8 8.3 DEMAND A FACTOR While the actual value of tl1e backlog of orders of the industry cannot be expressed precisely, the manufacturers state that it is huge. They base their calculation in the following significant indications. American farmers generally spend from 3 to 5 per cent of their income for machinery. \Vith buying held down during the war. the total is expected to n111 as high as 5 or 6 per cent of total farm income for the next several years. One out of every four machines no'v in use on A·mcrican farms should he replaced. As this demand is filled, othermachincs will 'vear out progressively and in the course of the next few years,. almost a complete renewal of cqmpmcnt is expected. N cw machines being introduced will create additional markets. The ·nc'v traclor attachments that have been perfected, such as loaders and slackers. should c;e1l widely, as 1J11ay new devices such as s11~arbcct and forage harvesters. Tli~sc machines arc designed to in .. crease production for the farmer by lowering labor requirements and mechanizing hitherto handraiscd crops. A notable example is the mechanical cotton picker. This units is slated lo do th<" work of 30 to 60 hand pickers. The "baby tractor" now prominent in farm catalogs will also further farm mechanization. Of the 6.000,000 farms in the U. S., only 2,000,000 arc equipped with tractors. Form~rly, it was estimated that another 1,000,000 farms migh! be mechanized but the advent of the new small tractor has doubled that estimate. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Examples of close-coupled, load-distributed power units already in the implement field include the selfpropelled combine and the green-crop harvester. Use of the combine in harvesting nearly all kinds of seeds is increasing. and this trend can be expected to continue in the years ahead. This has decreased labor requirements and eliminated peak labor loads at harvest time. The self-propelled combine can be operated by one man and can be used to cut any part of a field, leave unripened patches for later harvest, and operate without running over uncut grain. It is capable of 01ierating wherever the ordinary combine does and with equal efficiency. Another comparatively new tractordrawn and operated machine coming. into use in Cl)nsiderable numbers, particularly for specialized crops, is a tillage unit that prepares seedbed in one . operation. It is conceivable that after it has been thoroughly tested and provc<l in use on fartns, lhis ntachine migl1t materially change· farming methods and practices. Tractor-operated loaders have shifted one of the tedious jobs in livestock farming from the back of the worker to the machine. \\.ith this new equipment, the job of housekeeping in the barn has been greatly simplified and the time required to do it cut from weeks to a few days. New methods and haying machmcs are also under de,·elopment, One example is the field chopper with pick-up attachment which chops the field-cured hay into short pieces which may be put into the shed or barn through a blower. Another machine crushes the freshly cut hay to speed up field curing. And, of course, there arc the new one-man balers, some of which produce round bales, and still others that automatically slice the hay being baled into sections that can be easily fed to livestock. THE YEAR'S ADVANCES Research now being conducted by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and leading manufacturers includes expcrtimentation with electric lamps and traps to control insect pests; with infra-red heaters 10 dry seeds and other valuable farm crops so as to improve them for storage, and also ior thermal therapy in treating farm animals; and with the use of bactericidal lamps in animal shelters and storage cellars. The Syh·ania Electric Products Co. has already developed a germicidal lamp. Contour farming which is growing in importance necessitates a plow with longer shares and bases rnch as those introduced on the unit by the Oliver Corp, and known as the TNT plow. Considerable savings in time and money by combining all potato harvesting operations in a single machine are afforded .by the unit macle by the New Holland MachinP. Co. or great valu~ to the small-acreage farmer is the Rototiller made by the Graha.m-Paige Motors Corp, for plantinii: and cultivating crops and for many other ,·aried purposes. Perhaps the most spectacular of the herbicides introduced in 1946 is 2 4-D or 2, 4-Dicholophenoxy-acctic acid. a hormone-like chemical of the plant &"rowth-regulant type made by Du Pont. Soilless Gardening.· .. (Continued from page 5) ers for their own enjoyment and the beautification of their homes. Daisies, snapdragons, begonias, and dahlias are but a few of the garden flowers which ·can be grown to their natural size and beauty in neatly concealed tanks. Nations such as Italy and Japan. which are worried by crowded populaFARMING AND COOPERATIVES lions and hmdcquatc agricultural land, could easily use it to multiply their production of foodstt1ffs manifold. Once their hunger is satisfied fr01;1 '~ithin their own boundaries, the reasons for seizing the rolling wheat fields of their neighbors might be swept away. THE CYCLE OF CONSERVATION Finally. hydroponics will hdp us to consen·c our natural fortili:-:cr~ and to soh·c our future fuel probl<'ms. Of the fertilizers commonly applied to the soil only nitrogen ran be recovered co1nple1ely. Bnt in hydroponic,; I he plant food pro,·ided need never be wasted. The dry plants can be burned and the ashes useci for nutrient solution. In this way the so-railed "cycle of conscr\'ation" has been completed for the first time. The carbohydrates produced by the plants will form a vast reservoir of cheap, available power. Chemists have shown their ability to rearrange the -:noliculcs or carbon compounds and convert them into fuel. The greatest natural production of carbohydrates now takes place in certain sections of the Hawaiian Islands. In these regions 24.000 pounds of this material in the form of cane sugar can be grown per acre. Ry hydroponics, howe,·er, 180.000 pounds of potatoes can be produced in many areas from an acre of tank space. They wi11 contain about thirteen tons of natural carbohydrate in the form of starch. In some cases ten to fifteen tons of corn, corn stalks, and ]eaves containing additional chemical energy can be grown from the same tanks at the same time. And, while cane sugar has been produced in the quantities named only in certain partS of Hawaii, corn and potatoes can be grown by hydroponics over vast areas of the earth's surface. The fuel of the future, after our stocks of coal and oil have been expended, may well be made from ·carbohydrates produced by the hydroponic method. Before soillcss crop production can realize its full potentialities, however· the widest and most intelligent use must be made of it. l\fisconceptions must be swept from the public mind. The technique •nust be placed on a thoroughly -scientific and practical basis. It is with this end in view that I have written this book. It would have been preferable to clarify the scientific basis of the method in another book before releasing this more popular one. However, the great demand for information prevented . adoption of this procedure. Within these pages you will find the science of soillcss crop production reduced to terms which I trust will be uuderstandable to all. WATER CULTURE The task of finding out how plants fcerl ancl what they use for food hns occupied the atteniion of men of thousands of yrar.s, beginning before . the days of Aristotle. But the true science of plant nutrition is of more recent vintage. It was not until the dawning of the nineteenth century that the facts obtained through years . of earnest if somewhat ineffective research began to dovetail into a complete story. Once the basis ha c1bcen laid, however, dis'co,·crics followed at a rapid pace. The story of these discoveries cannot he separated from that of waler culture. To arrive al the h~ginning of this de,·elopmenl we must go back to the days before chemistry revolutionized sciC'ntific research. Handicapped as they were by lack of equipment, the scientists of that era had already found that rcr1ain sprigs would grow if partly immC'rscc1 in water. Some produced only roots; others roots and leaves. After a short time these sprigs stopped growing and the early observers rightly inferred that this was due 10 lack of food. Still they had no idea that nutrients could c~ist in water, nor did they know. in what forms this food existed. Real 1hter culture dales from 1860 when Knop, a German agricultural chemist, and Sachs, a botanist, first added chemicals to water and obtained nutrient solutions. Knop may rightfully be called the father of waler culture. His experiments laid the groundwork for those which later led 10 hydroponics. He wa~ concC'rncd with using this method to study the basic relationship of ~oil to crop production. Sachs was more interested in studying plant processes and thus adding to botanic knowledge. In the end Sachs' point of view prevailed~ It is for this reason that scientific literature from 1860 lo 1929 is utterly de,•oid of any suggestion that water culture principles might be applied to crop prodi1ction without soil. N0\\'11ere in the history of technological de\·clopmenl do we find another instance in which principles widely used in laboratory work ha,•e nol provided sooner a scientific approach to tl!e problems of practical production. The formulas for the nutrient solutions might well have been used for a venture into the field we call hydroponics. Instead they were diverted to a relatively lesser endeavor. In his first experiments in 1859 Knop grew plants in natural water withotit mineral nutrients. Seeds were sprouted in sand or fiber netting. The seedlings were then inserted in· holes made· in a rigid support· usually cork sttoppers, held tightly by a cotton wadding, and suspended in glass or earthenware containers filled with liquid. Thus, K~op (Continued on page 12) 7 GROWING LOVE