Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-01

Complaints are being made that the
rural mail carriers, being permitted to
act as the agents of the big department.
stores Of the cities. are working up
large business for such houses to the
detriment of the local merchants, and
an effort will be made to confine the
carrier to the carrying of the mail.
To show that the government means
business in the matter of rural mail
delivery and good roads. we note that
some. routes have been discontinued
for the reason that the roads were al
lowed to become impossible. 1t is
easy TO imagine that the road work will
have. proper attention in these locaii-
ties hereafter.
We noticed a field Of rape the other
Gay containing about three acres, into
which had been turned 40 shotes and
about 80 sheep. The rape was 1S
inches high and compared with the
burned UP pasture lot adjoining it
seemed as if both hogs and sheep had
truck very soft snap. Why not more
of just such fields?
Quail are increasing very rapidly al:
over the west. Legislation which pro-
tects these birds and the determined
stand taken by so many farmers not
to have them shot at any season have
much to do with this increase There
is no more valuable bird on the farm
than the quail. as he is all the year
round weed seed eater and insect de-
str0yer.
The southeastern fourth of the state
of Iowa has largely substituted bar
ley for oats as a rotation crop in con-
nectiOn with clover and corn. 1t is
found that barley is less liable to
blight. ripens earlier, is far better
crop to seed down with and where
crop of 35 or 40 bushels can be grown
is every way more satisfactory crop
than oats.
Forty years ago his father worked
IA hours day i'll the Alabama cotton
fields and got for his labor a ration of
bacon, corn pone and, like enough, a
good thrashing. We asked this mans
son last week as he was tending a
mason how much he earned and was
told that he got $1.75 per day for eight
hours work. This son OF Ham has no
kick coming
We note one curious fact this season
the birds will not touch the fruit of
the Bessarabian cherry. While they
have taken every cherry they could
reach on other varieties in our orchard,
they have let the Bessarabians entirely
alone, and this is not because it is n
cherry of poor quality, being fully
equal to the Richmond or Morello i'll
this respect.
Not one person in a thousand knew
of the existence Of such a hideous in
sect as the now well known electric
light beetle until electric lights came
into general use. Now so plentiful and
common have these bugs become that
recently it was necessary to remove
them by the bushel from beneath the
arc lights on one of the bridges in q
western city.
A friend writes inquiring how to get
rid of sorrel from field which became
infpnfn1 ~ >f
pure clover seed. II such field We're
summer faliowed. giving it, say, three
or four plowings or diskings between
the middle of June and the middle of
September. or. if plowed in June and
sowed to rape or sorghum, it would
finish up the sorrel.
The high cost of the modern thrash
ing machine has proved n good thing
for many a young man, and older one.
too, for that matter. in that it proves
a barrier to their going into the thrash
ing machine business. AS between a
thrasher and ten drinks of whisky q
day. the average man will keep his
farm longer with the whisky than he
will with the machi;ie.
There is always some raw granger
going to Chicago with stock from Iowa.
Kansas or Nebraska. who persists in
either blowing out the gas at his hotel
or else goes out after dark to see the
city. In which case he might just about
as well have staid at lis hotel and
blown out the gas. This sort should
sell their stock and get out of town be-
fore the sun goes down.
While the marked rise in value Of all
farm lands during the past two years
has made the holding of such land very
profitable regardless OF how the farm
may have been worked. this condition
will not continue. and IN the future
what money is made from the farm
will have to be made from the cult