Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-07-04

The month of May, just passed, was
unique in the fact that there was not
where the writer lives particle of
electrical display or disturbance, some
thing which we never knew to happen
before.
Happy is that man who is not con-
fronted with the agricultural problem
of being compelled to apply sc many
dollars worth Of fertilizer to his land
before he can hope to secure any sort
of a crop.
One western county maintains
county farmers institute and has
monthly gatherings the year round.
The summer meetings are given a pic
mic turn, and the system is one to be
commended.
Existing prices for farm products, il
continued, will Justify O. still higher
valuation of farm lands. Land which
will bring in the owner a net return of
30 per acre for a series of-years is
worth 500 per acre as an Investment.
Sir Walter Siemens estimates that
the power generated at the falls of
Niagara and mostly going to waste
represents horsepower the equivalent
OF that obtainable from all the coal
mined and consumed in the whole
world.
Let the small boys on the farm go to
the circus and celebrate the Fourth, as
boys like to. Don't forget that 40 years
ago you got up at o'clock on the
morning of the Fourth to try.those fire.
crackers. There has been no change in
the boys.
1t will please the grangers of the
west TO learn that Mr.. Phillips. who
lives in a little one story cottage at
Evanston, made enough out of his corn
deal so that he can move into a brown
stone front on Michigan avenue if he
wants to-.
June extras are going into cold storage
at about 20 cents, a marked advance
over the prices paid a few years ago,
when Is and 16 cents was considered
a good price for June creamery butter.
The improved methods of refrigeration
which almost perfectly preserve the
June butter flavor are largely respon-
sible for this advance. The margin be-
tween June and January butter is now
very small.
One Of the richest men whom we
know, speaking of wealth in its largest
and best sense, is a man who only
Owns little 40 acre farm. He has
health, wife and children of whom
any man might be proud, keeps little
fine stock and poultry, farms his land
well and gets the best crops. He II
reader and thinker, and his lif; is
broad and useful. He could not be
happier had he 1000 acres.
Don't fool yourself with the promise
that when you have made your pile you
are going to lay off and enjoy yourself.
When you get ready to lay off. If you
ever do. you will have lost the capacity
for enjoying anything save hard work
and the making of money. Happiness
in living very fortunately is given to
men in daily installments and cannot
be banked and checked out all in a
lump at some future and faroff time.
Southern Missouri is not likely to de-
yelop into the home of the big red
apple" as was SO confidently expected
a few years ago. Insects, blight and
orchards of that section that the owner
of $500 acre orchard there located
pronounces the attempt at commercial
orchardipg total failure. The two
most promising new apple sections OF
the country are northern Michigan and
Idaho.
A writer in a Minnesota paper states
that the prairie chickens of that state
will hatch out two broods this year, the
spring weather having been so favor
able. This is a mistake. This bird
rarely ever brings off more than one
brood in a season unless the first set
ting of eggs is destroyed in some man
her. The quail will often in the lati-
tude of Missouri bring off two broods
in a year but the ruffed grouse and the
prairie chicken never.
We would like to know whether or
not it would be possible. and, ii posi-
bic. profitable, to domesticate the COM
mon wild pea of the north and grow it
as field crop. There is no doubt that
1t is valuable legume and under IA
yorable conditions in its wild state
produces heavy crop of fodder of
just the kind which is needed on ey.
cry stock farm. Have any Of orr read
ers ever had any experience with this
plant? If SO, we will be glad to hear
from them.
The fear was expressed at many Of
the horticultural meetings last winter
that the apple trees of the west and
-,