BIRDS (Con't. from Last Issue) SQUAB MARKET The income from a squab plant is not limited to the production of squabs at l'0.50 t'ach. There is a certain demand, which might be increased, for good matured (six months old) squab-producing breeds at PZ· to PIO, or even more, per mated pair for foundation b.,ediug stock. The possible local market ·forsquabs "·ould be (a) house ke~ping families. (b) clubs, (c) first-class hotels, and (d} the many panclteri:is, which could use an the squabs that can be raised near Manila and the larger centers of pC\pulation in the Islands for some time to come. Panciterias in Manila pay P0.2U to P0.30 each for the common varietv of squabs. For prime squabs of special quality they would, no doubt, readily pay more, while clubs and hotels readily take all good first-class quality squabs offered at P0.50 to Pl each. \\'ith efficient organization to a>Sure mass production of marketable quality squabs, the trans-oceanic steamship companies ha,·ing passenger-carrying ve5sels calling at Island ports would also be a potential market. It is belie\•td tha,t the possibilities are here for a profitable squab industry. but they need systematic 6:ploiting. PRODUCTIVITY OF PIGEO~S It has been said that pigeons will breed every month in the year which, collectively, is true but not individually. Occasionally a pair of pigeons may raise IO or 11 pairs of squabs in one year, but such cases are exceedingly rare in any country. If a pair of pigeons raise seven pairs of squabs in one year, on an acer· age, they are doing very well, which \\-Ould be from two to three pairs more than the average common pigeons would raise under the same conditions. DIFFERENTIATING SEX Ordinarily pigeons are hatched in pairs-one of either sex but sometimes. altl1ough rarely, they are of the same sex. Usually the first bird hatched is the male and by immediately banding it. for instanct, on the right leg and the other one when hatched on th~ left leg as the female, there will not be many mistake' in determining sex later on when they are in full feather. The bands may be specially made bands of different materials or a colored string tied around the leg in such a way that lt will not come off nor interfere with the circulation of blood in the leg. 8 By DAVID C. KRETZEL Revised by Carlos X. Burgos There is no known way of differentiating the sex of all breeds physically. In some of the \"Cry refined farcy breeds like the little sl11mmeriug snakcy head Fantails, as well as a number of other~. both sexes may look exactly the ~:'lTilC. 'l'hc sexes of Pouters arc IJllOrc rc-adily determined when the pair arc ~cen together as the male is considerably larger than the female, another dis1 incth·e feature of the Pouter breed that differs in this respect, from all other breeds. In other breeds like the Runts and Mallorquinas the males arc usually a little larger and coarser in the head and neck than the females of the species, but not always. After pigeons are old enough to mate the 111alc is more aggressh·e and is the one that always docs the driving of its male to the nest, if they arc preparing one. He is usually the one that does the treading but, not always. In cooing he frequently turns round and round, half strutting, with head up and down and is the most active one of the pair. The end of the tail feathers in the male may be more or less worn off and disheveled from strutting. The female when cooing will seldom turn more than half way round and then in a semi-crouching or squatting position with the head low and feathers fluffed out. About laying time the bones at the vent of the female arc wider apart than the male, but the difference is not always easy to determine. . Rice says that if the beak of the pigeon is held on one hand and the feet in the other, stretching them out, the male bird usually will hug his tail close to his body, while the female will throw up her tail. MATING Pigeons are monogamous by nature and usually mate for life. Occasionally, howe,·cr, a pair will separate tor some unknown reason and find new mates, or one of the birds may die. Jn such an event the other bird will seek a new mate and· therefore, may be a serious disturbing element in Dovcland. Every pigeon that is kept in a commercial squab plant, loft, or dovecote should be mated, no difference whether it be a male or female as it may cause trouble if it is npt mated. By keeping every pigeon mated and promptly removing the unmated ones to a mating coop for subPigeon Raising sequent mating, or for confinement, di'f~ fercnt breeds of pigeons can be raised in the same habitation with little or no danger of thc'111 interbreeding which, if permitted to occur, would be very detrimental in results, as it would result ill' mixing the breeds in many other classes of animals. Several ways have bec11 employed for mating pigeons. One way,. when receiving a new lot of pigeons is· lo put all of them together in a fly, pct> or loft, that has no other pigeons in it and then await dc,·elopmenls. They will sooner or later find their own mates by affinity and pair off. Odd birds or those that do not pair off in the course of a reasonable length of lime shoulcl be removed from the pen and disposed 0£ for table use or confined in a mating coop for possible subsequent mating. An empty potato or onion crate may b~ 11sccl as a pro\"isional mating coop by putting· a wire mesh, or a Iatticc·likc .. partition in the center. Then place the hirds that arc to be mated, presuming that one 0£ them is a male and the other one <t female, one in each end of the box and set the box in a drakcncd place, or partly cover it with a cloth and give the birds all the fresh water they want lo drink, with but a sma11 amount of food, £or otll' to two weeks. Then puc hoth hire!.:; in tl1 c sa•me compartment just hcfor.e night. Early the next morning watch results. If they fight they are probably of the same sex, or at least they are not in the mating mood. If reasonably sure that they arc of the opposite sexes scpadc thr.m ag-ain and try the same method over, as they may change their •minds about mating this time. If they will not then mate try different mates, if they are a\'ailable, or dispose of them ahogther if they are not too \'aluablc but in the meantime keep them confined to prevent them from causing trouble in the house, loft or cote. This is the method generally used when mating birds by selecting in breeding. Specially made mating coops may be constructed with a wooden frame ond wire mesh netting, having slide or hinged doors, which are much more convenient and appropriate for the purpose. Tf birds that arc raised are kept bauded as to sex and preferably with day and month and year hatched recorded, it would facilitate matters greatly in mating birds by selection. PROGRESSIVE FARMINGRapidgro The Miracle Plant Food RAPIDGRO "THE MIRACLE PLANT pOOD" LIQUID F ERTILI ZER All living things require regular feeding . . . plants, animals and h um;'l.115 alike. In the case of your plants. nature provides them with food through the soiL However, before they can use any of that food, it must be dissoh·cd by rain or watering, for plants live in a liquid diet. Then, too, most soils are defi cient in one or more of the elements the plant needs for healthy g rowth. That is the 'reason why you should feed them regularly with RA-PID-GRO. That is why they thrive and bear so miraculously on a regular sum11ncr long diet of RA-PID-GRO. RA-PID-GRO contains 11 vital food elements plus VITAMINS RA-PJD-r.RO is a miracle-working concentrated food that helps nature bring out the best in your flowers, fruits, vegetables, and ornamental trees. It contains all the elements nature intended plants to haYc . . . vitamins Bl and B2, the hormones that control growth, and the essential chemicals . . . eleven vital food elements in ·addition to the vitamins. RA-PID-GRO contains no inert materials . . . no sand, brick, dust or coFARMING AND COOPERATIVES How to raise Vegetal1les the Rapid-gro way Look at the picture at the left-that's the vegetables you should get on your garden. coanut husks. It is all 100% usable plant rood. Dissolved in water, as all natural plant foods m us l be before th ey c:i.n be assimilated by the plant, it is immediately taken in by the p ion!' feeders. The plant it self is fed. l n fact, the i;lants actually feed the earth. F ed regularly as directed, your plants will thrive and grow under the m ost ad\·cr sc conditions·, when other s arc stuntt:<l, shrivelin g and dyng. ONE POUND OF RA-PID-GRO makes 176 Lbs. of Liqued Fertilizer RA-PTD-GRO is economical. Being all '"able plant food, it can be dissolved at the rate of one pound of RA-P TDr, RO to 22 gallons of water .... .. one te.aspoonful to one quart .. .. for easy xpplication. You pay for no inert 'lllatcrials. O ne pound of RA-PTD-GRO is the equivalent of 100 pounds of any othe r fertilizer y o u may have used in the past. R.A-PTD-GRO contains as stated ~hove, Vitamin Bl and B2, but, separate~ lv o r combined, these vitamins do not supply all the nourishment required by r,Jant life. While vitamins have a definit e value in the promotion of root growth, it is necessary that 1 Jthrr fo o< l elements w hich nature has provided for Rapid-gro comes in 2 And 8 oz. I, 2, 5, 10 and 25 lbs. packages . • . ' .,.,,...,'lJ>, "Al ,,..;< ... ;.