The Weekly Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 13

i 1 111011Ellt AILVI OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS EDITION ttlity U11011 (THE MID-WEST'S LARGEST FARM WEEKLY) Tity etztrs OKLAHOMA (:: ARKANSAS a 1 4 EDITION It II Ilt Jill tchtv 1 unolto Clim iitztr (THE MID-WEST'S LARGEST FARM WEEKLY) I''l :1 VOL 59 NO la KANSAS CITY WEDNESDAY MAY 19 194S I NO 13 voL 59 KA NS CITY AS WEDNESDAY MAY 19 194S 1 i 1 Double Profit Front Lime in Franklin County Missouri While Farmers Realize Benefits to Their Land Soil Improvement Association Takes "Middleman's" Profit for Distribution and Spends It for Gene eral Farm Good IPictures on Page 121 pies are tested under the supervi By Dow EVANS sion of Ragsdale county agent at 50 cents a sample (Newt Woe ot The Weekly Star) MON MO--One day in Only recently the association 1935 some 300 Franklin built County farmers portable forms for a septio At tank at a cost of $70 The forms M'' rent for $5 for each usage The association also owns forms for a concrete stock tank which rent for $2 The association also has pur chased a movie projector and a pub lic address system for Ragsdale's use Sodium chlorate and atlascide for the eradication of bindweed have been supplied to farmers by the as sociation at cost The association has furnished Ragsdale with seed and fertilizers he has needed for test plots Now this story has mentioned as soc iation finances only once and that was when the original mem bers chipped in their quarters to get the association going Where dors the money come from to do the things the association has done? There has been some small return from rental of equipment but that has not been enough to finance the association's activities Collect on a Commission and More of the Alfalfa Is Going to Dehydrators Valleys Where Soil Is Suited to High Production the Legume Are Dotted With Industrial Plants Dry the Green Material and Grind It Into for Use in Mixed Feeds RODERICK TURNBULL Editor et The Weektio Star) of farmers id rich valleys this spring big machines go alfalfa fields cut the crop and haul it dehydrators in a that has developed proportions in re TURNING GREEN ALFALFA INTO DRIED MEAL BECOMES A THRIVING INDUSTRY rl 4J ILATE4 I TURNING GREEN ALFALFA INTO DRIED MEAL BECOMES A THRIVING INDUSTRY ATIoN end 44clo 19 lit ()7 i htt te t111As to Jtist oo )Wii I urvo tIX 1 A 'rsp Illst Ifti)(P 4 A (0'1414L uoLumtat Ak ''4' i'A 'LIRA no ''t i i' 21 7----- i -z: 4 s2 --7-1l4 (- T'' 1 1111 I r1 lt ILIt' 0 i co 4' 4 Or tP" ip "e' 1 4 Nil' tejt 1 ill I 1 i it) 4 141 Z1(ri Q11 ft4 Z' Ik: Zi Nio A 11 lir 4 0 W'Illiat1 -7- c- Nii: 4y it 1 1 i tk i ii IlL 44 1 0-otiOk '''i '''''1741 oaow00t 44 04111ViiI st4014 v41101d1 4 ak 4' c' 1- i 9-t 44 0 tw 't '441'- prm 4 slu71' 4' 7 -3'' 0 CN' 4e A 1AilPtelrOge(41 $114drillisS i0e "0 3 4o A 2441414' A -Jg 's" ''rh-kx gV' 00' 4 siii: 0' IM 41100 1- 4 :1 "d1P-74r' 117: 'm' co: s4 2 r0rodr 4ev4 4 N4T '441 "kqeA zN1! ''''AAkih 1411hrxo 4 tA 67A447" A flpill' el5 40146" Wk" 1 11 4" -1-'4'z''' t4ttalio ir: 41 4- Et )6171" 7rklr 2 44 4 and More of the Alfalfa 410 In it''' '10' 1 Is Golno? to Dehydrators 1 (t I 1 Jr 4 I ftti 1 Valleys Where Soil Is Suited to High Production I I't- 1 1 the Legume Are Dotted With Industrial Plants 1 A til4t Dry the Green Material and Grind It Into I pt s411nt )1Akt 41 A 11 3 1 for Use in Mixed Feeds i iii iL It Itt- it'lt es fl RODERICK TURNBULL 0--00 4 4 Editor et The Weektio star) 1 AWRENCE i 111 a -1 -t 4atL of farmers id rich 4 sall $tP4 ti valleys this spring A 1 i big machines go to alfalfa fields cut I a te the crop and haul it fk- 1t dehydrators in a of 4 toTt' iliti i 4J that has developed i't-k lh A 41 i )Pekle proportions in re- V4 4 4 1 4 I 7 i 441' 1t 111 4 1 4 4 1 tsill :2 1tv 14 1 tr 4 00 ic ts 7 0 i 1 A 0 4 0 'TO jiit 4 4 1 k' 45tcot 16 l' lo1111 14 i 4 34 ire e4 4'' 1'4Iot 4 tfg 4 84 111-V ItTb oi i i P6- toa A A 10' '41' A rt kik 4 -e 9 A 4 111' 11 I I Iti I(' 1 4 I 1 1 i i 1 1 I 3 1' I i' 1 I 1 i 4 i 1 I i 1 i '4 I 't II I here and after clue deliberation filed past a table each man depositing a 25-cent piece That was the birth of the Franklin County Soil Improvement association The basic purpose of the no-capital-Mock nonprofit organization was to promote the production and use of agricultural limestone in the county iiince that day twelve years ago the goal has been accomplished hi a gigantic way Irt the dozen years the association has been operating it has promoted the application of approximately 350000 tons of limestone to the farm land of the county That would be approximately 7000 carloads or a hundred trainloads seventy cars to a train Into Debt to Finance