Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-02

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1t is almost cruel to let colt go till
it is four years old without breaking it
in.
A white horse is good deal like my
lady's white dress-takes lots Of work
to keep it presentable.
The internal revenue authorities
have ruled that the use of palm oil as
colorfng material for oleomargarine
is unlawful.
Varieties of apples which are late In
coming into bearing will fruit much
sooner if top worked on stocks of some
kinds which bear young.
Not even tile drainage has been equal
to the task of Kidding the land of enor-
nous floods of water which fell on
much of the cultivated lands Of the
west and southwest during last June.
We are inclined to the opinion that
farmers work to their own hurt in the
matter of Dragging about their big
crops, the men who manipulate the
prices of produce and fix them using
these boasts to lower them.
The proportion of well bred stock to
the whole amount of stock kept in this
country is lamentably small. Not one
| farmer in a hundred, taking the coun-
| try through, seems alive to the impor-
lance of the improvement of the quail
ty of his domestic animals.
| Down in the Choctaw Nation recent
ly we noted the shanty home of an In
dian with no less than nine lightning
rod points ON it, and the funny thing
about it was that he had one on his
| A by 4 smokehouse also. The red man
seems to be easy meat for the rod man.
| We have several inquiries as to the
value of lightning rods as protection
to buildings. Frankly we do not know
how much they are worth. For our
selves, we carry insurance to the sum
of two-thirds of tha value of our build
4 ings and had rather trust in the Lord
for the other third than monkey with
a lightning rod agent. 81,
/ A church which was insured was
struck by lightning. The loss was adj
justed, and after repairs We're made
there was enough of the insurance
money left to place an electric lighting
outfit in the church in place of the old
lamps. Even in theological matters
there can be no loss save there be some
compromising gain.
| A dispute between grosbeak and
an English sparrow which was with
out doubt provoked by the sparrow be-
/ came SO fierce and intense that an in
terested spectator was able to go up to
them as they We're scrapping on the
lawn and put his hat over them, cap
turing both birds Our friend adj
judged the sparrow guilty and killed
1t, letting the grosbeak so.
4 An old friend of ours, hale and hearty
at seventy, attributes much of his good
health and ability to enjoy life to the
fact that he does as much physical
work each day as he feels able to do.
While in financial way entirely indie
pendent of work, he does 1t for the
good it does him. Thus we find work
good hard work-the salvation Of the
boy and the ministering angel of the
old man.
4 There are scores of communities
H whole towns as well as country homes
y where of late every cellar has had
more or less water in it. Water in the
cellar of the home should mean bust
ness on hand for the man who lives
in the house, as it is not only nut
sance, but serious menace to the
health of all who live there. Pump,
siphon and drain should be used to get
rid of it.
1t is blessed thing that a good ex-
ample is often Just as catching as q
bad one. Whenever one man does all
he can to make his home surroundings
pleasant and attractive just so soon all
his neighbors begin to talk about ii
and from talking are led to follow his
example, for a poorly and shiftlessly
kept home always looks more dilapi,
dated when well kept one is placed
in contrast with it.
We note case where twenty horse
power traction engine has been set to
hauling gravel and broken stone for
the macadamizing of the public high,
ways, using small cars which will hold
about two yards of gravel each. This
idea was suggested in this department
, two years ago, and we have always
believed it to be not only practical in
operation. butla marked advance in the
; line Of improved roadmaking.