~ j tile dc \·clormcnt and growth of plant life be included. T herefore· to the \·it,tn1ins in RA-PID-G RO arc added clc,·cn other neede d food c leme nt:-. RJ\P! D-GRO ha> been called "The ~li raclc Plant 17ood" because o f the phenomenal results o btained by this almost pe rfect combination. RJ\-PID-CRO is also called "The Plant Blood Donor" because it is immediately taken in by the plant feeders ;i,nd sustains life and de,·clops growth. The principles of this food is to feed th< plant itself, not the earth. ;\ healthy plant will itself feed the earth, and healthy plants arc produced by RAPl D-CRO which is composed only of th<.. purest chemicals, vitamins and hormones. RA-PTD-GRO insures success, for it speeds up production and assures an abundant crop. : Many garde ns are in cramped quarters. RA-PI D-G RO will make the yield of that small space compare m o re than favorably with that of 11mch larger gardens which have no t been fed. All plant food must be in liquid form before it is available to the plants. W hen R A-P TD-C RO is applied according to d irections a rainfall is not necessary to make the food available to the plant. SAVE ALL YOUR TREES SHRUBS AN D ROSES lly clipping them in a soluflon of HA - PTD - GRO before planting. (Contin1led on page 3) 9 COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT ORGANIZATION OF A COOPERATIVE STORE Intensive preliminary education on cooperative principles should precede any attempt at operating a cooperative store. A series of meetings may be held for the purpose. Before undertaking the establishment of a cooperative store the cooperative association may well designate a survey committee to survey the possible volume of business for the store. Such farm implements as plows, harrows, cultiYators, carts, threshers, corn shellers and grinders and livestocks equipment and their spare parts; fann tools, carpenters' tools, kitchen uteusils; farm supplies and materials as improved seeds and planting materials, b~ng animals, fertilizers, hardware, insecticides and fungicide; prime commodities such as food, salt, cloth, soap. lard, matches, cigars and cigarettes; medicinal and school supplies; petroleum and lubricating oil; and sewing machines, may constitute the stock of the cooperative store. The warehouse and ~tore facilities should likewise be looked into. The warehouse be accessible; big enough for the. purpose and well-ventiated; providPd with a alrge, well-drained, preferably enclosed yard; free from fire hazards and "anay", and constructed of strong materials. The equipment facilities of the store such as tables, chairs, stools, shelve3, typewriters, and office suuplies such as correspondence paner, carbon paper, cash books, stock cards, ledirer cards. sales slips, ink, pencils, erasers and the like should be ample. The per;;onnel of the store sueh as the manager and the number and quaiifications and wages of the salesmen, clerk-accountants. and casbier should also be considered. The survey rommittee should· assemhlP. the data obtained on the foregoing and subm;t a report thereon to the Board of Director.; showing (1) the volume of business to be transacted and cost, (2) cost of the warehouse and store, (3) waq;es of the personnel, ( 4) burget and (Ii) number of people willing to take shares in the store. The enterprise may be financed by asSC11sments from the membera or by an increa.;e in the capital stock or by Joan from the Philippine National Bank, the Agricultural and Industrial Bank or other banking institutions. If the decision of the cooperative assochotion 1s to open a store the follow10 ing should be considered carefully: 1. Honesty, industry ,initiative, and wages and salaries of the manager and the personnel. 2. Location of store 01· warehouse; purchase or lease of same. 3. Acquisition of equipment. 4. Acquisition of goods, supplies ~r:d materials. 5. License to engage in business. 6. Membership in a retailers' coope•:ative association. The latter five items may be left entil-ely to the resom·cefulness of the slcre manager. The business of the store sbould be run on the cash and carry basis. An accounting system should be installed. The double entry syatem should be used for the principal account. Daily purchases should be summarized and dailly accounts, especially cash accounts, closed. At the end of the business year, the store should be closed for a day or two and an inventory of gooda and equipment taken. Sales and purcbases of members and non-members of the association should be summarized for the proper determination of the patronage dividends. The total purchases and total expenses during the year, including interest on investment and depreciaition, should be dete~mined. Likewise all receivables, liaibilitie3 and total assets should be determined. An alternate procedm·e may be resorted to, if the number of persons willing to inivest in a istore is small, that is, if it is less than 100. A buying club among those who are interested may be organized. LIVESTOCK PROMOTION In 1939 the livestock population of the country was placed at 10,344,277 head of carabaoa, cattle, horses, hogs, goats and sheep, with valuation of P2l6.033.622; that if poultry being 25,365.102 chickens with a valuation of PS,994,391. The country imported in 1940 P19,396,241 worth of animal products (both edible and inedible), the value of imported dairy products, mostly milk, being P9.285,511. Thi<i importation of eggs had decreased from P2,514,100 in 1929 to P490,082 in 1940, the average imnortation for the period 1937-1940 being P398,144. Wbat strikes any student of economics as something unusual are the big items representing· importations of meat, milk, and egga, tbree livestock products that can very well be produced in the counb·y. One has only to observe in markets and hotels in our towll!S the abject lack even in rural areas of dairy, poultry, and meat products. Sell-sufficiency in these commodities should be promoted. It is the plan of the government to increase the number of breeding stations, establish breeding centel"S throughout the country and stock these stations and centers with animals that are most '5Uitable to propagate in eacb locality, to be sold or loaned to livestock raisers owning goodsized selected herds or flocks. Farme1·s' cooperative associations should .take advantage of the government program and have members unde1·takc ente1·prises in Jiveatock, poultry, and dairy production. Production of poultry and eggs.Cooperative associations should organize the members in the raising of backyard poultry. The selling of poultry products and the procurement of feeds can be done in a cooperative way. Sta. Maria (Bulacan) farmers have found it profitable to raise White Leghorns in the backyard or in commercial poultry ranches. The imported breeds of chickens, namely, White Leghorns, Loa Bai\os Cantonese (both egg-laying breeds), Barred Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red and Nagoya (the latter three, general-purpose breeds) have been found to thrive well under proper care and management. They can either be bred pure or crossed with native chickens. Breeding centers will be provi<led with roosters of the foregoing purebreds to be loaned to farmers or groups of farmers owning large numbers of selected native hens. Native hens lay an average of from 40 to 60 eggs a year. Imported breeds of cbickens in the Philippines, White Leghorns especially, lay 150 or more eggs. Production of milk.-Where members own caraballas (female carabaos) or milk cows or goats, the cooperative can ma,.ket or process the products. ThP. crossing of the Indian Buffalo, a high milk yielder, with the native caraballa will be encouraged by the government. In an effort to produce animals that are high milk yielders and are at the same time rmistant to rinderpest, the Bureau of Animal Industry bas been crossing Ayrshires with Nellores. The resulting cross can· produce from 5 to ORGANIZATION OF A COOPERATIVE STORE 7 liters of milk a day. The Red Scindi, another high milk yielder, which had been imported from India, can produce from 5 to 8 liters daily. It is easy to manage and thrives readily on local feeds. Bulls of these breeds will be placed in government breeding centers at the disposal of livestock raisers. Goat's milk is much more popular in other countries where its value as feed for infants, invalids, and convalescents is well known than in the Philippines. The use of goat's milk in the country should be popularized, conditions being favorable for the raising of goats. Native Does are bred topurebred imported Bucks to produce offspring with higher milking capacities. The Anglo-Nubien, Tog~nburg and the Tndian, three foreign breeds, have been found well adapted to !oval conditions. Production of pigs. - The cooperative can operate a breeding station where boars may be kept to serve sows of members. The procurement of feeds and the marketing of hogs and other prorlucts can be undertaken by the cooperative in a most advantageous way. For the commercial raising of pigs, the cross of either the Duroc-Jersey, Black Polar.d China or Berkshire and the native stock has been found more profitablP. to nroduce or keep than the purebred itself. The Berkjala is also recommended. Improvement of carabaos. - It is the plan of the government to keep in breeding centers bulls to be loaned to farmem or j!T()ups of farmP.rs owning St'lected caraballas. Undesirable bulls will be castrated. Production of feeds. - The raising and marketing or purchase of corn, camote, barit, culasiman, carabao grass, and other animal feeds and rice bran (and pulot) can be done in a cooperative way, t.o savP. handling e'<penses and thus increase the returns to the growers. Keeping of pedigree recor<h<-Jn the effort to improve the quality of the animals owned bv the members of the cooperative association, the result of the breeding work may be properly recorded in a pedigree book. The advantage of keeping such a book is obvious to livestock raisers and it af. fords would-be purchasers of the livestock. Medicine and Livestock equipment FARMING AND COOPERATIVE By H. SILAYAN chest.