Crusher The quarters the men deposited were used to pay the cost of incorporating the organization The association then went into debt in order to finance a man in setting up a quarry and lime crusher Prior to that time farmers who were using limestone on their land were digging the stone out of a ledge on their own or a neighbor's farm and then their neighbors would help them feed the stone through a portable crusher The new association made crushed limestone available for delivery to every farm The year of operation 1936 the association was instrumental in getting 3500 tons of lime spread The next year the figure Jumped to 7500 tons but in 1938 and 1939 the figure dropped a little below the 1936 tonnage In 1940 the lime business boomed with a total of 35415 tons of the mineral being spread Then in 1948 the total jumped to 49000 tons and last year the total hit the 51000-ton mark What does it take to become a member of the organization? The The requirements are few Any farmer who wants to use limestone on his land or rents any of the equipment owned by the association is a member So universal is the membership that the annual county soils and crops conference serves as the annual meeting of the association Purchased Lime Spreaders The acsociation got into the special equipment business early At the start the truck-mounted limestone spreader had not come into being so the association purchased small spreaders which are pulled behind a truck or wagon The association now has forty of these spreaders located over the county for the use of anybody who wants them Even with the advent of the truck-mounted spreaders the small spreaders are still used extensively since the farmer often is not ready to spread the lime when it Ls delivered Then there arose a need for equipment to build waterways in connection with terracing operations in the county So the association purchased twelve terracing blades for rental The 8-foot blades rent at 25 cents an hour The 6-foot blades are available at 20 cents an hour The outlay for the terracing blades amounted to approximately $1400 Then the association purchased ten farm levels for use by farmers in laying out waterways terraces and the like These are available without cost to the farmers This involved an outlay of $240 Finance Soil Laboratory In the latter part of 1948 the association purchased equipment for a soil testing laboratory and set it up in space made available by the Missouri Farmers association in Franklin County The laboratory Coat approximately $350 Boil sam tere and after due delibera- ion filed past a table each nan depositing a 25-cent dece That was the birth of he Franklin County Soil Im- movement association The basic purpose of the al-Mock nonprofit organization as to promote the production and Ise of agricultural limestone in the ounty dince that day twelve years Lgo the goal has been accomplished It a gigantic way Iri the dozen ears the association has been 0P- rating it has promoted the appli- ation of approximately 350000 tons limestone to the farm land of he county That would be approxi- lately 7000 carloads or a hundred rainloads seventy cars to a train Into Debt to Finance crusher The quarters the men deposited 'ere used to pay the cost of in- orporating the organization The ssociation then went into debt in Here is the money source The association sells all of the limestone produced by the seven limestone quarries in the county The quarries merely take orders and deliver the mineral Each Saturday they bring in to Ragsdale who serves as secretary of the association the invoices on all the lime they have delivered during the last week The association pays them for the amount shown on the invoices Then the association collects from the farmers and the AAA if the farmer Is getting a government payment for using the mineral For this service the limestone producers pay the association 10 cents a ton The association bears any losses on collections On business prior to 1946 the essociation failed to collect only $1825 There Is $329 owed on lime delivered in 1946 and $003 in debts outstanding on lime delivered last year Ragsdale expects a large part of the debts of the last two years to be paid The association has a contract with the AAA on the delivery of lime Last year the AAA paid $125 a ton of the cost of lime delivered to the farm The price of lime last year wm $250 delivered to the farm and $3 a ton spread on the field When Invoices are delivered to the association the quarry operator gets $2 40 or $290 depending on whether the lime was spread The association collects the $125 front the AAA and $125 or $175 front the fanner Still Borrow Money This operation