Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-10-11
GEO. w. PECK.
The CLONE MissiOnary's" Views on Agri-
culture an Kindred Topics.

and there should seem to be indications
of rust, Would take piece Of flannel
cloth, saturate it with OIL and 90 over
it myself and wipe off the rust. Such a
process will work wonders on shot
gun. Why will it not do on field of
wheat? This may seem impracticable
to some, and may be scoffed at, but we
must remember that every new idea
that has been advanced by scientific
men has been laughed to scorn, until it
proved successful.
Again, it is admitted that the rusting
of wheat is caused by rain and sunshine,
spread on a little too thick. Nature
furnishes rain and sunshine, but she
does not, at all times, place them where
they will do the most good. She seems
to depend upon man to utilize what she
furnishes Now, why not erect awnings
over a field of wheat. made so as to be
rolled up when you desire the sun, or
rolled down when you have got enough.
You arrange to control the elements of
nature on your cranberry marshes, why
not buy striped tent cloth, and control
the sun and rain on your wheat fields?
These tents would add 10 the appear
ance of farm, and make a good place
for tramps to sleep. Before leaving the
subject of wheat, permit me to allude
to the oft-repeated cry OF chlnch bugs.
1t does seem to me that those bugs can
be summarily disposed of at very little
expense. Most farmers have self-raking
reapers. 1t would be but little trouble
to attach fine tooth combs to the arm
that holds the rake, and go over the
field and comb the bugs out of the
heads of the grain, as is done on a small
err scale at an early period in the exist
ence of nearly every man. Ii this
method is considered too wearing upon
the thumb-n nails, solution can be pro-
cured at drug store that will destroy
chinch bugs or kill every head of
wheat.
These suggestions are crude, but they
are thrown out in the hope that the in
ventive genius of the land will find an
idea that can be improved upon. The
elements, rain, and sun, and wind, and
cold are AT time against us, and there is
no rule that can be adopted that will
succeed always, and we get tangled
when we think how nature sometimes
slops over. For instance, up in La
Crosse valley this spring farmer got
drunk, and remained drunk three weeks,
while all his neighbors were sowing
their wheat, and he never turned fur
row. The all pitied him and his fami-
ly, as they looked at their fields OF
wheat all dragged in nicely. He sobered
up about the time that wheat was
sprouting, and went to work and plowed
and sowed. The result was, that the
wheat sowed early was destroyed by
rain. rust, and nine kinds of bugs, and
they never cut it at ALL while the drank
en- man had twenty-five bushels to the
acre. do not mention this as an argu-
ment for farmers getting drunk for Two
weeks in the spring, Dut to illustrate
how uncertain everything is in this
wicked world.
There are 50 many Improvements that
can be inaugurated on farm that it is
hard to tell where to commence. Ii the
awning project is good Tor sun and rain,
why is not a gigantic s,reet-spTinkler
good for drought, where a farmer is not
provided with water works and hose?
With a sprinkler the field could be kept
wet, and the time occupied would Eeep
the farmer from going to town with a
two-horse ,eam TO purchase spool OF
thread.
The artificial propagation of fish has
attracted much attention ,aic years, and
the success of experiments has shown
that every farmer who has Il stream Of
water on his land can raise fish enough
to get rich III five years, four months
and twcnty-one days. The Matching of
fish eggs has become an important fac
tor in the food production of the cOu1-
try, and many farmers, whose setting
around has heretofore produced moth
ing but patches on the elbows Of the
pants, have found that the noble indus
try of setting is productive of much
wealth. There is no labor in Matching
fish. All you have to do is to procure
eggs. place them in the water, and let
nature take it's course. A farmer who
has good fish pond is an object of in
terest, and he will find that visits from
city friends with fish-poles will be too
numerous to mention. TO raise fish
successfully man needs well-inten-
toned bulldog and shotgun that goes
off accidentally when it is not loaded.
The artificial propagation OF amphib
ious animals will follow the success Of
raising fish, aud the time is not far dis
tant when every farmer whose farm is
located on the Fox river will have a
school of hippopotamus. These animals
are easy to raise, and can be artiiciaIly
propagated, and the selling price is
quoted at $25,000. From the sale of two
or ,hree good Appropriateness IA year
the farmer would become more indepen-
dent than if he owned brewery.
Many farmers are discovering that
there is plenty OF money i'll the dairy
business, and butter Is getting to be an
every day occurrence, and cheese fills
want long felt. However, many men 90
into the cheese business who do not I'M
derstand it, and the consequences are
that the market is full of cheese that
does not average well. Some pick their
cheese before it is ripe, while others let
it remain on the vines until it will drive
tramp out OF smoking-car. If there
is any doubt as to il cheese being ripe it
should be plugged. If the core is red,
and it looks like nice, cool summer re-
sort in there, it is safe to pick it. a
Bohemian on the train last night had
some cheese in his vest pocket that was
too ripe, and the conductor had to disin-
feet the car and order the Bohemian to
be quarantined before the train was al
lowed to enter the city Cheese is all
right in its place, but it don't want to
be allowed to lay above ground too
long after it has departed this life. If
farmers will pay little attention to
cheese in it's different stages, much
trouble can be avoided In union there
is strength. SO there is in smoking
car.
There is an industry, my friends, that
seems to be entirely monopolized by one
or two counties in the southern part Of
the State, in which more money can be
made, according to the investment, than
in any other species of agriculture. |
allude to the raising of wolves, in order
to sell the scalps to the State. You de-
vote good deal of time and labor to
the raising Of sheep, and what do you
get for it? The best sheep cannot lay