-The association can purchase emasculators, caponizing sets, sprayers, medicines and remedies for common ailments of animals and keep these in a chest for use by the members. The following may be of immediate use: 1. Creoline 2. Magnesium sulphate 3. Pine tar 4. Iodine 5. Vermifuge In all the foregoing enterprises, the Bureau of Animal Industry, being the government entity vested with the duty to promote and conserve the livestock industry of the country, should be consulted for necessary advice and details. POSSIBILITIES OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONS Cooperative education ha, been found recently to .. play an important role in promoting cooperatives. Experience shows that cooperatin can progress no faster than the people can be trained to understantl it and administer coopera· tive business efficiently. It can not be handed to the people ready-made nor can it be administered by othe1·s for t'iem. The members themselves have to do it. Cooperative education, of course, is not a proposed substitute for our pre· sent formal education, but it is simply a means to educate the people in cooperative principles and methods. A coope· raiive move1ne11t to be successful must have loyal and honest members. Their loyalty and honesty must be based upon solid foundations, one of which is a thorough understanding of the ideals of cooperatives. There arc two sides to be considered in the business aclministration of econQmic affairs and the idealistic reorganization and orientation of the people. The first requires experts who can make business succeed. As for the· second, it should suffice to state that a successful cooperative in itself is an educational in· fluence in the community. It teaches quietly a lesson to all who observe it. Education of the m~mbers in the larger social aspects of cooperation and in the philosphy of the movement has not advanced comrnensuretcly with the enhancement of its commercial aspects. For this reason. in many fields of cooperation the cooperative is thought of ratl1er exclusively as a business under· taking.. Competitive business has got the people into peculiar habits of thought with regard to their economic relations. The larger social possibilities of cooperation are lost sight of. While it ·may be true that a cooperative un<ler· takmg must be successhil and cconomt· cally prohtable to its members, busiucss 'iucccss is not enough. 'fo consider business alone is to lose sight of the main idea behind the cooperative move· rncnl. Cooperation best succeeds when the people sec in it a great social enterprise in which justice is paramount and the \yelfare of the whole is amply safeguarded. 'fhe causes of failure of coo1Jcratlve association, especially those in tht:: Philippines, could be traced to the lack of a comprehcnsiye educational campaign among the members in particular an<l among the people in general. The main ob1eclivcs of cooperative education arc: L To strengthen the belief of the momber in coopcratton, ~- To establish harmony among them; J. To effect expansion of, and continuity, of mcmberslup of the organization; 4. To develop undivided member support and loyally; and 5. To foster public appreciation of the movement. These objectives when attained will ptomote not only the welfare of the association but also that of the members and their families, and once the members are convinced of this they will be greatly bolstered up in their belief and pride in and love for their assoc1allott The public is thereby the better equipped to appreciate the potential value of coope· rative organizations in the solut1011 of difficulties met with in the economic and social structures. The cooperatives themselves are unified and strengthened by the impact of education on the members, officers, employees and the general public. THE SCOPE OF EDUCATION IN COOPERATION The subject matter of cooperativ~ education varies accordin2 to circumstances. College r.ourses and other programs which requires considerable time may include stdy of extremely technical phases such as contracts, by-laws. pqoling methods, legal phases, taxes, financing and the like. Usually, however some of the following broader subjects are rnvercd ~ither iri detail or in summary. 1. Economics. 2. History of coooeration. 3. Principles of cooperation. (Contin11ed on page 20) 11 HOME AND WOMEN'S CORNER DEHYDROFROZEN FOODS-A wedding of two opposites in food processing circles-dehydration and quickfreezing-has been arranged. Dehydrofrcezing is simpler than it sounds. Fruits or vegetables are partially dehydrated, then frozen. Housewh·es wm find it as easy to prepare dehydrofrozen vegetables as ordinary quick-frozen foods· researchers say. For e."<ample, peas or rarrots can be popped into a pan of cold water, brought to a boil and by the time they'ye finished cooking they wil ha\·e soaked up all the water removed in the de~ydration process. Partial dehydra1:ion reduces weight and volmne of the food by about half. This fact promises for food freezers a substantial sa\;ng in storage, shipping and refrigeration costs. ARITHMETIC NO HANDS-An uncanny device. known as an autornotic sequence controlled calculator, has been perfected. The most intricate equations can be solved in step-by-step fashion using the elementary operations of arithmetic-addition, subtraction, multiplication, dh·ision-plus the very important but routine task of looking up the answers to prC\iously solved problems. This calculator goes beyond ordinary adding machines in two respects; it can "look up,, previous answers, often the products of its own earlier work, and once properly set up, it carries through a whole sequence of operations, using one answer as raw material for the next phase of the problems, without further human intervention. Problems go in on " perforated tape something like a player-piano roll. The spaced perforations, instead of telling a piano which notes to play, provide the calculator with instructions. The machine whirs, clicks, pauses, starts again. Then an electromatic typewriter prints the answers in neat tables of numbers. The machine solves every problem in two entirely different ways. If the answers check, they are prii.ted. If they don't, a bell rings and lights flash. DIRECTORY DIALS THE PHONE .:....A new desk telephone directory not only finds the number you want but actually dials it for you. All you have to do is to slide the knob on the face of the device, called an Auto Dial, to the name you want, then press the small lever at the foot of the machine. When the lever returns to its normal position, in five or six seconds, your call is made and you pick up the phone. The machine can handle any SO telephone numbers desired by the user. and changes 12 can be made at will. The signals can be made up of any number of Jette" :ind digits, according to the system used in the local exchange. The regular hand dial on the telephone can be used in the ordinary way when the automatic de\0 ice has been attached. ROASTER FOR AMATEURS-Fowl up to six pounds and cuts of meat up to 10 can be roasted to an epicure's taste by an amateur in the Rotiss-0-Mat. Basting and turning arc unnecessary. The meat has only to be spitted on a stainless steel skewer, fixed at one end by a holder to prevent slipping, and placed in the electric roaster. A motor turns the meat about three times a minute and a Nichrome element on the lid supplies the heat. A six-pound chicken takes about one hour and 20 minutes to cook. The Rotiss-0-Mat weighs 13 pounds, has a bakelite handle and heatresistance glass sides, and can be put right on the dinner table. SINGLE VINYL-COATING COMPOUD-The process of coating fabrics with vinyl resins bas often been complicated and prolonged by the nece5"ity of working with two different coating solutions. In an effort to get around these difficulties, a formulation which accomplishes the coating in one application has been developed. This single vinyl compound containing a high solids content effects a soft, dry, durable waterproof and flameproof mm. Since it is the solution itself that is flameproof, it does not necessarily render the base fabric non-flammable-although it discourages burning. In case of rayon, nylon, ce1anese, etc., enough coating is absorbed to make them totally fireproof. The vinyl solution is obtainable in liquid form and may be applied by any coating method that is preferable. However, the basic principle in all of them involves its application to moving fabric and the removal of excess by some scraping method. CONSTRUCTION TIP-The long-used method of employing straw saturated with water to wet down concrete during the hardening or "curing" period may soon go into the discard. Contractors can now handle this phase of concrete operations by using one company's Oozer hose, from which the water seeps gently and continuously. It is made of special fabric· has previously found wide application on lawns and gardens. SIMPLIFIES ADMINISTRATION OF WAGE-INCENTIVE PLANSCalled the productirule, a ·wage calculator is paid to slave many difficult computations concerning costs, productivities, wages and bonuses in administering wagc-incent ive plans. It is a ten-inch slide rule calibrated to include problems involving time units between 1 /10 of a minute and one hour. ICE THAT LASTS-The product called Tw-I cc contains a chemical, introduced during the freezing process, that is claimed to keep the ice packed on perishable foods from melting during a routine shipment from coast to coast. The inventor claims that the chemical does not change the freezing point, bat retards mcltagc from 37% to 40%. Patents are pending on the in\·cntion but Tw-icc is being made a\·ailablc to shippers in any part of the country. It is estimated that the new ice will command a premium up to $2 a ton over untreated ice. NEW ROLE FOR SCREENINGVinylidcnc chloride screening is now playing a new and noYet peacetime role in the proclnction of a fragrant. tinted !oioap powder for women's lingerie, hose and similar items. The liquefied and aerated soap is spread on trays of the natural-colored screen, then placed in a drying cabinet. Since the plastics material resists corrosion and rust and docs not brittle, its length of service is almost limitless. After leaYing the drying cabinet the soap is powered and packaged. GIVES HARDER FINISH TO FLOORS-Better and more enduring wax finishes for floors is claimed by the 11se of 11 Finne1 Kote." This wax, which is applied with a special machine put out by the company, is so hard that it contains three of four times as much actual wax as the average f1oor wax, and that it sets in ten second to a hard· glossy finish, which will greatly outlast other wax finished because the hot wax fills all the pores in the floor. ~--··-. -----------Soilless Gardening ... (Continued from page 12) established the technique now used universally for laboratory experiments. By this method Knop also found that a plant can make an appreciable gain in weight simply by using the food contained in its seed and that the seed provides nourishment to those parts of the plant which form first. From this Knop concluded that the growth of vegetal tissue of plants is proportional to the nutrient content of their seeds. This theory has since been accepted by plant physio(Continued on page 16) MARCH OF EVENTS URGE FORMATION ALL OVER PI OF LANDOWNERSTENANTS GROP Designed to carry out the social justice program of the administration, is the plan of members of the agrarian commission· to urge President Roxas to establish the proposed national landowners and tenants administration, it was learned this morning. The administration will get together all landlords and tenants irrespecti\"e of the crops raised, and allow them to work out harmoniously their relations as bread· earners. If organized throughout the Philippines, the administration will (1) attempt to sol\"e once and for all the recurrent agrarian troubles existing between landowners and their tenants. (2) pre..