has allowed the association to build up approxi mately $9000 in its treasury This still is not enough to handle the lime business in the busy season and each year the association hal to borrow money on short-term notes to handle the business Last year the association had approximately 2000 lime customers There are 3427 farms in the county The 2000 farmers signed up with the AAA operate approximately 80 Per cent of the crop land in the county The lime users last year were virtually all men signed up for AAA payments The lime delivered last year through the association was spread on 15000 to 20000 acres of land The results of the liming progrant are evident all over the county Wherever one goes there are legume growing abundantly The county le a heavy producer of milk and the legumes have added greatly to the supply of pasture and hay for dairy herds "Ask most every farmer In the county how much of his land is limed" Ragsdale said "and he will have to stop and figure it up But (See DOUBLE PROFIT Page 2) ii1011741txmogiratlimornmetimazw reZfrivibmou014atriabiallet a company of Neodesha Ka The picture was taken as a hydraulic hoist had lifted a trailer truck to dump a load of alfalfa onto a conveyor Gas heat is used ha the dehydrator The heating system on a Small plant at tawrence Kas is shown at the lower left Flame from three jets blows through a fire tunnel into the revolving drum containing the alfalfa The drum can be seen dimly in the background The dehydrating companies harvest the alfalfa crop for the farmer and transport it to the drying plants The wozk is done with field choppers which cut and chop the alfalfa and blow It Into trailer boxes A machine in action on the Alfred Heck Sons farm near Lawrence Has is shown at the lower Star photographs) eint 64102k100440 4w alfalfa has developed tremendously dehydrating plants naturally are located sections where alfalfa is produced platitrii that In the photograph becoming familiar sights The plant is owned by the Kaw Dehydrating is a conveyor on which a load been dumped The conveyor carries which is not visible in this can be seen near the center of the load of alfalfa dehydrator loaded on a flat rail the Fairfax industrial district of plants owned by the Small THE WEATHER toward the final results of the 1 Kansas had killed weeds in most experiment I eases None of them seemed ready to None or them seemea reaay to venture predictions just yet but there appeared to be an undertone of feeling that the new aeronautical approach to weed control will be something that will help greatly in solving a problem as old as agriculture eliminate much herd costly labor and in-creme production were being required for one ton of meal Cutting was being done in a itt) 1 field almost too wet for the tractor Siscoe said his plant operated 200 days last year The dehydration company harvest methods appeal to farmers for two reasons said William Farley super- intendent of a plant at Rossville Kas owned by the Kaw Dehydrat- ing company First is the fact that 4 the company does the work thus ries the farmer has to supply neither labor nor equipment Second is the safety factor Alfalfa that is cut and taken from' the field immedi- ately does not run the threat of rain spoilage as does a crop cut for hay I 'r Dried In Revolving Drums Gas heat is used in the dehydra- 1 tors in the drying process The chopped alfalfa is elevated into a I fl huge revolving drum Inside the drum are louvers which keep the chopped alfalfa in motion as the drum turns Intense heat from the gas fire blown into one end of the drum drys the alfalfa The dry material still a bright green comes out the other end of the drum to PTHE business Of dehydrating i fall into a hammer mill where it is I in recent years The dehyd ground in a flour-like meal The 1ritarrIls sacked in river valleys or irrigated se 1 Equipment varies as to construe- abundantly In these areas such tion but in many the gas heat is graph at the upper left are bec blown through a tunnel into the shown is at Rossville Kas and 1 end of the dehydration drum The company Directly in the foregro flame actually flares into thb drum and to the onlooker it appears that of freshly chopped alfalfa has be it should inevitably burn some of the alfalfa to a dehydrator dri the alfalfa to a crisp So many picture A drum on a second unit persons had believed this as a cer- photograph as well as a trailer 11 tainty that several years ago a newspaper was torn to bits and run At the upper right is a portal through a dryer The bits of paper car This outfit stationed in I came out whole some scorched a Kansas City Kansas is one of th tiny bit on the edges Silker related "The