Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-08-03
MurrayvIlIe, Ills.

Few seasons have been more dis
couraging To the farmer. The spring
was excessively wet, except for short
time in April. and corn planting was
delayed till June. and even July. Il
/ Is common to find fields that were
planted three times over, some even
/ four times. and few after being
planted the fourth time were sown to
| millet. About the middle of June a
cutworm played havoc in many patches,
and then a small green worm infested
the leaves and ate into the heart of the
late planted corn. Cut-worm in June,
| and in hot weather, is something un-
known here before; and the catapillar,
pow infesting the young corn, is also
| a stranger.
Wheat was mostly winter killed; and
the few fields left were infested with
Hessian fly. ard some cainch. This is
the third wheat failure here, consecu-
lively. and probably very small av-
erage will be sown this fall as farmers
are getting poorer every year and
many cannot afford TO buy seed even
If they were sure Of a good crop.
Oats were good; timothy heavy; and
clover good, where it lived through
the winter. Potatoes are plentiful;
but fruit will be poor and wormy.
Anent this matter of worms, bugs, and
other creeping critters, it is a matter
to be noted that birds are fewer in
number, and variety, than several
years ago. This year there is a mark
ed deGAase, and some kinds are miss
ing altogether. The meadow lark is
rarely heard or seen; the robin has
grown scarce; the linnet is as scarce
as the lark: and the house martin dis
appeared some years ago. Wrens
failed to appear this year, and so did
the blue bird; while even the black
bird seems to have left Us. 1t is es-
timated that a birdless land cannot
supply human food for more than one
decade; and while this estimate may
not be correct. as it takes no note of
insects that prey upon other insects, it
is doubtless approximate and we shall
do well 10 heed such warning.
Let me commend ..Rusticusn for his
opposition to and condemnation of the
military spirit: 1t is spirit that re-
coils upon itself. | believe in the
adage-''In time ot peace prepare for
war, but The best preparation for
war Is one that most promotes peace.
Give everyone al opportunity of Sc
curing a home of his own, where he
may sit under his own vine and fruit
tree, no mortgage-holder daring to
modest or make hirH afraid of fore
closure, and you will do more to make
the country strong, more, without
doing anything 10 provoke war. than
you could possibly do by raising,
dD0 uFIlI4up anu
navies. or calling q thousand silly con-
ferences like that at Hague.
During 1889 ffty-two out of every
one hundred American farmers were
homeless renters; while in the towns
and cities, the case was even worse.
Count the mortgaged with the home
less and the matter is bad indeed. The
whole country Is fast pproximating
the condition of New York City where
ninetyfour out of every hundred are
homeless and two per cent. of owners
are morigaged. The recruits We are
sending to the Philippines now, if re-
ports are correct. ought 10 be given
flag of solid black, and not the stars
and stripes.
We should heed such questions more
or events viii bring US up with a
round turn one of these days.
July p, 1899 VIM CAMM.
Tba Paef Penn cdr 4o- Tl-v