-ent the existence of subversive elements and associations, and (3) promote the welfare and interests of both parties in accordance with the social jnstice program enunciated first by the late President Quezon. The commission plan calls for the foundation of a common fund .to which the landowner will contribute two cavans of palay for every hectare cultivated and the tenant one cavan. Proceeds from this fund will be used in giving education to the children of the tenants· in the hospitalization of members of the administration, in maintaining the insurance policies of both landlords and tenants, and in the establishment and operation of a cooperative. Members of the commission also propose to urge Roxas to consider the amendment to the present 70-30 proportion of share in the rice harvest between the tenant and the landowner, into 6545. It is claimed that under the existing arrangement the landlords arc at a disadvantage considering their various expenses in connection with the maintenance of their property. P4 MILLION SET FOR REBUILDING SUGAR CENTRALS Fou.r million pesos will be spent by the government in the reconstruction of the Binalbagan-Isa6el sugar centrals which were greatly damaged during the enemy occupation, according to Secretary of Justice Roman Ozaeta this morning. Ozaeta who is concurrently the president of the new corporation administering these two centrals, is flying to Bacolod, Negros Occidental, this week, together with Marciano Angeles, NOC engineer and officer-in-charge of the Insular Sugar Refining company, to detcomine the extent of the damages and to find the best means of reconstructing the plants. The secretary re\·ealed that the government may award the work to a private contractor if, in the opinion or the central officials, reconstruction by the government will be more expensive. The government is the majority stockholder in the new corporal ion. with the former owners of the Isabela central owning 42 per cent of the shares. The corporation has assets of over PS,000,000. Following reconstruction, the first unit will be in operation in the 1948-49 season. US COPRA PRICES TAKE DOWN TREND SAN' FRANCISCO, April 18 (AP)A downward trend in copra prices is re· p~rted here. Large buyers were report· cd out of the market, which is wc-ak and showing no activity. Copra brought $225 to $230 a short ton ci£ West Coast ports in January and February. The price rose to $245 to $247.50 a ton in March. Quotations have been slipping down· ward since, with no recent sales. I ndi· cations were that buyers would show some interest at around $220 a ton. The Netherlands East Indies expect to export between 180.000 and 200,000 tons of copra in 1947, Eugene Sayers, director of the NE! copra fund, said, and predicted the critical period 0£ rehabilitation of the copra industry would be passed late this year. A delivery of 8,000 tons of copra to the United Stales by June is under contract, part of it at $238 CIF a ton. Dutch officials are frank to admit that the Philippines have made fast strides since the war and, if it were not for the world fat and oil shortage, would be a difficult competitor. "We've had to do without almost everything here.'' one Dutch official who recently visited Manila said. "But in the Philippines copra producers and merchants have had every type of army surplus imaginable made available to them. They have boats, textiles, consumer goods, quonset huts for storage. "They have a free market in which individual initiative shows up.. Ours is controlled." They have no export duty; we must pay a 20 per cent export tax. They pay lower freight rates to their shipping companies. FARMING AND COOPERATIVES In Lighter Vein (Reprint from the Rotarian) CAPTIVE EAGLE By: Alma Robison Higbee Yesterday he was blood brother lo an eagle, Setting his course by while and singing stars, Today he packs bread loaves in a market basket And sells green Summer captured in tins and jars. A pencil behind his car, he wears an apron• And clutches an invoice to check the merchandise by, He weighs hamburger, frowns whrn he remembers That his silver wings once curved the lupine sky. And yet, sometimes when he hears a motor's thunder, His head lifts quickly, his eyes are hurt and proud, Thc-n hie; cag-cr heart g-oes out from his duty-bound body, And streaks away on a crimson sunset cloud. MY FAVORITE STORY By: l\!RS. CLAYTON A. PALMER Old man Rrown made every moment ray on his big farm. One fine haying day he £ell into the cistern and his wife, hearing the splash, came running. Poking her head over the rim she yelled, "That yon, Arthur?" "Yup.'' came the answer. "I just fC'll in." ••Just hold ver hosscs" said his wife. "!'Ji ring the. dinner bell and get the hired men from the field to pull you out.'' "What time be it, Mary?" came the gruff voice of her husband. "Just II :30." "No· :Mary, don't ring the bell yet. ''Vater's cool and not so bade I'll just swim around till dinner time." LET'S REST, SHALL WE? By: WILLIAM W. PRATT Here lies a jitterbug; Young; expi~ed. Ain't gone to 'heaven yetToo darned tired. * * * 13 WITH OUR TENANTS THE TORCH AS A MODERN FARM NECESSITY By E. ]. Frick D. V. M. Sanitation is one of the foremost problems of the li\'e stock owner. It matters not how much feed. care, or pedigTeed breeding animals you ha,·e it they are kept in dirty, infected quarters, the filth-borne diseases will soon take hea\'y toll. The causes of disease in the shape of bacteria. moulds, \·irus, fungus, and worms and wor1n eggs arc not easy to get at or destroy. The use of strong disinfectant solutions is an expensive and not always satisfactory procedure. The drawback of disagreeable odor. dampness, leakage of liquid to other quarters and expense all too often pre\'cnt its more frequent necessary usage. The ('Ommon roundworm egg is very resistent and even when kept for years in a formaldehyde solution can be taken .;ut and found capable of growing into an adult wol'lll. Many diseases are caused by germs that form a spore or dry hard seeds as a stage in their de,·elopment. This spore is very resistant. Freezing has no effect on many diseases. or all methods extreme heat is the most certain and satisfactory. Properly applied heat will readily kill beyond question a.11 bacteria, ,·irus, lan·ae parasites and parasite eggs. The use of THE AEROIL TORCH !hrowing a temperature of 2000 Fahrenheit answers this purpose. Quarters to be named. whether they are chicken pen, drained fish pen. hot lot, fox pen, dog kennel, or dairy barn should be first cleaned of all general bulky litter. such as manure, rags, etc. The lighted torch is slowly swept over the surface of the "·all- and floor until all has been <OYered. Care should be taken around inflamable posts, etc. Tests on the effectiveness of this procedure shows: 1. All eggs of parasites, larvae, adult parasites, germs and fungi are completely destroyed, if on the flamed area. 2. Ordinary odors ·or pus, manure, mould, and decomposition tend to disappear. 3. The combustion is so rapid and complete that no smoke ordinarily is evident. 4. The moisture content of the surface area is removed. 5. The temperature of a closed room i~ increas~d. · 6. Rall• and pilrs o( manure •hould be removed mechanically. unless the flame i• held on them for at least thrre minutes or longer, as the moisture content in their center allows the pa..asite eggs 14 protection against the heat over a shorter period. There are many other 11scs for the torch and a long lis1 of disease organisms and parasites that it will destroy <0uld be listed. However, it has been found satisfactory when used around infected quarters and a reliable disinfectant was needed. Breeders of ho!l'S, poultry, dogs, fur bearing animal~, fish, hatchery men should a\·ail thcmsrh·cs of this cheap effc-ctivc mrans of sterilizing their premises. ('f'his was lectured by Dr. Frick in 1929). What A U. S. Farmer Says About The Torch Today "OYer 500,000 agricult11ris1s like myself arc using kerosene burning torches to KILL WEEDS WITH FIRE! Let me tcJI you in my own words how I use my AF.ROIL Burner lo kill weeds forever!" \Vhen you kill weeds with fire you constNne the stalks, the seeds and eYcntually cause the roots to rot. In addition. all crop destroying insecls lodl'(rcl in the weeds meet instant cleath. Thr "MONTANA FARl\.!ER" of Jnly 19~0 cnrried a report by a State- Extension Agronomist which read in p;i.rt:-"Nonc of the test plots which showed complete eradication has e\·cr since produced any sign of the return of weeds." This is only one of hundreds of snrh reports turned in by Agric111t11ral Experts whosC' duty is to know weeds and how to kill 1hcm forever. WHAT THE TORCH CAN ACCOMPLISH FOR YOll AS A FARMER From all over the world today, praise for the Torch as a practical farm implement