alfalfa cannot burn until it reaches the 'kindling stage" Silker Weeds in Wheat' explained "There is not time for the green material to reach this I I i to 24-D stage as it is churned in the hottest end of the dehydration drum" The dried alfalfa comes out of Western Kansas the "cool" end of the drum at about 250 to 300 degrees he added folds the Protein But Air Spraying Must Principal object of dehydrating Be Interrupted as Crop the alfalfa is to retain the high pte protein and carotene content of the Is Beginning to Head green plant The dehydrating plants sell their prottuct to mixed feed Hays Kas--The first phase of an manufacturers Most of it is used aerial attack with 2 4-D On weeds in poultry feeds although more and in wheat in Central and Western more is going into swine and cattle feeds Nearly every agriculture Kansas is drawing to a close as the wheat begins to head Spraying college in the country is running must be halted after the heading experiments on the use of dehy- drated alfalfa in livestock feed starts until the kernel is formed Silker said It also is used in corn Then the attack on weeds can be mercial rabbit fox and dog feeds resumed Don Pratt persident of The meal is sold on the basis of the PT Air Service Inc explained its protein content the rating usu- The PT Air Service has twenyally being 15 per cent 17 per cent two conventional type planes en-or 20 per cent protein Prices will gaged in the spraying work in West vary $3 to $7 a ton as the protein Central Kansas content varies Quotations on the Weeds in Late Crop meal fluctuate with the seasons This is the first year the 2 4-D crop conditions and so forth Last has been used extensively on wheat week it was worth $45 a ton Silker in Kansas The lateness of the crop said It has been down to $3750 which put it in competition with and up to $85 The drought in the weeds made the need more acute Mid-West and in California hiked this year than would be normal the price last year The new chemical 2 4-D came along The carotene or pro-vitamin A at the right time to meet Oil sit-content in alfalfa meal is expressed uation in the trade in international units Pratt's company started spraying of vitamin A per pound A high April 29 Wheat must be fully figure is 100000 units per pound tillered before the spray is applied The carotene content as the protein he said The first spraying period content must be determined in a thus can run from the tillering stage laboratory 4 1 until heading begins a matter of Riboflavin another vitamin also a few weeks Recent warm weather is present in the meal as is panto- has caused the wheat to head rapidthenic acid and several other sub- ly Some of the latest wheat is stances said to be necessary in the burning instead of heading and is complete diet for poultry and live not worth the expense of spraying stock at this time A rain in the next few Work Under Verbal Agreements days might still bring it along After the wheat kernel has been The dehydrating companies gen- erally do not contract with farmers formed the spraying may proceed again and this should clean out the for a certain acreage each year weeds ahead of harvest the air Most agreements are verbal In the first place the dehydrators company president said are located where they are available A Small Part Sprayed to good land that will produce heavy Pratt said he had no idea yet crops of alfalfa They naturally run haw many thousands of acres had into competition with hay prices been treated with the 24-D but it and what the land will produce in is only a small part of the total other crops in getting alfalfa for acreage With twenty-two planes processing Working agreements his company could spray from which are recognized as fair to 10000 to 15000 acres a day if the all usually develop Siscoe corn fields were in blocks where they mented For instance if a farmer could be reached easily wants to save a cutting for hay he Pratt reported that the spraying thus far had been eats- will tell the plant manager ahead work done of time so that the manager will factory Farmers who waited to I not be counting on it On the other see if the weeds actually were killed hand if the plant has more than it and now wanting the work done on can handle it will warn its farmer- their farms are too late because their wheat is in the heading stage suppliers so that they can make in tin tho lost imrait Pr HE business of dehydrating in recent years The In river valleys or irrigated abundantly In these areas such at the upper left are shown is at Rossville Kas and company Directly in the foreground of freshly chopped alfalfa has the alfalfa to a dehydrator drum picture A drum on a second unit photograph as well as a trailer At the upper right is a portable car This outfit stationed in Kansas City Kansas is one of the In Kansas The lateness of tne crop put it in competition with made the need more acute this year than would be normal new chemical 2 4-D came along at the right time to meet Oil sit- uation Pratt's company started spraying April 29 Wheat must be fully tillered before the spray is applied he said The first spraying period thus can run from the tillering stage until heading begins a matter of a few weeks Recent warm weather has caused the wheat to head rapid- ly Some of the latest wheat is burning instead of heading and is worth the expense of spraying at this time A rain in the next few days might still bring it along After the wheat kernel has been formed the spraying may proceed again and this should clean out the weeds ahead of harvest the air company president said A Small Part Sprayed Pratt said he had no idea yet haw many thousands of acres had been treated with the 24-D but it is only a small part of the total acreage With twenty-two planes his company could spray from 10000 to 15000 acres a day if the fields were in blocks where they could be reached easily Pratt reported that the spraying work done thus far had been Batts- factory Farmers who waited to if the weeds actually were killed and now wanting the work done on their farms are too late because their wheat is in the heading stage get in on the last spray- were being required for one ton of meal Cutting wastbef ingthdeotnreacitnor a field almost too ar his wet for 200 I da Svsisel The dehydration company harvest methods appeal to farmers for two reasons said William Farley super- intendent of a plant at Rossville Kas owned by the Kaw Dehydrat- ing company First is the fact that the company does the work thus r400 the farmer has to supply neither labor nor equipment Second is the and taken from the field immedi safety ately factor Alfalfa that is cut does not run the threat of rain spoilage as does a crop cut for hay Dried in Revolving Drum 0 Gas heat is used in the dehydra- tors in the drying process The 2 chopped alfalfa is elevated into a I huge revolving drum Inside the drum are louvers which keep the 71 i chopped alfalfa in motion as the drum turns Intense heat from the gas fire blown into one end of the drum drys the alfalfa The dry Alvtays a Costly Problem "I've always fought weeds" he said "Weed control is one of the Imoit costly problems on the farm" "If spraying will kill the weeds it will be well worth the $225 an acre it costs" Young said He commented that an Increase of only slightly over a bushel an acre in production at current prices would pay for the cost of spraying There wu a general attitude of quiet expectancy among the wheat growers watching the demonstration "It's too late to go very far with spraying this year" was their comment But they mentioned how thoroughly spraying done recently with conventional type airplanes on several wheat fields in Western (Special forecast by the weather bureau in Katmai City for Wednes day Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday) Missouri Kansas Oklahoma Arkansas Southern Nebraska Southern Iowa Eastern Colorado and Texas will average 5 to 10 degrees above seasonal normal with no marked daily changes until generally cool weather sets in Saturday or Sunday There will be a few widely scattered nighttime thundershowers mostly in the western portions of the area followed by more general rains Saturday or Sunday Amounts of rainfall will average about one-tenth inch in the western half and close to one-fourth inch in the eastern half of the area More Crop Itil er of Which Meal BY Mesoctote I AAWRENCE dreds river are watching into their and chop away to business into huge 11 li illort Crop I River l'a I of 1 win Wh 25-- 0 l'' Mei I BY lby muoctote A AWR drec rive lige are watch into their Fis thf and chop away to business I into huge ith in client id rot or nay ected verat Islla Iron 1 fiber tan Inven pack t' i At 4s itSjiiAc 'lit '111! c'' 4 RNA env) nwo rs not Insist ealer Ny limit Stet deli--- 1 1 1 I I 'T-) I i're Tri ire ed a a re er- 1er ma all )ur ge ou -00 IQ More Crop "11 Itiver I of win Which 50 Meal 2 BY lw Mesoctote A I dreds river lige are watching into their Ft4 thf and chop k7o away to business i into huge ith in client Id rot of hay 'co ed N'erat i I Iron Elect Lindsborg Boy Manhattan Carlson of Lindsborg will be president of Alpha Zeta honorary agriculture fraternity at Kansas State college the coming year Other new officers are Fletcher Riggs Kansas City scribe Howard Lindholm Cheney treasurer Harry Ainslie Hartwick chronicler cent years The