abound. \Vhether one is a poultry farmer, a dairy man, an orchard man, a. rice grower, etc., the torch is at .. ways handy. Some of the practical uses of the torch are as follows: to kill weeds, as disinfectant, to exterminate shrubs which are hard to cradirate, as stu111p remover. for bending an straightening frames of a plow and other steel or iron implements, as soil sterilizer, as incinerator for branding animals, as a temporary furnace, as rock splitter, and a hundred other uses. As a rock splitter, a farmer has this to report: "Three ton granite rock split into small pieces with AEROIL Burner fuel costs only sixty cents." Progressive Farming (C011tfotted from pllge 3) thereafter. VEGETABLES Asparagus-As soon as frost leaves· NOW AVAILABLE HY-MIN MARVEL LIQUID FERTILIZER HY-MIN a liquid fertilizer, is one of the best of new fertilizers today. It can be applied at the ratio of one ounce or less to one gallon of water, A pp lied as a rice fertilizer where irrigation is available, the 30 or 50 gallon drum with a controlled spigot is laicf clown on the dike of the irrigation canal and the HY-MIN fertilizer allowed to flow with the water that goes into the rice paddies. ~Iixcd with the irrigation water, the effect of HY-MIN to the rice plants is immediate as HY-MIN in its. liquid state gives nutrients direct to thcplant roots and not to the soil. Cnlike other commercial fertilizers which is applied lo the soil first 10 break it down to forms that can be absorbed by the roots of the plants before they gin· be11c[icial nutrients to the plants. HY-i\ll:\ therefore. has no waste in c·lcmrnts, immc<liate in effect and economical. On lop of the•c, HY-~11!1.' is a co•:npletc X-P-K fertilizer. Farmers shoulcl a\'ail of this opportunity by contactinl'( VARAS & CO~!PANY, FAR EAST, located at the China B:ink Building, ~lanila. !'(round. E,·ery ten days thereafter Beans-Feed every ten days, along sides of rows. Beats, Broccoli, Brussels sproutsSamc as Beans. Cabbage-Use Liquid RA-PID-GRO in holes, whe11 planting. Feed around each plant every 10 days. Carrots, Corn, Cucumber, Endive,. Koherabi, Lettuce-Same as Beans. Melon-On top of seed, after planting. Around base of plant every terr {10) clays. Onion (seed)-Saorne as Meloh. Onion (se\s)-Along base of plants after setting. Every ten days. Parsnip-Same as Beans. Pepper-Pour in holes when planting_ At base of plant, every two weeks. Peas-On top of seed after planting: Feed along base of planb once after they show above ground. N () more feeding. · Pumpkin-Same as Mefon. Rad.isl!, Spinach-Same as Beans. Squash-Same as Melon. Swiss Chard-Same as Beans. Tomato-Fill the holes when planting: Then around pfants. every ten da.ysc 'l'urnip--Sa.me as Beansc WITH OUR CROPS As a refresher to Philippine famiers and as an introduction to those interested in Philippine agriculture, we are here listing Philippine crops as an indication of the dil"ersity of our farming. J.-Rice and other ccareals: (5 crops) 1. ADLA Y. Coix lachryma-jobi Linn. 2. CORN. 21!a mays Linn. 3. MILLETS. Setaria italica Bea. 4. RICE. Oryza sati\"a Linn. 5. SORGHUM. Andropogan sorghum (Linn.) Brot. JT.-Sugarcane and other sugar-producing plants: (1 Crop) 1. SUGARCANE. Sassharum officinan1m Linn. JlI. Coconut and other oil producing plants; (4 crops) 1. AFRICAN OIL PALM. Elaeis guineensis J acq. 2. COCONUT. Cocos nucifera Linn. 3. LUMBANG. Aleurites moluccana (Linn.) Willd. 4. SESAME. Sesamum orientate Linn. JV.-Tobacco: (1 crop) 1. TOBACCO. Nicotiana tabacum V.-Abaca and other fiber producing plants: (10 crops) 1. ABACA. Musa textilis Nee 2. COTTON. Gossypium brasilience Macfad. 3. FLAX. Lilium usitatissmrnm 4. JUTE. Corchorus capsularis Linn. 5. KAPOK. Ceiba pentandra (Linn.) Gaertn. 6. MAGUEY. Agave cantala 7. PINEAPPLE. Ananas comosus (Linn.) Merr. 8. RAMIE. Boehmeria nivea (L.) Gaudich. 9. ROSELLE. Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. 10. SISAL. Agave VJ.-Cassava and other root crops: (13 crops) 1. APULID. Eleocharis dulcis (Burm. I.) 2. ARROWROOT. Maranta arundinacea 3. BEETS. Beta vulgaris Linn. 4. CAMOTE. Jpomoea batatas Linn. 5. CASSAVA. Manihot utilissima Pohl. 6. GABI. Colocasia esculentum (Linn.) Shott & Endl. 7. IRISH POTATO. Solanum tuberosum Linn. 8. PEANUT. Arachis hypogaea )Linn. FARMING AND COOPERATIVES 9. SEMBU. Canna cdulis Ker. 10. SJNCAMAS. Pachyrrhizus erosus 11. TUGUE. Dioscorea csculenta Lour.) 12. UBE. Dioscorea alata Linn. 13. YAUTIA. Xanthosoma sagittilolium Schot.t VIT.-Rubber, gums and tannis plants: (.1 crops) 1. ANNATTO. (Achuk). Ilixa orellana Linn. 2. INDIGO. Indigofera tinctoria L. 3. RUBBER, PARA. He\·ea brasiliensis (HBK.) Muell.-Arg. \'IIT.-Fruits and nut<: (68 crops) 1. ALPA Y. Enphoria diclyma Blanco 2. APPLE. Pyrus ma1us Linn. 3. ATEMOY A.-Annona sp. 4. AVOCADO. Persea amcricana Mill. 5. BALIMBING. Anrrhoa carambola Linn. 6. BANAGO. Gnetum gnemon Linn. 7. BANANA. Musa paradisica Linn. 8. BERRA. Rheedia edulis Pl. & Tr. 9. BERRIES. (Strawberry). Fragraria chilocnsis Dch. 10. BIRIBA. Rollinia orthopctala A. DC. 11. BREADFRUIT. Artocarpus communis Forst. 12. BULALA. Nephclium mutabilc Blume 13. CACAO. Thcobroma cacao Linn. 14. CAIMITO. Chrysophyllum cainito Linn. l5. CAMIAS. Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. . l6. CASHE\V. Anacardi1.>r11 occ1dentale Linn. 17. CHERI MOY A. Annona cherimolia Mill. 18. CHESTNUT. Castanea mollilissima Blume 19. CHICO-MAMEY. Calocarpum zapota Pre. 20. CHICO. Achras zapota Linn. 21. CIRUELA. Spondias purpurea Linn. 22. CITRUS. Citrus 23. COFFEE. Coffea 24. CONDOL. Benincasa hispida Cgn. 25. CUBILI. Cubilia blancoi Blume 26. CUSTARDAI'PLE. Annona reticulata Linn. 27. DAMIA. Macadamia tcrnifolia Muell. 28. DA TE. Phoenix dactylilera Linn. 29. DUHAT. Euginia cumini Dru. 30. DURIAN. Durio zibethinus Linn. Jl. FIG. Ficus acrica Linn. . . 32. GALO. Anacolosa luzon1ensis !If err. 33. GRAPE. Vitis vinifera Linn. 34. HEVI. Spondias cytherea S~n. 35. PACKFRUIT. Artocarpus mtegra Merr. 36. KAKI. Diospyros kaki Linn. 37. KAYAM. Inocarpus edulis Forst. JS. LANZON. Lansium domesticum Correa 39. LEMASA. Artocarpus champcden (Lour.) Spreng. 4o. LUMBANG. Aleutrites moluccana (Linn.) Willd. 41. LITCHI. Litchi chinensis Son. 42_ LONGAN. Euphoria Iongana Lam. 43_ MABOLO. Diospyros discolor Ww. 44_ l\fACOPA. Eugenia javanica Linn. 45_ MANGO. llfangifcra indica Linn. . . 46. MANGOSTEEN. Garctma mangostana Linn. 47_ MARANG. Artocarpus odoratiss;.na Blanco . 48 MELON. Cucumis melo Lmn. 49: MULBERRY. Marus alba Linn. . 50_ OLIVE. Olea curopaea Lmn. 51. PANGI. Pangium edule R~vt. 52. PAPAYA. Carica papaya ~'"?· 53_ PARCHA. Passiflora launlolta Linn. 54. PEACH. Prumus persica (Linn.) 55. PEJIBAYE. Guilielma 11tilis Oer. 56. PILI.Canarium ovatum Eng. 57. PINEAPPLE. Ananas comosus (Linn.) Merr. 58. RAMBUTAN. Nephelinm lappaceum Linn. . 59. ROSELLE. Hibiscus sabdariffa L~~ 1· 60. SERA LI. Flaco11rtia ramontc 11 L'Hcr. . 61. SANTOL. Sandoricu"' koct1apc Merr. 62. SOURSOP. Annona m11ricata Linn. 63. SUGARAPPLE. Annona aquamosa Linn. (Continued on next page) 16 With Otir Crops ... (Continued fn1m page 15) 64. STRABERRY. Fragraria ciiiloensis Deh. 65. TAMARIND. Tamarindus indica Liiin. Ci6. TIESSA (Canistcl). Lncuma nervosa A. De. 67. WAMPI. Clausena lansimn (Lour.) Skeels 68. ZAPOTE. Diospyros ebcnastcr Retz. JX.-Be-nragcs: (4 crops) 1. CACAO. Theobroma rn~ao Linn. 2. COFFEE. Coffea 3. MATE. Ilex paraguayensis Si. H. 4. TEA. Thea sinensis Linn. X. -\'egctables and beans: (54 crops) J. AMPALA YA. Momordic diarantic Linn. 2. ASPARAGUS! Asparagus officinalis Linn. 3. BAMBOO. Bambosa spinosa Roxb. 4. BATAO. Dolichos ·Tablab Linn. 5. BEETS. Beta \-ulgaris !fog. 6. CABBAGE. Brassica oleracea \•ar. capitata Hort. 7. CAMOTE. lpomoea batatas Linn. 8. CARROT. Daucns carota Linn. !I. CAULIFLOWER Brassica oleracea var. botrytis DC. JO. t::ELERY. Apinm graveolens Linn. 11. CHA YOTE. Schium edule s,v. 12. CONDOL. Benincasa hispida Cgn. 13. COWPEA. Bigna sinensis Savi. 14. CUMCUMBER. Cumnmis sativus Li11n. 15. EGGPLANT. Solunnm melongcna Linn. 16. GARBANZO. (Chick-pea). Ciccr arientinum Linn. ·11. DADIOS. Cajunus indicus Spreng. 18. DATURAY, Sesbania grandflora Pers. 19. DINY AN. Antidesma ·ghaesembilla Gtr. 20; KUCHI. Allinm tuberosum Roxb. Zl. LETTUCE: Lactuca sativa Linn. 22. LIBATO. Basella rubra Linn. 23. LTMA. Phaseolus ·runatus Linn. 24. LOTUS. Nefumbium nelumbo Dru. 25. MALUNGAY. Moringa oleifera Lam. 26. MUNGO. Phaseolus aureus Roxb. 'Zl. MUSHROON. Agaricaceae 28. MUSTARD: Br'assic~ "integrifolia (West) 0. E. Schulz 29: ONION, "Alfium cepa' l,inn. 30. PATOLA. Lttffa Cylindrica - Roem. 31. 'PEAS, PI SUM SA TIVUM Linn. 32. PECHA Y. Brassica cernna F &H. 33. PEPPF.R. Capsicum annum Linn. 34. RADISH Rapl1anus sativns Linn. 3$. SEGUIDILLAS. Pspl1ocarpus tctragonolobus D.C. 36. SITAO. Vigna sinensis var sesquicledalis Fruw. 3i. SOYBEAN. Glycine max Merr. 38. SPINACH. Spinacia oleracea Linn. 39. SQUASH. Cucurbita maxima Dch. 40. STRING BEANS. Phaseolus vuJgaris Linn. 41. 1'A LINUM. Talinum triangu· !are \Vw. 42. TAPILAN. Phaseolus calcara· tus Roxb. 43. TOMATO. Lycopersicum culentum Mill. cs44. UPO. Lagenaria Jcncantha (Lam.) Rushy. Xl.-Spices, insecticidal and n1cdicinal plants: (15 crops) 1. BLACK PEPPER. Piper nigrum Linn. 2. CAMPHOR. Cinna11no11111m camphora 3. CASTRO BF.AN. Ricinu• communis 4. CINNAMON. Cinnamomum zcylanicum N ces. 5. CINCHONA. Cinchona ledgcriana 6. CLOVES. Caryophyllus aromaticus 7. COCA. Erythroxylu<11 coca 8. DERRIS. Dcrris Lour. 9. GARLIC. Allium sativum Linn. 19. GINGER. Singiber officinale Rose. II. MINT. Mentha arvensis Linn. 12. NUTMEG. Myristica fragrans 13. NUX-VOMICA. Strychnos nnx~vomica 14. ONION. Allium cepa Linn. 15. ST. IGNATUS BEAN Xll.-Cover crops and green manure crops: (15 crops) I. CADIOS. Cajanus cajan Linn. (cO\•er crop and green manure crop) 2. CENTROSEMA. Centrose-ma pubescens (cover crop) 3. CALOPOGANIUM. Calopogo· ninm muconoids (cover crop) 4. COWPF.AS. \7igna sinensis Sa. vL (Green manure crop) 5. CROTALARIA. Crotalaria juncea C. anajiroicles (cover crop) C. Usaramcnses ( and ) Soilless Gardening ... (Continued from page 12) logists. By this time it had been established that, if soil nutrients were to be usecf by 11lants, they must be present in solnble form. It was also known that the amount of soluble plant food in the soil was very small compared to that wl1icl1 was insoluble. This information provided a scientific basis for Knop's futnre work. However, methods had not yet been devised for measuring such propcrt ics of the solution as osmotic pressure. Nor did scientists have any dear idea as to what these properties might he. So, while knop knew that solutions which were too concentrated might prove harmful, he did not know how this harm was done. Nevertheless, in 1860 he succeeded in growing plants weighing many times more than their seeds and containing a much larger quantity of nutrient<. In 1868 buckwheat weighing 4,786 times and oats weighing 2,359 tion1es more than their original seeds: were protlucccl by others using Knop's method. This established beyond cloubr the fact that nonnal plants could he grown wi l h out soil. Knop had a fairly good idea of what clements were necessary. As early a5 1842 another i1l\'estigator had compiled a list of nine elC'mcnts which he bclic,·cd were the essential ones provided by the soil. A first concern of agricultural chemists and botanists was to determine which elements were needed and which were not. There was no unani-mous agreement on this point, nor is there today. From 1860 to about 1920 most scientists thought nitrogen, calcium. m~gnesium. phosphorus, potasium,. sulfur. and iron were the only essential elements from soil. But during the past (Continued on 11e::i:t page) and se,·eral (green manure) other species ( crop ) 6. INDIGO. lndigtifera hirsuta (Cover) I. indico thylla. 7. PATANI. Phaseolus lunatus Linn. (crop) 8. IPIL-IPIL. Leucaena glavca Linn. 9. PU ERA RIA. Pneraria javanica (cover crop) 10. SESBANIA. Sesbania scsbans green manure crop) II. SOYBEANS. Glycine max Linn. 12. TAPILAN. Phseolus calcaratus Roxb . 13. 1'EPHROSIA. Tephrosia canclida T. l1ookeriana (cover) and several ( crop ) otfier species ( · · · twenty years, as purer materials ha\•e become available for laboratory research, we have found that the "trace elcments"-boron, copper. zinc, and manganese-are also required. From a wide variety of compounds Knop finally selected calcium nitrate, mono-potassium phosphate, and magnesium sulfate as the chief ingredients of the nutrient solution. Each of these supplied two of the essential elements. Comsequently, he was able to keep the concentration of the solution at a low level, at which plants grow best. Nevertheless, Knop's choice of chemicals was not a good one. The compounds contained elements which were not used in the same quantities by the plants. As one was absorbed, an excess of the other was released and entered into another combination in the solution. In time the acid-alkaline reaction of the liquid changed. This was contrary to the pattern of nature• for the soil solution from which plants derive nourishment in agriculture changes very little if at all. Knop's nutrient solution, on the other hand, became progressively more alkaline. Knop realized this and specified that a good nutrient solution should be slightly acid. MOLECULES AND IONS Knop made this recommendation before the theory of electric dissociation of molecules was even dreamed of. It was known in his time that plants exercise "selective absorption" preferring some elements to others. On this principle it might be argued with some validity that it makes no difference how, or in what quantities, the various elements are supplied in the solution. The plants simply absorb what they want and leave the rest. Knop, like the other scientists of his time, had no way of knowing what effect this residue would ha\·e on the properties of the solution and on the plants themselves. Today the theory of electric dissociation of molecules tells us that salt molecules in a solution split up into particles, or ions, carrying positive and negative electrical charges. The possitive ions cannot exist unless an equal number of negative ions is also present. As it happens, plants prefer nitrate ions (No. 2) above all others of negative charge. For this reason nitrogen is absorbed quickly ancl, unless an equal number of positive ions is also absorbed, the solution will turn alkaline. The most preferred of the positi,·e clements is potassium. Consequently, there being no other modifying factors present, a good nutrient solution must have more nearly equal portions of available nitrogen and potassium than of any other elements. Each of the major elements in the solution must be considered in relation to another or the opposite electrical charge. KNOP'S FORMULA In Knop's formula of 1868 he added· to one liter of water, one gram of calcium nitrate, .25 gram of magnesium sulfate, .25 gram of mono-potassium phosphate, .12 gram of potassium chloride and a trace of iron chloride. In this mixture the ratio of positive potassium ions to negative nitrate ions is about two to eight. No wonder, then. that his solution turned alkaline shortly after plants began feeding from it. PLANT PHYSOLOGY Looking back upon Knop's experiments, we see that they threw considerable light upon the question of salt proportions in the solution. Before taking up this important point, however, let ns consider the influence of modern chooiical analyses upon water culture. New developments have made it -possible to measure the osmotic pressure of a solution. Osmotic pressure is a highly important physical property of the liquid. It derives its name from the process called os.mosis by_ which liquids pass through the permeable membranes of tissues of plants. The movement takes place from the . region of high water concentration into that o( the low. This is because water, like gas, always flows from high-pressure area into a low-pressure area. A solution high in solutes has fewer water molecules per unit volume than one low in solutes. The force of this flow acting on the dissolved substance in the solution and measured as the pressure they exert on a membrane through which they cannot pass is the osmotic pressure. If roots are immersed in a solution which is too concentrated, this pressure may cut down their intake of water or even draw water out of them. In this way the plants' life processes are deranged.· The osmotic pressure is also a 111easure of the number of molecules and ions in a solution. It is one of the three ways of expresi::ing the concentration of the liquid. The other two are by parts per million, or the ratio of chemicals to water by weight. and by melocular concentrations and osmotic properties played an important part in laying the foundation for hydroponics. Water culture supplied the answers to such important questions as what, when. how, why, and how much or certain clements arc necessary for plant growth. Many scientists in all parts of the world have contributed to the knowledge now amassed on these points. The technique used to determine what elements are essential was quite simple. A mixture was made from which one cerlain substance was missing, and the plant was then studied to see what effect lack of this element had upon it. The absence of those elements needed in large quantities ufoally had a more pronounced effect than that of those required in small amounts. This did not hold, however, for those elements which, like iron, play a specific ro1e in plant processes. The effect of these elements is treated in Chapter VII, "Symptoms." It has long been recognized that the composition of a plant does not remain ( Co11tlnued on neo:t page) EMPLOY SCIENTIFIC FARMING-MODERNIZE YOUR OFFICE EQl!IPM~NT }I FOR REPAIR * SALES * SERVICE * OF Ii * Typewriters *Adding * Cardex • Commercial ONE YEAR I * Calculators Machines Cabinets Safes l NEW AND GUARANTY * Checkwriters • Cash Registers * Electric Fans * Filing Cabinets REBUILT FOR OUR * Rex-o-Graph * Water coolers * Storage MACHINES Duplicators * Hardening Cabinets *Card Index MACHINES * Office Supplies Cabinets * Steel Safes Cabinets ALEX OFFICE EQUIPMENT CO., INC. 673-677 EVANGELISTA, QUIAPO, MANILA, PHILIPPINES R. J. MANAHAN SOFRONiO SANCHEZ LUIS R. SIANGHIO President Gen. Manager Sect.-T1·easm·er FARMING AND COOPERATIVES 17 Soilless Gardening ... ( Cont.inued from pq,ge 17) constant throughout its existence. This raises the question: Docs the food requirement of plants vary according to the conditions under which they grow> To explain the l"ariation in a plant's con1position, we consider tha~ it is t~ont posed of two parts; (1) the food which ii actually needs, and (2) that which it docs not need but stores up in its tissue. It is the second parl· absorbed during the latter part of the plant's growth, which causes variations in composition. It has been possible, by the use of water culture, to \\;thhold \"arying amounts of elements from plants during their latter growth stage. In this way scieutists ha,·e determined how much growth a plant can make from any gh-en quantity of nmrients absorbed during its early growth. In other words, it has been possible to find out just how much food the plant requires to grow normally at any age. From this we h:we learned that there is a period late in life when the plants absorb only a ver r small 8'1Tlount of nutrients. The question of how plants absorb their food has provided the b'\s;, for a most intriguing study. We know that they haye the power of selecL;ve a~sorp tion, being able to take one element The theory that some certain coonl.iination of chemicals' would ultimately prove to be the best under all conditions had lo be considered in the light of this fact. )low an element taken up separately by the plant is absorbed as an ion. Two ions of opposite charge taken in together will haYe the .,m~ •Hect on the solution as if they were unitcJ in the molecule of a chemical compound. 