dehydrating plants marked by tall chimney-like structures are becoming common sights along the Kaw river from Lawrence west The dehydrators may be seen on the Missouri rivet from Kansas City down to Orrick and on east They are numerous along the Platte river in Nebraska and along the Arkansas in Southern Kansas A few are in operation in Oklahoma and Arkansas There are several in Colorado Center in Kansas and Nebraska The biggest concentration of the dehydrators is in Kansas and Nebraska Kansas Nebraska Colorado and Missouri have well over half the dehydrator drying capacity in the nation accordingtcrItatpt014 Silker director of research for the Small company Inc operator of forty of the 'dehydrating plants Small at Neodesha Kas is credited with inaugurating the alfalfa dehydrating business west of the Mississippi river He built his first plant in 1931 Silker was not sure just what progress had been made in the dehydration of alfalfa for alfalfa meal in the East prior to that time but whatever it was it has been left far behind in the deyelopement made since in the Middle West 1 In the 1946-47 USDA fiscal year 566700 tons of dehydrated alfalfa meal was produced This compared' to 481000 of sun cured alfalfa meal The sun cured product once was produced far in excess of the dehydrated alfalfa meal Using the total output as a criterion Silker estimated that there probably are about 240 dehydrator plants in the United States The usual plant will make about 2500 tons of meal a season He also estimated that a plant would cost from $50000 to $100000 Output Doubles in Three Years Total output from the dehydrators in the 1943-44 year was 245400 tons Comparing this with the 1946- 47 figures one can readily see that production has more than doubled' in the short period involved When dehydration of alfalfa first was started the alfalfa was cut in the field loaded on wagons hauled to the dehydrator where it was pitched off into a chopper and than was elevated into a dryer Today It is cut and chopped in the field blown by the chopper into big trailer trucks hauled to the dehydrator and automatically unloaded The farmer has nothing to do With the harvesting operation The dehydrator company owns and operates the harvesting equipment The farmer Is paid on the weight of the dry material produced This will tem about one ton an acre per cutting Present prices are $10 a ton The price varies from year to year and from cutting to cutting Today's price is rather low it was explained at some of the Kaw vatky plants when compared to prices on Other farm products At other times the alfalfa price has been highly favorable to comparisons to other crops About four tons of green alfalfa will produce one ton of meal The Other three tons all moisture go off as vapor in the dehydrating Plants and when the temperature is right a cloud of steam may be seen coming from the pipes of the drYers A sweetish odor follows the wind away from the dehydrators Hay Is Cut Early The alfalfa is cut for the dehydrator earlier than It would be for oaT The crop is not allowed to bloom Cuttings are thirty to thirty-live days apart Five cuttings a Year are expected and six cuttings are not uncommon Bilker said Alfalfa in the Kew valley will last four or five years before the crop Plays out Dehydrators operate day and night and stop only when fields are ts) muddy for the use of machinery dews or Just plain wet alfalfa not halt operations Of course re is more moisture to remove L'I't week Siscoe manager of Small company plant near Lawrence said five tons of green alfalfa cent year The dehy by tall chin becoming cc Kaw river The dehydrs Missouri lit down to Orr are numero Nebraska in in Southern operation in sas There 1 Center in I The blggei dehydrators braska Kar and Missour the dehydra the nation Silker direct Small tor of fort: -plants Sma credited wit falfa dehydr the Mississir first plant it sure just wl made in the for alfalfa ill that time has been la velopement Middle West In the 194 566700 tons meal was prt to 481000 meal The was produce dehydrated i Using the terion Silke: probably are plants in th usual plant tons of meal mated that ri $50000 to sit Output Dou Total outp tors in the 1 tons Comps 47 figures oi production I in the short When deh: was started the field loa to the pitched off ii was elevated It is cut am blown by the trucks haul and automat The fermi with the har dehydrator crates the The farmer of the dry will run aboi cutting Pr( ton The to year and I Today's prici eXplaInPd at ky plants on Other far times the a highly rayon other crops About foul will produce Other three as vapo Plants and is right a cl seen coming drYers A sweetish away from tl Day The alfalfr drator earlie hay The cr om tti blo five days a 11 1 'il Year are exp are not unco faifa in the four or five plays out Dehydrator niuht and st( fon muddy fo dews dn not halt there is MOr La A 't 'eek Et a Small corn tnce said fi cent years The dehydrating plants marked by tall chimney-like structures are becoming common sights along the Kaw river from Lawrence west The dehydrators may be seen on the Missouri rivet from Kansas City down to Orrick and on east They are numerous along the Platte river in Nebraska and along the Arkansas in Southern Kansas A few are in operation in Oldahoma and Arkan- sas There are several in Colorado Center in Kansas and Nebraska The biggest concentration of the 7 ALMANAC Sun Sets Wednfa 1:21 pm Wk later 7:33 pm Moon Seta ni1Wednes 3:12 am mIWa later 7:39 cm 22 THE Sun Rises wednes 5:02 a Wk later 4:57 a Moon Rises Wedoes 4:03 0 Wk later 7:25 Pun moon MIT lit I a A 111 a 4rptiitt z1v: 1- i 4 4 0 0 o'' 4- IL t- ti 4 16 oat): lir -ON 11 I 1 2' It '44 'fl X': $-a A 4 (''''' 4 11 401411 V4' tOViZT44710100 4i' 4 i ft'' '4 1 2 '41tP 1 I 4 wt 4 5 l' '414' AlkA'Ititio4' '41 '1) Vii 14 4 44 64 itlelf g6o4it41'40111s4 411" A 1 1114 I'f' :114 kir (I 1 is? 41 1W A 4 a Ot ''e" --k 1'-' ----A 4 1 '--1 14440 1( tirtikr A tt- t' f' 4'17 iti'4Z4' -1 '0 ''''f 'I -4 -4 115- fy- :444 i 'T 4 4 7 1'711 -1-'-ir 44 l' -oT'4 0 1' 01' 7 1 Ira? 44 7 4 4i' 1 c41' 11 mm 0 I --p A A 1 4" yol: i7 i QUiL :61 'rei4e tPtA krfrir-' -3' e1 7 sqb- ittel 1 1 41 C7a 441' ofti 5r4 P' le 110::: 411f Kas conventional type and hell-which copter planes were brought to-weeds gether for a demonstration on weed spraying on windy days The hunThe dreds of persons who watched the demonstration were left undecided on the relative merits of the feren aircraft Both types of aircraft performed but the catch was that the wind didn't blow Only a light breeze was blowing as the helicopter took off for its first run and soon there was an almost dead calm But farmers gathered in groups to watch with admiration the ell-not ciency of the air-borne weed slayers as the Bell helicopter skimmed rapidly back and forth at about forty miles an hour over the field less than ten feet above the wheat to ra 170 acres Then three small 'P "cub" planes took to the air to treat 100 more acres in an adjoining field Hundreds of cars lined roads around the wheat fields John Gibbs of Norwich Conn piloted the helicopter during the demonstration which was sponsored by William A Ong Kansas City president of Aerochemical Inc Observers generally agreed with the contention of of Niagara Falls Bell Aircraft engineer here for the demonstration that the thrust of the main motor on the helicopter gained an in-see creased efficiency for the job by whipping the spray downward Th spray is dispensed through nozzles in a 20-foot boom under They may the helicopter The spray goes trig schedule ten feet each way beyond the Pratt said his company intended 'end of the boom Cronce said ma-1 to move its planes soon to South ing a swath of approximately fort and North Dakota feet A Test at Dodge City Young owner of the wheat Sunday afternoon at Dodge City which was sprayed was looking '24e 4'4 I too tv 74 444'11 4 and two motor cars The designation "Hammtown population 27" is painted on the sides of the trailer houses Last year the traveling town's population was twenty-three but two more combines have been added this year Hammtowm is heading for Vernon Tes'1 where the wheat is ready for harvest The outfit will work north through the harvest ending the season near the Canadian border Mason Brunton principal of the grade school at Perry is general superintendent of the Hammtown harvest crew through the summer School was out last Friday He left with the outfit (Weekly Star photograph) 4r1111 rt tgt "'71(''4'''' '-'17- ki 4r44 1s- i-'''f r1 HAMMTOWN POPULATION TWENTY-SEVEN gets the highball from its owner Hamm of Perry Kea as it lines up on the highway just west of Perry to start for the wheat harvest fields in Northern Texas Hamm is shown standing on the lead truck Hammtown is a traveling harvest city Included in the line as the huge mechanized harvest outfit moved west in the early morning sunshine this Tuesday were ten 14-foot Massey-Harris combines on trailers pulled by ten trucks four trailer houses equipped for sleeping and dining a maintenance truck with an electric light plant supply truck gasoline water and pickup trucks other arrangements Some of the farmers supplying us alfalfa this year have been with us since this plant was opened in 1935" Siscoe added One plant can handle the crop from 500 to 800 acres a season 'i4 i 41 If '54' I I PIENIMEIMOIMMWMOMM.