'l'his has a most important bearing- on the composition of nutrient solutions. For the reaction of the liquid remains most constant when elements arc absorbed as if they were complete molecules. Therefore, the clements should be paired in the solution. Each has an opposite which should be used at the same time, so that thev wi11 he aDsorhed as a unit. \:Valer culture experiments not only opened the way to this discoYery but also provided the knowledge as to which elements should be used together. From a great amount of such study a formula was finally evolved which incorporates the chief theoretical features as well as the evidence derh-cd from physiological studies and plant analyses. In this way the physiological basis for hydroponics was laid. The basic formula will be discussed IJllOrC fully in the chapter on nutrient so111tions. plant need? To answer this question we must first answer another; How much growth can a plant make from a given quantity of any one nutrient absorbed? By multiplying the weight of the plant by the percentage of each element it contains, we can determine how much of each has been absorbed. The plant may take in more of some foods than it nreds, so that composition is not always an accurate answer to our query. N cverthcless, we must know its composition not only al maturity but also during any of its Yarious growth stages. The elements within the plant stand in complementary relationship to each other. A heavy intake of one will lower the intake of others. Consequently, the amount of any certain cletnent contained in the plant may vary over a wide range. This fundamental complementary relationship between the .various food factors must be considered. If we know the range of variation in composition among the different plant parts· and the cause thereof, we can forecast how much growth a plant can obtain from a gi\·cn quantity of food. It was this knowledge which made it possible to compound a chemical formt.:la whirh would insure the most e-ffi::ient 11~c of all 1111tricnts. from a compound and leave the other. ,;==""=""""'~~~""""""""'~~~""""""""'"""°'~~=~~~~ '"""""~~ l How much of each elrmC"nls clocs Ilic The qul·~tion of why Yarious clements (Continued on page 20) & ST::.~ON-~I EARTHMASTER ITT PERFORMANCE AUTOMATIC CLUTCH POWER STEERING 2-WHEEL TRACTOR FULLY ENCLOSED II!:::;;::::•·~· REVERSE GEAR ~ - , ~3 1-1 P GASOLINE ENGINE BRIGGS GASOLINE ENGINES Model N Model BR In Stock - 1-1/2 Horsepower - 2-3/4 Horsepower 22 CLEARANCE For Future Delivery 18 Tread 26 or 36 by repositioning wheels; About 200 kilos plus wheel weights; Speed 1/3 to 8 kilometers per hour; 10 inch mold board plow-will plow about one hectare a day in average soil on ten liters of gasoline. Model NR-6 -1-i/2 Horsepower Model A -1-3/4 Horsepower Model B Model ZZ - 2-3/4 Horsepower - 6 Horsepower For naore particulars inquire at MANILA MACHINERY & SUPPLY CO., INC. 675 Dasmarifias, Manila Tel. 2-72-98 L. S. MENDIOLA 'f FURNITURE quality furniture * MODERN E AND ANTIQUE * UPHOLSTERED SEATS * INTERIOR DECORATIONS * REPAIRS AND REMODELLING * STORE FRONTS AND SHOWROOM & OFFICE: 237-243 T. PINPIN, MANILA MATTRESSES HY-MIN LIQUID FERTILIZER for Rice, Sugar, Onions, Truck Gardens and all Irrigated Crops PROVEN BENEFITS * Earlier Maturity of Crops * Increase in Crop yield, more tonnage per hectare * Improved quality of product "' 30 gallons equivalent to one ton dry fertilizer Available in 30 & 50 gallon drums and in quart bottles EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR YARAS & COMPANY, (FAR EAST) China Bank Bldg., Manila Tel. 2-80-93 FARMING AND COOPERATIVES 19 EDITORIAL FEATHER BROODER-ANSWER TO PHILIPPINES' BIGGEST POURTRY PROBLEM Tn the interest of Philippine .Agriculture ,it has been the policy of this magazine to learn the problems confronting our farmers today. 0!1e of the. major problems of poultry __ ra~sers in _and around Laguna, Rizal, Manila, Bulacan and Nueva Ec1Ja 1s the d1scoverv of the right kind of brooder. · For som~ime now, we ~ave been car.rying out correspondence, personal talk with poultry raisers, and trips to the different provinces mentioned above to see personally some of the more progressive poultry raisers to have a first hand information of their problems. These poultry raisers are unanimous in their experience that a new kind of brooder adapted to Philippine conditions has to be found yet. Not since the arrival of the few samples of the feather brooder imported by Dr. Santiago R. Cruz from the US, and after testing them on his poultry farm in Bocaue with excellent results, has the brooder problem been properly answered we might say, with conclusive proof. The Santa Maria poultry fanciers, the Bocaue poultry raisers, the Laguna, Rizal, Manila and Nueva Ecija poultry inv~stors will do well to check for themselves what Dr. Cruz is doing and the good results he has been getting. Of the initial chicks Dr. Cruz received from the US., he has had 100% non-mortality rate with the use of his feather brooders. Each unit af the feather brooder is good for 150 chicks with dimensions as foll~ws-34" long, 27 3/4" wide and 10" high. The picture on the cover will give one an idea of its simple and compact appearance. It is the most practical apparatus for giving the chicks warmth and closest to nature in principle, as if they were within their mother's brood. The feather brooder eliminates for the poultryman, the problem of the availability of current and impracticability of the use of generators with reference to electric brooders, not to mention not to mention their hifh cost: the problem of the tediousnese of using kerosene brooders during windy or stormy nights, not to mention the personal inconvinience they cause the poultryman. We believe, even in this early stage of its initial trial in the Islands, the feather brooder is the answer to the poultryman's search for a brooder adapted to Philippine climatic conditions and the' poultryman's limited purse. Soilless ·Gardening ... ( Ctn1.tinued from page 18) are needed has received a vast amount of study and undoubtedly will continue to draw attention for years to cor,)C. There is still much to be learned. At present our knowledge is limikd to those elements which are con•citurnt~ of specific chemical compounds or per· forms some definite function in pl:int life. Nitrogen is required as a raw material for proteins manufactured by the plant. It is the only element which we find fixed in <i speclfic chemical ·product 20 in practically the same amount that is absorbed, For this reason analysis of a plant for its nitrogen content will also reveal the amount of protein it contains. Phosphorus plays a part in the fomia.tion of new cells. It is particularly abundant in the growing parts of the root tips and enlarging shoots. At maturity large amounts of this element are stored in the seeds after having performed their specific function in the formation of new cells. Surfur is also a constituent of proteins. Magnesiwm is used in the synthesis of cholorphyll, the green colorOrganization Of ... (Contimted from pcige 11) 4. The practice of cooperation. 5. Business principles and practices. 6. Organization of cooperatives. 7. Snrvcy of present-day cooperatives. 8. The history and accornplicemcnts coopcra t iv es. MEANS AND METHODS OF EDUCATION IN COOPERA1'ION Thi: ulucational program then may be divided into different enterprises to covr:r the diverse needs of the members. The type• of education, its purposes, and the nature of the groups or indivi ... cluab to be reached usually determined the means to be adopted. Some of the i·mportant enterprises are: I. Study clubs for the literate and illiterate. 2. Kindergarten and primary schools. .l. Reading circles. 4. Editing and publication of news .. paprr~. 5. Fairs and community ascmbles. 6. Establishment of a collection. ing matter of plants. Calcium is a binding materia1 which holds together the cc11s of various plant tissues. So vital is this function that the absence of calcium causes more profound disturbances in many species of plants than docs lack of any other clement. .. Potassimn seems to act more or less as a helper lo other clements. It docs not enter into any specific chemical compounds inside the plant. The amount of nitrogen absorbed, hence the a•mount of protein that can be manufactured, is related to the absorption of potassium. Y ct the actual synthesis of protein by the plant appears to bear a closer relationship to the amount of calcium rather than potassium which is present. Iron is needed for the manufacture of chlorophyll but is not a constituent of the pigment. The function of the trace elements-boron, manganese, zinc, and cooper-has not been clearly established. It seems lo vary with the amount of light provided to the plant. Still this can be said for all clements, since light affects growth and is thus reflected in the nutrition of plants. There is no doubt that the data accumulated. through water culture cxpe~i rncntation facilitated the birth of the soilless method of crop production in 1929. It was certain to be discovered in time. No insnperable barrier to discovery remained once the general precepts had been established and it became known that crop production required a proper coordination of all the various growth-affecting factors. (CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE) 648 EVANGELIST A. MANILA ' DEALERS IN ENGINES: i li GRAY MARINE 4: Ji HERCULES 1i j/ 11 I I ~1 11 ~i ~i 11 11 }/ ~I ll ~ 1 1 1 INJECTION PUMPS PISTON RINGS OIL FILTERS MAIN BEARINGS INJECTORS TACHOMETERS "BUY rfHE RIGHT PARTS AND SA \,7E" * BALANCED READING * READING FOR INFORMATION * READING FOR INSTRUCTION * READING FOR ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRE YOUR THREE STARS FROM Farming and Cooperatives Journal ~l1 f JVJAILED TO YOU ONLY FOR }'JO.DO t li WRITE THE i l t~ 1 PHILIPPINE FARMERS ASSOCIATION < 1055 ARLEGUI MANILA ~ L===~~~ .. ~ .. ~~~~~="""""'~~=~=~~.~~=;:;=-==ro:~~~~~~~~~====' MANUFACTURER OF THE FAMOUS ·~ CENTRAL CONE TYPE RICE MII"I~ * THE PHILIPPINES - "OLD REI"IABLE" SINCE 1926 * * * * * '-'ASK THE MAN WHO OWNS ONE" AND SA VE 6;000,000 CA VANS OF RICE ANNUALLY OFFICE: FACTORY: 1515 Juan Luna, Tondo 1512 Sande, Tondo Manila